Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Xu Huizhen lifted the curtain with one hand: "I'm here, come in quickly, my cousin is a rare guest!"

Once a relationship develops between a man and a woman, they can speak much more freely, and their feelings will naturally grow stronger over time. That's why people always say that love grows over time.

Niu Dazhuang quickly walked to both sides, tilted his head, and went into the house.

"Oh! Sister Xue Ru is here too!"

"Look at you, what a sweet talker! You've already acknowledged Huizhen as your cousin, so why not acknowledge me as your god-sister too!"

Niu Dazhuang glanced at Xu Huizhen beside him with a questioning look.

"Hurry up and call her 'god-sister'! Xue Ru is a little rich girl. You'd be at a disadvantage if you recognized her as your god-sister!" Xu Huizhen deliberately emphasized the words "god-sister" at the beginning.

Niu Dazhuang suddenly felt like he'd been sold off like a cow, that he was the one being sold off.

It's said that women in this era are very conservative, but I keep encountering women like this, so blatantly naked.

Since the woman isn't afraid, what should a grown man like me be afraid of? At worst, I can just pull up my pants and deny everything.

"Sister-in-law, it's all about having a sister-in-law. Having more sisters means having more options!"

"Hehe, okay, it's lunchtime anyway, we have to have a couple of drinks to celebrate! You two siblings sit down for a bit, I'll go get the food ready." Xu Huizhen said as she walked out.

"Hey, cousin, don't go! I still have something to tell you."

"No rush, we can talk about it when I get back! Make sure Xue Ru is well taken care of."

"What's wrong? You can tell me, your god-sister," Chen Xueru chimed in.

Niu Dazhuang thought to himself, "Maybe it really might work."

"I've been here for almost half a month, and I still haven't found a job. I've spent a lot of money, and I have a few cigarettes left by my parents that I want to sell for money."

"Hey, is that all? No need to ask your cousin, I, your god-sister, will take care of it for you. Big ones and small ones, how many do you have?"

"Let's sell one of the big ones first!"

"Oh, that's perfect. You sold too much; I don't have that much money to pay for it all at once!"

Niu Dazhuang sighed, feigning heartache, and said, "Alas! The younger generation doesn't make money; we can only sell some ancestral treasures to survive."

Chen Xueru comforted him, "Little brother, don't blame yourself. Everyone has times when they're short on money. If you're ever short of cash again, just tell your sister. I may not have much, but I always have a hundred or two."

"Then I'll thank you in advance, Sister Qian! You're not from old Kyoto, are you?"

"I have pretty good hearing. I was born in Yuhang and came to Kyoto with my parents when I was a child."

"Does your sister have any relatives in Yuhang?"

"Of course there are," Chen Xueru said, leaning close to Niu Dazhuang's ear and whispering, "Most of the goods in my silk shop come from Yuhang."

Chen Xueru's breath was fragrant, a woman's unique scent wafting into Niu Dazhuang's ears. His ears were still itchy.

This charming little vixen, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? You've got me all excited, and you can't resist.

Thinking that Xu Huizhen should be back soon, Niu Dazhuang suppressed his desire.

"Sister, are the people over there reliable?"

"You're such a blockhead!" Chen Xueru said coquettishly.

"Wood? Sister needs some? I can bring you a whole cartload when we go back to our hometown in a couple of days." Niu Dazhuang wasn't unwilling, but he was afraid of being schemed against by Xu Huizhen. These two women were both incredibly cunning.

Chen Xueru's possessiveness and controlling nature surpass even Xu Huizhen's. She might have felt good at the time, but what happens afterward? She'll threaten to make you divorce her. What will you do then?

"Ugh! Why are you asking about my family?" Seeing that he was pretending to be clueless, Chen Xueru didn't reveal anything further. Being too forward wouldn't be good, lest he look down on her.

"Yuhang is a land of plenty, so there shouldn't be a shortage of food there!"

"What, you want to get into the grain business? That might have been possible before, but now Yuhang has all become a commune, it's all public-private partnership, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to the public-private partnership."

"Sister, you haven't been going out at night lately, have you?"

"Little brother, what do you mean? Why would I go out tonight?" Chen Xueru was clearly misunderstanding.

"Sister, what are you thinking? I meant you haven't been to the ghost market outside Qianmen at night?"

"Ugh, I thought you thought... never mind, I misunderstood. I've heard there's a ghost market up ahead, but I've never been there. What's wrong?"

"Grain is in high demand at the ghost market. Unfortunately, I have no source of it."

Chen Xueru said worriedly, "Little brother, I remember it was only a few years ago, when they cracked down hard on speculation and profiteering. You might end up in jail. You should just find a stable job!"

Seeing his expression, Chen Xueru knew he hadn't listened, so she continued to persuade him: "Little brother, just a few years ago, several people in Shanghai were executed for speculation and profiteering, and it was all in the newspapers."

"I know that times have changed. Sister, let me analyze this for you and see if it makes sense. If you think what I'm saying doesn't make sense, then I'll give up on this idea."

"Hmm, tell me about it."

"I've also heard about those unscrupulous capitalists you mentioned who were executed in Shanghai. What did they do? They hoarded goods, sold inferior products as superior ones, and even dared to tamper with military supplies. If they weren't executed, who would be?

Given the current situation, the state has completely controlled the means of production; from now on, everything will require ration coupons.

Take urban residents as an example. An adult male only eats 32 jin of staple food per month, and even less oil, only 6 liang (16 liang equals 1 jin).

Nowadays, most families have four or five children, which is clearly not enough to feed everyone. The government must know this too; they can't let everyone starve to death. That's why there are so many ghost markets in the capital now, and the government can only turn a blind eye.

Doing the grain business now is not about hoarding and speculation. No one has the capital to monopolize the grain supply in an entire region.

"If I were to move several tons of grain to Kyoto, it wouldn't even make a ripple. That's also serving the people!"

Chen Xueru didn't know how to refute him for a moment. Then, after thinking for a moment, she said, "Even if what you said makes sense, Yuhang is still too far away."

Even if you manage to collect grain over there, how will you transport it here? If you transport too little, you won't make much money; if you transport too much, you'll definitely need to use trains. Who dares to take that responsibility? The railway isn't your private property!

"Dogs have their ways, cats have theirs. As long as you can help me connect with your connections, I can handle the transportation."

"That won't do. If we catch you, they'll find out everything in a quick investigation."

Seeing her attitude, Niu Dazhuang knew he couldn't persuade her, so he stopped talking about it and changed the subject.

"Sister Qian, when can I bring you the big yellow croaker?"

"Anytime is fine. If you need the money urgently, come to my house tomorrow afternoon and I'll return it to you."