叭哒漫画

The situation of the wasteland to the south of the city was explained in a letter by the wet nurse to Wei Ruo, indicating that land belonged to no one and was by law the property of the Government Office. If the common people wanted to cultivate it, they would require approval from the government.

In the past, the magistrate of Xingshan County did not object to the reclamation of ordinary wastelands, and the wasteland to the south was even more unclaimed, given it was land that most people did not want. If someone had the guts to dare to till a barren piece of land where no crops would grow, they had no reason to disagree.

However, the current situation is different due to the ravages of the Japanese Pirates. Although the southward direction of the city is less likely to be affected by the pirates due to its strategic geographical advantage, making it a hundred times safer than the east of the city, there are still risks involved, hence the Government Office is not very keen on allowing ordinary residents to exit the southern gate of the city.

The common people can’t get that land at all, as the Government Office won’t permit it.

If the Military Prefecture made a request, would this situation change? Although Wei Ruo did not want to have overt involvement with the Military Prefecture in such matters, the image of emaciated beggars she saw on the street plagued her mind from time to time.

In addition, during these days, she was beginning to understand the plight of Xingshan County. While natural disasters and human suffering might not have affected the Military Prefecture significantly, it was the common people at the bottom of society who deeply felt the bitter effects.

She knew that if the matter could be resolved, she would be able to help some people within her power. Although she could not assist everyone, every individual she could help meant a saved life!

Moreover, she was indeed eager to experiment with improving saline-alkali soil.

After much reflection, Wei Ruo decided to visit Yun, who lived in Cangyun Garden.

Yun had just finished checking last month’s account books with the shopkeeper.

Just as the shopkeeper exited, Wei Ruo entered.

“Ruo, how come you’re here today? Wait a moment, let your mom finish dealing with these account books,” Yun said without consciously avoiding Wei Ruo, not realizing that Wei Ruo might understand the content of the books. Wei Ruo was patient and stood by, scanning the contents of the account book Yun was handling.

After browsing a few pages, she realized the shop was running at a loss. Unsurprisingly, the Wei Family had been falling on hard times for the past two years. Crop failure in the rural properties had led to corresponding losses in the shops.

After a while, Yun finished going through the remaining account books, put them all away, and invited Wei Ruo to sit down next to her.

“Ruo, did you come to see me with a specific matter in mind?” Yun inquired. It had been over a month since Wei Ruo returned to the Wei Family, and this was only the second time she had sought Yun out. The first time, it was because she wanted to visit the rural property north of the city. Therefore, Yun was convinced that Wei Ruo must have some request this time too.

“Mother, I’ve heard that the yields from our family’s rural properties have not been good these past two years. The crops produced aren’t even sufficient for our own consumption,” Wei Ruo said.

Upon hearing this, Yun’s visibly paused; obviously, she had not expected Wei Ruo to say this.

After a slight sigh, she responded, “This is not something you need to worry about. I wonder which servant has been speaking out of turn. I need to correct them.”

“It’s not the servants. When I went to the north of the city that time, I noticed it,” Wei Ruo explained.

-Ah, right. You should understand these things,” Yun agreed.

After all, she had grown up in the countryside and had been exposed to farming from a young age. It was only natural that she knew more than the typical lady shielded in the boudoir.

Yun explained, “The situation isn’t unique to our family. The entire Xingshan County, even the whole Taizhou prefecture, has had poor harvests this past two years. Naturally, our properties in Xingshan County were not exempt.” “However, Ruo, there is no need to worry too much. Our family situation isn’t that dire. Thanks to your father’s salary, we also have some savings. Life may be a little harder, but we won’t be left destitute. The ones truly suffering are the common people. They already had a hard time dealing with the Japanese Pirates; these poor harvests only add insult to injury. Their lives grow harder each passing day.”

Seeing that the conversation’s atmosphere was suitable, Wei Ruo brought up the barren land to the south of the city.

“Mother, the barren land to the south is still vacant. If it could be cultivated, it might solve the food problem for many people,” she suggested.

Yun shook her head with a smile, “Ruo, it’s a good thing that you are concerned about the family. But that wasteland is so barren that even weeds can barely grow there. It’s just not suitable for farming.”

“Mother, when I was at Mo Jiazha, an old woman taught me a method to cultivate crops on barren land. Perhaps it could be applied to the barren land south of the city.”

“Different types of barren lands have different attributes. Xingshan County is near the sea, as everyone knows, and crops cannot grow on land near the sea. That’s different from the land at Mo Jiazha.”

“What if that method works in this case too? Mother, if we were able to grow crops on barren land, that could feed many people. Furthermore, it would be a respectable achievement and could be hugely beneficial to father’s political career.”

Upon hearing Wei Ruo bring up Wei Mingting’s political career, Yun’s expression changed noticeably.

However, after pondering over it a while, she still felt that the proposal was unrealistic.

“Ruo, your thought process is commendable, but the matter is really not as simple as you think…”

“Indeed, it is not simple. But, mother, even if we fail, there is no loss The public will know that we, the Wei Family, tried our best to ensure they had food to eat. This perception could be beneficial too,” Wei Ruo explained the pros and cons to Yun.

Upon careful thought, Yun felt there was truth in Wei Ruo’s argument. For the Wei family, reputation was of paramount importance. Gaining the respect and support of common people would potentially be very beneficial to her husband’s promotion.

Given the stagnant progress in resisting the Japanese pirates, the imperial court had already expressed its dissatisfaction with the soldiers of Xingshan County. Recently, there had even been rumours about removing all the soldiers from their posts in Xingshan County.

This was also the reason why her husband had been absent of late, spending his days and nights trying to find a solution to the Japanese pirate situation.

Yun felt slightly swayed.

After deep thought, Yun said to Wei Ruo, “Your mother can’t make a decision on this matter. Let’s wait until your father returns. I’ll discuss it with him, and he can make the final call.”

“Alright.” Wei Ruo was aware that if she wanted to push matters forward, Wei Mingting would have to take the initiative.

###

At dinner that night, Wei Mingting was still absent. It had been ten days since he last dined with everyone.

Counting the first day they met, Wei Ruo had only met him four times in total, and they barely spoke on each occasion.

She initially thought she wouldn’t have the chance to discuss the issue of the barren land south of the city with Wei Mingting that day. However, before Wei Ruo went to sleep, her maid Cuiping was called by Yun and asked to pass a message that her father wished to see her in Cangyun Garden.

Wei Ruo got dressed again, went to Cangyun Garden, and saw Wei Mingting, whom she hadn’t seen for quite some time.

His stern and frosty demeanor was the same as always, but he seemed more weary compared to the last time they met. His arm was wrapped in a white bandage – he must have been injured a few days ago.

“I just heard from your mother that you have a method of farming on the barren land to the south of the city, is that true?” asked Wei Mingting..