Several times in dreams

Chapter 34
In a blink of an eye, the wheat was ripe, and so were the apricots. It was strange to say that Meng Wanying didn't like sour food in the past, but now the sour and sweet apricots whetted her appetite.

When Wen Jun came back from the countryside, he brought two big sacks of wheat yellow apricots, but her mother-in-law Jiang said that peaches nourish people, apricots hurt people, and that dead people were carried under the plum tree, so Wanying was not allowed to eat more.

Wanying was originally a person who listened to advice, but the child in her stomach didn't listen, so she had two in the morning and two in the evening, and before going to bed, Wen Jun secretly went to get two for her, so she could fall asleep peacefully after eating.

Jiang was so angry that he had no choice but to threaten Wanying that if you get angry and have a toothache, you are not allowed to cry.

Meng Wanying didn't get angry, but Wen Jun was exposed to the sun for too long every day when he was supervising the wheat harvest in the countryside, and he had too much internal fire. He had a high fever and diarrhea the next day after he came back. The doctor said that he had a fever and had to rest , Prescribed ten sets of decoctions for fire and drank it.

Coincidentally, Master Chen Chen Zhizhou was dragged by the Japanese yesterday to give a lecture, and there were a few other squires who went with him, the main purpose was to let them pay more food to the imperial army this year.

This year's harvest cost is better than last year's, but the Japanese lions opened their mouths. If they turned in the amount they asked for, the remaining amount would be less than that during the famine in previous years, and the tenants would not be able to live.

Chen Zhizhou was in a hurry, and when he came back, he fell down and had a stroke, aphasia, and hemiplegia.

Jiang's heart was furious, both the master and the young master fell ill, there was a pregnant daughter-in-law at home, and there were a group of underage children behind him.

It seemed that it was time to harvest grain, but there was no one who could be in charge of the house to manage the affairs. Jiang's family could not read a single word, so they couldn't take on this important task.

Meng Wanying knew how to read the account books. She remembered that when she was young, she and Wan Lan often went to the shop on the street to read the reconciliation of the account books between her grandfather and uncle. Grandpa also taught them the plan at that time, but she did not understand the rules of collecting grain.

In the evening, after Jiang's family put Wenyu to sleep, Meng Wanying shook her cattail fan and sat down with her mother-in-law on the grape arbor to do the homework.

"Mother-in-law, do you know what's going on with the harvest?" Wanying asked casually.

"I know, I know, but I can't read, and I can't read the account book. In the past, your father-in-law took Wen Jun to do these things..."

"The one who keeps the accounts is Chen Shifei, the housekeeper. He used to be from the same family, and his records are messed up. Your father-in-law always turns a blind eye."

"Then how much grain should the tenants pay each household?"

"This is not necessarily the case. There are good fields and bad ones. If the yield is high in fertile fields, you will pay more. If the harvest in thin fields is low, you will pay less."

"Then how do you know which is the fat field and which is the Susukada?"

"Silly boy, it's all marked on the account book, it's written behind the name, and it's also recorded on the account how much the family has paid in previous years!"

"Isn't that easy? Just collect according to the account book!"

"How can it be so simple? Those tenants, in good times and bad times, cry for poverty. There are a few tricksters who collected ten dou of grain. He said that he only received five dou. According to the rules, he paid two dou and kept three dou. He left eight fights."

"So, before the wheat is harvested, Wen Jun will take his servants with him to the countryside to see the harvest, and estimate how much he can harvest per mu. He has an idea in mind, and he is not afraid of their tricks."

"Of course there are honest ones. Your father-in-law has kept accounts. You can't let them miss food. You only charge one dou for every five dou. On weekdays, if anyone has something to do, he will give money and food. He has a good heart!"

Meng Wanying heard it clearly, and she knew it in her heart.

The next day, Meng Wanying proposed to open a granary to harvest the grain herself. Jiang was shocked and refused to let her go.

"It can't be helped, you are still pregnant, and collecting food is not ordinary, wait a few days for Wen Jun to let him come!"

"Mother-in-law, this day doesn't wait for anyone. If you don't take advantage of the good weather, put the new food in the warehouse quickly. It will get moldy when it rains. This is the family's ration for a year!"

Wanying asked the Jiang family for a dozen of the strongest servants, brought Chunni, Su's mother, and a few rough envoys, and opened the warehouse to collect food as scheduled!

The Chen family has more than 20 tenant households. Apart from ponds and paddy fields, there are more than ten mu of fertile fields that are planted by their own parents and workers, and the remaining 120 mu are cultivated by tenants.

Most of Wenjun’s own food has been collected in the warehouse before, and the remaining part is distributed to long-term workers and some temporarily hired short-term workers. After all, wheat harvesting is to compete with the sky for food. When the weather is good, hire more people to finish the work. , It’s safe to put it in the warehouse.

Meng Wanying was going to ask Chen Shifei to keep the accounts, so she took the previous years' accounts and checked them one by one. The long-term workers counted the loads, checked the quality of the grain, and then put it into the warehouse.

Seeing that all the tenants had arrived, Meng Wanying said loudly, "Dear villagers, this year's harvest is good, everyone has worked hard!"

When the tenants saw this young lady for the first time, they all whispered: "Is there no one in this house? Let a new daughter-in-law come to collect the grain?"

"That's right, what do women know? What if you can't figure it out and mess around?"

"Did you listen to what she said? This year's harvest is good, do you want to increase the rent? Then I won't do it!"

"Yes, don't do it!"

Meng Wanying smiled slightly, "Don't panic, everyone, this year's grain harvest will be different from previous years!"

"Ah? Let me just say, the rent must be increased! Young lady! There are old and young in my family. If you increase the rent, you will kill our whole family!" Chen San'er, the tenant, shouted first. .

"Can't be added! Young Mistress! I can't survive!" Everyone booed.

The woman next to her whispered, "Young Mistress, that's Chen San'er!"

It really was him!Meng Wanying smiled, and the account book in her hand read: Chen San, the first-class sloping land in Yang, ten mu, one mu and ten dou in a good year, and four dou due. Mu fights two battles.

"Then, this villager, how many fights do you think you can make this year?" Meng Wanying asked modestly.

"Me? I didn't hit much this year, which is the same as last year, and the income per mu is at most eight dollars!" Chen San blinked cunningly.

Meng Wanying held another account book in her hand, which was the record of Chen Wenjun's field trip to the countryside. It clearly stated that the Yangpo land would produce at least one stone plus one bucket per mu this year.

"Well, according to the rules, you have to pay three buckets and two liters," Meng Wanying said calmly.

"Oh, young mistress, you are still short of the two liters of food, just wipe off the change!" Chen San'er begged with a dead face.

The rest of the people were all looking at Meng Wanying, if Chen San'er relied on the amount, everyone would be rewarded.

You must know that when Mr. Chen collected grain in the past, he had to pay at least four buckets of grain per mu. This means that the Chen family received [-]% of the grain, and other gentry received [-]%.

Meng Wanying closed the ledger and said loudly: "Okay, although this year is a good year, good fields can harvest one stone plus one bucket per mu, but everyone's life is not easy, so this year we will collect eight buckets."

"According to the book, first-class good fields receive three buckets per mu, second-class fields receive two buckets per mu, and mountainous and shady slopes receive one bucket! Are you satisfied with this?"

"What? There is such a good thing?" The tenants were overjoyed, and the harvest was one or two buckets less per mu. It was a very good year.

"Take my home first!"

"Don't squeeze! Take my house first!"

"Don't worry! I have one more thing to tell you." Meng Wanying said slowly after taking a sip of Chunni's dried honey tangerine peel tea.

"Didn't you go back on your word?" Someone was skeptical.

"Hehe, of course not, that's how it is. Don't our Chen family still have a mill, a medicine shop and a newly opened cloth shop? In the future, if you need to buy things, you can go to your own shop. If you don't have silver dollars, you can exchange them for extra grain."

"I guarantee that it will be [-]% lower than the market price. Of course, it would be even better if you use silver dollars!"

"By the way, starting from this year, our own tenant farmers and everyone who works in the Chen family can go to the mill to grind flour for free. The Chen family can buy the surplus grain in your hands at a price that is [-]% higher than the market price. .”

As soon as the words were finished, the tenant farmers cheered. That day was more lively than New Year's Eve.

(End of this chapter)