The wheat in the ground was still green. Old Zhou stretched out his hand and touched the thin wheat husks on the wheat ears. The thin spring rain gently wet his hands.
He lowered his head and glanced at the wheat roots in the wheat field that were rapidly absorbing the spring rain, and couldn't help but said happily: "It's a good time for this rain to come."
Zhou Dalang wiped the rain that swept onto his face and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, it's just the right time to grout the wheat."
Lao Zhoutou spent a day walking through all the fields where winter wheat was grown. Many people in the village like him came out to see the wheat fields in the rain.
The vast fields are dotted with stars and people wearing raincoats walking back and forth.
On this day, many people got wet in the rain in Luojiang County. Among them, those who got wet while walking in the fields were the happiest.
Magistrate Yang, who was also caught in the rain, was not very happy. He quickly entered the main room, took off his raincoat and threw it to the attendant. He casually took the towel handed over by the servant and wiped it, and then threw it away with a little strength.
In the hands of the servants.
The master who came out paused for a moment and asked quickly: "My lord, is there something wrong at the front office?"
"It's okay!" Is that why you're even more angry?
Yang Heshu sat on the chair and couldn't help frowning, "Is the interest rate of one tael of silver and twelve cents a month very high?"
The master said: "Not high."
"It's not high, so why doesn't anyone come to borrow cattle on credit?" Yang Heshu said: "It's been five days, and there are only six households in Luojiang County who have come to borrow cattle on credit. Now that a new round of spring plowing is about to begin, there is no one.
Heartbeat?"
The master smiled and said: "Why should you be anxious, sir? For a poor family, let alone three or four taels, even three or four cents is a big deal. If you really want to lend the cows on credit, you might as well relax your requirements. I believe it will take less than three days. The remaining
Even cattle can be taken on credit."
"Any further relaxation will mean lending cattle to the squire on credit."
The master smiled and said: "What's wrong with this? Cows are used for farming anyway."
Yang Heshu glanced at the master lightly.
The master stiffened and said with a stiff smile: "Sir?"
Yang Heshu flicked his robe and asked, "Do I look like an idiot?"
After saying that, he stood up and left.
The master froze and wanted to catch up, but he couldn't keep his face down and turned red for a moment.
Yang Heshu's follower Wan Tian quickly chased after him, "Master, why are you getting angry just by talking?"
Yang Heshu snorted.
Wan Tian said: "Actually, I think what the master said is right. There are so many cows that need to eat a lot of fodder every day. They can't get it on credit. Isn't the master upset?"
"What do you know?" Yang Heshu said angrily: "I sent so many cows, do you think it is a reselling business? Do you know that every time a cow is borrowed on credit, the county government and I will lose some money."
"I no longer care about them buying cattle on credit first like the Zhou family did, and making a slight profit from me. That's because they are poor, and I am willing to take such a harmless loss," Yang Heshu said: "But with the profit from this loss
What's the point of giving it to a squire who is not short of money?"
There was a question on Wanda's forehead, obviously he didn't understand.
Yang Heshu was so angry that he patted his head and said: "Why are you so stupid? You are worse than a child. It's a shame that you have studied with me for so many years."
Yang Heshu returned to the house and changed into fresh clothes before asking: "Do you know that child, the one named Man Bao, she borrowed silver and exchanged it for copper coins to buy cattle. How much did I lose?"
Wan Tian said with a confused look: "Didn't the young master say that the county government borrowed silver, and what it wants back is also silver? Although there is a price difference between copper plates and silver, we actually did not lose money."
"You're stupid and you still don't believe it. The county government didn't lose money when we borrowed the money on credit, but we lost money when we sold the cattle. When we bought these cattle, the county government and I paid for them in silver, not copper coins!"
Yang Heshu said: "This batch of cattle to be borrowed on credit is all priced at cost, and the price is silver. I didn't know there was such a big difference between silver and copper coins before..."
Yang Heshu paused and then said: "So, we now put every cow in the cowshed at a loss."
What made him angry was that no one came to take advantage of such a loss-making business. He was really angry!
Wan Tian finally clarified the relationship during this period, and couldn't help but become anxious, "Master, why do you specifically ask people who teach cattle credit at the county government office to first give silver on credit, and then exchange it for copper coins to buy cattle? Then
, isn’t that just a trick on yourself?”
"It doesn't count," Yang Heshu felt a little calmer after taking a sip of tea, and said: "Although I also contributed a little money, the majority was from the county government, and it was the county government that was the one who cheated, but at least the people were left behind.
Isn’t it a benefit?”
Wan Tian: ...Please forgive his stupidity, he really doesn't know the difference between this period. Isn't his young master the magistrate of Luojiang County now?
If you cheat the county government, don’t you cheat yourself?
"These people are poor, and having a cow means they have two more laborers, so their life will be easier, but those squires are not short of money. If the conditions are relaxed, they will definitely take all the cows without blinking an eye.
," Yang Heshu said: "Why should I suffer a loss and let them take advantage?"
Wan Tian couldn't help but mutter, "It's all a loss anyway..."
"What do you know?" Yang Heshu knocked him on the head and said: "Some losses can be suffered, and some losses cannot be suffered. Luojiang County was also severely affected by the disaster last year, and taxes were only exempted for one year. This year's autumn harvest has to pay taxes...
Forget it, forget it, you don’t understand even if you tell me.”
"Then young master, if no one comes to credit the cows, what will happen to the cows in the cowshed?"
"What else can we do? We can only divide it up."
"Ah?" Wan Tian opened his mouth wide.
Yang Heshu waved his hand and said: "Okay, on the way back just now, I heard an old official in the government office say that after the spring rain comes, spring plowing will start again. You go and call Chief Zhang and the others and ask him to inform
Everyone is upright, let’s discuss the matter of dividing the cattle.”
Wan Tian closed his mouth and asked hesitantly, "Is it true?"
"It doesn't matter, keep these cows for you to feed," Yang Heshu said, "distribute them to various areas, so as to alleviate the pressure of spring plowing."
As the county magistrate, his most important responsibility is to encourage farmers to cultivate mulberry trees.
How to persuade farmers to teach mulberry trees?
In addition to going to the mountains and countryside to provide ideological construction and encouragement to farmers, they sometimes also provide certain material and technical support.
Materials, including but not limited to seeds, farm tools, cattle, etc.
Seeds are generally supported on a large scale, and basically every family can receive some. Of course, such activities vary depending on the situation in each county. At least in Manbao's memory, her family has never received seeds distributed by the Yamen.
As for farm tools, they will be provided to some particularly poor families whose farm tools are seriously damaged and simply don’t have any.
As for such precious things as farm cattle, they are generally the common property of the people in the same area, that is, they take turns to use and take care of them.