Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 100: Hiring People to Open Up the Wasteland

Qu Shaoyang and Liu Dongshan finished their meal, cleaned up briefly, and then went to rest.

Qu Shaoyang did not go back home, but slept on the north kang with Xiaozhi.

After living in the mountains for more than ten days, I felt tired and exhausted. Suddenly, I slept on a warm kang and it felt so comfortable.

Qu Shaoyang was young and slept a lot, so he slept particularly soundly at night. Even when the two little ones on the south kang woke up and cried, Qu Shaoyang did not hear them.

After a sound sleep at night, Qu Shaoyang, Liu Dongshan and Xiao Zhi got up early the next morning, washed their faces, and went to the yard to practice boxing.

It turns out that Xiaozhi has a talent for martial arts. He practices the boxing techniques taught by Liu Dongshan very well and he does it quite well.

"Master, Xiaozhi is nine years old this year. We can't just let him work at home. Shouldn't he go to school?
I think this child is quite smart. Let’s not talk about whether he can take the imperial examination or not. At least he should be able to recognize some words. He should not be blind.”

When he was walking back into the house after practicing boxing, Qu Shaoyang suddenly remembered this.

Liu Dongshan was stunned for a moment when he heard this, "Oh, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have really forgotten about it.

I'll go find out if there's a private school near Maoer Mountain. If there is, I'll send Xiaozhi there as soon as possible.

If not, buy some books when you go out again, and your mistress and I can teach him how to read."

Liu Dongshan's father was a scholar. He came from a well-off family when he was a child. He studied with his father and his family also hired a famous teacher to teach him martial arts.

When Liu Dongshan was thirteen, his hometown suffered a flood, and the fertile fields and houses were submerged, causing heavy losses.

After a great disaster there will always be a great epidemic. Liu Dongshan's parents and brothers were infected with the plague and died one after another, leaving him alone.

Unfortunately, he encountered greedy relatives who embezzled the Liu family's property and drove Liu Dongshan out of the house.

Liu Dongshan was young at the time. In order to survive, he begged for food, worked as an apprentice, and did great work. Finally, he became a woodcutter.

Although I haven't touched a book for many years, it should be no problem to teach Xiaozhi to recognize a few words.

Needless to say, Lin Ruolan used to be the manager of an inn, so literacy and accounting were no problem for her.

It’s nonsense for the couple to say that they have taught Xiaozhi well, but it is true that they have taught him to recognize some words.

"Oh, okay. I'll go ask around later."

Qu Shaoyang agreed, saying it was a piece of cake, just a matter of talking.

"When the time comes, you can learn too. No matter how old you are, it's always good to know a few words."

Liu Dongshan turned around, glanced at Qu Shaoyang and said.

The original owner didn't even have a name, so it was naturally impossible for him to be literate.

Qu Shaoyang has been here for more than two years. In order not to arouse suspicion from others, he never mentions these things.

Therefore, Liu Dongshan thought that his apprentice was illiterate.

It's all about teaching anyway, whether you drive one sheep or release two sheep, why not just do it together?

"Me? Master, how old am I? Why am I still studying in a private school with Xiaozhi? Forget it, I won't go.

When Xiaozhi learns it, just teach me two words." When Qu Shaoyang heard this, he shook his head like a rattle.

What a joke! He never studied well in his previous life and his head hurts whenever he studies.

He has traveled through time, and you still want him to go to a private school and learn all kinds of things from a teacher. Isn't that nonsense?

"Look at your little achievements, forget it, it's up to you."

Liu Dongshan was so angry that he laughed at his apprentice's words. This rascal didn't even appreciate the kindness he received.

Qu Shaoyang chuckled and touched Xiaozhi's head.

"Xiaozhi, I'm counting on you from now on. You should study hard, and when you grow up and become successful, don't forget to help me."

Xiaozhi is only nine years old. No matter how smart and sensible he is, he is still easy to fool because of his age.

So, Xiao Zhi nodded heavily, "Brother, don't worry, I will study hard. When I have a bright future, I will definitely not forget you and my parents." The little boy promised seriously.

Liu Dongshan shook his head and rolled his eyes in front of him. Without saying anything, he walked into the house.

Qu Shaoyang led Xiaozhi and the other two to fetch water, light fire and cook.

Lin Ruolan is taking care of two kids. She gets up several times at night and wakes up late in the morning.

Besides, breakfast is just cooking some porridge, heating some pancakes, and cutting some pickles. It’s very simple.

The two brothers chatted while working and soon finished breakfast.

After breakfast, Liu Dongshan sent Xiaozhi out to play, and then the master and his disciple went to the west room to find a proper place to store the mallet they brought back from the mountains.

The unearthed wild ginseng can be preserved for several months without spoiling if wrapped in moist moss and birch bark.

Of course, it’s best to do this as soon as possible to avoid any accidents.

"Shaoyang, do you think this will work? Let's rest at home for a few days.

After Shuanzhu and Xiaofeng are over 100 years old, we will go to Yingkou together to sell the club, and then go to Jinzhou, Zhuanghe and other places to recruit a group of people to open up wasteland for us.

Otherwise, how could we, the two of us, ever be able to cultivate hundreds of acres of land?"

Liu Dongshan has been thinking about this matter these days.

Not only is buying ready-made land expensive, the key is that there is not much of it. Who would be willing to sell land to others?

Isn't it because they can't make ends meet and have no choice?

If you want to have a large piece of land, you have to open it up.

There are plenty of wastelands on the Maoer Mountain side. Now is not the same as before. If you want to reclaim wasteland, you can go to the government, pay a little money, go through the formalities, and then you can openly reclaim the land and cultivate it.

The soil here in Maoer Mountain is very good. It's just like what people say, if you sow some seeds it will grow. As long as the wasteland is well tended, the yield will not be low.

But the same thing is that clearing land is too tiring. A person would be exhausted for the whole autumn and still might not be able to produce much.

Liu Dongshan and Qu Shaoyang both have money now, so they must be able to buy at least hundreds of acres of land, right?

If we rely entirely on the two of them to complete the land reclamation, it will take several years and they will be exhausted.

This definitely won't work. If they have the time, they can make money doing anything. Why put themselves in trouble?
Another way to open up wasteland is to hire people, hiring people from Shandong or Hebei who have just come to Guandong.

These people left because they couldn't make it in their hometowns. When they arrived in Kanto, they were completely in the dark and had no idea what to do.

Being a wooden handle requires a strong physique and is very dangerous.

Going into the mountains to dig ginseng is very dangerous. If you are not careful, you may get stuck in the mountains and unable to get out.

Therefore, many people who came to Guandong chose to open up wasteland and cultivate land as their first choice when they arrived here.

But reclaiming wasteland and cultivating the land is not something that can be done casually.

The first point is that the land in Guandong Mountain is not really ownerless land.

The land in the Northeast is divided into "Bianli" and "Bianwai", with Willow Border as the boundary. Bianli is under the jurisdiction of Shengjing and belongs to the territory of the Manchus.

The areas outside the border were fiefs for the Mongolian tribes, which were awarded by the Qing Dynasty in order to win over the Mongolian tribes.

If no one moves these lands, they may just remain fallow and unattended.

But as soon as someone starts to open up wasteland, someone will immediately appear and say that this is their land and it cannot be touched.

Another point is that when reclaiming wasteland, one not only has to deal with the owner of the wasteland, but one also needs to have a certain financial background.

At the very least, you need tools like a pickaxe, and enough food to last a year.

(End of this chapter)