Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He had been busy for two days straight, registering the tenant farmers and completing their household registrations at the county office. The county magistrate was pleased with how well the matter had been handled, as it resolved the issue of over twenty refugees. He even commended Zhang Fangyuan at the county office and encouraged other merchants in the city to follow suit and take in refugees.
Gradually, more wealthy families began hiring refugees as long-term laborers, washerwomen, and the like.
The refugees were initially taken to the village, but since there was no proper housing yet, Zhang Fangyuan temporarily settled them at the tea shed. The guesthouse had been mostly empty recently, so they cleared out two rooms to serve as dormitories, providing a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
However, this was not a long-term solution. Zhang Fangyuan decided to lend money to the refugees to build houses and settle in Jijiu Village.
Naturally, the land for the houses had been approved by the county office. The imperial court had issued orders for all prefectures to accept disaster-stricken refugees and not drive them away. If refugees had a way to settle, the county government would fully support it.
With more people, tax revenues would increase, and the county magistrate was eager to see the local population grow and prosper. However, he was cautious about refugees from other counties. While he was willing to support those like Zhang Fangyuan's group who had a clear plan for settlement, many unplaced refugees roamed the city, creating a difficult situation.
In truth, the county office could have lent money to the refugees for housing, but few officials were willing to spend their own funds on such projects. After all, a county magistrate might not stay in one place for life and could be transferred elsewhere. If they invested their own money and didn't see a return before being transferred, it would be a wasted effort and a bad debt.
Zhang Fangyuan, however, was willing to lend money for this reason: if he didn't hire refugees as tenant farmers, he would have to hire poor locals. After the recent disasters, it was easier to find tenant farmers than in years of good harvests, but as a newly established landlord, his reputation wasn't as strong as other landlords in the county, so fewer people were willing to work for him.
If he couldn't find tenant farmers, he would have to hire laborers to work the land, which would be costly. After weighing the options, he decided it was better to lend money to the tenant farmers rather than spend it on hired labor.
First, the money was a loan and would eventually be repaid. Even if it was uncertain when it would be repaid, it was still better than spending the money outright with no return. Second, the refugees were tied to his land and couldn't just leave after a year of farming. Even the most frugal families would need four or five good years to save enough to buy their own land and escape tenant farming.
Hiring laborers, on the other hand, would require annual expenses. Xu He, who was good with calculations, saw that in the long run, it was better to invest now for greater and more stable returns in the future.
"My husband and I are not harsh people. As long as you work honestly, we will never mistreat you. For now, you can stay at the guesthouse, and once the houses in the village are built, you can move there."
Xu He made the arrangements: "Each adult can borrow up to five hundred coins to build a house and cover living expenses. The seeds for this year's spring planting will also be provided based on the amount of land you apply for. The seeds must be repaid after the autumn harvest, and the money has a three-year term. The interest rate is half that of the city's money shops. If the loan is not repaid after three years, the interest rate will match that of the city's money shops."
The refugees, who had been brought to the countryside, were relieved to see that the landlord had addressed their most pressing concerns. Not only were they being lent money to build houses, but the interest rate was also lower than any money shop in the city. After a long journey of displacement, they finally felt they had reached the end of their wandering and could settle down.
"Thank you, sir, for your kindness. We will work diligently on your land to repay your generosity."
One by one, they knelt in the guesthouse, bowing deeply to Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He.
The weather hadn't fully warmed up yet, so Zhang Fangyuan urged the tenant farmers to quickly build their houses so as not to delay the planting season.
In fact, the tenant farmers were even more anxious than he was. They rose earlier than the roosters and slept later than the dogs, all to keep up with the spring planting schedule.
[日日起的比鸡还早，睡的比狗还迟 (rì rì qǐ de bǐ jī hái zǎo, shuì de bǐ gǒu hái chí): lit. They rise earlier than the roosters and sleep later than the dogs every day; fig. Describing someone who works extremely hard and puts in long hours.]
Since the refugees had come from the same village, they helped each other and quickly laid the foundations for their houses.
The sudden influx of so many people into the village, with seven or eight new households being established, made the original villagers feel somewhat uneasy and resistant to outsiders.
When they saw the tenant farmers going up the public mountain to cut wood for their houses or picking wild vegetables by the fields, they felt uncomfortable. Not daring to complain directly to the Zhang family, they went to the village chief to grumble.
The village chief, however, was cheerful. The refugees weren't just taken in by the Zhang family, it was also a request from the county office. The county magistrate had recently called him in and instructed him to ensure the refugees were properly settled. He was now following government orders, and if there were benefits, they would naturally follow.
But if he told the villagers this, he would be scolded for being heartless, so he played the sympathy card: "These refugees are poor people who have suffered multiple disasters and have nowhere to go. Think about it, if it wasn't for Zhang Fangyuan stockpiling charcoal and helping everyone earn money, wouldn't we still be struggling?"
"Look at the other villages. Which one hasn't suffered? Put yourselves in their shoes. Having more people in our village is a good thing. When it comes to water irrigation or dividing public land, we'll have more options, won't we?"
"Look at those children among the refugees. They're so thin, just skin and bones. Adults can endure hardship, but don't you all have children? Can you bear to see them suffer? Give them a way to survive. They're already here, so why be so harsh?"
After being scolded like this, the villagers were indeed moved. Their hearts softened: "We're not being mean. We're just worried about encountering thieves like the Guang family back then. We treated them well, but they still stole from us."
"That's all in the past. Didn't the Zhang family send them to the county office?"
The villagers had no more to say. After chatting for a while at the village chief's house, they went home.
After this incident, the original villagers became less hostile toward the refugees. Partly because the village chief had spoken up for them, and partly because they were the Zhang family's tenant farmers. As the saying goes, "If you don't respect the monk, at least respect the Buddha."
[不看僧面看佛面 (bù kàn sēng miàn kàn fó miàn): lit. If you don’t respect the monk, at least respect the Buddha; fig. Showing respect for someone due to their connections or status, even if you don’t respect them directly.]
Some kind-hearted villagers, seeing the tenant farmers digging for wild vegetables, even brought them extra radishes and cabbages from their own fields.
Although spring had arrived and wild vegetables like bamboo shoots and ferns were plentiful, they were still wild plants. While city folk might enjoy them as a novelty, farming families found them bland if eaten every day.
But no matter what, spring was better than the depths of winter. At least now, no one would starve to death.
Thank you for the updates!!!!!
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