Chapter 217: The Person Who Was Grateful Has Changed

Pan Yun had no idea that as soon as she left, Old Huang reneged on half his promise.

She didn't know, but Old Huang's steward knew, the servants in the household knew, the servants' families knew, and gradually, many people found out.

Not all the servants in Old Huang's household had signed lifetime contracts—he was stingy, especially toward his own servants and tenant farmers.

So his servants fell into three categories: first, those passed down from previous generations, commonly called home-born slaves;

second, those bought from outside, either with death contracts or life contracts; whether one or the other, most were children from poor families in nearby villages, typically purchased around age ten;

third, hired long-term laborers, or those directly selected from tenant farmers to assist.

For example, Zhang Sanlang, who fed the horses in the stable, was a long-term laborer; he had once been Old Huang's tenant farmer too, but because he couldn't pay the rent, his last two mu of land was seized and sold to Old Huang to settle his debt, leaving him landless, so he could only work as a long-term laborer for Old Huang, earning just enough to avoid starvation.

He was no longer a tenant farmer, but his brothers, cousins, and most of his fellow villagers were still Old Huang's tenant farmers.

Pan Yun arrived with great fanfare, and Zhang Sanlang joined in the commotion too; he didn't know the details, but he heard that the immortal master had told Old Huang to perform more good deeds.

Old Huang had promised that this year and going forward, the land rent would drop to sixty percent.

The news spread throughout the household; the servants all prepared themselves, since the able-bodied men of the household would soon accompany Old Huang to the villages to collect rent.

Li Sizhu, who fed the oxen in the stable, was a tenant farmer—he wasn't even a short-term laborer; he worked for Old Huang for free.

He didn't want to, but his wife was ill, so he missed the planting and weeding season this year, yielding less than other households; he'd also sold much of his grain to pay for her medicine, leaving him unable to pay Old Huang's rent, so he begged Old Huang to grant him a one-year deferment and promised to pay back the rent next year.

Of course, with interest.

But Old Huang's steward said: interest is interest; Old Huang agreeing to let him defer payment was an act of mercy, and since Old Huang showed mercy, you must show mercy too—since you have nothing to do after winter arrives, come to Old Huang's household to feed the oxen and clean the stable.

In truth, Li Sizhu wanted to say he had many things to do—he had to care for his wife, care for his two young children, loosen the soil in the fields, weed and prevent pests, and constantly monitor the winter wheat planted—fertilizing it, laying down straw for warmth…

Though called the farming off-season, farmers were never truly idle in winter.

But he couldn't refuse; if he didn't come, Old Huang would immediately demand full payment, leaving his entire family with no means to survive.

So even though working for Old Huang for free filled him with resentment, he still had to force a smile, express heartfelt gratitude, and go tend to Old Huang's oxen.

As a tenant farmer who raised oxen, he was not allowed into the main courtyard of the Huang household; his area of movement was limited to the ox stable, the horse stable, and the servants' quarters.

But servants' gossip was swift—he knew that a certain immortal master named Pan Sanzhu had come to inspect Old Huang's feng shui and urged him to perform good deeds by reducing rent for the tenant farmers.

When he learned Old Huang had decided to reduce this year's and next year's rent by one-tenth, collecting only sixty percent, Li Sizhu couldn't keep quiet and spread the news back to the village.

Their village had sixty-eight households, forty-two of which rented land from Old Huang.

So the rent reduction was a major event in the village.

The village buzzed with excitement; everyone praised Old Huang, and Li Sizhu repeatedly opened his mouth to say: "We should thank Xuanmiao Xianshi Pan—if not for him, how would Old Huang have reduced the rent?"

But everyone was lost in the joy of Old Huang's rent reduction and paid no heed—until Li Sizhu returned to the village again.

"Seventy percent? How is it seventy percent again? Didn't you say Old Huang would only charge us sixty percent?"

Li Sizhu: "Everyone in the household said so, but now the immortal master is gone and Old Huang has reneged—what can I do?"

The villagers stamped their feet: "Ah, why did the immortal master leave so quickly? She should've waited until Old Huang collected the rent!"

Li Sizhu said: "Can we control where immortals come and go?"

After a long silence, the village chief said: "Enough complaining. Let's pretend we never heard this. The immortal master never received our offerings—she got Old Huang to reduce rent and perform good deeds for us already; that makes her a great benefactor."

"Is it too late to start offering to her now?"

"Yes! Even if we don't get a reduction this year, there's still next year—Old Huang's rent is truly too high. I heard Chen Master in Sanli Town only charges fifty percent."

"The tenant farmers in Sanli Town live so well."

"Indeed—if Sanli Town weren't so far away, I'd move there to rent land."

"What's the immortal master's name? I'll kneel and kowtow to her tonight."

Li Sizhu said: "The immortal master's surname is Pan, but I don't know her full name. I'll go find out and tell you next time I return."

After much effort, Li Sizhu learned from the kitchen staff that the immortal master was named Pan Sanzhu, accompanied by two Daoist acolytes: one called Seeing Miao Zhen, the other called Seeing Miao He.

Within days, villagers began setting up long-life tablets for Pan Yun—mostly wooden plaques, on which the village's literate man had clumsily written "Pan Sanzhu Long Life," then placed them in the main hall. There was no incense, only the villagers' sincere hearts; every morning and evening they kowtowed, murmuring: "Xuanmiao Xianshi, bless us with rent reduction next year, and keep our families safe and healthy…"

Not long after, Old Huang's rent collectors arrived in the village, summoning everyone to the village entrance; Steward Qian opened his ledger and said: "I'll call out names and verify land acreage; if everything's correct, pay your rent."

Behind them stood row after row of ox-carts, ready to haul away the rent.

"Li Sizhu's household: rented six mu, this year must pay one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five jin of grain, deferred one thousand jin to be repaid by autumn next year, with two hundred jin interest—correct?"

Li Sizhu immediately bowed and nodded: "Yes, yes."

Steward Qian replied: "Then hand over the remaining eight hundred and ninety-five jin of grain."

Li Sizhu had returned to the village specifically to pay rent; he quickly carried forward nine sacks of grain he'd already prepared.

The other tenant farmers in the village had already had their rents calculated by the village chief and were well prepared.

No one dared withhold Old Huang's rent, let alone refuse to pay.

Unless they wanted to die in this region.

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So rent collection went smoothly and quickly.

After collecting the rent, Steward Qian said: "Our master, seeing how hard everyone's life has been these past years, has shown great compassion and specifically instructed: this year, the amount of silage and poultry submitted by each tenant household shall be halved, and next year's rent shall be reduced by one-tenth, to sixty percent."

The villagers widened their eyes—not to thank Old Huang first, but to cry: "Xuanmiao Xianshi Pan has manifested!"

The village chief immediately recovered and led everyone in loud praise: "Old Huang has a compassionate heart! Quickly thank Old Huang—pray to heaven to bless Old Huang with a hundred years of life!"

The villagers snapped to attention and immediately began thanking Old Huang.

Steward Qian watched approvingly and reported back to Old Huang: "Master, the villagers were delighted to hear you'd halved the silage and poultry, and when they learned next year's rent would drop another ten percent, they cheered your hundred-year life—I see they're truly grateful."

Old Huang lifted his chin: "Good, they've got sense!"

He frowned and asked: "Have you gone to Dengjiazhuang yet?"

Steward Qian replied: "Tomorrow."

Old Huang said: "Dengjiazhuang committed serious offenses. Let those villagers who sincerely repent also benefit from the rent reduction—but the Deng family, as the ringleaders, must not get any reduction."

Steward Qian hesitated: "The Deng family has severed ties with Deng Yun and his brother. Master, you previously chose not to pursue them, so the neighbors have praised you greatly—wouldn't treating them differently now…?"

Master Huang sneered coldly: "Before, I had no choice. At the time, the tenant farmers didn't say anything to my face, but in their hearts they were very resentful. If I had done anything to the Deng family, it would likely have sparked an even bigger peasant revolt."

"But now two years have passed since that affair, and I've repeatedly reduced the rent for them. If these tenant farmers still don't appreciate my kindness, then they're ungrateful wolves." He sneered coldly: "As for the Deng family, hmph, if it weren't for their failure to raise their son properly, would I have reduced the rent from eighty percent to seventy percent, and now reduced it again to sixty percent because I need to accumulate merit? They owe me, and they must pay some of it back."

He said confidently: "Go ahead and do it with peace of mind. With the premise of our rent reductions, those tenant farmers will not only no longer be influenced by the Deng family, they may even take the lead in bullying the Deng family. Raising tenant farmers is just like raising dogs—give them a beating, hand them a sweet date, then find them a mouse to play with, and slowly their loyalty will be cultivated."

"When the time comes, we won't need to do anything ourselves. There will naturally be people to take revenge for us."

Steward Qian paused for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Master, will this affect your merit, and then affect the feng shui of the residence?"

Master Huang was very displeased. "I want good feng shui in order to have money and power. I have money and power in order to do whatever I want. If this won't do, and that won't do, why would I still bother with this feng shui?"

If it weren't for Pan Yun's warnings about "longevity" and "offspring," he would have long since gone back on next year's rent-reduction promise as well.

The longer time passed, the clearer his head became. Could this feng shui formation truly alter the Huang family's fate?

Of course, he didn't doubt Pan Yun's abilities. After all, he had personally witnessed many of her capabilities with his own eyes. He simply had doubts in his heart.

To pay out so much, just for a few more years of life and those illusory offspring—was it truly worth it?

Actually, if he earned a little more money, then in the future he could invite famous physicians to extend his life, and probably live quite a bit longer, right?

Master Huang spent every day in this kind of self-doubt and self-calculation, and his temper grew worse and worse. The man was nearly going mad.

When the news reached Deng Family Village, the rent-collecting gang followed them into Deng Family Village, confirming this news.

After the rent collectors left, the villagers crowded into the village chief's house and discussed: "Is the Xuanmiao Xianshi Pan they speak of outside the Xuanmiao Xianshi Pan who came to our village some time ago?"

(End of this chapter)