Chapter 243: Selling Late Rice Seeds_l


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    After Wei Ruo departed, Shi Dayou instructed the vigers to return to work in the fields and went home, shouldering his hoe.


    The contracting matter that master Xu had just discussed with him was his top priority at the moment.


    Once home, Shi Dayou summoned several respected elders from the vige to his house and detailed the n to cooperate with master Xu, seeking their opinions.


    The senior vigers were very supportive, as there was no set rent to pay, only a fifty-fifty split, and they naturally would ept such a fair deal.


    Moreover, they had a surplus ofbor in their vige. If they couldbine their efforts and explore other livelihoods, it could be a prosperous year for everyone!


    The elders instructed Shi Dayou to treat Xu Heyou well. Given the vige’s limited skills and opportunities, and their inability to negotiate business with city dwellers, they were grateful for any help. They were determined to seize and cherish this opportunity.


    Once he received the elders’ approval, Shi Dayou passed the news to Wei Ruo.


    Wei Ruo didn’t procrastinate. After all, time waits for no one, and neither does thend in the spring. nting needed tomence immediately.


    Therefore, Wei Ruo quickly signed a contract with the people of Stone Vige.


    On the day contract was signed, Shi Dayou brought along some selected vigers tobor on the sandlot purchased by Wei Ruo.


    In selecting people, Shi Dayou considered many factors. The first principle was voluntariness. Some households, with fewerborers, were barely managing their ownnds and couldn’t take on additional work.


    However, some families, who had many members but littlend, were eager to seize this new opportunity to earn money.


    Based on voluntary enrollment, Shi Dayou and some vige elders made some adjustments: if a family had three people enrolling, they typically allocated one or two positions depending on the family’s situation, striving to distribute the positions as evenly as possible.


    However, due to the varied circumstances of each household, achievingplete equality was impossible.


    Fortunately, with Shi Dayou, the vige chief, and the vige elders taking charge, the vigers were satisfied with the final result.


    Then, the chosen vigers went to therge sandlot purchased by Wei Ruo to begin working: weeding, removing rocks, plowing, and properly fertilizing.


    ###


    Weighing many factors, Wei Ruo was mindful of seedingte-ripening rice. Two dayster, she advertised herte-ripening rice seeds in viges afflicted by seedling disease, informing them that it was not toote to sow them.


    Upon hearing this news, vigers flocked to Wei Ruo’s estate.


    Outside the gate of Wei Ruo’s estate, several bulging bup sacks were piled on the ground, and people were still moving more out from inside the estate.


    The first vigers to arrive glimpsed the sacks and their eyes sparkled. They guessed those sacks might be filled with thete-ripening rice seeds they desired.


    However, the sight of seven or eight robust men standing near the sacks dissuaded them from approaching recklessly.


    At that moment, Wei Ruo came out from the estate and the vigers couldn’t resist inquiring.


    “Master Xu, we heard you have seeds that can still be nted now to yield crops. Is it true?” An old man cautiously asked Wei Ruo.


    Wei Ruo recognized the old man. He was the one who had used her of cursing them when she urged them to change seedlings during her visit to Madam Xu’s farm.


    Since then, Wei Ruo decided to use Xu Heyou’s identity instead of Wei Qingruo’s when visiting other viges to suggest the change.


    Therefore, the old man was unaware that the person in front of him was the very one he had criticized earlier. However, whether he recognized her or not, Wei Ruo was not going to make an issue of it and intended to treat everybody with equal kindness.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    “Indeed, it is.” Wei Ruo affirmed.


    Upon hearing her confirmation, they were overjoyed.


    However, their ecstatic expressions quickly turned into indecisiveness. After some hesitation, the old man cautiously asked Wei Ruo, “Master Xu, would you consider distributing these seeds to us?”


    “You want the seeds?” Wei Ruo looked at the men standing before her.


    The men hastily nodded.


    “The seeds are for sale, not for free.” Wei Ruo dered.


    “For sale?”


    When they heard they had to pay, their hopes dimmed instantly.


    The men exchanged nces, and then the old man asked Wei Ruo about the price, “Master Xu, how much are these seeds?”


    “Ten coins per pound.” Wei Ruo replied.


    This was the original price of the seeds. Wei Ruo did not intentionally mark up the price. The same price had previously been given to the Yun family.


    Given that the seeds were carefully selected, full and superior quality grains, they naturally cost a bit more than the ordinary grains.


    Even ordinary grains, dehusked, would sell for a hundred coins per bushel in Wei Ruo’s store.


    However, upon hearing the price, the faces of the men before her changed.


    “Master Xu, isn’t that too expensive?” The old man frowned. “Dehusked rice only costs a few coins per pound, how can your seeds cost ten coins?”


    Using three to five pounds of seeds per acre, ordinary households with three to five acres ofnd would have to spend up to ny coins on seeds alone.


    This was an expense that many farmers simply couldn’t afford. Times had been tough recently, many households were struggling to get by, and they had already spent a considerable amount on the seedlings that had just died. Where could they get the money to buy these seeds?


    Others chimed in:


    “Exactly, Master Xu, this is too expensive. Where do you see such expensive seeds?”


    “Moreover, what if the seeds you sell aren’t effective and we don’t get any yield this year?”


    “Exactly, you say these arete-ripening seeds, that they would yield crops even if ntedte, but we don’t know if that’s true.”


    Wei Ruo replied calmly, “If you cannot afford them, that’s fine. I have a second solution. You can sign an agreement with me and take the seeds for free, take as much as you need, and return five times the amount of rice at harvest.”


    “For example, if you take ten pounds of seeds from me, you just need to return fifty pounds of rice during the harvest. Of course, if these seeds don’t work, and it’s toote for a harvest when you nt them, you don’t have to pay me anything.”


    Wei Ruo’ste-ripening rice needed three pounds of seeds per acre. Furthermore, Wei Ruo’s strain had twice the yield of themon rice they usually grew, usually producing around two thousand pounds per acre, although the exact yield could be affected by the year’s weather, water supply, and other factors.


    Therefore, the fee Wei Ruo charged was fifteen pounds out of these two thousand pounds..