Defeat natural disasters with farming

"Excuse me, where does Ye Chengnan and his family live?"

The person who asked the question was a young man in a leather jacket, followed by three people, one of them was an old woman who was holding a two or three-year-old child in her arms.

The Yejia villagers who were chatting at the entrance of the village pointed to the inside enthusiastically, "Their family lives in the innermost part, go straight ahead, and the green brick house closest to the mountain will be there."

Speaking of this, the man slapped his thigh again, "It's okay now, I'll take you there."

The young man smiled, "That's a good thing, I'm going to trouble you."

"Hey, don't worry about it, it's just a few steps away, but what's the matter with Chengnan?"

"My child was taken away by a kidnapper before. Thanks to Brother Ye, who had sharp eyes and noticed something was wrong, he chased and caught the kidnapper. I came here specially to thank you."

The young man is Shen Fu, and that child is naturally Shen Qingyu.

The one who led the way was also an acquaintance, Ye Shuan's father, who immediately praised him when he heard the cause and effect: "Chengnan is a good man, no one in our village said he was bad, let alone a child fell into the water earlier , he was the one who went into the water to rescue him..."

Shen Fu listened carefully to what he said, and he could roughly portray Ye Chengnan's character in his heart.

"This is the family," Ye Shuan's father closed his mouth when he saw the green brick house after turning the corner, pointed to the wooden door and said, "Their family should be at home now."

The servant behind Shen Fu wanted to knock on the door, but he stopped him. He straightened his sleeves and knocked on Ye's door himself.

"Clang clang clang."

Along with the regular knock on the door, there were small footsteps in the house.

"Who is it?"

Shen Fu saw an old lady in a navy blue padded coat who had cleaned herself up and pushed open the door, looked around suspiciously, and finally set her eyes on him.

"excuse me, you are?"

"Hi, my surname is Shen, and I'm here to thank Ye Chengnan, Brother Ye, for saving my little one."

Mrs. Ye was obviously stunned, and she took another look at Shen Fu, seeing that he was rich and impressive, and he didn't seem to be telling lies, so she opened the door, "Come in first."

Ye Shuan's father didn't go in, he waved his hand and said, "Ma'am, I won't go in, I'm just a guide."

After speaking, he turned and prepared to leave.

"Hey, wait," Mrs. Ye quickly stopped him, and hurriedly brought out a basket from the room, "Brother Bao said earlier that he would give some snacks to Brother Quan, since you're here, you can take it back."

"Okay, auntie, remember to ask Brother Bao to come to our house to play."

The two each exchanged a few words of greeting.

After Shen Fu and the others entered the door, Mrs. Ye closed the door, led them in, and said as she walked, "My third child didn't say anything about it, so I really don't know."

Shen Fu repeated the story of meeting the kidnapper again, and finally, he carried Shen Qingyu from the nurse's arms, "This is my little boy Qingyu, I specially brought him here to thank Brother Ye."

Hearing what he said, Mrs. Ye's eyes widened immediately, and she couldn't help complaining: "This kid didn't say a word, and he acted like nothing happened after he came back."

"I want to come to Brother Ye because I am afraid that you will worry."

After a few words, they entered the main room, and Mrs. Ye told Mrs. Ye to go to the stove to make a pot of tea.

"Come and try our self-made candied winter melon. It's sweet but not greasy. Children should like it."

Shen Qingyu's eyes widened upon hearing this, and after obtaining Shen Fu's consent, he picked up a piece of candied winter melon and ate it with relish.

Seeing that Mrs. Ye loved her so much, she said, "This child is really well-raised. He is fat and well-behaved."

Shen Fu also said: "Brother Ye's son is also a fancy dress, he was very well-behaved and sensible before."

The two praised each other, and only then did Father Ye come out of the room.

As soon as Shen Fu saw him, he immediately stood up, clasped his fists in thanks and said, "If you weren't there, Brother Ye, my little boy would not know what he was doing now."

Father Ye returned a salute, and didn't say anything modest. Since he has come to the door sincerely, there is no need to hold back, just accept the thanks generously.

He sat down and asked with concern: "How is the child?"

I don't know if there are any sequelae after being drugged.

"It's okay. The drug will only make people drowsy. If you sleep enough, you will be fine. You don't even need to drink the medicine."

Shen Fu looked lovingly at his son who was eating candied winter melon, and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief by the way.

Father Ye smiled relieved when he heard this.

But when he was questioned, he became serious again, "Did Yao Xianwei get the result of the interrogation?"

Hearing this, Shen Fu's originally gentle face darkened, "The interrogation came out, the kidnapper has a gang, that is, a juggling troupe performing in the market, they will send people to find suitable children wherever they go, no matter Men and women, as long as they are fancy, they will be kidnapped, some will stay in the juggling troupe to learn juggling, but most of them will be sold to other places."

"They have an unwritten rule, that is, they will not attack the children of wealthy families, but my Qingyu is an exception, because there was only one person leading him at that time, and the kidnapper directly put the drug on the veil and covered it. His mouth and nose, after he faints, carry it away while no one is paying attention."

"Fortunately, Brother Ye, you found something was wrong, so you saved Qingyu."

It turned out to be a juggling troupe.

Father Ye suddenly thought of something, this juggling troupe also came to the market last year, that's when the Xie family's child was lost, maybe they did it too.

There is also the youngest son of Aunt Tang's family, although he was not lost in the annual collection, but the time difference seems to be the same gang.

Therefore, Father Ye frowned and pondered for a while, "Do you know where the child who was abducted by them is now?"

Shen Fu nodded, "Yao Xianwei has been interrogated. They abducted five children in Heihe County and surrounding villages and sold them all. But we got the ledger, which recorded the whereabouts of the five children in detail."

Among the five children, there are three boys and two girls, all of whom are only three or four years old.

Surprise appeared on Father Ye's face, and he immediately asked: "Can this news be shared with others?"

"You don't have to worry about this matter. Yao Xianwei has already informed several families of the missing children, but the child has not been found yet, and the news has not been released for the time being."

After all, in order to reduce the chance of being exposed, the gang of kidnappers would specially take the kidnapped children to farther places to sell. It would take a lot of time to find them one by one according to the records.

"That's good. This is a great merit. There are five children."

At the same time Father Ye was feeling emotional, Mrs. Ye folded her hands together and chanted Buddha's name.

After the two talked about it, Shen Fu said: "Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of kinship, Qingyu was saved by brother Ye, and brother Ye only has one child under his knees, why don't we two recognize each other as kinship? "

Ye's father did not agree to this matter, "It's fine if you admit your relatives."

The situation of Shen's family is complicated, and Shen Qingyu is a concubine, so it's better not to get involved with farmers like them.

After Shen Fu heard this, he looked quite regretful, and he took a step back, "From then on, I will ask Qingyu to come and wish you a New Year every year."

Father Ye agreed to this matter.

After all, there are precedents. Ye Cheng, whom he had rescued, also came to kowtow to him for many years in a row, and it never stopped.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Fu signaled the boy to put the box in his hand on the table, "It contains 100 taels of silver."

Seeing that Father Ye was about to refuse again, he immediately persuaded him: "A mere 100 taels is no match for Qingyu, you should accept this money."

100 taels of silver is really not much for a family like them, it is just the money to buy a table, if it is not for fear that the Ye family will not accept it, he would like to give more.

Father Ye saw that he was so determined and had no choice but to accept it.

When Shen Fu and his party left, Ye Lao Er looked at the box in amazement, "Tsk tsk, I dare not open this box, it looks so precious."

Father Ye didn't look at the box carefully before, but when his second brother reminded him, he inhaled slightly when he saw the box again.

There is an idiom that buys a box and returns the pearls, and this box is a typical example of buying a box and returning the pearls.

The sour branch wood itself is shining, and it is inlaid with precious gemstones, and the carved patterns of flowers, birds, fish and insects are also lifelike. Roughly calculated, this box alone is worth several hundred taels of silver.

This sum of money was naturally collected by Sanfang. After all, it was Father Ye himself who saved Shen Qingyu, and it had nothing to do with anyone else.

As for General Chu's bank note, it was put away by the old couple of the Ye family.

Father Ye opened the box after returning to the house, and there were indeed 100 taels of silver bills inside, which were not the same kind as those left by General Chu, and there was no special emblem on the silver bills.

Mother Ye walked over to take a look, "It's really worrying to put such a large amount of money on me."

The husband and wife whispered for a while before locking the box and hiding it carefully.

When it was time for dinner, Father Ye suddenly made a suggestion, "Now our family can buy a few more acres of land."

Originally, their family's money was not considered convenient, but they received 200 taels of silver one after another, which was more than enough to buy land.

"In this way, we don't have to collect chickens and ducks, and we can raise them ourselves. It's a lot of money if we really calculate it."

This is something he discussed with his wife.

Nowadays, one mu of fertile land only costs two taels of silver, and 100 taels can buy fifty mu of land.

An ordinary family of four needs 35 mu of land to barely eat and clothe.Not to mention that there are so many people like their family, the output of [-] mu of land is basically enough to eat. If the harvest is good, there will be surplus grain sold every year.

Old man Ye gave his hands a pause, "What the third brother said makes sense, but it's just that fertile land is hard to find these days, so you may not be able to buy it."

The land is the lifeline of the peasant family, and if something terrible happened, they would never sell the land easily.

Father Ye thought for a while, "Let's find out first or ask someone to inquire. We will always be more prepared than others when we have news."

"Okay, I will go out and ask when I turn back. It is also a good thing to buy a few more acres of land. There are more fields than business."

But when it comes to buying land, it is not as easy as imagined. During this time, Mrs. Ye gets up to eat before dawn, and then carries a tank full of fried soybeans to the big tree at the entrance of the village to inquire about news.

It can be considered that the hard work paid off, and the news of the land sale finally reached her ears a few days later.

"Have you heard? The Chen family is going to sell their land. Their family has fifty acres of fertile land, and now they will sell thirty acres in one go!"

The person who spoke was a tall and fat old woman, generally called Mrs. Wang by the villagers.

Mrs. Huang was stunned with her hands in her hands, "Why?"

The Chen family is one of the largest big families in the village next door. There are only three of them in the family. Almost all the fertile land under their name has been rented out. The family has a big business, so why sell the land?

Mrs. Wang coughed twice and straightened her back. "It seems that you don't know yet," she mumbled, "Didn't a few tall men go to their village a while ago? That's the county seat. The thugs raised by the gambling house in the village are all ruthless and merciless, with no idea how much blood was on their hands. The prodigal son of the Chen family became addicted to gambling, and borrowed a lot of money from the gambling house. No, someone came to the door, and I don’t know how much money they owed, but it has already reached the point of selling the land.”

This makes sense. Gambling houses are not charitable organizations. They usually have backers behind them.

"The Chen family's land is all fertile land, which can produce a lot of food in a year, but they have a requirement that the land should not be sold separately. The land of 160 acres is priced at [-] taels of silver, and the money and the goods are equal."

The price of 160 taels is a bit high, but it is not unacceptable. After all, the weather is good now, and it is normal to have a premium.

However, there are not many people who can take out 160 taels of silver at once, and this condition of the Chen family has stopped many people.

After hearing the news, Mrs. Ye returned home contentedly and relayed it to others.

"If it's true, I can consider buying it. Although 160 taels of silver is a lot, our family can barely afford it."

Father Ye said thoughtfully, "I'll go and find out the details later."

Old man Ye knocked his pipe on the ground, "Tell the boss and the second to go with you, so I can take care of you."

The three brothers responded one after another when they heard the words.

They left home after lunch and didn't come back until evening. Ye Lao Er collapsed on the kang when he came back. The other two were also very tired, their faces were full of exhaustion.

Ye's mother poured a bowl of tea and put it in Ye's father's hand, and asked wonderingly: "Isn't it just a trip to the next village? Why are you so tired?"

Before Ye's father could speak, Ye Er Er hurriedly replied: "Don't mention it, the three of us just passed by and met five thugs guarding the door of Chen's house. Each of them was holding a machete and was directing the Chen family Move the furniture out of the house, saying that it is to be used to pay off the debt."

"There are only three people in the Chen family. How can we lift so many furniture? In the end, the three of us helped."

Father Ye regained his strength after drinking a bowl of tea. He breathed out and said, "There is also a good thing. The Chen family agreed to sell the land to us, and we can go to see it tomorrow. If there is no problem, you can go directly to the Yamen to transfer the ownership." .”

The three rested for a while before going to dinner.

Dinner is very simple, there are still some dumplings left over, put them in the pot and heat them up, if you are not full, there are steamed buns and pancakes.

Because Ye Yu has been coughing for the past two days, Mother Ye made him a bowl of noodle soup alone. Carrot slices and cabbage floated on the steaming hot soup. The red, white and green colors can instantly whet the appetite.

He blew on the yellowed soup in the spoon, and his eyes lit up the moment he put it in his mouth. The smooth and rich soup, thick and soft noodles formed a delicious landscape in his mouth.

After wolfing down a bowl of noodle soup, Ye Yu put down the bowl and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

Seeing this, Mrs. Ye scooped up two more spoonfuls for him, "Since you like it, eat more. You haven't had a bite for lunch, but you still can't drink the medicine."

He is still drinking the medicine prescribed by Dr. Wu. If he takes another dose, there may be a problem of drug conflict.

Thinking of this, Ye Yu couldn't help sniffling, but this year was fine, she didn't get sick a few times, and even this time she just had a little cough.

At this time, Father Ye said, "Brother Bao's medicine will be replaced in a few days, and our lo-mei shop will also be open, so I'll take him to Huichuntang to find Dr. Wu."

Mother Ye nodded when she heard the words, "It should be so."

At dawn the next day, all the men from the Ye family went to the Chen family, including Old Man Ye.

The Ye family is quite satisfied that the [-] acres of land that the Chen family wants to sell are gathered together, which will make farming and harvesting much more convenient.

"This is [-] mu of land, all of which are good fields, and can produce at least [-] catties of grain per mu in a year."

In fact, three hundred catties is considered conservative. The fields on their side are very rich. As long as they are well served, 350 catties is not a problem.

Old man Ye knelt down and grabbed the soil with his hands, only to see the black and shiny soil slipping from his fingertips. Although this kind of soil is not black soil, but the difference is not that big, it is really a fertile field.

He stood up and nodded to Father Ye.

Father Ye knew it in his heart, he said to the Chen family: "Are there any tenants in these fields now?"

The Chen family does not cultivate the land themselves, but leases the land to farmers, and collects a certain amount of grain as rent every year.

As soon as these words came out, embarrassment suddenly appeared on the faces of the Chen family, "The lease period of [-] acres of land has not yet expired."

This…

Father Ye suddenly hesitated in his heart, the lease period has not yet arrived.

"The renters are all honest. They pay the food on time every year, which is not much different from growing by themselves,"

The Chen family gritted their teeth and continued, "If you can accept it, the price of the 150 mu of land can be reduced to [-] taels."

Father Ye looked into the distance, and saw several families standing beside the fields, everyone's faces were very disturbed. These were the people who rented and planted the fields of the Chen family.

Some of them escaped from disaster and had no money to buy land, and some of them were divided into families whose land was not enough to support the whole family. But no matter what, they were all poor families, and the whole family lived on the output of a few mu of land.

In addition, their family really can't spare manpower to cultivate these fields, so renting them out is indeed a good choice.

At noon that day, Father Ye handed over 150 taels of silver to the Chen family, and exchanged them for the land deed. Afterwards, the group went to the government to pay the tax, and the name on the land deed document became Old Man Ye. Ten mu of land is considered a successful transfer.

After Old Man Ye got the land deed documents, the Chen family also carefully collected the bank notes. Seeing this, he couldn't help but persuade: "Gambling is a harmful thing. If you can, you should quit as soon as possible."

The Chen family still has [-] mu of land. If they quit gambling from now on, the [-] mu of land will be enough for their family of three to eat and drink.

Father Chen smiled bitterly when he heard the words, "We spoiled that worthless guy in my family. We sent him to the academy to study but he didn't get any fame. We simply won't let him go out in the future. Just stay at home honestly. I will marry him a daughter-in-law later, so take care of me."

Seeing the two people in their 40s supporting each other to leave, old man Ye sighed: "Our children must be taught well, and they must not relax, especially not to be addicted to gambling."

Ye Boss and Ye Lao Er had sympathy, they looked at each other, and decided to teach their son a good lesson after returning home.

So the three of Ye Hai, who were taught a lesson with their ears held that night, suddenly looked confused.

In the end, it was Old Man Ye who stopped them, "That's fine, just let them know the disadvantages of gambling."

Immediately afterwards he got down to business, "Most of the money used to buy the [-] acres of land was earned from selling lo-mei. To be honest, the recipe for lo-mei was taken out by the third child, and most of the money earned should be his. , although my name is written now, it should be made clear.”

Now that they haven't separated yet, it's really hard to tell the difference. Besides, Father Ye doesn't care too much about whether he suffers or not. After all, the eldest brother and the second brother have done a lot of work.

So Father Ye said: "There is no need to be so serious, we earned the money together, and the land we bought naturally belongs to the whole family."

Mother Ye had no objection to this either. Her parents died, and she was not uneasy when she came back with Father Ye, but the Ye family accepted her with their behavior. Why should they be so clearly separated as a family.

Not to mention Ye Yu, he has countless ways to make money in his mind, and he doesn't care if he is taken advantage of or not, or it is right to improve the life of the whole family.

But other people didn't think so, Mrs. Ye said solemnly: "It should be so, most of the [-] acres of land should belong to the third younger brother and third younger siblings."

The second sister-in-law Ye also nodded in agreement, but just because the third child and the others are nice, they can't take advantage of it unscrupulously.

Seeing them like this, Mrs. Ye smiled gratifiedly, "I discussed with your father, regardless of the original land of our family, half of the [-] acres of newly bought land belong to the third child, and the remaining half Then give it to both of you in half."

Father Ye frowned suddenly, and asked, "What about you, father and mother?"

"Both of us are people with half a foot in the coffin. Why do we need so much land? When we divide the house later, the land at home will also be distributed to you."

The tradition here is that after the division of the family, the elder will be taken care of by the eldest son. At the same time, the eldest son will share [-]% of the family's property, and the other sons will share the remaining property equally.

It's not fair to say it, but it's the way of the world nowadays, every family attaches great importance to the eldest son and grandson, and the parents can at most subsidize the younger son financially in private.

If there is only one son, such a thing will not happen, like Ye Lao Er and Ye Fu, both of them have only one boy, and all the property in the future will belong to Ye Jing and Ye Yu.

As for the girls, their parents will prepare a dowry to marry them off, and they have no inheritance rights unless they decide to recruit a son.

The author says:

After entering V, the update should be guaranteed on the third day, and occasionally on the fourth day and fifth day.