Chapter 939: A Way Out
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Perhaps it was because he practiced martial arts every day and needed to expend a large amount of physical strength, but Xue Yan’s appetite had become bigger. Nowadays, he’s been needing large bowls of rice to replenish his energy.
When Xue Yan went to his room to put the sword away, Xue Sifu had already told the rest about his plans and that he was going to open it in two days. Liu Guixia and the others were thrilled with the news.
Halfway through the meal, Xue Dafu and the others finally returned. The three of them had big smiles on their faces. It was obvious that they had successfully bought a hundred acres of barren land.
When he returned, Xue Dafu happily said that it was with the help of the village chief. He asked around in the surrounding villages if there was any barren land for sale. Many people in the villages who had barren land were willing to sell it. After asking around a few villages, they managed to gather at least a hundred acres of barren land.
Before he finished speaking, Xue Dafu handed over the deed to the 100 acres of barren land, as well as the documents that the other village chiefs signed as proof, and the fingerprints of the seller, to Liu Guixia for her to keep.
It was a thick stack.
Liu Guixia was so shocked that her mouth was wide open.
“The village chief asked if our family planned to purchase more barren land in the future.” Xue Erfu smiled and said, “If we agree, they would encourage their people to open up their barren land for sale and nurture the soil. In a year, we will be able to purchase more land and they will be more fertile too! If they find the right people, they said they will send them our way next year. Each acre of land costs about two silver. Even if each family only farmed one acre a year, the return would cost more than two silver. In addition, the family that cares for that plot of land will earn money too. It’s basically a win-win for everyone! Who wouldn’t want to live a better life?”
Hearing this, Jiang Yue and Xue Yan both felt that although the village chief was doing it to improve the livelihood of their people, it was much too idealistic.
Even if their family needed barren land, it was impossible for them to need that many acres every year. This plan would not allow the villages to have a stable income every year.
However, clearing the barren land for future use could be a way out.
Otherwise, Da Ling would not have encouraged land reclamation and tax exemption for the first three years. Wasn’t it because there were many people in Da Ling, but the amount of land planted per person was not enough?
There was still quite a lot of land in Da Ling. Even if they had very little harvest, it was still considered something. It was better than nothing.
However, it was much harder to maintain barren land. Even after a few years of careful management, the open land was not as fertile as one could hope to be, Not many plants would thrive well in such circumstances. Therefore, many people could not afford to waste the cost. Many people were more inclined to rent the fertile land from the landlord first. At least, that was how they planned to survive. Only those who were better off would consider purchasing barren land.
In the long run, it would be the right choice to open up barren land.
In the future, these barren lands would be taken care of and become more fertile. Then, there would be more fields for the people to grow and more taxes to claim. It was a good thing for both the people and Da Ling.
Sooner or later, she would change all the seeds in Da Ling so that if they mutated, they would mutate with each other and produce better seeds. Even if it was barren land, it would be able to produce high yield. The people would be able to grow a variety of things, and the yellow soil in her space would grow as well. No matter what, it was a good thing.
Moreover, wasn’t Xue Yan the Crown Prince? After he is acknowledged by the royal family, it would definitely be more convenient if she wanted to change seeds in the future with his decree.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yue put down her spoon and lowered her voice. She spoke in a tone that only Xue Yan could hear, she said to Xue Yan, “We should let the family handle this matter. In the future, whether it’s letting the national treasury take the money or our family planting it ourselves, we won’t be at a loss..
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