The Lucky Heiress

The store was now selling raw sweet potatoes, unlike the roasted ones previously sold, and they were not as evenly sized as the roasted ones. Hence, the selling method had changed, they were sold by weight now, three coins per catty.

In this way, raw sweet potatoes were somewhat cheaper than roasted ones, making them affordable for the general public.

The price of rice, however, was relatively higher. One peck was priced at one hundred coins, significantly more expensive than the sixty coins per peck priced in other rice shops in the county.

Yet, the store employees explained that their variety of rice was different and superior to common rice, being more fragrant and chewy.

The general public would not buy this kind of rice, as their priority was to keep hunger at bay, seeking value for money rather than taste.

The different pricing strategies were decided by Wei Ruo. The sweet potatoes were mainly targeted at ordinary people, and were therefore priced lower for affordability. They would also give some for free to those who were visibly starving.

The target market for the rice, however, was wealthy officials with a taste for quality. Firstly, the rice that she had purchased from Huzhou Prefecture was indeed of this quality and worth the price. Secondly, Wei Ruo had to consider the purchase and transportation cost of this rice, which naturally raised its price too.

As for the mushroom sauce, it was personally made by Wei Ruo.

She and Xiumei had made a big pot of it in the small kitchen at the Bamboo Yard, then packed it into twenty small pottery jars.

Since it was their first time making it in small quantities, Wei Ruo did not plan to sell it in the store but to use it herself or give it as presents.

The next day when Wei Ruo went to the Xie Residence for her class, she gave two jars to Mr. Wang and another two jars to Xie Ying.

Xie Ying held the two little clay jars that Wei Ruo gave her and asked curiously, “What is this?”

“This is mushroom sauce.”

“Mushroom sauce? Made from mushrooms?”

“Yes, you put some lard into the pot, add minced meat and stir-fry until it’s fragrant, then pour in onions, ginger, garlic, and diced mushroom, followed by salt, cooking wine, pepper powder, and white sugar. Stir fry it evenly, then add some soy sauce at the end.” Wei Ruo explained.

Xie Ying blinked in confusion, “I don’t understand, but it seems quite impressive. Can this sauce be eaten directly? I don’t know how to cook, but I can eat. Once I taste it, I can tell whether it’s good or not.”

“You usually mix it with rice, vegetables, or noodles. Eating it directly may be a bit salty, but you can certainly eat it.” Wei Ruo answered.

“That’s fine then.”

Xie Ying couldn’t wait to have a maid hand her a pair of chopsticks. She then opened one of the jars and dipped the tip of the chopstick into the sauce, tasting it.

Her eyes immediately brightened, “Wow, this is really fragrant, and so delicious!”

Xie Ying truly found the sauce tasty, she loved the rich flavors of the sauce that came from the meat and the mushrooms, as well as the added depth from the soy sauce.

“I’m glad you like it. Once you finish it, I can get you more. This needs to be fresh to be good, waiting too long might affect the quality. I’ll make some more for you in a few days.” Wei Ruo replied.

Although it was cooked with soy sauce and covered with cooked oil, stored in clay jars, and could be preserved for some time, modern preservatives and vacuum packing methods couldn’t be used to lengthen its shelf life.

“Okay. In that case, I’ll give some to my brother. With only two jars, I wouldn’t be willing to share, but if there’s more, I can afford to be a little nicer to him!” Xie Ying said.

“Yes.” Wei Ruo couldn’t help but laugh. The unique interactions between the siblings of the Xie family were very adorable to her.

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After the sweet potatoes were all harvested, Wei Ruo prepared to plant new crops. Land resources were limited, so they couldn’t be left idle.

At this time, crops suitable for mountainous terrain like rapeseed, radish, and broad beans were excellent choices.

However, considering cost-effectiveness, it was best to grow wheat this time. This way, you could harvest it from the fourth to the sixth lunar month of the next year.

However, the terrain of Xiaoyang Mountain was unsuitable for wheat cultivation. The reason why sweet potatoes were chosen initially was that they didn’t require much land treatment on sloping terrain.

In comparison, the terrain in the south of the city was much more suitable for wheat cultivation.

When large areas of the south were cleared for cultivation initially, apart from buying a piece of medicinal field with Xie Ying, Wei Ruo also had her wet-nurse buy a lot of land.

Although the geographical location of the land bought by her wet-nurse was not as favorable as the land provided for free by the Government Office to the poor, it was much better compared to the mountainous areas of the north.

The price was affordable too, fifty taels of silver got them a hundred acres of flat land.

After this period of improvement, the land was now suitable for crop cultivation. Wei Ruo was planning to plant wheat on that land. Timing was perfect as after harvesting the wheat next year, it would be time to plant Wei Ruo’s late rice varieties.

It wasn’t just the land bought by her wet-nurse that Wei Ruo planned to plant wheat on, she also intended to encourage other people in the southern city to do the same.

Planting rice was out of the question at this time, but planting regular vegetables was not very cost-effective for the poor who hadn’t yet solved their hunger problem.

Although people in Jiangzhe preferred rice over wheat, under the prevailing circumstances, they wouldn’t mind, as long as they could have enough food.

To push this forward with the people from the south, Wei Ruo needed the assistance of the Government Office.

So, Wei Ruo called for Madam Qin and shared her idea with her. She knew that Chu Lan had something to gain from this, so she didn’t need to beat around the bush or feel embarrassed while asking for his help.

“Miss Wei, you are indeed kind-hearted. Planting wheat at this time is indeed the best choice.” Madam Qin agreed wholeheartedly with Wei Ruo’s opinion.

“If possible, I would like Madam Qin’s help to transport wheat seeds from the north. There isn’t much wheat cultivation in Taizhou Prefecture, so there aren’t enough seeds. The area for cultivation in the south is vast and requires a large amount of wheat seeds. The poor cannot afford them, and it would be difficult for them to secure seeds on their own.”

“Rest assured, Miss Wei, Master Chu will help you with this.” Madam Qin could affirmatively answer without having to consult Chu Lan.

Given how invested Prince Qi was in the land reclamation in the south, it was clear that he aspired to make significant achievements. Thus, it would only make sense to ensure that the issue with wheat seeds was resolved.

Hearing Madam Qin’s affirmative response, Wei Ruo knew she had made the right choice by finding her.

It was highly beneficial to have Chu Lan involved. Tasks that would be challenging for ordinary people could be easily done by him.

“I would like to thank Master Chu and Madam Qin on behalf of the people who are reclaiming land in the south.” Wei Ruo thanked.

“Miss Wei, there’s no need for formalities. The people involved in the land reclamation should be the ones thanking you.” Madam Qin said..