CHAPTER 234: CHAPTER 229 PREFERENTIAL POLICIES

When the people of Upper Corner Village heard this, their spirits lifted, and they asked, "Is there still grain for sale at the market? Is it expensive?"

"It’s not expensive; it’s the County Lord who set up the stalls, selling grain brought in from outside. It’s slightly cheaper than what the grain shops sell, but it’s only for those participating in the work-for-relief program, and each person can buy a maximum of five dou at a time."

Chen Fang said, "If you want to buy grain, you must get a wooden token from me first. You can only purchase grain with the token, and you’ll need to return the token to me afterward."

The villagers of Upper Corner Village agreed happily and also asked about the market’s location. Upon learning it was in another large village not too far away, they felt relieved.

This was a benefit Zhao Hanzhang specifically set aside for the workers.

After the winter solstice, grain prices began to rise significantly. Following Zhao Hanzhang’s announcement of the work-for-relief program, grain prices decreased slightly, but still continued to rise slowly.

The closer it gets to spring, the higher the grain prices rise.

Zhao Hanzhang knew that the situation in Xiping County was relatively good because, ever since she occupied Xiping County, she had been implementing the work-for-relief program. Although every household didn’t have much stored grain, they wouldn’t starve in the short term.

The situations in other counties were much more severe than in Xiping County.

She didn’t want to conflict with the local gentry in Xiping County over grain prices, especially since quite a few grain shops in Xiping County were operated by members of the Zhao Family.

Therefore, Zhao Hanzhang did not release a large quantity of grain to stabilize prices, but she took some measures to express her stance.

For instance, she set up grain points in the marketplaces of the villages and towns below, selling grain to all the people participating in the work-for-relief program.

In such cold weather, those taking part in the work-for-relief program usually didn’t have good living conditions, and the tasks announced by the county government, apart from some like making quilts, clothes, and braiding straw, which women could do, mostly consisted of heavy labor such as road repairs, digging canals, and reservoirs.

They were well-fed, but they had elderly, wives, and children at home.

That’s why Zhao Hanzhang specifically set up grain points, allowing them to buy grain at a slightly lower price.

To prevent exploitation, she granted each overseer the authority to issue wooden tokens. Workers wanting to buy grain at the grain points could go in groups with the tokens to purchase grain.

With this move, grain prices in Xiping County dropped slightly again, and everyone behaved judiciously, not causing trouble for her with this matter.

Moreover, since a considerable portion of the grain shops in Xiping County were run by the Zhao Family, with Zhao Ming around, they certainly wouldn’t trouble Zhao Hanzhang over this.

Eight days later, Chen Fang took the account book to the county government to collect copper coins and then distributed them to everyone.

According to custom, they would get a day off each time wages were paid.

The people of Upper Corner Village, upon receiving their money, rushed to the market, using the newly received copper coins to buy grain.

Ten days, 100 cents. The current grain price is twenty cents per dou for wheat, a bit cheaper at twelve cents per dou for beans, and more expensive at twenty-two cents per dou for rice.

These were the prices only at Zhao Hanzhang’s grain points. In the county town’s grain shops, all kinds of grain prices were two to five cents higher.

This was also one reason Zhao Hanzhang was able to recruit so many workers in winter because with this benefit, the value of the work-for-relief copper coins increased by 20% to 50%.

Thus, families able and willing to endure hardship, even relatively affluent ones, would participate in the work-for-relief program.

Some people from Upper Corner Village spent all their money on grain, while others saved some money, buying only a portion of the grain.

Then they teamed up to carry the grain back home.

The remaining people in Upper Corner Village, huddled in their homes not moving, with fewer robust laborers who could eat, found that they had a bit more grain to eat each day. But they still dared not eat excessively, only adding an extra meal of thin wheat porridge each day.

When Qian Jin and his group entered the village, it was very quiet, but the young and strong were enthusiastic, unable to suppress smiles on their faces. As soon as they reached the village entrance, they shouted loudly, "Wife, wife, we’re back! I brought back lots of grain—"

The quiet village suddenly became lively. Some came out supporting themselves against the wall, and upon seeing the youths either carrying or shouldering bags of grain, were overjoyed as if they had found strength in their steps and eagerly took a few steady strides forward, asking urgently, "Is it grain?"

"Yes, it’s grain. I bought five dou."

Youths had already gone beyond them towards their homes, surrounded by mothers and younger siblings as soon as they entered. They proudly said, "I also bought five dou."

Not everyone bought wheat; some bought a portion of beans. This way, they could buy five dou of grain and still have some money left over.

The whole family surrounded them, marveling at the copper coins they brought back, "There really is money."

"Paid once every ten days; we asked around. We still need at least 20 more days of work before the river can be dredged. That way, we can bring back grain twice more. If we save a bit at home, it could last until the spring wheat is harvested."

"If you dig slower, can’t you work for a long time?"

"We can’t slack off. There was a slacker from Lower Corner Village who was lazy while digging the canal. After being warned twice and still not changing, he was taken away. No one knows where he was sent."

"That’s how people from Lower Corner Village are, let alone us outsiders. I heard that if you don’t obey, the officials will directly take you to the mountains to mine, and you won’t get out for a lifetime."

The family was startled, quickly advising, "Then don’t be lazy. Be more diligent."

"We’re diligent, unlike those from Lower Corner Village, who don’t appreciate their blessings. They just dawdle over canal digging; we’re digging river channels."

Meanwhile, Chen Fang was lecturing the villagers of Lower Corner Village, "A few days ago, the people from Upper Corner Village were here. I held back and didn’t say anything in front of them to save your face. Now that they’re not here, let’s talk about it."

Chen Fang scolded, "Do you usually dawdle like this when serving labor? You don’t work yourselves to death, and that little canal took a whole day longer than planned to complete!"

"It’s cold, and the ground is frozen. The top layer is hard to dig up."

"Nonsense! No matter how hard it is to dig, can it be harder than dredging the river bottom?" Chen Fang sighed, "Look at the people from Upper Corner Village. They occasionally step into icy water and still manage to perform well."

"Don’t rely on my leniency to slack off. You saw what happened to Zhuzi. Next time, if the work isn’t completed on schedule, it won’t just be him getting taken away."

Zhuzi’s family cried out upon hearing about him, asking, "Village chief, where have they taken Zhuzi? Are they trying to harm him?"

"Who wants his life?" Chen Fang replied, "What use is his life? Rest assured, he won’t die. Isn’t he the lazy one, taking wages but not doing his job? The County Lord punished him by making him grind grain."

He continued, "To prevent laziness and escape, all those punished are moved to different places. Currently, all the prisoners grinding grain in our area are brought from elsewhere. If Zhuzi doesn’t run away, he can come back after a while. If he runs, he’ll never set foot in Xiping County again."

Zhuzi’s family was alarmed. They had initially planned to help Zhuzi escape upon finding him, but they didn’t expect the County Lord to consider even that.