Chapter 24: Fertile Fields

Lin Feng looked at Xiao Die. "Xiao Die, pay the man."

"Yes." Xiao Die immediately produced four taels of silver for him. Now that they had more money, Xiao Die’s speed in handling payments had increased as well.

"Uncle Li, when can I come to collect the iron sword and the arrows?"

"By tomorrow."

"Very well. I will have Liu Xi come by to pick them up then."

Liu Xi gathered the bow, arrows, and the iron pot. Lin Feng noticed Tian Xi'er and Li He talking nearby; Li He’s expression was anxious, clearly indicating that Tian Xi'er had already broken the news to him. Seeing Lin Feng emerge, Tian Xi'er stopped speaking to Li He, walked over to Lin Feng's side, and said to Old Man Li, "Uncle Li, I’ll be going now."

"Stay and play a while longer!" Old Man Li had not expected her to leave so soon.

"I can't, Uncle Li. I'll come see you another day."

"Make sure you do."

Lin Feng and his group bade farewell to Li He and his father and headed back toward Kaoshan Village.

"Sister, was the matter resolved?"

Tian Xi'er shook her head. "No. I had intended to use him as a shield, but since he isn't up to the task, it doesn't matter."

Lin Feng thought to himself that he had wanted her to resolve the issue to see if there was any potential for a relationship, not for her to simply and bluntly dismiss Li He. "I could see that Li He likes you quite a bit, and his father is very fond of you too. If you truly married him, I believe they wouldn't be so rigid."

"But I really don't want to marry him."

The girl had let her reading broaden her horizons too much—did she think she could have some grand, passionate romance?

"Then do you want to marry that Young Master Jin?"

"Even less so."

"If neither works, will your mother be willing to let it go?"

Tian Xi'er’s expression dimmed. "I don't know..."

Lin Feng said no more. It seemed this was quite troublesome; Mother Tian had already forced Tian Xi'er into a corner, and even if she didn't want either of them, she would eventually have to choose one. Unless, of course, a third option could be forced into the equation.

***

Upon returning to the farmhouse in Kaoshan Village, they found Village Chief Li standing outside the courtyard with two other men.

"Brother Lin, you're back?"

"Village Chief Li, are you looking for me?"

"I’ve found you some excellent farmland. If you’re not busy, Brother Lin, would you like to go take a look?"

"Of course." Lin Feng immediately asked Tian Xi'er, "Sister, is your older brother home?"

"He should be."

"I’d like to trouble him to come along and take a look." Lin Feng didn't know much about farming and needed to consult an experienced farmer to see if the land the Village Chief was offering was truly good; he couldn't afford to be hoodwinked with a plot of useless dirt.

"Alright, I'll go call him." Tian Xi'er immediately headed toward her house.

Lin Feng smiled at the Village Chief. "Village Chief Li, where is this land?"

The Village Chief smiled. "It's a bit of a distance, by the river. But it is truly good land; being right by the water, it’s safe from both drought and floods. You’re quite lucky—it belonged to a farming family that moved away the day before yesterday, leaving the land vacant. I thought of you immediately."

Lin Feng promptly took out the remaining half-bag of spiced peanuts from his chest. "Thank you for thinking of me, Village Chief. Please take these spiced peanuts to go with your wine."

"Spiced peanuts? I’ve never had these."

Xiao Die chimed in from the side, "These spiced peanuts cost three hundred wen a jin!"

The Village Chief was startled. This half-bag was nearly half a jin, worth one hundred and fifty wen—was it really a wen per peanut? He was skeptical, but since it was a gift from Lin Feng, he accepted the favor without further comment.

Just then, Tian Xi'er and Tian Zhong arrived. The Village Chief tucked the peanuts into his pocket. "Let’s go take a look."

The group arrived at the riverside. The Village Chief pointed to several patches of wasteland. "These are the plots. There’s nothing planted here, likely because they were planning to move for some time."

The land was located to the northeast, diagonally across from the stone bridge, and less than half a mile away. It was perfect—he could set up a food stall by the river without neglecting the fields. Of course, he wouldn't be the one farming it; he would just have Tian Zhong manage the crops for a monthly wage.

Lin Feng and Tian Zhong went onto the field to examine it. "Brother Tian, what do you think of this land?"

Tian Zhong thrust a wooden rod into the soil, turned over the earth, and nodded. "It’s top-quality soil. The key is that there is water nearby, providing plenty for irrigation."

Lin Feng nodded and returned to the edge of the field with Tian Zhong. The Village Chief asked, "Little Brother, are you satisfied with this land?"

"It’s good."

The Village Chief turned to his companions. "Go ahead and measure the land."

"Let's measure it together," Tian Zhong said. "I know my stride well; I'll know the size after walking around it once."

The Village Chief chuckled. "You’ve learned many skills from your father. The Tian family always has the best harvests in the village."

"That’s because Uncle Li always gives us the best land," Tian Xi'er said with a smile.

"Xi'er is as sharp-tongued as ever," the Village Chief laughed heartily.

Over there, Tian Zhong began pacing out the distance, while another man used a wooden pole to measure along the edge.

"Village Chief Li, I’ve heard rumors that the Imperial Court is preparing to enforce mandatory marriages. Is there any truth to that?" Lin Feng wondered if the Village Chief knew anything about it.

"It’s true," the Village Chief nodded. "We aren't like Pingzhou in the north, where the constant warfare has claimed the lives of so many young men that the population is dwindling. The Court had to resort to mandatory marriage there to boost the population, and it has already been implemented. Here in Jiangzhou, other than the pirates along the coast, there is basically no war, and the population is abundant, so we won't be implementing it for the time being."

The Village Chief was indeed well-informed, knowing far more than the average farmer.

"But it will be implemented sooner or later, won't it?"

"That’s for certain. If Pingzhou can't draft enough soldiers, they will naturally look to other prefectures and villages. Since we are so close to Pingzhou, we will surely be the first in Jiangzhou to have our young men drafted. Once that happens, our numbers will dwindle, and the Court will have to find a way to intervene." The Village Chief smiled. "Are you looking to find a wife, Brother Lin?"

Lin Feng thought to himself that he certainly wouldn't let the Court assign him a wife; if they gave him someone wretched, it would be a disaster. "I’m just a temporary resident, so they shouldn't consider me, right?"

"That’s not up to you. As long as you are a man of the Great Chu, there is no escaping it. I’ve heard that in Pingzhou, they even force wives onto men who already have them. If you refuse, you’re in trouble. Many men there have multiple wives."

Lin Feng was speechless. It seemed he couldn't stay in one place for too long; being assigned a wife against his will would be a nightmare.

"You’re talking about villages and towns, but surely it’s not like that in the county seat?"

"The prefectural city is safe for now; the ratio of men to women is balanced, and they only draft from rural areas. But the county seat is harder to say. If the number of men keeps dropping, they will surely implement it there as well."

He would have to find a way to move toward the cities soon; he couldn't keep wandering around the countryside.

"What if the women refuse to marry?"

"Women can’t refuse, and neither can the men! To do so is to oppose the Great Chu and defy the Court. As long as there is no existing betrothal, it is mandatory. And whoever they assign to you is yours—you have no choice in the matter."