BDSMST -Chapter 39 Expanding Production—The Estate Begins to Take Shape

Jiang Suisui’s simple words, “there isn’t any surplus,” made Steward Wei’s smile freeze.

He hadn’t expected that after arriving with lavish gifts and a deposit of five hundred taels, he would receive such a reply. In the capital, even a daughter-in-law from a declining marquisate would likely have shown some humility when dealing with the Zhenguo Duke’s overtures.

But this woman refused with such calm and casual ease.

Wei Ziqian, standing nearby, felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction well up inside him. He didn’t fully understand why Jiang Suisui had refused, but seeing his own steward stumped gave him a quiet thrill. He quickly stepped to her side and, imitating her tone, said to Steward Wei, “Hear that? The vegetables from our estate are extremely precious—they’re exclusive! Not just anyone can buy them!”

His proud, almost comically self-important pose both infuriated Steward Wei and left him powerless to do anything about it.

Jiang Suisui glanced at Gu Xuan. He immediately understood. Clearing his throat, he assumed his “chief” persona and addressed Wei Ziqian: “Wei Ziqian, finished your work? What are you yelling about over there? Hurry up and fix the fence in the sheep pen! Don’t you want your points today?”

Wei Ziqian blushed as he was scolded in public, but obediently replied “oh,” hoisted his hammer, and went back to work.

This dramatic scene made Steward Wei twitch nervously. Now he was completely convinced that their fearless young master had truly been brought under control.

He also gained a newfound respect—and a hint of awe—for Jiang Suisui’s methods.

“Madam,” he adjusted his attitude, speaking even more respectfully, “you see… is there really no room for negotiation? Our Duke sincerely wishes to buy. As for the price, that’s completely negotiable.”

Jiang Suisui, seeing the moment was ripe, finally spoke slowly: “Steward Wei, it’s not that I don’t want to sell—it’s really that there isn’t any. Look at my estate: there’s only this much land, just enough to feed a dozen mouths. There simply isn’t any surplus. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Steward Wei pressed immediately.

“Unless the land could be expanded, and we had more hands to work it,” Jiang Suisui said, leaving her words unfinished but clear.

Steward Wei, a shrewd man, immediately understood her implication: the estate was too small, and production couldn’t keep up.

“Madam, rest assured!” he immediately pounded his chest in guarantee. “We at the Duke’s household can solve the land and manpower problem! There’s still plenty of unused land around Woniu Village, right? We’ll pay to rent it—or buy it outright! As for workers, just say the word, and we’ll dispatch the best farmers and laborers immediately!”

His grand promises lit up the eyes of Qian Duoduo, Li Rui, and the others nearby.

“Yes! Our household can provide labor too!”

“We’ll handle buying the land on behalf of Anyuan Marquisate!”

They all began to chatter excitedly. Although they were spoiled nobles, they weren’t fools. They had already realized firsthand that this estate was a veritable treasure trove. Being involved would benefit their families and themselves in every way, with no downside.

This was exactly the result Jiang Suisui wanted.

Alone, her financial and material resources were limited. But if she could bind these top noble households of the capital to her “engine,” her agricultural enterprise could achieve rapid, leapfrog growth in the shortest possible time.

“Since all of you are so sincere,” she said, looking at Steward Wei, “then this matter is settled. The specific rules and arrangements, I will finalize and notify you later.”

She ultimately accepted the five hundred-tael deposit, but refused all the silks and medicinal herbs.

“Consider these items as a gift from the Duke to improve Ziqian and his household’s quality of life.”

After sending Steward Wei off, the estate erupted with excitement.

“Are we really going to expand production?”

“Buying new land? Does that mean we’ll have more work to do?”

“What’s there to fear about working! The more land we have, the more vegetables we grow, the more points we can earn! I’m one step closer to my Buddha Jumps Over the Wall!” Qian Duoduo rubbed his hands together in excitement.

That very evening, Jiang Suisui gathered everyone for a “Estate Expansion and Development Meeting.”

She spread a large hand-drawn map of the estate and its surrounding terrain on the stone table in the courtyard.

“Currently, we’ve cultivated about twenty acres,” she said, pointing to the areas already marked in green. “But that’s far from enough. According to my plan, the next step is to clear the eastern hillside—at least fifty acres of wasteland.”

“Fifty acres?!” everyone gasped. They were just over a dozen people, and after more than a month of hard work, they had only managed twenty acres. Fifty acres—how long would that even take?

“Don’t worry about manpower,” Jiang Suisui reassured them. “The Duke of Wei’s household will send professional farmers to help. Our job is to plan and supervise.”

She then pointed to another area on the map: “This low-lying land to the south is always waterlogged, not suitable for vegetables. My idea is to dig it deeper and turn it into a fish pond.”

“A fish pond? Raise fish?” Gu Xuan’s eyes lit up. He had only read about fish ponds in books, never seen one in real life.

“Yes,” Jiang Suisui nodded. “Fish. In the future, our table won’t just have chicken and pork—it will also have fish.”

She pointed to an empty western plot: “Here, we’ll build a new row of chicken coops and duck houses. The current chicken coop is too small. We’ll also bring in ducks. Chickens lay eggs, ducks lay eggs, and we can sell some too.”

One by one, she unveiled her grand blueprint to everyone. Clear wasteland, dig fish ponds, build poultry houses, plant fruit trees in the back hills, cultivate medicinal herbs along the courtyard walls…

What she described was no longer just a farm—it was a self-sufficient, sustainable ecological kingdom.

The group of young nobles listened with hearts racing, minds soaring. They could already envision, in the not-so-distant future, a thriving paradise taking shape under their hands, bit by bit.

“Let’s do it!” Wei Ziqian was the first to speak up, pounding his fist on the table. “This is far more interesting than racing horses and keeping birds in the capital! I, Wei Ziqian, will stay here—I’m not leaving!”

“Yes! We’re not leaving!” others quickly echoed.

Gu Xuan looked at the magnificent blueprint and at the excited “team” around him. His small chest swelled with unprecedented pride and ambition.

He felt that his path as the “chief” had only just begun.

As preparations for expanded production proceeded in the estate, Uncle Fu arrived in Woniu Village with the marquisate’s agricultural experts and ample supplies.

He also brought a message from the old marquis and a “startup fund” of one thousand taels of silver.

With the full backing of the Yongning Marquisate, and the active participation of top noble households like the Zhenguo Duke’s, Jiang Suisui’s expansion plan took off at an astonishing pace.

In no time, the small Woniu Village became bustling with activity, filled with people and carts coming and going, alive with the sounds of industry.