「The next morning.」

Cheng Zongyang went to see Chen Kaishan again. Zheng Tianhai, however, didn’t join them; he had gone to focus on his Cultivation.

After receiving a jin of medicinal wine from Cheng Zongyang last night, he couldn’t wait to speed up his Cultivation.

’A farm boy who once had no Cultivation whatsoever is now stronger than me. How can I accept that?’ So, after feeling the effects of the medicinal wine last night, he was determined to accelerate his training. Since he would be staying in the County Town for the foreseeable future, he was confident that this jin of medicinal wine would be enough for him to break through to the Sixth Grade!

In the spacious living room of the small courtyard behind the inn, Cheng Zongyang and Chen Kaishan got straight to the point.

"I can agree to these terms," Cheng Zongyang began, "but in addition to what we discussed last night about me choosing the location, I have a few other small requests."

Chen Kaishan laughed. "You know, you’re probably the only person who’s gotten such a good deal from the Da Yi Commerce Association and still dared to ask for more. Go on, let’s hear them."

Cheng Zongyang smiled faintly and said directly, "First, you mentioned that as a Steward, I could choose my position. I was wondering what positions are available?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Chen Kaishan nodded. "I wouldn’t really count that as one of your requests. The positions are related to the scope of our business operations. From the pamphlet I gave you last time, you already know what kind of business the Da Yi Commerce Association conducts. Each business department is further subdivided to, one, assist each other; two, supervise each other; and three, define their specific business scope. Have you taken a liking to any particular one?"

But Cheng Zongyang frowned. "Does this branch have to be so comprehensive as to include everything? Basic necessities like clothing, food, lodging, and transport—meaning fabrics, Restaurants, inns, carriage services..."

"No need to list them all." Chen Kaishan cut him off before he could finish. "This is just a branch office. Not only is the scale smaller, but we’ve also cut back on some operations. It won’t have as many as the Prefecture City headquarters.

"Regarding the basic necessities you mentioned, we do handle grain and fabrics. But it will just be a counter in the Commerce Association building, not a separate shop on the street. Customers will have their purchases retrieved from the warehouse. Of course, this type of business is wholesale, not individual retail.

"We won’t be setting up Restaurants, inns, or carriage services. It wouldn’t make sense for a branch in a County Town.

"What’s left are intelligence trading, hiring guards, bounties, Martial Arts Techniques, Medicinal Materials and Elixirs, a Money Shop, acquisitions, and special orders. These are the main operations of the branch."

Cheng Zongyang took note, getting a clear picture in his mind. He then asked about the last two items, "What do you mean by acquisitions and special orders?"

"We acquire anything of value. And for special orders, we procure goods that the branch doesn’t stock or materials a client needs. For example, if you need a specific Elixir that the branch doesn’t have, you can place a special order. We’ll have it shipped from headquarters. We can even deliver it to your door, but that requires an extra fee."

Cheng Zongyang understood immediately. After a moment of thought, he suddenly asked, "Does the Commerce Association acquire things like Jewelry?"

Chen Kaishan was taken aback, not understanding what Cheng Zongyang was getting at, but he nodded nonetheless. "That would fall under our pawnshop services, which are part of the acquisitions department."

"In that case, which department is the most laid-back?" Cheng Zongyang asked with a smile.

Chen Kaishan paused, then broke into a wry smile. He pointed a finger at Cheng Zongyang and shook his head.

"Most people who become Stewards spend money and pull strings to get into lucrative or high-performing positions. If you manage well and business is good, the Commerce Association gives out rewards. But you? You’re looking for the easiest job?"

Cheng Zongyang chuckled. "To each their own. I never planned on joining the Commerce Association in the first place; I’m only doing it now out of necessity. But I don’t want to get bogged down with trivial matters and delay my Martial Arts Cultivation. So, Uncle Chen, tell me."

Chen Kaishan gave a faint smile and replied, "Well, since you’ve made up your mind, I won’t insist. Normally, none of these departments are what you’d call ’laid-back.’ The Da Yi Commerce Association is a guarantor of trust, so many people come to us for business or transactions.

"However, if I had to pick one that’s relatively quiet, it would be the bounty department. Bounties are divided into finding people, finding things, finding places, and bounties for completing tasks. You understand the first three. As for completing tasks, that’s just posting a bounty for a job to be done."

But Cheng Zongyang suddenly interrupted, saying apologetically, "Sorry to cut in. But finding people, things, and places... isn’t that intelligence? Doesn’t it overlap with the intelligence department?"

Chen Kaishan was speechless. "You didn’t read the pamphlet carefully, did you?"

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang gave an embarrassed smile. "I read some of it, not all of it."

Chen Kaishan shook his head. "Intelligence and bounties have different focuses. We analyze the client’s request and the nature of what’s being sought—be it a person, thing, or place—to determine its importance. That’s how we differentiate. If it’s deemed important, the Commerce Association will direct them to the intelligence department. If it’s something ordinary, it goes to the bounty department.

"For example, if you want to find a relative, you can post a task in the bounty department. That’s because, to the Commerce Association, that person isn’t important.

"On the other hand, say you want to post a bounty related to a family’s secret affairs. That content would be considered important information. A staff member would direct you to the intelligence department to purchase any related information we have. Conversely, if a client knows some family secrets or other intelligence, they can sell it to the Commerce Association, and we will offer a reasonable price based on its value."

Now, Cheng Zongyang understood.

"Looking at it that way, the bounty department doesn’t sound very laid-back either. It seems like it’s full of trivial matters," Cheng Zongyang said with a frown.

Chen Kaishan shook his head again. "Relatively speaking, not many people post bounties. After all, posting a bounty requires a significant fee. Ordinary people can’t afford it, and the wealthy would rather just buy the relevant intelligence directly than waste time waiting on a bounty."

"What are the divisions within the acquisitions department?" Cheng Zongyang asked.

At this, Chen Kaishan’s brow furrowed. He replied, exasperated, "Why don’t you go read the pamphlet properly before we discuss your career path? Otherwise, I’ll have to explain everything one by one, and that’s a waste of my time and breath. Let’s talk about your other requests first."

Cheng Zongyang chuckled. "Alright. I’ll look into the positions later then. My second request is that I get to decide the supply quantity of the Wilderness Rice. However, I can promise that each delivery will be no less than 300,000 jin of the original rice seed. Anything more will depend on the cultivation conditions. And the price will remain fixed at one tael of silver per kilogram, as we agreed."

This was the price Cheng Zongyang and Chen Kaishan had previously discussed.

Based on the farming methods of common people, even with just ordinary planting, the minimum yield is calculated at one thousand jin per mu. After hulling, with the husks and bran removed, the final yield is about sixty percent New Rice.

Calculated at six hundred jin, the Commerce Association’s purchase price is typically between three and five cents per jin. Chen Kaishan had said that the selling price for the rice seed would generally be two taels of silver per kilogram.

This way, after accounting for other low costs, taxes, and setting aside enough for their own consumption, a farmer could earn roughly three to four hundred cents per mu. A family of several people farming ten mu could earn three to four taels of silver in four months. If they worked a bit harder and planted a few more mu, they could earn even more. This was already an excellent income.

Even if the price of the rice seed rose slightly in the future, farmers could still earn a decent amount of silver each year. They wouldn’t be in a situation where, after a laborious harvest and paying taxes, they could barely scrape by or even go hungry.

If it were planted in humus soil, the income would be even higher.

After some thought, Chen Kaishan said, "Based on the information you’ve provided, 300,000 jin should be enough to plant 150,000 mu of land, correct?"

Cheng Zongyang nodded. "That’s right. Of course, that’s the minimum amount. How much more there is will depend on cultivation."

"The minimum quantity is acceptable," Chen Kaishan agreed, then added, "But you must increase the amount by 100,000 jin with each delivery; it cannot decrease. If I receive 300,000 jin this time, I’ll need 400,000 the next. Otherwise, if it’s always just 300,000 jin, that amount is completely meaningless to the Da Yi Commerce Association.

"Furthermore, there must be a minimum of two transactions a year! I can also promise that whatever you need for cultivation, the Commerce Association can provide assistance to help you increase the yield. You won’t have to pay us back for that."

Cheng Zongyang frowned. "That’s a difficult condition. My cultivation process requires a lot of time and effort, not to mention favorable weather, location, and manpower. But since you’ve put it that way, let me make a counter-proposal.

"A total of 700,000 jin for the first year. We can discuss the amount for the second year later. After all, our initial contract is only for one year. We can negotiate again after that.

"And I’ll need a large amount of manpower. I’m not picky—men, women, old, and young are all acceptable. No need for Martial Artists. I assume the Da Yi Commerce Association can get its hands on felons, death-row inmates, and other such scum from various places, right? The kind who are wicked to the core? I need people to clear untamed land. Let’s set the first batch at nine hundred people, and the more the better. This way, I can cultivate on a much larger scale.

"If we continue our cooperation into the second year, the quantity of rice seed can double. As long as I have more people, I can keep increasing the amount every year. But without the manpower, a million jin per year is the absolute limit. Those are my terms."