I’m the Farmgirl You Can’t Mess With
Chapter 991 - Chapter 991 Exciting

Chapter 991: Exciting Chapter 991: Exciting Editor: Atlas Studios “aEUR|” Spring said, “Your Highness, if you want to use him, it’s better to make him sign an indenture contract.

Otherwise, if he has ulterior motivesaEUR|” Mu Yangling said in amusement, “We can just part ways if we don’t work well together.

If he doesn’t want to work under me, he can always quit.

If you have to use force to break a melon off the vine, it won’t taste sweet.” In her opinion, as long as it was not a betrayal or divulging secrets of her shops and farms, anything else was forgivable.

If he wanted to leave, she would let him go.

But even though she had so many businesses under her, and only her two factories had secrets.

There were no secrets to be divulged in the fields and villas.

“By the way, could it be that Ma Xiang doesn’t want to work under me?” Mu Yangling asked in puzzlement.

Spring was all smiles.

“How could that be?

So many people would die for the chance to show their faces in front of Your Highness.

Others would kill for this job.

He only tried to flee because he was afraid that Your Highness would pursue the matter of him instigating the estate managers.” Mu Yangling nodded in agreement.

“Right.

Previously, he was so enthusiastic about clearing the mountains to plant fruits.

Why else would he suddenly run away?” Spring sneered in her heart.

Previously, Ma Xiang had been enthusiastic because he treated the fruits from the mountain clearing as his own.

Now, he was escaping because he was afraid of being interrogated.

Secondly, he was afraid of being sold to the Prince’s estate as a slave.

“Since he doesn’t want to sign the indenture contract, have him sign an employment contract.

The growth period for fruit trees is two years at a minimum.

If the seedlings are smaller, it’ll take even longer.

Since that’s the case, let’s sign a five-year contract first.

The salary will be paid by the month.” Mu Yangling deliberated for a moment and said, “If he’s willing to take in apprentices, I’ll give him two taels of silver a month.

If he’s unwilling, then one tael 500 copper coins.

On top of that, if he invents a new technique, I’ll give him a big red packet.” When Spring went to pass the message to Xiao Ting, she said meaningfully, “Outsiders don’t know how this red packet thing works.

Let them know that whoever improves the technique will get this red packet.

It’s not like the shops outside where everything goes to the mentor.

If they can receive such a red packet, their family won’t have to worry about their livelihood for five years.” Xiao Ting understood that Mu Yangling had always given the most generous red packets to the researchers.

Her eldest uncle, Xu Jian, Chen Sanzhu, and the others, who had helped the Princess Consort study the seeds of the dry rice in the north, had already received a lot of red packets.

Not to mention that they also received dividends from the grain store.

Putting aside her Eldest Uncle, Xu Jian and Chen Sanzhu were both refugees in the past.

Now, not only did they start a family and have a flourishing career, but they also accumulated significant wealth.

Their examples had always encouraged the tenant farmers in the farms to work hard.

Therefore, the vegetables grown in the Prince’s residence had always been of the best quality.

Every year, they would innovate.

While everyone was still planting radish seedlings, the Prince’s estate’s greenhouses were already planting all kinds of green vegetables, tender cucumbers, and tomatoes in the winter.

During winter, even watermelons could be planted in the northern farms, which had become the favorite of the soldiers stationed at the border.

Other than greenhouse vegetables, there were also endless new farming techniques.

Every year, there would be new techniques.

As long as it could prove that it produced a good yield, the Prince’s estate would give out red packets.

In the past two years, the two new farming tools introduced by the Ministry of Works had come from the Prince’s estate’s farms.

It could be said that the Prince’s estate’s farms had now received great attention from the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the other farming estates.

In the past, when the Prince’s estate’s farms developed something new, the Princess Consort had to make plans to promote them and contact the Imperial Court.

But now, once the new inventions came out, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Agriculture would automatically come knocking on the door.

The stewards of the various farming estates even constantly came to the Prince’s estate, hoping that the Prince’s estate’s stewards could give them some guidance.

Mu Yangling was selfless, but it was impossible for her to tell outsiders about the new technology she had just developed.

That way, the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Agriculture would depend on her farm entirely and not bother to do their own research.

Hence, when she released new technologies, she only revealed 30% of it.

Whether they could develop them depended on their own abilities.

And by the time they successfully developed them, her farm would launch new products.

The others would never surpass the Princess Consort’s farms unless they worked relentlessly and created incomparable new techniques.

Though if that was the case, Mu Yangling would be even happier.

That was because her farms were outstanding, only she and the tenant farmers under her would benefit.

On the other hand, if the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Agriculture were outstanding, all commoners in the world would benefit.

And she and her farms were also considered part of that.

However, until now, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the other farmsteads could not compare to the Prince’s estate’s farmsteads.

Everyone felt that it was not that they were not capable enough, but that they did not have an incentive system in place.

In the Prince’s estate’s farmsteads, no matter if you were a tenant farmer, steward, or servant, as long as you could improve the techniques, seeds, and farming tools, you would be able to obtain tangible benefitsaEUR”fat red packets.

Therefore, everyone put in their utmost, afraid that they would fall behind.

How could the farms of the other families bear to spend money like this?

Thus, they were dependent on the Imperial Court and the Prince’s estate.

The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Agriculture did put in effort, but their research ability and funding were limited.

This was why they couldn’t catch up to the Prince estate’s farms no matter what.

Therefore, everyone could only watch helplessly as the farming techniques of the Prince’s estate continued to surge forward, far exceeding the entire country’s level.

All of this was thanks to the red packets.

Spring hinted that he should inform the tenant farmers and helpers of the farm about this matter.

Clearly, she was urging everyone to secretly learn Ma Xiang’s skills, instead of doing the bare minimum instructed by the mentor.

One had to learn to observe, compare, and think.

Perhaps then one day, they could get a red packet that could propel them to riches.

From the looks of it, even though the Princess Consort wasn’t angry at Ma Xiang for running away, Sister Spring was.

After the conversation, Xiao Ting went over to chat with Ma Xiang.

In addition to speaking with the apprentices and tenant farmers, Xiao Ting also had to speak with Ma Xiang.

He had to let them know that the Princess Consort’s reward and punishment system’s aim was to motivate everyone to improve their techniques, not for them to fight each other.

Since Ma Xiang clearly had more expertise in this area than others, if he was willing to put in the effort, perhaps in two years, the Prince’s estate’s orchard would be able to grow exotic fruits that couldn’t be found elsewhere.

When Ma Xiang heard that even the smallest red packet contained 20 taels, he almost dropped the cup of wine in his hand.

His eyes lit up as he asked, “Since the smallest is 20 taels, the big onesaEUR|” Xiao Ting glanced at him and said, “Do you think it’s so easy to get a big red packet?

Just look at Eldest Uncle who has been working for Her Highness right from the start and helped develop Dry Rice No.

1 and No.

2.

Even he only got 100 taels each time when those rice types were developed.

Of course, he also receives dividends.

Just based on the dividends from the seeds of Dry Rice No.

1, each of them can receive this amount every New Year.” Xiao Ting gestured with his palm and said in a low voice, “This is not a one-time deal, but an on-going arrangement.

As long as you are alive, you can receive this sum of money every year.

It’s roughly the same amount for Dry Rice No.

1 and Dry Rice No.

2.

There are still No.

3 and No.

4 that have yet to be developed.” Ma Xiang was speechless.

“Doesn’t that mean that the dividends alone are 100 taels a year?” Xiao Ting spat out the wine in his mouth and said, “What 100 taels?

It’s 500 taels.

The two types add up to 1,000 taels.

These seeds were developed by three people.

Just counting the dividends alone, the grain store gives out 3,000 taels to the three of them every year.” Ma Xiang felt his mouth go dry as his eyes widened.

He’d thought that his life had been ruined just like that, and that he would have to slog away in the Prince’s estate his entire life due to his greed.

But now, someone had told him that not only was his path ahead smooth, but it was also paved with gold.

As long as he developed a better new seed, he could potentially receive 1,000 taels of silver from dividends alone.

It had to be known that when he saved the life of his ex-boss’s only son back then, he had only received 50 taels of silver as a reward and 5 taels of silver as travel expenses.

He had lost 30 taels of silver in business and spent another 8 taels on expenses to travel home.

By the time he returned home, he only had 13 taels of silver left.

However, even with this amount of money, he was still the richest person in the entire village.

But now, someone had told him that this bit of money couldn’t even compare to a small red packet.

Crying and laughing at the same time, Ma Xiang held Xiao Ting’s hand and kept asking, “Can farmers also get such a red packet?” Xiao Ting rolled his eyes and said, “These red packets are meant for you farmers.

The red packets for the shop stewards and factory managers are another type.” However, Ma Xiang could no longer listen.

He only looked at him with sparkling eyes, as if he was looking at something he loved.

He swore, “Brother Xiao Ting, please tell Her Highness that as long as she doesn’t make me a slave, I’ll definitely do my best.”