The Peach Blossoms White by the Village Edge

Chapter 64: Cooperation

Grain merchant Wu Yueji, who spent most of his time buying and selling grain, was familiar with various kinds of grains and rice. He knew that each year, local officials would present some local specialties as tribute, including a type of fragrant rice from the neighboring state.

This fragrant rice, once selected as tribute rice, saw its price rise dramatically, reaching seventy to eighty wen per dou. Despite the high price, many wealthy families willing to flaunt their status or who were particularly picky about their food were willing to pay for it.

Wu Yueji had stockpiled a lot of fragrant rice, but the milling process inevitably resulted in some broken rice, which lowered the quality and appearance of the rice. His mill could process one shi of grain into five to six dou of fine rice, but only two to three dou were whole grains. In contrast, Zhao Changxia's mill could produce seven dou of fine rice from one shi of grain, with four to five dou being whole grains.

The comparison made the choice clear. Even with transportation losses, the profit from Zhao Changxia's fine rice was substantial, and the small loss was negligible.

Wu Yueji immediately decided to cooperate with Zhao Changxia. He had considered negotiating, but Zhao Changxia's firm stance made him reluctant to miss the opportunity to save costs and increase rice prices over a small discount.

He carefully said, "I will deliver three hundred shi of grain to you each month for processing. If other merchants approach you, you must prioritize processing my grain first. After the autumn harvest, increase it to six hundred shi."

"Normally two hundred shi of grain, and four hundred shi after the autumn harvest. My donkey needs rest, and the mill needs maintenance; it cannot handle continuous high-intensity work," Zhao Changxia said. She didn't intend to make this her main business, so she would only develop it as a sideline after finishing farm work.

Wu Yueji thought that two hundred shi of grain could yield eighty to one hundred dou of fine rice. Given that only a small portion of people bought fine rice, at most he could sell sixty dou a month, and he needed to keep some in reserve. A hundred dou of fine rice would be sufficient.

As for the tribute rice, it would be prepared by the government over two months after the autumn harvest and then shipped to the capital together with the "seed rice" collected from the autumn tax.

He nodded, "Alright!"

The two parties signed a contract. Wu Yueji didn't bring cash but provided a few "flying money" certificates as a deposit. "Flying money" were large deposit certificates issued by the government, which could be exchanged for money.

Zhao Changxia thought this was similar to a check and was surprised to receive one.

After Wu Yueji left, news of Zhao Changxia making a living by milling rice spread. Initially, people paid little attention, as not every household had a mill, and it was not uncommon for tenants and neighbors to rent mills from the Qu family.

However, when they learned that Zhao Changxia charged seven wen per dou for processing grain, they were outraged: "Seven wen per dou? That's highway robbery!"

"Did this young couple from the Qu family go mad for money?"

"Exactly! After Qu Feng left, the Qu family's wealth was depleted. They must be squeezing others dry now."

......

Many voices claimed that Qu Qingjiang and Zhao Changxia had finally revealed their greedy nature. Qu Ming was delighted and slapped his thigh at home: "Keep it up. Let's see when they completely ruin their remaining reputation!"

Qu Zhen, however, didn't want to watch them destroy the goose that laid the golden eggs. He thought for a while and then advised Qu Qingjiang: "Le Niang, if you're really in financial difficulty, I can lend you some money. There's no need to ruin your reputation and the Qu family's goodwill for a small profit."