Chapter 466: 466: How to Calculate the Rent for the Qiao Zhaodi Sisters?

Li Rou, with her honest face, stands with Tong Dalang. They look very much like a couple.

When the family was wealthy it didn’t matter that she was simple-minded.

But now, being simple wasn’t an option anymore.

She knew the cost of living in the village. Selling vinegar in the village brought in pitifully small profits.

Now, these pitiful profits were still being divided as they used to be. How much money would she get at the end of each month?

She wasn’t like Tong Sanlang. She had a son and a daughter to raise.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Considering the current state of her family, she needed to plan for her children.

Tong Tiehu, upon hearing this, gave her a sidelong glance, “From now on, we will let Sanlang hunt to buy ten acres of land. In the future, all our energy should be invested in farming.”

“How much can ten acres yield?” Li Rou asked.

Less land means less yield.

But if they had more land, they wouldn’t have enough hands to work on it.

The income from ten acres, plus the meager profits from the vinegar shop, would only yield a few coppers after working hard all year round. Is this what their lives were going to be like from now on?

“Hah, this is how everyone lives. Now that it’s our turn, do you feel like you cannot continue living like this?” Tong Tiehu scoffed.

“If you think life now is tough, you should count the silver in your purse and compare it with the lives of others in our village. Be grateful!”

Upon hearing this, Li Rou chuckled. Her face was innocent and she stayed silent.

Tong Erlang realized that this might be their only source of income from now on. He mumbled, “Since Sanlang can hunt, why not hunt more? The game in the mountains has no owner anyway.”

“You don’t know anything!” Tong Tiehu resented his words. “The Emperor stripped us of our wealth for us to lay low. Hunting and trading game for silver is confrontational to him. Do you want him to issue another decree?”

Tong Erlang shrank back, staying quiet after hearing this.

Tong Tiehu saw this, snorted, and announced, “From now on, the vinegar shop will be moved to the new house. After things are settled, I’ll notify the villagers.”

“Grandpa, aren’t Qiao Zhaodi and Qiao Yindi living at the new house? They’re sisters living in our home. has Qiao Xiaomai paid any rent?” Zhu Hongyun spoke up upon hearing the mention of the new house.

Since their income was reduced, they cannot let any penny slip away.

Even a mosquito’s leg is meat after all!

Tong Tiehu sneered, “How could you ask for rent from our own villagers who are just staying temporarily? The food that Xiaomai has given us in the past is more than enough for rent!”

Chastised, Zhu Hongyun shrank back and stayed silent.

Tong Tiehu waved his hand, “Everyone get to work, set up the vinegar shop first.”

“Sanlang, you go hunting. Gather enough money for the ten acres as soon as possible.”

Everyone turned pale upon hearing his words.

Two acres were already hard to manage, let alone ten acres in the future. How could they possibly live like this?

As everyone in the Tong family was worrying, Qiao Xiaomai went to the town to ask the Secretary about the Construction Team.

The Secretary, knowing that she wanted to build a manor, quickly asked her what she planned to do.

Mentioning a manor in Daqi wasn’t a good thing, as previous landlords had all owned vast estates.

“I just want to grow something. My house is too small to store the harvested crops, so I built a house in the field,” explained Qiao Xiaomai.

“I see.” The Secretary nodded in understanding. He called over a boy to fetch the leader of the Construction Team.

“Xiaomai, now that the Emperor has passed away, anyone is free to visit the secret tunnel in Rooster Mountain. A number of students have asked me about visiting in the past few days,” the Secretary added.