Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 914 - 912_1

Chapter 914: Chapter 912_1

"Miss, I really don’t have that much silver. How about this, I’ll call a doctor to come and check you out, and then I’ll compensate you according to how much silver is spent. Is that alright?" The carriage driver regretted immensely at this moment. If he had known earlier, he wouldn’t have accepted the fifty taels! Now that the carriage is broken, he had to pay a hundred taels, which would drag his entire household into crisis.

Indeed, one should never be too greedy. One’s desires are insatiable and could swallow an elephant! Greed leads to loss!

After hearing these words, Fang Wanping looked disdainfully at his worn-out clothes. His black cotton robe had been washed to the point of fading, and even though there were no patches, it was clear that he hadn’t got much. But his financial status had nothing to do with her; all she wanted was her compensation: "The silver for the doctor is on you, and the one hundred taels’ compensation, too!"

"What?" How did the compensation keep increasing! This could lead to his family’s bankruptcy!

The old carriage driver was anxious, "Miss, even if I sell myself, I don’t have enough silver to compensate you!"

"That’s your problem, not mine. Go back to the city and find my parents. Let them send a carriage to pick me up! You have three days to gather the silver. When you have it, take it to the Garden Hotel to repay me!"

The old carriage driver wanted to argue, he felt that it’s reasonable to compensate her medical expenses since his carriage caused her injuries, but why did he also have to compensate 100 taels!

This girl is the daughter of a sub-prefect! How could she con him out of his silver?!

Fang Wanping, however, didn’t want to argue with him anymore, so she said, "If you say one more word, who knows if this injury is going to get worse? By then, the silver you will have to pay will be even more!"

Upon hearing this, the old carriage driver immediately shut his mouth. Dealing with the authorities was never a good experience. He thought that by capturing the wolf, his future would be peaceful! Who would have thought that by catching the wolf, he invited a tiger instead!

He silently turned around, climbed onto his broken carriage, and left.

Xiao Ling expressed her worry, "Miss, will he abscond to avoid punishment?"

Fang Wanping’s lips twitched, "Using the term ’abscond to evade punishment’ out of context, if you don’t understand it, don’t use it randomly! And as for disappearing without a trace? I think he doesn’t dare!"

Throughout the conversation, the carriage driver was always discussing compensation and not trying to evade responsibility. Fang Wanping believed that he wouldn’t simply run away.

Moreover, leaving his hometown to avoid paying wouldn’t be worth it.

Xiao Ling nodded in agreement, she also believed that the driver wasn’t that kind of person.

"Help me to get to that stone under the tree over there." Fang Wanping pointed to a banyan tree by the road.

It was now midday, and the sun was at its fiercest. Even though it was early autumn, Fang Wanping was the type to tan easily, so she didn’t dare to stay under the sun for too long.

"Miss, can you walk now?"

"When I first fell, it was very painful. Now, it’s not as painful, and only one of my feet is unable to walk. The other foot just had a slight scrape."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling went to assist her. However, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the carriage driver who had been fooled into paying a hundred taels.

...

Xiao’er and the others continued on their journey for a while before they arrived at a town.

In this town, there was a low-lying area that was frequently troubled by floods and posed a serious threat to the people’s lives. Even farming rice was difficult.

Xiao’er suggested that building the mulberry fishpond would work best in a low-lying area. That’s why Jingrui specifically found such a place through a bailiff at the Government Office.

This happened to be the village of a newly promoted constable, so he brought them over today.

The group got off the carriage, and the constable led them to a flat field. From the early autumn field, all they could see was a green that was faintly tinged with yellow.

"The rainy season this year did not last long, so the crops grew reasonably well," the constable explained.

This place had very low terrain, and most of the rain from the sky flowed here, leading to this paddy field being inundated all year round.

This year, the rainy season was short, and the dikes didn’t break, so the crops here were not damaged by the floods. This could be considered a great harvest year. However, not every year was this lucky; there were more years with crop failure than with good harvest.

"These paddy fields, while they keep water, it’s not deep enough for fish farming. As for cereal cultivation, the output is not high. Even if you fertilize the field, the fertilizer can be washed away by the water. The villagers are quite bothered by this."

Xiao’er nodded in understanding. Even when it comes to rice cultivation, there is a period when it doesn’t need too much water.

Especially during the harvest season, the field should be dry, and the surface should feel hard beneath your feet. This makes it easier for people to reap the crop.

"This place is quite suitable for building a mulberry fishpond. The low-lying land can be dug deeper and used for fish farming, with freshwater fish as the target species. The soil can be piled around the pond to form a base, which can lessen flood hazards during the flood season. The locals can also make money by selling fish and mulberry silk – killing two birds with one stone."

"I wonder if the villagers are willing to sell these paddy fields?" Zhu Yan asked the constable.

The constable shook his head upon hearing these words, "That’s difficult to say, because even if the output of this field is not good, it at least holds hope every year. If they sell the field and spent all the silver, what will they live on in the future?"

So, in general, families with fields wouldn’t sell them unless it was absolutely necessary!

Because having a field equals having hope.

Zhu Yan could understand that without special circumstances, villagers would not sell their fields. However, even if this place is suitable for building a mulberry fish pond, it wouldn’t be of any use to her if the villagers didn’t sell their fields!

Xiao’er replied upon hearing Zhu Yan’s words, "Why must you buy the fields! You can rent the fields from the locals, paying them rent or grain. Or you could directly provide them with the technology for constructing a mulberry fish pond and then sign a cooperation document with them. Later on, you can buy the fish and silkworms they raise!"

Shengping County is already planning to distribute land ownership to each family. In ten, twenty, or thirty years, or even further in the future, land distribution might be implemented throughout the whole country. Buying land? Who knows if it will be bought back by the Imperial Court at a low price someday.

With the increased output of grain in many places, grain prices have been dropping every year. In a few more years, grain is bound to become the least valuable food, apart from vegetables, since vegetables have a short growing phase that cannot be compared with grain.

When grain cheapens and there’s more than can be consumed, and selling it doesn’t bring much silver, and even fewer people will buy it. After all, many ordinary people who have one or two acres of land can grow enough grain to feed their families and wouldn’t need to buy any more.

Under such circumstances, the landlords who used to make quite a bit of money from selling grain every year would naturally be reluctant to grow crops. There’s no silver to be made, and they own a lot of land, and there’s an excess of grain every year. Whether they struggle to sell it at a low price, or it spoils in their hands, they wouldn’t be pleased!