Seeing that Zhao Xian and Li Zheng were listening attentively, Ruan Fang continued:
"All indications suggest that Narcissus Village is becoming increasingly active, and a small free market has formed in the village."
There's another phenomenon I don't know if you've noticed: now almost every household in the village is raising ducks. I know the villagers raise ducks to produce more duck eggs, which are then used to make preserved eggs.
Therefore, the villagers all hope to raise female ducks. However, when ducks are young, it is impossible to distinguish between male and female. When these ducklings grow up, at least half of them will be male, and these male ducks will definitely be sold.
Some restaurants and duck traders, knowing that Shuixian Village had a large number of ducks, would come to buy them, which further increased the village's popularity.
Of course, villagers can also process the ducks into delicious dishes for sale, which might create a new industry.
And most importantly, the Registrar has several businesses that are unique and unparalleled anywhere else. If you want to do business with the Registrar, you must come to Narcissus Village to purchase goods.
It's fair to say that in less than a year, the changes in Shuixian Village will likely exceed our expectations. The village's current facilities are insufficient to meet its development needs. What the village needs to do now is strengthen its infrastructure and develop related supporting industries.
Ruan Fang's words left Zhao Xian speechless. Was this really something a girl who was only a little over ten years old would say? Was she, like him, also a time traveler?
"As the village head, Miss Ruan, what do you think I should do now?" the village head asked.
"I can't say for sure, but I think Uncle Lizheng might consider building a market in the village, some shops around the market, and some supporting restaurants and inns."
"Regarding the specifics of how to construct these structures, it would be best if Uncle Lizheng could visit the surrounding towns to investigate before deciding how to proceed with the construction in Shuixian Village."
The village head nodded. He did indeed need to go out and take a look. Only in this way could he better plan his strategy in Narcissus Village.
Ruan Fang's ideas were very innovative, which may be related to the fact that she lived in the county town. Zhao Xian knew that the Ruan family owned a large number of shops in the county town, which they either operated themselves or rented out, bringing them substantial profits every year.
At this moment, Zhao Xian raised his head and looked at Ruan Fang, and said:
"Miss Ruan, could you draw up a construction plan for the Shuixian Village market? We can study it together."
"Of course, but it will take a few days. I need to walk around the village first to understand the situation before I draw up the plans."
At this moment, Ruan Fang was very happy. Building the Shuixian Village market was probably the biggest event in the village. The fact that the registrar and the village head had specifically sought her out to discuss such an important matter showed that they valued her highly, and she was happy to participate in the construction of Shuixian Village.
Over the next few days, Ruan Fang carefully surveyed the village, and based on the village's terrain and existing layout, finally drew up a construction plan for the Shuixian Village market.
In ancient rural areas, village construction was largely unplanned, and villagers built houses arbitrarily.
The drawing by Ruan Fang cleverly combines the original buildings and planned buildings in the village, preserving the original appearance of the village while adding a fully functional market.
Of course, some parts of this drawing were also preserved. The construction of Shuixian Village is a long-term process and cannot be completed in one step. The drawing made by Ruan Fang can only be considered as the first phase of the village's construction.
Zhao Xian was very satisfied with the drawing and originally wanted to make some changes, but it seems there's no need for that now.
The next step was to begin construction according to the blueprints, but a very real problem arose: money.
The village head estimated that the construction cost of the market would be very high, requiring more than two thousand taels of silver. However, the village did not have much silver in its accounts, less than five hundred taels. Although he was the village head, he still needed the consent of several clan leaders in the village to use these funds.
The village head found Zhao Xian and Ruan Fang and discussed the matter with them to see how to resolve the issue of these funds.
In modern times, there are many ways to solve funding problems, but it was different in ancient times. Generally, people did what they could afford, but now the village doesn't have much money, yet they want to do big things.
Could we perhaps borrow the financing methods from modern real estate? Maybe that would be effective. With that thought in mind, Zhao Xian spoke up:
“Uncle Zhengli, after the Shuixian Village market is completed, all the stalls and storefronts built will be put up for sale, including the restaurants and inns built later. Should we put these things up for pre-sale to raise some funds?”
“These methods are not bad, but we haven’t started construction yet, so we can’t see anything. Who would be willing to spend money to buy something that can’t be seen yet?” the village head asked in confusion.
"It all depends on a person's foresight. When everyone can see that stalls and storefronts can make money, the prices will skyrocket, and you won't be able to buy them at all."
Actually, buying stalls and shops now is a kind of investment. How about this, I'll put up five hundred taels of silver to buy the shops and inn.”
Zhao Xian wanted to buy the inn because the dormitories in his workshop occupied a lot of rooms. If he bought the inn, he could convert it into dormitories, which would allow him to house his own family members as well as open the business to customers.
The empty rooms in the workshop can be converted into workshops, solving the problem of not having enough workshops.
Zhao Xian's donation of five hundred taels of silver delighted the village head, providing strong support for the development of Shuixian Village.
"I'm not from Narcissus Village, can I still invest in and buy a shop?" Ruan Fang asked.
“Of course, the construction of Narcissus Village needs the support of people from all walks of life. Miss Ruan can certainly buy storefronts and stalls,” the village head said with a smile.
“Then I will invest four hundred taels of silver to buy a restaurant and storefront. There are so many delicious things in Narcissus Village. Opening a restaurant will definitely make money,” Ruan Fang said excitedly.
“Then I’ll go back and discuss it. I plan to take four hundred taels of silver from the village’s accounts to invest. The money is just sitting there anyway, and the village will have rental income every year.”
"In this way, the construction of the Shuixian Village market will have 1,300 taels of silver, and half of the funds have already been raised."
"The remaining money can be raised through merchants and villagers, and it should be raised quickly, so construction can begin," Zhao Xian said excitedly.
“That’s great. I’ll have someone write some notices and post them in the village later to encourage the villagers to invest.”
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