Beautiful Peasant Girl: The Young Marquis's Beloved

After several days, Liu Xu and his friends finally completed the mushroom bed for Xing'er's family.

At the same time, the villagers began to busy themselves with plowing the land, harrowing and applying fertilizer in preparation for the subsequent wheat sowing.

But Liu Xu's family is now without labor, so they can only hire people to farm. It's not known when her father will come back, or if he can come back at all. What if other families are not available, what will happen to her land? Can't leave it vacant? In this era, if you leave good farmland uncultivated, you will be punished by the government. Liu Xu is a little worried.

At night, the mother and daughter lay in bed. Liu Xu was worried about what was happening on the field and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Seeing this, Xu Ruolan said worriedly, "Xu'er, what's wrong with you? Tell me if you have anything to say!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu told her mother about it.

Xu Ruolan laughed when she heard this: "Mother thought it was a small matter!"

When Liu Xu heard her mother say this, she knew that her mother must have a way, and her eyes lit up.

"It's also mother's fault. I've been disturbed by your two brothers these days and have forgotten about this. Before, your grandpa and grandma were the ones who made the decisions in our family, so mother couldn't say much. We have a lot of land and few people. We can't finish the crops even if we work hard from dawn to dusk. Your grandpa used to hire temporary workers for farming and harvesting, but he usually took care of the land himself. Now mother wants to take care of you two little brothers, and I can't let a little girl like you carry water and pull weeds?"

Liu Xu nodded when she heard that. That's right. She is not even seven years old yet. Even if she is not exhausted to death, she will not grow taller.

"Go find Grandpa Guisheng who helped us harvest the crops before..."

This and that, this and that, the mother and daughter muttered to each other in bed for a long time before they fell asleep peacefully.

Early the next morning.

After the mother and daughter had breakfast, Liu Xu carefully watered the mushroom bed, said hello to Xu Ruolan, and went to Liu Guisheng's house.

Along the way, the breeze blew, and the wild flowers by the fields swayed gently.

As I was walking, I ran into the village chief Liu Dahai. Liu Dahai was wearing a coarse cloth gown and approached slowly with a kind face. "Xu girl, where are you going?" Liu Dahai asked.

Liu Xu bowed quickly and said, "Grandpa, we are going to plant wheat, but my family doesn't have any laborers. I plan to go to Grandpa Guisheng's house and ask them for help."

Liu Dahai nodded slightly. "Well, good boy, thank you for your hard work. Farming is the most important thing for us farmers. Otherwise, we will starve next year!"

"Yeah, yes, Xuer doesn't want to be hungry again!" Liu Xu said playfully.

"Haha, by the way, how are you doing after the separation? Is everything going well?" Liu Xu's words were full of hidden meaning, but Liu Dahai seemed not to understand and changed the subject.

Liu Xu didn't care and replied with a smile: "Thank you for your concern, Grandpa. Everything is fine. Although it's a bit busy, I feel at ease."

Liu Dahai stroked his beard and said, "That's good. If you have any difficulties, just tell the tribe."

"Thank you for your concern, grandpa. I'll remember it." After saying that, Liu Xu said goodbye to Liu Dahai and continued on her way.

Soon, Liu Xu arrived at the door of Grandpa Guisheng's house. She knocked gently, and when the door opened, an old man with a wrinkled face looked puzzled.

Liu Xu hurriedly said, "Grandpa Guisheng, I am Liu Xu."

"Oh, girl Xu, come in quickly!" Liu Guisheng knew Liu Xu, after all, he had invited his family to harvest rice not long ago.

Liu Xu followed the old man into the house. She looked around quietly. The courtyard was very clean. The main house had three rooms, just like her old house, and there were three rooms on the east side. It looked like a quadrangle.

Two three or four-year-old children in the yard looked at her curiously. Liu Xu guessed that they were probably the youngest son of the eldest child Liu Tianzhuang and the youngest daughter of the second child Liu Tianfu. Although their clothes were patched up, they were still clean.

Liu Guisheng led Liu Xu into the main hall, and then an old woman came out from the inner room and smiled gently at Liu Xu:

"This must be Xu, the girl from Donglai's family!" It was obvious that she had heard what they said at the door from inside the house.

"Hello Grandma Guisheng, I'm Liu Xu!" Liu Xu said with a smile.

"Old woman, go and pour a glass of water for Xu." Liu Guisheng said to his old wife, then turned to ask Liu Xu:

"Xu girl, are you here today to ask your uncle and his family to help you plow the land?"

The whole village knew about their separation, and Liu Xu's family now had no labor force, so he naturally guessed Liu Xu's intention.

"Well, you can say that!" Liu Xu replied

"Well...my family has also been plowing the land these days, so we can plow your fields as well. But it will be difficult to calculate the working days. How about you wait for two days, and after we finish plowing the land, we can let your uncle and others help you...how do you think that's okay?" Liu Guisheng felt a little embarrassed.

"Grandpa Guisheng, please don't be anxious. Xu'er has other ideas. Can you listen to them first?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Guisheng gestured to her to speak.

"It's like this. As you know, my father has gone to the army, and now the family has been divided. There are only me, my mother and my brothers at home. We are willing but unable to cultivate so many fields. Your family happens to have a lot of labor, so I want to rent all my fields to you. In the future, you will pay us rent according to the proportion of the harvest every season. Do you think it's okay?"

When Liu Guisheng heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. His family already had many people but little land. With more than a dozen people relying on only seven or eight acres of land, it was not enough for them to eat and use. If he could rent the land from Liu Xu's family, it would really solve his urgent problem.

Ninety percent of the people in Liujia Village are from the same clan. Their ancestors left a legacy that they should not sell their land unless it was absolutely necessary. Therefore, every household in their village cultivated their own crops, unlike the neighboring village, where some landlords hoarded land and could rent it out if times were tough.

Therefore, Liu Guisheng nodded hurriedly and said, "Okay, okay! This is a great thing, girl. But I don't know how to pay rent and taxes?"

Liu Xu bit her lip lightly and said sincerely, "Grandpa Guisheng, I won't hide it from you. Other landlords collect 40% to 60% of rent, and tenants only get 60%. But we are from the same clan and village, and Xu'er's idea is 30% to 70%. Every season, your family will pay 30% of the harvest to my family, and I will pay the taxes. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Liu Guisheng's face was full of gratitude, and tears even welled up in his eyes: "Girl, you...you are putting yourself at a disadvantage, aren't you? Grandpa can't take advantage of you like this! Grandpa agrees to a 30%-70% split, but the tax will be paid by my family."

Liu Xu was about to refuse. Although she wanted to become a local landlord, she couldn't do it like Zhou Paopi. But before she could say anything, Liu Guisheng raised his hand to stop her.

"Xu girl, listen to me. You are already taking good care of my family by saying that you pay 30% and 70% of the tax. If you still let your family pay the tax, everyone will criticize and scold me. You can't let me bear the stigma of bullying women and children when I am old!"

At the end of his speech, Liu Guisheng still looked pitiful.

Willow catkins...

"Yes, girl Xu, that's what your grandfather Guisheng said. We've already taken advantage of you with the 60% rent, but if we ask you to pay taxes, that would be asking for too much." Grandma Guisheng, who had come in at some point, also advised gently.

Liu Xu opened her mouth, but seeing that the two elders both had expressions that said you must agree, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

After the two families had discussed it, they went to the village chief's house together, asked the village chief to witness it, and signed the contract.

After listening to Liu Xu's story, Liu Dahai thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. This would not only solve the problem of no one cultivating Liu Xu's land, but also help Liu Guisheng's family, which was a good thing for both the public and private sectors.

The contract is signed every two years in triplicate, with one copy for each of Liu Xu and Liu Guisheng's families, and one copy for the village chief Liu Dahai for filing, and then recorded with the government office.

After the work was done, Liu Xu put her family's share in her pocket, said goodbye to her two uncles with a smile, hummed a little tune, and walked home happily.

Hehe, I’m considered a small landlord now, hahaha!

Passing by Liu Dashan's house, she happened to meet Liu Juan who was carrying a basin of clothes. Seeing her happy face, Liu Juan thought that since the separation of the family, her grandmother Zhang had assigned Liu Xu's mother's work to her and her mother. She was very angry and couldn't help but scolded: "Little bitch, what are you so proud of? When my brother passes the imperial examination, I will teach you a lesson sooner or later!"

"Who are you calling a bitch?" She had never spoiled her before the family split up, and she would not do so now.

"You...you dare to scold me?" Liu Juan's eyes turned red with anger. She stared at Liu Xu as if she wanted to bite her to death.

"Tsk, just tease me first!" After saying that, he ignored Liu Juan and ran away.

"Liu Xu!" Liu Juan's roar came from behind.

When Liu Xu heard this, she ran even faster. She was not a fool. If she didn't run, Liu Juan might come over and beat her. With her weak arms and legs, she couldn't beat her.

When she ran back home, her mother was already picking vegetables to prepare lunch.

"You're back! What did your grandfather Guisheng and the others say?" Xu Ruolan asked.

"Yes, I definitely agree! Mother, look, the contract has been signed. From now on, we just have to wait for the harvest!"

Liu Xu took out the contract and said with a smile that looked like she was asking for praise.

"So fast?" Xu Ruolan wiped her hands, took it and looked at it.

"Of course not. Grandpa Guisheng has a large family but little land, and there is no landlord in our village to rent to. Now we are renting to him for 10% less rent, he will definitely agree to it!"

Looking at her daughter's smiling eyes and an awesome look, Xu Ruolan tapped her forehead with amusement.

"Okay, you're sweating all over. Go drink some water and take a good rest. And keep an eye on your brothers while I go cook."

""Good mother!"

Her family now eats fine grains, but vegetables are a little more difficult to eat. When the family was divided, her grandfather did not give them a vegetable plot, so they can only buy or exchange some. They can't always go to other people's fields empty-handed to pick vegetables.

Liu Xu thought that he had to find time to turn over the land in the backyard.

There is still about two mu of open space behind her house, which is still surrounded by a wall. After moving in, she would come to mow the grass whenever she had time, and she finished mowing it a few days ago. Yesterday she saw a piece of loose soil, which should have been turned by her mother.

There's no way. No matter how hardworking she is, she is still too young. She really can't be efficient in turning the soil.

No matter what, dig some and sow the seeds later, so you don't have to buy vegetables all the time in autumn and winter.