Chang'an City, Fang Er was completely unaware of the events unfolding in the Western Regions.
Today was the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month. He had been summoned by Fang Xuanling to the Ministry of Revenue to address issues concerning the redemption of national debt.
He watched as crowds of merchants, landowners, and even commoners presented their national debt certificates from the previous year to claim their returns.
After calculation, Fang Xuanling had generously set the annual interest rate at three fen, or thirty percent.
Although this interest rate was astonishingly low compared to the exorbitant monthly interest rates of over one fen common in private lending, the benefits of national debt were obvious: the Ministry of Revenue would sell to anyone, regardless of the amount purchased.
Even with just one string of cash, they could today receive one string and three hundred coins.
This was the appeal to the poor.
For merchants, there was also the privilege of exclusive rights to trade.
Let alone an interest rate of three fen, even if there were no interest at all, they would still have profited immensely.
Where would there be any problems? The old accountants at the Ministry of Revenue understood these matters far better than he did.
Those who received their money walked away from the crowd with beaming smiles, heading towards the East Market and West Market.
This interest was enough for them to get through the year.
On the road back to Fang Family Village from the Ministry of Revenue, he saw the wheat fields on both sides of the cement road covered by heavy snow, with only the tips of their leaves exposed.
The eighty thousand jin of wheat seeds had already been planted in the fields when Fang Er returned, covering more than three thousand mu.
In Fang Er's own land, apart from the thousand mu of glass greenhouses growing vegetables, all other land was planted with wheat.
By next year's harvest, the wheat from these more than three thousand mu, if all went as expected, would be enough to plant a million mu.
He glanced at the specifications for wheat seeds in the open store: one thousand points for one ton of wheat seeds.
"Go to hell, you black merchant! Master Fang doesn't need it anymore!"
The village was also bustling with activity.
Fang Er, funding it himself, bought five hundred sheep. The motto was: slaughter!
The old and young men and women in the village were all smiles, seemingly having emerged from the shadow of losing their loved ones.
He watched the soldiers of the Skyfire Army, sharpening their knives as they approached the fat sheep, eagerly anticipating their share of the mutton.
Su Feng, carrying a cleaver, walked to a table.
On it lay a tightly bound fat sheep. With a clean stroke, he plunged the sharp knife into the sheep's neck. As the knife was pulled out,
A gush of hot blood spurted from the wound, falling into the wooden basin below.
Su Mu took a ladle, added the pre-mixed saltwater to the sheep's blood in the correct proportion, stirred it evenly with the ladle, and then moved the wooden basin aside to let it rest.
"Leave the intestines for this Marquis."
Fang Er walked over and said to Su Feng, who was butchering the sheep.
"Yes, my Lord Marquis."
Su Feng nodded in agreement.
He did not ask why the Marquis would want such a thing that no one ate.
After butchering the entire sheep, Su Feng carried the string of sheep intestines back to the Fang residence.
After a thorough washing, they were presented to Fang Er.
"My Lord Marquis, your intestines."
Fang Er: "..."
He glared at Su Feng with murderous intent.
Su Feng shivered: "Ah, I misspoke, my Lord Marquis. It is the sheep intestines that you asked for."
Fang Er took the basin containing the sheep intestines.
In the kitchen, the cleaver flew, cutting the sheep intestines into small cubes.
After a blanching in water, he switched to a clean pot, placed them inside, and began to simmer them.
Half an hour later, Fang Er, holding the newly cooked sheep intestine soup, was sweating profusely as he drank.
A handful of cilantro, a sprinkle of scallions, and a spoonful of chili oil – the flavor was exquisite!
Following this, Fang Family Village passed the time in a festive New Year's atmosphere. On the twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, the monument for the Skyfire Army was completed, and the ancestral hall had been finished many days prior.
Fang Er summoned all the Skyfire Army and the Defense Army to the monument.
The families of the martyrs buried there came to pay respects to their loved ones.
The Japanese women who had been distributed to them were also brought along, so that the heroic souls of the martyrs could see them. The Marquis had kept his word.
Fang Er, along with the Skyfire Army, sang military songs in front of the newly built Skyfire Army ancestral hall.
Ten thousand voices singing "We are Soldiers" echoed through Fang Family Village.
After the song ended, they saluted, offering incense, candles, and paper money to the martyrs.
Though a cliché method of sacrifice, it deepened the admiration and support of the martyrs' families for the Skyfire Army.
The next day, New Year's Eve, fireworks were set off in Fang Family Village all night long.
Even the people of Chang'an City flocked outside the city to witness the grand spectacle.
As dawn broke, Fang Er stepped out of the Fang residence, ready to take a breath of the full New Year's atmosphere, only to be surrounded by a group of people.
"My Lord Marquis, please return to the manor quickly. We've come to offer New Year's greetings!"
Old Ma Tou, pulling his grandson, with Hua Niang by his side.
Looking at the others, Liu Si, Zhao Neng, Old Sun Tou, all came with their families to offer him New Year's greetings.
Fang Er's face instantly turned green.
He recalled the scene at this time last year. At that time, there weren't as many people in Fang Family Village.
Even so, his face had hurt from smiling so much by nightfall.
"No one is allowed to offer me New Year's greetings! Su Feng, go fetch the copper coins!"
Fang Er shouted towards the gatehouse.
Then he saw the brothers Su Feng and Su Mu, along with Ma Guocai and Yang Buji, heading towards the inner courtyard.
Before long, the four men carried out a large wooden chest.
As the chest was opened, it was filled with yellowish-green copper coins.
"The first day of the first lunar month is the New Year. Since everyone has come, the thought counts, and this Marquis cannot let you all come for nothing."
Saying this, Fang Er took out strings of copper coins from the chest, used a knife to cut the strings, and let the coins scatter onto the ground.
"Grab as much as you can, only one chance each!"
It didn't matter how much money they got, it was all for fun. If the entire strings of copper coins were simply placed there for them to take, these villagers might not even reach for them.
The adults only symbolically grabbed a few coins.
But the children went wild with joy.
"Scramble!"
They swarmed over in an instant.
"You few, take turns dismantling."
Su Feng and the others also began to help. After one chest was emptied, they went to get another.
Finally, even Xiao Qing and the others joined in the fun. The feeling of scattering money was fantastic!
ps: Four more chapters.