Chapter 338: Harvest and Glory

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Zhao Cai came out of the Zhang family’s house and returned to the courtyard. Liu Changmin looked at him and asked anxiously, “Why were you gone for so long? Did you see who it was?”

“Uncle, guess who that crippled man is?” Zhao Cai looked at Liu Changmin with a gloating expression.

Liu Changmin looked at him and smiled curiously. “Who is it? Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Zhao Cai smiled proudly. “It’s Zhang Guisheng, Scholar Zhang. I followed him…

“Oh! A few years ago, I heard that someone saw Zhang Defa. I didn’t expect him to be so down and out. Zhang Guisheng’s leg is also crippled. Speaking of which, it’s Zhang Defa’s family’s fault for being too ruthless and betraying their morals. Now, retribution is on their descendants.” Liu Changmin thought about Li Shan’s sacrifice to save Zhang Dafa and entrust his daughter to his son before he died. At that, he sighed at what Zhang Defa did to Li Yu and her brother.

When Zhao Cai heard this, he said emotionally, “Then his family has really received karma.

Liu Changmin nodded. “Yes, go eat something with Ah Lei. I’ll guard here.”

Zhao Cai agreed readily. “Alright, it’ll be a few days after Young Master finishes his exam! I’m afraid Madam is also worried in Yunzhou!”

Li Yu had been thinking about Li Qing’s exam the entire day. Just as Zhou Jia returned from the government office, Li Yu told Zhou Jia about Li Qing’s exam worriedly.

Zhou Jia smiled and comforted her. “I’ve asked around. It shouldn’t be a problem for Ah Qing based on the examiner who went to Tongzhou to supervise this year. If he has a good mentality, the possibility of him getting into the top few should be very high.”

Seeing that Zhou Jia looked confident, Li Yu was relieved and focused on harvesting the crops.

The weather in Yunzhou had always been clear. Everyone went out early and returned late for half a month. Finally, in mid-August, they collected all the rice and dried it at home. The Yang couple and more than ten members of the Shi family helped until it was completed.

Li Yu asked Ruyi to buy some meat, sugar, ink, paper, inkstone, and cloth to send to the two families. Many people from the Shi family came. Father Shi looked at the things piled in the cart and rejected them with a red face. “Steward Zhou, there are too many things. We can’t take them. We just did some hard work. How can we make you spend so much money?”

“Father Shi, you can’t say that. Madam said that the autumn harvest is the most tiring work. This is just a token of our Master and Madam’s appreciation.” Ruyi smiled and carried the things into the house with Ah Wei.

Father Shi could only take it with both hands and say with a red face, “Steward Zhou, go back and tell Master and Madam that we can’t eat so much for nothing. When the corn on the farm is ripe, I’ll bring the children to help, but they can’t give us anything anymore. Look, they ate well on the farm. Not only did they not lose weight, but they also gained weight.”

“You’re too polite. It’s what we should do. We can’t wait for you to help.” Ruyi cupped his hands and smiled.

Father Shi smiled honestly. “Helping you is the same as helping ourselves. We can also learn farming from you!”

Ruyi also smiled and agreed. “Just ask me what you want to learn.”

“Aye!” Father Shi agreed and sent Ruyi and Ah Wei away. When he returned home, he recalled the scene when he was harvesting rice on the farm. He sighed at his sons. “Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, think about it. This is the first time we’ve seen such a good harvest after farming for most of our lives. We have to learn from them in the future.”

The three sons of the Shi family agreed respectfully. “Father, we understand.”

The rice was taken home, and the farmstead began to busy itself with plowing the fields again to prepare for the next planting of winter wheat. The corn in the cornfield would be harvested in another month.

After Zhou Jia and Chu Feng met and discussed, they bought the shack area in West City and registered it under the name of the Four Seas Bank. As long as the bank was around, they were not afraid that anyone would dare to have other thoughts.

After the contract was set up, Zhou Jia bought the land in the shack area of the

West City and told Wu Tingxian about preparing to renovate the West City. Wu Tingxian also knew whose business the Four Seas Bank was. He was a little surprised by Zhou Jia’s close relationship with the Four Seas Bank. He was secretly glad that he did not go against Zhou Jia back then. He cupped his hands and bowed to Zhou Jia. “Senior Zhou, it’s beneficial to the people’s livelihood to be able to renovate that dirty and messy place, but what about the people living there?”

Zhou Jia told Wu Tingxian about the implementation method he had discussed with Li Yu. Wu Tingxian clapped his hands and praised, “Good, good. This is a good thing for the people.”

After discussion, the two of them decided that after the shack area was renovated, the rent would be set at eight copper coins a month. The tenants could not move away and sublet the place.

Wu Tingxian even excitedly wrote a notice and handed it to Liu Yi to bring the scribes and bailiffs to the shack area to register and promote.

Liu Yi brought the bailiffs and scribes to the shack area in West city and pasted the notice at a few entrances. The bailiffs stood in front of the notice and read it loudly, demolishing the shack area of the Imperial Court and preparing to rebuild it. The existing residents were given priority to rent… The residents in the shack could also come to the construction site to work in exchange for the number of years they would rent in the future.

When the residents in the shack saw the government officials reading it loudly, they surrounded the area and discussed. The bolder ones asked at the top of their lungs, “Master, will they really rent it to us again? Will we not be able to come back after moving away?

Liu Yi pointed at the notice and the scribe and said to them, “Everyone, don’t worry. Lord Zhou wrote about your situation to the emperor. When the emperor found out, he issued a decree to build this place and rent it to you. Every month…’

When the residents of the shack area heard this, they shouted excitedly, “Did everyone hear that? Even the emperor knows that our lives are difficult.” “I heard it. The emperor decreed that we should repair the house.”

“It’s not for us to repair the house. It’s for us to rent.”

“Will the emperor be our landlord from now on?”

“You’re kidding. Go somewhere else and see if you can rent a house for a few copper coins a month?”

The group of people cried and knelt down to kowtow. “Long live our emperor…”

There were even people who kowtowed and thought to themselves that the emperor knew that they were poor and was helping them!

After Liu Yi and the two scribes got up, they shouted at everyone, “Come, come. Households are registered here and workers are registered there. Lord said that those who come to work in this area are prioritized. Everyone, remember not to report too much. Don’t make up nonsense and impersonate others. I know your area very well! Those who report too much, report nonsense, and impersonate others will be sent to jail!”

Everyone happily queued up to register. Some people who wanted to impersonate for self-interest quietly left.

Two days later, Zhou Jia, Wu Tingxian, and Chu Feng arrived at the shack area. The craftsmen and odd-job laborers carried hoes and shovels and began to dismantle the shack under Zhou Jia’s order. Two days later, the dirty shack was torn to the ground. A few days later, a wide piece of land appeared in front of everyone. After being measured and drawn by the craftsmen, construction began. Wood bricks and tiles were transported to the shack area by cart.

The residents of the shack area cheered in unison when they saw the bricks and wood. “Everyone, look. We also have tiled houses to live in..”

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