Chapter Thirty-two: A Rare Warmth

  Su Huawen had already guessed that the letter sent by the Chamber of Commerce must have a direct relationship with Lei Wentong, and it was likely that Lei Wentong had written the letter in the name of the Chamber of Commerce. This definitely involved some matters.

  After hearing Su Tiancheng's detailed account of how Le Wen Tong came to the mansion, he finally understood everything.

  Su Huawen was secretly angry, and Lei Wentong had also become unbearable. Such a big thing, he actually used such a despicable trick. Fortunately, Su Tiancheng did not fall for it, and his response was reasonable and well-founded, leaving Lei Wentong speechless. However, Lei Wentong's influence in Pingyang Prefecture was not small, with one son studying at the Imperial Academy, two other sons as students, and a nephew who was a successful candidate in the imperial examination. With such a background, he was not someone to be trifled with.

  Thinking of this, Su Huawen couldn't help but feel a little worried. Taking Su Tiancheng to Taiyuan Prefecture was definitely not a good idea, and it might even be a bad move that would trigger huge conflicts within the family. But if Su Tiancheng stayed in Pingyang Prefecture, he might encounter Lei Wentong's sneak attack at any time, after all, Lei Wentong was a cunning and treacherous person.

  After a brief conversation, Su Huawen changed his view. He felt that Su Tiancheng's thinking was clear and accurate, able to see through surface phenomena and grasp the essence of things, even surpassing himself. This was far from the timid and cowardly son he once knew. What had caused such a huge change in less than a year? Had he encountered something extraordinary?

  Of course, all of this is not the most important thing, the key is that Su Tiancheng has made a good impression, and the hope for the Su family to change their fate lies in Su Tiancheng's body.

  The father and son chatted for a while, talking about some things in the mansion. They learned that Su Jun had gone out on a long trip, which made Su Huawen even more worried. He had already secretly decided that this time when he came back, all those things he had prepared earlier would have to be done quickly, forming a fixed situation, and Madame would not be able to do anything about it.

  As for Su Tiancheng moving some coarse salt and seeds stored in the house, Su Huawen also listened to the explanation. Su Tiancheng's emphasis on the matter of draining the pond to catch fish made him deeply moved. Having done business for so many years, he would never forget those who helped him when he was in difficulty. Su Tiancheng's actions, for the vast Su family, were just a matter of a few hundred taels of silver, but they brought good reputation and the loyalty of the tenants.

  Although it's a pity for Su Huawen, as long as Su Tiancheng has a future, this little thing doesn't matter.

  He was preparing to go out of town the next day to take a look and see what the situation with the tenant farmers was.

  At night when resting, Su Huawen still lived in the east courtyard, there was no one else in the courtyard, feeling very deserted. Su Tiancheng still lived in the old place and did not move here because he and his wife went to Taiyuan Prefecture City. At this moment, Su Huawen felt even more guilty, they were all his sons, treated so differently, and he had never been able to pay special attention before, which was a great harm to Su Tiancheng.

  After dawn.

  Su Huawen arrived at the main hall and found that Su Tiancheng had already prepared everything, including the horse carriage.

  After having breakfast, father and son got on the horse-drawn carriage quickly and went straight to the suburbs. Su Pingyang and Su Er'tong followed them to the suburbs together.

  Half a time, Su Huawen got off the carriage, and the scene in front of him made him stare with his mouth agape.

  The winter wheat has all been sown, and in the fields, many ditches have appeared, connecting every piece of land. In the ditches, you can see a thin trickle of water, not much, but enough to irrigate the fields.

  "Father, the child urged the tenant to open up the irrigation ditches and built two ponds. Several wells were dug out, so even if a disaster occurs, it can be prevented. The only problem is that there is a lack of silver, so these ditches look a bit simple. After the winter wheat harvest, the child plans to repair the ditches again."

  Inside the dam, there is indeed some water, although not much, it can already play a role. Since entering winter, it has hardly rained, and looking at next year, it may be another drought year. If some water can be stored for irrigation in farmland, at least there will be a harvest in the fields.

  Su Huawen nodded as he read.

  He thought he had come very early, but most of the tenants were still sleeping. Unexpectedly, the tenant had gotten up long ago.

  Niu Er was the first to discover Su Hua Wen.

  "Old master, young master, Niu Er pays his respects to you."

  Before Su Huawen could react, Niu Er was already kneeling down and kowtowing.

  Su Huawen naturally knew Niu Er, and most of his tenants remembered him clearly.

  "Niu Er, hurry up and get going, you seem to be in high spirits!"

  "It's all thanks to the old master's kindness, otherwise I wouldn't have made it this far."

  Su Huawen did not continue speaking, this was not his blessing, but Su Tiancheng's blessing.

  More and more men gathered around, the old master has arrived here, everyone naturally wants to come and take a look.

  Su Huawen smiled and greeted everyone, with Su Tiancheng's words ringing in his ears.

  "Dad, the New Year is approaching, I've decided to give each tenant household one stone of wheat flour, one catty of fine salt and ten catties of meat, so they can have a good Chinese New Year. Can you please announce this to everyone?"

  Su Huawen's face was filled with a smile, and he couldn't help but feel delighted. Su Tiancheng was indeed clever to bring up such matters himself. As for the tenant farmers, they would be eternally grateful. However, as a merchant, he quickly did the math in his head - nearly 500 taels of silver had just gone out like that. If things continued this way, it wouldn't do at all.

  When Su Huawen announced this decision, all the tenants cheered and thanked him. In the end, all the tenants knelt down and said that Master and Young Master were good people, saying they would die to serve the Su family faithfully.

  After returning to the mansion, Su Huawen's spirit was particularly good, but there were some things he still had to say to Su Tiancheng.

  "Kunyuan, helping the tenant farmers, I don't have any opinion on this, but as for what to do in the future, it's also necessary to consider carefully. If we continue with such assistance all the time, it will be hard to bear."

  Su Huawen is already smiling and talking with Su Tiancheng, such an attitude was unimaginable before.

  "Father, I've thought it through. Building canals, reservoirs and digging wells is all to ensure a good harvest. As long as the winter wheat has a bumper crop, the tenants will definitely be able to get out of their predicament."

  "Uh-huh, I've seen it too, winter wheat has already been sown."

  Su Huawen nodded in satisfaction and immediately thought of something.

  "Kunyuan, inside this Pingyang Prefecture city, there are quite a few wealthy households, all of whom have tenant farmers. These years they've suffered disasters and many tenant farmers have been left with no way out. If only our Su family acts like this, won't others have some opinion about it?"

  "Father, I've thought about it too. There will definitely be some impact, but this kind of good deed will surely get the support of the government office. Even if some wealthy families have different opinions, there's nothing we can do about it. On the contrary, by doing so, our Su family is taking the lead. If other wealthy families are willing to follow suit, the credit will also go to our Su family."

  The real purpose, Su Tiancheng would not thoroughly say it out loud, he knew that in the next few years, Shanxi and other places would suffer from large-scale famines, so he made preparations ahead of time, doing everything possible to produce and store as much grain as possible, in order to let people survive to the greatest extent.

  At dinner time, Su Huawen unexpectedly raised his wine glass and toasted Su Tiancheng.

  Perhaps because of the excitement, Su Huawen drank too much and was a bit tipsy. In his words, he revealed that the land of Pingyang Prefecture would be allocated to Su Tiancheng's name, and there were other measures as well.

  When he heard of Su Huawen's arrangement, Su Tiangong was half joyful and half worried.

  Fortunately, through his own efforts, Su Huawen soon recognized himself. After all, he is the biological father and has made meticulous arrangements for family matters. The worry is that although Su Huawen arranged it this way, would Big Mother agree? If they forcibly did so, wouldn't it trigger a huge family conflict?

  Family matters are not something that the authorities will easily intervene in, let alone if it's because of property issues and ends up at the government office, the Su family's reputation will be tarnished, and I'll also be affected.

  It was faintly felt by Su Tiancheng that he would soon encounter something. Since someone wanted to stir up trouble in the Su family's internal relations, it wasn't just a matter of sending such a letter to Su Huawen, there must be other arrangements.