Sichuan, Daqiao Town, Luojiang County, Jinjiang Prefecture, the ancestral home of the Li family.
Li Zhongren sat in his room, lost in thought.
Although the Li family in Daqiao Town can be regarded as the home of the gentry in the local area.
But the families of the gentry in the mountains around Sichuan are not the same as those wealthy people in Jiangnan.
Among the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River, which cellar does not contain blackened silver?
But in Sichuan, there is no chance for ordinary landlords to make money.
They all eat from the ground.
The Li family in Daqiao Town has experienced this disaster, and now they don't have much money left.
In order to get him out of prison, Li Zhongyi spent almost all his family's money.
He even mortgaged the land and got a hundred yuan in exchange for it. After a lot of planning, he was acquitted.
But after this incident.
The wealth of the Li family in Daqiao Town has shrunk by more than half.
Nearly half of the land was mortgaged, leaving only the bones.
The so-called "field skin" and "field bones".
It is the right to use and own the land.
Selling farmland means selling the right to use it.
It is equivalent to still owning the land, but the right to use it belongs to others, and you can no longer collect rent.
But with the Tian bones in hand, they can be redeemed in the future.
Li Zhongren sighed.
Originally, he had already made plans.
Emperor Zhu could take whatever test he wanted.
The Four Books and Five Classics are also good.
No matter how new you learn.
Anyway.
As long as you can take the exam.
With his academic brains, it is easy to become a scholar.
Why did Lard go to trouble with those people when he was blinded?
But I never expected it.
Just got out of prison.
I actually can’t take the exam.
Li Zhongren, who has lost his goal in life, now even wants to die, and wants to imitate Fan Jin and jump off the building to end it all.
If his younger brother Li Zhongyi hadn't been so careful, he might have actually done this.
But now after returning to the countryside.
The desire to die was mostly extinguished.
Since I don’t want to die.
Then you have to live well.
After all, Li Zhongren was also an "elite" who had been selected as a scholar and passed the examination.
How can I live in a state of confusion for the rest of my life?
Li Zhongren took out the account books at home and looked through them.
"One hundred and sixty acres of paddy fields, 190 acres of dry land, 90 acres of paddy fields and 100 acres of dry land were mortgaged, and the remaining fields were leased to 20 households, with an average of less than eight acres per household. Paddy field and dry land”
Li Zhongren was muttering in his mouth and already making plans in his mind.
Otherwise, the brain of a top student would be good.
He discovered the problem immediately.
More than one hundred acres of paddy fields and dry land.
Twenty households of tenant farmers.
No sharecropper family owned an ox.
Moreover, the average leased land per household is less than eight acres, which is not enough for these tenant farmers to invest in their fields.
"No wonder the harvest is getting smaller and smaller."
Li Zhongren shook his head.
Right now.
Li Zhongyi pushed the door open and entered.
There was also a food box in his hand.
Inside are a few Sichuan side dishes and a bowl of rice.
Although the Li family in Daqiao Town has some wealth, they are not a wealthy family after all.
Li Zhongren went in these days and spent a lot of money on everything.
So money is a bit tight now.
Therefore, these four plates of side dishes are not expensive dishes. Two of them are ingredients. One plate of steamed eggs and a stack of fried Sichuan bacon. There are red chili peppers in them and they are fried with peanut oil. They look very delicious. Have appetite.
This dish was fried by Li Zhongyi himself.
However, he went to the town, gritted his teeth and bought a bottle of wine. It was like a brother who had just been released from prison and had been hit again.
"Second brother."
Li Zhongren couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw all the food and wine but only one pair of chopsticks.
"During this period, the family has spent a lot of money, right?"
"Fortunately, I borrowed some money from the elders in other houses, and also mortgaged dozens of acres of land, and scraped together a few hundred yuan to manage the relationship," Li Zhongyi said.
"Return the lease on the remaining fields. Since you can't pass the imperial examination, then go dig food in the fields." Li Zhongren walked to the cupboard, took out another pair of bowls and chopsticks, and poured a bowl of wine for his brother. , and poured himself another bowl.
What is popular nowadays is rice wine, not distilled wine.
So the alcohol content is not high, but it still has a bit of sweetness.
Li Zhongren drank a bowl of wine.
It seemed like I felt a lot more energetic instantly.
The ideas that were a little chaotic before have now become clear.
"Brother, are you going to farm?"
Li Zhongyi was stunned.
My eldest brother has been smart since he was a child, and his family has focused on training him to study.
I have never touched a hoe handle at all, and at most I have only collected rent.
Is he going to farm?
You won't lose money, right?
"What, you don't believe in brother's ability?"
Li Zhongren sandwiched two pieces of bacon and wrapped them in red pepper. He chewed the shiny bacon and pepper together and filled his mouth with the aroma of bacon. He took another sip of rice wine and then a smile appeared on his face.
"Although your eldest brother has never farmed, this kind of land is similar to doing business. It all requires a good management, buying low and selling high. I have seen the world, and I am different from those farmers who have muddy legs. And our Li family , I also have some connections in Daqiao Town, and there is no shortage of land. As long as I manage it well, it is not a problem to make a little money, not to mention making a big fortune."
Of course Li Zhongren did not farm the land himself.
Instead, I plan to go to Elite Land Farm.
Hire people to plow the fields.
The Li family has more than 100 acres of paddy fields and more than 100 acres of dry land.
Even if the mortgaged farmland is not taken back for the time being, there will still be more than 100 acres.
Now rented to tenant farmers.
You can also collect a little rent every year.
even though.
Li Zhongren collects rent at home, and will be able to live without worries for the rest of his life.
But he doesn't want to just become a rich man who lives by collecting rent.
While you're young.
He still wanted to give it a try.
He had just calculated it.
If you raise a few cows.
For one hundred acres of land, it is enough to hire five long-term workers.
During sowing and harvesting, day laborers were hired to work.
Five full-time workers, plus some day laborers.
How much can this cost?
besides.
You can build a waterwheel for rice milling and raise some cattle and sheep instead of growing crops on dry land.
You can also set up a brewery.
earnings at that time.
It is definitely more cost-effective than simply renting land to tenant farmers.
"Brother, do these twenty households of tenant farmers all want to give up their land?"
Li Zhongyi asked hesitantly,
Quit the tenancy?
That would be a stab in the spine.
"Well, let's give our land to them for planting. Sooner or later, the good land will be ruined by them! These poor people can't afford to raise cattle and deep plowing. Second, they can't buy fertilizer and can't fertilize the land. If it's It's different if you leave it to me. I'm willing to invest the capital. If this field can grow enough fertilizer, the yield will definitely be higher, not to mention."
Li Zhongren stood up.
"Brother Wei can no longer take the imperial examination, and studying is not interesting. I will always have to find something to do in the rest of my life."
Li Zhongyi nodded.
He has not yet realized the great significance of Li Zhongren's move - this is the beginning of agricultural capitalization.
(End of chapter)
