Chapter 402: Rent Land
The exemption of rent had indeed stirred up a significant commotion, which Qin Zhenzhen and Su Bin had anticipated.
Qin Zhenzhen remarked, "The village fields are exceptionally fertile, but the rent is exorbitant."
Nonetheless, despite the high rents, some villagers were still willing to rent these fields due to their proximity and ease of management.
If these landowners were determined to compel the villagers to make a choice, there would likely be individuals who preferred to rent the fertile village fields. These fields offered the assurance of a bountiful harvest and were conveniently situated close to home.
Su Bin concurred, saying, "Yes, the rents were quite steep, about half of the harvest."
He reflected on their family’s history, sharing, "In the past, we relied on rent."
His father had absconded from home with a substantial sum of silver. Upon settling in the Qian Family Village, he had used more than half of that silver to purchase land and establish a shop. The village had nearby fertile fields and was conducive to their family’s livelihood, which primarily centered on collecting rent.
However, Su Bin’s father, a young master, possessed few skills beyond literacy and numeracy to support himself. As the saying goes, even a mountain of gold and silver can be depleted, particularly given his father’s habit of extravagant spending.
With the family’s size growing as more children were born, financial resources dwindled. Eventually, they had to sell their land and shop. As their circumstances worsened, they met with a tragic accident, resulting in the death of both parents.
Following their parents’ demise, Su Bin and his siblings endured mistreatment from their uncle’s family, who forced them to sell most of their remaining fields. The remaining small portion was nearly sold off by their uncle and others.