Chapter 18: I Don’t Want You to See My Daughter-in-Law!
The snow outside was getting heavier, and the Longqing Mountain was already covered in a silver coat. This was the first snowfall of the year, and it was also the biggest snowfall Yang Zhengshan had ever seen. The snow had fallen for two days and one night, until it finally stopped on the third day morning.
In the courtyard, Yang Mingcheng and his two brothers, as well as Lin Zhan, were clearing the snow from the roofs and the courtyard. Yang Chengye and Yang Chengmao, the two young kids, were playing and laughing in the snow like carefree puppies.
Standing in the main hall, Yang Zhengshan gazed at the busy and joyful scene in the courtyard, and his mouth curved up slightly. This family didn’t seem so bad after all.
“Father!”
A bundled-up figure appeared at the gate, shouting towards Yang Zhengshan.
“Jiang He! What brings you here?” Yang Zhengshan asked, looking at the face under the hat.
Jiang He walked into the main hall, took off his hat, and grinned. “I’m worried about Yunyan!”
“There’s nothing to worry about now that she’s with me!” Yang Zhengshan said, giving his son-in-law a sidelong glance.
Jiang He’s face turned red, and he couldn’t stop stealing glances at the west wing, searching for Yunyan’s figure. Yang Zhengshan saw his expression and thought to himself, “You can’t even be serious in front of your father-in-law. Even if you want to see your wife, you should at least talk to your father-in-law first.”
Yang Zhengshan felt like he was being forced to eat a mouthful of dog food. He didn’t want to, but he had to.
“Hmph, I don’t want you to see your wife, and I won’t let you!”
“Come on in and sit down!”
Jiang He hesitated, but could only follow Yang Zhengshan into the main hall.
“How’s the situation in your village?” Yang Zhengshan asked casually.
“Everything’s fine. We should be able to get through this winter without any problems.” Jiang He replied absent-mindedly.
Jiang Family Village had been attacked by bandits, and more than half of the village had been burned down. Many villagers had died or been injured, but luckily Yang Zhengshan had arrived on time and helped Jiang Family Village protect Jiang He’s family and a few other villagers.
Now, Jiang Family Village was not lacking in resources or silver, but they had suffered a great blow. The village was left with less than ten households, and the population was only around fifty to sixty people.
However, even in this state, they were still better off than the small village on the other side of Longqing Mountain. At least they had a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear, unlike the two households in the small village who had lost everything and were relying on Yang Family Village for support.
“Have the people from the county government left?” Yang Zhengshan asked.
“No, they left two scribes and a few runners behind.” Jiang He finally remembered the main purpose of his visit and said, “Oh, right! My father asked me to come and ask if you want to buy some land!”
“Buy land!” Yang Zhengshan’s expression changed slightly.
“Yes, many of the villagers have abandoned their lands, and the county government is going to resell them. If you’re interested, now is the perfect time.” Jiang He said.
Yang Zhengshan became interested. He had been thinking about buying some properties, including houses, shops, and land, to expand Yang Family’s assets.
Although he wasn’t lacking in silver, he couldn’t just sit back and enjoy his wealth. Yang Family needed to develop and grow, and they needed more stable income.
He had considered starting a business or investing in some projects to earn more money, such as manufacturing glass or distilling high-proof liquor. However, he had given up on those ideas.
The reason was that Yang Family’s foundation was still too weak, and their strength was not yet sufficient.
As a martial artist, Yang Zhengshan was a prominent figure in Yang Family Village, but in the county seat, he was just an ordinary person.
If he really amassed a fortune, he would attract unwanted attention, and his family would be in danger.
He had decided to focus on buying some properties, including houses and land, to stabilize Yang Family’s income.
“What’s the price?” Yang Zhengshan asked.
“The county government has set the price at five taels of silver for irrigated land and four taels for dry land. We have over two hundred mu of abandoned land in our village that will be put up for sale!” Jiang He said.
Five taels of silver per mu was a very reasonable price.
In Anning County, where the climate was not suitable for multiple harvests per year, the price of land was relatively low.
If he were in the southern regions of the Da Rong Empire, the price of land would be much higher, possibly exceeding ten or even twenty taels per mu.
The price of land varied greatly depending on the region and environment.
Yang Zhengshan lightly tapped on the table and said, “I’ll buy one hundred mu. Can I do that?”
Jiang He was shocked and said, “Father, isn’t that too much?”
“Too much?” Yang Zhengshan raised an eyebrow.
“Brother and the others won’t be able to farm that much land!” Jiang He said.
Yang Zhengshan rolled his eyes. Letting Yang Mingcheng and the others continue farming was out of the question.
He was planning to train them to become martial artists, so it was impossible to let them waste their time on farming.
“Find tenant farmers!” Yang Zhengshan said.
Tenant farmers were specialized in farming and could be hired to work on his land. Yang Family Village didn’t have any tenant farmers, but Qinghe Town did.
With over one hundred mu of land, he would only need two or three tenant farmers. He could ask the Lus for help in finding some tenant farmers, and it shouldn’t be difficult.
“Oh.” Jiang He finally understood. “If you want to buy the land, you can go to our village and talk to the two scribes.”
However, Yang Zhengshan’s brow furrowed as he looked at Jiang He.
He had discovered a problem.
A very serious problem.
Whether it was Yang Mingcheng and his brothers or Jiang He, their vision was too narrow, and their thinking seemed to be restricted.
When Yang Zhengshan mentioned buying land, Jiang He only thought about farming it himself and didn’t even consider hiring tenant farmers. This wasn’t just a problem of limited vision, but also a restriction in their way of thinking.
In simple terms, it was a small-minded mentality.
This wasn’t surprising, though. After all, they were just ordinary people who had lived for ten to twenty years, and apart from going to the county seat a few times, they had never left the village.
Plus, they hadn’t received any education, so their vision and thinking were naturally limited.
However, Yang Zhengshan wanted to expand Yang Family’s influence and wouldn’t restrict himself to this small village, not even to Anning County. In the future, he would need to venture out and fight for Yang Family’s place in the world.
If Yang Mingcheng and the others didn’t change, it would be hard for them to keep up with him.
But Yang Zhengshan’s frown quickly smoothed out.
Changing Yang Mingcheng and the others wasn’t a difficult task. Yang Mingcheng was still young, and it wasn’t too late to change him now.
Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao were even younger, so it was even better to start training them now.
The most important thing was that Yang Mingcheng and the others were obedient and listened to their father’s words. As long as Yang Zhengshan gave the order, they would do their best to follow it.
It didn’t matter if they were a bit slow-witted; what mattered was that they didn’t rebel or refuse to change.
“I know. I’ll go take a look this afternoon!”
Yang Zhengshan smiled and didn’t keep Jiang He back. “You go see Yunyan now!”
“Okay!” Jiang He grinned and said, “I’ll go see her now, Father!”
With that, he quickly ran out of the main hall, heading towards the west wing.
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