"Shouye! Uncle Chen, Brother Shouheng, you’re here too."
Li Jiwei clasped his hands in greeting, his expression rather solemn.
"Brother-in-law, what’s the rush?"
Chen Shouye asked.
Li Jiwei said, "Today, the County Magistrate sent someone to the martial arts hall with an order. He said that in the third month, a large sum of tax silver needs to be escorted to the Commandery City. He specifically requested thirty experts at the Blood Refining Realm or higher from our Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall to help with the escort."
He looked at Shouye, his tone earnest. "Father intended to lead the team himself, but with the spring examinations in the Commandery City, he has to take me and two of my senior brothers to participate. He simply can’t be in two places at once. Father’s wish is for you to lead the team in his stead and take the disciples from the hall on this trip."
Hearing this, Chen Shouye didn’t agree immediately, instead subconsciously glancing at his father.
Chen Li’s expression was calm as he simply said, "You are a married man with your own career now. You can make your own decision on this matter."
Chen Shouye pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "In that case, I’ll make the trip. Please reply to Father-in-law for me, Brother-in-law."
Li Jiwei’s face lit up with joy. "Excellent! I’ll go back and report to Father right now!"
After Li Jiwei left, Chen Li stood up. Before leaving, he said to Shouye, "Liyang is not peaceful these days. Normally, someone at Qi Realm Perfection would rarely encounter danger. But now, even Spirit Realm experts appear frequently. Escorting tax silver makes you a huge target, and you’re more likely to be watched. There will inevitably be risks along the way.
If you can advance your cultivation and step into the Spirit Realm before then, your chances of success will be much greater. You must train diligently during this time."
Chen Shouye’s expression turned grave, and he nodded solemnly. "I understand, Father."
As dusk fell, the figures of Chen Li and Chen Shouheng disappeared at the end of the county town’s street.
...
After returning home, Chen Li did not relax.
The next morning, at the first light of dawn.
He called for Shouheng, as well as Zhao Gui, Chen Pi, and a few other of his more capable long-term laborers, and left the house, preparing to inspect the 4,300 mu of land he had recently purchased.
The closest parcel was the 850 mu of fertile farmland right here in Lingxi village, which had originally belonged to the families of Wang Shiming and Wang Shihui.
The fields were adjacent to the Lingxi River, and also bordered the land Chen Li had previously bought from the Wang Shizhang family. They nearly formed a single, contiguous block, so managing them wouldn’t be troublesome.
However, when he inspected the fields scattered across the other four villages, Chen Li couldn’t help but frown deeply.
The first place they went to was the most distant plot, over thirty li away. Even on horseback, the journey took a full hour.
This area had over 200 mu of land. The fields were next to a babbling brook, with fertile soil and a network of irrigation channels and ditches that were just as good as those in Lingxi.
But it was simply too far away, making management extremely inconvenient. Just a quick tour to survey the boundaries and check the soil’s moisture took them past noon.
The next stop was an adjacent area. Although it totaled over 400 mu, it was split into five separate, scattered plots.
Woven between other families’ fields and villages, inspecting them was equally time-consuming and laborious, making effective, unified management difficult.
For several days straight, Chen Li, along with Shouheng and a few long-term laborers, left early and returned late, rushing between the four villages.
After completing the inspection, Chen Li’s expression grew even more grave.
The 3,450 mu of fields outside of Lingxi were truly too scattered.
If he continued with the current management model, dispatching laborers from Lingxi every day to work the fields, the inefficiency and cost would be far greater than he had imagined.
Not only would a great deal of precious time be wasted on travel, but supervising the fields would also be nearly impossible. If a natural disaster or other calamity struck, he wouldn’t be able to respond in time.
Chen Li silently weighed his options.
There were essentially two paths before him.
First, he could lease all the fields outside of Lingxi to tenants.
This method was simple and worry-free. He could just sit back and collect rent, and the tenants would bear most of the risk from natural disasters.
But the drawbacks were just as obvious: the rental income would be fixed and relatively low.
In Lingxi, the annual rent for farmland was typically one stone of grain, which in a normal year converted to one tael of silver per mu.
For the remaining 3,400-plus mu of fertile land, that would only amount to a little over 3,400 taels of silver per year.
’Such a return is far too low. It doesn’t meet my expectations at all.’
’Besides, that’s assuming the tenants are willing to pay their rent on time.’
Although Chen Li held the title of Village Chief, he had no real administrative power. He had few ways to deal with late rent, especially maliciously withheld payments.
’Becoming a landlord seems like a bad idea.’
Second, he could buy house slaves to act as stewards for the various farmsteads.
This method would avoid the drawbacks of leasing, and all profits would remain within his own family.
It was hard to estimate the yield per mu of the farmland right now, but based on rice cultivation, as long as each mu consistently produced five to six stone of grain, then after deducting all expenses, the net profit per mu would be at least two taels.
Of course, the drawbacks were also obvious.
But with the distance, if management couldn’t keep up, it was hard to predict what sort of trouble would arise in places far from the master’s eyes.
’There’s one more thing to consider.’
’With this new land, my foundation here isn’t yet stable. The first priority is to make it clear to all the surrounding neighbors that these fields now belong to the Chen Family.’
’I must establish the Chen Family’s authority from the very beginning through absolute control.’
’Besides, the profits from our own meticulous farming would far exceed what fixed rent could offer.’
"It’s settled then!"
After weighing the pros and cons repeatedly, Chen Li made his decision and chose the second path.
「The next day, in the Chen Family’s front courtyard.」
Over ten long-term laborers, summoned by Chen Li, were gathered there. These were all men who had worked for the Chen Family for years, known for their honest nature and diligent work.
Chen Li first acknowledged their years of hard work and then got straight to the point, asking if any of them were willing to sell themselves into servitude to the Chen Family.
’Buying new house slaves also has its disadvantages.’
’In the Mirror Mountain area, the number of people selling themselves into servitude has been increasing since last year. The prices are low; you can even buy a laborer for just one or two stone of grain. They aren’t hard to acquire.’
’However, the loyalty of newly bought slaves takes time to cultivate. They would also be unfamiliar with the family’s farming practices, and breaking them in would be a waste of time.’
’These long-term laborers have worked for the family for years. Using them as stewards would be more reassuring, and it would also prevent a sharp drop in the fields’ yield.’
The terms Chen Li offered were also very generous.
After selling themselves, although they would lose their freedom, their compensation would increase significantly.
Their annual salary would rise from a fixed six stone of grain to ten stone.
In addition, each person would receive a one-time payment of thirty stone of grain as a resettlement compensation.
He also promised that if their children were interested, they would have the opportunity to learn Martial Arts.
As soon as he said this, the courtyard fell silent.
Selling oneself into servitude was a world apart from their current status as long-term laborers.
A long-term laborer, to put it bluntly, was just an employee.
But once they sold themselves, their lives and fates would be entirely in the hands of their master.
The men lowered their heads, whispering among themselves, their faces etched with struggle and hesitation.
After a long moment, several men mumbled that the matter was too important; they needed to go home and discuss it with their parents, wives, and children before they could make a decision.