Reclaiming Wasteland: Carefree Mountain Farmer

Chapter 39 Good Man
Li Wenjin and the middle-aged scholar-tax collector beside him stared in disbelief at Beiji Wu and the four pieces of wood that Beiji Wu had thrown on the ground.

Arctic Martial has already walked outside.

His brother, Bei Jiyong, looked at the wood on the ground, then at Li Wenjin and Qin Yu, the county clerk.

Li Wenjin said directly and firmly, "Your brother is looking for you, so go and talk to him. We're all family, don't be so formal."

"Yes……"

Beiji Yong carefully walked towards Beiji Wu, who was a dozen meters away.

After he left, a soldier squatted down, picked up the piece of wood, and touched the splinter at the broken part.

"It's hot." The soldier looked at the broken piece of wood in his hand in shock, then looked at Li Wenjin.

A nearby soldier, not believing in such superstitions, also came over, squatted down, picked up a wooden stick with both hands, and tried to break it.

He couldn't even break a single piece of wood, let alone two pieces together.

Li Wenjin carefully examined the four wooden sticks, then remembered hearing that this man had stomped a wild boar to death, realizing that she had encountered a ruthless person this time.

Holding the wooden stick, Shi Wenyuan exclaimed, "A person this capable would definitely be a formidable soldier!"

Li Wenjin cursed, "Pah! If he weren't in the army, he'd be your grandfather. If he were, wouldn't he be your father, treating you like his own sons?"

Li Wenjin would never recruit such a person into the army; his joining the military would only bring him trouble.

***
A dozen meters away, Bei Jiyong carefully followed.

Beiji Yong had mixed feelings about his younger brother. He didn't want to pay any attention to him, but he couldn't get rid of their brotherly relationship.

If this younger brother were to hit someone here, Beiji Yong knew he would definitely be beaten up again when he got back.

Just as the older brother was filled with fear and trepidation, Beijiwu looked at him.

"How much tax did the imperial court charge Beitian Village?"

Arctic Warrior was quite surprised to hear Arctic Martial ask such a serious question.

"This year is tax-free, just like last year. The imperial court has always transferred grain from the south. Knowing that the harvest in this area has been poor for two consecutive years, they exempted the grain tax. All that is required is to perform military service."

Arctic Martial discovered that the actual situation here was the same as what he had initially seen; the taxes were not heavy.

It's just that Ai Dake and Mu Chuanliang encountered different problems.

They can eat their fill without farming, but those other people can't.

The reduction in grain production hit them hard. They had just arrived and needed all sorts of farm tools, seeds, pots and pans. They were investing in both land reclamation and cultivation. Since they were not military households, they did not receive many preferential treatments, which put them at the bottom of the exploited class.

Even though the imperial court had reduced taxes, military households and local officials still needed to eat and earn money, so they were still taking the opportunity to collect money.

Most emperors of various dynasties hoped for peace and tranquility and did not want to place too much burden on the people, but they simply could not achieve it.

The taxes stipulated by the imperial court and the taxes actually paid by the peasants at the bottom of society were completely different.

“I will take charge of the affairs of Beitian Village from now on. We will pay the thirty shi of grain this time, but don’t ask us to do the corvée labor. There are only a dozen or so men in the village. If they all go out, there will be problems at home. I will give you five taels of silver every year to exempt the whole village from corvée labor.”

“There are several military dependents in the village who are not required to serve in the military. Go and ask them if it's possible.”

With his younger brother watching, Bei Jiyong had no choice but to walk another dozen meters or so and tell Li Wenjin about it.

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, Li Wenjin immediately said, "Sure, many towns and villages have seen abscond in the past two years. Since the dozen or so households in Beitian Village are willing to pay, then bring the money over."

Li Wenjin stretched out her hand and placed it on her knee, waving half of her palm up and down as if to urge the payment to hurry up.

Embarrassed, Beiji Yong went to Beiji Wu to ask for money.

Beiji Wu didn't have any money with him, so he borrowed five taels of silver from Wen Zhaohu and gave it to these people. He also helped them pay thirty shi of grain before they finally got rid of the band of officials and bandits.

After these people drove the villagers and porters back to the county, Bei Jiwu asked, "Do they always send so many people every time they collect grain?"

Wen Zhaohu breathed a sigh of relief, "This is considered a small number. If we don't send dozens of people, we won't dare to act like big shots when we go to the countryside."

The two walked into the courtyard. Wen Zhaohu said, "What if you had started a fight just now? What if those people went back and called the soldiers? Even if you're a good fighter, could you fight hundreds of people?"

Beiji Wu laughed and said, "A few hundred is no problem at all." Wen Zhaohu said irritably, "What about a thousand? There are at least five thousand soldiers stationed at the military camp! They're equipped with armor and powerful crossbows. When the time comes, they'll unleash a barrage of arrows and turn you into a pincushion!"

Beijiwu laughed and said, "Don't you still have me? At worst, I'll take you to settle down on the grasslands."

Wen Zhaohu felt a chill in his heart, realizing he had underestimated this man's strength and ambition.

Even though the military stronghold set up by the imperial court was only tens of thousands of meters away, this man, like those barbarians, showed little respect.

Arctic Wu's attitude is actually easy to understand. He is very clear about his own abilities, and then he has the idea that if he can't survive, he will commit a crime and is eager to try it.

Therefore, he was not afraid of the imperial soldiers at all, and he had no feelings for Wen the rich man and Beitian Village. He knew that these people would definitely die if the soldiers came, and they would probably run away with him.

In this chaotic era where rebellions and uprisings were commonplace and emperors came and went, rebellion was a very common occurrence.

"Are you a Hu person?" Wen Zhaohu asked cautiously.

Beijiwu laughed and said, "No, I am a mountain farmer. My ancestors have been Hu people who farmed in the mountains for generations. I am not much different from the Hu people."

Wen Zhaohu didn't believe him, but he didn't argue with him.

The surrounding area is full of groups that switch between farming and nomadic life, going whichever is better.

"Do you want to rebel?" Wen Zhaohu asked in a low voice.

Beijiwu said, "Who would rebel if there was a way to survive? I could have killed them all, but I still handed over the grain and money. As long as we can get by, that's enough."

Wen Zhaohu breathed a sigh of relief, but he wasn't too scared.

After a century of chaos, no one knows how long the current dynasty can last.

Two consecutive years of poor harvests, and the officials and soldiers are still corrupt and greedy. The area is also one of the key routes for various tribes, including the Hu people, to move south.

Wen Zhaohu really needs to meet someone who is a good fighter, trustworthy, and won't cause trouble.

“I’ll pay the money and grain for you. From now on, Beitian Village and Hutou Town are one family.”

Wen Zhaohu felt that as long as he didn't provoke Arctic Martial Arts, everything should be fine.

Thirty shi of grain and five taels of silver are not much, and judging from today's performance, Beiji Wu has a deterrent effect on the officers and soldiers, making them more disciplined and less unruly than usual.

Wen Zhaohu laughed and said, "Those soldiers are a bunch of bandits and robbers. I told the women in my family not to go out today because I was afraid they would get into trouble."

Beautiful women can get into trouble in places where the rule of law is weak.

Beijiwu, seeing the old man talking about his daughter-in-law again, said unhappily, "We don't have money for now, but we have enough food. We'll send it to you tomorrow."

Wen Zhaohu smiled and said, "No rush, no rush."

Beijiwu and the old man didn't have much to say to each other. He borrowed some paint, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, then carried his basket home.

After Bei Jiwu left, Wen Jinglun coldly cursed, "You bastard! Today, officials and bandits came, and now this bastard has arrived! The harvest of over a hundred acres of land is all gone, and we've even lost a huge sum of money!"

Wen Zhaohu looked at his angry son and shook his head helplessly.

"Black and white, they have to be fed together. Only when they're all fed properly will our Wen family be the richest family in Tiger Head Town!"

Wen Zhaohu said with a smile, "Whatever you spend, you'll get back in. Now that both sides are in good hands, these thousands of acres of land around here will gradually become ours!"

Mrs. Wen was not so optimistic and was also worried about the region.

"The north is not as good as the south, nor as good as the Central Plains. There are large tracts of wasteland here that no one is cultivating. The imperial court doesn't seem to require that food be grown here. I'm worried that one day the barbarians will invade again. What will we do then?"

Madam Wen's worries caused Wen Jinglun and Gao Qiuyue to become worried as well.

Wen Zhaohu squinted and said, "The barbarians don't kill heroes. If we follow the heroes, we'll be fine."

Who is the hero?

The men and women all thought of the young man who had just borrowed money and grain and then taken away their writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone.

(End of this chapter)