Chapter 436: Buy land to open a distillery (2)
A Blessed Daughter
Chapter 436: Buy land to open a distillery (2)
Translator : Virichime
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His reason was that it would damage the village’s feng shui. So Wei Ruo arranged a meeting with the villagers at the entrance of the village to discuss it in detail.
In front of the ancestral hall at the village entrance, an Eight Immortals table* was set up outdoors, and representatives from every household had arrived.
At one end of the table sat the most respected figure in the village—the village chief, in his fifties, with graying hair and beard and a thin, angular face.
At the other end sat Wei Ruo dressed in men’s clothing, with Xiumei—also dressed as a man—and Steward Yu behind her.
Most people in the village had the surname Wang, with only a few newer families holding different surnames, but the Wang clan still held the decision-making power.
“Daqing Mountain is our Wang Village’s feng shui mountain,” the village chief said righteously. “If outsiders like you come and go often and even use our water source, it will greatly affect our village’s fortune. And you want to send us away with a mere twenty taels of silver? Absolutely not!”
A villager beside him tried to persuade him, “Village Chief, the twenty taels are just for the land. And afterward, every year we’ll get two hundred and fifty wen as payment for using the mountain spring!”
Their village had twenty-five households. Twenty taels divided among them meant nearly one tael per household, and each year they would receive another ten wen. That was not a small amount!
That small piece of land on the mountain was of no use to the village anyway, and they didn’t make use of that spring water either—it was just one of the tributaries of their village creek. Ten wen per household every year was really quite a lot! Many people working outside for a whole month wouldn’t even earn that much!
“Shut up. I’m the village chief—these matters are for me to decide!” Village Chief Wang immediately cut off the villagers’ comments.
He had noticed at a glance that the young master coming to buy land was from a wealthy family and still very young. The price could definitely be pushed higher.
“How much does the Village Chief think is appropriate?” Wei Ruo asked.
“To buy the land outright—one hundred taels of silver. And after that, the annual fee for using the mountain spring will be one thousand wen,” Village Chief Wang said.
At his words, the villagers behind him all showed expressions of shock.
One hundred taels! That was enough to buy a hundred mu of farmland! Yet the land this young Master Xu wanted was just a small plot in the valley—less than five mu!
That price was far too high.
Wei Ruo’s face still held a gentle smile; she did not answer immediately.
Village Chief Wang, however, was full of confidence. “Young Master Xu, I know you’ve been searching for a suitable place around here since the end of last year. Since you set your eyes on Daqing Mountain, I imagine there must be something very attractive about it.”
Wei Ruo said, “Village Chief Wang, the location on Daqing Mountain and its spring water do attract me, but the price you’ve offered is rather excessive.”
Village Chief Wang replied, “Young Master Xu carries an air of nobility. Surely you aren’t someone lacking silver. As the saying goes, ‘A thousand gold coins can’t buy one’s heart’s desire*.’ If you go elsewhere, you won’t find a place this satisfying.”
Wei Ruo continued, “I can agree to raise the land price from twenty taels to twenty-five taels, and the annual spring water usage fee will remain at two hundred fifty wen.”
In front of the ancestral hall at the village entrance, an Eight Immortals table* was set up outdoors, and representatives from every household had arrived.
-Eight Immortals Table: a large, square/rectangular traditional Chinese wooden table that seats eight.
At one end of the table sat the most respected figure in the village—the village chief, in his fifties, with graying hair and beard and a thin, angular face.
At the other end sat Wei Ruo dressed in men’s clothing, with Xiumei—also dressed as a man—and Steward Yu behind her.
Most people in the village had the surname Wang, with only a few newer families holding different surnames, but the Wang clan still held the decision-making power.
“Daqing Mountain is our Wang Village’s feng shui mountain,” the village chief said righteously. “If outsiders like you come and go often and even use our water source, it will greatly affect our village’s fortune. And you want to send us away with a mere twenty taels of silver? Absolutely not!”
A villager beside him tried to persuade him, “Village Chief, the twenty taels are just for the land. And afterward, every year we’ll get two hundred and fifty wen as payment for using the mountain spring!”
Their village had twenty-five households. Twenty taels divided among them meant nearly one tael per household, and each year they would receive another ten wen. That was not a small amount!
That small piece of land on the mountain was of no use to the village anyway, and they didn’t make use of that spring water either—it was just one of the tributaries of their village creek. Ten wen per household every year was really quite a lot! Many people working outside for a whole month wouldn’t even earn that much!
“Shut up. I’m the village chief—these matters are for me to decide!” Village Chief Wang immediately cut off the villagers’ comments.
He had noticed at a glance that the young master coming to buy land was from a wealthy family and still very young. The price could definitely be pushed higher.
“How much does the Village Chief think is appropriate?” Wei Ruo asked.
“To buy the land outright—one hundred taels of silver. And after that, the annual fee for using the mountain spring will be one thousand wen,” Village Chief Wang said.
At his words, the villagers behind him all showed expressions of shock.
One hundred taels! That was enough to buy a hundred mu of farmland! Yet the land this young Master Xu wanted was just a small plot in the valley—less than five mu!
That price was far too high.
Wei Ruo’s face still held a gentle smile; she did not answer immediately.
Village Chief Wang, however, was full of confidence. “Young Master Xu, I know you’ve been searching for a suitable place around here since the end of last year. Since you set your eyes on Daqing Mountain, I imagine there must be something very attractive about it.”
Wei Ruo said, “Village Chief Wang, the location on Daqing Mountain and its spring water do attract me, but the price you’ve offered is rather excessive.”
Village Chief Wang replied, “Young Master Xu carries an air of nobility. Surely you aren’t someone lacking silver. As the saying goes, ‘A thousand gold coins can’t buy one’s heart’s desire*.’ If you go elsewhere, you won’t find a place this satisfying.”
Wei Ruo’s smile deepened slightly—she knew the village chief had realized she chose Daqing Mountain only after a long investigation, giving him the confidence to jack up the price.*If someone truly wants something, even a huge amount of money won’t stop them from pursuing it.
Wei Ruo continued, “I can agree to raise the land price from twenty taels to twenty-five taels, and the annual spring water usage fee will remain at two hundred fifty wen.”
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