"Miss, why do you want to go to the township government to find the official again?"
"I'm going to inquire about something. Just park the carriage at the gate of the township government. I'll go in and ask a few questions and then come out."
The carriage soon arrived at the gate of the township government, and Chunxiao went straight into the government office. The officials at the government office were curious when they saw her, "Master Yan, how come you have time to come to the government office? Are you looking for the head of the pavilion?"
Chunxiao smiled and bowed to them. "I came from the farm and stopped by to ask about the price of grain. I heard the farm manager say that if we want to sell this year's harvest, we can only sell it to the government office. I was afraid his information was wrong, so I came to ask."
"This is real. We did this a few years ago. The higher-ups have issued regulations and we've issued a notice. Don't you know about this?"
"We won't sell the grain; we'll keep it for ourselves. But I also have some cotton planted on my farm. I wonder what the purchase price is for that cotton?"
"The cotton harvest is 45 wen."
Chunxiao's heart skipped a beat. 45 cents, this was too low.
"I think the price is a bit too high. 45 wen for cotton." An official came over with a sneer. "Who's going to grow cotton after this?" He glanced at Chunxiao and said, "Boss Yan, I have something to say to you in private. If you don't need the money urgently, it's best to keep the cotton. It's more economical to use it yourself than to sell it."
The officers nearby also started talking.
Chun felt mixed emotions when she heard the exact news. She thanked the officials from the township government and took Xiaohua back to Yanjia Village.
As soon as she got home, she found Yan Bingfa and Yan Dashan and told them the news she had heard.
"45 wen, that's too heartless. Even if the price of cotton has dropped this year, it can still be sold for around 900 wen. They cut it in half like this, and then when they sell it, all the money we worked hard for a year ends up going into their pockets."
"Is your news false? It can't be that our township government is doing this. Now our village has planted so much cotton, and we will have to pay 50 cents for it when the time comes. If that's the case, then we will lose more than we gain. How can this be possible?" Yan Bingfa could no longer sit still.
It's true that we can't believe one-sided statements. Chun Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Dad, why don't I go to the county town tomorrow to inquire and see if the news is true."
"Don't go, Dashan. Go and ask around to find out what the situation is."
They couldn't tell anyone if the news wasn't true, but judging by the current situation, Qingzhou wouldn't only fail to make any money, but might even lose money. If that was the case, they naturally wouldn't sell the cotton.
Yan Dashan went there for a day and came back the next afternoon. He confirmed the news and brought a notice back for them to see.
"Now, any goods leaving the city must be checked. Yesterday, a person smuggling medicinal herbs was caught at the city gate and has been imprisoned."
"What should we do?" Yan Bingfa said anxiously. "We have a lot of cotton in our farm and in the village, and the harvest is coming soon. Should we sell it or not?"
"Of course not," Chunxiao answered confidently, her expression not disheartened. "We won't sell the ones in Qingzhou. We'll collect them and store them for ourselves. I don't want to be a scapegoat even if it means ruining them. We have enough land anyway, so we'll just keep them. If it doesn't work out, we'll just go back to growing crops next year. He can't stay in office forever."
"You're just saying this out of anger. It's fine if we don't sell our own products, but you have to buy from the villagers. The reserve price you mentioned before was 50 wen, so I think you should tell them to charge 45 wen."
"Dad, I'm not just saying this out of anger. I really plan to do this. I have to tell the villagers about this. It's okay for us to charge 45 cents according to the market price, but I don't plan to sell it. Think about it, the old cotton used to be worth more than this. Even if I keep it for a year, it will be better than selling it to them. Don't you think this makes sense?"
Yan Bingfa thought about it and realized that it was indeed true.
"Brother, are you ready to go to the county town to get a ride? Is Dongsheng here?"
"Yes, he went to Hejian. He can't help with this matter."
"Fortunately, we still have Zhuangzi outside, otherwise this would be troublesome."
In the evening, everyone in the family knew about this. They all cursed the county magistrate for his actions. A good business that could make money was turned into a business that lost money. Zhou cursed the official as a dog.
"Okay, I'll just curse you in my heart. If this gets out, I'll be in big trouble. We've already agreed with Chunxiao that we'll harvest this year's cotton and store it. We won't sell it."
"It's better not to sell it. It's better to keep it for yourself than to give it to that bastard official at a low price."
Yan Bingfa felt that the women's thinking was surprisingly consistent. He looked at the younger generation and said, "If you want to go out and find business, I think it's better to go out early. You don't have to pick the cotton anymore. We can find people ourselves. There's no rush to sell it now. We can just pick it slowly. After August, it will be a good time to sell braised meat. You still need to find a shop, so prepare early."
"That's what I thought." Yan Dashan looked at his son and daughter-in-law, then at his daughter and son-in-law. "Let's go early and make arrangements. Let's start with Pengdong. Your second uncle is over there, and you can ask him for help if you need anything. Shufeng and Xiaoxue will stay at home, and we will take good care of them."
Yang Huaitian looked at Tian and said, "Mom, please keep an eye on what I told you and grandma before. If nothing unexpected happens, we will settle Xiaoxue's matter after we come back for the New Year."
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of you. We're concerned about Xiaoxue's affairs. Don't worry about Shufeng either."
"So when are you planning to leave?"
After a discussion, they said, "Then let's do it the day after tomorrow. Let's prepare first tomorrow."
It was Haitang's first time to travel far away, so she had to tell her family before leaving so that they would have some peace of mind.
"If you encounter any troubles that cannot be solved, remember to bring a letter back, and don't stubbornly bear it."
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