31: Chen Family Plans and Secret Meetings
Liu Jinshan still had a fawning smile on his face, but in his heart, he felt extreme envy and hatred. He was a figure who had lorded it over Kaoshan Village and even Longwei County for twenty years; how could he ever have been so humiliated by a mere child?
It was just that the Chen Family was powerful now, no longer that small farming household that would let him mold them as he pleased without daring to say a word.
If he didn't endure it today, what awaited him tomorrow would be the calamity of his entire family being wiped out.
"Rest assured, Second Young Master. I will immediately have someone burn the land deeds and inform the Tenant Farmers that this land now belongs to your Chen Family!"
Liu Jinshan bowed and smiled, but secretly his heart was bleeding. All the land of their Liu Family only amounted to a thousand mu, and that was only collected through careful calculation by taking advantage of the drought a few years ago.
Now, with a single official document, he had to obediently hand over eighty percent. He hated it. He hated the ruthless Baili Xi, and he hated the Chen Family for kicking him while he was down.
But he never considered that if their Liu Family hadn't oppressed the common people and hadn't been corrupt and lawless, they wouldn't have faced such a tribulation.
If they hadn't targeted the Chen Family and attempted to assassinate them multiple times, Chuanwen wouldn't have acted so ruthlessly and crippled his son's arm.
It was nothing more than reaping what they had sown!
Chen Chuanwen coldly watched Liu Jinshan take out a stack of land deeds to burn. With a slight cold sneer, he walked up to Liu Jinshan, lightly patted his fat face, and whispered:
"Don't think that what you did to my family in the past was seamless. I'm telling you to learn to be an honest person, otherwise, what gets severed today won't be your son's arm, but the heads of your entire family!"
"By my reckoning, your Liu Family should have been wiped out, but my father was concerned that the villagers would say our Chen Family is overbearing, so he spared you this once! You'd better cherish this opportunity. If you look for trouble again, it will give me a reason to act!"
Chen Chuanwen revealed eight snow-white teeth, the ruthlessness on his face plain to see, like a wild wolf crouching in the shadows, ready to devour its prey.
"Yes, yes, yes, this lowly one will certainly keep the Second Young Master's instructions in mind!"
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Liu Jinshan's cheek. Looking at the ruthless Chuanwen, a sliver of fear grew in his heart. No matter how small a wolf cub was, it could still kill!
"Double Happiness, let's go. Tell the villagers that the Liu Family's eight hundred mu of land has been transferred to our Chen Family. From now on, the rent will be changed from eighty percent to fifty percent!"
Chen Chuanwen laughed heartily, not taking the Liu Family seriously at all. Leading Double Happiness and the other Long-term Laborers, he turned and left!
The matter of reducing the rent had been agreed upon between Chen Changsheng and Chuanwen long ago. The key to their money-making was not the raw Materials, but the processing methods.
Once the grain reached their hands, it could only become spirits through distillation, and tea leaves could only become fragrant jasmine tea after being roasted.
Therefore, some raw Materials couldn't be sold for much at all. It was better to reduce the rent a bit, as this would make it easier to win the hearts of the people in Kaoshan Village.
When Double Happiness and the others spread the news of the rent being reduced to fifty percent, many Tenant Farmers were immediately grateful for the Chen Family's kindness, while simultaneously cursing the Liu Family's black heart.
As for Chen Chuanwen, he was currently returning to the Courtyard House on the mountain to discuss the next steps for expanding production with his old man.
"Dad, since we've already fallen out with the Liu Family, these tea leaves won't be sold by them anymore. Let's contact channels and sell them ourselves!"
"Two hundred catties of tea leaves can earn a thousand taels of silver. If we set aside four hundred mu of land to grow tea, that's four hundred thousand taels of silver a year!"
Chen Changsheng silently took a sip of tea. He nodded but raised a question to Chen Chuanwen:
"The tea market in our Longwei County is only so big. If our production increases and we take up eighty percent of the entire county's tea market, what will the other Tea Merchants do if they can't survive?"
Chen Chuanwen's brow furrowed. After thinking for a while, a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes. He narrowed them and said:
"We have that Immortal Official as a backer, so there definitely won't be any problems on the official side. If they play dirty or use tricks, we'll make the blood flow like a river!"
Chen Changsheng sighed. He indeed hadn't misjudged; his second son was the most murderous. Usually obedient and enduring, once he gained power, he became ruthless and heartless.
"That's not how you handle things. No matter how many people you kill, if you don't win the hearts of the people, you'll never have peace!"
Chen Changsheng said softly. He lightly tapped his index finger on the table and said with a smile:
"We need to cooperate with these merchants. Our products are good, but they can only be sold within the sphere of influence of Longwei County. If we recruit these merchants as Agents!"
"Then these merchants will not only be able to make money but also open up trade routes for us, earning a lot of wealth!"
"Of course, there's no shortage of ambitious people among the merchants. This will require you to act as a deterrent by killing the chicken to warn the monkeys. Grasp the measure yourself, and remember not to kill too excessively!"
Hearing his father's words, Chen Chuanwen thought for a while and gained some insight. He couldn't help but give his old man a thumbs up:
"Dad, you're still the master. Without using knives or guns, you can stir people's hearts with profit and make them earn money for us!"
Chen Changsheng chuckled. He thought to himself that having experienced nine years of compulsory education in his previous life and having been trapped by modern business schemes so many times, how could a young man from ancient times compare!
Now that the plan was made, it was time to implement it!
Next, Chen Chuanwen chose a sunny day to gather dozens of Tenant Farmers and announce their plan.
Four hundred mu of land would be used to grow tea, and at that time, the Chen Family would specifically use silver to buy the tea leaves grown by the Tenant Farmers.
Four hundred mu of land would be used to grow grain. Those Tenant Farmers growing grain could also take their own grain to the Chen Family to exchange for silver.
Everyone was very pleased with the Chen Family's lenient terms and cupped their hands one after another to thank Chuanwen for his kind treatment of them.
Chen Chuanwen chatted patiently with the Tenant Farmers for a few moments, then made an excuse and left.
Next year, when the tea and grain from the eight hundred mu of land matured, he would have to prepare to deal with the counterattack from those merchants!
One must know that in the county town, there were not only Tea Merchants but also Liquor Merchants.
Chen Chuanwen's large-scale brewing would similarly squeeze their interests. If the other party couldn't survive, they would definitely resist!
Perhaps they would even join forces with the Tea Merchants, but Chen Chuanwen wasn't worried. As long as he followed his father's method—killing the one who caused the most trouble and then winning over the rest—it would be fine.
Faced with death versus making money, he believed they would make the appropriate choice!
Perhaps, starting next year, not only would the tea sell well, but his family's strong chinese liquor would also become a complete hit in the county town!
In Longwei County, inside an inconspicuous Tavern.
Several middle-aged men dressed in magnificent clothes sat in the gloom. No lamps were lit in the room, so everyone's appearances looked somewhat blurred.
"Ahem, since everyone is here, I'll start things off!"
"The Chen Family is pushing people too far. I heard they've taken over another eight hundred mu of land and are preparing to grow grain to brew liquor. If we don't make a move, there won't be a place for our Liquor Shops in Longwei County anymore!"
A white-haired old man coughed twice and said slowly. From his words, it wasn't hard to tell.
In this gloomy little Tavern, a secret gathering against the Chen Family was taking place!