"Rent with artichokes?"

Hearing Geng Laohan's request, Chen Zhuangtou sneered sarcastically: "Let's not talk about tenant rent, let's just say that the grain tax levied by the imperial court in our Xuzhou Mansion has always only recognized two things, one is rice, but wheat, why don't you ask those big officials of the imperial court, can you use your Laoshizi artichoke to offset the grain tax?" ”

Geng Laohan knew that this road would not work, so he begged bitterly: "Chen Zhuangtou, please be a little accommodating......

Chen Zhuang's eyes puffed out, and his face was arrogant and ruthless: "I gave you accommodation, who the hell did my father give me accommodation?" I am collecting the rent on behalf of Master Chen, and your rent is not handed over to me, but to Master Chen, and the rent is confiscated. Will you take it for me? ”

"It's also whimsical to use artichoke to offset the tax, why don't you say that the yellow mud in the land is used to offset the tax? Artichoke is what kind of dog crumbs come in from outside, light and dry, it chokes to death, I don't know why you don't like to grow this thing, there are rice and white flour buns are delicious? The brain is arched by a pig! ”

Chen Zhuangtou belongs to Chen Xunzhou's Tiandi Zhuangzi, and his attitude is more or less influenced by his own owner, and he looks down on those who are not in a hurry to rescue crops during the drought and go to plant artichokes, feeling that this is a practice of deviating from the right path and taking the wrong path.

Seeing that Geng Laohan's family didn't dare to talk back, Chen Zhuangtou felt even more in his heart, and there was a great sense of happiness in personally slapping other people's faces, and said sarcastically: "Then the promotion of artichoke Gu Tong is young, what do you know?" For ordinary people like us, whether it is high or not is false, and the rice and white flour that you eat in your mouth are real! ”

"It's just that Gu Yunji doesn't understand it, you are all veterans of growing crops, and you don't understand this truth. When I heard that Gu Tong was sentenced to teach the cultivation of potatoes, one or two ran faster than the wind, and the crops were left in the field, but now it's okay, you can't pay the rent, it's all your own hard work, and you can't blame others! ”

Chen Zhuangtou said something else, Geng Laohan's family could still listen to it in a loud voice, but Gu Yunji visited various villages some time ago, teaching the villagers to grow artichokes by hand, and he had already become a good official in their hearts, and he couldn't listen to the slander of others.

Chen Zhuangtou looked down on himself, and actually belittled Gu Yunji, Geng Laohan couldn't help it, and clumsily defended his neck: "Artichoke is not ...... Dog scraps are high-yield grains, with a yield of 1,000 catties or even 2,000 catties per mu. Although it is not as delicious as rice and white flour, at least it can fill the stomach, Lord Gu is for our good, you shouldn't say that about him......"

Chen Zhuangtou laughed angrily: "Since you say the artichoke so well, then your family should not be short of food, why can't you even pay the rent of the tenant land?" You said that you have beaten 900 catties of grain, in addition to the rent, there should be 100 catties left, plus an acre of artichoke that yields 1,000 catties, hey, it is enough to give you thousands of catties of grain, which can support you to a full belly! ”

Geng Laohan was so sarcastic that he lowered his momentum, and said in a low voice: "...... It's not as good as Chen Zhuangtou said, my family was allocated sixty catties of artichoke, and it will be only four hundred catties when it is planted, and I have to reserve the seeds for the next season, I really can't eat enough......"

"I don't care if you have enough to eat!"

Chen Zhuangtou's face changed instantly, and he said viciously: "I'm too lazy to fight with you here, in short, the tenant rent must be paid, seven hundred and fifty catties, not a catty less!" And if you only know rice and wheat, if you dare to use other things to fill the number, you will not be able to eat and walk around! ”

"Anyway, I'm just here to settle the tenant rent with you, and I will give you a notice in advance, and if I know each other, I will obediently transport the grain to the Zhuangzi to pay the tenant rent today. If you dare to lack food and rent arrears...... Hmph, the people who offended our Chen family, you know what the fate is. ”

As he spoke, Chen Zhuangtou glanced at Geng Laohan coldly, turned around and was about to leave.

Chen ...... Chen Zhuangtou. ”

Geng Laohan suddenly remembered something, hurriedly trotted two steps to catch up, bowed down humbly, and squeezed out a smile on his wrinkled rough cheeks, "Can you take the liberty of asking, is the fifty percent tenant rent temporarily rising this quarter, or is it a long-term increase?" Will it revert to 30% of the rent next year? ”

Chen Zhuangtou looked at him contemptuously: "This year's rent hasn't been paid yet, so you have the heart to care about next year?" I advise you to hurry up and pay this season's rent, or you will have good fruit to eat. As for next year's taxes...... We'll talk about that then. ”

After saying that, Chen Zhuangtou left Geng Laohan and walked away by himself.

After Chen Zhuangtou, who urged the rent, left, the cheerful atmosphere of the Geng family was no longer there, and the family's mood was even more depressed than before.

Geng Laohan smoked a dry cigarette and was silent for a long time before he said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Now the rent has to be paid 750 catties, and the grain that falls into his hand is only more than 100 catties, and the artichoke should be about 300 catties except for the reserved seeds." ”

"More than 400 catties of grain, before the next season of artichoke harvest, barely enough to eat, you don't have to be too sad. It's just that in this way, we have to tighten our belts, save food to eat, and live a tight life for most of the year. ”

Geng Pozi sighed: "This year's drought was originally a famine year, and now there is no difference, the hard days are all used to, let's get over it." ”

His son Geng Mancang answered: "Dad, mother, don't worry, I will go to the dock to find work in two days, and I can earn some money by doing odd jobs, and my life at home will not be so difficult." ”

The daughter-in-law also said: "I heard that the spicy fairy in Fucheng is buying chili peppers, and I thought that our chili peppers are not a few catties, so I can keep them to make sauce and eat them." Now since there is not much food at home, I can simply sell the chili peppers, even if it is for one or twenty yuan, and buy a few catties of brown rice back. ”

Seeing that his son and daughter-in-law were so sensible and considerate, Geng Laohan was both relieved and bitter in his heart, and sighed: "If it weren't for the increase of 20% of the rent, even if it was a famine year, with this high-yield artichoke, our family's situation would have been very good." ”

Thinking of the Chen family's temporary rent increase ruining his full life, Geng Mancang was sad and indignant: "The hateful Chen family is really too deceitful!" This year's drought is severe, and they don't reduce the rent, but they actually increase the rent! If it weren't for the high-yield artichoke given by Master Gu, there would be more than 100 catties of grain left after paying the rent, and it would be difficult to harvest the early rice next year, and it would be strange if our family didn't starve to death! ”

Speaking of this, Mrs. Geng's face was full of sadness: "This year, they said that they would increase the rent, and they would increase the rent by one or two, what if the rent was increased again next year?" How can you live this day......"

Geng Mancang gritted his teeth and said, "Next year? How can there be next year! Tired and tired all year round, and in the end most of the food goes into their pockets, why? Next year, our family will not rent land, so we will not be squeezed by them again! ”

Mrs. Geng was stunned for a moment, and said in amazement: "But our family has no land, and we don't rent the Chen family's land, how can we grow food?" Where did you get to eat? ”

Geng Mancang said: "What are you afraid of?" The yield per mu of artichoke is so high, with only one acre of land, you can grow a large family's rations all year round. And the artichoke is planted on the dry field, and when the time comes, go to the mountains to open up half an acre of wasteland, can't it be planted? ”

"It's easier to do this, you stay at home and grow potatoes, and I go to the dock to do odd jobs to earn money, buy grain, meat, and oil for our family, isn't it better to live a better life than planting rice in the tenant fields?" Anyway, I don't want to put up with such a high tenant rent from the Chen family anymore, so we won't rent it next year! ”

Mrs. Geng has been farming for most of her life, and she has never thought about what the days of not planting rice are like, and she was shocked by her son's bold idea for a while, and subconsciously looked at her wife: "His father, look at this ......"

Geng Laohan held his breath in his chest, thought about it for a long time with a calm face, and finally slapped the cigarette pouch with a snap, and cut it out:

"Mancang is right, we are not the old scalpers of his Chen family, fifty percent of the rent, and they still work hard to farm for his Chen family. Now that we have a high-yield artichoke, we can eat a mouthful of food, even if we don't rent the Chen family's land, we won't starve to death! ”

"The anger of the rent increase halfway is enough to accept it once, and next year - our family will not rent!"