Chapter 28: Not Hard to Agree To
All the people of Great Zhou would surely not want to be oppressed as they had been throughout history.
“Am I overthinking this? Never mind. I should at least give them some practical guidance!”
“Looks like everyone has wishes of their own! You all want to marry beautiful wives, don’t you?”
“Isn’t that obvious? What man wouldn’t want to marry a beautiful woman he truly likes?”
“Exactly!”
“Most of the women arranged for us by the authorities aren’t attractive! Every one of us is expected to marry. Sometimes, truth be told, we don’t really want to!”
Chen Fan listened as the villagers voiced the troubles in their hearts, and he understood them deeply.
After all, love could not be forced.
Even on Earth, where civilization was far more advanced, the country he had lived in during his parents’ generation had still been feudal and impoverished.
People believed that reaching marriageable age without finding a husband or wife was deeply shameful.
Few of their parents had truly happy marriages. They quarreled constantly and muddled through life together.
They were not happy at all. They had to endure one another; when two people did not love each other, everything one said seemed wrong.
After having children, however, they might develop familial affection and eventually come to love each other.
But such cases were rare. Across the entire country, unhappy marriages were widespread.
And the era Chen Fan now lived in was a feudal age in a parallel world.
It lacked the many beautiful cultural values of the world and era he had come from.
There was no way to properly teach the people that marriage was not merely about having children and continuing the family line. It was also a responsibility.
Once one had a partner, one had to remain faithful, treat them well, and journey together through all the beauty of life.
“We all want that. But what can we do?”
“What can we do? We have no property, and we have no skills with which to earn money.”
Chen Fan grew angry when he heard this, because he felt that these men lacked ambition.
The county magistrate had clearly issued an order encouraging land reclamation. Anyone who opened up new wasteland could claim a portion of it.
If they worked hard for a few years, becoming minor landowners was not beyond their reach.
And even if they had no particular skills, did the county school not offer free instruction?
Several elderly craftsmen had been invited there by the magistrate to teach.
Chen Fan truly felt that the county government was not merely idling away its time. It had actually done quite a lot for the people’s welfare.
He was just about to scold these men for being lazy and unambitious, yet dreaming of living good lives.
But then he remembered that it had taken him nearly an entire day to get here, and that sending their children to school was hardly convenient.
He realized that they could not really be blamed. Some things were simply beyond their ability, no matter how much they wished to change them.
Chen Fan decided to test whether they knew that the policies could help them escape poverty.
“All of you, do you know that if you clear new wasteland, you can claim that land as your own?”
“We don’t know! Is that really true? Is there truly such a wonderful opportunity?”
“Have none of you ever read the notices outside the government office? The county magistrate issued the land-reclamation order less than a month after taking office this year, announcing that the common people could do exactly that. It is also His Majesty’s will!”
“Ah!”
The crowd cried out in astonishment, exchanging bewildered looks filled with disbelief.
“But I remember hearing my father say that all the land beneath Heaven belongs to the sovereign. Our land belongs to His Majesty, and he grants it to us so that we may live. That is why we must farm diligently and pay taxes to His Majesty!”
Chen Fan knew he could not answer carelessly. Otherwise, he might bring disaster upon himself.
“Do you know why His Majesty fights the barbarians to the death rather than surrendering even an inch of land? It is not because of ambition. It is because he hopes his people will have more land to cultivate, more mountains and forests in which to hunt, and more lakes from which to draw water.
“His Majesty issued the land-reclamation order long ago. You simply did not know about it!”
The villagers lowered their heads or stared at Chen Fan with doubtful eyes.
“My lord, you are not deceiving us, are you?”
“Rest assured. Every word is true!”
With that, Chen Fan took out the special envoy’s token and showed it to them.
They might never have seen such a token before, but the formal writing, official emblems, and blue coloring convinced them that it was a genuine government document.
“Once you return home, clear and cultivate the wasteland. You may register all the land you reclaim under your own names at the government office. You need not cling only to the fields your parents left you. Land can be won through your own labor.
“Do not be afraid. You may come directly to the government office and find me. I will help you whenever you need it.”
The villagers remained half-convinced, feeling that the offer sounded almost too good to be true.
If this was really allowed, they would have been rising before dawn and working until nightfall to cultivate land long ago.
Chen Fan took out the Great Zhou Code he carried with him and turned to the section on land reclamation.
“Which of you can read? Would you come and read these laws aloud so that everyone’s doubts may be put to rest?”
The clan elder rose and walked over to Chen Fan. He accepted the law book, brought it close to his eyes, and then read aloud in a clear, resonant voice:
“Anyone who reclaims wasteland for the state may receive one-third of the land they have opened.”
“The remaining two-thirds may also be cultivated, but half of the grain produced must be submitted as tax.
“In addition, all grain produced on wasteland reclaimed by registered commoners shall belong entirely to those who reclaimed it.”
The villagers erupted in admiration.
All their doubts vanished in an instant.
“Elder, please return to your seat. Thank you for reading it aloud for me.”
“My lord, there is no need for thanks. We are the ones who should thank you for showing this group of ignorant children in our village a way forward.”
With Chen Fan’s support, the old man returned to his former seat.
The villagers began asking Chen Fan one question after another about the practical details.
“My lord, how do we get the government office to grant us the land?”
“You only need to report the matter to the government office, along with the village chief and any other witnesses. The officials will verify that the land was indeed reclaimed by you. Once that has been confirmed, the land will be registered in your names.
“Then you will truly own it!”
“Is that really so? That is wonderful!”
The villagers swarmed around Chen Fan, questioning him about every aspect of the matter.
In truth, their questions all revolved around only a few points.
But Chen Fan did not grow impatient. He answered each of them carefully and patiently.
He understood them. This was wonderful news for them, and they naturally needed to confirm it again and again.
They continued discussing the matter throughout the meal.
Although the food was delicious, they praised it only briefly before returning to their conversation.
At the relief banquet, the subject discussed most fervently was the plan to join forces and reclaim wasteland.
After Chen Fan and the others finished dinner, the village chief arranged for them to stay overnight in Xia Family Village.
That night, exhausted from a full day of travel, Chen Fan collapsed heavily onto the bed.
He did not read Qu Yuan’s law book.
Instead, he lay there feeling remorseful.
He regretted that, at the beginning of the day, he had only wanted them to complete the autumn harvest.
If they were willing to reclaim wasteland, then they surely would not have refused to complete the harvest.
Yet he had started out with such a strong ulterior motive, even resorting to psychological manipulation.
Farmers in every era had it hard. They were the ones who put food on everyone’s table.
“It seems the countryside here has many of the same problems as the countryside in our world: inconvenient transportation, isolated information, and backward education.
“I’ll have to think of ways to change things in the future.”