C15 Ten Acres of Land

Yan Li put away the gardening tools and greeted Old Master Luo as he approached, "Father-in-law, you're back."

Old Master Luo waved it off, "No need for formalities."

He then hurried inside to check on Luo Tingye. Seeing his son looking well, he finally relaxed. "You scared me. How did you faint? What did Dr. Zhao say? Is it serious? Do you have enough medicine? If not, I'll send someone to get more."

His words of concern flowed out rapidly.

Luo Tingye, however, remained calm and responded gracefully to each question.

Yan Li stepped forward, "Don't worry, Father-in-law. My husband is fine now. But you... did you come from the fields?"

From a distance, it wasn't clear, but up close, Yan Li could see that Old Master Luo's clothes were stained with dried mud.

Old Master Luo found a chair and sighed, "It's nothing. That's just how it is when you're out in the fields."

Yan Li was puzzled. "Aren't there workers for that? Why would you need to go yourself? People might talk."

Luo Tingye gently set down his tea and spoke up, "I suppose the lower fields didn't get enough water again."

The lower fields were part of the Luo estate, but they had always been a challenge for Old Master Luo. The water had to be channeled from the mountains, and by the time it reached the lower fields, it barely dampened the soil. Last year, they tried planting cotton, but the yield was disappointing.

At this rate, the lower fields might have to be abandoned.

Old Master Luo gave a wry smile, "Tingye, you're truly clever, but it's a shame about your health." He had guessed correctly. "If it doesn't work out, I'll just leave the lower fields fallow. Or maybe I'll rent them out for less."

Luo Tingye's dark eyes flickered slightly. "Ten acres of land—wouldn't it be a shame to rent it out?"

Yan Li was taken aback. "What? Ten acres?"

"Why so much?"

This really surprised Yan Li. She had thought the plot was only an acre or two, but ten acres?

Luo Tingye found her shocked expression amusing. "What, you think the Luo Mansion shouldn't have ten acres of land?"

Yan Li quickly replied, "No, that's not what I meant. I just can't understand why all ten acres are in one place. Are they connected?"

Ever since that heart-to-heart conversation, Luo Tingye had been more open with his wife, who loved tending to plants.

He explained, "Yes, they're all connected, but it's the last plot of land. The mountain is divided into three tiers."

At this point, Luo Tingye paused, slightly amused.

"Interestingly, the mountain's land is divided into upper, middle, and lower tiers. The upper ten acres belong to the Xie family, the middle ten to Second Old Master Luo, and the lower ten acres are ours."

Yan Li couldn't help but find it amusing. What a coincidence that the thirty acres on the mountain symbolized the major landowners of Luo Town.

She joked, "I bet the water for our lower plot is completely blocked by the upper and middle plots, right?"

Luo Tingye nodded. "Exactly."

Yan Li almost choked on her laughter. "Really?"

Luo Tingye continued, "I remember there's a story behind this. The Xie Mansion was the first to discover the mountain. There's a spring at the top that only flows during the busy farming season. Old Master Xie, being a shrewd man, saw it as a blessing and wanted to cultivate the land. But the authorities said if he wanted to develop the mountain, he couldn't just open the top; he had to open it all."

Yan Li:

"Is that really true?"

Luo Tingye had a faint smile on his lips. "Yes, Old Master Xie was so determined to get it started that he teamed up with Second Master Luo's mansion and ours to make it happen. He even offered to cover the initial land tax himself."

Yan Li understood. "So, we don't have to bear the cost of opening the fields, and we get a third of it? Is that right?"

"Exactly."

"But we're not fools. Why did we end up with the worst piece while they got the best?"

No one would be foolish enough to choose land where water doesn't reach, right? Growing rice requires water, and without it, the crops on those ten acres would just wither away.

Wasting food is something that would bring down the wrath of the heavens.

Luo Tingye glanced with amusement at Old Master Luo. "As for why we got the worst piece, that's a question for Father."

All eyes turned to Old Master Luo, who sheepishly scratched his head.

"Well, it's really just my bad luck. I ended up drawing the shortest stick."

Yan Li was dumbfounded. Thirty acres of land, and it wasn't decided by negotiation but by drawing lots? Isn't that a bit too casual for a landowner to decide on land allocation like this?

Luo Tingye continued to smile silently.

Yan Li looked at her frail husband, and a thought struck her.

She asked, "Father-in-law, who made those sticks? Was it you or someone else?"

Old Master Luo replied honestly, "It was Old Master Xie. He proposed the land division and found the land, so naturally, he made the sticks."

Yan Li felt a buzzing in her mind, her mouth twitching slightly.

Old Master Xie chose the land, made the sticks, and ended up with the best piece. If someone couldn't see the trick in this, they'd have to be as clueless as a pig.

"Oh no, there's a pig right in front of us, and her father-in-law is that pig."

Yan Li glanced at Luo Tingye, who subtly nodded at her. She then turned her gaze to Old Master Luo, who was still obliviously chatting away, and felt a wave of sympathy for him.

She rubbed her forehead, seriously doubting that the Luo family's wealth came from Old Master Luo's benevolence rather than some shrewd business tactics.

Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, Father-in-law, what's the situation with the fields now?"

Old Master Luo's face showed a hint of regret. "Well, what can we do? If it doesn't work out, we'll plant something else. Worst case, we'll grow sweet potatoes."

Yan Li felt even more disheartened. Using ten acres to grow sweet potatoes? What was he thinking? In this town, sweet potatoes were probably the last thing they needed more of. They were easy to manage—just plant them and let nature take its course until harvest time. But selling them? That was a different story.

Luo Tingye suddenly turned to Yan Li, "What do you think?"