Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 488 Others have already taken 99 steps

Plus Rong Jin's age, he is not really young anymore. Last year, he put Xiao Yuan on hold because he thought she was still young. Now that his parents are back, he shouldn't continue to make trouble, so the marriage should be put on the agenda.

Hua Mancheng and his wife certainly had no objection to their daughter's decision. Indeed, their daughter would be nineteen after the Chinese New Year, and other girls would have become mothers at the age of nineteen.

In addition, the two families had an engagement, the family background of the Marquis' Mansion was good, and Rong Jin was a very good candidate. Hua Mancheng and his wife had no reason to stop it.

So, after resting for a day at home, Hua Mancheng couldn't wait to come here with Yun, on the one hand to thank Marquis Pei and Madam Pei for taking care of their daughter and son over the years.

On the other hand, it was to discuss the marriage of the two children. Although the woman should be more reserved, after all, others have already taken ninety-nine steps, and the woman really needs to take the initiative to take this last step.

When Madam Pei heard this, she sat up straight with joy. The previous steps of the process had already been completed, and the next step was to pay the betrothal gift, ask for the date, and welcome the bride.

Hua Mancheng and his wife had no conditions for marriage. But Lord Pei and his wife were willing to agree to any conditions. Therefore, the conversation went smoothly when they sat together.

By the time Hua Mancheng and his wife said goodbye in the afternoon, almost all the matters concerning the marriage had been discussed. When Hua Lei came back exhausted after a busy day at the Silin Bureau, she heard the news of her marriage.

In May of next year, Grandfather Pei will have to check the calendar to find out the exact date, and also write a letter to Pei Jingyang and his wife in Mobei to ask when it would be convenient for them to return to the capital.

In May, the weather was neither too hot nor too cold. Although it was only half a year away, it was still in time. Hualei had no objection. So, she asked Qingying and Qinglian to help her embroider her wedding dress.

Of course, I don't need the dowry list written by Xiaoyuan. Although I have contributed the most to the farm and shop over the years, I am embarrassed to take it all away.

Although her parents did not take care of her and Xiaoyuan for various reasons, she was also a very filial daughter. She would do everything she could to ensure that her parents had enough food and clothing before Xiaoyuan came of age.

What's more, he has the ability to turn stone into gold. Once he has the support of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion in the future, he can focus on displaying his skills and making money.

In a few years, the tea garden will be able to produce tea, and some matcha will also be made. Matcha did not exist in the Great Prosperity, and it will definitely be more popular than tea by then.

In addition, when the tung trees bear seeds, more tung oil and oilcloth can be produced. By then, tung oil candles, oilcloth raincoats, oilcloth umbrellas and the like can also be developed in large quantities.

By the way, the sweet potato wine from the Imperial Hospital will continue to be supplied for another five years. Although I can't eat the meat of the alcohol, I can still drink a lot of the soup of this alcohol. I have to remember to sell the sweet potato wine to the Imperial Hospital at the highest price. Don't forget it.

By the way, when I was on duty today, Lord Mo revealed a piece of news to me. I heard that Emperor Shengwu was interested in selling dozens of other barren hills in the northwest area of ​​Beicheng District.

According to the information that Lord Mo had heard, if the imperial court was allowed to reclaim the wasteland on its own, even if all the prisoners in the prison were mobilized and the people were required to perform corvée labor, it would still take a long time to complete. If the wasteland was to produce income, it would take who knows when it would be.

Therefore, Emperor Shengwu decided to sell these dozens of barren mountains next year and let various aristocratic families actively exert their own strength to turn the barren mountains into gold and silver mountains as soon as possible.

Moreover, the current price of selling barren mountains does not seem to be very high, similar to the price slightly lower than that of inferior fields. After the New Year, it is estimated that the Ministry of Rites will release specific news.

At this time, Hua Lei had finished dinner and was sitting in her study, looking through the farm account books for the past two months while thinking about and digesting this information from Lord Mo.

I wonder if this news is accurate? I should ask Pei Jingxuan sometime. He is in the Ministry of Revenue now, so he must be more informed.

If it is true, then shouldn't I prepare some silver and buy a few barren hills to develop? Yes, I have money now. Although the barren hills are slow to produce results, the income is far higher than that of ordinary fields.

Moreover, it is not easy to buy farmland in Shangjing City. Especially good farmland, which is really hard to find. So buy a barren mountain to earn money, which is the same as buying a farmland.

Moreover, Lord Mo said that you don’t need to pay taxes for three years after buying the barren mountain. From four to six years, you only need to pay half of the taxes. This is very cost-effective.

However, you also need to go and see what the mountain is like in advance. Is there any forest? Is it suitable for land reclamation?

In a few days, I will need to go on field work on the mountain that is being reclaimed. Then I can take some time to go there and take a look at the specific situation.

If it is suitable for land reclamation, just pick a few with better terrain and topography. After the Ministry of Rites releases the news, you can take the initiative. After buying the barren mountain, you can make a lot of money.

Oh, I’m so worried. What if my hands cramp from counting money?

Rong Jin, who had just returned from his shift, was caught off guard by such great news. He was so happy that he couldn't help but count his private money.

Well, Sister Hua likes gold, so I will exchange my banknotes for gold ingots and send them to Sister Hua. Oh, and I will also go to Jindingxuan to customize a birthday gift for Sister Hua.

Every year, I will give Hua Meimei a gold ingot that matches her age, until she turns 100. Oh, and I will also make some gold jewelry, hairpins, earrings, bracelets, etc. to ensure that Hua Meimei has everything she needs.

Oh, right, the betrothal gifts. Grandfather should prepare a few more loads of betrothal gifts. According to the regulations of the Marquisate, the maximum load is 108. So let's prepare 108 loads.

Rong Jin hurried to Songhe Hall to have dinner with his grandparents.

In the following days, everyone in the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, from top to bottom, was busy preparing for Pei Rongjin's wedding.

After three or four days, it was the end of the ten-day period. Early in the morning, Rong Jin got up and prepared to go to the Hua residence in Yongningfang to visit Hua Lei. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave, Hua Lei and Hua Mancheng arrived at the Marquis' residence first.

This made Rong Jin very happy. He thought Hua Lei and Hua Mancheng came to discuss marriage arrangements with his grandfather.