stingy landlady

Chapter 42 Obtaining Land Titles

Dazhu hurriedly made the arrangements, wanting to strike while the iron was hot and get the paperwork done by the afternoon! He also brought extra money, as he would need to bribe officials at the yamen.

"Mother of the child, go to the east end and tell Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yun to eat quickly. After that, hitch up the carriage and come back here to wait for me. I may have to go to the yamen later."

Take two baskets from home, one filled with shepherd's purse and wild garlic, and the other with bean sprouts. Put them all on the cart.

I'll go to the village chief's house for dinner, then come back to meet them. Leave the thirty-five taels of silver at home for now; I'll come back for it later.

After changing into new clothes and shoes, Dazhu picked up the wine and meat that Li had prepared.

Since there are often multiple people eating at home, Guizhi suggested buying more wine so it wouldn't spoil. Today was also a good day for watering the fields, so the meat we were planning to cook for lunch was also brought along.

After locking the door, Li sent Siya back to the old lady's room.

"Mom, could you please watch Siya for me a little longer? I have something to do at the east end. Oh, by the way, Mom, Dad and Dazhu went to the village chief's house for a drink."

"Go ahead, go ahead! The child is so big now, no more crying or fussing, go play by yourself here!"

When Li arrived at the east end of the village, Zhou Mingzhi's family of four and Lin Xiaoyun had just returned from irrigating the fields and were washing their hands and faces inside. Zhou's wife had already started the fire to prepare the meal.

As soon as Li entered the room, she said, "Xiao Zhou! After you and Xiao Yun finish eating, hitch up the carriage. I brought two baskets, one with bean sprouts and the other with shepherd's purse and wild garlic."

Dazhu is going to the yamen (government office). He told you to wait for him at our old house. He, my father, Uncle Zhou, and I went to the village chief's house for dinner.

Zhou Mingzhi replied, "Yes, Madam!"

Lin Xiaoyun nodded as well.

Looking at Madam Zhou, Madam Li said, "Yang Liu! You're pregnant! You can't overexert yourself! Let the others do the heavy work!"

As she washed the pot, Madam Zhou said, "Thank you, Madam! I didn't do any heavy work. They carried the water to the spot, and Xiao Qiong and I used ladles to water the ground. It wasn't tiring! Having more people makes the work faster!"

"Then you cook! Someone has to stay home too, I'm going back!"

The Li family came and went like a gust of wind.

Over drinks at the village chief's house, the men became acquainted. Two of the constables were present; the older one was surnamed Wu, and the younger one, surnamed Zheng, was from the same wealthy family in town. That's why he seemed a bit arrogant.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Dazhu seized the opportunity to say, "Gentlemen, why don't the village chief and I go with you to the yamen to complete the formalities?"

Wu, the constable, laughed: "That's great! Once we finish the formalities today, we can get this job done as soon as possible!"

The village chief said, "Let my kid hitch up the cart now!"

Dazhu quickly said, "Uncle Village Chief! No need to trouble you, brother! I've already had my brother Zhou prepare the carriage. Shall we go by carriage?"

Upon hearing that there was a horse-drawn carriage, Zheng, the yamen runner, said, "Let's take the horse-drawn carriage! The oxcart is so bumpy it hurts my butt!"

After the carriage was arranged, Dazhu said, "Then I'll go home first and drive over, so you won't have to make another trip!"

After saying that, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and turned to go home.

Zhou Mingzhi and Xiaoyun were indeed waiting at home in their car. Wild vegetables and bean sprouts were placed in the car.

Dazhu nodded in acknowledgment and hurried inside to get the money for the paperwork.

After coming out, he said to the two of them, "Xiao Zhou, you should take Xiao Yun and Xiao Xing to water the fields this afternoon. I estimate that watering for another day tomorrow should be enough. We should burn down the wasteland on both sides to prepare for building houses and planting! There's a lot of work, so everyone should work hard!"

"Yes, sir. Should I go with you?"

"No need! Uncle Zhou is here!"

Dazhu felt that Old Zhou was better at getting along with the yamen runners than he was. He trusted Old Zhou quite a bit.

Upon arriving at the village chief's house, the village chief saw the horse-drawn carriage and his heart stirred.

"That big pillar really made money! I wonder what kind of business he's in!"

Regardless of what he was really thinking, the village chief walked over with a smile.

"Dazhu! This carriage looks brand new; everything about it is brand new!"

Dazhu said shyly, "Yes! My dad bought it today. It's for convenience when he's out running errands!"

"Get in! Uncle Village Chief! Get in! You two officials! Uncle Zhou, get in too! I'll drive!"

Old Zhou refused, saying, "Sir! I'll drive the carriage!"

Dazhu laughed and said, "We don't have so many rules in our family! Get in the carriage and have a chat with the officials!"

The village chief also came to the front of the carriage. "How about I drive the new carriage?"

Dazhu felt helpless: "Uncle Village Chief! Why don't you get in the carriage? Wouldn't it be better to ride in a horse-drawn carriage?"

The village chief, delighted at the prospect of hunting, exclaimed, "Riding in a horse-drawn carriage is different from driving one! It feels completely different!"

Dazhu smiled and said, "Uncle Village Chief! You and Uncle Zhou should get in the carriage first and keep the two officials company. When we come back, I'll ride in the carriage, and you two can drive the horse-drawn carriage?"

The village chief nodded: "Alright, alright! It's a deal then. I'll drive the carriage back for a bit!"

Once at the yamen (government office), connections made things much easier! The two yamen runners simply exchanged a few words with the people inside and left with the goods. Meanwhile, Old Zhou, with his connections to everyone, paved the way with money.

Soon Dazhu received the land deed. After leaving the yamen, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other.

The village chief waved his hand: "Go home!"

"go home!"

As Dazhu spoke, he drove the carriage familiarly to the market, caught two chickens, bought two pieces of meat, two bottles of wine, and two catties of tobacco before getting into the carriage.

The village chief indeed drove the horse-drawn carriage for a while, and was overjoyed. First, they took the village chief home, and then Dazhu and Old Man Zhou carried the things into the village chief's yard. The village chief couldn't refuse and politely accepted them.

Dazhu then handed over a string of copper coins: "Uncle Village Chief! You've been busy all day! We can't be stingy with what others have!"

The village chief exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! Dazhu! You've bought so much stuff, why are you still paying? Take it back!"

Old Zhou seized the opportunity to say, "Brother Village Chief, please accept it! We'll definitely need your help with village affairs in the future."

The two bid farewell and left, while the village chief pondered the copper coin in his hand.

When the village chief's wife came out and saw what was in the yard, she smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared.

"Oh my! Boss! You've made quite a bit of money this time! Da Zhu's family is so generous! They took so much at dinner and bought so much more! You should probably help them out in the future."

"You old women! Look at all that stuff in front of you! You and your daughters-in-law tidy up! I've been busy all day, I need to lie down on the kang (heated brick bed) and stretch my muscles!"

The village chief stuffed the copper coins into his pocket, smiled, and went into the house.

Evening has arrived, a time for family to spend time alone.

Dazhu handed the remaining copper coins to Li. After counting them, he said, "Today, we paid the yamen thirty-five taels of silver for buying the wasteland. Then there were expenses for bribing the yamen runners, the village head, and handling all the paperwork, plus two taels and four mace for buying things! You sisters, calculate how much we spent in total?"

Gui Hong said first, "Dad! That's easy, it's thirty-seven taels and four mace in total!"

Dazhu exclaimed, "That's right! From now on, you all need to improve your math skills! Our land is getting bigger and bigger! You can't do without knowing how to do accounts!"

This money was well spent! Uncle Zhou knows how to handle things!

"They gave us three extra mu of land to the east, freeing up our homestead! Two xiang of land under the bridge to the west, register as one and a half xiang. And over twenty-two mu of low-lying land west of the road, register as two xiang!"