Lin Jinyue then looked at Boss Cen.
She asked somewhat uncertainly, "Mr. Cen, could it be that you're planning to buy salt from us?"
Mr. Cen nodded somewhat embarrassedly: "Yes, is that alright? The price is negotiable, I won't buy it too cheaply."
Lin Jinyue shook her head, her attitude very firm: "No, selling smuggled salt is punishable by exile at best, and beheading at worst. We will not sell it."
They were already quite conspicuous.
In other words, it was a chaotic time, and it was difficult for others to investigate their background. People like Elder Tan, Gu Shao, and Magistrate Ding all thought that they were some kind of hermit masters who had come from somewhere.
If he's found out, he's just an ordinary peasant from a small village in northern China.
Even if they don't lay a hand on her, just having someone keep an eye on them would be enough to make Lin Jinyue suffer.
Lin Jinyue definitely couldn't cause trouble for herself.
Seeing his resolute attitude, Boss Cen began to tempt him with benefits: "Zixuan said you don't have enough manpower? You're short-handed for farming, so you can't let the people you trust do the money-making work?"
It's no secret; anyone with a brain could guess it.
She nodded: "That's true."
Boss Cen thought for a moment and said, “How about this, I’ll send you a group of people. Some of them are self-made slaves, and some are refugees fleeing famine who sold themselves into slavery because they couldn’t survive. I’ll send you fifty strong men, and I’ll give you their indentures as well, so you don’t have to worry about them causing trouble.”
Lin Jinyue was somewhat tempted.
She disliked slavery, but she lacked labor.
These people will work first. If they work diligently and are not inherently bad, Lin Jinyue will return their indentures to them later.
In that way, simple tasks that are easy for people to learn, such as farming and picking fruit, can be taught to them.
But she quickly calmed down.
Selling smuggled salt is punishable by death; you can't do whatever you want.
Calm down, calm down.
Lin Jinyue silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra once.
Boss Cen continued, "You probably don't have enough cows here... I heard the other day you were still asking around about the price of piglets?"
Lin Jinyue's expression became even more conflicted.
She thought, since she had already taught Gu Shao and the others the salt-making method, what difference would one more make?
The final straw was that Boss Cen said he could provide them with a lot of young chickens, ducks, geese, piglets, and lambs.
Normally, Lin Jinyue would give away money without batting an eye, no matter how much she was given.
But now, there is famine and war outside Lingnan, and the price of these piglets and lambs changes every day.
She asked last time, and a piglet costs ten taels of silver.
It was like a robbery.
Lin Jinyue then said, "Selling smuggled salt is absolutely forbidden, but I can teach you how to make fine salt."
Boss Cen's heart was pounding.
Mr. Cen never expected that he could even buy the method for making salt.
Lin Jinyue frowned: "But I want to make this clear, no matter what connections you have, I'm only selling my son. If it involves me..."
Boss Cen hurriedly said, "No, no, don't underestimate the Cen family just because we're nothing in Shawan County. Our main family is in Guangcheng, so we have powerful backers."
Lin Jinyue then asked, "What are you going to offer in exchange for my salt-making method?"
Boss Cen pondered for a moment.
The method of making salt...
Boss Cen then said, "Two hundred people, three thousand catties of fine rice, ten adult cows, three cows, thirty piglets and thirty lambs, and two hundred young chickens, ducks and geese."
Boss Cen looked somewhat troubled: "Perhaps, not all two hundred people are strong laborers. Those laborers in the village may have families to support... In any case, I won't let you lose money."
Lin Jinyue roughly calculated that, based on current prices, it would be about five thousand taels.
Lin Jinyue nodded: "Okay."
Two hundred people are enough.
Once those two hundred people have served their full two years, Lin Jinyue will release them and let them stay or leave as they please.
This is a win-win situation. Those who signed indentures might not even be able to eat their fill in the manor and would have to work like slaves for others for the rest of their lives. But as long as they are willing to work hard, they can regain their freedom in her place after two years.
Lin Jinyue also wanted more people to farm, so she quickly upgraded her farm to unlock more features.
Looking at Boss Cen again, Lin Jinyue's smile became even more genuine.
She smiled and said, "Mr. Cen, why don't you stay for a meal?"
Boss Cen was naturally willing.
He knew this group must have something good, so he quickly built a good relationship with them so he could get ahead of them later.
There are quite a few people who want to get along with Lin Jinyue these days.
Lin Jinyue thought so too.
There are still many areas for future cooperation, so I thought I'd treat Boss Cen to a proper meal.
As a result, she regretted her decision all day.
Boss Cen was like a curious child.
"Young shopkeeper, this oyster sauce tastes really good. How about we consider going together? I'll definitely offer you a fair price."
"Young shopkeeper, you can't sell this soy sauce either?"
"Can you sell chili peppers? What's the price I'm offering here...?"
In short, Boss Cen wanted to buy everything he saw at her place.
I wish I could dismantle her bamboo house and take it back with me.
Lin Jinyue:......
That's outrageous.
The seasonings were all purchased directly from the system and stored in ancient-style jars.
This absolutely cannot be sold without any processing.
Moreover, the system has become more sophisticated. For example, daily necessities are now subject to purchase limits, so not only Boss Cen, but even the uncles and elders in the village can't get them.
Lin Jinyue had a headache and it took her a long time to get the person away.
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