Starting with the 14th market, it's still all about fists.
In the morning, after getting up feeling refreshed and having breakfast, Butler Weng was already waiting to deliver a gift box!
'What's this?' He Chen took it and saw that it was a fifty-year-old ginseng. This was no cheap ginseng!
Butler Wen immediately said, "Sir, this is a small token of the villagers' appreciation from Wengjia Village. Please don't find it offensive."
He continued, "Also, thank you, sir. Our Wengjia Village currently has 120 households, and they will be moving here in the next few days."
"I'll be troubling you in the future, sir. Some neighboring villages also want to come over. I wonder how much the taxes and rent are for this land?"
"Thirty percent, the same as always, and the same for those who come later. Also, this thirty percent includes all taxes levied on the land, and no other taxes will be added! Your Wengjia Village, twenty and a half percent," He Chen said simply and clearly.
Steward Weng was surprised for a moment, then immediately thanked him and assured him, "This, sir, is so kind. Thank you so much, sir. Please rest assured, there will be absolutely no mistakes regarding the tax payments!"
"You should also start collecting ginseng and spirit fruit. Also, if you find any high-quality wild animal meat, buy it. In addition, you can hire one or two more people to help you with the work, as there may be quite a lot to do later." As he spoke, he took out a gold leaf and handed it to Steward Weng.
"Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away!" Butler Weng took the gold leaf without hesitation this time.
"Sir, it looks like a caravan is approaching in the distance," Jin Feng said as he ran over.
Then he continued, "The caravan seems quite large; I roughly counted about forty or fifty people, and more than a dozen carriages! And sir, the four horses from yesterday are already in the stables being fed; we might need to find someone familiar with horses to care for them."
"Okay, you can find someone to handle the feeding of the horses. From now on, you can discuss and decide on such matters yourselves. Don't ask me anymore. Keep good records of expenses!" Then he gave the gold leaf to Jin Feng.
"Yes, sir, I understand!" Jin Feng replied immediately.
He Chen practiced his sword in the courtyard. His swordsmanship was strange. One sword could cut five times, while the other four swords appeared out of thin air. Sometimes they would attack the same stone. When the five swords were combined, their power increased fivefold. Cutting the stone was as easy as cutting tofu!
Sometimes he would thrust his blade straight at the four stones on the ground, the blade flashing back and forth, up and down, making He Chen feel strange and confused. "I am a person who practices external martial arts, not a fairy who can control a few blades to fly around randomly!"
If it can't be explained clearly, then I won't say anything!
The caravan's first day was uneventful.
At dinner, Sister Lan also cooked tiger penis into a dish, because this stuff doesn't keep for long!
At night, since He Chen's senses became more acute, he could feel the slightest movement of the wind and grass within a hundred feet. Listen, a field mouse was poking its head out to look for food. It had only gone halfway when it suddenly flew into the air, and an owl had already snatched it up!
And there's that couple not far away, still up so late, what are they fighting about? Don't they want to have a proper wedding tomorrow?
Through trial and error, I gradually blocked out some things, and I was able to detect any malicious intent very quickly!
Suddenly I sensed someone approaching, but there was no ill intent. It was another restless night.
Two hours later! The beauty closed her eyes, too tired to sleep!
In the morning, the courtyard was filled with flickering light and shadow. At first glance, it looked like light, but it turned out to be the flash of a knife, so fast that it blinded people. The bluestone in the courtyard has been replaced several times, and each time it is broken into pieces. It is not bad for paving the ground!
As the market opened, villagers from nearby areas gradually arrived. Everyone is arriving earlier now because there have been fewer merchants since last year, and they have also been trying to drive down prices!
This year, everyone has been notified that all those willing to trade at the market must pay a 30% management fee. At the same time, the prices are the same as those from previous years, and no one is allowed to maliciously lower prices to sell; otherwise, it will be considered disrupting the market order!
This is the first time I've ever heard of something not being allowed to be sold at a low price!
The caravans that arrived yesterday and some well-connected caravans that arrived today were inquiring about prices. Everyone knew that the border area was now a no-go zone; unless it was a caravan with connections, ordinary people simply couldn't get in to buy goods. So everyone was tacitly trying to drive down the price.
The price has already been halved compared to previous years. If we can lower the price further, we'll halve it again. Anyway, we're going to make a killing this time!
How much is this honeysuckle? How much is this angelica root? How much is the safflower?
"What? This costs half a tael of silver, and this costs one tael of silver? Are you deliberately trying to avoid selling, or are you trying to rob us because we're easy to talk to?" But after asking around for a while, the market price seemed off. Didn't these people have any trouble selling their goods?
Don't you guys have enough money? Don't you know that not many businessmen dare to come here anymore? I'm furious when I hear this price! You're raising prices instead of lowering them!
"Sir, this price is really not expensive. Medicinal herbs are scarce these days, and your goods are expensive too. We need to eat!" The villagers selling their goods couldn't just say anything, so they had to make up stories.
However, after making inquiries from various sources, these people still found out the reason: someone had actually ordered that prices could only be raised and not lowered. Is there any justice in this world?
"Miss Yu, this small market is the closest to the county town, so it should be the most well-informed. Instead of trying to find a way to seek refuge in the city, it's raising prices on the spot. Isn't it afraid that we won't buy its goods?" said the head steward.
The person in front of him was a young and beautiful girl with a slender figure, just over 1.7 meters tall. She was the epitome of a charming young lady, but her brows were not very relaxed, and she obviously had something on her mind.
Although she had something on her mind, Miss Yu spoke calmly, "Manager Hai, this matter is different from what we received. However, after investigating the cause, we realized that our plan was to take this opportunity to acquire some high-quality medicinal herbs. Otherwise, ordinary medicinal herb trading would be pointless for our trip."
The steward slowly replied, "Yes, Miss Yu, this place is located on the border. Although it is desolate, there are quite a few medicinal herbs and spiritual materials. I have heard of black gastrodia elata that is a hundred years old and even purple ginseng that is a thousand years old. These are not ordinary!"
This place was originally a village headman secretly supported by the Gu family of Huangtu County. He was a man of extraordinary strength and talent. Such a petty scoundrel was not worth mentioning. However, he was beaten to death a few days ago, so it is normal for this place to be deserted.
The new village head wasn't registered by anyone, but nowadays, nobody cares, so it doesn't matter anymore. Whether he's genuinely unaware of his situation or just pretending, he's actually upgraded all the goods transactions.
Taking 30% of the profits for himself, that's quite something! I wonder if Miss Yu would be interested in meeting him?
"That's something to consider," Miss Yu replied, thinking to herself, "But Manager Hai is a third-tier expert; I'm no match for him. This journey will be fraught with difficulties."
Thinking about the troubling things, Miss Yu felt a surge of irritation!
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