Chapter Ninety-Two: Farming Rewards

Although the tenants’ method of farming was utterly unlike true communal sharing in nature, it still bore one common trait: duties were unclear, responsibilities were unclear, and how much each person contributed was unclear, yet the pay and grain they received were all more or less the same. The leveling instinct was far too strong.

With such a way of tilling the land, how could grain yields ever hope to be high?

Liu Yitiao sneered inwardly at the whole system.

Yet the very notion of communal eating gave him a useful hint: family-based contract responsibility. It was a system that could greatly stir the peasants into working harder, more earnestly, and of their own volition. Though it did not suit Liu Yitiao’s present circumstances, certain elements within it still held great value for reference.

For example, dividing the fields among households, paying by family, paying by output, and so on—many of these ideas coincided perfectly with thoughts he had already had.

“Old Li!” Having settled on a plan, Liu Yitiao said firmly to Li Dechen, “From now on, you will follow me. All those old, outdated ways can be cast aside.”

“I will divide the land among each tenant who has signed a contract with me, according to the number of people in each household. One hundred and fifty-eight people—hmm, that comes to about twenty mu apiece. Not much. And the family members can come out to help as well; it should be manageable.”

After a moment’s thought, Liu Yitiao went on, “As for rent, aside from strictly following what is written in the contract, after the autumn harvest I will judge each person by the results of his labor and select the top three in total output to receive additional rewards. Let’s begin with eight hundred coins for first place, five hundred for second, and three hundred for third. We can raise it later, depending on the situation.”

“Eight hundred coins?!” At the words, Li Dechen’s eyes nearly turned green. How much grain could eight hundred coins buy? How many bolts of cloth? How many jin of pork? If he relied only on working the land for a landlord, even if he worked for one year, two years, or even ten, he might not necessarily save up that much.

At that moment, Liu Yitiao had successfully hooked Li Dechen’s interest.

“Master, you’re not joking, are you? Eight hundred coins? Isn’t that a bit too much?”

Li Dechen rose to his feet and leaned close to Liu Yitiao, asking in a low voice. Yet his tone was transparent, almost laughably so. Anyone could see how badly he wanted those rewards.

“No, no, that is only the beginning,” Liu Yitiao said softly to him in a voice rich with temptation. “In the future, depending on cultivation and yield per mu, I will increase the bonus step by step, up to one string, two strings, even more...”

Seeing Old Li Dechen actually swallow hard at his words, Liu Yitiao smiled.

He had seen every trace of Li Dechen’s reaction, but he showed no displeasure at all. Men die for wealth, birds die for food; that was only natural. More importantly, it was exactly what he needed.

For these tenants, accustomed as they were to hardship and nearly all of them sly old hands, only generous, substantial, and tangible monetary rewards could spur them to work for him with enthusiasm and care.

If even Li Dechen—the man who could be called the steadiest old fellow in the village—could not resist the lure of a few hundred coins, then the others need not even be mentioned.

Liu Yitiao smiled faintly. Interest had always been the first force behind human change.

“There is also the matter of draft cattle,” he continued. “I have twenty oxen for plowing, which the tenants may use in turn. We can distribute them like this: split the one hundred and fifty-eight people into twenty small groups, assigning one ox to each group. As for how they are rotated, let them discuss that among themselves.”

He looked at Li Dechen and said, “As for organizing the groups, I must trouble you, Old Li, to handle it. You are highly respected in the village and know the lay of the land well, so there is no one more suitable than you.”

“However, when distributing the groups, it would be best to arrange them by closeness: kin before neighbors, near before distant. That way, when they work the fields in the future, there will be less friction and fewer quarrels between each group.”

“Master speaks wisely. Leave all this to this old man, and I guarantee I will handle it beautifully for you,” Li Dechen said, nodding repeatedly and promising without pause. Yet in his heart, he was still thinking about the eight hundred coins Liu Yitiao had just mentioned.

When it came to farming matters, Li Dechen had always been confident. He was the oldest tenant in the village and had also spent the longest time working the land, so his skill in cultivation was naturally highly practiced. Thus, he paid especially close attention to the reward Liu Yitiao had proposed.

“Master,” Li Dechen moved closer again, rubbing his hands awkwardly, “about that extra reward you mentioned just now, what exactly will the standards for judging be? And after the judgment is made, when will the reward be paid out? I beg you to make it clear, so that this old man may explain it properly to the villagers in the future.”

“Oh, that was indeed my oversight.”

Knowing full well that Li Dechen would not be able to resist asking, Liu Yitiao feigned sudden realization and patted his own head before saying to him, “The details are like this: every year after the autumn harvest, I will organize men to evaluate each household’s total field output. Greater quantity will rank higher; if the quantity is equal, then higher quality will rank higher. In this way, the first, second, and third places will be decided.”

“As for the bonus, naturally it will be paid out immediately in front of all the villagers on the very day the result is judged.”

Liu Yitiao looked at Li Dechen with amused eyes. “So, Old Li, do you understand now?”

Li Dechen’s old face flushed red under Liu Yitiao’s gaze. He knew he had shown himself too plainly, and so he bent low before Liu Yitiao in a respectful bow and said, “This old man has been a little too fond of money. I am truly ashamed. I hope the master will not take offense!”

“No need for that,” Liu Yitiao said, waving a hand at him. “Old Li, there is nothing wrong with loving wealth, so long as it is acquired by proper means. This is not money obtained by theft, deceit, or robbery; naturally, it should go to the capable. If you have such ability, and if you cultivate earnestly so that your harvest comes out on top this coming seventh month, then those eight hundred coins will of course be yours to take.”

“And furthermore,” Liu Yitiao felt it was time to offer Li Dechen something tangible, he motioned for him to sit and said in a sincere tone, “I intend to ask you, Old Li, to serve as the head of these one hundred and fifty-seven tenants and manage them on my behalf. Each month, I am willing to add five coins to your pay as compensation for your labor. I hope you will not refuse.”

Five extra coins a month? There was such a good thing?

Li Dechen’s eyes brightened, and his good will toward Liu Yitiao began to soar.

In the past, he had often helped manage affairs for other landlords. Though he occasionally received some minor benefit here and there, no master had ever been as straightforward as Liu Yitiao in offering him a specific stipend of money.

“Master, t-this... is it proper?”

Li Dechen searched Liu Yitiao’s face, trying to determine whether he was sincere or merely joking. “Helping the master is this old man’s duty. Whatever orders the master gives, I will certainly do my utmost. But as for the money, isn’t that unnecessary?”

“No,” Liu Yitiao replied. “Old Li, where there is labor, there should be reward. How could I let you work for nothing? Though these five coins are not much, they are nevertheless a token of my sincerity. I hope you will accept them.”

Hearing how genuine Liu Yitiao sounded, and seeing that this did not appear to be a test, Li Dechen also felt the allure of five coins a month was by no means small. So he said in a low voice, “Since the master treats this old man so generously, I shall shamelessly accept.”

Then he promised Liu Yitiao, “From now on, whatever the master needs, just command this old man. I will certainly help the master handle everything properly and without fault.”

A recommendation: Struggle for Chu. Book number 1024665.
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