Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 149 Grass Academy

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Su Erdi explained the reason to him in detail: When fighting against the army of the prefectural city, Liu Ye set a rule that anyone with a member in their family serving in the army would have 30% of their rent waived that year and would have priority in choosing land for redistribution the following year. However, those whose families had no members serving in the army could only rent five mu of land, regardless of the number of family members. Because they were afraid of being purged by the government for "joining the bandits," many villagers were unwilling to let their able-bodied members serve in the army. Unexpectedly, things developed in a way that surprised them. The government was defeated decisively, and the county government became a mere decoration. After Liu Ye's rule was implemented, these families had no shortage of able-bodied men, some with several. How could five mu of land support a whole family? Meanwhile, those whose families had members serving in the army rented ten or twenty mu of land but lacked sufficient labor. To complement each other, the phenomenon of contract farming emerged. One side provided manpower and labor, while the other side provided land. After paying the rent, the two sides negotiated and divided the profits.

Old Su replied with heartache, "The harvest from the fields has to be shared with others; how can it be more profitable than growing it yourself?"

Su Tui Da thought it was a good idea and advised, "Father, we're not home. How can you cultivate fifteen mu by yourself? Just find someone to do the plowing. My second brother and I earn money faster than farming."

Old Su remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. After deducting rent, the fifteen mu of land yielded only about thirty shi of grain a year in a good harvest. Although there was a surplus after deducting food rations, the income from selling the rice at the rice shop was only a dozen or so taels of silver, which was only enough for Su's salary for two months.

Not wanting to be left out, Su Xiaomei suddenly said, "Big brother, I want to go to the county to work."

Old Su jumped three feet high: "Have you all gone against the grain? I've turned a blind eye to my second son going to school, but why are you getting involved? It's proper for a girl to get married early!"

Su Xiaomei retorted, "My second brother gets subsidies for studying hard, and I get paid for my work too. I heard that a new clothing factory has opened in the county town and they're hiring, with very generous wages."

Su Da Tui knew about the clothing factory; the military uniform he was wearing was made there. He hesitated and said, "Father, how about letting my little sister try it on?"

Old Su did not directly refute his words. In his opinion, the eldest son was now an official and could not be beaten and scolded like before: "It's good to work and earn money, but if a girl like this shows her face in public, people will gossip. She still has to get married eventually. She's almost sixteen. If she doesn't get married soon, she'll be an old maid."

Su Xiaomei retorted indignantly, "Back when we couldn't even fill our stomachs, as long as we could support ourselves, we would work in the fields or chop firewood in the mountains. We never thought about showing our faces in public. Now that life is a little better, do we suddenly become so particular about this?"

Old Su was speechless for a moment.

Having seen the world, Su Tui was unwilling for his younger brother and sister-in-law to stay in the village for the rest of their lives. He advised, "Father, it would be good for my younger sister to broaden her horizons. Perhaps she can find a good family in the county town."

Su Liu was quite interested in this and asked, "Really, eldest son? Could someone in the county town really be interested in a girl from our hometown?"

Su puffed out her chest and said, "Mom, our family isn't what it used to be."