He took the gamble of not selling his soy bean crop at the local

markets, but turning it into soy sauce itself – a premium product

that he could sell to the highest bidders as he chose. He set aside a

small amount of farming land to build his tiny factory, a hut for

processing the raw beans. He took on ten men to do the work, and

as he had no money to pay wages, he promised them enough rice

and soy to feed their families for half a year. They could barter the

rice for other goods in the markets, too.