Spring comes to the desperate place

Gu Fengyue thought for a moment and then said, "There is a town called Changping not far from the capital. If Uncle Song doesn't mind, you can settle down there. The caravans going to the capital will pass through that town. It is more prosperous than Jiqing County. My brother and I have farms there. If Uncle Song is willing, I can ask him to take care of us. Otherwise, it will be difficult for Uncle Song, a commoner, to settle down in the capital."

Seeing Song Dazhuang's puzzled expression, Gu Fengyue continued, "In order to prevent the noble families from hoarding more land, His Majesty issued an imperial decree last year that only families with permanent farmland can settle in the vicinity of the capital, and rented farmhands are not allowed to settle. In order to retain farmers, the noble families can only sell some land, and the price is also suppressed very low."

Since Gu Fengyue said so, how could Song Dazhuang not understand? This meant that if they went to the capital now, they would not only be able to buy relatively cheap land, but they would also be able to settle down in the capital smoothly. This was a great thing.

"But why haven't we heard of this news on our way here?" Song Dazhuang was puzzled. He didn't doubt Gu Fengyue, but when he inquired about it, he only knew that the price of land in the capital was expensive, and they couldn't buy a few acres of land with their whole family's income. If there was such a good thing, why didn't anyone leak any news?

Speaking of this, Gu Fengyue smiled meaningfully, "How could those noble families really sell their land? They would rather fail to sell it, so that they would have to continue to hire them to farm the land in the future. But the emperor's order cannot be openly disobeyed, so the news was blocked near the capital long ago, so you naturally couldn't find out along the way."

After hearing his explanation, Song Dazhuang understood. The old emperor was a good man and wanted to distribute the land accumulated by the aristocratic families to the people. But how could the aristocratic families spit out what they had eaten? Of course, they would block the news as soon as possible. Therefore, it was the wisest decision for them to go to the capital at this moment. Moreover, Changping Town was said to be a must-pass place for caravans to enter the capital. If Song Chunlin had any rare things at that time, he could also use the caravan as an excuse.

The more Song Dazhuang thought about it, the more he felt that Changping Town was a good choice. In the evening, the family closed the door and discussed it quietly. Finally, everyone unanimously decided to go to the capital.

"We have to thank Mr. Gu when we get to the capital. If they hadn't told us the news, we would still be like headless flies."

Song A-Mo: "This young Master Gu looks like a man of high status. I heard those people talking about a marquis or a mansion. Do you think they are from a noble family?"

"It should be. If that's the case, then asking him to find the waiter shouldn't be a problem."

The Song family was silent for a moment. Song Dahe has always been a pain in the hearts of the old couple.

Finally, Grandpa Song sighed and said, "Let it be. After so many years, whether it's life or death, it's time to have an ending."

After a day's rest the next day, Song Chunlin was restless and headed for the county for a stroll early in the morning. Song Ammo thought that she would have to buy a lot of things in the capital, and the prices there must be more expensive than here, so she also had an idea, thinking that the family had not had such a relaxing time for a long time, and since she was free today anyway, she might as well go for a stroll on the street to buy some things.

So the Song family went to the county in a mighty procession in a horse-drawn carriage. Jiqing County was not very big, but because it was very close to the capital, the streets here were much more prosperous than those in the provincial capital. The dazzling array of shops almost overwhelmed the Song family.

The most advanced thing in the house was a large cloth shop. Auntie Song and Qinshi Song were shocked as soon as they entered the door. "The patterns here are really beautiful, much better than ours."

Amour Song also looked at the fabrics with surprise. The fabrics here not only had many colors and patterns, but were also very beautiful. The waiter next to her took a look and came forward to introduce them to them.

"This master and his wife have really good taste. These are the most fashionable patterns in the capital. Look at the colors, they are festive and beautiful. Winter is coming soon. You can take a piece home to make a new coat. And this light yellow can be used to make a skirt for your little brother. He has fair skin, and he will look more delicate in such a light color."

The waiter introduced the clothes as he walked, from Grandma Song to Song Xiaobao, from Grandpa Song to Song Chunsheng, he selected suitable patterns for almost everyone, and each one touched their hearts.

Song Chunlin couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the eloquent waiter. What is a sales champion? This is the sales champion.

Finally, under the enthusiastic recommendation of the salesperson, each member of the Song family bought a piece of bright cloth to make new clothes for the New Year. Aunt Song and Mrs. Song Qin also selected a few pieces of dark-colored and cheaper cloth to make everyday wear.

The waiter happily took them to check out. This time they did not choose silk, so the price was much cheaper. All the clothes material for the whole family cost only six taels of silver, which was already a luxury for the Song family. After buying the cloth, Aunt Song and Qinshi Song also selected a lot of needles and threads. No one knew where the ones in Song Chunsheng's space were buried.

After leaving the cloth shop, Grandpa Song bought a few small bamboo frames on the roadside, which he could put at home to store things. He also went to the grocery store to buy some cups, bowls, chopsticks and other items. The family walked and shopped, and actually bought quite a few things.

It was already noon, and Song Dazhuang suggested that they eat something outside and then go back. No one else in the Song family had any objection, so the family found a restaurant that looked clean and elegant.

The restaurant was not big, and the customers were all farmers, so it was not strange for a family to walk in. The waiter came over to greet them. Song Dazhuang ordered a bowl of noodles for each person, and added a braised pork, a scrambled egg, and a plate of vegetables.

The food in the restaurant was simple but tasted good. It was Song Chunlin's first time to eat outside. He took a bite and thought it was okay. The taste was rather bland, not as rich in flavor as modern dishes, but he could taste that the noodle soup was indeed made with meat, and the noodles were hand-rolled and very chewy.

Song Xiaobao couldn't eat by himself yet, so Song Qin took a small bowl, picked up some noodles and eggs, and fed him mouthful by mouthful.

Maybe the kid's taste was picky because of the food in the space on weekdays, so he didn't like this bland noodles very much. Song Qin only fed him a few bites but he refused to eat. Song Qin was not angry, knowing that the kid was picky, so he ate his own food and planned to let Song Chunlin get something to feed her younger son when they returned to the farm.

After the family had eaten and drunk their fill, they slowly got the carriage and returned to the farm.