Chapter 57 Making Money
Before broccoli appeared, even the aristocratic class in the capital only ate radishes, cabbage, leeks, eggplants, and green beans... Other uncommon vegetables have evolved into wild vegetables in modern times and have gradually fallen out of favor.
For example, the tender leaves of soybeans were eaten as vegetables for a long time in ancient times, but no one eats them nowadays.
Broccoli, once introduced to the market, seemed to have fallen from the sky, quickly filling the high-end vegetable market and taking over the tables of the elite.
The broccoli in the small shop is in high demand every day. The farm increased its daily harvest from 200 broccoli to 400 broccoli, but it still wasn't enough to meet demand.
However, the shop did not increase the quantity. It's always better to have a steady supply. If there were no limit to the daily supply, I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before all the greenhouses would be empty!
In the small shop, Wu Tian's abacus beads were flying everywhere as he counted money until his hands cramped—it's no exaggeration.
Even Wang Xifeng envied this speed of making money. Just selling broccoli, he could earn in a month what her entire estate earned in a year!
She would follow Yuan Hongqu's lead and do whatever she was told.
Why didn't she discover this legitimate way of making money sooner, one that wouldn't bring shame to the family?
The couple regretted not building the greenhouse when it was first built.
However, it is currently the autumn harvest season, and no farmers are idle to build greenhouses now; they can only wait until the off-season.
A month later, the supply of broccoli began to decrease.
Although broccoli outside has been hyped up to three taels of silver per head, it is still in short supply.
However, the shop's broccoli supply has been reduced to only one hundred heads per day.
The large white radishes that were sold alongside the fruit have been replaced with vibrant green fruit radishes.
This type of radish has a high water content and sweetness, and even when eaten raw, it has no spiciness at all.
However, the price is relatively high.
It costs five coins per pound.
This is a very high price.
However, it's still cheaper than broccoli!
Broccoli is limited, but radishes are unlimited.
The fruit radish is sweet, crisp, and delicious, and it's also inexpensive.
After broccoli was no longer in season, fruit radishes quickly became the new favorite of the nobility.
Two months later, Wu Tian used all the money from selling radishes to buy new grain and distributed it to the farmers in his village.
This season, only a small amount of grain was planted on the farm; most of the fields were planted with radishes.
Radishes cannot be used as staple food, but they can be exchanged for staple food.
Half of the radishes in the field had not yet been harvested, and Yuan Hongqu had already distributed the grain to the farmers.
A radish that yields several thousand kilograms per mu is more profitable than growing grain no matter how you calculate it.
In the farm, each household received more grain than when they grew grain, and when the radishes were harvested, the large radish greens could be taken home. Each household stored a lot of dried radish greens as winter vegetables.
With food and vegetables at home, we can get through the winter and have something to look forward to.
Yuan Hongqu was completely unaware of the troubles and controversies in the capital caused by broccoli and radishes. Although she was the one who started it all, she had no idea how things would develop.
The remaining radishes in the field were all dug up after the start of winter and stored in the cellar.
Wu Tian closed his shop again and returned to E'er Village to continue growing vegetables.
Before going to E'er Village, Wu Tian accompanied Yang Mama to Rongguo Mansion to settle accounts. Since most of the people coming and going in the small shop were purchasing agents and stewards of wealthy families, Wu Tian had a lot of contact with them and learned a thing or two. Therefore, even when he arrived at a family like Rongguo Mansion, he was neither humble nor arrogant.
However, they still didn't see the owner. It was Second Madam Lian who sent someone to the second gate to receive the account book and a locked small box.
Since broccoli started being sold in the shop, Wu Tian has never seen Yuan Hongqu again.
Even if there were messages to be spread, it was always Yang Mama, the purchasing agent from Rongyue Courtyard, who would go to the shop with a few attendants to deliver them.
No matter how thriving the business of the shops outside was, Yuan Hongqu remained unmoved, focusing solely on being her governess, and her daily life still revolved around Lin Daiyu.
After paying the bill, Wu Tian went to E'er Village again. He originally wanted to talk to the owner about the situation in the shop. When he closed the shop yesterday, there were still many people at the door who were unwilling to leave and asked him when he would reopen. He wanted to ask the owner again, but unfortunately, he didn't even get to see the owner.
Wu Tian had expected his employer to praise him, but nothing came of it. Although he received a considerable reward, he still felt a sense of loss.
It seems I haven't done well enough. If I had done well enough, my employer would have praised me!
With this in mind, Wu Tian returned to the farm and, with renewed vigor, began planting vegetables again.
Wang Xifeng arrived at Rongyue Courtyard with her entourage carrying account books and boxes, only to find Yuan Hongqu busy preparing a winter health regimen for Daiyu.
"Sister Yuan, you're really good at keeping your composure. Aren't you afraid I'll smash your trunk and use it to plug the holes?" Wang Xifeng said with a smile, telling Ping'er to put down the account book and trunk.
After Ping'er put it down, she withdrew.
Second Madam and Granny Yuan didn't like anyone being around when they were together.
What's more, these are the account books from Granny Yuan's shop. What kind of behavior would it be for them to stand by while Granny Yuan was checking the accounts!
Wang Xifeng rummaged through the account book, then pushed it in front of Yuan Hongqu.
"Sister Yuan, why don't you take a look!"
"Take it if you want to use it." Yuan Hongqu said nonchalantly, glancing up at the astonished Wang Xifeng, and said seriously, "I'm serious."
"Sister, you probably don't know how much silver is here?" Wang Xifeng flipped through the account book. "I secretly checked, and after paying taxes, your shop still has a surplus of over thirty-six thousand taels of silver..."
"How could there be so much? Did Wu Tian underpay taxes?" Yuan Hongqu frowned.
Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes at her, "Not a single coin was missing!"
For a social class like the Rongguo Mansion, why would they need to pay taxes!
But every time Yuan Hongqu sent someone to deliver a message, she always included one important reminder: Don't forget to pay your taxes!
Commercial taxes weren't heavy, only one-thirtieth of the income, but other miscellaneous taxes were not small either. In the end, one-tenth of the income was paid in taxes.
Even so, Yuan Hongqu said that she had paid too little.
"Tell me," Wang Xifeng sighed, "you earn more money than most people could in several lifetimes just by talking. Lian Er and I sent a lot of cherry tomatoes and broccoli to the palace, and we only made a pittance in total."
"It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy. You're the leading lady, and I'm the villainous supporting character."
Seeing Wang Xifeng's sullen face, Yuan Hongqu couldn't help but laugh.
"Who dares to say you're a supporting actress! Now that you're rich, I'll use money to promote you and make you the lead!"
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