Huo Xi took Huo Erhuai and Yang to see the two Zhuangzi they had just acquired.
First we went to Tangquan Town.
Tangquan Town is located northeast of the capital. There are cold springs and hot springs in the town, hence its name.
Because of the good water quality, there are many breweries and vinegar breweries in Tangquan Town, which is the main industry of the town. Since it is not far from the capital, all the wealthy families have their own houses in Tangquan Town. They usually like to come here to relax and have fun.
In the early years, Huo Xi often followed Huo Erhuai here, and often went to Shuangquan Village below Tangquan Town and the surrounding areas to collect and sell wine.
Even though she doesn't come here often now, Huo Erhuai and the guys who buy Guangfeng Water still come here often. All kinds of wine and vinegar in Shuangquan Town are still sold at Huo's floating grocery store and Guangfeng Water, and they are still very popular.
good.
Zhuangzi here is not easy to buy. This time, it was Mu Yan who helped push the news first. People thought he wanted to buy it, so they didn't let the news out, which gave Huo Xi an advantage.
Huo Xi and the others stopped the boat and entered Zhuangzi.
The three remaining servants of Zhuangzi came out to welcome him.
Huo Xi glanced at the three farm servants, old and weak, and without saying much, motioned for them to follow them into the farmyard.
They led us all the way and took a closer look.
This village covers an area of 280 acres. It was originally used for nobles to relax and enjoy. It has many courtyards. In addition to the three main courtyards, there are several small courtyards. Together with the courtyards of more than a dozen farm servants, it looks like a small village.
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Normally, 280 acres is not a small area, but less than half of it is used for growing grain, and the rest is used for growing flowers and digging ponds for soup.
There are many flowers of various colors in Zhuangzi, and there are even more varieties of chrysanthemums. This is inseparable from the fact that people in the capital love to watch chrysanthemums during the Double Ninth Festival.
In addition to flowers, there are also many fruit trees of various colors, and there are even more plum trees. There is a plum garden in the village. I heard that the original owner liked to invite friends to enjoy the plum blossoms in winter.
Looking along the way, I saw that Zhuangzi built it very well, with landscaped soup pools and small courtyards everywhere. They were built in an orderly manner and planned extremely elegantly. It can be regarded as an excellent place to rest and relax.
Entering the main courtyard, the servants from the three households came together to pay homage to the new owner.
Huo Xi signaled to Huo Erhuai, and Huo Erhuai straightened his body and called him up. After saying a few words, he felt weak all over and quietly looked at Huo Xi.
Huo Xi smiled and looked at the remaining three families.
The original owner of Zhuangzi was a wealthy man. When he sold Zhuangzi, the original head of the village and about a dozen households followed him. The remaining three households, with their sons and daughters, old and young, were afraid that they would not be able to survive.
People will have nowhere to go.
It seems honest.
Huo Xi compared the deeds of the servants one by one and said, "None of my family are harsh masters. If you do your part well, life will be good."
"yes."
I asked again about the original situation of Zhuangzi, the planting situation, and the original source of income.
There are more than 130 acres of fertile farmland in Zhuangzi. Because of the good water quality, the grain yield is about four shi per mu, mostly rice.
Some flowers and fruits are also sold during various festivals, but the profit is not much. These flowers and fruits are cultivated to entertain the host or guests, so they do not sell much.
Huo Xi stayed in Zhuangzi for a day, looked around, and had some thoughts in his mind.
The servants of the three households were called over and asked one by one to recommend a village head. Two families recommended Zhao Zhutou.
Huo Xi nodded, she also liked Zhao Zhutou.
Zhao Zhutou was in his early thirties, at the prime of his life. Not only was he literate, but he also worked as a steward in his old master's shop, so he was knowledgeable.
He was not taken away by his old owner because he had an old father and mother, a wife and children, and a large family. Except for him, who was a laborer, the whole family was old and weak. The old owner abandoned his family.
Huo Xi felt that using such a person would not have any connection with the old master.
Of course, the other two families, the Gao family and the Shi family, are also old and weak, and have also been abandoned by their old owners, so there will be no connection with them. However, no one in these two families is literate, and they are all honest and humble farm slaves.
"Zhuangzi handed it over to Zhao Zhutou. From now on, he will be the new head of Zhuangzhuang. The Gao family is responsible for the fields, and the Shi family is responsible for the flowers, fruit trees, and soup ponds."
The three families did not expect that the new owner's family did not send a new village owner, but chose one from among the three families.
Moreover, the two families that were not selected also received important responsibilities, and each was responsible for a lot of things. It was unbelievable for the three families who were abandoned by their old owners and were worried about the future.
When the response came to their senses, they all kowtowed and thanked each other: "I will live up to my master's trust."
Zhao Zhutou's heart was beating fiercely. He was following his old owner around in his shop. Originally, the old owner planned to start a sea trade business. He thought he could be of greater use by following him. Unexpectedly, a family
The person was abandoned.
After being decadent for several days, he didn't expect that the new master would directly let him become the head of the village?
Seeing Zhao Zhutou looking up at him, Huo Xi looked at him: "Why, you are not qualified?"
Zhao Zhutou glanced at Huo Xi and saw that the new master next to him did not speak, but it was a little strange to let this son speak.
But as a servant, it is the duty of a servant not to talk too much and not to ask questions that should not be asked, so he lowered his head: "Yes, I can do the job. Thank you for your trust, Master."
Huo Xi nodded: "Let's keep this Zhuangzi as it is. After the autumn harvest, I will rearrange it. You first have to re-do Zhuangzi's accounts. What industries does Zhuangzi have, how much is the harvest, what additional items may be added in the future, and what expenditures are there."
Verify everything and I will check it out after a while."
Zhao Zhutou wrote them down one by one.
Then I heard the young master's instructions: "Prepare a new deed with the tenants, and the tenant rent will remain as it is. Zhuangzi needs to add at least three more servants to the village, and it is up to you to choose these people. But my principle is to be honest, or to
Those who are good at farming, or those who are good at maintenance and breeding. It is best to have one skill."
"Yes. I understand, little one."
After making arrangements for things in Zhuangzi, they stayed one night in Zhuangzi. The next day, the family went to Zhuangzi on the other side of Jiangjun Mountain.
The Zhuangzi in Jiangjun Mountain is not far from Master Mu's Zhuangzi. Huo Xi had stayed in Master Mu's Zhuangzi and knew that the soil quality in the Zhuangzi in Jiangjun Mountain was not as good as that in Tangquan Town.
Moreover, most of the people who come here to buy Zhuangzi have ancestral tombs buried near Jiangjun Mountain, unlike those in Tangquan Town where most of them are a place for wealthy people to visit because of the Tangchizi.
The soil here is not fertile, but fortunately there are many water systems, so watering and irrigation is convenient.
When we arrived at Jiangjun Mountain, we first entered Mu Yan's village and invited Ji Zhuangtou to go with him.
His family had helped Mu Yan guard Zhuangzi for many years. They were familiar with the nearby Zhuangzi and were also familiar with the nearby Zhuangtou farmers. Taking him along and being introduced by him would save some trouble.
Ji Zhuangtou never thought that in just a short time, the Huo family would buy Zhuangzi.
It turned out that he was just borrowing money from his master's Zhuangzi to do business. It didn't take long for him to buy a Zhuangzi, which was much bigger than his own.
We all got to know each other after spending some time together, and Ji Zhuangtou introduced the situation of Zhuangzi along the way.