Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 32: Chapter 033 We’re Going to be Tycoons_1 Chapter 32: Chapter 033 We’re Going to be Tycoons_1 The shopkeeper’s eyes darted around before he said, “Tiger meat is indeed rare, but this tiger is too old, the meat is not tender, yet I shall still offer a fair price, five taels of silver per kilogram.”

Li Cheng’s eyes lit up, clearly thrilled by the price which was astronomic for an ordinary peasant! Mrs. Lin, too, was pleased, astonished at how valuable a tiger could be. She was about to agree when Muniang interrupted her.

“No, ten taels per kilogram!”

Muniang had never sold tiger meat before and naturally had no idea of its true market value, but she knew that no merchant was without guile, especially when dealing with simple villagers like them; merchants would surely try to deceive to their full extent. She could not bear to see someone take advantage of them.

The shopkeeper looked at Muniang in surprise, clearly not expecting such a bold demand from a village woman, but his face also took on an unkind expression.

“Young lady, you are too arrogant. I have already given you a price based on my conscience. In business, we value mutual sincerity. Your attitude clearly shows that you do not wish to deal sincerely with me. If that is the case, then I’m afraid we will not be able to conduct business!” The shopkeeper’s tone was gentle, but his message was staunch.

Mrs. Lin nudged Muniang and whispered, “Why are you asking for the moon? You’ll upset the man, and if he doesn’t want it anymore, what will we do?”

Muniang ignored Mrs. Lin, and her attitude was even firmer than the shopkeeper’s: “We are just humble farmers. In our lives, we’ve only come across a tiger this one time, so naturally, we can’t tell if the meat is fresh or not. However, I, a mere woman, know well enough that any tiger meat is rare. Shopkeeper, you say we can’t close the deal—I’ll take this price to someone else. The only sincerity I can show you is to give you the first choice to buy or not.”

Er Liang naturally supported Muniang, chiming in, “That’s right! If you don’t want it, we’ll sell it to someone else. There are so many restaurants in Qinghua City; surely someone will recognize its worth. When they have tiger meat to sell, all the customers will flock to their businesses!”

As soon as the shopkeeper heard this, his complexion soured immediately. His original plan was to take advantage of their unsophisticated, rural status, expecting that he could secure the meat at a bargain. Tiger meat was such a rarity—rich families when hearing his restaurant had it would pay any price to taste the delicacy. Therefore, even at ten taels per kilogram, he would not lose a dime; he simply wanted to take advantage of the ignorant villagers.

But what he hadn’t expected was how formidable the little village woman could be, doubling his price at once and speaking so confidently. He came here determined to secure the meat and certainly couldn’t go back empty-handed, for the head of his household would surely kill him with a brick.

The shopkeeper immediately softened his tone: “What are you saying, young lady? I was only speaking off the cuff just now—it hasn’t come to a point where we can’t do business. How about we each take a step back, eight taels per kilogram?”

The softer tone indicated just how much he cared. Muniang also understood the importance of the tiger to him, and naturally, she refused to back down, her smile as innocent as ever: “Shopkeeper, I am but a simple village woman who has not read books and knows nothing of the cunning negotiation tactics used by merchants. If I say ten taels, then it is ten taels. My sincerity has its limits. If you continue to spurn my sincerity, I may well raise the price.”

The shopkeeper’s face turned pale; his usual business tactics were useless and thoroughly seen through, leaving him without face, but he dared not say more. Should this woman raise the price again, he would be at a severe loss!

“Alright then, ten taels it is!” the shopkeeper slapped his thigh, hurriedly agreeing.

Mrs. Lin could hardly believe it; she stared dumbfounded at Muniang. Li Cheng was stunned, too. He had been worried that Muniang might ruin the deal, only to find out he was the naive one!

Muniang laughed brightly: “I appreciate your straightforwardness, Shopkeeper. Because of your attitude, next time our family has fresh goods, we will surely come to you first.”

The shopkeeper smiled helplessly: “You are so shrewd, young lady—scolding with one hand and offering candy with the other. Just now, you claimed to be uneducated and ignorant, but I think you know too much indeed.”

The shopkeeper took out the silver note, and since Muniang did not know how to check it, she asked Li Cheng to have a look. Li Cheng’s hands went soft, having never seen so much money in his life.

“Thank you for your undue praise,” Muniang responded without reservation, as the deal had been concluded. To continue pretending would be hypocrisy.

“It’s a pity she’s a woman. If she were a man, she would surely make something of herself,” the shopkeeper said.

Muniang laughed softly, giving no reply; in her heart, she thought women could make something of themselves just as well, but she didn’t voice her thoughts because there was no need for such ostentation.

After sending off the shopkeeper, Li Cheng was about to leave when Mrs. Lin held him back, wanting to give him some silver, since he had been a great help with the tiger affair. But Li Cheng, being straightforward, refused adamantly. Muniang had anticipated this and fetched five kilograms of tiger meat from the kitchen.

“I deliberately kept a little aside for you and Qinghe to try. It’s nothing much; go on, take it.”

Li Cheng, unable to refute, took the meat and left.

With a tiger skin left, Muniang estimated it to be worth seven or eight hundred taels. She planned to sell it in the city herself, as rich households usually wanted such things.

Mrs. Lin, looking at the silver notes, was too excited to speak: “Muniang, you truly are capable. With just a few words, you doubled the price. If it were me, I would’ve simply accepted whatever amount was offered.”

“They wanted to take advantage of us, thinking we were inexperienced. Everyone is like this, picking on the soft targets. What I did can hardly be called a skill.”

“How should we use this money, then? I never dreamed that I would have so much money in my lifetime. I don’t even know what to do with it,” Mrs. Lin said, her excitement palpable.

Muniang already had a plan: “We’ll buy land. We’re going to be wealthy landowners!”

Intending to investigate the possibilities, Muniang locked away the silver securely and went to see the village head with Erliang. She had already calculated in her mind that the two thousand seven hundred taels of silver should buy them around four hundred acres of land. With the surplus, they could build a house.

“Do you want fertile lands or dry fields? Dry fields are four taels per acre, fertile lands six taels,” the village head said.

“Fertile lands! About three to four hundred acres,” Muniang replied confidently. Although she believed she could enrich dry fields over time, she was not in need of money at the moment, and fertile lands were more convenient.

Stroking his beard, the village head looked somewhat skeptical: “So much land? That’s no small sum. Besides, no matter how good the land, it needs careful tending to yield results. It’d be a shame to waste silver for nothing.”

Erliang patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, if my wife says it can be done, it most certainly will be done. Just help us look around for a willing seller.”

The village head couldn’t say much else and agreed, “Then you wait a couple of days. Not many families have that much land. I’ll help you make inquiries first.”