Another Small Hill

 

At this moment, as the early summer eased up, upon hearing Jing Yi’s explanation, Chuxia couldn’t help but sigh at his limited exposure. The goldfish in the city, the stones in Jizhou, none of them excited him.

 

But this estate was a gift from Jing Yi. He was more knowledgeable and must know its worth.

 

Sighing, Chuxia thought to himself that he shouldn’t nag his husband too much, but he couldn’t resist muttering, “Forty mu of fertile land for 480 taels, and twenty mu of ordinary land for 200 taels. Spending 1,200 taels is quite expensive.”

 

Jing Yi remained silent for a long time. Chuxia peeked at him and wondered if his nagging had upset him. He saw a look of difficulty on his face, and quickly changed his tone to console him, “Alright, I know you have your reasons, my husband.”

 

Jing Yi hesitated and said, “Um, Xiaxia, there’s another matter. Besides the tenant farmers moving in, there’s also an elderly couple living in the backyard. They used to be responsible for the estate’s maintenance and gatekeeping. Since they’re old and the previous owner didn’t want to take them, I felt sorry for them and let them stay. It’s just ten taels of silver.”

 

Chuxia smiled and reassured him, “My husband, this is a good thing. We don’t mind having a couple more mouths to feed. They are familiar with the estate, and we won’t need to hire anyone extra. It’s a win-win.”

 

However, when he finished speaking, he noticed that Jing Yi still looked troubled. Something didn’t seem right. He continued with concern, “Husband, is there something wrong with this estate?”

 

Jing Yi looked at Chuxia, realizing he misunderstood. He thought he should be straightforward and got straight to the point.

 

“Xiaxia, there’s one more thing. You don’t have to worry, though.”

 

Chuxia, becoming more anxious, asked, “What is it?”

 

“First, the estate is located near a tributary of the Qingzhou River, the same river that passes through our Village. It’s quite wide here, and I’ve checked it. Boats can easily pass through, providing great convenience. On the west side, there’s some wasteland. We can dig it out and build a small dock. It could be beneficial for future travel.”

 

Chuxia, still worried, replied, “It sounds like a lot of trouble. We can travel quickly by horse carriage, and besides, building a dock isn’t simple. We would need all the necessary permissions.”

 

Chuxia, who was now experienced in business, understood that many things weren’t as straightforward as they seemed, like building a private dock, which would involve complex procedures and the land itself might not be free.

 

“Well… it’s not too complicated. I’ve already bought the wasteland,” Jing Yi admitted, sneaking a look at Chuxia.

 

Chuxia caught that cunning glint in his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to stay calm, asking, “Which area?”

 

“It’s… the western side of the tributary of the Qingzhou River, the part suitable for building a dock. Also, a bit further to the west, there’s a small hill. I bought that too,” Jing Yi answered, speaking more quietly as he looked at Chuxia’s reaction.

 

“Jing Yi! This is a big deal!” Chuxia was genuinely angry this time. Jing Yi was being so reckless!

 

“Xiaxia, I bought it because it was a good deal. When I purchased this estate, I got the small hill as part of the deal. It’s around three hundred mu and cost only six hundred taels.”

 

At the moment, the price of wasteland was even cheaper than barren land. Six hundred taels for such an area was indeed a good deal.

 

“Don’t be upset, my dear. I didn’t spend the money recklessly. I thought about how to plan this when I bought it. You are clever, and I’m not wasteful, my dear.” Jing Yi moved closer and closer, snuggling up to Chuxia.

 

“It’s not about the money. I just thought that for this estate and the hill, the amount of money involved isn’t trivial. We should have discussed it with my parents beforehand. It’s unfair to them. It’s also unreasonable because we haven’t separated from the family.”

 

Chuxia looked at Jing Yi and continued to express his concerns.

 

Jing Yi suddenly realized Chuxia’s worries. Indeed, in ancient times, filial piety was highly valued. Jing Yi had financial freedom now because his parents understood the greater good.

 

If he were in another family where they didn’t follow this same sense of reason, especially in cases where assets were still communal within the family, no matter how much a child earned, the property was still considered communal, and it would be up to the head of the family to distribute the resources as they saw fit.

 

In this case, what Jing Yi had done was considered excessive. He had taken things for granted and lost sight of the bigger picture, forgetting that he should respect the traditions and views of the people here.

 

“Alright, Xiaxia, I didn’t handle this matter properly. It’s because you’re not with me to keep me in check. Well, it’s not about being thrifty now, my dear, it’s about us making decisions together!”

 

Chuxia playfully responded with a soft, “Hmph,” but he couldn’t help smiling, “But what about my parents? I won’t help you with that.”

 

“Please don’t. My parents really like you! Help me a bit. I’ll say that the seller was in a hurry and didn’t have time to notify you. You can speak on my behalf, can you, lovely Xiaxia?”

 

With a tall figure and this level of sweetness, it was impossible to resist.

 

“Alright, alright.”

 

As they spoke, steward Tong, arrived with an umbrella to pick them up. Chuxia added, “Let’s set this matter aside for now. By the way, for that barren hill you’ve already arranged, don’t transfer it to my name. It would be a hassle to go through the formalities.”

 

He couldn’t handle having this large estate.

 

“Sure, we can change the title at the county office in a few days,” Jing Yi firmly concluded.

 

After sorting things out, the two of them, along with steward Tong, went through the estate again, carefully listing the areas that needed renovation. They provided these details to steward Tong, who would oversee the renovations.

 

Back home, they informed Jing Yi’s parents about the estate and the hill. While Jing Yi’s father didn’t have much to say about the estate passing to Chuxia, Jing Yi’s mother did express some reservations about his purchase of a seemingly useless hill.

 

However, considering that Jing Yi was known for his strong convictions and had a plan in mind, his mother decided not to push the issue further, lest she jinx her child’s venture.

 

Jing Yi and Chuxia were oblivious to his mother’s unease and spent these days being extra cautious. Jing Yi’s father remained cheerful and even mentioned that he wanted to visit the estate and the hill someday. He was particularly interested in the idea of building a private dock.

 

Regarding Jing Yi’s unauthorized acquisition of property, no one said a word. Jing’s father was always wise and followed the old saying – not turning a deaf ear or a blind eye to the world.

 

Three days later, with the clear weather, Jing Yi and Chuxia went to the county, completed the transfer of the estate, and inquired about the procedures for building a private dock.

 

The estate transfer was straightforward, but surprisingly, the dock construction procedures were not overly complicated. Once completed, they needed the local officials to measure and inspect before use. It could also be used for commercial purposes, indicating its openness.

 

After obtaining various contracts, they returned to Fuyang Town, where the construction of the estate and the dock had commenced. Master Liao, brought twenty workers – ten for the estate and ten for the dock.

 

Those workers wouldn’t suffice for the dock construction, so they hired twenty more from Xiwan Village. Combined with the eight tenant farmers’ strong labor force, it was sufficient.

 

Upon hearing that the dock could be used for commercial purposes, Jing Yi decided to upgrade the small dock into a luxurious large one, just in case. Ever since Chuxia’s reminder, he decided to be more open with his parents regarding his business activities. Chuxia thought, “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

 

The estate and dock were entrusted to Master Liao and steward Tong. Jing Yi would visit occasionally to check the progress and ensure quality.

 

Chuxia, after their heartfelt conversation on the bed, wasn’t toiling away every day at Ningxia Pavillion anymore. He would occasionally take a break.

 

A few days ago, he took the time to visit the Lin family and see their newly acquired fifteen mu of good farmland. Now that Lin’s father was also keen on land acquisition, despite it being somewhat distant from the Wang family estate, he had purchased it. He planned to have a donkey cart to assist their farmworkers, which would be cost-effective and time-saving.

 

Seeing his family prosper, Chuxia was elated. His father, mother, and big sister had established businesses, and his two younger brothers were studying steadily at school. He heard that Xiao Jiang was often praised by their tutor, and they had become more capable than before.

 

Chuxia was no longer obsessed with work, occasionally visiting his big sister and brothers to chat, making his life immensely fulfilling.

 

One day, the couple was enjoying a cozy meal at the Jing family’s small restaurant when Jing Feng came by.

 

“Brother! Sister-in-law, I’ll die starving, could I have a bowl, please?” He was clamoring as soon as he arrived.

 

“Hey, you, watch your words. Where have you been? Why don’t you have a proper meal?” Jing Yi chided, reminding his younger brother not to be so disrespectful. Although he was still young, one should never take life and death lightly.

 

“Ah, my bad, Brother. I just came from home. It’s the planting season now, and I’m going back to help big brother.”

 

“That’s more like it. You and Xiao Lan can come to town to work, and your brother and Third Uncle and Aunt must be busy at home. You can lend a hand, or consider hiring someone; just don’t wear out your Third Uncle’s family.”

 

Jing Yi had always been concerned about their relatives and often thought about those with good relationships.

 

“By the way, how’s our lantern shop doing recently?” After giving advice, he didn’t forget to ask about Jing Feng’s business.

 

“At the beginning of the year, business wasn’t great. Customers who came to browse thought our shop’s styles were outdated. You once told me to visit other towns or even the county. So, I and Dan Tian indeed went to the county once. Although we were nervous in the county, we learned quite a few new styles.”

 

Jing Feng began sharing their experience in the county, and he had become a young man who had been to the county.

 

“We also bought some beautiful paper kites from the county. Dan Tian believes we can make similar ones.”

 

Jing Fengi’s eyes lit up as he spoke, anticipating that their shop would soon have new products.

 

“That’s great; it shows your ability to learn from others.” Jing Yi was pleased.

 

“There’s one more thing I mentioned before. We could go to the town or countryside and find artisans who make small items we can sell, increasing our shop’s inventory. Don’t worry; I’ve got it on my mind. But I’m concerned that if we find other people, Dan Tian might feel uncomfortable. I was thinking about discussing it with you.”

 

Jing Feng was taken aback and raised his hands to gesture that he wasn’t interested in revisiting the topic of profit distribution.