Xie Xiuwen calculated in his mind that if he bought 200 acres of fertile land, it would cost at least 2,000 taels of silver.
Gee, this is really horrifyingly expensive.
Xie Xiuwen was silent for a moment and then said: "Then let's see if there is wasteland or a hilltop for sale. If it's a forest, that's fine too."
Xie Xiuwen had a plan in mind, either to open up wasteland, or to plant some fruit trees or vegetables, and to raise some livestock along the way, so that the meat at home could be guaranteed.
Fang Hu accepted the order and went out to inquire about it the next day without incident.
Fang Hu ran around for three days in a row before he came up with a result.
"There is a village for sale about thirty miles away from the capital. It has a total of 260 acres, of which there are about 80 acres of woods. It is not a fruit forest, but an ordinary forest. There are occasionally a few fruit trees in it. But they are all wild. According to our laws, these eighty acres are not taxable."
Xie Xiuwen was really interested: "Whose property is it? Why are there wild woods?"
Generally speaking, after the owner of this farm, he will plan it carefully, and it has been decades since the founding of the Dazhi Dynasty. Why is there still a wild forest now?
Logically speaking, after the New Dynasty had been prosperous for decades, this land hundreds of miles away from the capital must have been in the pockets of the powerful. How could someone suddenly sell it?
"Sir, this property is the dowry of the daughter of a second-grade official who was investigated last month. I heard that they want to sell this property in order to exchange it for money to smoothen their relationship."
As for what to do to clear the relationship, there is no need to ask in detail.
A farm of two hundred and sixty acres, because there are eighty acres of woods, means that there are still one hundred and eighty acres of fields, which costs a lot of money.
"Besides the woods, is it fertile land?"
"It's a medium-sized field. The general price of this kind of field is about eighty-nine taels of silver. But the owner is eager to sell it for money, so we can discuss the price later."
Xie Xiuwen was silent. Even if it cost eight taels of silver per acre, he couldn't afford it.
"Is there anywhere else?"
Fang Hu reported back again: "More than forty miles away from the capital, there is a small hilltop, with seventy or eighty acres of fields underneath. The total is just over four hundred acres. The fields are also medium-sized, but the top of the hill is In a barren mountain, nearby villagers occasionally go up the mountain to collect firewood or hunt, but the harvest is not much."
The price of barren mountains is generally relatively low, and it requires reclamation, re-fertilization, etc. Within two or three years, the land will not be fertilized.
"What's the selling price?"
"Sir, this barren mountain was given to an old minister by the late emperor more than ten years ago, but no one was sent to take care of it. Later, I heard that the family was in decline, so I came up with the idea of selling the land. Previously, Many people had thought about this place, but they heard that food could not be grown in the mountains, and they also heard that there was something ominous there, so they gave up the idea later.
The owner was also smart. He had seventy or eighty acres of medium-sized fields next to the barren hills. Knowing that someone wanted to buy the fields, he had to bundle them together and sell them. If he didn't buy the barren hills, the fields wouldn't be sold either, so in Yahang I hung up on it for two or three months, but no one cared about it. "
Having said this, Fang Hu raised his head and glanced at the master, and then said: "At first, the owner's price was one thousand two hundred taels, but he could not sell it. Now it has dropped to nine hundred and twenty taels. If the master is interested, I can accompany you to have a look."
Nine hundred and twenty taels, this price is not high.
But the problem is that there are only 70 to 80 acres here that can grow crops, and the rest are barren hills.
"Well, that's alright, let's go back and have a look together."
"Yes, I wonder when the master left?"
"Tomorrow."
"Yes, I will go and inform Yaxing now."
As soon as Fang Hu stepped out with his front legs, Douzi came in with his back legs, still holding the post on his back.
"Sir, this is a post from the Prestige Marquis Mansion."
Xie Xiuwen took it and took a look. It turned out that Zhao Yue would host a banquet at the Marquis Mansion three days later and invite them to come and talk.
Xie Xiuwen raised his hand and stroked his eyebrows, somewhat dumbfounded. This man really posted the message.
Although Xie Xiuwen had decided to go to the farm tomorrow to visit, he actually didn't have much confidence. In the final analysis, money was still too tight.
Xie Rongzhao had previously given him nine hundred taels, which Zhao Yue had asked her to take directly from the Fang family's box, plus the more than six hundred taels she had on hand.
A total of 1,500 taels sounds like a lot, but it doesn’t cost much.
I have paid the rent for this house for a year. I have spent more than twenty taels on buying things in the past few days.
This also gave him a real understanding of what it means to spend money like water.
In addition, rice, flour, grain and oil all cost money to buy, and the winter was about to begin. In the winter in the capital, charcoal fires are indispensable.
We also need to buy some thick bedding, clothes, etc. Just to keep out the cold, we need to prepare another 150 taels.
Charcoal in Beijing is too expensive.
Fortunately, in the courtyard that Fang Hu rented, several main houses were equipped with kangs, and they could also use firewood for heating. Even so, they still could not take it lightly.
In addition, I have to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones. I will have to participate in some hometown gatherings or poetry gatherings in the coming year. Money is needed everywhere.
The capital city is at the feet of the emperor. Even if he has a way to make money, he must restrain himself first. Who knows who will be targeted one day?
The most important thing is the food and clothing for these dozen or so people. Money is indispensable for everything. You can't live frugally after buying a farm, right?
Xie Xiuwen suddenly felt a headache. He now hoped that Gu could bring Liu Ruolan out as soon as possible, and then he would leave these trivial matters to her to worry about.
When Xie Rongzhao heard that he could go out tomorrow, he naturally wanted to come with him.
Xie Ronlang didn't dare to shout out, but his expectant eyes still betrayed his little thoughts.
Liu Ruolan liked these two children and couldn't bear to see them disappointed, so she immediately expressed her intention to take them with her.
The road here in the capital was much easier to walk than in Gaoyang County. At least there were not so many bumps and valleys. The carriage drove very smoothly. After walking for almost an hour and a half, we finally arrived.
Xie Xiuwen was led by Yaren to the foot of the mountain. Looking at the forest full of trees and weeds, he was speechless for a moment.
This barren mountain is really barren.
Yaren just wanted to take action quickly, so that he could make a fortune, so he naturally made the talk here extravagant.
Xie Xiuwen is not really an ignorant scholar. He grew up working in the fields and knows a lot about soil and crops.
The trees and weeds here are growing very vigorously. If you want to open up a field, cutting down trees is a major task, and coupled with some clearing and land cultivation, I'm afraid it won't be possible within three to five years.
Xie Xiuwen clapped his hands, shook his head and said, "It's really useless to buy it from this mountain."
