Chapter 333: Chapter 333 Snowstorm (5)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
When Hu Chun heard that, he gritted his teeth and kneeled, “We still have 50 silver taels. Can you sell us three cows and some grain?
“Well definitely pay off the silver we owe within a year.”
The villagers who followed behind immediately kneeled and begged.
Manager Liu looked at Hu Chun, who was kneeling on the ground and kowtowing. He couldn’t help but admire him from the bottom of his heart. Hu Chun proved to be a person who could bend to the situation, and few people would do so in front of their subordinates.
Moreover, Manager Liu knew that Hu Chun’s main concern was his villagers. Otherwise, with his ability, it would not be a problem to protect his family through the winter.
He went forward to help Hu Chun up. “You don’t have to do this. Wait a moment. 1 have to discuss this with the others and make a decision.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Hu Chun thanked Manager Liu repeatedly and placed the money bag he had brought on the table.
When Manager Liu saw this, he immediately got his subordinates to call Uncle Nian and Chang Shun over. He called them to a side room and told them about the matter, “What do you guys think of this?”
“It’s fine to sell food supplies to them, but I’m just worried that it’ll be troublesome if they have other selfish thoughts after that, especially regarding the white sweet potatoes.” Chang Shun spoke at this moment.
“Indeed, they are different from those other villages. After going through many life-and-death situations, their inside is ruthless.” Uncle Nian agreed.
“If we don’t give it to them, they’ll have a better reason to cause trouble. That’s the most troublesome part of this.
“If they dare cause any trouble after we give them their food supplies, we won’t have to hold back then.”
Chang Shun and Uncle Nian exchanged a look and replied, “Since you’ve already considered the consequences, we’ll heed your decision.”
“How about we give them 50,000 pounds of the white sweet potatoes, plus the three cows? If they eat them sparingly, it should be enough for them to get through the winter.” Manager Liu proposed.
“Alright, we’ll do as you say. With such a heavy snowfall, we’ll be able to plant a plethora of sweet potatoes next year.” Chang Shun added.
Manager Liu nodded and returned to Hu Chun, informing them of their decision. “This is the best we can do for you. The white potatoes are a one-time thing; you can split them on your own.”
“Thank you, thank you so much.” Hu Chun expressed his grat.i.tude to Manager Liu.
The others were also pleasantly surprised because they knew that with these food supplies, although they would still starve, they would not starve to death in the winter.
“Let’s write a written agreement.” After Manager Liu explained what they were getting, he quickly wrote an agreement and marked the price of the white potatoes as ten coppers per pound.
After Manager Liu finished, he handed it to them and asked them to press their fingerprints on it one by one. “Remember, a one-year deadline. We’ll take a 30% interest if you can’t make it.”
“Thank you,” Hu Chun said again, bowing and thanking Manager Liu.
As for the calculation of interest on the chance of late payment, he didn’t take it to heart because this was normal. The interest wasn’t high, either, and they could still afford it if something terrible were to happen and they couldn’t make the repayment.
After they were done with their thumbprints, Manager Liu told them to wait while Chang Shun sent others to the warehouse to prepare the white potatoes for them.
Hu Chun didn’t stay idle either. He immediately returned to report the good news and asked his villagers to return with carts.
At night, all the white potatoes had been transported away. Manager Liu reminded Hu Chun, “Those sweet potatoes were squeezed out of our rations. I hope you can make reasonable arrangements as there won’t be any more in the future.”
“I understand. I will see you soon in the new year.” Hu Chun bowed again, then caught up with the line of villagers carting away the white potatoes.
As for the three cattle they brought, they were the ones driving the carts back. They had even made these cattle to help transport the white potatoes on a few round trips.
After they returned, Hu Chun gathered everyone and said, “These are our winter food supplies for this year. So to save food and firewood, I’ve decided that we cook in large batches for everyone to eat together as a community.. What do you all think?”