Chapter 17 Buying land to grow sweet potatoes

A small silver ingot of five taels, five in a row, two rows on a layer, placed on two levels, a total of one hundred taels of silver (sixteen taels per catty, how much six catties weigh).

"This is the profit of the past six months. According to the lady's wishes, the whole numbers are broken into whole silver ingots, and the fractions are kept in the account first."

Wei Ruo likes heavy silver but doesn't like flimsy silver notes, so every time the wet nurse gives Wei Ruo the proceeds from the shop, she always brings heavy silver ingots.

In addition to the money, the wet nurse also brought the store's account books for the past six months.

There are also baskets of dried mushrooms that have been dried in the sun.

"Little Yong was afraid that Miss would not be used to eating here, so before coming here I specially prepared some mushrooms that Miss liked and dried them. Some of them were deep-fried according to the method that Miss had taught me before and sealed in jars."

"Nanny, thank you for your hard work, as well as Uncle Xu and Brother Xiaoyong, for asking you to follow me for such a long distance."

"It's not hard, it's not hard!" Xu's mother kept saying, "There's nothing hard for me. There are carriages riding along the way, so I don't need my legs to go. I didn't even take anything important. They were all big and upright.

Yong is busy."

Xu's mother's face was filled with a happy smile.

Mother Xu continued: "It is the happiest thing to be able to help you, Miss. If I had not helped Miss, Da Zhuang and Zhengyong and I would not know how we would live our lives! I never dared to dream that I could

Made for days like this!”

"Have you made arrangements in Huaibei Town?"

"Don't worry, Miss. I've entrusted the village over there to Lao Qian. He has been at the village for many years. You can rest assured when doing things. There are also people watching over the house."

"Have you brought all the things I asked you to transport?" Wei Ruo asked.

"It's all shipped. It's three full loads of sweet potatoes!"

"Okay, then let me tell you about the next arrangements. I have taken a fancy to Xiaoyang Mountain in the north of the city. You and Uncle Xu go and talk about it. If the price is right, buy it and plant sweet potatoes. Is there any in the city?

There are fishermen who have lost their livelihoods because of Japanese pirates, and farmers who are forced to beg because of poor harvests. You and Uncle Xu go to investigate and find out who have good character and are willing to work hard, hire them as long-term workers."

"Okay, I'll take my family to the north of the city for a thorough inspection."

"Then settle down yourselves and find a better house in the city. Once settled, come to the captain's mansion again and tell me the address so that I can contact you later."

"Okay, I understand. I'll do it when I get back." Xu's mother responded repeatedly.

Mother Xu stayed in Tingsong Garden for more than an hour before leaving.

While walking, she passed Wei Qingwan's Wangmei Garden and saw the vulgar woman leaving in a hurry. Grandma Li happily said to Wei Qingwan:

"Miss, the woman who just passed by is the eldest lady's nanny. I heard that the nanny's son was still making trouble at the gate of our principal's residence yesterday. Fortunately, the eldest son stopped it, otherwise there might have been some joke.

.”

"That's it...as long as nothing happens..." Wei Qingwan murmured.

###

After discussing with Li Zheng of Yueying Village and the village elders, Mother Xu discussed the price of one thousand taels of silver.

The wet nurse then reported the result to Wei Ruo and asked Wei Ruo to make a decision.

One thousand taels of silver is not a small amount of money for Wei Ruo.

A few years ago, she was determined to start a career, but she was too young and had no choice but to rely on her cleverness to make some extra money to improve her life in the countryside.

I didn't officially start building a shop until I was ten years old, but it was very difficult to get started. In a society like that, with no connections and no support, it was very laborious to gain a foothold little by little.

So far, I have only saved a total of more than two thousand taels of silver. One thousand taels of silver is equivalent to taking away half of Wei Ruo's net worth. If it fails, Wei Ruo's financial situation will fall back for another two years.

Wei Ruo felt that there was no problem and could take it directly, so the wet nurse and Uncle Xu came forward to buy Xiaoyang Mountain for one thousand taels of silver. The money would be given to Li Zheng of Yueying Village, and the money would be divided according to the share of each family.

Make allocations.

Xu Zhengyong also walked around the city for a few days, selected a few unemployed fishermen who fit Wei Ruo's description, and hired them as long-term workers.

It was the first time for the hired workers to see sweet potatoes as a crop.

After the Xu family's explanation, they learned that this crop has been widely planted in Huaibei Town and has produced good harvests.

As for the origin of this crop, the father and son agreed that a ship from Southeast Asia accidentally brought back a piece of potato vine, and after planting and cultivating it, people discovered its use.

Immediately afterwards, sweet potatoes were planted on a large scale in Huaibei Town. The Xu family's father and son, who had rich related planting experience, personally went into battle and led the long-term workers in the planting.

You need to bury the sweet potato in the soil first, wait for it to grow vines, and then cut the vines for cuttings.

The three carts of sweet potatoes they transported from Huaibei Town can produce enough potato vines for cutting.

The long-term workers quickly mastered the essentials of planting and began to get busy.

The maintenance cost of growing sweet potatoes on a hillside is much lower than that of cultivating rice on terraces.

The long-term workers couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. They had thought that their employer would only hire a few of them to take care of an entire mountain of rice. Just thinking about it made them tired.

At the same time, Xu's mother also found a house to settle in. It was not too far from the principal's residence, so it was convenient to come and go.

After making these arrangements, Xu's mother went to the school captain's house again and handed over to Wei Ruo the contract she signed with the long-term workers and the deed of the house she bought.

No matter what Wei Ruo said, the wet nurse still meant the same thing. These properties belonged to Wei Ruo. They could help Wei Ruo do things and just get some wages, not even a penny more.

Wei Ruo still has a task for Xu’s mother.

"Nanny, please help me inquire about the wasteland south of the city. I heard that the Japanese pirates mainly live in the east of the city now, and the south of the city is relatively safe."

"The wasteland south of the city? It's a very barren land, right? You can't grow crops on the land near the sea. Whatever you plant will die."

"Well, that should be the case. If the land hadn't been barren, it wouldn't have become a wasteland." This was within Wei Ruo's expectation.

"Miss asked what that piece of wasteland is for?" Xu's mother asked confused.

"You go and ask for me first. I may have a way to turn waste into treasure. If I can grow plants on saline-alkali land, I can save myself a lower cost of buying ordinary plants and hire more long-term workers to grow them.

The plants can also solve the problem of insufficient food in Xingshan County and require large quantities of food purchased from other places, allowing more people to eat."

"Okay, I'll ask after I get back." Although Xu's mother also felt that planting crops on saline-alkali land was a bit ridiculous, she believed Wei Ruo unconditionally.

Over the years, Miss has broken their understanding time and time again, making many things that they originally thought impossible have become possible.
Chapter completed!