RPAGF Chapter 171 Villagers Rush to Buy Turmeric Seeds
Chapter 171 Villagers Rush to Buy Turmeric Seeds
If it's too expensive, he'll feel the pinch.
Lin Qingchuan and Shui Sheng had already agreed on the price.
“Uncle, as you know, turmeric can sell for 1.91 wen, which is 19 wen per jin. We can only sell rice for 11 or 12 wen. If we sell it to everyone as seeds, it must be cheaper than in the medicine shop, but it must not be cheaper than rice, right?”
The village head smiled and said, "Yes, of course, there's no reason for you to sell at a loss."
Lin Qingchuan said, "How about this, the grain shop sells rice for fifteen coins a pound, and our turmeric for seventeen coins a pound, what do you think?"
Li Zheng looked troubled. He felt that seventeen coins was a bit expensive. He was reluctant to spend money on turmeric seeds from the start.
Seeing the smile on the village head's face gradually fade, Shui Sheng immediately advised, "Village head, everyone may think that seventeen coins a pound is a bit expensive, but one pound of seeds will produce several times more turmeric in the field. When we sell it, it will be worth more than seventeen coins a pound. If you do the math, there's no better deal. If it weren't for Brother Qingchuan wanting our Guihua Village to grow turmeric and sell it for more money, he could have sold it all to the medicine shops. Why would he lower the price to sell it to everyone as seeds?"
Yes, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. If it weren't for Qingchuan and Shuisheng, they wouldn't know that turmeric is so expensive, and its yield is several times higher than that of rice.
If you don't grit your teeth and just rely on growing rice, when will you ever get rich?
Look at Qingchuan. He only received a few taels of silver when the family divided their property, but now he has moved to town and supplies braised pig trotters to a big restaurant. He is making more and more money and living a better and better life. How can a person get rich if he doesn't have some guts?
Looking at myself, how could I, a respectable village head, regress to being a miser as I get older?
So, he gritted his teeth and made a firm decision, saying, "Fine, seventeen coins a pound it is. I'll rent both of your fields to grow turmeric. How many seeds will that require?"
Qingchuan and Shuisheng tried to calculate together, but because they were both excited and anxious, they couldn't figure it out at first. In the end, Lin Xiaotang calculated it out verbally.
The news that the village head had led his sons to buy turmeric from Qingchuan and Shuisheng in preparation for planting next season spread throughout the entire Guihua Village in less than half a day.
The whole village flocked to the village head's house to inquire about the news.
Shen Gou Dan stood in the crowd, pushing his way forward. He asked loudly, "Village head, everyone says you bought turmeric from Qingchuan and Shuisheng to plant in the fields. Is that true?"
Li Liangtian quickly followed up, "Yes, everyone wants to know whether what's being said in the village is true or false?"
The village head coughed lightly and said in a clear and distinct voice, "It's true. I not only bought their seeds, but I also rented their fields to grow turmeric."
Lin Xingwang said incredulously, "Village head, is turmeric really that profitable? Could they be lying? Only those two families in the whole village have ever grown it, and they just believe whatever they say. We've never grown it before. If we suddenly switch to growing turmeric and it doesn't make money, and everyone runs out of food and money, won't we lose everything?"
Li Erniu nodded vigorously, saying, "Yes, Xingwang is right. How can we believe something without evidence?"
This is a situation where people want to plant it, but are afraid of losing money and dare not take the risk, and are also afraid that others will make money by planting it, while they will miss the opportunity.
The village head looked at the villagers crowding the courtyard, and even the area outside the gate was packed with people. He cleared his throat and said, "I understand that you all have concerns and are worried about losing money. I myself am also a little uneasy. But I can confirm that the turmeric can be sold for nineteen coins a catty at the herbal medicine shop. Do you all understand what nineteen coins a catty means?"
The fine rice sold in the grain store is only fifteen coins a pound. Just in terms of price, there is a difference of several coins. Turmeric is indeed more expensive than rice. As for the yield, Qingchuan and Shuisheng have already planted it. They said that the yield of one acre of turmeric is two or three times that of rice. So, as the village head, I took the lead in planting one season and personally verified whether what they said was true or false.
If you all want to plant these, buy seeds from those two families as soon as possible, or they'll be gone. But I can't guarantee the yield. If you decide to plant, don't regret it, and don't complain if the yield doesn't meet everyone's expectations.
Shen Che stood beside his father and continued, "My father is right. Our family will plant one season first. If everyone is hesitant, they can choose not to plant yet. After the next harvest, my father will announce the yield so everyone will have a better idea of what to expect before planting. Our family is planting, but we are not forcing everyone to plant together. We don't want everyone to come to our house to complain when the yield is not two or three times that of rice."
After listening, everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
If you plant rice, even the village head can't guarantee the yield. If you lose money, you can only accept your bad luck and can't complain to anyone because it's all based on your own decision. If you don't plant rice, and the village head is planting it, then many others will follow suit. If everyone makes money, and you work yourself to death planting rice for a season, but earn less than half of what others earn, how can you be content with that?
Watching others make money while you don't is infuriating!
Someone in the crowd hesitated and asked, "Village head, can this turmeric really sell for nineteen coins a pound?"
The village head nodded emphatically, "That's right. If anyone doesn't believe me, they can go to Feng's Pharmacy and ask around."
The villagers were talking about it, and the courtyard was noisy.
Finally, Lin Xingwang whispered, "Hey, even the village head is planting them. It must be more profitable than rice. These past two seasons, I've passed by the fields and seen Qingchuan's family planting both sweet potatoes and turmeric. They're getting richer and richer. If they didn't make money, they'd be so poor they wouldn't be able to afford food. You can't fake a wealthy life."
Shen Gou Dan agreed wholeheartedly, "Yes, Xingwang is absolutely right. I saw it too. They haven't planted much rice these past two seasons. I guess they planted a little to supplement their diet and save some for food. Even the village head is planting rice, so what are we afraid of? Do you think Qingchuan and Shuisheng would dare to lie to the village head?"
"Yes, they're both incredibly honest. Even if they had the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard, they wouldn't dare to lie to the village head."
"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and buy seeds from those two families. Didn't the village head say that if we buy them too late, they'll be gone?"
"That's right, that's right. With such a high price, what are we waiting for if we don't switch to this variety? It's a fool not to make money."
"Xingwang, why are you running so fast? Wait for me!"
"Dog Egg, run faster..."
As soon as everyone saw Lin Xingwang and Shen Gou Dan squeeze out of the gate and run towards Qingchuan and Shuisheng's houses, everyone swarmed after them, rushing to buy seeds from their two homes.
It wasn't until evening that all the villagers who had bought the seeds dispersed.
Qingchuan and Shuisheng couldn't stop smiling as they looked at the few remaining turmeric leaves in front of them.
Although the selling price is a bit low, once the village starts planting turmeric, their business opportunities will come during the next harvest.
Lin Xiaotang urged, "Dad, it's getting late. Why don't we pack up and hurry back to town? We still need to braise pig's trotters tonight. We're in such a hurry, we haven't even singed or cleaned the raw pig's trotters yet."
"Okay, let's pack up quickly and go back."
Lin Qingchuan then remembered that there was still half a chicken left in the carriage. Fortunately, it had only been half a day and it wasn't summer, so it wouldn't spoil.
He immediately took it from the carriage and handed it to Shuisheng, saying, "You can stew this half of an old hen for Aunt Xiangqin to help her recover."