The head of Baotian Town was a small, thin old man in his early fifties with a white goatee and shrewd-looking eyes...
After learning the purpose of Liu Yingying's visit, he began to speak in an official tone.
"Are you sure you want to buy all of these nearly three thousand acres of fertile land?"
Do you know how much this will cost?
As Zheng Lizheng spoke, he looked Liu Yingying and the other woman over again.
Although the woman in front of him was dressed more decently than the average country person, she was still far from being "rich and noble"!
I don't know where she got the confidence to propose buying thousands of acres of farmland!
Even with a discount, she definitely wouldn't be able to come up with that much money!
Thinking this way, Zheng Lizheng's attitude also became more dismissive.
"Let me be frank with you, this area of Baotian Town is all fertile farmland. If you want to buy it all, you'll have to pay at least this much!"
Zheng Lizheng held up three fingers as he spoke.
"If you can't come up with this money, you two should head back now and not waste my time!"
Xue Ye frowned slightly in displeasure, but was stopped by a look from Liu Yingying.
She smiled nonchalantly; "Fertile land? I heard that those fields were sold off at the beginning of the year. If they are fertile land, why are they still stuck in our hands and can't be sold?"
Zheng Lizheng was speechless, never expecting that a mere woman could be so sharp-tongued.
"What do you, a mere woman, know? Buying land and fields requires a stroke of luck. Those people... don't know their value. This is a rare commodity worth hoarding!"
"Oh, really?" Liu Yingying smiled and lowered her head, her tone becoming sharper. "As far as I know, the thousands of acres of farmland along the banks of the Luo River in Baotian Town, thanks to their unique geographical advantages and the irrigation they draw water from the Luo River, were indeed fertile land in the past!"
“But…” she paused, then changed the subject.
Zheng Lizheng's heart also clenched slightly.
Liu Yingying: "Since the upstream diversion began, the river level has dropped significantly, making it impossible for water trucks to pump water from the river to irrigate the farmland. Coupled with this year's severe drought, this area has long been a wasteland!"
Zheng Lizheng argued illogically: "Even so, people will still come to buy!"
Liu Yingying was very patient and asked with a smile, "But which fool would buy thousands of acres of wasteland in one go?"
Even if someone asks about the price and wants to buy, it's just ordinary people at the bottom of society taking a gamble and buying 30 to 50 acres at most!
"Furthermore, the water storage capacity of the dams upstream of the Luo River is already nearing its limit. If a torrential rain were to fall overnight, do you think there is a risk of the dams bursting?"
She didn't say the rest, but Zheng Lizheng's face turned pale.
He knew perfectly well what was going on in his heart.
Given Ningzhou's geographical environment, heavy rain is common at this time of year.
If the upstream supply line hadn't been cut off, it wouldn't have been a problem. But in the current situation, if a torrential downpour were to occur overnight, a dam breach would be almost inevitable!
At that time, thousands of acres of farmland downstream will be destroyed!
He, on the other hand, will end up with nothing...
After a long silence, Zheng Lizheng finally spoke in a calm tone, "The breach... that's just your speculation... but since you're sincere about buying these fertile fields, I can give you a discount."
"Two thousand eight hundred taels! That's the lowest I can go!"
Liu Yingying's lips twitched; she really wanted to point to her own face and ask him.
Do I look like I have "sucker" written all over my face?
"I've always been a person of conscience when it comes to business. I don't want to see others lose money, but I will never tolerate myself suffering huge losses!"
"One price, two thousand taels!"
"If you think it's acceptable, then we'll write the contract now; if not, then we'll take our leave!"
The smile had vanished from Liu Yingying's face, and she got up to leave.
Zheng Lizheng wasn't about to let her really leave, and quickly called her back, "Wait!"
Liu Yingying turned around, "Have you thought it through?"
Zheng Lizheng looked reluctant; "Two thousand taels it is, but it has to be agreed that it must be settled in one lump sum!"
“No problem!” Liu Yingying said without changing her expression. “Even though I left in a hurry today and didn’t bring that much silver with me, how about this: give me three days so I can go back and prepare the silver?”
Right now, Zheng Lizheng had no choice but to agree to her conditions, but still asked her to pay a deposit first.
Liu Yingying took out fifty taels of silver and placed it on the table, then left with Xue Ye.
After walking a long way from the village head's house.
Xue Ye, who was following behind, finally couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going to get two thousand taels of silver?"
"I don't know either!" Liu Yingying turned around and answered matter-of-factly.
Xue Ye, however, didn't quite believe her.
This woman is always meticulous and does everything exceptionally well!
There's no way she would have rashly come and asked to buy so much land without any preparation!
But as dusk gradually enveloped the town, Liu Yingying was still wandering the empty streets.
He had no choice but to believe it!
"It's getting late...you're not planning to spend the night on the street, are you?" Xue Ye's surprised voice came from behind.
Liu Yingying stopped in her tracks, looked up abruptly, and saw the sign for "Yingfu Inn" in front of her.
There aren't many people in Baotian Town, so naturally even fewer people stay in hotels.
The waiter warmly welcomed them inside; "Would you two gentlemen like a meal or a room?"
"Give us two cleaner rooms!" Liu Yingying said.
The waiter looked troubled; "Oh! That's really unfortunate. Our inn is usually not full, but today we only have one room left..."
"Huh?" Liu Yingying frowned slightly.
Xue Ye didn't want to put her in a difficult position, and was about to suggest that she stay alone while he could spend the night in the grove outside the city.
Anyway, he's been spending the night in the mountains since he was a child, so he's used to it.
Unexpectedly, Liu Yingying spoke first: "That's fine then, we'll share a room, but you have to bring an extra blanket!"
"You must have a blanket, right?"
Waiter: "Yes! Yes! Please bring these two to me!"
Unexpectedly, this scene was witnessed by Lord Shen, who was about to go down the stairs.
Shen Shangxu frowned slightly, thinking to himself that Liu was a widow, and the young man beside her looked about the same age as Cheng Zhuo, so he couldn't possibly be her son.
Who is that boy to her?
No matter who it is, a man and a woman alone in a room shouldn't be alone together!
That Liu family member!
Couldn't she at least consider her own reputation?
As the waiter led Liu Yingying and Xue Ye upstairs, they looked up and saw Shen Shangxu standing at the top of the stairs, his face clearly displeased.
"Lord Shen...you're staying here too?" Liu Yingying greeted him with a warm smile.
Lord Shen is such a good person!
He secured a title of "Lord of the Township" for her, and he also cared deeply for the suffering common people at the bottom of society. He was truly a good official!
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