The residents of Vichy Town have developed the habit of gathering together in the past two days.
Because they were talking about the new viscount.
A hundred years ago, the nobles were still their lords, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they had the power of life and death over them:
They were unable to leave the nobles' territory and had to work on the lord's manor three days a week. Once they left, they would be hunted; the lord decided what to grow on the land they rented, the price at which they should sell the agricultural products, and even the children of their children.
Should you get married?
Now the peasants have their own land, but at the same time they bear increasingly heavy taxes. When the nobles lose control of the peasants, they also lose their obligation to protect and provide relief to the peasants.
When the tax collectors knocked on the door, no one protested for them about the unreasonable taxes and rates; when robbers came to the neighborhood and people were panicked, no one stood up to provide protection.
Different from other places, the residents of Vichy town have a more complicated mentality towards the nobility. This is because each of their households more or less received some land sold at a low price from the old viscount, who was indifferent to the affairs of the town.
Even though they have been wandering all their lives, they never disturb their peaceful life.
From this point of view, they were very "grateful" to the old Viscount.
But the new Viscount has arrived. I heard that he was an officer who had been on the battlefield. He is young and energetic. He may not be an easy noble to get along with, especially since he occupies the land that should belong to him.
Sean, who was being talked about at this time, was in the stable. His horse that accompanied him from northern Xinjiang to the south was very sick.
"I'm afraid I'm not acclimated to the climate. Although there is plenty of sunshine here, the air is humid." Mafrabo said.
"Can you make it better?" Sean asked.
"Please rest assured, sir, I am a good groom." Labo was a little eager to show off, because Sean had just handed over his part-time gardening job to Jason.
Sean smiled and patted his broad shoulder: "Try your best."
Although this horse was a good horse worth 300 gold louis, Sean did not say that he did not regard it as his darling at all.
Putting some pressure on servants is one of the means that nobles should have.
At this time, Cleveland, the butler, came over with the Lake brothers.
These two brothers are twins, but they are not too similar in appearance. The elder brother is slightly shorter and fatter than the younger brother. They have thick knuckles. At first glance, they are hard-working people who are used to doing work.
At this time, they all felt a little uneasy and fearful.
"I heard that Viscount, um, my grandfather owes you money?" Sean asked.
"Yes, sir, I owe...30...gold louis." Big Lake stammered.
"Want more?" Sean asked.
"I don't dare. If you, kind lord, can return these 30, we brothers will be very grateful. We all have families to support." Little Lake was more courageous.
Sean chuckled and said: "I'm going to renovate my rose garden. By the way, Cleveland, what did Viscount Lincoln say?"
"Sir, Viscount Lincoln said that he regretted losing a good country villa, but a gentleman does not take away someone's love. He was only willing to accept the 3,000 gold louis. In accordance with your instructions, I paid the highest standard of interest." Cleveland.
road.
"Very well, I would rather owe money than a favor. Brother Clay, right? I am going to renovate this rose garden and have some special ideas for this house. My butler will discuss it with you in detail.
I heard that your brothers have good craftsmanship and are the best carpenters and masons in the town. I will give you this job, are you willing to do it?"
The two brothers were worried that their work would be in vain again. If Sean really turned his back and refused to pay, or found some faults with the project and refused to pay, they would have no choice at all.
"If you don't object, it's considered acquiescing." Sean made full use of his advantageous position, "I need to paint all the exterior walls, re-pave the roof, and replace all the floors with new ones that have been dried in the sun. The best wood for baking. As for the furniture, throw away all the defective ones and keep the ones that can be used. However, the style of the new furniture should be the same as the old furniture. You can ask my housekeeper to advance the money for the materials first. .”
The brothers seemed relieved to hear that they could advance the payment: "Sir, if your house is renovated according to your requirements, I'm afraid it will cost at least 500 gold louis."
"Then use a budget of 1,000 gold louis. Remember, I want the best!" Sean said in an emphatic tone, "Also, how much labor do you need, please give me a price?"
"100?" Big Lake said carefully. Seeing the sudden change in Sean's expression, he quickly changed his words, "80 is fine too. Sir, your mansion is too big. There are more than 20 rooms. It will take us at least three months to complete it." .How about 60?”
"No, no!" Sean shook his index finger, "I will pay you 100 gold louis first. You can find people by yourself, but I will only give you one month. After one month, I need to see a brand new building. Rose Garden, I will pay you another 100 gold louis then."
Brother Lake couldn't believe his ears.
Sean said at this time: "You can now let my butler take the lead and inspect your work. If there is no doubt, first sign an intention contract with my butler, and you will make a detailed list three days later. Work according to the contract, and I will pay according to the contract."
Cleveland accompanied the brothers and returned an hour later:
"Sir, 200 gold louis is too high. 100 is enough to reflect your generosity and let them work for the nobles. There is no need to sign any contract. They are just civilians."
"No, Cleveland, I hope that when the members of the town talk about me in the future, they will say, oh, that is a generous nobleman who keeps his word, and everyone is happy to do his service. Or those who disagree will say, Kang Viscount Nally is a fool and has a lot of money, but he can be trusted to do what he says.
My butler, since I have accepted the title of Viscount, I have the obligation to uphold the reputation of this title, even though I always believe in my heart that nobles are just better off than common people."
Sean's candid and self-deprecating words left Cleveland in awe.
Cleveland originally thought that a retired military officer was very poor, but a series of actions by Sean showed him that his master was quite wealthy. This made the old butler who was accustomed to living a carefree life with the old Viscount feel a little straighter for the first time.
"What are your plans for the afternoon?" Sean asked again.
"According to the plan, I will accompany you to check out your land and orchards."
Sean's land is located at the foot of the mountain in the north of the town. It only has 10 hectares of land. Not to mention compared with other nobles, it is just a little more than ordinary civilians. These lands are rented to the residents of the town.
In the words of contemporary people, nobles should live on the income from the land. They usually lived in the city, rented out the land, and had their housekeepers or agents collect the rent at fixed times. The countryside was just a place where they came to vacation and relax.
But that is for nobles who own a lot of land, and does not apply to small nobles or even poor nobles.
For those businessmen, the first thing they do after getting rich is to buy land.
Old Viscount Connery was a poor nobleman, and the annual land income of 500 gold louis was not enough to maintain his dignity, let alone repay his debts.
Sean's 10 hectares of land are fairly flat and fertile, and are irrigated by streams flowing from the mountains.
The main crop here is rice. Because of the warm climate, it can be grown in two seasons, but the yield is not high. Dryland crops such as wheat and corn are grown in the mountains.
"Who does the mountains here belong to?" Sean asked, pointing to several hills to the north adjacent to his land.
"Everything here belongs to you." Cleveland said, "Mandarin oranges are grown on the mountain, and you can earn some income every year, but you can't sell them at a high price, because every family here has a small orchard. And the fruits have a shelf life, and every year every family has a small orchard.
A lot of fruit rotted in vain.”
Sean followed the housekeeper into the orchard, and a gardener cautiously came up to say hello. Sean then looked at the mountains behind the orchard.
"That's the Rocky Mountains. Originally, half of the ridge line belonged to the Connery family. When I was young, I liked to invite nobles to hunt in the mountains. Every time I came back with a full harvest. The family was very rich and prosperous at that time." Cleveland recalled the past.
Days passed with regret, "There are a lot of prey in the mountains, and giant trees are also a considerable wealth. Without the owner's permission, civilians are not even allowed to pick up dead trees in the mountains."
"Needless to say, the current owner is the Robinson family?" Sean said, "Denzel, how much do you think I would need to buy it back?"
Cleveland replied in surprise:
"Sir, I know you are very rich, but to buy back Rocky Mountain, you need at least 70,000 gold louis, and I don't think the Robinson family is willing to sell. This family is extremely rich. Nobles who sell land, even in the mountains and forests, are usually laughed at.
It is considered to be unruly behavior. If you make this suggestion, I am afraid the Robinson family will consider it an offense."
Cleveland's words were serious. He was looking forward to the new head of the family, but he was also worried that Sean would be extravagant and follow in the footsteps of the old Viscount.
Sean curled his lips and said nothing. Although he still had a huge sum of about 300,000 yuan on hand, and the Royal Society of Science also received an annual income, he could not rest on his laurels, because he wanted to live a happy life facing the sea with spring flowers blooming.
Sean's eyes were suddenly attracted by a bush of trees.
This is the only miscellaneous tree in the orchard. It seems to have been cut down many times, but it still grows tenaciously in a small area with an obvious main trunk. In the upper part of the plant, the main trunk is not obvious and the branches are sparse.
The branches are dotted with white flowers with yellow stamens, which are very beautiful against the green leaves. Some have already grown seeds.
To Cleveland's surprise, Sean picked a leaf and put it into his mouth to chew, with a strange expression on his face.