flstandardbreds Chapter 111 Self-rescue
Chapter 111 Self-rescue
When Chen Shi saw that it was Su He, his expression eased a lot, "How much do you want to sell it for?"
"Sir, my family collected six acres of land for tax, and dug out two acres of land. The rest has not yet been collected. I roughly calculated that I can sell 20,000 kilograms here."
In fact, Su He's family's land did not suffer any loss. The first-class land had an autumn harvest of 4500 kilograms per mu. Even if the tax was paid for five mu of land, it would be more. However, Su He deliberately reported a higher figure to leave some room for himself in everything.
With only 20,000 kilograms per family, the goal of 100,000 kilograms suddenly became possible, and Chen Shi was quite satisfied.
“How much can you get today?”
"Sir, if you dig up these sweet potatoes and wrap them in soil, they can be preserved longer. I'll ask my family to dig them now. I estimate that we can dig three acres of land in two hours."
Suho gave a relaxed time.
Chen Shi nodded, "We'll dig out all 20,000 kilograms today, and let the villagers help."
Su He's heart sank, she was so anxious, and then she immediately agreed.
After paying taxes on her fifteen acres of land, half was given to the tenants, and the other half was originally intended for Shunzi, but Shunzi refused to take it this time, saying that he wanted to thank Su He for giving him a home, so Su He had no choice but to agree.
After calculation, she would only get a little over 20,000 yuan in the end. However, Su He was not afraid of selling 20,000 kilograms this time, as she had plenty of money in her space.
Three minutes later, all the skilled workers in the village went to dig sweet potatoes. It took less than an hour for the whole village to dig 20,000 kilograms.
Originally, the sweet potatoes had to be dug out and dried in the sun for two days to dry out the surface moisture, but this time they were just packed away directly.
Su He looked at the carts going away, his mind spinning rapidly.
She had said before that the surface moisture of sweet potatoes could be better preserved if they were dried with mud, but these people dug them out and moved them away in a hurry, seemingly not caring whether the shelf life could be extended.
why?
Could it be because these sweet potatoes will be eaten soon and the destination is relatively close, so there is no need to worry about them going bad?
The demand around here is so great, and this official is so anxious, could it be at the border?
The drought has just started and now there is a war at the border. Isn’t their Huaihe County doomed?
Su He felt very heavy in her heart. At this moment, she was a little envious of the Zhao family. They were so lucky to leave early. The south would definitely not be hit by drought.
When the Wang family saw Su He taking the initiative to sell grain, they all signed up to be the next one. No matter what, since the officials had spoken, they had to sell some grain.
It's just that they sold less. For example, Shunzi, although he had four acres of land, had to be responsible for the food supply for seven people. This time, the four acres of land harvested a total of 7,000 kilograms of grain. Except for one acre of land that had to pay tax, there were more than 5,000 kilograms of sweet potatoes left. Fortunately, after selling the sweet potatoes harvested in summer, he bought some old grain.
If we save a little, the sweet potatoes can last for ten months, assuming all are well preserved.
Others also have many males in their families, and one person has to eat the same amount of food as two, so every family is not well off.
They know the consequences of drought better than anyone else, and no one is willing to sell grain.
"Lotus, your well is the only one in the village where the water level hasn't dropped much. These days everyone comes to you to get water. Today I even ran into someone from Sanshi Village."
Shunzi has been in contact with Suhe for a long time and has a deep relationship with her. Although he has already started a family and moved out, he has not forgotten what Suhe told him before, to pay attention to the situation in and outside the village.
Su He nodded, "Uncle, I'm going to talk to Master Chen. Please get everyone in the family together. We need to have a meeting."
Shunzi immediately ran to find someone. Juhua walked over and watched the sweet potatoes being taken away with concern. "Hehua, you sold too many. The old people in the village said that next year will probably be dry again. We will have to wait for a long time for our food."
"It's okay. I know what's going on. Go and keep Wen Niang company. Ask your parents to look after the house. The village will be a bit chaotic recently."
Su He smiled calmly at Juhua and went to the front to find Chen Shi. When the disaster had not come, Su He was anxious all day and made desperate preparations. Now that the drought has come, she is very calm instead, thinking about the way out for her big family.
"Master Chen, everyone is saying that the drop in the well water level is the beginning of a drought. Among the nearby villages, only the deep well in Dahe Village and my well have normal water levels. Villagers from Sanshi Village have come to fetch water in the past few days. What I mean is, if you are anxious to buy food, you should do it as soon as possible. If it's too late, we won't be able to protect ourselves."
This time, Chen Shi looked at Su He seriously, and wondered in his heart how his second aunt had taught her, that even the maids in the mansion were so smart.
"Since you know there is a drought, why do you come to tell me to buy food? What will you eat if I buy it?"
Su He shook his head. "Everyone knows it, so there's no need to hide it. You are an official, and it's impossible for us not to sell it to the officials. Moreover, this grain is for the soldiers at the border. Without them at the border, Dayong will be in danger."
Su He kept staring at Chen Shi's expression while speaking. When Chen Shi heard Bian Guan, his pupils shrank subconsciously, obviously he was hit on the mark.
"How did you know?"
"Sir, I am just guessing, but this is not important. What is important is that if you need more food, our village can give you another 30,000 kilograms. I only ask you to say a word."
"What?"
"If there is still no water in the well by the beginning of next spring, can we go south?"
Chen Shi suddenly realized, "You mean to go to Jinyang City? That's fine. For your 30,000 kilograms of grain, I will give your family a quota and you can move to the city to live."
Sure enough, these officials were already preparing for the relocation, but the common people were still kept in the dark.
"My Lord, my home is Willow Village."
Chen Shi was confused, "Liu Shu, Village?"
Su He thought about it and felt that she hadn't said it well. "Hehua was born in Sanshi Village, and when she grew up she settled in Liushu Village. She also has some connection with Dahe Village."
Chen Shi was so angry that he laughed, "Do you know what you are talking about? There are more than a thousand people in these three villages. Are they all your family members?"
"That's not it."
Guess you know the truth.
Su He smiled slightly, and said something that Chen Shi could not refute.
"They are all loyal people who can deliver food to the soldiers at the border."
Chen Shi pursed his lips, stared at Su He and asked, "Are they willing to give it?"
"Don't worry, sir. Leave it to me. I think they will be willing to exchange food for a good place to go."
Chen Shi calculated that if the thousand people were dispersed and a few people were sent to each village, it would not have much impact. It was believed that these peasants would not be able to turn over.
"Okay. It's in Jinyang City, right?"
"No. Sir, please give us three business cards and we will find a place ourselves, one village at a time."
Chen Shi picked his ears, suspecting that there was something wrong with them. "Where else do you want to go? Do you still want a business card? You peasants still want to go to the capital?"
Chen Shi found it funny even when he said it out loud.
"The capital is not an option. The land is too expensive. We peasants should find a cheap place with water to grow crops. We can grow more food for the Yong Dynasty and feed more people."
Su He immediately raised the profile of the group, and Chen Shi couldn't even utter a harsh word.
Chen Shi looked at the serious Su He, thinking that they did have some skills in farming, and asked patiently.
"So where do you want to go?"
"Do you know where is the place to the south, past Jinyang City, and close to the pier?
Chen Shi frowned, thinking back to the route.
"After passing Jinyang City, you will reach the territory of Qinlongzhou. There are many docks in Qinlongzhou, and the closest one to us is Lingshui Dock. If you take the official road, it will take about a month."
Su He nodded and said that as long as there was a pier, there would be no shortage of water, so it was a good place.
"Are you familiar with any of the villages near the docks? I wonder if there are any villages that can accommodate nearly a thousand people."
Chen Shi glanced at Su He and said, "I'm in charge of Huaihe County, how could I be familiar with that place?"
"Liushu Village is willing to give you another 20,000 kilograms of grain for free."
"Su Hehua, you think you..."
"fifty thousand!"
"......"
"It's in Su'an County, and the magistrate is an acquaintance of mine. I'll write you a letter and send it to you tomorrow. He will make sure you're settled."