Chapter 78: Frostbitten Bok Choy
Yuan Yuan tucked her small hands behind her back, turning her little head to the side, puffing out her cheeks in anger.
Shang Wan looked at the little one, “Don’t want to eat fish balls anymore?”
A naked threat.
Yuan Yuan wrinkled her little nose, opened her small mouth, took the vegetable congee from the spoon into her mouth, and then… spat it out in a spray.
If Shang Wan hadn’t quickly turned the little one in another direction, the meal on the table would have been ruined by Yuan Yuan.
For the first rebellion in her life, Little Friend Yuan Yuan paid the heavy price of getting her butt spanked.
“Daddy.” Yuan Yuan pitifully reached out her small hand toward Lu Chengjing, “Mom, hit!”
Actually, Shang Wan had only lightly patted her butt twice, but the little one felt so wronged, feeling that her mother had hit her really painfully, and she especially needed daddy’s comfort.
Shang Wan followed her gaze over.
Lu Chengjing coughed lightly and, under Yuan Yuan’s expectant little eyes, stood on her mother’s side.
Yuan Yuan: !!!
The little one burst out crying with a “wah,” feeling that her daddy didn’t love her and her mommy didn’t care, like a frostbitten bok choy.
Xiao Huan watched, feeling heartbroken, and wanted to go over to coax her.
Shi Tou stopped her, “Take a good look, she’s just dry howling, not a single tear.”
Xiao Huan looked closely, and sure enough, it was all thunder and no rain.
Her mouth twitched, was this kid so clever before?
Yuan Yuan thought she had cried for a long time, but no one came to coax her.
The little one covered her eyes, secretly peeking through the gaps in her small hands, only to see her mother, daddy, Aunt Xiao Huan, and Uncle Shi Tou actually eating and chatting happily.
Eating!
Eating!!!
Food!!!!
Was she still her parents’ most beloved cub?!
Yuan Yuan was so shocked that she forgot to keep crying, lying on the grass mat, pouting her little butt in a sulk, occasionally stealing glances at her parents.
Humph! The cub is angry!
Very angry!
No coaxing, no eating!
But after sulking for a while, surprisingly no one paid attention to her.
Yuan Yuan wrinkled her little face in grievance, humming as she crawled over, plopping against Shang Wan’s leg and staying there curled up.
Shang Wan looked down at the little mushroom, hearing the little mushroom hum, “Wrong.”
It really sounded quite aggrieved.
“Where were you wrong?” Shang Wan picked her up, stroking the little one’s little head.
Yuan Yuan pointed her small finger at herself, then at the vegetable congee in the small bowl, pouting, “Wrong.”
“Wasting grain is indeed wrong.” Shang Wan nodded in agreement first, then asked, “Anything else?”
Yuan Yuan blinked her eyes, tilting her little head and thinking for a long time, then shook her head to indicate she didn’t know.
“Good cub, it’s okay to be unhappy, it’s okay to throw a tantrum, but the premise is that you have the confidence to throw a tantrum.” Shang Wan tapped Yuan Yuan’s fair tender forehead, “You, relying on being young, have no confidence yet do something like flipping the table, so you can only wait to be disciplined.”
Shang Wan pointed at herself, “If just now it was mommy doing that like you, not only would I not be punished, I could even punish others in return, or even say that doing so is right, that’s confidence.”
Yuan Yuan seemed to understand but not quite, with countless question marks popping up on her little head.
“It’s okay not to understand now, just remember it.” Shang Wan gently patted her back, letting her look at the other three at the table, “We are your family, you are young now, we can indulge whatever you do, but outsiders won’t indulge you.”
Yuan Yuan furrowed her little brows, her smart little head trying hard to understand her mother’s words.
Shang Wan took the towel handed over by Xiao Huan to wipe the little one’s face and hands clean, continuing to feed her vegetable congee.
Shi Tou asked quietly, “Sis, isn’t it too early to teach Yuan Yuan these things now?”
Shang Wan repeated, “Knowing early means no losses.”
Because of the spiritual spring, Yuan Yuan accidentally awakened as an ability user, and even in the apocalypse, there were no ability users awakening at such a young age.
Shang Wan had no experience raising kids, nor did she know how to raise such a young ability user. She could only teach whatever came to mind, teach whatever she encountered, anyway the little one had a good memory now, so remember it in her head and ponder it slowly later.
Halfway through the meal, Shi Tou brought up land reclamation, asking Lu Chengjing, “Brother-in-law, does land reclamation need to be registered with the government?”
“Before reclaiming, first confirm that the wasteland has no owner, after reclaiming, report to the government, ask government people to measure the land, register it.”
Shi Tou asked puzzledly, “Isn’t wasteland reclaimed by ourselves exempt from tax? Why still register?”
“Wasteland spontaneously reclaimed by commoners is tax-free for the first five years, after five years taxed like ordinary land. Government registration of wasteland serves as basis for tax collection, and effectively prevents commoners from abandoning cultivation after reclamation, causing the land to remain wasteland.”
Lu Chengjing explained warmly, “According to our dynasty’s law, those who abandon cultivation without reason after reclamation, causing land to become wasteland, upon discovery by government, shall be flogged twenty times, fined ten taels of silver, to warn others.”
Shi Tou shuddered, “Reclaimed but not cultivating still gets beating and fine? What if I break my hands or feet and can’t farm?”
Xiao Huan gave him an exasperated eye roll, “Can’t you hope for something good for yourself?”
“In life, how can there be no ‘what ifs’?” Shi Tou insisted on clarifying, “Brother-in-law, is there no way to avoid beating and fine?”
Lu Chengjing said, “If the land is yours, you can transfer it to others; if it’s the imperial court’s, you can also hire people to cultivate it.”
“As you just said, for wasteland you reclaim, after breaking hands or feet, you can report to government, government will consider accordingly. If truly unable to continue cultivating, you can sign a deed transfer. Government will give certain compensation based on land condition. The land then becomes imperial court’s, rented to others for cultivation.”
Lu Chengjing added, “If encountering war or disaster, truly abandoning cultivation, government too busy to pursue.”
Shi Tou understood, land reclamation must be within one’s capacity, not the more the better. If really encountering issues, can negotiate, government doesn’t kill with one stick.
Xiao Huan had a question, “If after reclamation not report to government, can we secretly farm?”
This question didn’t need Lu Chengjing, Shang Wan could answer, “What do you think the village chief is for?”
Xiao Huan had really forgotten such a person.
Lu Chengjing said, “If someone in the village reclaims wasteland but conceals it, upon discovery by government, the entire village’s taxes will increase by fifty percent, for three years.”
The imperial court wars year after year, taxes already heavy, let alone adding fifty percent, even ten percent is no different from forcing people to death.
Therefore, no one dares take this risk, even if there is, villagers won’t cover.
Shang Wan picked up a fish ball, said to the three, “Our family lacks strong laborers, no farming experience, if really to farm, can first reclaim two mu of wasteland to try, then plant some melons, fruits, and vegetables, convenient for our family to eat. As for others, no rush for now, wait until house is repaired, then take it step by step.”
All three agreed.
Shang Wan secretly sighed that other families have many strong laborers, she glanced at Lu Chengjing, feeling quite puzzled inside.
This guy drank the most spiritual spring water, apart from his injuries gradually healing, why no other changes at all?
