Chapter 321: Negotiation
Editor: Atlas Studios
New dishes were quickly served, this time all meat dishes.
If not for the fact that they weren’t alone in the private room, Mu Yangling would definitely hold her forehead and beat Qi Haoran up. It was too embarrassing.
How embarrassing in front of Magistrate Fang!
Magistrate Fang politely invited Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling to eat. Even Xiuhong, Xiulan, and Bowen, who were sitting at the side, were also invited to eat.
He looked at Bowen with admiration and asked with a smile, “I heard that the little master is studying? Which academy is he in?”
Bowen answered respectfully.
“It’s not time for winter break yet. Little Master, are you here to gain life experiences?”
Bowen glanced at his sister. Seeing that she had no intention of interfering, he replied with a smile, “Our Teacher is sick, so he let us go on winter break in advance. Mother said that it’s better to travel a thousand miles than to read ten thousand books. I’m not young anymore, so she asked me to follow my sister out to broaden my horizons.”
Nodding, Magistrate Fang said in admiration, “Mrs. Mu is so magnanimous. Many people know this, but very few people are willing to let their children out. No wonder Miss Mu and Young Master Mu are so capable and kind at such a young age. So you’ve been taught by such a kind mother.”
Mu Yangling couldn’t help but cough twice. This time, even Xiulan could tell that Magistrate Fang had a favor to ask of them.
If he didn’t ask clearly, she was afraid that this meal wouldn’t taste good no matter what.
Mu Yangling put down her chopsticks and smiled. “Sir, you’re too kind. I wonder why you invited us here this time?”
“Uh…” Magistrate Fang did not expect Mu Yangling to be so direct. He hesitated for a moment before asking shamelessly, “I heard that you’re planning to expand your cattle farm, Miss Mu?”
Mu Yangling nodded with a smile. “I have to thank Magistrate Fang for this. Because you gave us 500 acres of cattle farm land, I decided to expand the farm.”
Magistrate Fang chuckled and said, “Actually, you can expand it even further…”
“Magistrate Fang, by planning to raise 1,000 cows now, I’m already incurring a huge expense. I won’t be able to afford it if it’s any bigger. Besides, land is a problematic issue.”
“Land is not a problem.” Magistrate Fang immediately said with a smile, “Miss Mu, the land 20 miles west and north of your cattle farm is unoccupied. Those lands are all under the Imperial Court’s name now. You can cut the pastures above and graze on them as you please. If you’re worried, I’ll sign a contract with you specifying I won’t use, sell or rent out that piece of land for ten years. How about that?”
This time, even Qi Haoran’s mouth was agape. Qi Haoran turned his head and carefully sized up the two of them. He didn’t see that they looked alike. They shouldn’t be a long-lost pair of father and daughter or something, right?
Never one to believe that pies would fall from the sky, Mu Yangling asked even more carefully, “May I know what Magistrate Fang’s conditions are?”
“Sure, sure.” Magistrate Fang replied with a smile, “If Miss Mu expands the cattle farm, you’ll definitely need a lot of workers to help cut the grass, right? I happen to have 6,000 people on hand. How about letting them help you? I don’t ask that you offer them excellent conditions. I just hope that you can feed them three meals a day and give each person one catty of grains a day. It doesn’t matter if it’s corn kernels or black flour.”
Mu Yangling stuttered, “Magistrate Fang, even if I expand the cattle farm, I won’t need 6,000 people?”
“That’s right.” Xiuhong continued and said worriedly, “Besides, we still have to save money to buy calves. We don’t have enough money to buy calves to begin with. How are we going to feed 6,000 people?”
“That’s Miss Mu’s problem. Miss Mu, I’m only offering you such conditions now. After spring, it will be different. Now that Hanzhong Prefecture is gradually settling down, there will be more and more immigrants in the future, so land will only become more and more precious. It’s already very risky for me to make a ten-year promise.” Magistrate Fang said, “I know that Miss Mu has great ambitions and is quite capable. Ignoring everything else, you’re bound to expand the cattle farm in the future. Not to mention buying the land, renting these thousands of acres of land will cost thousands of taels of silver a year, right?”
Qi Haoran pursed his lips. “Magistrate Fang, don’t bully us because we’re young and ignorant. Hanzhong Prefecture is the border. If you walk 20 miles north of the cattle farm, you’ll probably encounter a Jin soldier every three steps. Who would buy land there? Even if the other plots of land in Hanzhong Prefecture are sold out, I’m afraid they won’t be able to sell that piece, right?”
Smiling, Magistrate Fang said, “Isn’t Little General’s 5th Division going to be stationed there? Just hearing about it strikes fear in the Hus. When the time comes, selling the land there won’t be a problem.”
Although Qi Haoran was complacent, he could still distinguish between flattery and reality. “The Hus only fear my Big Brother, not me.” Qi Haoran rolled his eyes and said, “Even if the cattle farm expands, the 6,000 people will be able to complete it after working for no more than half a month.”
Magistrate Fang chuckled. “How can it be so fast? It’ll take at least a month.”
Mu Yangling secretly cursed him for being an old fox. For a month, she would be in charge of a day’s worth of food in addition to one catty of grains a day per person. The grains saved up would be enough for these 6,000 people to survive the winter.
It was equivalent to Mu Yangling helping him feed his people for the entire winter. She calculated in her heart. With enough money to buy enough calves, it was not impossible. On the contrary, it was very worth it.
Mu Yangling glanced at the smiling Magistrate Fang and felt that he was not someone who would suffer a loss, so she said, “It’s not impossible for me to hire them for a month, but Magistrate Fang, you have to complete the paperwork. I like to ink deals with contracts.”
“Of course, of course. When the time comes, I’ll definitely write the first condition in detail.”
“The first condition?” Mu Yangling smiled and said gently, “I thought that was the only condition.”
Magistrate Fang said with a solemn expression, “How is that possible? That’s the right to use dozens of hectares for ten years. Miss Mu, although I’m not experienced in business, I still know how to calculate.”
“But Magistrate Fang, no one wants that piece of land of yours now. If the Great Zhou can take over the Jingzhao Prefecture and guard it within five years, that piece of land might be bought or rented in another ten years. Don’t say that you’re letting me use that piece of land now. But in fact, even if you don’t let me use it, no one will say anything even if I herd the cows there to eat grass.”
Magistrate Fang blushed. Of course, he knew this too. The Han people were different from the Hu people. The Hu people would fight for the pasture, but the Han people fought for land to plant crops. If the land was not used for farming, the grass growing on it really did belong to the public. It didn’t matter if one cut it or grazed the oxen there. Even if one burned it, as long as the fire didn’t spread to the forest, no one would say anything.
Unlike the Hus, who would threaten to kill should one trespass their pasture.
It was precisely because he knew that the Hu people were too close to that piece of land and no one would want them that he wanted to use the land to exchange for something useful from Mu Yangling.
For example, helping these 6,000 people survive this winter. Another example was the winter clothes she was making for the children in the cattle farm and the nursery.