Chapter 3112 Action
But being moved doesn’t mean you have to take action.
He stood in front of a drawn piece of land, feeling the sea breeze, and couldn't help but pull his clothes. When he looked up, he saw Bai Shan standing beside him with a big banner draped over his head.
He glanced at the fur on his neck and asked, "How many floors is the shop yard on?"
Bai Shan said: "Two floors. Too high is not good. The sea breeze is strong here, so two floors are generally used."
To say it is common means that there are still some levels higher than two.
County Magistrate Lu raised an eyebrow. "Then, assuming two floors, including the backyard, the cost of a shop would be between eighty and one hundred taels. Buying a piece of land means building on an additional piece of land, so that's a minimum expense of two hundred taels."
"Master Bai, two hundred taels can buy two shops in Beihai County."
Bai Shan smiled slightly and said, "But two hundred taels definitely can't buy a shop on the main street of Qingzhou City. I am confident that the shops here will be more profitable than those on the main street of Qingzhou City."
County Magistrate Lu really wanted to point at the barren land and tell him not to be delusional, but looking at the confident Bai Shan, he opened his mouth but didn't say anything.
Bai Shan smiled lightly but sincerely, "County Magistrate Lu, I've been so grateful for your care since I came to Beihai County. That's why I'm reminding you."
County Magistrate Lu smiled bitterly, "But two hundred taels is not something that anyone can come up with."
Bai Shan blinked and asked, "That's not possible, you've been an official for many years, and you don't even have two hundred taels?"
County Magistrate Lu frowned. "The annual salary of a county magistrate is 24,000 coins, which is only 24 taels. Where can I get so much money?"
Bai Shan: "...but you still have 300 acres of official land!"
County Magistrate Lu frowned and said, "It can certainly help support the family, but it won't make us rich, right?"
Bai Shan simply dragged him to settle the accounts, but he refused to believe it. It was three hundred acres of official land, and he was the county magistrate, so the official land he chose must be the best.
Oh, by the way, what he has inherited now is the official land of Lu County Magistrate, which is just outside Beihai County. The soil there is quite good. At least 80 acres are top-quality farmland. Apart from some dry land, there are nearly 120 acres of medium-sized farmland, which is good for growing rice or wheat.
There was a large area of open land nearby, and Bai Shan directly allocated a large area for personal gain to build houses, pig sheds and chicken coops for the farmhands.
The annual rice and wheat harvests are not high, but even with the most common average yield now, it is still quite a lot.
Including the beans planted, not counting the pigs added this year, but even raising chickens and sheep, the annual income will not be bad. For three hundred acres of land, after deducting the costs, the minimum annual harvest income will not be less than eighty taels.
As a county magistrate, housing is free. As for food, in addition to their salary, they also receive rice allowance. The rice allowance they receive every month is not only enough for them to eat, but they can also sell some of it. As long as they don't live lavishly, the rice and flour they sell will definitely be enough to buy meat. Vegetables and other things can be produced in their own official fields...
To be honest, since Bai Shan and Zhou Man came to Beihai County, their rice and salary have not only been enough to support their families, but they have even had some left over.
The income from Bai Shanzhi's fields can be saved completely.
They have to support a lot of people, and their expenses are much higher than those of County Magistrate Lu.
"You've been the county magistrate for quite some time now. You've earned at least eighty taels a year, which means you've earned four hundred taels in five years, not to mention all your other income..."
County Magistrate Lu looked at the income calculated by Bai Shan on the paper, his mouth slightly open. He had been speechless for a long time, but when he heard these words, he woke up with a start and jumped up and said, "County Magistrate Bai, please don't wrongly accuse me. How could I have other income?"
Bai Shan: "...So you just keep the money and don't invest it?"
County Magistrate Lu was stunned again. "Investment?"
"Yes, although it is said that officials should not compete with the people for profit, it is still possible to increase assets within a reasonable range."
County Magistrate Lu: “…For example?”
"For example, while inspecting the county, I discovered a hot spring on a barren mountain. So, according to the law, I paid for the mountain and planted some vegetables and fruits on it. I also built a few courtyards nearby. I can eat the fruits and vegetables myself or sell them. I can also rent out the courtyards to entertain guests. I can be at ease and make some money at the same time. Why not?"
County Magistrate Lu: "Are you abusing your power for personal gain?"
Bai Shan disagreed. "The imperial court has set a price range for the sale of open land and non-mining land. When others come to buy, the county government either refuses to sell or offers a price similar to what I offer. The county government's share of the profits remains the same. How can this be considered selfish?"
"No, no," Magistrate Lu shook his head, frowning and thinking for a moment. "I remember now. During the winter solstice, my family went out and bought a basket of vegetables. One basket cost one hundred coins! Were you the one who sold those vegetables?"
Bai Shan blinked, "Really? This kind of thing is usually left to the lower-level officials. How would a county magistrate like me know about it?"
Seeing him about to leave, County Magistrate Lu grabbed him and said, "Master Bai, I finally understand how you were able to build Longchi Wharf into this state in just one year. It's because you're a profiteer! That basket of vegetables would normally cost less than ten cents, but you made ten times the money."
Bai Shan wanted to pull his hand out and said, "Don't talk nonsense, what dishonest businessman? I'm an honest official!"
The two men started arguing, and County Magistrate Lu said, "You can't leave. We've come to this point. You have to give me some advice. How can I make money in Yidu County?"
Bai Shan: "You are the magistrate of Yidu County, why are you asking me?"
"Because this county suddenly remembered something. You said you wanted to make Longchi Wharf a place more profitable than Qingzhou City's Main Street. Isn't Qingzhou City's Main Street the main street of Yidu County? In other words, your shops here are directly stealing business from Yidu County?"
Bai Shan: ...What a mistake!
"No," Bai Shan said seriously, "I'm trying to attract more business travelers. Yidu County will also benefit. My neighbor Laizhou has no objections."
Zhou Man stood at the door and watched them arguing, and couldn't help asking, "What are you doing?"
When Bai Shan saw her, he felt as if he had been pardoned. He immediately broke free from County Magistrate Lu and stepped forward, "You are finally here. County Magistrate Lu misunderstood me..."
After Zhou Man finished listening to their story, she tilted her head and looked at County Magistrate Lu. "You said he was as powerful as a profiteer. So, are you going to buy the land here or not?"
County Magistrate Lu was stunned and fell into deep thought. After a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Buy it!"
Now it was Bai Shan's turn to be stunned.
Zhou Man shrugged and said, "Isn't that the end of it?"
It wasn't over yet. County Magistrate Lu felt they could have a more friendly and in-depth discussion. He folded up the draft paper that Bai Shancai had been using for calculations on the table and stuffed it into his arms. Then he pulled Bai Shan aside and said, "Master Bai, this county feels you have great foresight in civil affairs. Let's have a deeper discussion."
I have a decision to tell you. The previous announcement of the time was made in response to the requests of the majority of book lovers, but since I am always not on time, this seems unnecessary. So starting from today, I will no longer announce the time, but I will say good night to everyone in the last chapter.
Well, also, today is my birthday. Although I am one year older, I have also grown a lot, so the year that has just passed has not been wasted. Please wish me a happy birthday in the coming year as well.
(End of this chapter)
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