Li Yu came out of Li Mei's house and returned home. Qian looked at Li Yu and frowned, Xiaoyu, the village chief came just now. The village chief said that the land tax and head tax will be paid tomorrow.

Li Yu looked at Qian, Aunt Qian, your family doesn't have land, do you still have to pay taxes?

Why don't you pay it? It's okay now. There are only poll taxes and field taxes. I heard from the old man that there were many kinds of taxes in the previous dynasty. At the most, you even had to pay taxes on drinking water! Ms. Qian smiled bitterly, Fortunately, you are here This earns me wages, otherwise my family wouldn’t even have money to pay the head tax of two hundred cash per person.”

Yes! We, the common people, are still suffering when hardships come and go. After hearing this, Li Yu felt that those people living at the bottom in ancient times were really suffering from all kinds of taxes and labor. When encountering natural disasters and man-made disasters, they could only sell Children were sold and their daughters even starved to death on the streets. No wonder the great poet Du Fu would write a poem about the wine and meat in the rich families, and the bones on the road that were frozen to death.

Early the next morning, when Li Yu went to Shunfeng Inn, he saw villagers carrying grain to the village chief's house in twos and threes. After Li Yu came back from the Shunfeng Inn to check out, he asked the yamen servant if he could pay for the grain, so he simply paid the money. It also saves the need to send food to Qingshan City.

After the tax was collected, the yamen began to collect labor to build the river. The village was gloomy for a while, and everyone lamented and sighed. The rich paid three taels of silver to be exempted from the labor, and those without money could only work as coolies to repair the river. Li Mei After paying the money, Liu Changmin was exempted from the pain of labor. The Li Yu family and Xiaoan's family were alone and were not included in the conscription.

After paying the taxes, Li Yu settled his mind and started preparing for winter planting.

Li Yu was about to start digging the reservoir. He chose several low-lying places and went to the blacksmith shop to order two shovels and two wide-toothed iron rakes. He hired Chen Yaohui and his wife to take him Together with Mr. Li and Ms. Qian, they dug several reservoirs into two-meter squares and left water inlets flush with the ground to facilitate the drainage of water into the reservoirs on rainy days.

The soil dug out from the reservoir was then placed around the pond to heighten and reinforce it. Chen Yaohui borrowed a stone hammer from the village and tamped the soil around the pond tightly.

Several people worked for several days to dig the reservoir. After Li Yu selected the land for planting rapeseed and wheat, Chen Yaohui drove the oxen to plow the land, and Li Yu took Qian and Li to spread fertilizer.

Li grabbed a handful of rotten leaf soil and smelled a sour smell. Li felt strange. Where did Li Yu learn to use the rotten soil in the forest? Li Shi doubted whether this thing could be used? If the land is damaged, not only will the effort be in vain, but also money and seeds will be spent.

Mrs. Li smiled and asked Li Yu, Xiaoyu, look at the wasteland that other people have opened. The land is much richer than yours, and it will take three or four years to grow it. You can really grow the land with these rotten leaves and soil. come out?

Aunt Li, I'm just thinking about it. I think the leaves fall off in autumn and rot in the forest together with the weeds. They accumulate year after year and soak in the ground, and then they become this black rotten leaf soil. It's possible that it's the rotten leaf soil that makes the trees and weeds in the forest grow so lush, so I thought since my house doesn't have any fertilizer, I'll try using this rotten leaf soil.

After hearing this, Mrs. Li felt that what Li Yu said made sense, Xiaoyu, after you said that, even I want to try it.

Li Yu smiled and said, How about you give it a try?

After several people spread the fallen leaf fertilizer, Chen Yaohui plowed the land again with a rake, divided the land into six-foot-wide compartments, and dug ditches and ditches for drainage. Everyone was busy until the end of August when all the land was plowed. Get it right.

Li Yu's bean paste has also been dried. After sealing the sauce jar, he stopped stirring it and planned to sell it in restaurants when he has free time.

Li Yu began to tidy up the seed bed, mixed rotten leaf fertilizer with fine soil and plant ash, and spread a thick layer on the divided ground compartment, preparing to sow rape seeds. The seed bed was ready, Li Yu put The rapeseed seeds that have been screened out for deflated seeds were exposed to the sun for two days, mixed with plant ash and spread evenly on the seed bed. After spreading, the seeds were covered with the mixed fine dust.

Li and Qian followed Li Yu sowing seeds and were shocked by Li Yu's meticulous farming methods. They were secretly looking forward to seeing what kind of harvest they would get during the harvest.

The rapeseed seeds were sown, and Li Mei's house was finally completed. Li Mei's family came to help Li Yu plant wheat.

Li Yu took out the selected wheat seeds. In order to prevent the wheat seeds from regaining moisture, Li Yu spread the wheat seeds on a drying mat and dried them for two consecutive days before mixing the wheat seeds with plant ash and taking out the iron wide-tooth plow. Rake, tie a large stone to the back of the rake, pull the wheat field out of the trench and then scatter the wheat seeds in the trench, and finally use a wooden rake to pull soil to cover the wheat seeds.

After the seeds were sown, several people started watering them. It started to rain just one day after they watered them. Li Mei also laughed at Li Yu's good luck. It started to rain as soon as they started watering. There was a burst of autumn rain and a cool spell, and the rain stopped. It got cold when it stopped.

Li Yu took out cotton and cloth and gave them to Qian, asking her to make cotton clothes and shoes. He and Xiao An began to make charcoal.

Li Yu found a piece of green hill forest in the back mountain forest. He cut down the green hill fruit and asked Xiao An to carry it home. Li Yu picked out the thick tree trunks and cut them down. He dug several holes in the open space to make charcoal. He just put the firewood After entering the house, covering the hole with earth and lighting the fire, Xiao An came back to Li Yu and said that Ah Qing's husband had come to thank her.

Li Yu pointed to the upper and lower smoke exhaust vents of the pit and asked Xiao An: Xiao An, if you see that the fire has reached the hole below, plug the upper and lower openings with soil. Do you remember?

Xiao An nodded and said: Remember.

Li Yu then walked back with confidence. As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, he saw Ji Xiang and Trouble sitting at the door of the hall, with a pile of gifts placed under the eaves.

Jixiang knelt down as soon as he saw Li Yu approaching, Miss Li, Jixiang thanks you for saving my life.

Li Yu quickly stopped him from kneeling down and smiled politely: It's a convenient matter, so don't be too polite. Besides, I've already received a thank you gift!

Zhou Jia bowed and saluted, Miss Li, the life-saving grace cannot be confused with the little thing you took. Our master and servants only escaped from death because of your generous help. Zhou Jia said and bowed to Li Yu again, Miss Li, our master and servant are here to sincerely thank you for your life-saving grace.

Seeing that Zhou Jiachang couldn't bow his head, Li Yu smiled and said, Mr. Zhou, I accept your thanks. Besides, the matter is over. If you don't come, I will forget about it.

Zhou Jia then stood up, smiled at Li Yu and said, Okay, now that we've passed, please ask Miss Li to accept the small gift.

Li Yu looked at the pile of gift boxes piled there and nodded with a smile, Okay! I'll just accept the gift. Can you just forget about it?

Seeing that Li Yu had accepted the gift, Zhou Jia put aside a worry and smiled at Li Yu: Okay, just listen to Miss Li, and this matter will be over. Zhou Jia changed his tone and said, Miss Li, Your younger brother is very talented in studying, do you want to continue to train him to gain fame?

Li Yu thought for a moment, It's important to gain fame and honor one's ancestors, but it also depends on what Ah Qing thinks. If he wants to go further, I agree.

Zhou Jia nodded and said, Okay, I know what to do. Miss Li, let's take our leave.

Okay, Mr. Zhou, please go slowly. Li Yu sent Zhou Jia and Jixiang to the door, turned around and returned to the house.

Qian looked at Li Yu and said with a smile: Xiaoyu, Mr. Zhou is more handsome than the girl this time. Look at him standing there so gracefully, he looks like a painting.

Li Yu smiled and nodded, Yeah! He's quite handsome, but it's just too troublesome.

Aunt Qian thought that Li Yu found it troublesome for Mr. Zhou to be too polite, so she laughed and said, Oh! That's what they are like as scholars, they are too polite.

Li Yu carried the gift box and walked towards the main room, Yeah! There are quite a lot of gifts.

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