Chapter 17

"Master, Liu Erlezi has returned." In the Liu family hall, a servant from the Zhang family ran in, approached Zhang the Butcher, and hurriedly reported.

"Back is back, what do I have to fear?" When Zhang the Butcher heard the name "Liu Erlezi," his heart instinctively skipped a beat, but then he realized why he should fear Liu Erlezi. This man who dared to deceive him, he was just the one Zhang the Butcher was looking for.

Liu Jun stepped into the house and found a large crowd gathered inside. There were familiar faces, such as neighbors and the head of the neighborhood, as well as some unfamiliar faces. Zhang the Butcher, with his broad and fierce face, sat in the hall, legs spread wide, and his large belly protruding.

Seeing Liu Jun enter, he slapped the table with his fat hand, "Well, Liu Erlezi, you dare to come back."

Liu Jun glanced at the crowd, "I heard you bought our land."

"That's right, the contract has already been signed," Zhang the Butcher said, patting the table and looking smug.

"I want to see it," Liu Jun said calmly.

"Boy, what are you trying to do, tear up the contract? This was witnessed by everyone. If you dare to break the contract, the consequences will be severe. If we report it to the authorities, the remaining forty acres of your land will also be confiscated," Zhang the Butcher said, feigning concern, but his tone was full of arrogance.

"Liu brother, what's going on?" Li Chunjiang, who had been ignored since he entered, was a nephew of a high-ranking official and the top scholar of the Huguang provincial examination last year. He was a scholar, yet he was being ignored. Especially when he saw the rude manner of the fat man, he felt displeased.

"Li brother, it's like this..."

"Does a mere butcher dare to be so arrogant?"

"His daughter married the county magistrate as a second wife, his eldest son became a scholar, and his second son passed the provincial examination last year, in the same batch as you," Liu Jun said with a smile.

"Many people passed the provincial examination last year, over a hundred," Li Chunjiang said indifferently. "I'll help you deal with him, it's annoying."

"There's no need to trouble you. There are ways to deal with such a local bully. You just need to stand by me," Liu Jun said with a smile. He didn't want to appear incompetent in front of his new friend. If he couldn't handle a mere butcher, how could he talk about anything else?

Liu Jun took a few steps forward and said to Zhang the Butcher with a smile.

"How could I break the contract? But I should be able to see the contract, as I am also a member of the Liu family."

The contract was in duplicate, and after signing, it had to be submitted to the county office for approval and a tax had to be paid. This was a land transaction tax, where the seller had to pay a severance tax, and the buyer had to pay an acquisition tax.

Seeing Liu Jun's calm demeanor, Zhang the Butcher was somewhat surprised. Liu Erlezi had gone out to seek relatives and failed, and upon returning, he found that the deception by his Liu family relatives had been exposed, and the Liu family had paid a heavy price of ninety acres of land. He should have rushed forward to fight him, but why did he look so timid?

However, he didn't need to fear Liu Jun now. So he took out the contract and handed it to Liu Jun. After all, the contract was signed in front of everyone. If Liu Jun dared to tear it up, he would have a chance to seize the remaining dozens of acres of Liu family land, and he might even be able to make it an outright sale, saving a lot of trouble.

Liu Jun took the contract and read it carefully several times, getting a good understanding. Based on his memory, he knew that even if the contract hadn't been approved by the authorities, it was still a recognized contract.

"Conditional sale?"

"Yes."

Liu Jun smiled, "Since there are so many witnesses here today, I have a question. Selling land is a big deal, and traditionally, the seller's relatives must be asked first. If no one wants to buy it, then it can be sold to outsiders, right?"

Land was the foundation of the people, so the sale of land was a very complicated process. By the late Ming dynasty, a customary rule had been formed in most places: when selling land, the seller must first ask the younger brothers, nephews, uncles, and other close relatives. If they wanted to buy it, it should be sold to them. If they didn't want it, then the rest of the clan should be asked. If no one in the clan wanted it, then it could be sold to others. Otherwise, it could lead to disputes, troubles, and even fatal incidents.

Disputes over land sales occurred frequently every year in various places. In Macheng, there was a recent example. Not long ago, after the death of her husband, Zhang Wangshi had no money and had to sell her land to survive.

She first asked her Zhang clan relatives, who all said they didn't want it. Her nephew, Zhang Ren, also had no money to buy it, so he told her to find a buyer. In the end, she found a buyer from the Wang family. When the price was agreed upon and the contract was being written and the land measured, Zhang Ren came to stop it, saying that the Wang family had bought the Zhang family's land without permission. A fight broke out, and Zhang Ren was severely injured and died. The authorities ruled that Wang Ya, who had killed Zhang Ren, should be executed, and the Wang family had no right to buy the land.

Now, Liu Jun stood up and brought up this rule, which immediately angered Zhang the Butcher.

Damn, this wasn't a normal land sale, why should he ask the relatives, and did the Liu family even have any relatives?

Zhang the Butcher laughed coldly, "Ask the relatives, oh, I forgot. But does the Liu family have any relatives? I heard that the Liu family from Suokou River is related to your family. Wasn't Liu Erlezi there to celebrate the birthday of the old man from the Liu family in Suokou River yesterday?"

"I can't compare to the Liu family from Suokou River," Liu Jun replied.

"Oh, so the Liu family isn't your relative. I thought you were related to Liu Jinwu. They say even the emperor has poor relatives. I thought you were poor relatives of Liu Jinwu. Ha ha ha. Do you have any other relatives?"

"Yes!" At this point, Li Chunjiang couldn't stand being ignored. As a top scholar, he had been standing in the hall for a long time without anyone paying attention to him. He had long been annoyed by the butcher. "I am a relative of the Liu family."

"Who are you, where did you come from? Go stand somewhere cool," Zhang the Butcher said rudely, seeing that Li Chunjiang had come with Liu Jun and was wearing a simple scholar's robe without any gold or jade, he didn't take him seriously, thinking he was just a friend of Liu Jun.

"Who I am is none of your business, but I am a relative of the Liu family, and I am willing to buy the Liu family's land. According to the rules, the land should be sold to me first. If you didn't ask me, you can't buy it, and I'm not afraid of going to court."

"Going to court, you want to go to court, fine, I want to go to court too. Let me tell you, my son-in-law..."

Before he could finish, Li Chunjiang interrupted him with a look of disdain, "Your son-in-law is just a county magistrate, right? He's about your age, his wife died, and he married your daughter as a second wife."

Zhang the Butcher's face turned dark. His son-in-law was indeed older than him, but he was an official, the second in command of the county. "If you know that, why are you still being so arrogant? Boy, who are you?"

"My name is Li."

"Li? You're just here to cause trouble, right? The rule of asking the relatives refers to the same clan, not outsiders. You have no right to interfere in the Liu family's land sale. Go stand somewhere cool."

Li Chunjiang was about to reveal his identity in anger, but Liu Jun stopped him, not wanting to reveal his hand yet.

"Master Zhang, fine, let's say the Liu family's clan agrees to sell the land to you."

"That's settled then, why so much talk? Let's go back to the manor." Zhang the Butcher stood up to leave, feeling uncomfortable staying at the Liu family's house with Liu Erlezi.

"Not so fast, Master Zhang, it's not over yet." Liu Jun smiled and stopped him.

"When selling land, according to the old rules, you have to pay the signing fee in addition to the purchase price, right?" Liu Jun smiled brightly, "The signing fee is usually 15% to 35% of the purchase price. Our land sold for 360 taels, so the signing fee should be 126 taels. I haven't miscalculated, have I, Master Zhang? You do the math and see if it's correct."

The signing fee, also known as the red money, was like a signing bonus. Since the mid-Ming dynasty, in addition to the purchase price, there was also a signing fee, which was a significant amount.

"Do you still want the signing fee from me?" Zhang the Butcher was truly shocked. Did Liu Erlezi understand the situation?

"Not only do you have to pay the signing fee, but according to local customs, the seller's relatives and nephews also have to be paid. I haven't said anything wrong, have I?"

Zhang the Butcher's face darkened, "But does your family have any relatives or clan members? Hmph!"

"This land belongs to my father, and we three brothers can be counted separately, so each of us should get 126 taels. Let me calculate, four times 126 taels is 504 taels. Master Zhang, you often slaughter pigs and sell meat, your math must be better than mine. Check if my calculation is correct."

"Daydreaming, you're just dreaming!" Zhang the Butcher spat on the ground, disdainfully.

"Wait, I'm not done yet." Liu Jun smiled calmly.

"After the signing fee, according to the old rules, you also have to pay the transfer fee, right?"

The transfer fee was a payment to the previous owner of the land. This wasn't Liu Jun's fabrication but a fact. In most places, after the buyer paid the full price and the tax, and the signing fee, they still had to pay a transfer fee to the previous owner. The previous owner, in this case, was the Liu family's previous owner of the land.

This amount wasn't much, but the original owner would ask for a few taels of silver as a gift, also known as the transfer fee. It was a very unfair custom.

Li Chunjiang jumped in again, "I am the original owner, and I don't want much. Five taels per acre, ninety acres, so 450 taels should be enough."

Although the signing fee and transfer fee were very unfair, the authorities recognized them. In a lawsuit, they couldn't be avoided, as they were part of the additional costs of buying land. Of course, the signing fee and transfer fee usually weren't as high as what Liu Jun and Li Chunjiang were asking for.

Zhang the Butcher was so angry that he laughed.

"Good thinking, is there anything else you haven't calculated? Add it all up."

"You're right, there is one more thing. Don't rush, let's go through it one by one."

Liu Jun's smile had become cold and stern. Zhang the Butcher really thought the Liu family was easy to bully. This time, he would show Zhang the Butcher what it means to lose more than you gain.

(Seeking recommendations for the new book to boost its ranking!)

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