Chapter 240: Letting Stone Village Villagers Contract the Desertl

Translator: 549690339

Wei Ruo left the brewery, on her way past Stone Village where she stumbled upon villagers who warmly greeted her as she passed by.

“Master Xu!”

“Benefactor Xu!”

“Benefactor, come have a drink at my place!”

Wei Ruo responded to everyone’s enthusiasm with a smile, but declined their invitations.

Shi Dayou, with his hoe on his back, came from his home. Seeing Wei Ruo, he broke into a grin: “Master Xu! You’re here! Is there anything at the brewery that needs help?”

Every time he saw Wei Ruo, Shi Dayou would ask this question.

Wei Ruo replied, “Thank you for your kindness Chairman, but there’s nothing that needs to be done at the moment.”

“You don’t have to always call me Chairman. It’s a bit embarrassing. Just call me Dayou.” Shi Dayou said.

“Alright, Brother Dayou.” Wei Ruo then asked him, “Brother Dayou, how have the sales of the bamboo fungus from the mountain been lately?”

Shi Dayou replied with a smile, “Thanks to you, Master Xu, the bamboo fungus sells well in the city market. We’ve exchanged the silver we earned for rice, flour, and meat, distributed it among the villagers; everyone is very grateful to you for teaching us this profitable way of life.”

“Distributed? Didn’t everyone pick their fungus and sell it themselves at the market?” asked Wei Ruo.

Shi Dayou explained, “No, there isn’t much bamboo fungus on the mountain. If everyone rushed to pick it, it would be gone in no time, and it doesn’t stay fresh for long. But, not many people buy it, if everyone sold it, the price wouldn’t be high. Plus, scrambling to pick wouldn’t be conducive to our farming.”

Shi Dayou continued, “So we decided to send a few women from the village to pick them, anything they pick is considered public property. The silver earned from selling, after paying the women, is shared among us; the rest of the people continue working in the fields.”

Listening to Shi Dayou’s response, Wei Ruo couldn’t help but show admiration. Shi Dayou is indeed a far-sighted, commendable village chief.

Looking at the enthusiastic Shi Dayou in front of her, an idea suddenly sprang up in Wei Ruo’s mind.

“Brother Dayou, have you considered leading the villagers to do some other work?” Wei Ruo asked.

Over the past few days, Wei Ruo had noticed that the per capita farmland in Stone Village was not that large, and the village’s labour force had some to spare. And Wei Ruo just happened to need labourers.

“Other work?” Shi Dayou looked at Wei Ruo in surprise.

“It’s still about farming. I’ve seen that there are still many wastelands not far from my brewery that belong to your neighbouring village. I bought them a few days ago, planning to plant some crops. I need help, so I’m thinking of hiring someone to contract it.” Wei Ruo said.

Wei Ruo had been eying the sandy lands near Government City for a while, but due to things being busy last winter, she had postponed it until now.

The silver taels used for buying the land came from the medical fees Zhu Zongyupaid her last time.

There were already a lot of people in Wei Ruo’s manor, she didn’t want to hire more permanent workers anymore. Choosing to lease it to others could save her a lot of trouble.

Shi Dayou looked surprised, “But, Master Xu, those wastelands can’t be farmed. Not only is the terrain bad, but there are many stones. Crops simply won’t grow there.”

As long as the crops can grow in it, the people from the neighbouring village would not leave it empty, nor would they easily sell it to outsiders.

Who wouldn’t want more land to sow more crops? Those who farm aren’t afraid of hardship, but instead are afraid of not having land to farm.

Wei Ruo said, “Sandy soil can be used to plant crops.”

“Really?” Shi Dayou looked at Wei Ruo in disbelief.

“Yes, you must have heard about sweet potatoes recently.” Wei Ruo continued.

“I’ve heard of them, and I’ve tasted them. They’re said to withstand cold and have high yields. Many within Taizhou prefecture have started planting this crop.”

“Actually, mountains are not the best place to cultivate sweet potatoes. Instead, they grow better in sandy land. Sandy soil allows good aeration, which is more suitable for tuber growth, and the mature tubers tend to be sweeter.” Wei Ruo explained.

“Are sweet potatoes really that good?” Shi Dayou was astonished.

“Yes. I have no reason to lie to you.”

“Does our village have some sandy land that can also be used to plant sweet potatoes?” Shi Dayou asked.

Though the sandy wasteland in Stone Village is not much, whatever can be cultivated is beneficial. Who would feel that they have too much food?

“Yes, of course.” replied Wei Ruo, her answer was naturally affirmative.

“Then what kind of seeds do sweet potatoes use?” Shi Dayou asked again.

“There’s no need for seeds. Stem cuttings are enough. When I transport the stems over, I’ll give you all some.” Wei Ruo said.

“How could we? Master Xu, you have already helped us so much!” Shi Dayou said with embarrassment.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. If you want to account for the money, just deduct it from the wages. It won’t be expensive anyway.” said Wei Ruo.

Listening to Wei Ruo’s words, Shi Dayou felt a surge of excitement. He wished he could follow Wei Ruo to reclaim the wasteland right away.

“So, Master Xu, what do you need us to do?”

Luckily, Shi Dayou still had some common sense. He knew that they couldn’t rush things and had to take one step at a time. The first task was to clarify what Master Xu wanted them to do, to ensure that nothing went wrong.

“I provide the land and the seedling tubers, and in the end, I get half of the final output.” Wei Ruo explained.

“Half of the output? What if the yield is very low?” Shi Dayou asked.

Normally, landlords demand a specific amount of grain from their tenants, regardless of the climate or the harvest. Tenants must pay rent according to this number.

In bad years, many tenants can’t produce enough grain to pay the rent, thus, they’re left heavily indebted to the landlord’s family, turning many into refugees with no homes.

“Whatever the yield is.” Wei Ruo confirmed.

Taking only a share and not a fixed rent has significant flaws for the landlord. If the tenants cheat, concealing the actual harvest, it could harm the landlord’s interests, so generally, people wouldn’t want to do things this way.

However, Wei Ruo was willing to use this method with the villagers of Stone Village led by Shi Dayou. This represented her trust in them and of course, served as a test as well.

If they chose to cheat, then Wei Ruo would cease further cooperation with them.

Shi Dayou looked at Wei Ruo’s firm expression and said, “Master Xu, we will do our best to plant the sweet potatoes well!”

Wei Ruo nodded: “As for labor arrangement in the future, it’s up to you, Brother Dayou.”

Wei Ruo chose not to interfere in the internal affairs of Stone Village.

Wei Ruo believed that, judging by the way Shi Dayou had arranged for the bamboo fungus picking, arranging for people to contract her wasteland would not pose a problem either.

“Okay, you can rest assured Master Xu, we won’t betray your trust!” Shi Dayou made a solemn promise with a serious look on his face..