Chapter 118 Land Purchase and Morning Market Finalized, Selling Vegetables
As expected, the stone that Lai brought back could indeed make the glass lamp light up; it was a very pure energy stone. With that, the matter of buying the land was put on the agenda.
After several days of careful inquiry and understanding of the basic situation, Lai arrived at the mayor's mansion with Barnett's paper certificate and his own small wooden sign.
Although the small hill containing the energy stone is far from the village, it is still within the territory of Rosen Town. If Ray can obtain the mayor's approval, he can acquire ownership of the hill.
Furthermore, the small wooden plaque representing Master Lei's identity can also bring him a certain discount.
Although he was just the mayor of a small town like Rosen, it wasn't someone Ray could easily meet.
After learning the purpose of his visit, the butler arranged for him to stay in the small garden outside, without even a glass of water.
Lei waited for a long time but the butler did not return, and he idly observed the exquisite little garden.
Whether on the flower beds or under the stone statues placed in the garden, the town mayor's family crest, passed down through generations, is carved on them.
A family crest is a symbol of a family's spirit and the best proof of its existence.
The butler returned to the mansion with the certificate issued by Barnett and Lai's small wooden plaque. The mayor was in his study on the second floor, handling various town affairs.
He knocked gently on the door, and after hearing a reply, he quickly entered the study without making a sound.
"What's up?"
“Master, there is a young mage outside named Ray Victor who wants to buy a small hill near Silverscreen Village to grow fruit trees and raise poultry.”
"Victor?"
"That's Mr. Victor's eldest son."
The butler explained.
The town resident put down his pen and fell into deep thought.
How much is that piece of land worth?
"Fifty gold coins. There aren't many people living there, but it's closer to Yinping Village, so the price is in the middle range."
“For his father’s sake, sell it to him for forty gold coins. It’s not a good place anyway.”
"yes."
The late Mr. Victor, a hero of Rosen Town, was known to the mayor by his butler, who had served him closely. The butler, having been with the mayor for many years, knew how heroic Mr. and Mrs. Victor's passing had been. Upon receiving the mayor's reply, he immediately went to the garden to share the good news with Ray.
He should have taken Ray to the drawing room. But the ladies were already there entertaining guests, and the lady was extremely fastidious.
Having no other choice, he arranged for Lei to stay in this quiet little garden where no one would bother him.
"The mayor has agreed to your request, and out of respect for your father, he can reduce the price from fifty gold coins to forty gold coins to express his respect for your father's heroic sacrifice."
Mr. Victor always seemed to find unexpected ways to help Ray. He has left this world, but his deeds are deeply remembered, and his descendants have been rewarded.
Victor, Victor, this seemingly ordinary surname will accompany him for the rest of his life.
At this moment, Lei felt the profound impact of family, surname, and bloodline inheritance.
"Please convey my sincere gratitude to the mayor. Lei will forever remember the mayor's generosity and kindness."
Lei politely expressed his gratitude.
He has no vested interest in the town mayor, and there may not be any further in-depth exchanges between them.
The mayor had no need to associate with such a young boy; it was all out of respect for his adoptive father, Mr. Victor, and a sincere expression of gratitude was essential.
"Very well, I will certainly pass on your greetings. If you have collected enough gold coins, you can come here at any time within a month to collect the land deed. Remember, you only have one month."
The butler's attitude was polite yet distant, and Ray thanked him again. He then left the manor with his small wooden plaque and the token he had used to purchase the land.
Although Lai had enough gold coins, he couldn't immediately take out forty gold coins to buy the hill, as that would attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.
He planned to come back and buy it again on the last day of the month. He wouldn't sell it twice; within a month, the hill wouldn't be sold to anyone else but him.
Having resolved a major issue, Raydon felt relieved. Little did he know that one day he would become a "coal boss" owning a mine.
After taking out forty gold coins, his savings were almost gone.
Although that hill has unlimited potential in the future, it is a losing proposition right now.
Planting fruit trees is definitely possible, but to develop an industry and sell fruit in large quantities, it will take three to five years for the fruit trees to reach maturity.
During this period, aside from the existence of the energy stone as a cheat, it can be said that the small mountain could not bring any economic benefits to Lai.
Even if he had energy stones, Lai couldn't openly exchange them for gold coins. Without the strength to back it up, possessing such wealth would only bring him endless danger.
He wasn't foolish enough to expose himself to danger like that.
In short, the most urgent thing is to make money.
After a year of hard work, all gone in one fell swoop. After deducting the funds he had prepared for Neil's schooling, Ray was back to square one.
Oh well, I can always earn the money back.
After thinking it through, Lai went to the shepherd's stall and bought some meat to take home.
The method he taught the shepherd did work. The meat of the Gulu beast, which had been castrated since childhood, did not have such a strong fishy smell. In terms of taste and texture alone, it was no different from pork.
After tasting it, Mu was overjoyed and decided to castrate all the little Gulu beasts he raised when they were still cubs.
Unbeknownst to him, Lai made some contributions to the taming of the Gulu Beast that even he himself was unaware of.
Having finished all his business, Lai felt a weight lifted from his shoulders and drove his mule cart home. The yard was still littered with pebbles waiting for him to clear.
Before long, a colorful cobblestone path was laid in the yard of the Lai family.
It's a little uncomfortable to step on, but it also means you won't have to step in muddy feet when you go out on rainy days.
Lai used the extra stones to enclose the pepper tree in the front yard and the supposedly very precious tree that Houguge had given him, so that they each had their own space to grow.
Summer arrived quickly.
The green beans in Lai's vegetable garden are starting to ripen. There aren't many varieties of green beans here, only the more common cowpeas and oil beans. It took Lai a lot of effort to find those pig ear beans.
The cowpeas are still small and will need more time before they can be sold, but the oil beans in the garden can't wait that long; now is the time to sell them.
Lai and Neil easily picked two large baskets of green beans. There would only be more and more green beans at home, so they had to hurry and sell them before a large number of green beans flooded the market.
Around two or three in the morning, Ray woke Neil. The two brothers worked together to load the green beans and other vegetables that were about to be sold onto the truck bed.
It was still late at night, and countless stars dotted the dark curtain, twinkling and dimming.
Although it was already the height of summer, the cool breeze at midnight still made people feel freezing.
Rye went back into the house and got a blanket so Neil could wrap himself in it while riding in the car.
"Brother, are we a little late?"
"It's alright, we've made it in time."
After checking the wagon bed and locking the door, Ray drove the mule cart into the deep darkness.
It was already past midnight, and the villagers were all fast asleep. Only Ray, Neil, and the mule pulling the cart were on the road.
Once outside the village, Lai disregarded everything and had Neil turn on the glass lamp to illuminate the area, then put it away when they approached the morning market.
The glass lamp was incredibly bright; it felt like Ray had installed headlights on the mule cart, making it much easier to travel at night.
As they approached the market, Ray instructed Niel to put away the glass lamp and hide it under a blanket.
The morning market was crowded; you could hear people haggling over prices even before you got very far.
Some brought the vegetables by carrying them on sticks, others by oxcart, and still others, like Lai, by mule cart.
Ray led his mule cart around for a while but couldn't find a place to stop. Just then, the people who brought the oxcart came and finished selling their goods, so Ray seized the opportunity to tie the mule to where the oxcart had been.
There were no acquaintances here; both sides were villagers from nearby villages selling vegetables.
The man, Lai, didn't recognize them, so there was no need for him to greet them. He lifted the canvas, placed the lamp with the candle on the frame, revealing the fresh oil beans inside.
The green beans that Lai picked were just right; the beans inside the pods weren't fully grown yet, but they weren't too shriveled either.
Green beans are at their best at this time of year, with plump pods and soft beans inside.
As soon as Pu Yi made his appearance, this batch of early-ripening soybeans attracted a lot of attention.
"Neil, keep an eye on these things. I'm going to the market to see what the prices are."
"good!"
The reason Ray agreed to bring Neil along was that Neil could help watch the stall, so that no one would steal the vegetables that were openly displayed on the truck bed while Ray was checking prices.
Lai walked from one end to the other and saw about thirty or forty vegetable stalls. Most of them sold cucumbers, persimmons, cabbages, and potatoes. Only a few stalls sold green beans, and the ones there didn't look as good as the ones Lai had brought.
After going around in circles, he understood what was going on.
Even if he sets the price higher, there would probably still be plenty of people scrambling to buy it.
"Brother, you're finally back! Someone just asked about the price, but I was afraid I'd sold it for too low a price, so I didn't dare to."
The uncle selling persimmons nearby also struck up a conversation with Lai.
"Is this your brother? Two groups of people just came to inquire about the price, and they nearly scared him to death. They only told them that they could make a decision after you returned."
"Okay, thank you, thank you."
"It's nothing, it's a small matter. But your green beans are really good, they'll definitely fetch a good price."
"Thank you for your kind words."
Soon, new customers arrived at Lai's stall. They were a pair of people who looked quite professional. One of them held a candle close to examine the item, while the other chatted with Lai to gather information, preparing for the inevitable bargaining battle.
"Boss, how much are your green beans per pound?"
Lai's identity quickly changed from a small vendor to a boss. These people who buy vegetables have been frequenting various markets for years and are already seasoned veterans. They know exactly what to say that people want to hear.
"Fifteen copper coins a pound."
Five copper coins was the range of price Lai had set for them; if the final price was less than ten copper coins per pound, Lai would have lost money on this trip.
"The green beans look alright."
The person who had rummaged through the bean basket for a long time, almost emptying the entire basket to check, finally reached his conclusion. Now it was the other person's turn to fight.
"Boss, we really want to buy your green beans. Could you please give us a discount? If the price is right, we'll buy both baskets of green beans. That way, you can go home earlier and save the kids from catching a cold in this cold weather."
What price can you offer?
"Lay asked in return."
Such tug-of-war is unavoidable in business; both sides want to maximize their own profits.
"Ten copper coins a pound."
Lai was almost laughing in exasperation. They truly were professional grocery shoppers; they knew all the prices inside and out.
He didn't want to be taken advantage of; if the deal really went through at that price, he wouldn't sell them a single pound.
"No, it's too low."
Lei refused outright.
"Thirteen copper coins a pound, and that price will remain unchanged."
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