The inhabitants of Vichy have developed the habit of getting together for 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 have the right to kill and take them:

They could not leave the domain of the nobility, and worked on the lord's estate three days a week, and if they left, it meant hunting, and the lord decided what to grow on the land they leased, at what price they should sell their produce, and even whether their children should be married.

Now the farmers have their own land, but at the same time they are burdened with increasingly heavy taxes. When the aristocracy lost control over the peasants, they also lost their obligation to protect and provide relief to the peasants.

When the tax collectors knocked on the door, there was no one to protest the unreasonable type of tax and the rate of tax on their behalf, and no one to protect the people when the robbers were in the vicinity.

Unlike elsewhere, the inhabitants of Vichy had a more complicated attitude towards the aristocracy. For each of their families had received some land from the old viscount, who was indifferent to the affairs of the town, and never disturbed their peaceful life even though they had wandered all their lives.

From this point of view, they were "grateful" to the old viscount.

But the new viscount came, and I heard that he was also an officer who had been on the battlefield, and he was young and vigorous, which was probably not a good nobleman to get along with, especially if he occupied the land that should have belonged to him.

At this time, Sean, who was being talked about, was in the stable. His horse, which had accompanied him from the north to the south, was sick.

"I'm afraid it's not adaptable, although the sun is abundant here, the air is humid. Mafrabo said.

"Can you make it better?" asked Sean.

"Rest assured, my lord, I am a good groom. Rabo was in a bit of a hurry, as Sean had just handed over his part-time job as gardener to Jensen.

Sean smiled and patted his broad shoulder: "Do your best." ”

Although this horse is a good horse worth 300 gold Louis, Sean did not say that he did not think of it as a treasure at all.

Putting a little pressure on a servant is one of the means that a nobleman should have.

At this time, Cleveland, the butler, accompanied the Lake brothers.

These two brothers are twins, but they are not too similar, the elder brother is slightly shorter and fatter than the younger brother, and the two have thick knuckles, and they are used to working hard.

At this time, they were all a little uneasy and afraid.

"I heard that the old viscount, well, my grandfather owes you money?" asked Sean.

"Yes, my lord, owes ...... 30 ...... Kim Louie. Big Lake stammered.

"Want more?" asked Sean.

"Don't dare, if you can return these 30, merciful lord, our brothers will not be grateful, we all have a family to support. "Little Lake is a little bolder.

Sean chuckled, "I'm going to renovate my rose garden." By the way, Cleveland, what did that Viscount Lincoln say?"

"My lord, Viscount Lincoln said that he was sorry to lose a good villa in the country, but the gentleman did not take the love, he was only willing to accept the 3,000 louis, and I paid the highest standard of interest as you commanded. "Cleveland Road.

"Very well, I'd rather owe money than favors. Brother Clay, right? I'm going to renovate this rose garden, and I have some special ideas for this house, and my butler will talk to you about it.

I heard that your brother is a good craftsman, and that he is the best carpenter and mason in the town, and I will give you this work bag, are you willing to do it?"

The two brothers were worried that they would do it in vain, and when the time came, if Sean really turned his face and refused to admit it, or did not pay for the project on the grounds of finding a few faults, they really had no choice at all.

"If you don't object, it's tacit. "I need to paint all the exterior walls, rebuild the roof, and replace all the floors with the best wood that has been dried in the shade and baked." As for the furniture, all the defective ones are thrown away, and those that can be used are left, but the style of the new furniture should be the same as the old furniture, and you can ask my butler for the money for the materials to advance first. ”

Hearing that they could advance money, the two brothers seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "My lord, if your house is renovated according to your requirements, I am afraid it will cost at least 500 gold louis." ”

"Then according to the budget of 1,000 gold Louis, remember, I want the best!" Sean said in an emphatic tone, "Also, how much do you need to be paid, can you make a price?"

"100?" Big Lake said cautiously, seeing Sean's sudden change in expression, he quickly changed his words, "80 is okay, my lord, your mansion is too big, more than twenty rooms, we will take at least three months to complete." Or 60?"

"No, no!" Sean wagged his index finger, "I'll pay you 100 gold louis first, and you can find your own manpower, but I'll only give you 1 month, and in 1 month I need to see a new rose garden, and then I'll pay you another 100 gold louis." ”

The Lake brothers couldn't believe their ears.

Sean then said, "You can now let my butler take the lead and examine your work." If there is no doubt, sign a contract of intent with my housekeeper first, and then you will make a detailed list after three days, you will do things according to the contract, and I will pay according to the contract. ”

Cleveland went with the brothers, and returned an hour later:

"My lord, 200 gold louis is too high, 100 is enough to show your generosity, and let them work for the nobles, they don't need to sign any contracts, they are just commoners. ”

"No, Cleveland, I hope that when the members of the town mention me in the future, they will say, oh, that's a generous and true nobleman, and everyone will be happy to serve him. Or those who disagree say, Viscount Connelly, a fool with a lot of money, but he can be trusted to do what he says.

My steward, since I have accepted the title of viscount, I am obliged to uphold the honour of this title, although I have always thought in my heart that nobles are only better than ordinary people. ”

Sean's frank and self-deprecating words made Cleveland awe-inspired.

Cleveland thought that a retired officer was poor, but Sean's arrival made him know that his master was quite rich, which made the old butler, who was used to living a life with the old viscount, feel a little straighter for the first time.

"What's on schedule for the afternoon?" asked Sean again.

"According to the plan, I will accompany you to visit the land and orchards that belong to you. ”

Sean's land is located at the foot of the hill north of the town, and there are only 10 hectares of land, not to mention that compared to other nobles, it is just more than the average commoner. The land was leased to the townspeople.

In the language of the time, the aristocracy should live on the income of the land, they generally lived in the city, rented the land, let their stewards or agents collect the rent at a fixed time, and the countryside was just a place for them to vacation and relax.

But that was for the nobles who owned a lot of land, and not for the petty nobles or even the poor nobles.

And for those merchants, the first thing they did after making a fortune was to buy land.

The old Viscount Connally was a poor nobleman, and the annual land interest of 500 gold louis was not enough to maintain his dignity, let alone pay off his debts.

Sean's 10 acres of land are fairly flat and fertile, irrigated by streams flowing down from the mountains.

The main crop here is rice, which can be grown here for two crops because of the warm climate, but the yield is not high. Dryland crops such as wheat and maize are grown in the mountains.

"Who belongs to the mountains here?" asked Sean, pointing to the hills to the north of his land.

"It's all yours. Cleveland said, "The mandarins are grown on the hill, and they can make some income every year, but they can't sell for a good price, because every family here has a small orchard." And fruits have a shelf life, and every year a lot of fruits rot in vain. ”

Sean followed the butler into the orchard, and the gardener cautiously came up to greet him. Sean looked at the mountains behind the orchard again.

"That's Mount Rocky, and half of it originally belonged to the Connelly family along the ridgeline, and when he was young, he liked to invite nobles to hunt in the mountains, and every time he returned with a full load, the family was very rich and prosperous. Cleveland recalls the old days and laments, "There are many prey in the mountains, and the giant trees are also a considerable wealth, and the common people are not even allowed to pick up dead wood in the mountains without the permission of their masters." ”

"Needless to say, the current owners are the Robinson family?" Sean said, "Denzel, how much do you think I need if I buy it back?"

Cleveland replied in surprise:

"My lord, I know you are rich, but it will cost at least 70,000 louis to buy back Rocky Mountain, and I do not think that the Robinsons are willing to sell, this family is extremely wealthy, and the nobles who sell even the land in the mountains and forests are usually ridiculed and considered to be bad at running a family. I am afraid that your suggestion will be considered an offense by the Robinson family. ”

Cleveland's words were serious, he was looking forward to the new head of the family, and he was worried that Sean would be big and follow in the footsteps of the old viscount.

Sean pursed his lips and did not say that although he still had a huge sum of about 300,000 yuan in hand, and the Royal Society of Science still had an income every year, he could not sit back and eat nothing, because he wanted to live a happy life with spring flowers blooming towards the sea.

Sean's gaze suddenly caught on a bush of trees.

It was the only miscellaneous tree in the orchard, and it appeared to have been cut down many times, but it still grew tenaciously in a small patch, with a distinct trunk, and the upper part of the plant with a less visible trunk and sparse branches.

The branches of the tree are dotted with white flowers with yellow stamens, and they are beautiful against the green leaves. Some have already grown seeds.

To Cleveland's surprise, Sean picked a leaf and stuffed it into his mouth to chew on, with a very strange expression.

"My lord, is there anything wrong?"

"You called Jensen!"