Chapter 117 Shili Town has only two outsider families.

One is the Niu family, the other is the Ma family. Both are people with thousands of gold, each family owns at least a hundred acres of good farmland, and employs nearly a hundred people in Shili Town, both young and old.

Originally, they bought land from the commoners and then hired them to work it, giving them back only a trickle from between their fingers. But the commoners were still very grateful.

Now a Zheng Ruqian has suddenly appeared in the town, not only buying land from the commoners but also hiring them at high wages. Isn't this snatching away other people's rice bowls?

After discussing it, the two families put out the word.

Anyone who sells land or works for Zheng Ruqian will never be hired again by the Niu and Ma families.

What a vicious scheme to undermine Zheng Ruqian's foundation.

Although the wages Zheng Ruqian offers are tempting, he is after all just a new upstart. Who can guarantee how long he will keep this up? If he doesn't make money and quietly slips away, the commoners will not only lose their wages but also offend the Niu and Ma families who have dominated Shili Town for so long, truly cutting themselves off.

As the rumor spread through Shili Town, the commoners who had been tempted all shrank back into their shells.

Zheng Ruqian had intended to carefully select land and workers, but after sitting in his yard for three days no one came to inquire.

It was Pang Dashan who, after harvesting vegetables, brought him the latest news.

"No one is willing to sell land to you or work for you," he said.

"Why not?" Zheng Ruqian asked in surprise.

"Because Mr. Niu and Mr. Ma forbid it." Pang Dashan put the account books on the table, detailing the recent income from selling vegetables, as well as the seventy percent profit share given to him by the dried goods shop owner for selling snow cabbage.

You really have to hand it to Pang Dashan. Now seventeen or eighteen, he didn't even know his own name until recently. But in order to deliver vegetables to Yunshui County and the prefecture city, and keep a complete record of accounts, he had forcefully learned nearly a hundred characters. He couldn't compare with the gifted Xu Mo, but had still surpassed ninety percent of the commoners in Xieyang County.

Fortunately, Zheng Ruqian had not shortchanged him either, raising his original two taels of wages to three, with his younger brothers' wages rising along with the tide to two taels each. The five brothers together now earned thirteen taels a year, spent almost nothing, and could be considered people of small means.

"Master," Pang Dashan kindly advised, "we're no match for the Niu and Ma families. Let's just do some small business and make money. Don't butt heads with them. If it really doesn't work, go buy land in another town." Before Zheng Ruqian could respond, Jiang Sheng, who had just bounced out from the room, clenched his fists and crisply said, "Aren't there outsiders in other places too?"

Pang Dashan kept silent.

Every place had local bullies, people who had already developed power.

Anyone who wanted to develop and make money had to fight against the old established interests.

If you won, you could successfully claim your place.

If you lost, you had to pack up and leave.

Previously, when Zheng Ruqian was buying and selling vegetables, he had no competitors at all and could be said to have been quite successful.

But now that he wanted to buy land and grow vegetables, he encountered squeeze and opposition.

But so what?

After experiencing all kinds of difficulties, the failure of the workshop, Zheng Ruqian was no longer the timid young master he was at the beginning.

"Don't rush," he said, leaning back in a wicker chair and slowly sipping a cup of clear tea, his tone flat and mild. "There are always solutions."

Pang Dashan was startled, looking Zheng Ruqian up and down, and suddenly realized that the young master's growth over the past two years could be described as amazing.

From a homeless, tender child to the steady and calm young teenager he was now, he had matured not just in stature but in mind.

After Zheng Ruqian finished checking the account books, Pang Dashan respectfully took his leave.

Jiang Sheng trotted over to shut the door. As soon as he turned around, the steady and calm second brother turned into a monkey, scratching his ears and cheeks, swaying left and right. "What to do, what to do? I planned to buy thirty acres of land, and have only gotten six acres so far, still missing twenty-four acres. What can be done?"

The corner of Jiang Sheng's mouth twitched. "Why not wait for our brothers to come home and discuss it together?"

Good idea.

Zheng Ruqian instantly regained his composure, sitting back down in the wicker chair, picking up the cup of clear tea, and taking a light sip.

That night.

The whole family gathered in the small courtyard. Xu Mo was flipping through the county's recent documents, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he had encountered some thorny matter.

Fang Heng's expression was solemn as he stared into the void, seeming worried about something.

Wen Zhiyun was sorting medicinal herbs to make a prescription to nourish Wang Fufeng's health, muttering to himself about what was lacking.

Chang Yan was sprawled on the table, his expression blank and hopeless.

Jiang Sheng was mumbling about something related to cured meat in the workshop, probably having realized that business was not easy.

It seemed that recently everyone was not very comfortable.

Zheng Ruqian cleared his throat, just about to bring up the recent targeting by the Niu and Ma families, when Xu Mo suddenly slapped the documents on the table and muttered, "Problems, problems have emerged."

The others were all listless and couldn't follow up.

Only Jiang Sheng made an effort to ask, "What's wrong, big brother?"

"Earlier I petitioned the magistrate to register all the orphans in the county, exempting them from taxes the first year, then collecting taxes the second year. But most of them are used to wandering and don't know how to farm or are unwilling to work. How will they be able to pay taxes the second year if things go on like this?" Xu Mo said heavily, "If they can't pay taxes, they'll be arrested and jailed. But the county prison doesn't have enough cells for so many vagrants."

Registering the beggars and exempting them from taxes was originally a good deed for the country and people, but because some vagrants were not diligent or hardworking enough, it had become a bad thing.

Now the local government had to deal with the aftermath of this matter.

If the aftermath was not handled properly, Xieyang County and Yunshui County would become a laughing stock to other parts of the kingdom, and in the future this policy would not be possible to implement nationwide, which would be very unfair to other vagrants who wanted to live proper lives.

"This matter must be resolved," Xu Mo said, pressing one hand on the table. "But how should it be resolved?"

A group of vagrants had household registrations, land, but didn't know how to farm or were unwilling to work.

Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up as he looked meaningfully at Zheng Ruqian.

"Little Jiang Sheng, why are you looking at me? Don't tell me I should buy land from the vagrants?" Zheng Ruqian said in surprise, "But they don't want to work. If they sell the land, they'll just sit around empty-handed."

Jiang Sheng tilted his head. "When I was wandering, I didn't want to work for money either, but if someone gave me a meal, I could do any kind of work for them."

This was the nature of vagrants. For them, money was just a number, eating their fill and staying warm was key.

Zheng Ruqian understood.

Xu Mo also raised his eyebrows.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, for the first time comprehending each other so well.