Chapter 51: House

The ninth month had arrived, bringing with it the autumn harvest season once again.

In previous years, planting on that thin patch of land belonging to others meant that although there was grain entering the granary after harvest, the layers of deductions left very little profit.

At best, it was just routine work with little joy of a bountiful yield.

This year, however, was different.

Now owning dozens of acres, they had jumped from tenant farmers to employers, so the first year naturally held some expectations and novelty.

Although the newly cultivated land was carefully tended and heavily fertilized, its fertility still couldn’t compare to the well-established fertile fields that had been farmed for many years.

The crops also matured later; early-harvesting farmers in the village had already reaped half their harvest, while the crops in Xianqin were only just ripe.

When the land was first opened, they had hoped to divert water for irrigation.

Unfortunately, the North Suburb’s distance from the water source made bringing water over—whether by digging channels or carrying it themselves—too time-consuming, which would cause them to miss the spring planting season.

Missing spring sowing meant this year’s autumn harvest would likely be wasted.

Tenant households didn’t have much surplus grain to last two years.

Therefore, they had planted dryland wheat instead.

The climate in Fengyuan Town was not particularly suited for wheat cultivation, with frequent rain disasters threatening a poor harvest.

Most people planted rice to be safe.

This year’s rainfall was moderate, and the wheat in the North Suburb grew reasonably well—not excellent, but undamaged by disasters.

Amid a sea of rice paddies, the dryland wheat stood out as a rare sight.

Villagers, out of curiosity, often made a point of coming to see the wheat.

At the end of August, the wheat waves rolled in the wind, heavy with large grains, very pleasing to the eye.

The tenant farmers in Xianqin started preparing for the harvest.

Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan specially instructed the eatery affairs and stayed in the village to oversee the wheat harvest.

The process of harvesting wheat was not much different from that of rice: cutting, threshing, winnowing with the wind…a series of complicated procedures.

By the time the grain was ready for supply, it was already October.

This year’s wheat yield was about one shi per mu of land.

Tenants kept 40%, while the Imperial Court and employers split the remaining 60%.

Tenants gradually delivered their grain until the last household finished.

Cao Wen flipped through the Grain Ledger and summarized, “All in all, about ten shi of wheat have been stored in the granary.”

“Thirty acres bringing in this much isn’t a lot.”

Currently, one shi of wheat in town sold for over a thousand wen, even higher than rice prices, benefiting from rice’s abundance and wheat’s scarcity.

Even if all these ten shi of grain were sold for silver, it would barely amount to over ten taels.

Compared to money made from business, it was much less—slow and small in return.

The eatery’s monthly net profit during off-season was still higher than this.

Moreover, wheat had to be tended for many months.

Setting aside fertilizer costs and expenses for making farming tools, this year’s harvest only just covered the input costs.

But after October, the land could still be used to plant beans and seasonal melons, bringing in a little extra income.

Looking at the grain piled at home, Xu Duoyan said, “Compared to other employers, having this much in the first year is still very good.”

“It almost feels like all the effort was for nothing, but we can’t count it that way.”

Cao Wen said, “Opening this land only took effort at the start. After spring plowing, we hardly needed to worry, as the tenants took care of it. It’s much easier than farming the land ourselves.”

“You’re talking about the direct accounts. When we bought the land, it was only three taels of silver per mu. Now look, if we resell it, how much could it fetch?”

The barren land they bought was worthless, but now, after many hands had opened it, it was no longer wilderness.

Though not prime farmland, it was dry land ready for sowing.

Selling it should easily bring over ten taels per mu.

Thirty acres would be over three hundred taels, a multiple increase in value.

Xu Duoyan raised an eyebrow, “Naturally, if it were only about the accounts you just mentioned, no one would bother opening land for a living.”

The first year, employers still put in some effort.

Now that the land was opened, it would only get easier.

Unless there were adverse weather conditions, it was almost like sitting and collecting grain.

Even if the annual income was only about ten or twenty taels, it seemed small, but it required little effort. It was like saving money and earning interest.

For ordinary families, this money was significant.

Only because their business was expanding and their income was large did it seem small in comparison.

The land opened last year had returned yields this year, and the town’s harvest had clearly increased compared to the previous year.

The Tingzhang was delighted and promptly released the Court Official Land in the North Suburb.

Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan immediately went to check it out.

Based on their previous conduct and following proper procedures, the Tingzhang allocated eighteen acres to them under the agreed terms.

This brought their total to fifty acres, the maximum allowed for leasing barren land.

Beyond this, any additional land had to be bought at a high price.

But owning this much land was already a considerable asset.

With business running outside, in a small town like this, it was enough for a comfortable life.

Holding the land deed for the eighteen acres, Cao Wen said, “Let’s go back and ask the folks in Xianqin if they want to rent more land. If so, better to rent early to avoid delaying spring sowing.”

He guessed most tenants would want it.

With ten or so tenant farming households in Xianqin, thirty acres meant two to three acres per family, not much.

If there had been more land before, everyone would have surely wanted a bit more.

Sure enough, news spread, and several larger families came immediately to rent the land, fearful of missing out.

After handling all the land-related matters, Cao Wen sold most of the wheat, exchanging it for rice.

At home, rice was still the staple, with some wheat reserved for variety.

By the time all the autumn harvest work was finished, it was already late autumn moving into winter.

This year’s spring had come early, and winter was arriving quickly and coldly; it might snow soon.

Counting the surplus money in the accounts, the two didn’t delay any longer and went into town to look for a house.

With just a few family members, even bringing in two servants for guarding and managing affairs, a two-courtyard house would be more than enough.

There were only two decent residential lanes in town, and even fewer houses for sale.

They settled on a residence on Jiaokou Lane, meeting their conditions—a two-courtyard house.

The house was only a few years old and not dilapidated.

The eaves were neat and elegant, spacious and grand.

The previous owner was in the timber business, so the house was built with quality wood.

Though it had fewer rooms than a typical two-courtyard house, the garden was exceptionally large, and the few rooms were all concentrated at one side, which suited their family’s situation perfectly.

The country was peaceful now, and the owner was moving to the county seat, so the house was on the market.

The asking price was 220 taels.

The house was good, but earlier on, the town wouldn’t have been worth that much.

Recently, however, Fengyuan Town had become lively.

Several new taverns had opened, with prices rising steadily.

After some bargaining, they settled on 200 taels.

The owner was eager to move before the New Year, and Cao Wen’s family also wanted to move in quickly to spend winter there—it was a perfect match.

Yet, after all the fuss, they didn’t take possession until the end of winter.

Before moving in, the house had to be tidied up and arranged to their liking.

Time dragged into the twelfth lunar month, and they still hadn’t moved in as planned.

Early one morning, Xu Duoyan was woken by the cold winter wind.

Seeing the tightly shut window gleaming brightly, she wasn’t sure what time it was.

Wrapped in blankets, she sat up in bed, still half asleep.

Cao Wen was still beside her, warm.

“Cao Wen.”

She called softly, but there was no answer.

Feeling a bit annoyed, she took a deep breath, then wrapped herself tighter and got out of bed to look for him.

Opening the door, a blast of cold wind cut across her face like a knife, forcing her to curl back into her blankets.

“Cao Wen.”

Walking toward the kitchen, she called again.

From outside came a faint sound.

After a moment, the door to the main hall creaked open, and she turned to see Cao Wen rubbing his hands as he came in.

“Where did you go so early?”

Xu Duoyan turned back toward the bed, but just as she spoke, a cold chill ran through her body—

Cao Wen slipped into her blankets, pressing against her like a living ice sculpture.

“Did you go to the river to bathe?”

“What bath at this time? It’s snowing outside.”

“Snowing?”

Xu Duoyan looked out in disbelief.

The door was closed, so she pushed Cao Wen away to open it.

The main hall door opened again, revealing a bare, vast field shrouded in snowy mist.

Though the distance was obscured, nearby dry grass stubble was clearly coated with frost.

Tiny snowflakes fell, landing on her shoulders with a soft patter.

For a moment, Xu Duoyan forgot the cold and looked up at the gently falling snowflakes, watching them dance across her eyelids.

“I’ve been in Fengyuan Town for many years, but it’s my first time seeing snow.”

Cao Wen, afraid she’d catch a chill, reached out and wrapped the blankets around her: “When the wind picks up, more snow will fall. These few flakes are just melting as they touch the ground; they won’t accumulate.”

He had seen plenty of snow before, often on missions when heavy snowstorms were common.

“What about Mother?”

“Early this morning, some village aunts came to invite her to the market, saying it’s cold and she should buy some mutton for soup.”

Lu Lingbi had also made two close friends in the village of the same age, often going to temple fairs and markets together.

Neither Cao Wen nor Xu Duoyan interfered—having company was the best for the elderly.

“But with the snow today, the roads might be bad.”

Cao Wen said, “I already told Mother that if it rains or snows, she mustn’t walk—she should take the cart back.”

Xu Duoyan was relieved and said, “It’s only early twelfth month, and it’s snowing already. It might get even colder later. We must tell the workers fixing the house to hurry so the new place can be ready before the New Year.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely move in before the New Year. It’s almost done, just a couple more days’ work.”

Cao Wen rubbed Xu Duoyan’s back gently, “If you’re cold, stay inside and sleep more. There’s nothing to do outside in the snow anyway.”

Though Xu Duoyan was a bit reluctant to stop watching the snow, the flakes were small and unexciting now.

Listening to Cao Wen’s advice, she waited for the wind to bring heavier snow, and they returned inside together.

She crawled back into bed, telling Cao Wen, “Bring me another blanket; I’m cold.”

Cao Wen smiled, “No worries, I won’t feel cold once I’m under here.”

He began removing his clothes.

“You’re not one to love sleeping in, yet you’re still going back to sleep?”

Xu Duoyan raised an eyebrow at him as he stripped off his outerwear and approached the bed.

Before she could say, “Aren’t you cold taking off your clothes at this time?” she realized something.

Sure enough, once Cao Wen slipped under the covers, he didn’t stay still.

Looking at the clear daylight, it was their first time clinging to each other at such an hour, which made her feel a little shy.

Cao Wen looked down at her, unable to hide the heat rising from within.

He had been waiting all day for this moment.

Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “I promise to make you feel good this time.”

Xu Duoyan smiled faintly.

It had always been good before, and she wouldn’t mind another round.

Not reading too much into his words, she replied, “Alright then.”