Carrying the little lucky star, leading the villain on the road to exile

Chapter 332. The Banquet
Gu Kaiyuan had a headache. Chen Dafu was really daring. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Master Chen. After all, I'm just a son-in-law and know nothing about the family business. You should find another way, Master Chen."

Chen Dafu wasn't disappointed. Anyway, he couldn't really collude with the Bai family. He decided to take a chance and see what happens first.

Besides running errands, he also wanted to toughen up the younger generation in his family. When he returned this time, he would completely separate the family and let them fend for themselves.

This time, he also looked at a lot of things and felt that the ways other large families avoided risks were quite good, and there was no need to put all their eggs in one basket.

But before that, it would be best to find them a way to make a living.

Farming is an option, but in the future, they will only be trapped in barren land for generations and eventually become ignorant people, which is not what he wants to see.

However, if you go into business or do some small trading, you can accumulate some wealth, buy more land, and become a small landlord, which is not bad.

Only in this way can they have the energy and strength to cultivate the next generation. What if their ancestral graves in the Chen family are blessed with good fortune again, and another student is born?

Thinking of his children's blockheadedness, Chen Dafu couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. They were such a worry, otherwise he wouldn't have to suffer like this at his age.

“There’s no rush. If you’re willing, you can help out when the opportunity arises.” Chen Dafu took a sip of wine and squinted as he said, “You’ve married into the Bai family, and everyone in this house is from the Bai family. How about I have those young men help you for a while? I won’t ask you for wages, just give them some food.”

Zhu Ziqiang, “…” No wonder he was once an official, his skin is thick enough. He knows that the villagers are hibernating and preparing for the New Year. What can he do by sending people to his home at this time?
Gu Kaiyuan said, "I wouldn't dare trouble the Chen family, brothers. The New Year is just around the corner, and everyone is busy. Do you still need to plant those fields in the spring?"

Now that the notice has been issued, the government will no longer force them to reclaim a certain amount of wasteland each year. However, if they wish, the wasteland they reclaimed can be handled according to the original rules of the villagers, exempting them from taxes for the first three years and issuing them a red deed afterward.

"Of course we'll plant the land. We've already cleared it out; it's just a matter of sowing some seeds." Chen Dafu was reluctant to give up this land. His family had a large number of members and had cleared quite a bit of wasteland. Even if they planted cabbages now, they could sell them for some money in the spring.

This is another reason why he stayed today. "Open source, you said before that you don't plan to leave, and now that you've married into the Bai family, I wonder if you have any ideas about those wastelands in our village?"

Zhu Ziqiang also pricked up his ears. He had seen the notice posted at the city gate and was naturally tempted as well.

These people certainly won't stay in this small village for long. Once they leave, all the land that has been cleared will belong to the villagers.

If everyone raises the land for another two years, it will become fertile, and everyone will have more income.

Gu Kaiyuan said, "We've bought a lot of land, enough for our needs."

"Who would complain about having too much land?" Chen Dafu clearly didn't believe it. "Don't worry, as long as you pay a little bit for labor, all the land we develop will be yours."

Gu Kaiyuan poured him more wine, saying, "Lord Chen, why did you have to do this? When you return to the capital, you won't lack these few coins."

Although I can now acquire those lands at the price of wasteland, as you can see, the land I bought before was all in one area, while the land you developed is scattered everywhere, making it difficult to manage. I think you should consult our Village Chief Zhu instead.

Gu Kaiyuan also filled Zhu Ziqiang's glass with wine, "Village Chief, I'm sure you'll have your own thoughts about the land they've developed, right?"

Zhu Ziqiang, “…” I think once you all leave, those things will naturally go back to the village, so there’s no need to take out any money.

But he forced a smile and said, "You can see the conditions in the village. Every household is struggling. What we have in abundance here is manpower. Right now, everyone is too busy with their land to manage. We have the will but not the ability."

In their area, clearing a patch of wasteland in any corner would just take a little more time.

The real challenge is having to pay taxes every year from now on.

He had previously thought that if these people didn't care about the land, they could just sow some seeds, have some harvest in the first two or three years, and then leave it fallow for a few years before reclaiming it again, which would be new wasteland. That's how they always operated before.

Chen Dafu wasn't disappointed. "We really can't make things difficult for the people in our village. Sigh, let's plant them first and see how things go after spring."

It was expected that no one would take the job. He had thought that since he had helped Gu Kaiyuan today, Gu Kaiyuan would reluctantly give him some money out of consideration for their past relationship.

This path is blocked, so he can only take his son tomorrow to plant something on the land.

They gained something, more or less, which was enough to make their long journey here to reclaim the land worthwhile.

"Speaking of which, it has to be Lord Gu and his men who are clever," Chen Dafu said, intentionally or unintentionally. "Everyone else's land has been cleared out, but they didn't do much and just went back without suffering any losses."

Gu Kaiyuan said, "Lord Chen, if you feel you've been taken advantage of, you can stay here. We can be neighbors in the future."

After saying that, he looked at Chen Dafu with a half-smile. Unexpectedly, Chen Dafu actually thought about it seriously. Then he nodded and said, "What you said makes some sense. It would be a waste to just abandon the houses that have been built and the land that has been reclaimed."

Gu Kaiyuan: "So you're not going back to Beijing?"

"I still have some things to take care of when I return to Beijing, but with so many children and grandchildren, it would be nice to give them some of my family property here."

Gu Kaiyuan felt a pang of sympathy for the Chen family's descendants; no one would likely like such a family fortune.

Chen Dafu thought about it more and more and found it made sense. He even raised his wine glass and said solemnly to Gu Kaiyuan, "When our child settles down here, we hope you can help take care of him."

Gu Kaiyuan quickly said modestly, "Lord Chen is joking. I am completely clueless about farming and have to learn a lot from scratch. I see that your family does farm work quite well. I should be the one to visit you and ask for your guidance in the future."

Then, with a gossipy air, he asked, "Lord Chen, are you planning to leave someone here? I wonder who you're keeping?"

Zhu Ziqiang's heart sank to the bottom. They were about to return to Beijing, yet they still wanted to leave people here occupying the land.

"We'll discuss this further when we get back." Chen Dafu wasn't sure who would be willing to stay, and probably no one would.

Gu Kaiyuan said, "We should have a proper discussion about this, so that these things don't cause conflicts in the family."

(End of this chapter)