Transmigrated As A Scholar Chapter 61 Part 2

 Seeing the long line for meat, Fang Yu had it split into two lines and personally distributed the meat strips to the commoners.

"Thank you, Master Qiao! May Master Qiao's business prosper!"

"Charitable Master Qiao, may you live a hundred years!"

"It really is meat! May Master Qiao be blessed with many sons and much happiness!"

This was Fang Yu's first time participating in almsgiving. He saw that the poor commoners coming forward to receive items would first clasp their hands and offer a blessing before taking anything. Whether it was for the sake of receiving items or genuine feeling, it couldn't help but make one's heart feel gratified.

"Thank you, Young Master Qiao. May Young Master Qiao's beauty last forever."

"Young Master Qiao, why are the things distributed in this year's almsgiving so much more than in previous years?"

Hearing a commoner's question, Fang Yu glanced over and saw Qiao Hezhi softly replying, "This year's almsgiving follows the usual custom. Furthermore, my husband achieved high rank in the autumn provincial examinations, so we distributed a bit more."

The young man's tone rose slightly, pride mixed within. Noticing this, Fang Yu found he couldn't contain the smile that reached his own eyes, he also lowered his gaze and smiled.

"Sir, please don't just stand there grinning foolishly. Give the meat strip to me, please. I still want to queue over there to get a piece of cloth to make a new dress for my wife."

"Oh, oh... sorry." Fang Yu, unusually, felt his face flush. He quickly handed over the meat strip he was holding, then paused. "Young brother, wait a moment."

He beckoned a servant to bring two bolts of cloth and gave them to the man along with the meat. "The weather is getting cold. Make a good set of clothes for your wife."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Seeing this, Qiao Hezhi also glanced at Fang Yu. Their eyes met, and though neither said anything else, they both pursed their lips and smiled.

"How do they all know you?"

"Because in previous years when our family did almsgiving, I would come too. Naturally, some people recognize me." Qiao Hezhi lifted his chin. "From now on, you come too, and they'll recognize you. Later, a servant will announce who is hosting today's almsgiving. I'll have the servant include your name."

Fang Yu felt this was indeed a matter for pride, but still said, "Let it be. We won't make a show of it today. No need for special announcements. It's not too late to say it when our own family does almsgiving in the future."

"Alright then. But if someone asks, we can tell them."

The two worked together for a while. After more than half the items had been distributed, they handed the task over to the servants.

Qiao Hezhi watched as batch after batch of commoners came to receive supplies. Although the meat distribution was a big draw, there were also many more people coming to receive items than in previous years. It seemed a great number of commoners had suffered this year.

Fortunately, their family's tenant farmers had harvested relatively early and hadn't been much affected by the rains. Although a few households had suffered crop damage, the losses weren't great. On the other hand, the amount of land Fang Yu held wasn't extensive, so the losses weren't large either.

But those large landowners with hundreds of mu at their disposal must have suffered terribly, likely incurring severe losses. While checking accounts at his family's grain shop, he had seen old proprietors from other families smashing their abacuses in frustration, most likely having suffered significant losses.

Fang Yu sighed softly: After this wave passes, there will likely be many disputes between tenant farmers and landowners in the city again. In years of disaster, everything is difficult.

It was precisely because he understood the hardships of tenant farmers that he had treated the few tenant families affected by disaster leniently when collecting grain earlier, allowing them to keep enough for their own consumption. The grain owed to the family was put on an IOU to be repaid slowly later. If he pressed too hard all at once and it led to loss of life, that would be terrible.

"I see a few carriages parked outside the distribution area, as though wealthy families have come to observe."

Noticing Fang Yu's look of confusion, Qiao Hezhi explained, "It's nothing major. When a wealthy family gives alms, other merchant families come to observe. Our family is the earliest this year. Others will likely follow with their own charitable distributions in the coming days."

"I hope more wealthy families are willing to give alms. The commoners coming later today probably won't get anything."

"Every time there's almsgiving, there are always some who don't receive anything. Husband, try not to take it to heart."

Fang Yu smiled. "With Young Master's comfort, how could I not be able to take it in stride?"

By the time the almsgiving ended, the sky was already darkening. The couple did not go to Hufengjing for dinner but returned home together. Having neglected the accounts for so long and having idled during his illness these past days, it was time for Fang Yu to calculate the autumn harvest accounts.

In spring, all forty-seven mu of land had been planted with crops. Given the current backward productivity, yield per mu was only two to three hundred jin. After the 40/60 split with the tenant farmers, once the autumn harvest was fully completed, over 5,600 jin of grain entered the warehouse. Aside from grain, there were other income items. After the harvest, many tenant farmers sent various agricultural products like chickens, ducks, fish, pigs, and sheep, totaling no less than four hundred jin. As for the seasonal fruits and vegetables delivered every so often, he hadn't calculated those in detail yet.

[1 jin (斤) = 0.5 kilograms]

If the family didn't eat rare delicacies, the basic meat expenses were almost covered, significantly reducing the household's food expenditure, as could be seen directly from the accounts. Fang Yu was very satisfied with this. Having land that could supply the family's consumption was a good thing, especially with so many mouths to feed.

Having tasted the benefits, he planned to distribute a batch of chicks, ducklings, and livestock to the tenant farmers. Once grown, they could be sold for money or used for the family's consumption—all the better.

Furthermore, he didn't plan to sell any of this year's harvested grain. He would keep a portion for the family to eat and also select high-quality seeds to prepare for next year's planting. With the newly acquired fifty mu of land, these fields would require recruiting new tenant farmers, and the seed demand would also roughly double.

Tenant farmers were not difficult to find. Their reputation from the previous year was sure to draw many who would seek them out. Moreover, with this year's flood disaster, tenant farmers would be even easier to find. Speaking of new tenant farmers, Fang Yu remembered the promise he made to Xiao Qiao in spring. Hearing that the Assistant Prefect had returned to the city, he needed to find a day to pay a visit.