The tenant farmers in their family only pay 40%, while only the unscrupulous ones demand 60%!
"Auntie, the potato yield is huge. Even if you only take 40%, it'll be more than enough for us to eat." There might even be more than we can eat.
Shui Qing remained unmoved, saying, "Because of the large yield, even if they only get 40%, it's enough to eat, and they might not even be able to finish it all."
Bai Ziqian was completely dumbfounded. How could these words be the same as what he had said? They even said what he hadn't said aloud!
He looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Auntie, you can't possibly finish all of these, so why do you need so many potatoes?"
Unlike the villagers who eat potatoes as a staple food, Aunt Shuiqing's family only eats potatoes as a side dish. They eat rice, white flour, steamed buns, dumplings, and the like every meal. Only in the morning do they have millet porridge, corn porridge, cornbread, and other coarse grains.
Even if there are twenty-three more people, if their annual food rations consist of potatoes, then ten acres of land would be sufficient.
As Aunt Shuiqing said, the villagers will have enough potatoes next year, and they will not be able to exchange cornmeal for potatoes anymore. So what's the point of having so many potatoes?
Selling silver? Even less likely.
Aunt Shuiqing's family raises rabbits, chickens, pigs, and other livestock, which are meat and are much more expensive than grain, but they don't sell them. Why would they sell potatoes, something that people have never seen or eaten before and is difficult to sell at a high price?
“Of course it’s useful. Besides, who would complain about having too much grain?” Shui Qing glanced at Bai Ziqian and thought that Bai Manshan and Li Huyu’s education was very upright.
At least Bai Ziqian isn't someone who's only after profit.
As for herself, she didn't think she was a bad person. After all, without her or her hiding things, the villagers wouldn't have potatoes as a food.
Or perhaps she initially sold them at a high price, and seeing the potato yield, many families would probably buy them even if it meant emptying their savings.
She genuinely helped the villagers of Shanshui Village and sincerely wanted to save them from hunger. Now that everyone is well-fed, clothed, and has no worries about food and clothing, it's not unreasonable for her to plan for herself.
She needed a lot of potatoes to pave the way for what was to come—in chaotic times, one must always find a guarantee for oneself and one's family.
Potatoes were their stepping stone to upward mobility.
Bai Ziqian was stunned for a moment, then realized that what Aunt Shuiqing said made a lot of sense.
Yes, who would complain about having too much food?
Then I thought about how Aunt Shuiqing didn't take advantage of the chaos to loot or hoard goods for herself. She just negotiated with the villagers of Shanshui Village, and it was up to them whether they wanted to or not. It seems that Aunt Shuiqing is an upright person!
"Okay! I'll go with my aunt. By the way, why did you choose me, aunt?" Do you think he's the most clever of the children?
As Shui Qing walked towards Shanshui Village, she casually remarked, "Of course, it's because you're from the Bai family. No businessman is without guile, so paying 60% fits your persona perfectly—well, it fits everyone's perception of a businessman!"
Bai Ziqian held his breath, angrily deciding to retract his earlier statement, "Aunt Shuiqing is an upright person!"
He's not honest at all, and his heart is black. It's one thing to let him be the villain, but to make the Bai family take the blame is another.
“After all, my aunt will have to live in the village, so her reputation is very important.”
Bai Ziqian: ...Waaaaah, isn't his reputation a reputation too?
“I’ve already thought of my excuse: Your family bought potato seeds, but you can’t transport them all back. My family’s land is also unusable for planting. As a last resort, we can only give them the potato seeds to plant for free. This way, the potato seeds won’t be wasted on their land, and it won’t be left empty.”
In return, all that is required is to hand over 60% of the harvest.
As Bai Ziqian listened, he realized that this set of words sounded very familiar.
I clearly want you to do some work, but it sounds like I'm doing this for your own good. Isn't that what his father always says?
"Hmph, unscrupulous merchants! No merchant is without cunning!"
"Then don't be a businessman. Oh, and by the way, don't use the money that unscrupulous merchants earn!"
"...My dad isn't a swindler!"
"Who just said 'no merchant is without guile'? Is your dad a businessman? Aren't you feeling guilty?"
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