Chapter 4: Surprisingly, the family assets are not negative.

For instance, in terms of firewood, rice, oil, and salt, living in the mountains with one's own fields means that while firewood and rice are not a concern, the prices of oil and salt are on par with that of meat, and sugar is similarly priced. As a person of the twenty-first century, paying twenty yuan for a pound of salt is something that only occurred after the nuclear power plant incident in Japan, and the same goes for sugar, which is also priced at twenty yuan per pound, making it utterly unimaginable. ... As for fabrics and such, those are even more significant expenses. It was at this moment that Li Si recalled that the short robe worn by Sister Guan was actually one he had worn in his youth.

When it comes to agricultural matters, Li Si feels a headache just thinking about it, and he cannot make sense of the tenant-farmer relationship regarding the fields. However, if he calculates, he has four sheng of corn each year, close to three hundred kilograms of grain. If he is not afraid of eating cornmeal, he should have no problem filling his stomach. Additionally, with seven or eight taels of silver, it seems that one could survive. So why is he still going to mine?

Li Si sighed like this, then suddenly paused, realizing that it was not right; how could it possibly be better than three hundred years later?

Stepping out of the door, a vast expanse unfolded before him: blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and lush fields. The oppression in Li Si's heart dissipated considerably. Although most of the memories of "Li Si" remained, he still wished to wander around, connecting the fragments of his memories one by one

Unfortunately, he did not pass the county examinations several times, let alone the provincial and imperial examinations. Last year, the drought in northern Guangdong led to a significant reduction in the harvest of rice paddies, and the money he earned also shrank considerably. He, "Li Si," felt the pressure of life and had no choice but to set aside his aspirations for the civil service examinations. He went to work as a miner in a mine, earning about seven or eight taels of silver each month, and this life was barely manageable.

Walking along the ridges, Li Si's search gradually yielded results. So it is, this life, is summed up in one word...苦.

This is Guangdong, in spring. The water has begun to rise, and the river is flowing rapidly; it must be the river he had not yet crossed before his journey. Li Si turned back to look at the small hill where his home is located, thinking to himself that this is the very hill that had collapsed.

This year, the weather has warmed up early, and the rice fields need to be planted soon. After finishing the work on Fourth Brother's land, we still have to tend to our own fields

It is still early; spring corn will not be planted until a month later. The soil has just begun to warm up, so we must take advantage of this time to turn the soil

Incredible, he is actually a small landlord...

The deceased are gone, and since I have come, I shall find peace. Li Si calmed his thoughts and walked down the mountain. About one or two miles away, there was another peak, from which a column of black smoke was rising into the sky, violently encroaching upon the pristine sky that resembled a painting. He could faintly hear the clanging sounds of metal striking metal; memory told him that was the location of the mine and the map. Looking at the position of the peak and recalling the muddy village road he had struggled through in his old Jetta before crossing over, Li Si suddenly realized that this peak was the large pit he had been swept down by a mudslide, only now, three hundred years later, the peak had been entirely excavated.

In the later years of the Kangxi era, an individual like him, after accounting for basic food supplies, would have an average of over one tael of silver left each month, which merely placed him at the subsistence level. When Jin Yong's ancestors, Cha Shenxing, served as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, the sedan bearers he employed earned a monthly salary of one tael of silver, and only with some extra tips could they barely make ends meet. According to records from contemporaneous literati, a daily allowance of four fen of silver was only sufficient for basic sustenance. The backdrop of "Dream of the Red Chamber" is also set in this era; in the book, Liu Laolao mentions that a family of five would consume thirty taels in a year, a figure that closely aligns with estimates made by historians of the time in which Li Si lived.

Li Si is sifting through information in the memories of two eras. Although he has studied the Qing history, the relevant materials only leave him with a vague impression. For instance, during the late Kangxi period, the price of rice was approximately one sheng for one tael of silver, and the price of land was about four to five taels per mu, but he is unclear about more detailed aspects. Moreover, this era's "Li Si" is a person who is oblivious to the basics of daily life, and his impressions are not very deep.

In the Qing Dynasty, the Green Standard Army soldiers were divided into three categories: cavalry, combat infantry, and garrison infantry. The latter two categories were both classified as infantry, but cavalry did not necessarily have horses, and garrison soldiers were not exclusively tasked with guarding. In terms of soldier ranks, the monthly salary for cavalry was 2 taels, for combat infantry it was 1 tael and 5 cash, and for garrison infantry it was 1 tael

After taking stock of the original assets of his body, Li Si sighed inwardly. Although he was merely a commoner, this starting point was ultimately not a negative one

How can one still feel that life can go on? Where does the problem lie

Without a mortgage, without paying for utilities, it is possible that I earn more than before the time travel

Previously, my father passed away, and the funeral not only depleted his savings but also led to the sale of the land from the ten acres of rice fields. In accordance with my father's wishes, I persisted in my studies for the past two years. To qualify for the title of a young scholar, I had to attend a private school, and most of the income from those ten acres was spent on the tuition and respect fees for the teacher. Without the support of Guan Fengsheng, I would have struggled to afford even my meals

What can seven or eight coins do? The soldiers of the Green Standard Army during the Qing Dynasty received a monthly salary of one tael and five coins, along with three dou of rice. Even during the Kangxi era, they were still struggling to make ends meet. Li Si vaguely remembers that in this era, one jin of pork was worth about three fen in silver, with one tael equaling ten coins and one coin equaling ten fen. This means that as a miner for a month, he could buy around twenty jin of pork. Based on the pork prices before Li Si's time travel, his monthly salary would be equivalent to four hundred yuan. Adding the rent from the rice fields and the income from the grain fields, it seems he wouldn't be considered part of the destitute class.

The prices during the Kangxi period were ... ...

As early as the Song Dynasty, land rights began to differentiate into ownership and usage rights, a trend that became even more prevalent in the southern regions during the Qing Dynasty, where ownership was referred to as "tian gu" (land bones) and usage rights as "tian pi" (land skin). Landlords held ownership rights, while tenants possessed usage rights, which could be transferred or leased without interference from the landlords; this is known as perpetual tenancy rights. Since this book focuses on the common people, it inevitably addresses agricultural matters and will continue to discuss these topics. It is important to first remind readers that the roots of Chinese history lie in the land, and the evolution of history is not merely a matter of population growth and land consolidation.

How difficult it was, just think of the Red Army's 25,000 li march

Lin Dashu was explaining with great dedication

While passing by a dry field, a man suddenly called out to Li Si. Turning to look, he saw a sturdy man in his thirties.

Lin Dashu, this name surfaced in Li Si's mind along with this face, followed by a series of events that slightly surprised him. This man was a tenant of his family, and the approximately two mu of dry land beneath his feet was the grain field of the Li family. Unfortunately, Li Si did not know how to farm, so he leased the land to Lin Daluo, sharing the harvest fifty-fifty, and each year he could receive about three to four shi of corn as rent

With the rental income and wages combined, Li Si's earnings are roughly comparable to those of the green camp soldiers. It is no wonder that one might feel life is quite difficult.

As I walked, I calculated my "cost of living," bringing to light some details of daily life. I suddenly realized that I was still viewing things through the lens of my previous era. Many expenses, which could be considered negligible three hundred years later, are, in this age, a significant portion of my expenditures

Fourth brother, is your head alright?

Li Si was taken aback; they were not merely his tenants, as they also had their own fields at home. To cultivate his two acres of dry land, there was certainly some sense of friendship and mutual assistance involved

Li Si responded casually

It was only then that Li Si remembered that he actually had ten acres of paddy fields. However, the land rights had already been sold to the wealthy Mr. Zhong of this area, leaving only the land lease, which is referred to as the perpetual tenancy right. Ironically, he himself was a tenant of Mr. Zhong. Moreover, Li Si did not even know how to cultivate dry land, let alone paddy fields. The ten acres of paddy fields were being managed by Guan Fengsheng, who was hiring workers for cultivation. After deducting rent and wages, he could still receive seven or eight taels of silver each year.

It is not a problem, but what about spring plowing

His dilapidated earthen house is situated on the hillside of a small mountain. Looking around, there are dozens of other earthen houses standing around this small mountain; this is Fengtian Village. Below the hillside, there are two or three circles of scattered dry fields, but no crops are visible, only a few people are seen turning the soil. At the foot of the mountain, there is a stretch of rice paddies, and further in the distance, there is a large river.