Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

"We are just guarding those five acres of ancestral property. Even if we take good care of it, how much can we get? Aunt, do you think this makes sense?"

Ye Changyan smiled secretly in his heart, but on the surface he asked Xu seriously.

"Hey!"

Xu didn't know whether to answer yes or no, so she could only sigh.

"In order not to worry my grandmother and not to cause trouble to my uncles, I thought that since the limited land cannot increase production infinitely, we have to find a way to increase the land. As long as there is more land, the output will naturally increase, and our lives will get better step by step. Aunt, don't you think this makes sense?"

Ye Changyan laughed in his heart again and asked Xu again.

Being asked again, Xu couldn't play dumb anymore and could only nod, "That's right!"

"The young master of Yunfeng Tower knows something about my situation, so he invited me to tell stories at Yunfeng Tower, saying that all the reward money would belong to me, which would be enough to help with emergencies."

When Xu heard Ye Changyan mention the topic that she was concerned about, she nodded slightly and pricked up her ears to listen carefully.

"Thanks to the favor of all the guests in the building, I earned some tips. I happened to know that someone in Shanghe Village was selling land, so I put together the gifts I received a few days ago and begged Uncle Li for the price. Finally, I bought the land."

Ye Changyan had a helpless expression on his face, and he looked really pitiful.

"It's good to buy it, it's good to buy it! With more land, things will get more and more prosperous in the future. I'll go back now and ask your uncle and your eldest brother to come and help with a few days of farming."

Xu got the answer she wanted and stood up to leave.

"Aunt, please thank uncle and brother on my behalf. We don't need their help for now. Aunt Shuanzhu has already arranged for help. This land is so small, and the people Aunt Shuanzhu has arranged are enough."

When Xu said that her husband and son came to help, it was originally just a polite remark. After hearing Ye Changyan's words, she went along with it. After a few polite words, she got up and walked out of the yard with the big girl.

"Sister-in-law, the meal will be ready soon. You two can stay and have lunch before going back."

Lian still habitually invited Xu to stay for dinner, but Xu declined and left the yard.

After Xu and Daya walked away, Ye Xiaozheng also came out of the room. The whole family asked Ye Changyan with some confusion why he accepted the things sent by Xu.

"My aunt came here to deliver some gifts, but she mainly wanted to find out whether we really bought the land. She is more concerned about where the money came from."

Ye Changyan talked to Xu for a long time and felt a little thirsty, so he poured himself a glass of water, drank it in two gulps, and then continued.

"Since my uncle and aunt are interested in repairing the relationship, we can't just turn them away. If we tell others about this and those outsiders who don't know the inside story find out, who knows how they will frame it. If someone with ulterior motives instigates this, it will definitely not be good for Wulang and me in the future."

Ye Changyan's words made the whole family serious. The most important thing for this family was the brothers' college entrance examinations. Especially since Ye Changyan had already achieved fame, they must not let any remarks that would be detrimental to family affection and filial piety be spread.

The next day, early in the morning, Ye Changyan came to the headman's house as agreed. Lian, who was a little worried, also came along. Erniu and Wulang naturally followed as well to join in the fun.

"Sanlang is here! Everyone is here."

The gate to the village head's yard was wide open. Several strong young men and young women were standing in the yard. When Zhang saw Ye Changyan and Lian's mother and son coming over, she hurriedly greeted them, and the others followed suit.

After Ye Changyan and his mother briefly greeted everyone, they began to discuss the specific arrangements with everyone. The main task today and tomorrow was to turn the land over.

"Sanlang, I have to go to the county to do some work these days, so I can't help you. I'll lend you my cow for two days. Wang Erhu will go to Shanghe Village with me later and bring another cow. I've already made arrangements with him in advance."

Li Zhiping, who was packing to go out, said to Ye Changyan with an apologetic look on his face.

"Uncle Li, thank you so much!"

Ye Changyan hurriedly thanked him.

"We can't waste the farming season, we can express our gratitude after the crops are harvested next year!"

As he spoke, Wang Erhu followed Li Zhiping and headed towards Shanghe Village. Soon, Ye Changyan also led the others to the newly purchased land.

As expected, with two cows, turning the soil became much easier. Plus, these young men and women were all good workers, and the soil was turned over by the next morning.

"Aunt Zhang, brothers and sisters-in-law, you all have seen the gentle slope in front. The soil is shallow and quite poor. I think the sisters-in-law will help to dig nests this afternoon, and the brothers will help to dig some river mud from the riverside, and then spread some river mud in each nest on this gentle slope."

Ye Changyan remembered seeing a program in his previous life. In the 1960s and 1970s, when supplies were scarce, many people in the Jiangnan area dug some fertile lotus pond mud from rivers and ponds to fertilize the land. People called this "twisting river mud."

This river pond mud is very fertile, containing fertilizers such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and a variety of organic substances needed for crop growth. It can also improve soil structure, thicken the cultivated layer and the nutrients in the soil, thereby achieving the purpose of enriching the land and increasing production and income.

"Sanlang, what's the use of this river bottom mud?"

Everyone was confused when they heard Ye Changyan's arrangement. Wang Erhu also didn't quite understand, so he asked.

"I read in a book that the mud at the bottom of the river has a certain fertility and can provide nutrients for the crops in the field. I don't know if it is true or not, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to give it a try on this barren dry land."

When everyone heard this, they were surprised to find that this was actually written in a book. What was written in the book was all knowledge. There was actually such knowledge in this book. It seemed that reading was really useful.

This made the young men and young wives present at the scene somewhat envious, and they all secretly planned to let their own sons go to school in the future.

Even if I can't pass the imperial examination like Ye Changyan, at least I can learn a few words and work as an accountant in the county town in the future. That's better than guarding a few acres of land in the village!

As expected, there is strength in numbers. The young wives chatted while making nests, and they finished making nests on the more than ten acres of land in just one day.

The young men were having a lot of fun digging mud from the riverbed. In just one day, they had covered the gentle slope with the mud.

Next, the wives planted the rapeseed seedlings sent by the villagers one by one, while the men carried buckets of water and watered the newly planted rapeseed seedlings to help them take root.

After planting rapeseed, the young wives were busy planting wheat, broad beans and peas. Some wives were responsible for sowing, some were responsible for covering the soil, and the men still carried buckets of water to water the newly planted crops.

With the hard work of a group of young men and young wives, Ye Changyan's family's more than ten acres of land were planted in just a few days.

Ye Changyan took the copper coins he had prepared in advance and distributed wages to everyone on the spot.

The first to receive their wages were Wang Erhu and his wife. Over the past few days, the couple received more than 200 yuan. They were very happy, and the others were also full of anticipation.

Just when Ye Changyan was paying wages to everyone, he saw Erniu running towards him anxiously from a distance.

While running, he shouted, "Brother! Go to the old house quickly, a fight has started!"

When Ye Changyan heard this, he didn't know what was going on. Seeing Erniu looking anxious, he handed the purse to Zhang.

"Aunt, please help me distribute the rest. I'll go over with Erniu first."