Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12042

Cao Bamei turned to Xiu Hong for help.

Xiu Hong stood up from the stove and patted the pine needles off her clothes: "Mother, you too, you know perfectly well that Yongxiao is my sister's darling, yet you still said those things, making it sound like my sister is trying to please her in-laws for Yongxiao's sake. My sister definitely doesn't like hearing that kind of talk!"

“Oh, that’s why I’m worried!” Cao Bamei said. “Your sister has only been married into the Wang family for less than a month. Wang’s parents must be hoping that your sister will spend more time with Wang Wei so that they can have their grandson soon.”

“Yongxiao is gone, and he’ll have to sleep with your sister every night… You’re a married woman now, and you should understand some things without me having to spell them out.”

Xiu Hong blushed and turned her head away. She truly understood the things between husband and wife all too well now...

In other words, some things can be learned without a teacher.

Take her and Sixi for example. They've only been married for less than ten days, but they probably make love every night.

If a child, especially one who is energetic and mischievous, were to enter their world as a couple, it might disrupt their sweet moments.

“Mother, what you said makes sense, but you have to understand my sister’s feelings. She also really wants Yongxiao by her side,” Xiuhong added.

"Besides, you have to trust my sister. She's an adult and has been married twice. I believe that since she's decided to take Yongxiao away, she'll definitely be able to handle the relationships involved. When you see my sister again, I advise you not to bring this up again!"

After listening to Xiu Hong's analysis, Cao Ba Mei seemed to have her meridians opened up, and could only nod in agreement.

"Sigh, it seems I really am getting old. Whether it's speaking or thinking, I'm not as good as you guys anymore!"

Xiu Hong laughed again: "Mother, you're not old, nor are you inferior to us. You're just worried and confused, and you tend to overthink things, which is why you're so afraid of everything."

A short while later, Xiuxiu returned to the stove, her smile returning to her face.

She went out to compose herself; she's no longer the girl who cried, made a scene, and threatened suicide three years ago.

After her previous failed marriage, Xiuxiu matured in an instant. So today, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, when she returns to her parents' home to pay her respects, she cannot turn her back on her mother just because she didn't like what her mother said. That would be too immature of her.

In the adult world, it's about understanding how to see things from another person's perspective, learning to be patient and tolerant, and then sticking to your own principles.

“Mom, I just confirmed with Wang Wei again. He was very happy to hear that Yongxiao was willing to go back with us today. He even urged me to pack Yongxiao’s clothes.”

"Oh? Really? Wang Wei is such a considerate and thoughtful man!"

Having received Xiu Hong's guidance, Cao Ba Mei's words immediately struck a chord with Xiu Xiu, maximizing her emotional impact and restoring the warm and lively atmosphere in the kitchen.

During lunch, Yang Yongjin was toasted by his two sons-in-law in turn, and he drank to his heart's content.

Yang Yongjin felt even more relieved after hearing Cao Bamei whisper about Yongxiao's situation.

Once the alcohol took effect, he set his sights on his second daughter and son-in-law.

“I’m no longer worried about your eldest sister and the others. What’s on your mother’s and my mind now is the livelihood of you two,” Yang Yongjin said.

Xiu Hong listened attentively while slowly sipping her soup, while Sixi put down his chopsticks and sat there respectfully listening to his father-in-law's words.

"Sixi, I was too busy before the New Year to listen to your plans in detail. I only overheard Erya mention that you were planning to find some work outside after the New Year?"

Si Xi glanced at Xiu Hong.

Xiu Hong lifted her eyelids and glanced at him: "My father is asking you questions, just say what you should say, why are you looking at me like that?"

Si Xi blushed deeply.

Xiu Xiu, standing nearby, tried to smooth things over: "Second sister, really, your brother-in-law respects you, can't you just speak properly?"

Xiu Hong shrugged, buried her head in her food, and continued eating without saying a word.

Xiuxiu winked at Sixi, her eyes full of encouragement: "Go on, don't mind her."

Si Xi smiled shyly at Xiu Xiu, then turned to face Yang Yongjin and said seriously, "Father-in-law, it's like this. You and my mother-in-law know my family's situation. The three acres of land that originally belonged to me have now been handed over to the family. Xiu Hong and I don't have a single piece of land. So even if we wanted to stay in the village to grow crops, we wouldn't have any land, unless we bought a few acres."

"But Xiuhong said she doesn't want to buy land right now. She wants to save the money to do some small business outside, and then buy land back in the village when she makes money in the future!"

After listening to Sixi's long and detailed explanation, Yang Yongjin pondered it in his mind. Subconsciously, he picked up a piece of cold pig ear with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and slowly chewed it.

After finishing the cold pig ear salad, Yang Yongjin finally spoke: "Unless you're farming on a scale of hundreds of acres and can avoid taxes, like the land owned by landlords such as your third grandfather's family, then you can make a profit."

"Otherwise, like other farmers in our village, if they rely on the harvest from a few acres or a dozen acres of land to support their families, they really won't have much money left after paying taxes each year."

"If the harvest is bad, the family will suffer heavy losses. The able-bodied men of the family will work from the beginning to the end of the year, toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk. If they don't go hungry, it's considered a good harvest!"

"Young people like you, staying in the village to farm is a last resort because you have absolutely no other options!"

Hearing this, Xiu Hong also raised her head.

“Dad, Sixi and I are planning to go to town to start a small business,” she said.

"You and my brother-in-law, do you have any good ideas to offer?" she asked again, her gaze also sweeping over Wang Wei sitting opposite her.

Wang Wei smiled and turned to look at Xiu Xiu.

Unfortunately, Xiuxiu was busy serving food to Yongxiao and didn't catch Wang Wei's glance. So Wang Wei said, "I'm just helping my dad out. Let's hear what my father-in-law thinks first. He's been working hard for so many years and has a lot of connections."

Meanwhile, at the head of the table, Yang Yongjin stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then asked Sixi, "Sixi, do you have any skills you can show off?"

Si Xi gave an awkward smile, scratched his head, and then shook his head obediently.

“From a young age, I always followed my father and brother to work in the fields. My family never sent me to learn any trade.”

Yang Yongjin's eyes dimmed. Alas, he was no good at anything. Compared to his eldest son-in-law, Wang Wei, he was far inferior.

The eldest son-in-law, Wang Wei, learned from his father from a young age how to plant, prune, and care for potted plants, green plants, flowers, and fruit trees. This industry has high barriers to entry, and it's not something an outsider can easily break into. It's called a skill, a talent to rely on, and a means of making a living!

"Father-in-law, I'm young and strong!" Sixi said again, "If all else fails, we can start a small business for Xiuhong to run, and I'll go and carry goods for her to earn money!"

Yang Yongjin looked at Sixi's physique. He was just twenty years old, but he was in good spirits and had a lean body. He looked like he had a lot of strength.

“Who at your age doesn’t have a lot of strength? Me too!” Yang Yongjin said.

"The money you earn by doing hard labor when you're young is, frankly, just overdrawing your health in advance. Once you're over 30, just you wait and see, your body will be a mess of bones!"

Cao Bamei was startled when she heard Yang Yongjin say this. She quickly echoed Yang Yongjin's words, "That's right, health comes first, we can't overwork ourselves!"

If Sixi were just the son of her mortal enemy, humph, let alone prematurely exhausting his body, even if something bad happened to him, Cao Bamei would at most sigh like the other villagers, thinking that the young man was unlucky and hadn't lived to his full lifespan.

But what can you do when he's now your second son-in-law?

He carries the weight of his second daughter's lifelong happiness on his shoulders, so Cao Bamei couldn't help but genuinely care about Sixi's health, hoping he could stay with her second daughter for a long, long time.

Sigh, being a parent is truly a never-ending worry. The first half of their lives is spent worrying about themselves, and the second half is spent worrying about their children. Unless one day they lie on a door panel, with straw paper covering their face and a bowl of raw rice with three incense sticks stuck in it on their head... then they probably won't really stop worrying!
Hey, that's not right either. If we don't care about that, then what's the point of descendants going to the graves to burn incense and kowtow for blessings during festivals like Qingming and Zhongyuan?
Oh dear, even if I lie down in a mound of yellow earth, I'll still have to worry about it!

However, I'm happy to take on this responsibility!

"Father, I want to open a small shop near the market in town to sell chicken and duck eggs," Xiu Hong said, expressing her idea.

“I’m thinking of getting my eggs from the chicken farm in Zhoujia Village. As long as I can control the purchase price, I can make a profit from the difference. What do you think of this idea?” Xiu Hong said again.

Yang Yongjin did not immediately express his opinion, but instead sat there with a frown, continuing to ponder.

Just then, Xiuxiu finished feeding Yongxiao and turned around to hear Xiuhong's idea, which surprised her.

“Second sister, eggs in Washi are one coin each now. Even if you go to the Zhou family’s chicken farm to buy them, and they give you a discount of seven cents per egg because of the Luo family, if you sell 100 eggs a day, you will only earn 30 coins. In a month, you will only earn 900 coins, which is less than one tael of silver!”

"Besides, in this small town of Qingshui, do you think it's possible to reliably sell 100 eggs a day? The wealthy families buy eggs directly from chicken farms like the Zhou family's, which deliver them to their door regularly."

“Your eggs can only be sold to ordinary residents in town who don’t have the means to raise chickens or ducks. Those residents buy ten or so eggs and need them for three to five days. And that doesn’t even include the days on the first and fifteenth of each month when villagers from the surrounding villages and mountains go to the market in Washi and bring the eggs they’ve been saving up for a month to sell. That will be another two blows to your egg business!”

"So you guys selling chicken and duck eggs aren't making any money at all, you probably can't even afford to pay the rent!"

“Xiuxiu’s analysis makes sense. I grew up in a town, and my family raised a lot of chickens and ducks. We hardly need to buy eggs from outside,” Wang Wei said, picking up where Xiuxiu left off.

Wang Wei's meaning is quite clear: large households with high demand for eggs can obtain direct supply from the source of production.

Ordinary families either raise their own chickens to be self-sufficient, or they only buy a dozen or so eggs every three to five days to give their children a change of pace.

For a shop that specializes in selling eggs, if it sells fewer than 500 eggs a day, frankly, it won't even cover the rent and taxes paid to the city of Wat.

Moreover, it's not worth it for the couple to run the shop together, which is a waste of two strong laborers!
“Your brother-in-law is right,” Xiuxiu echoed Wang Wei, “If you only sell eggs, you probably won’t make much money.”

Xiu Hong asked in confusion, "Then why do Aunt Mei'er and the others make a profit selling roast duck?"

Xiuxiu said, "First of all, when it comes to roast duck, whether it's a big family or a small family in town, it's very difficult to make the authentic taste of roast duck at home, so you have to buy it from a shop."

"In addition, the cost price of their roast ducks from the Zhou family's chicken farm, plus their processing costs and the selling price, means they can make at least 10 coins per duck."

“They only need to sell four roast ducks a day, and they make more money than your egg shop.”

"Besides, their roast duck shops sell at least more than four roast ducks a day. As far as I know, even in the off-season, my aunt's shop can easily sell 10 roast ducks a day."

“If it’s peak season, I heard my great-aunt say that during the last ten days or so of the twelfth lunar month, the fire in the hanging stove was almost never extinguished from morning to night.”

"We estimate that we'll sell six ovens of roast duck a day, and each oven roasts 10 ducks! Do the math!"

Earn 10 coins per animal, 100 coins per pot, and 6 pots would earn 600 coins.

If this continues for ten days, that's six thousand coins, or six taels of silver!
This is only the last ten days of the twelfth lunar month. What about before that? Even if it wasn't that bad, even if sales were halved, it would still be quite considerable!
Except for Xiao Sanzi and Yongxiao, who were too young to do math, everyone else at the table was mentally calculating.

Finally, Cao Bamei even exclaimed in surprise, "My God, if we calculate it this way, Aunt Mei'er and her family can earn about 10 taels of silver from their roast duck business in December!"

Yang Yongjin nodded in agreement: "Even though those months were the off-season, there were still some holidays, big and small, almost every month. I once secretly did some calculations for them. Their roast duck shop has probably made nearly 20 taels of silver in the almost one year since it opened!"

“My goodness, no wonder Mei’er and the others were still busy in the shop on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month. If it were me, I wouldn’t be willing to close the shop even on New Year’s Eve!” Cao Bamei said again.

This isn't making money; it's like gathering pine needles in a forest!
Xiu Hong and Sixi were even more stunned.

Xiu Hong said, "I used to think that the egg business was a good small business, but now it seems that even if you stay in the shop and put in the same amount of effort, you can only earn a tiny fraction of what others earn. Forget it, I'm not going to do the egg business anymore!"