FARM GIRL TURNS EVERYTHING AROUND: SLY HUSBAND, LET'S FARM

Chapter 878: Chapter 878 Increase Wages_1

After two days of fruitless searching, by noon of this day, Tong Sanlang awoke.

Qiao Xiaomai brought him a bowl of stewed loach soup.

As he sipped the soup slowly, he listened to Qiao Xiaomai recount the events of the past few days. Unable to help herself, she sighed, “Why don’t we just shift the fields from other places here? That way, we won’t have to run around when it’s time to work.”

If they couldn’t buy land, they would integrate the entire five hundred acres into the manor here.

The fields in other places were all top-quality, so people would definitely agree to exchange them for the medium-quality fields here.

“No need,” Tong Sanlang swallowed a piece of loach meat and said, “Tell them that after they sell their wheat fields to us, they can come work at our place, as permanent laborers. We’ll give them six taels of silver per month, including food but not lodging.”

Six taels of silver, which converted to two hundred copper coins a day.

If they hired temporary labor, they’d only have seven or eight copper coins a day; that price was definitely considered high.

Moreover, six taels of silver a year amounted to seventy-two taels. If a family had three or four able-bodied workers, they could earn nearly three hundred taels a year.

That’s much better than farming— even if a family had a hundred acres of land all planted with wheat, the annual output would only be slightly more than a hundred taels. After subtracting the cost of seeds and the grain consumed, there wouldn’t be much left.

“Tell them that as long as they don’t slack off and work diligently, the six taels of silver will be paid on time each month, and I definitely won’t fire them without good reason.”

“And we’ll waive their annual tax, so they can rest assured that in the future, they just need to work honestly.”

Land in the hands of others can only sell its produce at market value, but if it’s in his and Qiao Xiaomai’s hands, the produce can fetch prices several hundred times higher.

By law, he could only own five hundred acres, and thirty acres per person. So they would only need to buy the fields of fifteen or sixteen people.

For these fifteen or sixteen people, with a monthly wage of six taels each, it would only cost a hundred taels of silver, and just over a thousand taels for a year— a sum he and Qiao Xiaomai could completely afford.

Having heard Tong Sanlang’s calculation, Qiao Xiaomai clicked her tongue twice, “Just hiring permanent laborers will cost more than a thousand taels, not to mention the temporary ones. This will amount to two to three thousand taels in a year.”

“If they’re reluctant to sell the lifelines of their families, we have no choice but to offer such high wages for permanent laborers,” Tong Sanlang consoled her, “Once we really buy the land, the two of us will have a thousand acres.”

This year, the crops irrigated with the Spiritual Spring water were too few. They could only supply Bailu Town and the Capital City’s Extreme Flavor Restaurants on a limited basis, but there are dozens of such restaurants throughout Daqi.

Besides, apart from the restaurants, Bailu Town also had many outsiders. As long as the products were good, there would be no shortage of buyers.

The deal was definitely going to be profitable.

Qiao Xiaomai could naturally calculate this herself; she nodded, “I’ll talk to Dad about it later.”

“Dad is probably going to wring his hands in distress.” Imagining what Qiao Changshun’s reaction might be, Tong Sanlang couldn’t help but laugh.

“Then I’ll run the numbers for him.” Qiao Xiaomai also laughed as she took the Water Drop Pendant out of her space, “Look, has it changed again?”

Tong Sanlang took the pendant and nodded, “It’s gotten smaller.”

If Tong Sanlang said so, then it was indeed smaller, and not just her imagination.

“I wonder what will happen when the water drop is completely gone.” She spoke with a hint of anticipation.

“Mm… You should be able to have the power to revive the dead and turn flesh to white bone like our great-grandmother did,” said Tong Sanlang.

There was also the appearance of the secret tunnel, something beyond human achievement; it must have been established by her great-grandmother with the mysterious power of the space.

Thinking of the abilities Qiao Xiaomai might possess made him feel eager, “Let’s continue tonight!”

[As the pendant disappears, Xiaomai’s space and the pendant become one, clarifying the origin of Liuli.]

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