New ink fragrance in old times

Lin Mo's curiosity was completely aroused, and his eyes followed every move of Old Lady Lin closely.

I saw Old Mrs. Lin carefully taking out a thick stack of account books from an antique wooden box beside her. The cover of the account book had turned yellow and the edges were worn, obviously having been baptized by the years.

She gently opened the account book, a hint of solemnity flashed in her eyes, and then she nodded slightly to Lin Wenhong, indicating that they could begin.

Seeing this, Lin Wenru also restrained his usual casualness and became serious. "Brother, let's start with my family. My family is simple."

Lin Wenhong nodded in agreement.

Lin Wenru began to introduce the situation of his own fields in detail, "As for dry land, my family has reclaimed one mu of low-quality land this year, and now we have a total of ten mu of low-quality land." Every number was read out clearly and accurately.

"As for paddy fields, there are ten acres of top-quality fields, eight acres of medium-quality fields, and four acres of bottom-quality fields." Lin Wenru continued to read without any hesitation.

At this time, Mrs. Lin and Qian Xiufang had each picked up an abacus, and their fingers were moving nimbly among the beads.

Qian Xiufang counted the numbers quickly while counting the beads: "The rice harvest is 24 dan, corn 50 dan, and beans 16 dan."

Old Lady Lin took over and continued, "After paying the tax, there are still 22 stone, 2 dou, 9 liters, 3 he, 3 scoops of rice left, 46 stone, 5 dou, 8 liters, 6 he, 6 scoops of corn left, and 15 stone, 1 dou, 9 liters of beans."

Lin Sixuan and Lin Siyuan were responsible for recording these numbers. They wrote them carefully on paper, looking up from time to time to confirm, for fear of missing anything.

"I've made a note of it, Second Grandpa, please take a look." They respectfully handed the written paper to Lin Wenru for inspection.

Lin Wenru took the paper, checked it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he opened the account book, picked up the brush on the table, dipped it in ink, and then carefully recorded the numbers in the account book.

Every movement he made seemed so solemn and serious, as if he was performing a sacred ceremony.

After completing the record, Lin Wenhong finally spoke about his family's farmland. "We have 70 mu of top-quality paddy fields, 20 mu of medium-quality paddy fields, 90 mu of top-quality dry land, and 40 mu of medium-quality dry land."

Lin Mo thought to himself: I knew it, there must be something fishy.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lin started to tap the abacus again. Strings of numbers jumped across her fingertips and eventually converged into a result.

"The rice harvest is 114 dan, corn 143 dan, and bean 48 dan." There was a hint of surprise and joy in her voice, and she was obviously very satisfied with the result.

Qian Xiufang also nodded in agreement: "I calculated the same number."

Lin Mo, who was standing aside, was in turmoil.

Hearing these astonishing figures, and thinking of the seemingly insignificant harvest from Lin Wenru's fields, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

"So much! The tax paid is not even a fraction of it. The Lin family is definitely a big landlord!" His eyes were filled with shock and admiration.

Lin Sixuan and Lin Siyuan were busy again, carefully writing down the numbers on paper. "Grandfather, remember this."

Next, Lin Wenhong's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

He continued, "Among these fields, there are fifty acres of first-class paddy fields, sixty acres of first-class dry fields, and ten acres of medium-quality dry fields. We cultivated them for other people's use. The rent is thirty percent, and we don't have to pay any taxes."

Lin Mo was even more shocked when he heard this: 30%? This percentage is too high!

Qian Xiufang said, "Brother, the rent you have to pay is 20 dan of rice, 23 dan and 8 dou of corn, and 8 dan and 1 dou of beans."

Old Mrs. Lin took over and quickly tapped out a series of numbers on the abacus: "After deducting taxes and rent, the actual grain left in our family is 89 dan and 2 dou of rice, 113 dan and 1 dou of corn, and 38 dan and 7 dou and 4 liters of beans."

After hearing this number, Lin Mo roared in his heart: Oh my God, the rent of more than fifty stones, the taxes paid by the two families combined are not even a fraction of this rent, this is even more usurious than usury.

After Mrs. Lin finished speaking, he pondered for a moment, then slowly said to Lin Siyuan and Li Sixuan, "Pen, bring it over."

Upon hearing this, the two of them immediately handed over their pens and ink.

Lin Wenhong took the pen and began to carefully record these complicated accounts in the account book.

After everything was recorded, Lin Wenhong slowly spoke:

"We currently have five oxen between us, and each ox can pull about six dan of grain. I'll borrow two mules from Old Li's house. Each mule can pull two dan, so we can deliver thirty-four dan of grain a day. The total amount of grain that our two families need to transport is about sixty-nine dan. When the time comes, we'll carry them on our backs. We'll only need two days to deliver it."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lin frowned slightly and said worriedly:

"Dad, the rice is almost done drying, so it's not a problem. The corn is also okay. We have about 60 dan dried now, which is enough. But the soybeans need to be dried for half a month before they can be taken out of the pods. The soybeans we harvested so far only add up to 5 or 6 dan. After paying the taxes and rent, I'm afraid it won't be enough."

Hearing this, Lin Wenhong nodded slightly, then said in relief, "Yue'e, I checked the soybeans in the backyard this morning. They're almost done drying. The weather has been good these past two days, so let's dry them out a little more. We can get enough of them as soon as possible. As for the corn, check it again to make sure nothing is left out."

After hearing this, Mrs. Lin's expression eased slightly and she nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's do it."

At this time, Lin Wenru interrupted and asked with concern: "So when exactly do we leave for the county town? After the Frost Descent, the days get shorter, so we have to leave early."

Lin Wenhong thought for a moment and replied, "Let's be busy loading and drying the grain today and tomorrow to make sure everything is ready. We'll leave for the county town on the 19th and 20th. That'll be just in time for the frost to fall, and the weather will still be suitable for the journey."

Lin Wenru agreed after hearing this: "Okay, big brother, let's follow this plan."

Qian Xiufang listened for a long time and finally couldn't help but speak: "Who will deliver the food then? It's really worrying to have so much food on the road. Also, we have to leave someone at home. Food is our top priority. We are worried about thieves stealing it, and we are also worried about thieves taking advantage of it."

After a moment of contemplation, Lin Wenhong made a decision: "My three daughters-in-law and children will stay at home to look after the house and continue drying the grain. The others will transport the grain to the county town."

Lin Wenru immediately agreed, "Okay, my family will also leave my daughter-in-law and children at home, so that we both have someone to take care of us."

Qian Xiufang listened, and although she still had some concerns, she also knew that this was the best arrangement at the moment, so she nodded and said, "This is the only way. I hope everything goes well."

Chapter 74 So that’s how it is