Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 7: Sichuan Pepper in Luoyang

After looking through the farm's income and expenditure records and listening to Ding Cang's story, Zhang Luo finally had a more comprehensive understanding of the farm's situation.

His family's farm covers an area of ​​about two hectares, of which more than one hectare is paddy fields and dry land that can be used for cultivation. The rest are ponds, gullies and other lands that are difficult to reclaim into arable land. However, this part of the land has not been idle and abandoned. Instead, Ding Cang has commanded the farmers to make use of it, either by planting hemp, planting mulberry trees, or building hemp ponds, etc., so that the land of the farm is fully utilized.

The first source of income for the farm was rent. Since there were not many slaves on the farm, most of the arable land was rented out, and the farm collected three-tenths of the rent based on the annual harvest. The annual rent of grains, beans, rice, wheat, etc. was approximately between 70 to 80 dan and 100 dan.

The grain collected from the rent was primarily used to feed the young Zhang Luonu, Yingniang, and Ding Cang and his son Ding Qing. It was enough to meet their basic needs, but there wasn't much left to sell. In other words, as long as the manor continued to operate, they would have enough to eat and drink, but they wouldn't accumulate much wealth.

The manor's main source of profit came from miscellaneous businesses, namely the side businesses Ding Cang had developed over the years. For example, the dozens of old mulberry trees on the slopes produced mulberry leaves and mulberries. Besides raising silkworms on the manor, the manor also earned thousands of yuan each year from selling the mulberry leaves.

There were also fruit trees like peaches and apricots, which yielded hundreds of kilograms of fruit each year, earning over ten thousand yuan. The chickens raised, as well as the fish, shrimp, water chestnuts, and lotus roots caught in the canals and ponds, could also bring in thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan, after deducting the portion used for personal use.

This income was not fixed. Sometimes it could be tens of thousands of coins, but sometimes it could drop several times. If the unit of measurement was changed to guan, one guan would be equal to one thousand coins, which would make the number even smaller. On average, in recent years, the annual income was only a dozen or so guan.

The only real income of the farm comes from selling peppers, which can bring in dozens of strings of cash each year. However, this income has dropped sharply in recent years, and last year it was less than ten strings of cash. This is also the main reason for the gradual decline in the farm's income as shown in the account books.

"What's going on with this pepper-selling profit?"

Such huge fluctuations naturally aroused Zhang Luo's curiosity, so he looked at Ding Cang and asked.

Ding Cang sighed upon hearing this question, then said with a worried look on his face, "The two pepper trees on the farm were planted in Shangyang Palace during the reign of Empress Wu during the Chang'an period. She ordered hundreds of seedlings donated from Shu to be planted. Most of the trees died, so the remaining seedlings were distributed to the various princes. After trial planting, only these two survived and grew strong, and their fruits are as delicious as the Sichuan peppers.

Fresh Sichuan peppercorns are both edible and medicinal, but the journey from Sichuan to Luoyang is long, and they are hard to come by, often costing hundreds of coins per jin. Two pepper trees yield dozens of jins each year, all sold in the market, making a good profit. But in recent years, the yield has decreased significantly..."

"Where is the pepper tree? Lead me to see it!"

Zhang Luo became very curious after hearing this and immediately spoke again.

Such an important source of income naturally couldn't be arranged haphazardly. Two pepper trees were planted beside the manor's small hall, and a small hut was built nearby, serving as Ding Qing's residence, allowing him to monitor the estate day and night. And judging by the layout, it seemed as if the entire manor was built around these two pepper trees.

Zhang Luo stepped out of the small hall and saw two tall pepper trees. No wonder he'd smelled the unique, spicy aroma of peppercorns in the hall earlier. Even without any knowledge of gardening, he could tell the trees weren't in good shape. Many of their branches were withered, and even the trunks were covered in dried, peeling bark.

"We took good care of the two trees, but they still withered. Last year's harvest was only a few kilograms..."

Ding Cang and his son both knelt beside the tree, pleading with Zhang Luo with sad faces.

"People have their own destiny, trees have their own ups and downs. These two pepper trees must be nearing their end. It's not your fault."

Zhang Luo was not sure how old the average Sichuan pepper tree was, but he guessed it was probably only a few decades old. After all, in later generations, many old tea trees, old locust trees and other tree species were hyped up, but no one was hyping up old Sichuan pepper trees.

If these two pepper trees were transplanted during the Wu anniversary, it would be the fourteenth year of Kaiyuan in the Tang Dynasty now, at least twenty years have passed. It is normal that their vitality is not as strong as in the early years, or even on the verge of death.

Although he didn't blame Ding Cang and his son, he still felt a little regretful. These two pepper trees alone could earn him dozens of strings of cash each year, far exceeding the entire estate's income. Now that he was about to lose them, it was truly heartbreaking.

Zhang Luo walked back to the small hall, feeling lost, and picked up the account book again. Although Ding Cang was a Kunlun slave, he was meticulous and kept a clear record of the farm's income and expenditure. The amount of various materials stored, including their current prices, were also recorded in this account book.

The farm's current reserves consist primarily of ordinary agricultural products, with over 40 dan of rice remaining. While this may seem like a large amount, it still needs to last until the next season's rent and harvest are stored in the warehouse, so it's not exactly abundant. Furthermore, even if all of the 40 dan of rice were sold, it wouldn't fetch much. Last year, with a bountiful harvest, the price of rice plummeted to as low as 13 qian per dou. Although prices along the Yellow River rose again due to the Eastern Tour and the Fengshan ceremony, this year's rice prices around Luoyang have only reached between 18 and 20 qian per dou.

Although the unit price of grain has increased significantly, the overall selling price is still not high. Even if all the more than 40 stones of grain in the village are converted into the price of rice with the highest quality and price, it is only 8,000 to 9,000 coins, or even less than 10 strings of coins!

As for other reserves, there were more than ten rolls of silk, a little over two strings of silver, several pounds of yarn, a few jars of pickled vegetables, and some stocks of cooked flax and hay. The list of goods looked like a general store, covering all aspects of life, but if they were to be sold for cash, they probably wouldn't fetch much.

In short, the existence of this farm allowed Zhang Luo to reduce his living costs to an extremely low level, even allowing him to be completely self-sufficient without relying on external resources. However, if he desired any further luxuries, the farm's products would not be able to satisfy them. As for selling the goods for money, it was even more complicated and the income was very limited.

However, there are still some valuable items in this manor. When Zhang Luo's eyes fell on Ding Cang, his thoughts began to turn.

Such a Kunlun slave who is proficient in the customs, language and culture of the Tang people, can even read and write, and has rich experience in managing miscellaneous affairs should be worth a lot of money, right?
According to Ding Cang himself, he came to the land of the Tang Dynasty since he was a child. When he was just over ten years old, he was sent as tribute from Lingnan to Luoyang, which was then known as the Divine Capital. He even learned writing, arithmetic and other knowledge in the Imperial Academy at that time. He might be a contemporary of Gao Lishi, the favorite minister of Emperor Xuanzong. After Wu Youyi returned from the expedition against the Khitan, he was granted the privilege of entering the Jian'an Palace as a slave. Later, he followed Zhang Luonu's mother, Wu, to the Zhang family.

Such a resume has many highlights. If it is put on the job market, the price will definitely be very considerable!

However, this was just a fleeting thought in Zhang Luo's mind. No matter how unscrupulous he was, he would never use human trafficking as a means of profit. Especially since Ding Cang had been loyal to the manor for so many years, diligently managing it. If it weren't for his hard work, the manor would have been abandoned long ago. This loyalty alone was worth a fortune!

Once Zhang Luo abandoned his moral integrity and let his thoughts wander, another idea suddenly occurred to him. He walked to the front of the hall again, pointed at the two pepper trees, and said, "My family has these two money-making pepper trees. Many people in the village should know about them, right? Are there any wealthy people nearby who would like to buy them?"

"Some people did inquire about it, but after learning about the tree's origins, they stopped trying to buy it. They worried that if they paid a high price and then moved it elsewhere, it might not survive, ultimately wasting their money."

After hearing this, Ding Cang hurriedly said respectfully that if possible, he would certainly hope to sell the two pepper trees at a high price before they completely died to maximize profits. However, when others heard that it was so difficult to grow and survive these plants, they all backed off.

Zhang Luo frowned slightly after hearing this, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "How much can we get if we sell this farm as well?"

"Ah Lang wants to sell this farm? This is absolutely not possible, absolutely not possible!"

Ding Cang's face suddenly changed after hearing this, and his dark face almost turned gray. He knelt down in front of Zhang Luo with a plop, kowtowed repeatedly and said, "I am not disobeying Alang, but this farm is a legacy left to Alang by the late mistress for his health. You must not sell it to others! May I ask what Alang needs the money for? How much is it short of?
If there is no other solution, please ask Alang to sell the old slave and his son to the market. The old slave is incompetent and has caused Alang financial troubles. He also has no face to stay with us. If I can help Alang alleviate his illness and hardship, I will not let down the former mistress's kindness!

"We've been relying on each other for so many years. You've become my family. No matter how troubled I am, I won't sell you out for money!"

Zhang Luo quickly pulled Ding Cang up upon seeing this, then said, "I was just curious and asked casually."

Ding Cang stood up, his face still wet with tears. He lowered his head and said, "I really don't want to trouble Alang. If Alang really needs a large sum of money urgently, I'm afraid it will be difficult to raise it even if I sell this farm. Alang is not yet an adult, and this farm is also unregistered land. I dare not go through the authorities to sell it. This farm is not big, with a circumference of about 200 acres. The person who can buy the farm is definitely not an ordinary farmer. If they knew Alang was in trouble, they would definitely not be willing to pay a high price.

If you want to sell them at the real price, you have to sell them slowly. A mature mulberry tree in the front yard can fetch several strings of cash, but if it doesn't, you'll get only a few hundred strings of cash. A dozen acres of mulberry forest might fetch a hundred strings of cash, and the orchard could fetch a similar amount. The ponds and paddy fields here could fetch between four and five hundred strings of cash. The materials for the framing of the farmhouses, along with the land, could fetch between seventy and eighty strings of cash. If you sell them gradually over the course of two or three years, you might get between seven and eight hundred strings of cash, but if you rush, you'll probably get between three and five hundred. And these two pepper trees, each fetching a hundred strings of cash..."

"so little?"

Hearing this number, Zhang Luo felt disappointed again.

Ding Cang also sighed and added, "In recent years, the imperial court has been very aggressive in confiscating land and households, and the two capitals have been particularly hard hit. If you're not from a powerful family, it's difficult to preserve your assets. The powerful run their businesses solely by relying on their position, so how can they use money and property fairly?"

(End of this chapter)