Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 254 Persimmons 2
After winter sets in, the north becomes quiet and relaxed.

Apart from a few bustling villages, most areas are sparsely populated.

Some couples in love were doing some rather primitive things in the woods and on the grasslands.

The North has been at peace for more than ten years. Although the population has increased considerably over the past decade, it still seems too small compared to the vast land.

A rumbling train passed over the bridge, and a group of farmers carrying loads emerged from under the bridge.

On the passing train, Duchess Fang Huairui sat by the window, watching the people carrying loads in the fields and gazing at the boundless wilderness in the distance.

After the harvest, there's not much to do. Most people, besides selling some things to earn some money, just rest, sleep, chat, visit relatives, or busy themselves with everyday matters and preparing for the New Year.

"These past two years have felt like time has flown by since things have become quieter."

Fang Huairui spoke with some emotion.

Across from Fang Huairui sat a girl from northern China who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, and next to her was a woman in her thirties or forties dressed in black.

Tang Qiuxiang, dressed in a black dress, smiled and said, "This is the comfortable life of peace and wealth. Madam is living in good fortune but doesn't know it."

Fang Huairui smiled upon hearing this.

Regardless of gender, people often talk about happy things and smile to ease the atmosphere when they talk in daily life.

Fang Huairui and the wives and daughters of several wealthy families sat in the first-class carriage, with some peanuts, fruit and chicken feet on the table as snacks.

"This train didn't exist a few years ago. I remember it took me two or three months to get from Luoyang to Tianzhou. It was so frustrating. Now I can take the train in the morning and arrive in the afternoon. It's comfortable to sleep or walk around on the train. There are also toilets available, just like at home."

Tang Qiuxiang chimed in, "Yes, it's all thanks to King Wu. In just a few years, the number of trains has increased from one to over a hundred. They even made a special women's train."

Women-only buses are not just for women; men can ride in them too.

However, they were separated, with men in the first few carriages and women in the last few carriages. They could send messages between each other, but they couldn't wander around.

Fang Huairui glanced outside. The train was passing through barren and mountainous areas that wouldn't cause any trouble. It wouldn't touch the land of the hereditary nobles, nor would it affect the work of the production team.

"This year's harvest is good, and King Wu has also harvested most of the corn and wheat in the fields."

"The surplus grain was sold to Goryeo and Fusang in exchange for sulfur, gunpowder, and copper coins. Many women from Goryeo and Fusang went to Tiezhou, Youzhou, Jizhou, and Qingzhou to find work."

"It is said that this year, a lot of the work of building highways and railways and digging rocks is being done by Japanese people. Those people may have suffered a lot, but their wages are cheaper than those of mountain farmers and Han Chinese."

Fang Huairui's family also needed people to cultivate 500,000 mu of land, and they also used more than 10,000 cheap temporary workers, but they did not have a good impression of these hardworking people.

Tang Qiuxiang asked curiously, "Isn't this a good thing?"

Fang Huairui said with a smile, "It's a good thing that someone is doing the work, but these people also speak the mountain dialect and are secretly learning the mountain characters. I always feel that these people are not good."

The girl who was sitting to the side with nothing to do spoke up.

Yang Xiangyun's daughter, Yang Yan, said, "Our family has been registered as a mountain farmer since the time of King Wu. Only those who joined more than ten years ago are exempt from the friend tax. Those Japanese who were originally outsiders, no matter how capable they are, can't compare to us mountain farmers!"

Fang Huairui and Tang Qiuxiang both smiled.

Yang Xiangyun had many women, and the beautiful Tang Qiuxiang gave birth to a beautiful daughter for him.

This beautiful daughter was raised like a gift from a young age. Not only did Tang Qiuxiang constantly instruct her on what to do in the future, but the daughter herself also pursued a specific goal.

"I was worrying unnecessarily. We people from the three provinces should just live our own lives and there's no need to care about those other people."

Tang Qiuxiang nodded and said, "Yes, we are all hereditary nobles. In the future, our sons will inherit the family's wealth, and our daughters will enter the palace to serve King Wu. We will have many good days ahead."

Fang Huairui sighed and said, "Our Wang family has had nearly a hundred children. Those who were good-looking when they were young became ugly when they grew up. We can't find a single one who is particularly good-looking among these hundred-plus children. Lord Yang's family is blessed to have a beautiful daughter."

Tang Qiuxiang smiled and flattered, "Madam, don't worry. You are beautiful and your husband is handsome and refined. Xiaoya will definitely be a great beauty in the future."

"That's good." Fang Huairui accepted the blessing with a smile, and then thought for a moment and said, "When Xiaoya grows up, it will be about time for Zhong'er to inherit the family business. Perhaps he can be of help."

Tang Qiuxiang asked curiously, "What help do you need to inherit the family business? Isn't it just a matter of handing it over?"

Fang Huairui nodded. "His Majesty said that all we need to do is give a heads-up, as long as it's a legitimate son. However, how to manage the family business after inheriting it will be a headache."

"Back then, my husband and I suffered a lot for those 500,000 mu of land. We almost gave up several times. Thanks to His Majesty's assistance on several occasions, we were able to manage those 500,000 mu of fertile land well. Now, when we pay taxes, we are filled with gratitude."

Fang Huairui and her husband went to pay tribute this time, a task they have to do every year.

You don't have to go, but you can skip it; the money and gifts must be provided.

After the train service was launched, transportation costs were reduced, which also saved expenses for lords in remote areas.

When hereditary lords pay taxes, they do not need to spend extra money to buy train tickets, nor do they need to pay extra taxes for the large amount of goods they carry.

They usually take good care of him, and Beijiwu will also grant some reasonable requests.

Fang Huairui continued, "With everything changing so fast these days, farming will definitely become less and less profitable in the future. The Wang family is growing larger and larger, with over a thousand people to support. We don't even know where the family will be divided if we split up."

Tang Qiuxiang nodded, "That's true. These days, military service is hereditary. The imperial court hasn't conscripted soldiers for several years, so there's nowhere to join the army if you want to."

“Our family has separated but not divided the land, and we don’t leave the territory. In name, we’ve become helpers, continuing to help with farming and managing some people. We don’t know what we would do if we went out.”

"Now that there's no war, the master's men are just eating and drinking in the castle all day. We're lucky to have a coal mine, but we'll be in trouble once that coal is gone."

Fang Huairui reminded him, "You still need to study, especially your sons. The Emperor only values ​​knowledgeable and capable people around him. He won't give important positions to those who can't read or write."

****
It was about time for Beiji Wu to go on vacation. After reviewing the imperial edict written by the eunuch Teng He, he nodded and stamped it with his seal.

He has written very little in recent years; in fact, he has hardly written any words at all.

He never wrote any articles; imperial edicts were always written by others. The only place he practiced writing was by reviewing memorials to the emperor.

This time, Beijiwu still didn't take his family on a trip, but only took a few of his sons who seemed to be quite promising to familiarize themselves with things in Lingnan.

The Euro Maid Corps is a pastime during vacations, and they also act as translators and scribes.

Jiangxia was the new capital where Beiji Wu let his sons train and lay the foundation. Occasionally, he would go there to stay for a few days to appease the mountain farmers who had migrated there.

Beijiwu, who is in his early thirties, is not yet old enough to consider a successor.

Eat well, play well, and enjoy life – these were the goals and expectations of Beijiwu during his youth.

(End of this chapter)