Chapter 307 - 307 The Heart Moves_l

Wei Ruo explained, “The area of Taizhou prefecture is vast, and there are many famine victims. Once the wasteland reclamation is successful, the economic returns from the harvested grain will be incredibly significant. Simply put, this is not just a relief effort; it’s also a business.”

Some people didn’t quite understand and asked: “Could Miss Wei elaborate?”

Wei Ruo further explained, “We initially use funds and food as payment to employ famine victims. We have them labor to improve the wasteland and grow crops. By the time we harvest in the autumn, the grain will belong to us, the investors. Not only that, but the newly cultivated land will become fertile farmland, which will also belong to us.”

The initial investment could reap not only grain but a piece of fertile land as well. This seemed to be a profitable deal.

To help everyone understand the costs and returns involved, Wei Ruo began to calculate on behalf of the others: “The labor required to cultivate one acre of wasteland is slightly higher than planting an ordinary rice field. On average, an adult man can cultivate and care for three acres of land.”

“Let’s assume that the compensation we need to pay this adult man is three catties of rice per day. That’s ninety catties a month. The time it would take from reclamation to harvest is about eight to ten months, which means a total of seven hundred and twenty to nine hundred catties of rice.”

“Based on my previous experience of farming in Xingshan County, the yield of wheat can reach a thousand catties per acre, the same as the yield of rice.”

“This means that with a payment of less than nine hundred catties of grain, you can reap over three thousand catties of grain in less than a year and also gain three acres of fertile land.”

Because the price of grain had skyrocketed recently, Wei Ruo used the weight of grain instead of silver in her calculations.

After listening to Wei Ruo’s words, the ladies present each had their own thoughts.

The output of grain exceeds the expenditure, and on top of that, they could also gain land. This sounded very worthwhile.

“Miss Wei, this deal of yours sounds very profitable, but isn’t the salary you’re offering a bit too high? Three catties of grain per person per day is unprecedented,” someone questioned.please visit ” sitestorys(.)c0m ” maybe y0u will enj0y the captivating sh0rt st0ries.

In such extraordinary times, how come Wei Ruo was proposing a price hike?

Wei Ruo responded, “There’s certainly room for negotiation on the price, but even with a daily wage of three catties of grain, there’s still a considerable profit to be made, which shows that it’s a deal worth doing.”

Indeed, this was the case. Even after a year, if the grain expenditure and gain are equal, the acquisition of land would be an outright win!

The ladies turned to Madam Yuan, one of them asking on behalf of everyone, “Madam Yuan, is what Miss Wei said true? Will all the cultivated land belong to the investors after its improvement?”

Madam Yuan confirmed, “Yes, it’s true. I’ve consulted with my husband on this matter, and he agrees with it.”

With Madam Yuan’s confirmation, there were no further doubts.

By now, some ladies were already tempted.

At this point, Wei Ruo continued, “Madam Yuan and the seventh prince are in charge of this matter right now. If successful, it could resolve the current crisis of a high number of displaced and starving people in the streets. For the common people, this is a lifeline; for the court, this is a great merit.”

At this moment, the previously silent Madam Qin also spoke timely, “It’s true. The court is currently considering disaster relief extensively. If Taizhou Prefecture can achieve self-sufficiency without the need for the court to distribute grain, it would be a great service to the court.”

The words of Wei Ruo and Madam Qin reminded the ladies present that the disaster relief effort was led by the Yuan family and the seventh prince. Participation in this endeavor would allow them to establish ties with these particularly influential individuals — an opportunity to forge a closer relationship that they seldom encountered.

Moreover, this is a disaster relief process highly regarded by the court, if everything goes well, participants may be rewarded with merits by the court.

All the ladies present were adept at managing households and conducting business. They naturally grasped the considerable gains that this endeavor could yield as well as the potential for both fame and fortune. Those who possessed the necessary funds and grain had no reason not to participate.

The question now was how to become an investor.

It was Madam Xu who first asked Wei Ruo, “Miss Wei, how can we become an investor?”

The other ladies also turned their eyes towards Wei Ruo, curious about the execution of this plan.

Madam Yun was also eagerly watching Wei Ruo; this sounded like such a good opportunity that she wanted the Wei family to be involved.

Wei Ruo replied: “This matter is primarily handled by the government office, Madam Yuan, and the seventh prince. These three will provide all the funding, but they will also retain all the final returns.”

The government office represented the official side, and Madam Yuan’s personal investment made up two parties.

Some of the ladies looked a bit dismayed by Wei Ruo’s response, but among them, composed and seasoned ladies like Madam Xu were not impatient.

They knew that Wei Ruo must have more to say — if only these three parties were to invest, there would be no reason to invite them here today.

After a brief pause, Wei Ruo continued, “However, the government office has limited manpower, and the prince is occupied with military matters, unable to spare much time. The more all-encompassing a relief effort is, the better. The fewer mistakes made, the better.”

“That’s true. Miss Wei has a point. Care should be taken with such matters. There could be rioters among the displaced people and, if not managed properly, conflicts could arise.”

“And grain distribution is a big issue. You have to prevent troublemakers from causing a riot.”

“Caution should be exercised in such matters. More people participating and helping out would be much safer.”

II II

Several ladies voiced their agreement with Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo could sense from their words that they were already interested.

Seeing that the time was right, Wei Ruo said, “Therefore, Madam Yuan and the seventh prince plan to involve all those capable within Taizhou Prefecture. Those with money can contribute money, those with manpower can provide manpower, and those with grain can offer grain. Everyone together can make this labor-for-relief initiative a success.”

After Wei Ruo finished speaking, Madam Yuan immediately expressed her stance, “At the time, everyone’s contributions, whether monetary, manpower, or grain, will be well documented. Once the meritorious service is done, we will distribute lands and grains according to the level of contribution. My husband will report the corresponding merits to the court truthfully, without any omission.”

The ladies were completely moved and expressed their intentions one after another:

“Madam Yuan, Taizhou Prefecture is undergoing such a disaster. My Liu family, being among the gentry of Taizhou, ought to do our best for the people.”

“Madam Yuan, though my family isn’t a high-ranking family, we are willing to contribute to the people of Taizhou Prefecture.”

“Madam, our Zhen family is ready to offer anything – money, manpower or grain.”