Space Farming: Traveling through Ancient Times to Do Business

"Let me make it short," Jiang Xue said, "My father will arrange for everyone to plant white radishes later. You just need to plant them according to my father's instructions. After the white radishes are planted, I will get 30% of the harvest. If you have any objections, you don't have to plant them. After all, there are not that many seedlings."

As soon as Jiang Xue finished speaking, the villagers below began to discuss in low voices. Some of them agreed with Jiang Xue's proposal, thinking it was a good opportunity; while others were skeptical, worried that the labor and time they invested would not be rewarded as they should be.

"What is the yield of white radish per mu?" someone in the crowd suddenly asked loudly.

Seeing that the villagers were skeptical about the yield of white radish, Jiang Xue immediately added: "The yield of white radish per mu can generally reach about 5000 kilograms, which is not an exaggeration. Of course, the specific yield will also be affected by factors such as soil, climate and management."

The villagers were talking about this. Some thought it was a miraculous yield and couldn't believe it, while others began to calculate how much they would earn if this yield was true.

Jiang Lin was the first to raise his hand to express his willingness to try: "I'll plant it! Anyway, my family doesn't have any extra food to plant, so it doesn't matter even if the yield per mu is a few hundred kilograms."

Then, several villagers who had no food also raised their hands to show their support. After discussion, everyone unanimously decided to plant white radishes and agreed to give Jiang Xue 30% of the profits in return.

Jiang Xue felt warm at the sight, and was grateful for the villagers' trust and support. She continued, "I will take back all the white radishes after the harvest, so you don't have to worry about not being able to sell them. After the planting is done in a few days, I will sign a contract with everyone to ensure everyone's rights and interests."

When several elders heard the word "contract", they stood up and expressed their opposition: "Why sign a contract? We are all members of the Jiang family. Contracts are used to restrict outsiders."

"Yes, our family members don't need to sign a contract."

"That's right. Anyone who violates this rule will be expelled from the clan."

Seeing this, Jiang Xue smiled and explained, "Signing the contract is just to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties, so that everyone can feel more at ease. Moreover, if we want to expand our scale or cooperate with other places in the future, it will be more convenient to have a contract in hand."

After Jiang Xue's patient explanation, the elders finally understood her intention and expressed their approval.

Jiang Xue pointed to the field directly opposite the threshing ground and said, "There is also 21 acres of rapeseed that can be planted. My grandfather and I have already discussed the planting location yesterday." She hopes that through these attempts, she can lead the villagers to a more prosperous life.

Jiang Dazhuang asked curiously: "Rapeseed? What kind of crop is this?"

The villagers of Jiangjia Village shook their heads to indicate that they didn't know. They looked at Jiang Xue with curiosity and expectation, hoping that she could give an answer.

Jiang Xue smiled and motioned Jiang Chen to get the oil she had prepared from the carriage. She took a few bowls and poured the oil into them. Seeing this, the villagers became even more curious, wondering what Jiang Xue was going to do.

Jiang Xue placed a stove in front of everyone, put a pot on it, and placed the previously prepared ingredients aside. She lit the fire and began to demonstrate.

"This is vegetable oil," Jiang Xue explained. "You may not have heard of it, but it can replace animal oil. Dishes cooked with this oil taste just as good as those cooked with animal oil."

As the temperature of the pot gradually increased, Jiang Xue scooped some oil into the pot. After the oil was hot, she poured in the ingredients she had prepared in advance. Suddenly, the aroma of rapeseed oil filled the air, attracting everyone's attention.

The villagers gathered around, curiously and excitedly watching Jiang Xue's operation. They smelled the fragrant rapeseed oil and showed anticipation on their faces.

"It smells so good!" someone couldn't help but exclaim.

"Yeah, this vegetable oil looks really good." another person agreed.

Seeing this, Jiang Xue smiled and continued to stir-fry the ingredients in the pot. She explained: "Rapeseed is a crop that can be used to extract oil. Its seeds can be used to extract this vegetable oil. This oil not only tastes good, but is also healthier. If we grow rapeseed in our village, we can not only solve the problem of edible oil, but also sell the excess oil to make money."

"This sound is similar to when cooking with vegetable oil. Listen to the sizzling sound."

"It's really strange. I've lived for half my life, and this is the first time I've heard of such a thing as vegetable oil."

"It smells really good, but I don't know how it tastes."

Jiang Xue smiled slightly and reassured everyone, "Don't worry, you will have a chance to taste it later."

Not long after, Jiang Feng came to the villagers with a bowl of vegetables fried in rapeseed oil.

"Everyone try it. The taste of dishes cooked with this vegetable oil is no worse than that of dishes cooked with animal oil. It can even be said that it is several times better than that of animal oil."

"How much is this vegetable oil? We want to buy some to try."

Some villagers whose families were a little better off began to inquire about purchasing the oil; they were also curious about the price of the oil.

"I can't afford it. This must be something only rich people can eat."

"Yes, it would be great if I could taste this fried dish in my lifetime."

"Wait, that's not right! What does this oil have to do with rapeseed?"

Suddenly, someone asked this question, and everyone looked at Jiang Xue, waiting for her answer.

Jiang Dazhuang looked at Jiang Xue with an incredulous expression and asked, "Can rapeseed be turned into oil?" He almost shouted.

Jiang Xue nodded, confirming Jiang Dazhuang's guess. After Jiang Xue nodded, Jiang Dazhuang was stunned. He couldn't believe that there was such a magical plant that could produce oil.

"This is the rapeseed we are trying to plant, and there are only 21 acres. These rapeseeds will be the seeds we will plant next year. Therefore, I hope everyone can..." Jiang Xue was interrupted by the villagers' discussions before she finished her words.

“This rapeseed really produces oil!”

"Then we'll try planting some next year. Maybe we can sell some oil to supplement our family income."

"Can you sell us some of this rapeseed?"

When everyone heard that the number of rapeseed seedlings was limited, they were all very anxious. They knew the importance of rapeseed, so they secretly vowed to protect every rapeseed seedling and not waste a single one.

Jiang Xue was very pleased to see everyone's determination. She continued, "We have finished talking about today's matters. You can go and plant the white radish seedlings. Just like last time, we should all finish planting as soon as possible. I have to go to the town to finalize some matters. The cement plant will be operational in a few days. We should take this opportunity to finish planting so that we can start work later."

"These three girls are really fast. They were still talking about factory matters yesterday, and today they are implementing them." A villager sighed.

"That's right, this girl is very capable." another villager echoed.

"Let's go and transport the rapeseed seedlings." Jiang Dazhuang and others organized the villagers and pushed carts to the barn.

Seeing that the villagers had already started to move, Jiang Xue turned to Old Man Jiang and said, "It's getting late, let's get going too. You are still waiting to buy the deed for the barren mountain at the entrance of the village."

After setting off, the carriage arrived at Yunwu Town half an hour later. Jiang Xue asked Jiang Feng to follow Mr. Jiang to buy the hill at the head of the village, and she took Jiang Chen and Chen Yuxi back to Jiang Mansion. As soon as they arrived at the door, they met Manager Chen who was out on business.

Seeing Manager Chen walking over quickly, Jiang Xue hurried over to greet him. When she heard Manager Chen talking about the booming business in the shop, she smiled and shook her head and said:

"Don't rush to increase the quota. The meatball factory in the village is under construction. We will discuss this matter after the subsequent production is increased."

Manager Chen nodded to show that he understood. When he was about to go buy something, Jiang Xue suddenly remembered the barren mountain at the entrance of the village. She needed to buy some tools for digging stones.

"Manager Chen, please buy me some tools for digging stones. The more the better." Jiang Xue ordered.

Manager Chen was stunned for a moment, then he leaned close to Jiang Xue's ear and whispered, "Miss, the purchase of this iron is restricted during this period. A hoe must be registered. It may not be realistic to buy too much. I can go to the county town to buy it through underground transactions, but it will cost more."

Jiang Xue was shocked when she heard this. She had not realized this problem before. She quickly asked, "Is the purchase of ironware so strict now?"

Manager Chen nodded and said seriously, "Yes, Miss. This war has just ended. Buying a large amount of ironware will be considered as treason, and in serious cases, the death penalty will be imposed."

Jiang Xue shuddered and was glad that she didn't go directly to the blacksmith shop to buy it.

Jiang Xue's trust in Manager Chen made her take out 1,000 taels of silver and give it to him without hesitation. This was her recognition of Manager Chen and her affirmation of his ability.

Manager Chen's cautiousness in taking the banknotes showed his respect and cherishment for this important task.

"Then I'll set off now, and Miss, just wait for good news." Manager Chen's words were full of confidence and determination, as if he had already seen the dawn of success.

He turned and walked into Jiang's house, his back revealing a sense of determination and courage.

Chen Yuxi looked at Manager Chen's back, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

She asked Jiang Xue, "Miss, aren't you curious about why he was able to get the iron from the underground?"

This issue involves the Chen family, that is, Chen Yuxi's family, and the iron resources they hold in their hands.