You Miao pulled the paper over, but You Dechuan held it down and said: "You can't go to the capital again this year."
You Miao frowned and said: "Why?"
You Dechuan said: "There are frequent wars outside the Great Wall. I'm afraid that the north is not stable."
You Miao laughed and said: "If the north is not stable, it may not be that even the capital can't be defended. Old man, what are you thinking about?"
"Stupid!" You Dechuan scolded: "If the north is not stable, it is bound to recruit soldiers and increase taxes. The court will transfer personnel, and there will be a lot of corvée labor in the south and north of the Yangtze River. If you are recruited by the Third Prince's party, won't you have to rush eight hundred miles to write a letter to your family to ask for money?"
You Miao said, "I have nothing to do with the Third Prince..."
You Dechuan said again, "What if the prince asks you for money? The national treasury is empty, and taxes will be increased in the Liangjiang area. By then, Prime Minister Li will instigate the emperor to borrow money from salt and tea merchants. You are detained in the capital, how can I not pay?"
You Miao sneered. After all, he was still worried about the money. He wanted to retort: If we really go to war with the Hu people, the country will be overthrown, and you will not be able to take care of your own property even if you have great abilities. However, he changed his mind and realized that the money belonged to You Dechuan after all. He could give it to whoever he wanted. He could take it into the coffin when he died, or it would be none of his business if it was robbed by the Hu people.
You Miao thought for a moment and said, "Then what are you going to do?"
You Dechuan said, "Your mother fenced off a piece of land when she was alive. She wanted to cultivate it fifteen years ago, but she was often sick and not in good health, so she didn't go. Four tenants are taking care of it. If you are willing, the land will be given to you. If you can grow something special, I will let your elder brother go to Beijing in three years, and I will give you all the family property to manage. You two can just exchange it." You
Miao couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and glanced at You Hange. He saw that his skin was rough, and he looked like a country boy who had entered the city. Now he followed a rich father. He looked like a farmer in a brocade robe, but he couldn't change his farm work. He wanted to go to Beijing? What could a mud-legged man do? He couldn't eat or play, and Li Yan and others probably didn't even look at him.
"I won't go." You Miao was stubborn again and said, "What a bullshit."
You Dechuan said, "You have to go whether you want to or not. I don't have much money to give you."
You Miao: "You..."
You Dechuan said, "I will never let you go to Beijing now. Your cousin also wrote a letter. You spend too much every year. The family can't afford your money..."
You Miao: "Are you kidding? You are short of these thousands of taels of silver?! Give me back my things! I will use my own money to go to Beijing!"
You Dechuan said, "Where did you get the money? How can you have money? If I didn't support you, what would you use to make friends with those bad friends..."
You Dechuan got angry again, but the fault was still his. He could not get rid of the issue of establishing another eldest son. When he was about to calm down and say a few more words, You Miao sneered, "You support me? You have money? If my mother hadn't helped you back then, you wanted to make a fortune and buy a house? Dream on!"
"You old dog who lives off others, my mother helped you to build such a huge family business, but you turned your face and disowned me as soon as she left. You married a concubine and recognized the runaway son..."
"Dad! Calm down!"
"I'll beat you to death, you little beast!"
Before You Miao finished speaking, an inkstone was thrown at him. You Miao dodged it subconsciously, but Li Zhifeng made a lightning move and grabbed the inkstone in his hand. Neither of them was hit, but they were splashed with ink, making a mess.
You Dechuan hated it the most in his life. Every time he was mentioned outside, he was regarded as "You Dechuan who lives off others". He really hated it enough to break his teeth.
"Dad..." You Hange stopped his old father and persuaded him to calm down. You Miao walked out of the study with ink on his head, and walked towards the corridor angrily without writing the letter.
"Dad! Dad!" You Hange saw that You Dechuan had been so angry at his youngest son that he turned pale and fell on a chair. He hurriedly calmed him down, clenched his fists and came out to call for help, which frightened Wang Shi so much that her face turned pale and she came over to see.
You Miao finally let out a breath of anger and leaned against the pillar of the corridor. He didn't know why he felt indescribably tired.
Li Zhifeng stood behind him, with ink all over the left half of his face, and You Miao's right face was also all over ink. He sighed, turned around, hugged Li Zhifeng's waist, and buried his face in his shoulder.
Li Zhifeng raised his hand silently and hugged You Miao. The two of them hugged each other and stood quietly in the corridor.
After noon the next day, there were guests in the teahouse again. This time, it was tea farmers and farmhands who came to give New Year gifts. There were all kinds of gifts in the yard. You Hange came to knock on the door in person and said outside the door: "Brother."
You Miao had not recovered from the cold and was still coughing when he stood up. Mu Qier saw You Hange and bowed to let him into the outer room. You Hange said, "Are you feeling better?"
You Miao was sleepy and could not answer for a while. He just glanced at him, like a young tiger who did not trust people. You Hange said, "Today the tea farmers came to visit the farm, and Dad asked you to come out and meet them. After all, they are our tenants, and there are some red seals to be distributed. There are also uncles and brothers from Yangzhou coming to visit, you can take a look..."
"Got it." You Miao said unhappily, "The old man is accompanying the guests?" You
Hange said, "Yes, big brother does not know the rules, and does not know how to seal... I wanted to let Uncle Lin go to distribute the seals, but Dad said that at least one of us must go..."
"Let me do it." You Miao said coldly.
Although he was in a bad mood, You Miao still knew the general situation. He had to do what he had to do. Since someone from the clan came today, You Dechuan had to accompany the guest and could not leave. He must be an elder of the You clan. If the new housekeeper was allowed to send the tenants away, firstly, he would not be able to convince the public. Secondly, he was hired by Wang and might be stingy by nature. If outsiders talked about him, You Miao would inevitably be embarrassed as well.
You Hange must have been afraid of this, so he came to ask You Miao to help.
You Miao got out of bed in a single piece of clothing and coughed a few times. You Hange hurried forward to help him and said, "Just write down the amount. There is a gift list here. I will have someone pack it up and give it as a reward..."
You Miao waved his hand, and Li Zhifeng came over with a robe to wrap him up. You Hange said again, "Don't rush. Eat breakfast first and then go. Let them wait a little longer."
You Miao washed and tidied up casually, ate some porridge, followed You Hange to his room, spread out the gift list, and sealed it according to the gift package sent by the tenant.
You Hange helped from the side and said, "Brother, don't make dad angry anymore. He can't stand being angry since last year."
You Miao didn't say anything. He noticed that You Hange's room was very simple. There was not even a book on the table. Although it was the main room where You Miao lived in the past, it looked simple after being tidied up. There was only a bonsai of mountains and rivers, and a word on the wall: "A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step."
This grand occasion was not only better than the brocade quilt and fur felt he had lived in before, but also inferior to You Deyou's house in Beijing. After
You Miao wrapped the envelope, he asked the servant to carry the plate to the front yard of the villa, and You Hange became a follower.
"Master." A tenant recognized him and smiled, and You Miao also smiled at him, and gave money to each of them. Hundreds of tea farmers were standing on the ground, some carrying loads and some pushing carts.
These people all hoped to renew the lease of You's tea fields next year. They were busy picking winter buds all year round, hoping that even if You Dechuan did not raise the rent, they could make a little money to support their families.
"Fifteen jars of pickled cabbage roots... I love to eat them." You Miao ticked off the list with a smile and said, "Here, this is your reward."
The tea farmer received the gift and said with a smile, "I knew that the young master loved to eat them, so I pickled them in the jars at the beginning of the year. My wife kept saying that she didn't know when the young master You would come back..."
You Miao said, "I mean it."
"Don't raise the rent next year, young master!" Someone else poked his head out of the line and shouted.
You Miao said, "No rent increase!"
The tea farmers were relieved and talked and laughed for a while.