Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1012 Disposal (1)

Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012 Disposal (1)

After some inquiries, Mo Yan learned about the general situation of the estate from Zhao Dafu.

The estate was located within a territory called Chen Family Village, where the vast majority of villagers had the surname Chen, with only a few families being outsiders. The Mo Family Farmland’s thousand mu of good land was rented out to the villagers of Chen Family Village.

This land was also within the boundaries of Chen Family Village. Apart from two hundred mu of paddy fields, of the remaining eight hundred mu, six hundred were dry land, and two hundred were sloping fields.

Compared to the sloping fields, the dry land was more fertile and easier to irrigate, suitable for planting wheat, corn, rapeseed, sorghum, etc., all of which fared quite well. The soil of the sloping fields was also not bad, fit for peanuts, soybeans, millet, and buckwheat. As long as there was no drought or flood, the annual yield per mu was several dou more than in other places, which is why the farmland on the estate was highly sought after by the villagers, with few tenants relinquishing their lease.

As for the rent, it was supposed to be five parts after the crops were harvested and taxes paid, but since the previous owner of the estate was an official, according to the Great Chu’s tax laws, his lands were exempt from rent, so the rent directly became six parts, meaning the tenants could keep forty percent of the harvest. If the harvest was poor in a particular year, the rent would usually be adjusted to five or four parts.

If Mo Yan were a tenant, she would surely complain about the high rent, but now that she had become the owner of these lands, her perspective was different, although she still felt the rent was a bit high. However, given the larger context, if she were to rashly reduce the rent, she might gain a good reputation among those tenants, but it would disrupt a certain balance, potentially causing resentment and leading to trouble.

Therefore, reducing the rent was out of the question. If Mo Yan wanted to accumulate merit, she would have to find another way. She had a plan in mind, which was to sell the dry land crops from the Space as seeds to the tenants. The seeds produced by the Space not only had high yields but also had strong resistance to pests and diseases, so when the harvest turned out well, the tenants would naturally benefit.

This spring, Mo Yan had Zhao Dafu bring back some rice seeds. Following Mo Yan’s instructions, Zhao Dafu distributed the seeds to the tenants of the paddy fields. The two hundred mu of rice fields were gradually being harvested, and the rent would be collected in the next few days.

Speaking of this season’s rice, Zhao Dafu’s expression revealed his excitement, "A few days ago, a tenant specially visited to have me convey their thanks to the County Lord, thanking the County Lord for providing them with these high-yielding rice seeds. They also said that when the County Lord arrives, they will come to pay their respects."

Just as Mo Yan was about to say it was unnecessary, she swallowed her words and instead said, "This County Lord will be staying here for two days. If there’s time tomorrow or the day after, you should gather those tenants, as the County Lord wishes to meet them."

"This..." Zhao Dafu’s face slightly changed as he was initially just making a casual remark to please the new landlord but did not expect Mo Yan to actually agree, making it difficult for him to back out, "The County Lord’s status is noble, and it may be easy for those rough people to cause offense. If the County Lord has any tasks, you may simply command me to attend to them."

Mo Yan casted a meaningful glance at Zhao Steward, who was obviously a bit nervous, and lightly said, "I have other plans for those fields, and it’s not that I don’t trust Zhao Steward’s ability to handle matters. However, there are some things for which the County Lord needs to hear the tenants’ opinions before making a decision."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Steward felt somewhat relieved, and his expression gradually returned to normal, "The County Lord has plans, and I shall obey them. This afternoon, I will notify the tenants, asking them to come as soon as possible."

Mo Yan nodded slightly. After going over everything in her mind to ensure nothing was overlooked, she said to Zhao Dafu, "You may go now. First, have someone clean up a few rooms. After we have lunch, bring the accounts over to me."

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