New ink fragrance in old times

After hearing this, the visitor was silent for a while, as if thinking about something.

He looked up at Lin Wenhong, a trace of sympathy flashing in his eyes:

"Uncle Lin, studying is such a costly endeavor. Your son, Erlang, is also studying. If you sell the grain, will it be enough to pay their tuition?"

Lin Wenhong sighed and said helplessly, "It's difficult, difficult. I hope the wheat grows well next year so I can make more money."

Upon hearing this, the visitor patted Lin Wenhong on the shoulder and comforted him:

"Uncle Lin, don't lose heart. Dalang and Erlang are good kids, and they'll definitely have something great in the future. We farmers may have a hard and tiring life, but as long as the kids have a great future, it's all worth it."

Lin Wenhong glanced at the visitor gratefully and nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought. As long as they can pass the imperial examination, my family will have hope. Then, I won't have to work so hard on the farm anymore."

As the two were talking, another person came over and joined them.

"Uncle Lin, I went to Shuisheng's house today and wanted to get him to come sell grain with me, but no matter how I called him, he refused to come out. His family didn't rent any land from the Du family, so they should have some surplus grain, right?"

Hearing this, Lin Wenhong shook his head slightly, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

He spoke slowly, his voice tinged with helplessness and sympathy, "You don't know, Shuisheng's situation is indeed special. He doesn't grow much land, and after paying taxes, there's enough left for his family to eat."

At this point, Lin Wenhong's tone became heavy. He paused, as if recalling the past that was too painful to recall.

"Alas, it's all because of what happened a few years ago. His family is living in poverty now, and there's not much food left. He doesn't dare sell any of it, fearing another bad year."

Several people nodded to show their understanding.

At this time, an elderly villager took over the conversation and sighed, "Alas, every family has its own problems. In our village, which family doesn't work hard just to have a full meal?"

"Yes, yes." The people around echoed.

Lin Mo stood quietly aside, his ears filled with the conversations of these people, but his heart was like a turbulent sea, with a myriad of thoughts.

He recalled the scene when Lin Wenhong went to the grain store a few days ago. At that time, his grandfather cleverly reported only one-third of the family's surplus grain, but now in a chat with the villagers, he said the harvest was half of the surplus grain.

"It's really high." Lin Mo secretly admired in his heart.

He realized that his grandfather's approach not only avoided the jealousy and envy of others due to the excessive surplus food at home, but also cleverly established a personal image for his family.

Lin Mo looked at his grandfather's calm yet agile figure, his heart filled with admiration.

Lin Wenhong chatted with several villagers for a while. With a tired but satisfied smile, he said goodbye to the villagers and set off on his way home.

After returning home, Lin Wenhong went to Mrs. Lin's room and handed her the money he had earned from selling beans today.

In the backyard, the two brothers Lin Xuejin and Lin Xuebo were already busy. They wore coarse clothes, their backs soaked with sweat, but they did not stop working.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, Lin Mo had just put down his bowl and chopsticks, with a casual smile still hanging on the corner of his mouth, when a sudden knock on the door interrupted his leisure after dinner.

"Who is it?" Old Mrs. Lin asked as she walked quickly towards the door, secretly speculating about this sudden visitor.

The door creaked open, and outside stood someone familiar from the village, with an anxious look on his face: "Auntie, is Uncle Lin home? Someone's coming from the Du family, please let him in."

Seeing this, the messenger nodded and turned to leave.

When Lin Mo heard the word "Du family", he immediately realized that the rent collector had arrived.

How could Lin Mo give up any opportunity to join in the fun, so he followed.

Lin Mo followed Lin Wenhong along the road and arrived at the blue brick and tile house on the road to Songjiaopo.

Many people had gathered in front of the door. Lin Mo moved forward and found that the person in front of him was the butler Zhu whom he had met before.

"Everyone, please be quiet. Today, as usual, our Du family is here to collect this year's rent. Please cooperate so as not to delay everyone's busy farming season." Manager Zhu's voice echoed in the crowd, but failed to completely calm the villagers' restlessness.

"Manager Zhu, there is still a lot of grain in these fields that has not been harvested yet. How can we survive if we have to pay all the taxes and rent together?" A man with slightly shabby clothes stood up from the crowd. He was the man who came over yesterday and said that he was selling grain.

Lin Mo’s inner thoughts: Six.

The other people gathered in front of the blue brick and tile house, talking about the hardships and difficulties in their families. The voices rose one after another, as if to drive away the coolness of autumn.

Steward Zhu stood on the steps, pressing his hands slightly downward, trying to calm the chaotic quarrel:

"Fellow villagers, please listen to me. I know this year has been difficult for everyone, and I understand your difficulties. But the host family also has their own rules and difficulties, and we must be considerate of each other."

His words were gentle and powerful, but seemed a little pale and powerless in this chaotic environment.

Just as everyone was arguing fiercely, Granny Fang's voice rang out like thunder, instantly drowning out all the noise:

"If no one pays, our Wan family will pay first! We will send the food over tomorrow morning!"

However, as soon as Mrs. Fang finished her words, someone in the crowd shouted unwillingly:

"Mrs. Fang, that's easy for you to say! The Du family only takes 10% of your family's rent, so of course you're happy to be the first to pay the rice. But what about us? We take 30%, and some even 40%! How can we compare?"

Mrs. Fang's eyes widened, her tone tinged with anger. "I saw you selling grain yesterday. Why are you telling me now that you don't have enough to pay the rent? We have grain to sell, but no grain to pay. How can this be justified?"

These words immediately aroused everyone's emotions again.

A thin middle-aged man stood up, his face full of grievance:

"Mrs. Fang, you don't know that the grain we sold was all the remaining food at home! We originally wanted to exchange it for some cash for emergencies, but we never expected that life would become increasingly tight. We really can't afford the rent the Du family wants!"

"Yes, yes!" Several women nearby echoed, their eyes reddening as if tears were about to fall. "Everyone at home is hungry, so how can we have extra food to pay the rent? Granny Fang, your family is well off, so naturally you don't understand our hardship."

Granny Fang's expression turned even uglier. "My family is doing well? That's all thanks to the hard work of our Wan family ancestors! What about you? You're all crying poor here. I think you have some hidden agenda!"

Chapter 87 The Du Family Comes to Collect Rent