Reborn in 1984, fishing and hunting in Jiangnan

Chapter 35

Zhang Jianguo closed the lid of the iron box.

The lid of the box couldn't be closed properly anymore; it was crookedly stuck on.

He pushed the box to a corner of the cabin and covered it with burlap.

The boat is rowing back.

None of the four people spoke.

Zhang Jianguo rowed, each stroke making a louder sound as the oars hit the water than usual.

Chen Rong sat at the bow of the boat, his hands bracing against the gunwale, his eyes fixed on the water, lost in thought.

Liu Jiawang sat in the cabin, opened his notebook, and wrote and drew on it, his brows furrowed.

Chen Zheng sat at the stern of the boat, his hand resting on a bamboo basket.

He thought of his grandfather.

Grandpa found the shipwreck and saw the iron box, but he didn't touch it.

Grandpa said it wasn't worth risking his life for a box of gold and silver that might not even be left.

But Grandpa didn't know that the iron box contained not only gold and silver, but also land deeds.

Seven land deeds.

The land from fifty years ago.

How much was an acre of land worth back then?

A few silver dollars.

How much is an acre of land worth now?

Several hundred yuan. Seven land deeds, at least several dozen acres of land.

If it can be cashed out, it would be several thousand or tens of thousands of yuan.

But Liu Jiawang is right; it's extremely difficult to get back land deeds from decades ago.

The land on the land deeds has changed hands countless times.

Even if we could find out who it belongs to now, we'd still have to go to court.

Going to court requires money, time, and connections.

Where would those fishermen get the money and time?

He closed the lid of the bamboo basket and tied it tightly with hemp rope.

The boat docked.

The four men tied the boat up and headed towards the village.

Zhang Jianguo carried the iron box, which was covered with burlap, making it look like he was carrying a box of fish.

Chen Zheng carried the bamboo basket, the lid of which was tightly sealed.

Upon arriving at Chen Zheng's house, the four of them went inside.

Chen Zheng closed the door and the window.

The bamboo basket was placed on the table. The lid was opened, and the silver ingots and land deeds were taken out one by one and placed on the table.

Zhang Cuihua peeked out from the kitchen, saw the things on the table, and paused for a moment.

She walked over, picked up a silver ingot, turned it over to look at it, and then put it down.

He picked up a land deed, unfolded it, and squinted at it for a long time.

"This is... a land deed?"

"Yes. It was fished out of the lake."

Zhang Cuihua put down the land deed, looked at Chen Zheng, and then at the silver ingots on the table.

She didn't ask where it came from or how much it was worth.

She simply said, "Keep it safe. Don't let anyone know."

"Okay, Mother."

Zhang Cuihua nodded and turned to go back to the kitchen.

Chen Laosan came out of the house and walked to the table.

He picked up a silver ingot and weighed it in his hand.

He picked up another land deed, unfolded it, and looked at it.

He examined them more carefully than Zhang Cuihua, looking at each one carefully, folding it up after each one before moving on to the next.

After looking through all seven land deeds, he put them down, picked up the silver ingot, and weighed it in his hand.

"Is this silver ingot from that box?"

"Yes. There are five ingots in the box. And these seven land deeds."

Chen Laosan nodded and put the silver ingot back on the table.

"I know where the land on this deed is located."

Chen Zheng suddenly raised his head.

"Your grandfather told me about it back then. He said the owner of the sunken ship was surnamed Zhou, and he was a wealthy family in Qingshui County."

The Zhou family owns hundreds of acres of land in the Baiyang Town area, distributed across several villages.

That piece of land east of Lutang Village belongs to the Zhou family.

Later, the Zhou family fell into decline, and their descendants sold the land. Your grandfather didn't say who they sold it to.

Chen Zheng's heart raced.

The piece of land east of Lutang Village.

His mind raced. Who owns that piece of land on the east side of the village now?

"Dad, whose land is that on the east side of the village now?"

Chen Laosan took a puff of his cigarette: "Wang Laoliu's family."

"Father, where did Wang Laoliu's land come from?"

"I don't know. All I know is that the land originally belonged to the Zhou family, but later the Zhou family went bankrupt, and the land was bought by Wang Laoliu's father."

At that time, Wang Laoliu was still a child, and it was his father who handled the matter.

Chen Zheng kept these words in mind. Wang Laoliu's father bought the land from the Zhou family.

The land deed for the Zhou family's land is now in his hands.

Is there an article in this?

"Dad, is the land listed on the land deed the same plot that Wang Laoliu's family is currently farming?"

Chen Laosan glanced at him and asked, "What do you want?"

"I don't want to do anything. I just want to ask."

Chen Laosan tucked his pipe back into his waistband: "The land deed states that it is located east of Lutang Village, on the west bank of Baiyang Lake, bordered by the official road to the north, the river to the south, the lake to the east, and the Wang family cemetery to the west."

This land now belongs to Wang Laoliu's family. The boundaries are exactly the same.

The same.

Chen Zheng's heart pounded even faster. The land deed was in his hands, but the land belonged to Wang Laoliu.

There's a story behind this.

"Dad, did Wang Laoliu's father have a land deed when he bought the land?"

"have.

But I heard from your grandfather that the land deed in Wang Laoliu's father's possession wasn't the original land deed of the Zhou family; it was a later replacement.

"A replacement?"

"Yes. After the Zhou family fell from grace, the land deeds could not be found."

When Wang Laoliu's father bought the land, the Zhou family wrote him a new form, which was then stamped by the county government.

The original land deed is said to be lost.

"Father, don't tell anyone about this."

Chen Laosan glanced at him and nodded.

Late at night.

Chen Zheng lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The next morning, Chen Zheng went to Teacher Zhao's house.

Zhao Deming is now able to get out of bed.

He sat on a bamboo chair in the courtyard, a thin blanket covering his knees, and a book in his hand.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on him.

Zhao Xiaojun squatted in the yard, drawing on the ground with a twig.

"Teacher Zhao." Chen Zheng pushed open the courtyard gate.

Zhao Deming looked up, took off his reading glasses, and smiled: "Zhengwa's here? Have a seat."

Chen Zheng sat down on the stone stool next to him.

He took a packet of brown sugar out of his pocket and placed it next to Zhao Deming:

"I brought this for you. It'll help you recover."

"You always bring something when you come."

Zhao Deming put the brown sugar aside. "So, what brings you here today?"

Chen Zheng remained silent for a moment. He took out the seven land deeds from his pocket, unfolded them, and handed them to Zhao Deming.

Zhao Deming took it, put on his reading glasses, and looked at the photos one by one.

He read very slowly, his fingers tracing the lines on the paper, his lips moving as he silently read the words.

After reading all seven land deeds, he took off his reading glasses and placed them on the book.

"Where did this come from?"

"Fired from the lake."

He carefully folded the land deed and returned it to Chen Zheng.

"These seven land deeds belong to the Zhou family."

"Teacher Zhao, do you know the Zhou family?"

"I know a little. I've been teaching for many years, and I know a bit about the wealthy families in Baiyang Town."

The Zhou family was a prominent family in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, owning hundreds of acres of land in the Baiyang Town area.

Later, the Zhou family fell into ruin, and their descendants sold off the land piece by piece.

The last generation of the Zhou family, I heard, moved to the provincial capital and never came back.

"Who did the Zhou family sell their land to?"

"It was sold to local farmers."

The Zhou family's land was scattered, with several plots in Lutang Village, several in Lijiawan, and several in Baiyang Town.

Some of the land buyers have land deeds, while others do not.

When the Zhou family fell into ruin, the house was in complete disarray, and many land deeds were lost.

Later, most of the people who bought the land simply wrote a contract with the Zhou family, got it stamped in town, and that was considered a deal.

Chen Zheng carefully put the land deed away and tucked it into his pocket: "Teacher Zhao, I want to ask you something."

The land deed is in my possession, but the land itself is in someone else's hands. Who owns this land?

Zhao Deming leaned back in his bamboo chair, looking at the trees in the yard.

The leaves rustled in the wind, and a few yellow leaves drifted down and landed on the thin blanket.

"From a legal perspective, the land belongs to whoever holds the land deed."

But logically speaking, they spent money to buy the land and have been farming it for decades.

"You're trying to claim land with a land deed from decades ago; that's not going to be easy."

Why?

"Because they also have land deeds."

Although it was issued retroactively, it is legally valid because it bears an official seal.

Two land deeds, one piece of land—this is a complete mess.

If a lawsuit is to be filed, it depends on who can prove that their ownership of the land is legal.

You have the Zhou family's land deed, which proves that the Zhou family once owned this land.

But you can't prove that the Zhou family didn't sell the land to Wang Laoliu's father.

The land deed in Wang Laoliu's father's possession proves that he bought the land from the Zhou family.

Two land deeds, each with its own version of events.

That being said, Chen Zheng was unwilling to let it go so easily.

Seven land deeds, covering at least several dozen acres of land.

Wang Laoliu's plot is just one of them.

He didn't know where the other six plots of land were or who owned them now.

If we can find the other six plots of land and match the land deeds with the current owners, then there's room for negotiation.

"Teacher Zhao, could you do me a favor?"

"you say."

"Help me find out who owns the land on these seven deeds."

After a long while, he nodded:

"Okay. I know someone at the county land administration bureau who can help you check. But it will take time, you'll have to wait."

"I'll wait."

Chen Zheng stood up, thanked him, and walked out.

As he reached the courtyard gate, Zhao Deming called out to him.

"Zhengwazi".

Chen Zheng turned around.

Zhao Deming sat on a bamboo chair, sunlight shining on his thin face.

He looked at Chen Zheng, his eyes holding something indescribable: "Take it slow with the land. Don't rush."

"Understood, Teacher Zhao."

Back home, Chen Zheng carefully put away the land deed and locked it in the wooden box by his bedside.

The wooden box was part of his mother's dowry. It was made of camphor wood, and over the years, the surface of the wood had become smooth and shiny.

A small brass lock hung on the box, and he always carried the key with him.

He squatted in the yard, carried the iron box back from Zhang Jian's house, and placed it on the stone platform.

The iron box was badly rusted, the lid was crookedly fastened, and rusty shavings were still falling out of the gaps.

He took a chisel and hammer and pried the lid of the box open completely.

Gah!

The lid of the box fell over onto the stone platform, revealing the empty interior of the box.

The inner walls were also covered in rust. He tapped the box with a chisel, and the rust fell off.

When you tap the bottom of the box, the sound changes.

It is a hollow echo.

He paused for a moment, then inserted the chisel into the rust at the bottom of the box and pried it open with force.

The bottom layer of sheet metal was pried up, revealing a small hidden compartment underneath.

The interlayer, about an inch high, was hidden at the bottom of the box and completely covered by rust.

If it weren't for the unusual sound of the tapping, I wouldn't have noticed it at all.

There's something in the interlayer.

Flat, rectangular, wrapped in oiled paper.

Chen Zheng fished out the oil paper package.

The oiled paper was soaked in rust, turning reddish-brown, and crumbled at the slightest touch.

He carefully peeled off the oil paper.

Inside was a booklet.

It was bound in thread, with a blue cloth cover and a strip of white paper pasted on the cover.

The paper had four characters written in calligraphy: Zhou Family Genealogy.

genealogy.

Chen Zheng opened the cover.

The title page reads: "Zhou Family Genealogy, revised in the 21st year of the Guangxu reign."

The handwriting was neat and tidy, and the ink had turned brownish.

He turned the pages one by one.

The genealogy records the lineage of the Zhou family from the Daoguang era to the Guangxu era.

The names, birth and death dates, spouses, and children of each generation are listed in detail.

The last page, written in the 21st year of the Guangxu Emperor's reign, records the number of people still alive in the Zhou family and the land they owned at that time.

The list of land holdings took up two full pages.

The densely packed small characters listed the Zhou family's farmland properties in various parts of Qingshui County.

One plot east of Lutang Village, one plot west of Lijiawan, one plot south of Baiyang Town, one plot at Zhaojiadu...

There are a total of seventeen plots of land, and the location, area, and boundaries of each plot are clearly written down.

Chen Zheng's finger slid down the list and stopped on one of the lines.

"A plot of land, measuring 3.2 mu, is located east of Lutang Village, bordered by the official road to the north and a river ditch to the south."

From the lakeside in the east to the Wang family cemetery in the west, the price is twelve taels of silver.

Three mu and two fen.

Wang Laoliu's land is 3.2 mu.

He continued reading.

Lijiawan, a plot of land, five mu.

A plot of land in Baiyang Town, 2.7 mu.

Zhao Jiadu, a plot of land, four and three-tenths mu.

Seventeen plots of land, totaling more than eighty-three mu.

Eighty-three mu of land.

How much was one mu (unit of land area) worth in 1984?

Land in the countryside isn't worth much, but 83 mu (approximately 1.8 hectares) is worth at least several thousand yuan.

If only we could find all this land...

While pondering, he suddenly stopped.

There was something else under the oil paper.

His fingers touched a hard object, wrapped tightly in wax cloth.

The waxed cloth had become brittle and cracked, letting out a dim light.

Chen Zheng held his breath and peeled off the wax cloth layer by layer.

It's gold.

Five small yellow croakers were neatly stacked together.

Each one is about the thickness of a thumb and about two inches long, with a layer of grayish-black oxide on its surface.

He picked one up and weighed it in his hand, estimating it to be more than an ounce.

There were more than a dozen silver dollars underneath. Yuan Shikai's profile was blurry in the dim light, and his teeth were worn rounded.

His heart was pounding.

gold.

Silver dollar.

Title deed.

genealogy.

This box contains the Zhou family's last remaining possessions.

Chen Zheng closed the family tree and pressed his hand on the cover.

The rough texture of the blue cloth cover came through my palm.

He then carefully put the gold bars away.

Then, he took a deep breath, rewrapped the family tree in oiled paper, and locked it and the land deed in a camphor wood box.

Click.

The box is locked.

Zhang Jianguo arrived in the evening.

He carried a shovel, his forehead covered in sweat, his shirt soaked and clinging to his body.

He leaned the shovel against the wall, squatted on the stone platform, picked up a ladle, scooped up a ladle of cold water, and gulped it down.

"Ah Zheng, the dike is finished. Just as you said, it's two meters wide and one and a half meters high, and it's been tamped three times, so it's very solid."

The inlet and outlet pipes have been installed; the brick inlet and the cement outlet were made according to your drawing.

Chen Zheng stood up: "Let's go take a look."

The two went out the door and headed towards the east end of the village.

The sun was setting in the west, and the clouds on the horizon were burning red.

The corn leaves in the field rustled in the wind.

When they reached the edge of the field, Chen Zheng stopped.