Spring scenery in the fields

"Okay, Anguo, leave after dinner and bring some extra clothes."

Shen Anguo nodded: "I understand, mother. I have packed everything."

He is going to town to find a temporary job, and he can't tell when he will be back, so he needs to bring some spare clothes.

After breakfast, Shen Yuanshan went to Lan Qiuhua’s house to take back the chicks and placed them on the wasteland.

As soon as he landed, he ran happily.

Looking at the two people coming down the mountain, he said with a smile: "Brother, sister-in-law, look how happy they are running. I will go find some wild vegetables and chop them up at home to feed them."

"Okay, go ahead." Ji Wenhe looked at the fence and said, "Brother Shen, I want to raise rabbits."

Shen Rongshan walked along the edge of the field, observing whether there were any places where the fence was not well set up, and replied softly: "It's hard to catch live rabbits in the mountains. Let's go to the market to have a look the day after tomorrow."

The mountain road was difficult to walk on and the rabbit ran so fast that it was impossible to catch up with it.

"Okay, keep them in the yard, put a layer of stones on the ground, and then cover it with soil, and the rabbits won't be able to dig holes."

She walked slowly behind him.

"Rabbits reproduce quickly, which is better than raising piglets. It takes a year to raise pigs, so I want to wait until later to raise pigs."

"I have enough money to buy a piece of land at the foot of the mountain and build a house. The cave is just right for raising rabbits. What do you think, Brother Shen?"

Shen Rongshan thought for a moment and said, "Well, but we have to lay a layer of stones in the cave."

The cave is made of dirt and is not covered with rocks, so it is easy for rabbits to get in.

Ji Wenhe turned his head and looked towards the village: "Brother Shen, how much does it cost to buy a residential plot? One mu of land cost two taels, and it's not good land. The price is too high."

"Didn't you say that the government is already suppressing prices? Will the sale of village land be suppressed as well?"

During the famine, not only did shops and breeders raise their prices, but land sales also increased, to an outrageous level of prices.

"It costs three taels to buy a thatched house." Shen Rongshan pointed at a thatched house. "Like theirs, it costs more than three taels. The bigger the house, the higher the price."

Looking in the direction of his finger, he said, "Ah, that house costs three taels, more expensive than the land."

Including the yard and the kitchen, the total area is only about 60 to 70 square meters, but it costs only three taels.

"The price of residential land is higher than that of farmland. If a family does not have farmland, they can buy wasteland. If the residential land is gone, there will be no place to live."

"When people encounter difficulties at home, they can sell their land, but it is absolutely wrong not to sell the homestead unless it is absolutely necessary."

Shen Rongshan walked into the grassy wasteland next to him and continued.

"When I was a kid, there were two families in the village who were very sick. They sold their land, but the money was not enough. The sons wanted to sell the homestead, but the elders refused to agree."

"I was afraid that my son would sell the homestead without my knowledge, so I ate rat poison that night and died."

"The homestead is passed down from generation to generation. It is easy to sell it, but difficult to buy it back. After selling the homestead, you have no place to live, and the village can no longer accommodate you."

If he had not discovered a cave in the mountain, he probably would not be staying in Shenjia Village now.

Ji Wenhe walked to the edge of the wasteland and watched him looking for wild vegetables in it: "I thought the price of homesteads and farmland was about the same, but I didn't expect homesteads to be so expensive."

I also thought that if two taels of silver could buy one mu of land, the money I had would be just enough to buy a residential plot of land.

"It's different. It's cheap to sell it, but you have to spend a lot of money to buy it back. The head of the village deliberately raised the price, and you can't reason with him."

"Don't even think about reporting it to the authorities. The government is on their side. If things get out of hand, they'll be tripped up everywhere in the village and the officials will protect each other."

He had already realized this.

Ji Wenhe squatted on the ground with his chin in his hand: "People should not fight against officials, even if they are small officials."

Now she understood why some people always wanted to become officials.

"But it's really frustrating to suffer this loss."

Shen Rongshan stood up and said, "Wen He, think positively. As ordinary people like us who have no power and influence, as long as we don't suffer a big loss, it doesn't matter if we suffer a small loss."

"You really have to be open-minded. You can't always suffer losses."

He curled his lips and said, "Occasionally, I won't suffer losses every time. Honest people will also resist one day."

"Besides, if we let them get the upper hand, they won't be able to refuse when we need help."

Ji Wenhe suddenly understood that isn't this what life is like? There is no time to always have an advantage, and there is no time to always suffer a loss.

"Brother Shen, I understand what you mean. For those who will be helpful to us in the future, such as the head of the village, it's okay to let them take advantage of us because we will need their help someday."

Shen Rongshan came out of the wasteland and said, "Yes, this is how relationships between people work. If you are useful to me, I can suffer losses and tolerate you.

You are useless to me. I can suffer a loss occasionally, but I won’t let you take advantage of me every time.”

Ji Wenhe looked up at his tall figure and said, "Brother Shen, sometimes you really don't look like someone from this dynasty. You seem a bit out of place."

He looked at her puzzledly: "Why do you say that?"

"Because in my opinion, the people here are feudal and old-fashioned."

Perhaps it was because of the influence of his mother and everything he had experienced in the army in recent years that made him change his previous inherent ideas.

Shen Rongshan said with a smile: "In a place, everyone has a different personality. You have never been out of it. If you go to Dachengzhou, you will find more people with different personalities."

Ji Wenhe thought to himself: I have met all kinds of people.

"Brother Shen, you must have been very powerful in the army."

He shook his head: "No, the great one is the general, who rushed to the front line and bravely killed the enemy. We can't even look up to him."

"Brother Shen, with your ability, you will definitely make a difference in the army. Didn't the army keep you?"

If he can survive the battlefield to the end, there will definitely be people who appreciate him.

"Yes, I don't want to. I have two younger brothers at home, and I promised my parents that I would take good care of them."

Shen Rongshan picked up the wild vegetables on the ground.

"I can't read, and I know nothing about military tactics. I only have brute force. Besides, the army is not as good as you think."

Ji Wenhe understood that there must be someone in the army who disliked him, was unwilling to accept him, and was secretly making trouble for him.

She got up and followed him home: "It's okay if you don't stay. Let's live a quiet and stable life and enjoy life."

Everyone has different ambitions. Some people choose to defend their country, while others choose to live in peace in a corner.

What she wanted was simple: to do business, make money, and build a house.

In my spare time, I lie on a lounge chair with a pot of tea and a plate of preserved fruits and pastries at hand, admiring the sunset.

Shen Rongshan placed the wild vegetables by the kitchen door and carried two wooden buckets: "I'm going to fetch water for the fields, you stay at home."

Ji Wenhe nodded: "Well, you go ahead, I'll go to Aunt Lan's house."

I have to ask again about what I talked to Shen Suya about last time.