After speaking, Zhu Lao Er looked at Ye Cheng somewhat nervously, wondering if Ye Cheng could accept the price.
"3000? A year? This mountain?" Ye Cheng asked three questions in a row.
Upon seeing Ye Cheng's expression, Zhu Lao Er immediately began to explain.
“Brother Cheng, although this mountain is barren, it is large, covering more than 100 acres. So it only costs about 30 yuan per acre, which is not very expensive.”
Aunt Li, who was standing nearby, thought that Ye Cheng didn't want to rent it anymore, and quickly said,
"How about we rent it for two years first and see? If it doesn't work out, we can just quit."
“That won’t do. The village chief said the minimum lease term is ten years,” Zhu Lao Er added.
"No, ten years? That's too long. I'll go talk to him." Aunt Li said, getting up to leave.
Ye Cheng quickly grabbed her, "No, ma'am, 3,000 is such a big mountain, it's not expensive, why are you still looking for him?"
"Huh? Didn't you say it was expensive?" Aunt Li was dumbfounded.
"No, I'm just amazed at how cheap it is. This is a mountain, unlike our mudflats where there's nothing there."
Aunt Li smiled awkwardly and sat down again.
"Okay, it's really not expensive. The price was the same in the village before, but I feel we can negotiate it down a bit more. What do you think, boss?"
Zhu Liwen nodded.
"Yes, Brother Cheng, it's always been this price, but no one's contracted it. I think it shouldn't be a problem to negotiate it down by 500 yuan."
"It would be best if we could reach an agreement, every little bit helps. So, you guys talk to the village again and say that we'll contract for 30 years and how much cheaper it will be."
"Okay, I'll go..." Zhu Liwen suddenly realized something halfway through his sentence, looked at Ye Cheng,
"Brother Cheng, how many years are you talking about?"
“30 years, my brother’s contracts are all for 30 years,” Xiao Hu interjected.
"Yes, 30 years. I guarantee you won't lose out."
Ye Cheng was willing to guarantee this; he knew exactly how fast things had developed over the past 30 years.
Moreover, villages like Xialing Village will definitely be key targets of future support policies, allowing them to lease land at low prices for 30 years. Even if they do nothing, they will still make money in the future.
Zhu Lao Er counted on his fingers for a moment, then said,
“Brother Cheng, 30 years will cost 90,000 yuan. There’s also the cost of buying chicks, building fences on the mountain and chicken coops down the mountain. All of that will cost money.”
Ye Cheng took a leisurely sip of tea, then said calmly,
"I'll cover all of these costs; you don't need to contribute."
Although it was just a soft whisper, it sounded like a thunderclap to the Zhu family.
"Boss Ye, Little Ye, you're going to pay for all of that? That's over ten thousand yuan! Are you that rich?" Aunt Li stammered.
Ye Cheng smiled.
"It's not that they have money, it's just that they know there are profitable businesses, so they can't not do them, right?"
"Hehe, yes, yes." The two Zhu brothers were still in shock and didn't know what to say, so they could only nod and chuckle awkwardly.
Soon, the second pot of chicken arrived. Although it wasn't as amazing as the first pot, it still tasted great.
Once everyone was seated, Ye Cheng put down his chopsticks and looked at Aunt Li and the Zhu brothers.
“Auntie, now that we’re going into business together, there are some things I think we should clarify first.”
"Yes, yes, Xiao Ye, we'll listen to you." Aunt Li happily drank a few more cups of wine, and she was already a little tipsy.
The Zhu brothers also put down their wine glasses and looked at Ye Cheng.
"The main issue is profit sharing. I'll provide the investment money, and you'll be responsible for management and feeding. I'll find connections to help with sales, but you'll have to sell it yourselves. What percentage of the profit do you want?"
After speaking, Ye Cheng looked at everyone with a leisurely air, wanting to see what their attitude would be.
When the topic of practical interests came up, everyone fell silent and looked at Zhu Liwen.
As the eldest son, Zhu Liwen is under a lot of pressure right now.
If I say too little, I feel like I'm losing out; if I say too much, I'm afraid Ye Cheng will go back on his word. After all, it's just talk now. If he gets upset and stops investing, then all my efforts will be for nothing.
Zhu Liwen hesitated for a long time without being able to speak, which made the old lady anxious.
She slammed her hand on the table and gave the eldest brother a good scolding.
"You're the boss, why are you so slow in making decisions? Xiao Ye is helping us, what, you want more, huh?"
"Let me tell you, this is the right way. No matter how much you've earned before, it's all crooked and evil ways. You'll have to pay it back someday. Even if you don't make much money from raising chickens, it's still honest and solid money."
"I, as your mother, feel more at ease using it!"
The old lady spoke with great passion, and Ye Chengdu nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Don't let their remote mountain village background fool you; their values are incredibly upright.
Zhu Liwen looked ashamed. He gritted his teeth and held up three fingers.
"Brother Cheng, how about we take 30% of the profits? There are five of us, including my mother and me, so we'll definitely work hard."
He realized his mother was right. He and his brothers could make some quick money by stealing fish, but they might end up in jail one day.
Instead of living in constant fear, it's better to earn some stable money and think of other ways when things get better.
Before Ye Cheng could speak, Aunt Li spoke first.
"Why would you ask for 30%? They paid for it all and found the sales channels. We're just helping to raise chickens, and they're raising them on the mountain. How can you ask for 30%? 20% it is, I'll take it."
Hearing that their mother had cut the price by 10%, the Zhu brothers looked a little grim, but they still nodded helplessly.
Ye Cheng didn't rush to express his opinion; he was calculating the profits in his mind.
If we calculate based on 1,000 chickens, and they all sell for 5,000 jin (2,500 catties), at 7 yuan per jin, the total would be 35,000 yuan, which isn't a lot of money.
He didn't know how many eggs he could produce, but he figured he'd just let it add up to 50,000.
Generally speaking, the breeding cycle of free-range chickens is about six months. If all of them are sold, the annual income is about 100,000 yuan. After deducting the cost of 20,000 yuan, the expected income will be 80,000 yuan.
If they give them 20%, the Zhu family's annual income would be 16,000 yuan. That means the combined monthly income of the five people would only be a little over 1,000 yuan, which is less than what they could earn by working elsewhere.
If they give them 50%, that's 40,000, which works out to a little over 3,000 a month. It's not much for a large family, but it should be enough to keep them working in peace.
As for his own profits, Ye Cheng had other ideas.
He wanted to start a farm stay business. Although farm stays weren't very popular in 2002, they became incredibly popular a few years later.
It's economical, healthy, and offers the experience of rural life, which city dwellers love.
Although the prices were later driven up to exorbitant levels by those who started guesthouses, ordinary farmhouses still have a good business potential.
If you're going to run agritourism, you need to have signature products. Local vegetables and free-range chickens are the signature products.
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