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As Shen Yu’an and the other four people were invited inside, they followed Li Zheng.
Getting straight to the point, Li Zheng said, “Aren’t you all one family?”
Shen Rong spoke up and said, “Actually, we are not.”
Li Zheng stroked his chin and looked at them, saying, “The government has only allocated two plots of land for you. How you divide the land among yourselves is up to you.”
“There is plenty of empty land in the village, but you will have to build the houses yourselves. There is a residential plot not far from the front of the village, and towards the back of the village, near the mountains, there is a larger area. However, you probably won’t need such a large piece of land. Later, I’ll take you to have a look and you can decide where you want to build your house.”
“As for the matter of wanting farmland, you’ll have to spend money to buy it,” Li Zheng replied.
Bai Yi approached with a smile and handed two taels of silver to Li Zheng.
Building a good relationship with Li Zheng in this village would undoubtedly be a wise move.
“Li Zheng, you take this money and arrange things for us. Use some of it to buy two jugs of wine for yourself.”
Li Zheng didn’t refuse and glanced at the silver that was handed to him before putting it in his pocket.
After accepting the money, he added a few more words, “Our fertile land costs six taels of silver per mu, while dry land costs four taels of silver per mu. If you want to buy land, I can inquire if anyone in the village is willing to sell their land.”
Shen Rong chuckled and said, “Sure, then we’ll trouble Li Zheng a bit more.”
“Speaking of which, there are quite a few unclaimed residential plots in our village. Do you think we could buy more land if we contribute money?”
When they left the capital city and registered at the county office, the local authorities allocated two plots of land for them.
They had agreed that one plot would be given to the Zhang family, and the other would be reserved for the Shen family.
The Zhang family of four could manage to live there, but the Shen family was larger. With the imminent arrival of two more children from Xiao Zhang, and now with the addition of Hua Nan and Hua Ling, Song Xiao Ni, and Ji Xun, there would definitely not be enough space for everyone.
So they discussed the idea of buying any available vacant land in the village to build a larger house.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few unclaimed residential plots in the village, which aligned perfectly with their intentions.
Li Zheng, taken aback by Shen Rong’s words, asked in astonishment, “Buy land and build a house?”
Although they had quite a few people, wasn’t that the case for every household?
If the houses were insufficient, they could simply squeeze in.
Considering that they had just escaped from famine, Li Zheng kindly reminded them, “You’ve just arrived, so it’s better to save your money. There will be plenty of expenses in the future.”
Just now, Li Zheng had seen for himself that those young ones outside were almost at the age of marriage.
When it comes to marrying off a son, it always costs money. How could they not be mindful of their expenses?
Moreover, buying residential land was even more expensive than paddy fields. If they couldn’t come up with that much money, wouldn’t his efforts be in vain?
Shen Rong smiled and said, “Thank you, Uncle Li Zheng, for your concern. But we still have some extra money on hand. You just need to focus on helping us find a place, and we definitely won’t delay with the payment.”
Seeing this, Li Zheng didn’t insist further. He said, “Alright, then follow me to the village and have a look at the residential plots. Decide which one you want, and I’ll inquire if any family is willing to sell their land.”
As Li Zheng was about to stand up and prepare to leave, Shen Yu’an suddenly spoke up, “Could you please help us find a house to rent in the village?”
Li Zheng turned his head to look at Shen Yu’an and asked, “Why are you looking for an empty house?”
Shen Yu’an smiled and replied, “We want to rent a place to live for a while until the new house is built. Do you have any suitable recommendations?”
Shen Rong slapped his forehead. He had actually forgotten about this.
If they didn’t find a house to live in first, would they have to pitch tents in the village?
Li Zheng also seemed to have just remembered this, but he quickly gave Shen Yu’an and the others a response.
“There is indeed an unoccupied place. The family living there has moved to the town. The house in the village is made of blue bricks and tiles.”
Grandpa Shen spoke up and asked, “Can we rent this house?”
“Well, you can, but they’re asking for 100 wen per day. Can you afford that?” Li Zheng replied.
Grandpa Zhang hesitated. 100 wen per day meant that even if they rented the house for just a few dozen days, the money would quickly slip away like water.
He tugged at grandpa Shen’s sleeve and whispered, “Why don’t we skip renting it? The tent we use on the road can provide some wind protection.”
Grandpa Shen then looked at Shen Yu’an.
Shen Yu’an took out another tael of silver and handed it to Li Zheng, smiling, “Will trouble Li Zheng a bit more, please introduce us to that family. We will rent the house for a while.”
Li Zheng held the silver in his hand and fell into silence.
He had intended to receive a small bribe, but were silver coins so worthless now?
In just a short while, they had given him three taels of silver, an amount his family couldn’t earn in half a year.
Li Zheng felt the warm pieces of silver in his hand and then decisively tucked them into his own pocket.
He smiled and said, “Alright, since you’re willing, I can take you there now.”
“Let’s go, take a look at the house and quickly choose one.”
Shen Yu’an and the others followed Li Zheng outside, and during the conversation, they also learned that Li Zheng’s family name was Zhu.
Most of the villagers in Longxian Village have the surname Zhu, but there are also several households with scattered surnames and other surnames.
When they walked out of Li Zheng’s house, they noticed that many people were still waiting outside. However, they were all engaged in conversations with the Shen family.
Meanwhile, Grandma Shen and the others who stayed behind instantly transformed into social butterflies, enjoying pleasant conversations with the people outside.
Sanlang and his brothers also bonded with the children who had come along to play.
The boys were good-looking, and even the village girls liked them.
Shen Yu’an, witnessing this scene, couldn’t help but think, “…” You guys are amazing!
Indeed, they had managed to effortlessly integrate themselves into the community.