Chapter 94
When Zhang Fangyuan returned from the city with the land deed, the house was filled with the chatter of villagers and the clinking coins.
"Twelve catties, seven hundred and twenty copper coins. Do you have some change?"
"Yes, yes, yes, two strings and eighty copper coins."
[A string = 100 copper coins]
In the yard, Xu He held a money box and gave money to the villagers who came to deliver silkworm cocoons. Gan Cao weighed the cocoons for the villagers, and Huang Qi looked after the two children.
Looking at the lively yard, Ruili was very happy and full of energy, he kept running around the yard. Ruijin didn't like such a lively scene, but fortunately, the villagers who came today were all busy with things and were in a hurry to get their money, so no one had the time to tease the children. He just sat quietly on a chair next to his little dad, watching him count the money.
The whole money had to be paid, and the loose change had to be counted, except for the ones that had been tied up in a string. Xu He muttered to himself as he counted out each copper coin.
Ruijin, who was sitting beside him, seemed fascinated, he stared at his little dad's hand intently: "One, two, three..."
When Xu He heard the soft voice beside him, he couldn't help but stop and turn his head to look at Ruijin, his eyes widening in surprise.
Ruijin's eyes were not as big as his brother Ruili's. But seeing his dad's eyes widen, he also opened his eyes wider: "Did I count wrong?"
Xu He shook his head: "How can you count?"
"I watched daddy count."
"Oh, this child is very talented. He can count money at such a young age!" The villagers waiting to receive the money were also surprised. Some were full of admiration, while others boasted about the child and the Zhang family: "With such a precocious intelligence, maybe he will be a successful merchant in the future!"
Xu He didn't care about the villagers' flattery. He was very happy. Ruijin was a quite child and a little indifferent to other people except his family. The villagers who didn't know the whole story gossiped that the child was a bit stupid. He didn't care how others talked about him, but he couldn't bear to see others talking about his child.
Seeing how smart his child was, the villagers were left with nothing but praise.
Xu He's voice of counting copper coins became louder this time, and he specifically wanted to teach Ruijin how to count.
However, Ruijin blinked at his little dad and stopped following his example.
Xu He frowned slightly.
One of the villagers said, "Children are like this, they will learn a thing or two if you don't force it. But if you try to teach them, they will think it's not a game but a chore, and they will lose interest."
Xu He nodded and felt that what the villager said made sense. Children were too young and shouldn't be pressured. Otherwise, they might develop a dislike for learning, it would be difficult to teach them in the future.
He touched Ruijin's head, his soft hair felt very smooth, and kissed the child on the cheek. He continued to work, leaving Ruijin to stay quiet again.
"The silkworm cocoons are good this year!"
When Zhang Fangyuan entered the house, the villagers all greeted him politely.
"It's pretty good." Xu He looked up at Zhang Fangyuan, wanting to ask if the land issue was settled, but with the villagers busy selling silk cocoons in the yard, he didn't ask. However seeing that he looked happy, he thought there was no big problem, so he said, "We have received nearly fifty catties."
"The warehouse doesn't have to be empty now."
Just as Zhang Fangyuan finished speaking, Ruili, who had been running around the yard, ran over and stretched out his chubby little arms like lotus roots, asking Zhang Fangyuan to hug him.
Zhang Fangyuan bent down and picked up Ruili. The weather today was sunny but not hot, but Ruili was still running and sweating all over. He was so sticky and grimy, but he himself didn't seem to notice. He wrapped his arms around Zhang Fangyuan's neck and complained that his little dad kissed his brother but not him.
Xu He chuckled and said: "Xiao Li is quite the complainer. I wonder who was chasing butterflies under the osmanthus tree and refused to come over."
Zhang Fangyuan looked at the little ge'er Xiao Li who buried his head in his chest with amusement and said, "Then let big daddy give you a kiss."
Ruili then raised his head and leaned forward to let his big dad kiss him.
This time, nearly 100 kilograms of silk cocoons were collected. The high amount resulted from the early batch of silkworm cocoons was stored. Therefore, this time was equivalent to sending out two batches at once. Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He predicted that after the last batch the villagers would increase the number of silkworms they raised this year. After all, some people had already started to collect silk cocoons, and they were willing to continue if the goods could be sold smoothly.
Song Yong visited Siyang only twice a year. When he came in the spring to deliver the summer cloth, Zhang Fangyuan could sell the collected silk cocoons once, and then sell them again in the autumn. The timing couldn't be better.
Zhang Fangyuan felt relieved only after watching the servants spread hay on the boxes containing the silk cocoons and placed them in the brightest and driest warehouse.
"Has the government approved the land issue?"
"Approved. In the past two years, the nearby villages have been doing business, and everyone has more money in their pockets than before. As a result, it's easier for the county government to collect taxes than before. The county magistrate has a good impression of our villages. I also heard from others that the county magistrate is very friendly."
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