Chapter 760: 760 The Largest Local Landlord in the Village 5
But that was their family’s business.
Wealthy Wong urgently needed money, so that very day, he transferred eighty acres of farmland and six acres of vegetable fields to the Xiao family with Xiao Yishan and Xiao Yuchuan.
The land deed still bore the names of the Xiao Family’s three sons.
The news that the Xiao family had sold dried ferns and bayberry wine for over two thousand taels of silver and bought ninety acres of land from Wealthy Wong spread like wildfire everywhere.
Previously, the Xiao family had been the poorest in Wushan Village. After building a new house and buying ten acres of land just a while ago, and now another ninety acres, the Xiao family had suddenly become the largest local landlord in Wushan Village with a hundred acres of land in total.
Xiao Yishan carried two empty buckets to fetch water from the village well.
When the villagers saw him, they flocked around, and among them, Wang Adou said, “Yo, Dashan, your family has struck it rich, and you’re still fetching water yourself?”
“That’s right.” Li Cai, the younger brother of Li Gui, who was also fetching water, said enviously, “Dashan, your family has become the richest in Wushan Village. No family has as much money or land as yours. If I had known that the wild bayberries and ferns your wife bought are so valuable, I would have bought them too…”
“If I had known earlier, who would have sold it for half a cent per jin?” someone said, “Dashan’s family, if you have money, why don’t you share it with us?”
“That’s enough, you guys. No one who has money can share it with everyone. Besides, when you couldn’t sell your wild ferns and had to feed them to pigs, the Xiao family was willing to buy them, which was a great help to the villagers…” someone defended them.
Another person added, “That’s right, people are just jealous. If you have the ability, come up with an innovative way to make money. There are plenty of resources in the mountains.”
Those who had spoken sourly fell silent.
Ding Er came over carrying a water bucket and seeing Xiao Yishan, he exclaimed loudly, “A while back, everyone thought the dried ferns and wild bayberries collected by the Xiao family would be stuck in their hands. An unexpected turn of events has led to them making so much money…”
“All of them are blind.” Many villagers lamented, “The Xiao family must have accumulated great virtue in their past lives.”
Xiao Yishan ignored what the villagers were saying and kept cranking the well wheel to draw water, pouring it into his own water bucket.
Ding Er said, “Dashan, your family is making a fortune now. I think you should spend sixty or seventy taels to buy two maids to do the chores and warm your bed.”
“Hehehe…” Everyone laughed.
Li Cai also said, “There are three men in the Xiao family and only one woman, there are not enough women to go around. Dashan, why don’t you buy two more women? They’re cheap. Each of you and your third brother would have one, and you’d be enjoying life.”
Ding Er said, “Two isn’t enough, they need to buy another one. Shouldn’t Xiao Qinghe have one too?”
“That’s true, even if the bought women don’t warm the bed, Xiao Qinghe still needs someone to take care of him full-time…”
Everyone was chattering away.
Xiao Yishan walked away with a cold face, carrying the water he fetched.
After walking some distance, he ran into Zhou Fuquan.
Zhou Fuquan greeted him warmly, “Second Brother Xiao is carrying water. Have you finished furnishing your new house?”
“Almost, just a set of tables and chairs for the hall haven’t been delivered. Carpenter Master Qian said they would be delivered tomorrow.”
“That’s great.” Fuquan smiled, “Second Brother Xiao, now that the Xiao family has become so wealthy, and has bought so much land, following tradition, you should treat everyone to wedding wine to celebrate your housewarming.”