The Hidden Immortal

The so-called reclamation order, as the name suggests, was to expand cultivated land, ensure sufficient food and strengthen the army. The imperial court opened up unclaimed wasteland throughout the country, including barren mountains, barren slopes, and saline-alkali land.

All citizens of Jing Kingdom may apply to cultivate the land in order to ensure the well-being of the people and strengthen the foundation of the nation.

Ordinary wasteland is exempt from grain tax for three years, riverbank mudflats for five years, and saline-alkali land for seven years.

Even after the tax exemption period has passed, not only will taxes be levied only on 70% of the fertile land, but one can also apply to the government for a land reclamation loan.

The maximum amount per household is five taels, which is used to purchase farm tools and will be returned when taxes are collected.

Li Shoutian said, "You know how much barren land we have in Songguo Village. If we can cultivate a few more acres of fertile land, it will be a good thing for our descendants."

"But right now, half of the men in the village are not yet grown up, and the other half were injured in previous years, leaving behind mostly the elderly, women and children."

"The county government is demanding that we reclaim more than 60 mu of wasteland a year, or we'll be punished. It's really putting me in a difficult position."

Local officials naturally wanted to produce results as soon as possible to give their superiors an explanation, in accordance with the imperial decree.

But reclaiming land is not so easy. Sixty acres may not sound like much, but it is actually very difficult.

Even if the land is cleared within a year, it will still take time to improve the soil and fertilize it.

Usually, these fields yield little harvest within two or three years.

I've worked for years for nothing, and if I don't finish, I'll be punished.

No one in the village wanted to take on this job, so Li Shoutian went door-to-door to talk to them, and with great difficulty, he managed to assign more than 20 mu of land to them.

Although there are still a few companies to negotiate with, the remaining thirty-odd acres are not so easily divided up.

Zhang Anxiu was displeased: "You're not going to hand over the rest of the wasteland to Xun-ge, are you? That won't do! Even if he's an old ox, he'll be worked to death!"

Li Shoutian chuckled and said, "What are you saying? Do you think I'm an unreasonable person? But I'm thinking, we should make a merit monument. Whoever cultivates the most land will have their name engraved at the top!"

"The county also said that if a family reclaims more than 30 mu of land, they will be given the title of 'Guest of the Village'. Not only will they be able to attend the county government's banquet for local worthies every year, but they will also pay less in taxes."

Chu Xun's heart stirred upon hearing this. For others, reclaiming wasteland was troublesome, clearly a thankless task.

But for him, it was very easy.

Once the soil manipulation technique is activated, the stones and other objects buried in the ground will obediently come out on their own.

Improving the soil, fertilizing, and leveling it are all a piece of cake.

Even if it's not much, you can still manage to cultivate several dozen acres of land in a year.

To put it bluntly, a merit monument is just a ranking of seniority created by the village itself.

But the "village drinking guest" given by the county government was a good thing.

Simply by paying less grain tax, a considerable amount can be saved each year.

Chu Xun is still young now, and he will likely live a long life in the future.

The tax and grain saved in one or two years may not seem like much, but over several decades, it adds up to a considerable amount.

The only thing to consider is not to go too far, lest people discover your secret.

After a moment's thought, Chu Xun said, "If I can buy oxen, I can reclaim at least thirty acres of wasteland."

Li Shoutian's eyes lit up: "Really? Don't say I didn't tell you, if we don't finish, we'll be fined at least twenty coins for every acre of land we're short!"

Zhang Anxiu hurriedly reminded him, "Brother Xun, have you thought this through? Even if you have oxen, that's for clearing land, not tilling it. It's not that easy."

Chu Xun smiled at her and said, "Heaven rewards diligence, nothing is impossible. Maybe we'll get lucky and the land reclamation won't be so troublesome."

Before Zhang Anxiu could say anything more, Li Shoutian stood up, grabbed Chu Xun's hand, and said, "Then it's settled. Your family will first offer thirty mu of land! As for the oxen, I'll go to the county town to find them for you right away!"

Having said that, before Chu Xun could even speak, Li Shoutian had already vanished in a flash, as if afraid he would change his mind.

Zhang Anxiu was getting impatient and a little agitated: "Brother Xun, aren't you just asking for trouble?! If the rest of the village knew, they'd probably laugh themselves awake in their sleep!"

Chu Xun got thirty mu of land all by himself, while the other families, at most, only got a little over one mu each. How could he not be happy?

Compared to Zhang Anxiu's anxiety, Chu Xun remained calm and composed.

Thirty acres may seem like a lot to others, but he thinks it's too little.

If it weren't for the fear of scaring the villagers, even if we had dozens more acres, we still wouldn't have been without a chance to complete it.

"Let's not talk about that now. Is dinner ready?" Chu Xun asked.

"Not yet, isn't the village chief here? I should have just ignored him!" Zhang Anxiu pouted as she went out.

Chu Xun followed him out the door and squatted down to look at the Spirit Pearl Grass by the door.

The Lingzhu grass has now grown to fifteen leaves, which are emerald green and nestled against the earthen wall, giving it a unique and beautiful appearance.

"It'll bloom in five more years," Chu Xun thought, smiling as she reached out and touched the thick leaves. "I wonder what color the flowers will be?"

It takes twenty years to bloom and another twenty years to bear fruit.

At that time, Chu Xun's cultivation will advance to the Foundation Establishment stage, and his lifespan will also be greatly increased.

I stood up, stretched my arms and legs, and felt full of energy!

The future looks promising!

Li Shoutian did not go home, but went to his elder brother Li Tianjian's house.

As soon as he entered, he turned to Li Tianjian, who was sitting there eating, and said, "Brother, Xun agreed to share thirty mu. Later, our two families, and a few children who have settled down, can share the rest. What do you think?"

Li Tianjian was a little short and looked like an ordinary, dark-skinned old farmer.

The wrinkles on your forehead can trap flies.

Hearing this, he looked utterly astonished: "Ah Xun's family is allocating thirty mu? How did he agree to that?"

"He said all he needed was an ox for plowing," Li Shoutian said.

Li Tianjian's wife, who was standing nearby, scoffed, "That young lad, all he knows is how to show off. Even with oxen, he only has seventeen mu of land, and he still needs to cultivate another thirty mu. How can he possibly manage all that?"

"When the county government doesn't collect enough to cover his land reclamation quota and imposes a fine, let's see if he still dares to act so arrogantly!"

In recent years, Chu Xun has done a lot of good deeds, and with his large amount of farmland, his reputation in the village has gradually grown.

Not everyone wants him to have a smooth journey. For example, Li Tianjian's wife hopes that Chu Xun will suffer some losses.

Even if you don't actually gain anything, you still feel good about it.

Li Tianjian had a similar idea. The Li family had been in Songguo Village for generations and had a long and distinguished history.

A mere young boy rising to fame and gradually surpassing others is unacceptable!

Since Chu Xun is willing to take on this hardship, what else is there to say?

If he can complete it, that's his skill; if he can't, then he deserves it.

As for allocating the remaining land for reclamation to himself and his children who had transferred their household registration, he had no objection.

Although he wasn't the village chief, the Li family had a long history in Songguo Village, so he had to set an example and not let people look down on him!

Having settled the matter, Li Shoutian felt a great sense of relief. Without even eating, he turned and left the village to go to the county town to find oxen for plowing.

This job isn't easy either; even if you find one, you have to report it to the county government before you can buy or sell it.

Oxen are precious commodities, and the county government sends people to inspect them every year.

If the cow dies or is lost, there will be severe penalties.

At best, they would be fined and beaten; at worst, they would be imprisoned or even exiled.

Li Tianjian's wife was still nagging, "I think Chu Xun is just a hothead. He thinks that just because he has a few more acres of land, he can do anything."

Li Tianjian frowned and said, "At least he resolved this matter for our family, so it's not good to say too much about him."

"What do you mean 'solved our problem'? Your brother is the village chief, not you!" The woman said, her face full of displeasure. "I just don't understand, why didn't you fight for it back then? Why is he the second son and yet he can be the village chief?"

"Back then, you were always at the forefront when we were fighting for water; you even bled three pounds! And all the second son did was carry Grandpa back on his back!"

"You should be the one doing the work! You've done all the hard and tiring stuff, but he gets all the credit!"

The woman grumbled and complained for a while, but Li Tianjian remained silent.

Over the years, both the wife and children in the family have had their complaints about this matter.

He was the eldest son in his family, so why didn't he inherit the position of village chief, but instead let Li Shoutian take it away?

In truth, Li Tianjian knew that his younger brother was more capable than him.

Before his father passed away, Li Shoutian took care of many things in the village, allowing him to enjoy a peaceful life.

That's why I didn't dare to compete for the nomination back then.

I didn't think it was a big deal at first; we're all family, so it doesn't matter who takes the role.

But when you hear it so much, you inevitably feel a little unhappy.

"Let's eat, let's eat, why all the talk!" Li Tianjian said unhappily.

But as he ate his rice, he couldn't help but think that if Chu Xun couldn't clear so much wasteland, maybe Li Shoutian would be punished and he could become the village chief.

The two sons standing beside him hadn't said a word; neither of them were married or had settled down.

The two boys, both seemingly aware of something, exchanged a knowing glance before continuing to eat.