Father Mavie

Chapter 347 General Laws (please subscribe!!!)

Saratov, a city located on the lower reaches of the Volga River, with a permanent population of 20, is the trading center of grain and wood in the Romanov Kingdom. Here, you can buy cheap wood, more than half of what Moscow needs for reconstruction. All wood is purchased from here.

It is also because of the timber and grain trade that the houses in this city are different from other cities. They are mostly built of wood, and brick houses have become a rare sight. Only some rich lords will build houses with bricks and tiles.

Since the river surface thawed, the port of Saratov has also been full of vitality. Every day, a large amount of wood and grain are transported to the cities on the upper reaches of the Volga River.

Although the business in the port of Saratov was booming, as a serf of a noble lord's family, Scott King was not happy at all.

He squatted by the edge of the field, with a hoe on his shoulder, and sighed as he looked at the black field that had been plowed several times in front of him, and in the distance was the sawmill that was billowing with smoke.

"It's a good thing that the war was won, and it's also a good thing that Lin Dong didn't starve to death, but we ate all the seeds, how can we grow the land?"

Scott King looked sad, his dark, loose skin twisted into a ball, his eyes bloodshot.

He hadn't slept well for two or three days because they couldn't get any seeds for farming at home.

It's already May, and if we don't sow seeds, we won't be able to grow food, and even if we can grow it, the harvest will not be very good.

Regarding the food for his family for the next year, Scott King had to cheer up and plan to borrow some money from the noble lord. Borrowing some seeds would be enough.
As he wished, after pressing his fingerprint on an incomprehensible treaty, Scott King successfully got a small bag of seeds. Although he was burdened with another debt, he was very optimistic because the weather was good this year. The rain is also sufficient, as long as the seeds are sown as soon as possible, the harvest will not be too bad.

Wait for the harvest after autumn, harvest the golden wheat fields, beat them into grains, pay 12% of the tax, [-]% to the noble lord to pay off the debt, and the remaining [-]% to buy a pair of new shoes for Chekareva, her shoes are all worn out It's rotten, the shoes are cheap in the second-hand market anyway, so it's her [-]th birthday present
Full of longing for future life, Scott King came to the leased field with a cloth bag full of seeds in one hand and a hoe in the other.

Braving the warm sunshine, he began to bury the seeds in the ground little by little, covered the fertile black soil, and poured some water
Everything is going on in an orderly manner. Scott King is very familiar with the farm work in the field. He dared to pat his chest and say that he knows the things in the farmland better than anyone else. , He knows when to take precautions against strong winds.

The sun was setting, and at dusk, Scott King finally sowed the seeds. He stood on the ridge of the field observing his masterpiece, humming the song he heard from somewhere when he ran away, and picked up the hoe to go home.

His wife and Chekareva are waiting for him
When he arrived in the village, Scott King suddenly saw a group of people gathered at the entrance of the village, talking a lot, as if something big had happened.

He squeezed his way through the crowd and saw an officer in a blue uniform standing by the low wall holding a slurry and pasting a large poster on the wall.

"What's the matter?" Scott King couldn't read, so he grabbed the only literate man in the village.

The sallow and pale man, who was obviously malnourished, squinted his eyes and read the handwriting on the poster in a low voice. Everyone was quiet and held their breath, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"The King has signed a new Act, the General Decree of the Peasants from the Dependence of the Serfs."

"From now on, serfdom will be abolished, and all serfs will be restored to the status of free people and enjoy general citizenship rights. Landlords cannot buy, sell or exchange peasants. Peasants have the right to own property, hold public office or engage in industry and commerce."

"Peasants can own a certain amount of land, but they must pay ransom to the landlord. Before signing the redemption contract, they must perform labor and pay service rent for the landlord, and establish village and township organizations controlled by nobles."

Everyone, including Scott King, didn't quite understand the meaning of this decree. They only heard the first sentence: abolish serfdom.

For a while, the crowd was noisy, and everyone was very pleasantly surprised by the sudden recovery of their status as free citizens, which meant that they were free and no longer had to work for the landlord!
More importantly, they do not need to pay a ransom to become free citizens!

free!

Scott King was also very happy. He wished he could go home immediately and tell his wife and daughter Chekareva the good news, which means that Chekareva is eligible to go to a school in the city.
The literate man frowned even tighter. He kept chewing on the second half of the decree, then suddenly lowered his head and let out a long sigh.

"It's going to change"

"You should be happy!" Someone pushed his shoulder.

"Happy?" The malnourished man looked at them with pity: "Don't you guys know what kind of disturbance this decree will bring?"

Everyone looked bewildered.

"Well, although you are no longer serfs of the noble lord's family, it means that the land you cultivate now will be taken back by the noble lord. If you want to cultivate the land, you have to pay a heavy ransom to the noble lord Who of you can come up with a ransom?"

The crowd gradually became quiet, and Scott King asked: "Can't the noble lord give us the land to cultivate first, and then charge for it like before?"

"If you are still serfs, then of course you can, but you are free citizens now, the noble lord must fulfill the content of the decree, take back the land that you cultivated for free, and then redeem it to you."

"Then what about the seeds I borrowed from the nobleman this morning?" Scott King suddenly became anxious: "I just sowed it!"

"It's all the property of the noble lord." The man shook his head: "Everyone, listen to my advice, if the family has no money and food, it will soon be impossible to solve the problem. Hurry up and go to the city. If it is late, there will be no work."

Scott King doesn't know how he got home, let alone what he had for dinner. Judging from his hunger, he doesn't seem to have eaten anything.

Early the next morning, just after dawn, Scott King got up from the bed, picked up the hoe in the corner, and remembered something as soon as he walked out the door, quickly put the hoe home, and trotted all the way into the city.

The city is overcrowded. Saratov is a small city. It was originally peaceful, but the sudden influx of people made the small city congested.

Everyone is looking for a job, some people even came last night, sleeping in front of the factory, trying to catch the earliest time to see if they can find a job.

Scott King was mixed in the crowd and was squeezed around. His eyes were full of confusion, his mind was blank, and he numbly followed the people around him and raised his arms high, shouting a strange voice.

He doesn't know what's going on, this year is obviously a good year for harvest. Why don't you plant the land suddenly? Oh, there is no land to plant for him. The aristocrat's henchmen have already sealed up the fields
Until noon, the sun was shining brightly, and Scott King couldn’t find a job. He was dark and thin, and he could only farm the land. The factory didn’t want him at all. The kopeck's remuneration is not enough to buy a piece of bread, but everyone is still crowded, pushing and crowded
Scott King was walking on the road in a daze, he didn't know where he was going, and he didn't know what he should do, he was so hungry. His stomach hurt and his eyes were a little blurry.
He sat on the steps of a tailor's shop, panting heavily, and it took him a long time to feel that he had regained a little strength. He grabbed his short and yellow hair and wept softly.

Suddenly, a pair of clean cloth shoes appeared in his field of vision.

Scott King raised his head and saw a young man in a priest's robe, holding a thick book, with his palms on his chest, and bowed to him:
"Sir, do you... believe the truth?"

(End of this chapter)