Building a long-lasting family lineage starting with genealogy

Chapter 13 Acquiring a Servant (Seeking Further Reading)

The Xu family courtyard.

After a night's rest and plenty of food, the refugee father and son were in much better spirits.

They stood obediently in the courtyard, their big hands tightly clasping their small hands, their heads bowed.

We await Xu Chuan's decision.

"Tell me your names and backgrounds first," Xu Chuan said calmly.

The refugee man raised his head and said, "I am Li Qianfeng, twenty-eight years old. This is my son, Li Tai'a, four years old. We fled from Xishan County."

"Qianfeng, Tai'a, what impressive names! Your Li family must be no ordinary family."

"I see your complexion is dull, but your eyes are bright; you must have practiced martial arts."

Li Qianfeng was shocked and surprised. He never expected that such a small village would have such knowledgeable people.

I, Li Qianfeng, hesitated for a moment.

"My Xu family does not accept people who are full of lies."

Li Qianfeng was filled with sorrow.

He was once known as the elegant second master of the Li family in Xishan County. Now that his family has been wiped out, it is unknown how many of his relatives have survived.

The past is like smoke, all returning to dust.

Li Qianfeng looked at his youngest son, his eyes filled with pity.

All he asks for now is a place to stay so that his son can be spared the suffering of displacement.

So, Li Qianfeng slowly began to recount his family history.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan paced back and forth, pretending to be deep in thought.

After a while.

He said to the Li father and son, "I can accept you, but I will only accept servants."

"In contrast, given that your Li family has enemies, if you stay, you must change your name."

“I will provide food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and I can also provide your son with opportunities to learn martial arts.”

"If you agree, I will spare you and your son."

Upon hearing these conditions, Li Qianfeng began to ponder them deeply.

The Xu family is far smaller than the Li family.

It was not even one-tenth as strong, but Xu Chuan gave him a feeling that he was unfathomable.

His ambitions were lofty; it seemed he wanted to build the Xu family into a powerful and prestigious clan.

There aren't many kind-hearted people in this world.

He had begged at several places before, but those who could even give him a sip of water were considered lucky.

Most ordinary people simply didn't have the extra resources to keep people there, so they had no choice but to go to Qingjiang County.

But who knows how many more days of hardship and sleeping outdoors will they have to endure?

Even he couldn't handle it, let alone his son.

It had already reached its limit.

Now that they've barely caught their breath, they probably can't withstand the turmoil and displacement any longer.

Li Qianfeng could tell that the Xu family, from top to bottom, were all kind and good people.

After much consideration, he pulled Li Tai'a down to kneel and said, "I am willing to serve the Xu family with my son, without any regrets."

Xu Chuan smiled slightly, "In that case, I will rename you and your son."

"Please bestow a name upon us, Master."

"From now on, you will be called Li Er, and your son will be called Li Zhi."

"Thank you, Patriarch."

Xu Chuan then introduced his family.

"Madam, please prepare an empty room for them to live in. After you have rested for a few days and recovered your strength, I will find someone to help you build a house nearby."

"Thank you, Master, thank you, Madam," Li Er said respectfully.

Bai Jing smiled slightly.

"Stone, go get paper and pen, write down the slave contract, and have the father and son sign it."

"Yes, Dad."

In duplicate.

After signing the agreement, Xu Chuan said, "You'll need to come with me to the county government office in a few days to re-register your household registration and settle in Dongxi Village. Otherwise, being an unregistered resident won't stand up to scrutiny."

"Yes, master."

Xu Chuan gave the order, and Li Er nodded in agreement.

Xu Mingxuan was overjoyed to have a playmate of the same age and dragged him to see his toys.

a few days later.

Xu Chuan and his son Li Er went to the Qingjiang County Government Office.

Yang Zhao was the chief clerk of the county government, and he was in charge of household registration.

"Greetings, Registrar Yang." Xu Chuan bowed respectfully.

Clerk Yang sized up the young man in the blue robe before him and felt that he looked somewhat familiar. "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

"Registration Officer Yang has a good memory. Several years ago, when you came to Dongxi Village to handle the Yu family's land affairs, I was the one who led the way," Xu Chuan said with a smile.

"So it's you. I remember your name is Xu Chuan, right? What do you want me to do for you today?" Yang Zhao remembered that he had personally promised to do him a small favor.

"Registrar Yang, you've misunderstood. I'm not here to trouble you; I'm here to bring these two people to register their household registration and settle them in Dongxi Village."

Yang Zhao then looked at Li Er and his son.

They were no longer dressed in rags and with disheveled hair.

Although they were still somewhat thin, they all had handsome features and an air of heroism.

"Settling down?"

“They were forced to come here due to floods in the west. With nowhere else to go, they wanted to become my servants. I thought that even servants should have a status.”

Yang Zhao nodded.

This kind of thing happens all the time.

Unable to return to their hometown in a short time and without a livelihood, they would either become beggars begging all the way or become servants to others, dependent on their every whim.

Yang Zhao didn't want to ask any more questions, and looked at Li Er, asking, "Did you and your son voluntarily settle in Dongxi Village?"

"Yes, sir."

"In that case, please tell me your name and age."

For newcomers to register their household registration, each person was charged five taels of silver, which was naturally paid by Xu Chuan.

Once they settle down, their descendants will not need to pay any money to register their household registration.

"Thank you, sir. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

After finishing his business, Xu Chuan had to rush home.

"Wait, I have something I'd like to ask you. There are a lot of refugees fleeing here this time. What's the situation in your Dongxi Village? Is it chaotic?"

"Dongxi Village is relatively stable at present. Wealthy households in need will hire a few day laborers or servants."

The disaster caused a large influx of displaced people into the entire Yuehu County.

The counties and prefectures were all racking their brains over how to deal with these displaced people.

Although Yang Zhao was neither a county magistrate nor a county town official, if his good suggestions were adopted, that would be considered a political achievement.

It will be of great benefit to future promotions.

Seeing Xu Chuan's attire, he knew that the Xu family must have been doing quite well in recent years.

After all, the last time I saw him, he was dressed in coarse linen, looking like an ordinary commoner.

Nowadays, it's approaching the clothing and daily necessities of some wealthy families.

Therefore, he had a sudden inspiration and wanted to hear if he could get any good insights from him.

"So what do you think is the best way to resettle these refugees?"

Xu Chuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting Yang Zhao to ask such a question.

"The county magistrates have their own considerations on this matter, how dare I presume to comment or make any unwarranted remarks?" Xu Chuan said with a look of fear.

"Speak freely, and I will listen attentively. If what you say is good, I will owe you another favor."

Do you really enjoy owing favors?
"Then let me share my humble opinion."

Xu Chuan began, "It's definitely not okay to leave the refugees to fend for themselves. If they become beggars, it will also affect the security of the entire Qingjiang County."

"It would be best to find a place where they can stay together, and then register and manage them one by one to avoid chaos."

"Those who intend to settle down can have some of their handling fees waived for household registration."

“Provide a few days’ worth of rations, and the county government will provide some labor opportunities, such as building water conservancy projects and roads, to absorb some of the labor. Wealthy households in Qingjiang County will be mobilized to absorb some of the labor internally.”

"The specifics depend on the number of refugees in Qingjiang County this time, and how many the county government and wealthy households can absorb."

Yang Zhao didn't care much at first, but after listening, his gaze became serious.

“I know the county government provides work opportunities, but how will wealthy households take advantage of them?”

Xu Chuan smiled slightly, "The scale of the disaster in the west this time is quite large. Many of the refugees are skilled in martial arts, and there may even be hidden martial artists among them."

“No wealthy family would refuse such excellent servants.”

“The county government can select those who are willing to become servants, gather wealthy households, and conduct open recruitment. They can even collect some silver from the wealthy households to subsidize part of the cost of food for the displaced people, thus easing the financial pressure on the county government.”

"Hmm, is there anything else?" Yang Zhao nodded and continued to ask.

"Furthermore, if there are any vacant fields in the villages under the jurisdiction of Qingjiang County, they can be rented out for free to migrants who are willing to settle down for the first two years, and then the rental fee can be increased until the cost is recovered."

Yang Zhao remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was extremely shocked.

Unexpectedly, an ordinary citizen actually had remarkable insights, which greatly broadened his thinking.

No wonder the family has grown so rapidly in just a few years.

It's a talent!

Xu Chuan continued, "These are just my humble opinions. There are many details involved, such as distinguishing between good and bad people, and how to select those who are granted free land."

"I understand." Yang Zhao pondered for a moment, then smiled at Xu Chuan. "I owe you another favor for this matter. This is my Yang family token. Take it. Most officials will give you some face when they see it."

"Thank you, Registrar Yang."

Xu Chuan did not refuse, and after accepting it, he cupped his hands again and said, "Then I will take my leave first."

"Go."

Xu Chuan and his son Li Er returned home that afternoon.

Following Xu Chuan's advice, Yang Zhao began to draft a detailed plan for the resettlement of displaced people.

(End of this chapter)