"Is that so..." Lin Rui nodded in understanding and asked the most crucial question: "Do they grow soybeans and mung beans?"
Old Man Guan also understood what Lin Rui meant and said with a smile, "Plant them, plant them all. Soybeans and mung beans are the most grown in Huangmoguan besides the staples like winter wheat and rice. Every household has a lot of them. If we really had no food, people here wouldn't bother eating them. We're really afraid of eating them."
"Young man, if you want, our village has both soybeans and mung beans. Can you buy the ones from our village first this time? If that's not enough, how about I ask you to buy the ones over there?" Old Man Guan looked at Lin Rui with hope. He also had his own selfish motives. Every household in the village was poor, so it would be good to earn some money.
Lin Rui answered readily, "Okay, Uncle Guan, then you can first call on the villagers to bring all the soybeans, mung beans, etc. from their homes to be weighed. I have to be frank with you. If you try to fool me by passing off bad or rotten goods as good ones, there will be no next time."
Old Man Guan patted his bony chest until it thumped loudly: "Don't worry, young man. I'm here to make sure that no one in the village puts a bad bean in there."
With Mr. Guan's guarantee, Lin Rui didn't say much and smiled and asked him to inform the villagers.
Compared with the military village, the village on the left side of the elm tree, where Uncle Guan lives, appears to be much smaller, only about one-tenth the size of the military village. This made Lin Rui realize that the market in Huangmoguan is actually quite large.
These are all people. Where there are people, there are basic needs. People always need to eat and drink. Where there are basic needs, business can be done. It seems that the bean sprout business can continue for a while.
Uncle Guan was very good at mobilizing people. He quickly gathered the villagers under the elm tree and pointed at Lin Rui, saying, "Fellow villagers, this young man..." He seemed to feel that calling Lin Rui "young man" was not very appropriate, so he changed his words and said, "This Mr. Lin came to our village to buy soybeans. The price is the same as what we usually sell at the market, five cents a pound for soybeans and ten cents a pound for mung beans. I think he wants a large quantity, and we want to do this business in the long run, so why not give him a slightly cheaper price? How about four cents a pound for soybeans and nine cents a pound for mung beans?"
In other words, it is only one cent cheaper, which is a huge deal for the farmers. After all, these beans are irrigated by their sweat, and they have to make a profit and then make a little more, otherwise they might as well keep them at home and eat them all.
Ever since many disaster victims arrived in Huangmoguan, beans have been easier to sell. After all, there are always disaster victims with extra money who will buy some. But since the Xing family army started to provide relief food and offered to buy back the reclaimed wasteland, their beans have become harder to sell.
Everyone wants to save money and own their own land, and they are reluctant to spend a penny that should not be spent. As a person born into a poor family, Mr. Guan understands the thoughts of the victims too well.
The soybeans cannot be sold, and the food at home is only enough for chewing. There are many shortages of supplies in Huangmoguan. Needles and thread are difficult to buy on weekdays. They have to rely on merchants who come to do fur trade with foreign ethnic groups to buy them. The goods sent thousands of miles to Huangmoguan have a price increase of more than ten times, even a needle.
"Okay, okay, Village Chief, as long as Boss Lin is willing to trade with us, it's fine. I still have over 80 kilograms of soybeans at home. Boss, are you ready to collect them all?"
Lin Rui did some calculations and rounded it up. A pound of soybeans cost five cents, so eighty pounds would cost four hundred cents. He could still afford it if he collected money from one family, but if he collected money from ten families, it would cost four thousand cents, which would be four taels of silver. The one tael he earned from selling bean sprouts today and the change given by Brother Wang were not enough to pay the bill.
Lin Rui looked at everyone and said, "Fellow villagers, to be honest, I'm not wealthy enough to order all of your goods at once. However, there are two solutions. I can collect 500 kilograms today. How to distribute these 500 kilograms is up to you villagers to discuss."
"Five hundred kilograms, that's a little too little. The most we have in stock is a thousand kilograms."
"Yes, it's really not enough. Even at the least, my family has more than 600 kilograms of soybeans, which is not enough to give."
"Boss, what about the second method you mentioned?"
Lin Rui smiled and continued, "Each of you can leave 100 to 300 kilograms of beans with me first. I'll pay you the balance when you sell them for a certain price. How about that?"
This... The villagers looked at each other in confusion, thinking in their hearts, isn't this boss just getting something for nothing?
Using their beans to make his fortune, this... is what a loss for him!
Some people don't think so. A pound of soybeans is bought at the price of four cents. His family has a stock of soybeans of up to a thousand pounds. If he sells them all, he can get four taels of hot silver!
He had never touched four taels of silver in his life, but now he had an opportunity.
"What if you take our beans without paying us?" someone asked, unable to resist the temptation of the second method of cooperation.
Lin Rui smiled and said, "We can sign a contract. We are refugees who have come to reclaim the land along the Huangmo River section of the road. If anyone dares to steal your beans, you can go to the manager and complain. The Xing family army is so strict in its administration. Do you think I would dare to do something so risking my life?"
"That's true." Everyone nodded, of course not out of affirmation of Lin Rui's character, but out of confidence in the Xing family army.
Uncle Guan spoke first: "Boss Lin, I still have 500 kilograms of beans at home. I'll leave the 300 kilograms with you. You can pay the deposit as you see fit, and then pay me the balance after you use them up."
Old Man Guan had made a desperate bet. His grandson was growing up and was so smart and well-behaved. He couldn't let him dig for food in the fields like himself all his life. He had to grit his teeth and send him to the school in Baituo Town. Only by learning to read and write could he succeed in life. He saved every penny he had and was reluctant to spend it, as he would use it as a tuition for the child in the future.
Even though Mr. Guan said this, everyone was still hesitant to believe it. After all, he was a stranger they had only met once. No matter how good his words were, they didn't dare to sell him beans on credit without seeing the money.
Three hundred kilograms of beans, according to the agreed price of one thousand two hundred coins, Lin Rui gave Uncle Guan two hundred coins in copper coins and one tael of silver. This surprised everyone, and they couldn't help but ask, "Hey, hey, hey, didn't you say you wanted to buy on credit? Why are you giving me silver now?"
Lin Rui smiled and said, "I don't have enough money to buy beans on credit when everyone is willing to give me beans. Now only Uncle Guan is willing to sell beans to me. I can still afford 300 kilograms of beans."
"So, do you still have to keep a record of those who are willing to give you beans next time?" someone in the crowd asked.
Lin Rui smiled and nodded: "Aunt, it is indeed so."
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