Chapter Fifteen: How about we cooperate instead?

  While digging the pit, Uncle Li also organized people to weave a basket head. This time it was not for sale, but for their own use. In this way, there were more than 20 carrying poles that carried soil into the ground all day long.

  In a month's time, Liu He's land was almost fully paved. "Young man, your land is almost full, where are you going to put this soil?"

  "Li Shu, why don't we work together? We can cover your land and the land of those people who dug holes with a layer of soil." "Young brother, how can this be? How can we take advantage of you like that? We'll provide food but there's not much grain."

  "Uncle Li, do you think this is okay? Go ask others, we'll pool our land together for next year's harvest. Whose land is whose will still be clear, and I'll lend some to my long-term workers and those who come down from the mountains, one mu per household. This way, I won't have to take care of just my long-term workers, everyone will work together, and whoever's land it is will get 40% of the harvest yield in autumn, while the remaining 60% will be divided among the workers based on their labor contribution. What do you think?"

  "Is that okay, little brother? Aren't you being taken advantage of?" "Not being taken advantage of, not being taken advantage of. I originally had a long job here anyway."

  Soon, Dog Egg Pa said this to everyone, and after careful discussion, the landlord took 40% of the income, 60% was divided among them, with 10% left for everyone's use, which could even be used to purchase tools. In fact, these ideas were just people wanting to play with Liu He.

  In the natural village, there are also people who understand. They see that these people have improved their own land so quickly and naturally want to join in, but soon it's New Year's, and this matter is put aside.

  Liu He went into the pit and took a look. The speed was really not slow, and in just two months before the year, this pit had been dug more than 200 meters deep, and all of it was reinforced with large wooden sticks. It can be said that as long as there is no seepage, nothing will happen.

  Even on the edge of the main cave, some auxiliary caves were dug out, which were exactly where food was stored. Liu He took advantage of everyone's rest to bring the long workers to transport all the grain from the mountain down, and his family's grain was also put in this cave.

  In this cave, it's warm in winter and cool in summer. Liu He thought of staying inside the cave forever. This village really has capable people, they've renovated the cave very well, with a main cave and auxiliary caves, even with some hidden gutters on both sides of the main cave for drainage, so that once water enters, it can flow out from the gutters. They also dug a hidden gutter outside the entrance, which extends far away to connect with the river flowing down from East Mountain.

  There is also a vent at the top of the cave, so it won't be stuffy inside. There are also places on the wall to put oil lamps. This cave is really perfect.

  Especially the export processing is also very good, in a narrow channel, it is the entrance to the cave, generally people will not come here, even if someone comes with intention, they can't find the entrance because of the narrow channel. However, there are trees inside the channel, and one tree just blocks the entrance, turn around the tree and you can see the entrance.

  There is still a trace of people coming out of the cave that Liu He needs to deal with. This is not urgent, the war is still far away.

  It's the Lunar New Year, and this is Liu He's first year in this era. Although this era is very poor, the atmosphere of the New Year is really thick, as if the village has become fresh overnight. The bright red couplets, and every family's room has also lit up, actually just using some white mud mixed with water to wipe the walls once, making the blackened walls suddenly brighten up, and naturally the rooms have also brightened up.

  During the Spring Festival, it's natural to go shopping at the market. In the few days before the New Year, the old men and women in the village would go to the market in groups, although they didn't have much money, but they still bought a lot of things back home. They bought a small piece of meat that they wouldn't normally eat throughout the year, and also bought a few pieces of fabric to make clothes for the whole family. Because Liu He came to work, he helped save food for each household, so they could sell some of it and buy things back home. If there were grown-up girls at home, they would even buy them a hair ribbon or a flower for their hair.

  The dog eggs naturally bought more, it can be said that since Liu He purchased the land, they all had meals at Liu He's house, so this year's grain could be sold out a lot. Danni not only bought a flower head but also bought several hair ribbons, these hair ribbons were just a few red strings.

  Also, Dog Egg developed a fondness for sweets because Liu He would bring some back for him every time he went to the village. So, Uncle Li relented and bought twenty pieces of sugar for Dog Egg, as well as some firecrackers.

  Arrived at Liu He's place, it was still the same old routine. They bought a lot of food such as pork, big bones, and duck eggs. They also specially brought back several dozen pieces of fabric, and sugar was not forgotten either.

  It's the New Year, each long worker gets a bag of grain, two sets of cloth for each family member, a chicken, two catties of meat, and pork bones are not distributed but will be used to make soup when everyone gathers.

  Also secretly gave each worker a dozen or so yuan.

  "Master, we really can't have this." "Take it, next year there won't be any, you rely on your strength to work hard, do a good job and you won't need me to give you anything, I've said before, each of your families can borrow an acre of land from me."

  "Take it away, he's a wealthy landlord, he has plenty of grain, one person can't eat that much, so naturally you'll need to help him finish it." Zhang Zhen interrupted.

  In this era, farmers are really simple and honest. When there's a patient at home, they naturally have to sell their land to pay for the patient's medical treatment. Once the patient recovers or passes away, they have no choice but to become long-term laborers on the landlord's estate, earning very little in wages. It can be said that as long as they have food to eat, everyone will behave and not do anything bad. This is also a tradition passed down through 5,000 years of Chinese history. No need to look far, even Zhang Zhen, who received modern education, couldn't get used to it. So, don't provoke the common people of China, or they will get angry too.

  "Ah, right." Liu He suddenly remembered something, "Liu Xiong, you said that when you guys used to work for Lao Li, by the end of the year there was no wages, how did your family make a living?"

  "This is it, we borrow grain from Li Dong's family every year. Every year-end, we borrow some grain from the East House, and until now, we haven't returned the grain to Li Dong's family yet."

  "Borrowing grain, can you pay it back?" "Really can't, it seems like no one has ever paid back the grain, although every year-end Li Dong's family comes to us for the owed grain, but we don't have any way out, we still need to borrow from him."

  Liu He understood as soon as he heard it, and considered the borrowed grain as wages. However, Li Lao Cai would still occupy a good reputation, which is why this place doesn't pay wages. What kind of person came up with this, it's really clever calculation.