North and South groceries

The government's job field is on the outskirts of the city. After walking a short distance outside the city gate, you can see small villages where tenant farmers live together, a few low yellow mud courtyards, and a few large and small trees that have lost all their leaves.

Just as Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin got closer, they heard a dog barking, and then someone walked out of the house and stood in the fenced yard to look around.

"Who's here?" An old man asked, his voice was kind, but his attitude was somewhat guarded.

"I will use it next time." Luo Yong replied.

"!" The lights in the room were quickly turned on, and not long after, another middle-aged man came out holding a torch.

"Dare to ask, is this Luo county magistrate?" The old man's attitude was obviously a little more kind.

"It's right here." Luo Yong said with his hands clasped.

"It's so late, is there something going on in Mingfu?" At this time, people don't call officials adults, and the head of a county like Luo Yong is often called Mingfu.

"It's nothing serious, it's just that the spring sowing is approaching, and I'm free today, so I'll come to you to have a look." Luo Yong said with a smile.

While they were talking, people came out from the nearby small courtyards one after another, and they all stood not far away and watched.

"It's hard for the Ming government to still remember us. The house is so shabby, but I hope the Ming government don't dislike it. Come and sit in the house."

"So, it's annoying."

Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin followed the old man into the main room of the small courtyard, and other tenant farmers also gathered in the courtyard, some followed them into the house, and some stood outside to watch.

The inside of this room is also very simple, a yellow muddy clay kang, a few old clothes and tattered mattresses that can't see the color, two children were sleeping on the kang, when Luo used them to go in, the child's mother Ye Niang hurriedly Call them up and take them to the next room.

Luo Yong and the others sat on the kang and talked. At first, Luo Yong, the parent official, cared about the lives of these tenant farmers and whether they had any difficulties, and then asked them about their farming plans for this year.

The old man said that they have always grown some corn and wheat here, and this year a government-run tofu workshop opened in the city, so they also plan to grow some beans.

"I heard people say that the yield of corn is very high, why don't you grow corn?" Luo Yong asked.

"..." As soon as he said those words, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became a little different.

"The corn seeds are so expensive, how can I afford them?" Someone outside the door said loudly.

"So that's the case." Luo Yong nodded and said, "Tomorrow I will send people to buy some corn seeds and bring them to the mansion. If you want to plant corn, you can go to the mansion to borrow them tomorrow. It can be returned to the government at the time of the autumn harvest, and the borrowed amount can be repaid without interest.”

"This statement is true!" When the tenant farmers heard this, they were excited, but some couldn't believe it.

They have long heard that corn is a very high-yielding crop. In the past, the sages also sent people to their Changle County to deliver seeds, but the seeds sent were all bought by the family members of the officials in the county and a few squires in the county. The households are divided cleanly, where can it be their turn.

Until now, the price of corn here is still very expensive, mainly because Hu merchants have been buying corn seeds in their locality.

Although the imperial court expressly stipulates that corn and eucommia gum should not be exported, but with the current interests, those merchants are willing to give up such a good opportunity to make money. Although smuggling does have certain risks, merchants in this era, especially those who walk on silk Hu merchants on the road, many of them were originally speculators and explorers.

"Luo always counts what he says, you all trust me." Luo Yong said.

"Thank you Mingfu!"

"Thank you County Magistrate Luo!"

"Then shall we borrow seeds from you tomorrow?"

"After noon tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, it doesn't matter."

As soon as the corn seeds were mentioned, the atmosphere in the small courtyard suddenly became much more lively.

I used to hear people in the city say that this time the new county magistrate Luo is good here and there, and they generally believed it. After all, everyone has heard of the name of Luo Sanlang in Lishi.

However, when the county magistrates and others were still there, most of them treated the local gentry and wealthy households and foreign merchants very well, and they were not too bad to the common people in the city. People's attitudes will become extremely fierce and tough.

Originally, those people who could be forcibly arranged to become tenant farmers here were the most rootless and most vulnerable group of people in this county.

The new county magistrate Luo is a rare and good county magistrate for those urban residents, so what about tenant farmers like them?

At this time, Luo Yong said again:

"As for the land rent, it will be charged at the rate of three buckets of grain per mu of land in the future. Wheat, millet, and corn are all acceptable. Other miscellaneous fees will be abolished and will not be collected."

"There is still some time before spring plowing. If anyone in your family wants to work in the tofu workshop, go there early tomorrow morning, and I will ask someone to arrange it with you."

It just so happened that the business at the tofu shop has been getting better and better these days, and the tofu made every day is not enough to sell, and people have to be hired anyway, so it is better to arrange these tenant farmers to go there first.

Although the former county magistrate and others forcibly leased the land to these people, as the current chief of Changle County, Luo Yong felt that he had an obligation to make some compensation to these people.

Luo Yong and Qiao Junlin had only sat with them for a short time, they had finished what they needed to say, and it was relatively late, so they bid farewell to these tenant farmers, got up and went back to the city.

Before leaving, he also said that whether they went to the city to borrow seeds, or went to work in the tofu workshop, they should find Qiao Junlin tomorrow and the next day, and he would make arrangements then.

When the two of them had gone out of sight, those people in the courtyard rushed into the house.

"Rao Weng, look at what the county magistrate Luo said, but he is serious." Everyone asked the old man for his opinion.

"Since he said it, he took it seriously." Narao Weng said.

Everyone was overjoyed. They only received three buckets of grain per mu, and the rest of the miscellaneous expenses were all free. They also lent grain seeds without paying interest, and even arranged for them to work in tofu workshops. Been to such a good thing?

"It's better to be the county magistrate Luo."

"Although County Magistrate Tan is a good person, he can't beat those people."

"This time, as soon as County Magistrate Luo came, those people would all run away."

"..."

"Go back to bed earlier, and go to the tofu workshop tomorrow morning. We will borrow the seeds after the government buys the seeds."

Rao Weng stopped everyone from talking. If I continue to say this, I will feel sorry for the county magistrate Tan. After all, he is the one who sponsored them in difficult times. Years, those things are also life-saving rations.

The crowd dispersed, and this small village soon fell into silence again, but if you listen closely, almost every household can hear the whispering voices of the tenant farmers.

With such a big event tonight, everyone is in high spirits at this time, how can they fall asleep so quickly.

On the side of Rao's courtyard, Rao Dalang didn't go back to sleep in his own room at this time, but stayed at his Aye's side, father and son sat on the kang and talked.

"Aye, will our days be easier in the future?"

"should be."

"It's just how long this county magistrate of Luo can stay with us. If he leaves, he might be replaced by someone else. I heard that in other places, there are officials who are worse than the previous county magistrates..."

"Live well these few years now, what do you want to do more..."

"..."

At the same time, in Chang'an city.

That night, Ma Feiyang drank outside with a few friends he had made recently. He drank until almost midnight, and then he returned to his guest house accompanied by his servants.

"Aye, why haven't you slept yet?" Ma Jiulang entered his guest house with drunken eyes, and saw his own Aye sitting in the hall on the first floor.

"You go to the back room with me, I have something to tell you." His father said.

"..." Ma Feiyang rubbed his nose, wondering if he was going to be punished again, but he obediently followed his father to the small hall behind.

As soon as the two sat down, Ma Feiyang heard his old man say to him: "Tomorrow morning, you go out to Shiro's place, and I will prepare everything with you."

"What, what's the matter?" Ma Feiyang was dumbfounded. Could it be because he has been a little absurd recently, and I can't stand it, so he will be sent to the frontier?

"After dinner, someone from the Luo family came and sent me a letter. You should read it too." Father Ma said, taking out a piece of letter paper from his sleeve.

Ma Feiyang's mind was like a paste at this time, and his vision was not very clear. Facing an oil lamp on the kang table, it took him a long time to read this letter through, but he still couldn't understand it.

"Tea? Why does he need so much tea?"

"Isn't that written on it? Luo Sanlang intends to operate Changle County as a tea distribution center in the northwest."

For the sake of this kid going on a long trip tomorrow, Father Ma also showed extra patience tonight. If it was normal and came back so drunk, it would be basically impossible for him not to be scolded.

"Then how will it develop?" Ma Feiyang sat cross-legged on the kang, hunched over and tilted his head, his face puzzled.

Isn't drinking tea the essence of Central Plains people?Fanbang people don't know much about tea, and I haven't heard that those people have the habit of drinking tea. I'm afraid that no one will buy it at all, and it will be a distribution center, tsk.

"He wants so much now, what if he can't sell it?" Ma Jiulang said worriedly.

"How would I know." His old man's patience was finally exhausted at this time: "Since he wants to buy it, you go and get it from him. You can go out tomorrow morning, don't delay."

"Here." Ma Feiyang replied, while cursing in his heart.

The coffin board is fine, why buy so much tea, this thing is not like gold, silver and copper coins, if it can't be sold for a while, it will be bad after a long time...

Thousands of miles away, Luo Yong: I have never worried about keeping fresh in my two lifetimes.