Family Cultivation: My Ancestral Home Gets Infinite Upgrades

After teaching the carving technique, Jiang Fu'an then inquired about the details of purchasing land and building houses.

He knows there will be more children in the family in the future, and he plans to build a separate ancestral hall.

After thinking it over, I decided to build a new courtyard.

Sun Xiuyuan answered all the questions one by one, and also revealed the following:

If a family has members in a sect, in addition to being exempt from taxes, they can also form a guard team of no more than twenty people and are allowed to equip it with a small number of swords, bows and crossbows.

It is a serious crime for ordinary people to possess such weapons.

Jiang Fu'an felt reassured after hearing this.

He was originally worried that if he went to explore the Foundation Establishment cultivator's cave at night, there would be no one to guard the house and something might happen.

With this layer of protection, hiring a few reliable guards and equipping them with good weapons will give us much more peace of mind.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After seeing Sun Xiuyuan off in the afternoon, Jiang Fu'an and his family gathered around the wooden box that the bailiff had brought over, their faces beaming with smiles.

Yue'er stretched out her little hand and gently touched the top piece of cloud-patterned satin, then looked up and asked:

"Dad, this fabric is so smooth and shiny, can we use it to make new clothes?"

Jiang Fu'an laughed heartily, speaking with exceptional ease:

"Of course! We'll make one for each person, and then our whole family will wear new clothes for the New Year."

Su Wanqing, standing to the side, gently shook her head:

"My lord, I need not."

"I'm usually at home and don't go out often. Besides, I have to do laundry and cook, so I don't have time to wear new clothes. I'll just make one set for each of you three."

Jiang Fu'an knew that his wife rarely went out because of her status.

Everyone has a love for beauty, and she definitely wanted it.

He lowered his voice and chuckled:

"Why can't you put it on? You're busy during the day, just put it on at night. Put it on for me to see."

Yue'er was confused and blinked her eyes, asking:

"Aren't we supposed to be sleeping tonight? Why are you wearing new clothes?"

Su Wanqing understood immediately, her cheeks flushed red, and she gave Jiang Fu'an a slight glare:

"Always so unserious...and so outspoken in front of the children."

Jiang Fu'an, however, didn't care and emphasized again:

"Wanqing, listen to me, everyone make one. New Year, new look, new clothes make it festive."

"There are too many clothes. If you can't finish making them all, you can ask Aunt Xu for help."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer and turned to walk out the door.

I need to take advantage of the darkness to talk to my neighbor about the land.

Since there are 1,000 acres of fertile land that can be exempted from taxes, it is naturally more cost-effective to acquire them as early as possible.

He first knocked on the door of his neighbor, Uncle Xu, on the right.

The two elders were sitting in the yard picking beans when they saw him coming. They quickly put down their winnowing baskets and got up.

"Uncle Xu, Aunt Xu, since you're both home, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Jiang Fu'an didn't go inside; he stood under the jujube tree in the yard and spoke:

"Now that the rice seedlings have gone to the immortal realm, the family's fields can be taxed."

"I want to take this opportunity to acquire more land, so I'd like to do a land deal with the two elders."

"If you two transfer your eighty acres of land to me, from now on I will send you a fixed amount of living expenses every month and take care of you in your old age and until your death."

"Would you two be willing?"

After hearing this, Uncle Xu didn't even hesitate:

"Why wouldn't I want to? Just take the land, boss!"

The elderly couple had no children, and now that Jiang Fu'an had offered to take care of them in their old age, they couldn't have asked for more.

Seeing how readily they agreed, Jiang Fu'an was secretly delighted:

"Thank you for trusting me, Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu. I will draft an agreement in a couple of days and bring it to you for your signature."

Uncle Xu waved his hand, his wrinkles filled with a smile:

"No need for an agreement! I've been hunting with this boss for so many years, do you think I don't know who you are? We can just go directly to the transfer of ownership!"

Over the years, Xu Bo has been employed to go hunting in the mountains with Jiang Fu'an. His wages have always been fair, and he would even give Jiang extra rice and oil during holidays.

The elderly couple will always remember this kindness.

Jiang Fu'an was deeply moved by the trust the two people placed in him and secretly resolved to take good care of them in the future.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he turned and walked toward another neighbor's house—Old Xu's house.

Old Xu suffered a stroke and has been bedridden for many years. His wife is frail and sickly, so all the heavy work falls on the shoulders of their two sons.

The eldest and second eldest Xu brothers were renowned filial sons in the surrounding villages, serving their parents for many years without complaint.

However, this also led to financial difficulties for the family.

They lived in a leaky mud-brick house, had no savings, and the two brothers were both in their mid-twenties, yet they still hadn't found a spouse.

It's currently the off-season for farming in winter, and there's no work to be done in the fields.

When Jiang Fu'an pushed open the slightly dilapidated courtyard gate, he saw the two brothers chopping firewood in the yard, shirtless.

When they saw Jiang Fu'an enter, both of them were stunned for a moment, and they stopped swinging their axes.

Although we are neighbors, we don't have much interaction.

"Big brother, second brother, are you busy?"

Jiang Fu'an greeted him with a smile.

Old Xu snapped out of his daze, quickly leaned the axe against the woodpile, and said somewhat hastily:

"It's Brother Fu'an... Come in, come in and sit down."

They saw the magistrate visit the Jiang family that morning and knew very well that Jiang Fu'an was different now than before.

"I won't sit any longer, just a few words."

Jiang Fu'an stood in the courtyard and stated his purpose directly:

"Here's the thing, I'd like to ask you two brothers to transfer your 100 acres of land to my name."

"You can still cultivate the land yourselves, and the harvest will be yours. From now on, you only need to pay me half of the original land tax each year."

Old Xu has a son, so he can no longer rely on the old-fashioned method of providing for his parents. Jiang Fu'an plans to use the landlord's rent collection model.

The reason he didn't buy land directly was that he knew the land was the lifeblood of farmers, and he would never sell it unless he was desperate.

Secondly, he needed to save the thousand taels of silver he was awarded to build a new house and purchase weapons for guarding the courtyard, so he really couldn't spare any more cash to buy land.

Xu Lao Er, being more straightforward, frowned deeply after hearing this:

"What do you mean? Brother Fu'an, you want our land without spending a single penny?"

"We'll have to pay you grain every year from now on? What kind of logic is that?"

Jiang Fu'an remained calm and composed, a smile still on his face.

"What you gave me was half the amount of land tax that was originally due to be paid to the government."

"The money saved will end up in your own pockets. It's a win-win situation for both sides."

Old Master Xu pondered for a moment and asked:

"Brother Fu'an, that's true. But what if you stop us from farming in two years? Wouldn't we lose all our land?"

"Don't worry, we'll put it in writing, with all the terms clearly stated. Then we'll file it with the authorities, and no one can go back on their word."

Jiang Fu'an was prepared.

Upon hearing this, Boss Xu lowered his head, clearly weighing the matter.

Xu Lao Er still shook his head:

"No, it's too risky to give you the land. It's most reassuring to keep the land in our own hands now."

This reaction was exactly what Jiang Fu'an had expected.

He remained calm and composed, offering a slight smile:

"How about this, if you're willing to transfer your land, I guarantee you'll each get a wife next year."

"What?!"

"Is that really true?!"

The two brothers blurted out at the same time, their eyes wide open, their faces filled with disbelief.

Jiang Fu'an nodded:

"Of course it is true. I plan to build a courtyard this winter, and I can have the craftsmen help you build a new house as well."

"With a bright new house, and a decent dowry, getting married will be a natural progression, won't it?"

The courtyard suddenly fell silent, with only the increasingly heavy breathing of the two brothers being heard.

After a long pause, Xu Lao Er's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was somewhat dry:

"Then... could you explain the house construction in more detail?"