叭哒漫画

“Mother, please make the decision about this,” Wei Ruo said, not wanting to involve herself in the matter.

“Well, the lands near the Government City are rather barren. Even with direct cultivation, the yield will not be significant.” Mrs. Yun said.

With things being so clearly spelled out, Wei Ruo understood the implications. Sensing an edge in Wei Ruo’s soil improvement abilities, Mrs. Yun desired that same improvement for their holdings, with hope for a good harvest this year. Knowing that she could not decline anymore, Wei Ruo said, “After Mother has acquired the land, I will take a look at it.

At that, a smile broke out on Mrs. Yun’s face. She then proceeded, “Additionally, where did you obtain the rice variety you planted in the south of the city last year? Can we get more this year? I plan to plant this variety in several of our estates. That should significantly improve our yield.”

“I can help contact the Huzhou Prefecture,” Wei Ruo agreed without refusing.

But she only promised to contact. As for obtaining the rice varieties, the

Military Prefecture would have to foot the bill.

With Wei Ruo’s prompt agreement, Mrs. Yun was even more elated.

After wrapping up the critical affairs, Mrs. Yun unusually engaged Wei Ruo in some light conversation, “What have you been up to these days, Ruoruo?” Instead of answering immediately, Wei Ruo looked at Mrs. Yun with a puzzled gaze.

Quick to explain, Mrs. Yun said, “Don’t worry. I am not angry or upset. As long as you wear your veil and avoid contact with strange men when you go out and avoid getting into trouble, I won’t intervene in your affairs.

This was quite remarkable in Taizhou prefecture. A girl from a wealthy family enjoying such freedom was rare to find.

“Alright,” Wei Ruo replied without showing her happiness.

Subsequently, Mrs. Yun said, “Furthermore, after purchasing the estates near the Government City, you can start visiting your own estates. You can take whatever decisions you like out there.”

“That’s not necessary,” Wei Ruo said.

“Why?” Mrs. Yun probed.

“Once Mr. Wang returns from the New Year holidays, I will be occupied with my studies. My visits outside won’t be regular. And, I don’t want to see this as a must-do task, else I won’t feel comfortable.” Wei Ruo explained.

A little puzzled, Mrs. Yun considered the possibility that this could be a good thing too.

“Fine. Please arrange it as you wish,” Mrs. Yun did not insist further.

###

With Spring setting in, the weather began to warm, each day warmer than the previous one.

The farmers were busy, and so was Wei Ruo.

Though Mrs. Yun no longer insisted, Wei Ruo was careful in her actions, taking care not to give people a reason to gossip.

She was not afraid of harming her reputation. Having no intentions of marrying into a wealthy family, she never really cared about it. Perhaps, a less favourable reputation would allow her to achieve her objectives.

However, with a lot on her plate, she did not want to get distracted by unimportant matters. If something were to happen, she would likely lose all her peace.

Besides the affairs of the estate, Wei Ruo also had plans for a distillery that she had conceived last year.

Recently, Wei Ruo had discovered that producing liquor is a profitable venture and, since not many distilleries made liquor, she saw the potential to profit off it.

Firstly, she had to make a land deal for a location at the Daqing Mountain valley that she had earlier selected with Xiumei.

To purchase the land, she had to negotiate with the villagers living near the Daqing Mountain.

This negotiation was not as simple as previous ones, and Wei Ruo ran into some problems.

The villagers agreed to sell the land and use their mountain spring, but the village chief disagreed.

He rejected the deal, stating it would disturb the ’Feng Shui’, or wind-water, of their village. So, they set a date for detailed discussions at the village entrance.

Out in the open, before the village temple, a large table was set, attracting representatives from each family.

At one end of the table sat the village chief, a man in his fifties with white hair, a white beard, and a thin face.

At the other end sat Wei Ruo, dressed as a man, with Xiumei, also dressed as a man, and Manager Yu standing behind her.

Most villagers carried the surname ’Wang’, with only a few other families bearing different names. Yet, the Wang clan held the most significant influence.

“Our Daqing Mountain is a Feng Shui mountain for the Wang village. If outsiders frequently traverse it and consume our water source, this will significantly impact our village’s Qi energy. You want to dismiss us just for twenty taels of silver, but that’s not happening!” the village chief retorted with furrowed brows.

Another villager tried to reason, “Village chief, the twenty taels of silver is for the land, and we will be getting two hundred and fifty wen a year for the use of the mountain spring!”

The village comprised twenty-five families, so the twenty taels of silver per household came to nearly one tael of silver. And, each family would get ten wens every year. That was not an insignificant amount!

The land and the mountain spring in the mountain were of no use to their village. It was just one tributary of a stream that coursed through their village, and each household receiving ten wen yearly was a significant sum! Many villagers made less than a few wen even after working for a whole month!

“Hush, I am the Village Chief. This matter will be decided by me!” the village chief forcefully dismissed the villager.

He had noticed at the first sight of the young gentleman that he belonged to a wealthy family, and was likely young enough to negotiate the price.

“Village Chief, how much do you think it should be?” Wei Ruo asked.

“You would have to pay one hundred taels of silver on a one-time basis for the land, with a subsequent annual fee of one thousand wen for the use of the mountain spring.” replied the village chief.

The villagers behind the village chief were visibly taken aback.

One hundred taels of silver! That was enough to buy a hundred acres of farmland.

And, all that the nobleman wanted to buy was a small piece of land in the mountain valley, barely stretching five acres.

This price was extraordinarily high.

While Wei Ruo’s face displayed a smile, she did not answer immediately.

The village chief, however, was confident, “Young Master, I know that since the end of last year, you have been scouting locations in this vicinity. Given that you have taken a liking for Daqing Mountain, it must have attributes that suit your liking.”

Wei Ruo replied, “Village Chief Wang, it is true that I am intrigued by both this place in the Daqing Mountain and the mountain spring. But, the price you are suggesting is quite high.”

Village Chief Wang said, “Young Master, you look affluent, it doesn’t seem hke you would have a problem with silver. As the saying goes, what attracts you the most is often priceless. If you go elsewhere, you might not find a suitable place.”

A smile lingered on Wei Ruo’s face, she realized that the village chief knew she had chosen Daqing Mountain after a lengthy evaluation, which is why he felt that he had the right to overprice the land.

We Ruo continued, ”1 agree to raise the price of the land from twenty taels to twenty-five taels, with the annual fee for the use of mountain spring water standing at two hundred and fifty wen..”