Chapter 282 Raising Sheep and Pigs

Cheng Wanwan quickly entered her home.

She saw many merchants sitting in the main room. Some were customers she had met in Nanyang before, who were here to pick up goods. Others were unfamiliar, but they seemed to be there to place orders.

The soap has been on the market for half a month now, and its popularity should be known to many business people.

The house was bustling with activity, the children were all busy, and Wu Huiniang brewed tea and served it to them one cup at a time.

Cheng Zhao was contacting old customers and checking the delivery slips, while Wu Xiaochui was taking the old customers to pick up their goods.

Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu were talking to a new client. Both of them were honest and simple-minded rural lads who weren't good with words, making the process very difficult.

Zhao Ergou rushed in and took over the job. He chatted with everyone with ease, mainly confirming the order quantity and pickup time. Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu breathed a sigh of relief. They could handle any amount of work, but talking to these rich people from the city was really exhausting...

Cheng Wanwan looked slightly worried.

She has four sons, but only the second son is allowed to receive visitors; the other three are not.

After the restaurant opens, the second son will definitely focus his main energy on the restaurant for the first period of time. After that, when customers come to the house, she will be the only one who can receive them... One or two people a day is fine, but if a dozen or so customers come at once, she will go crazy.

She is in charge of everything at home, while the second son is like a general manager, capable of doing everything, but lacking someone specifically to handle clients.

It seems she needs to work hard to find and cultivate someone from among the existing employees, which would make her life much easier.

Although Cheng Wanwan had many thoughts in her mind, she didn't slow down at all.

She walked into the main room with a smile on her lips, and the seated merchants immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Madam Sui."

Most of them came after hearing the news that Sui Ruren from Ping'an County produces soap, which is selling like hotcakes in Nanyang and Huzhou. They are not far from Ping'an County, so they agreed to come together to try their luck. If they are lucky enough to get the goods, they will definitely make a fortune.

"Please don't be shy, everyone, have a seat." Cheng Wanwan smiled and sat in the main seat. "Guests are welcome to order soap, but the pickup time is already more than a month in advance. If you're okay with that, you can pay a deposit here..."

Everyone was overjoyed.

This soap was a rare item, and they thought they would have to go through a lot of persuasion to qualify for an order, but they didn't expect it to be so easy.

It's not even Chinese New Year yet, and they can make a profit before the holiday. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation.

Everyone hurriedly went to line up with Zhao Ergou.

Just then, a person walked in through the doorway of the main room: "Sister-in-law Zhao, you're finally back. I need to discuss something with you."

As soon as he entered, he was stunned. "Huh, Manager Zhou is here, Manager Tong is here too, and the owner of Li's Trading Company is here as well... Sister-in-law Zhao's house is really lively."

The visitor was Manager Yan from Ping'an County. His family's teahouse had been open in Ping'an County for decades, so he naturally knew many people and could call most of the people present by name.

The others also greeted him.

"Why is Manager Yan in Dahe Village?"

"I heard that the Yan family's shop has been sold, and Manager Yan has gone into other businesses. Is that true?"

"I heard that Manager Yan lost all the money he used to sell the shop to start a business, and that his daughter-in-law ran back to her parents' home."

"Nonsense!" Manager Yan snorted. "I may not be good at business, but I won't squander all the money I have left. I've bought land in Dahe Village, and I'll stop doing business and focus on farming. We're all scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, and being a farmer is much more comfortable than being a merchant."

Everyone was extremely curious. Although farmers had a slightly higher social status than merchants, people still preferred to do business.

Because doing business can make money, and with that money you can buy food, which is much easier than farming.

Several people who were acquainted with Manager Yan started chatting with him, and Manager Yan answered all their questions without reservation.

Cheng Wanwan held her teacup, her mind slightly stirred.

She observed Manager Yan discreetly. Perhaps because he no longer did business, he had lost that sense of gain and loss. He was very comfortable in conversation, sometimes pulling one person aside to talk about business, sometimes chatting with another about farming, rambling on and on, and mingling with everyone.

Soon, Zhao Ergou finished registering, the customers gradually dispersed, and the main room became quiet.

Manager Yan then got down to business: "Sister-in-law Zhao, I heard from the village head that you need fresh goat milk every day. How much do you use each day?"

Cheng Wanwan smiled and asked, "What does Manager Yan want?"

"Didn't I buy two hundred acres of land? The village head said that even if our whole family worked together, we couldn't manage to cultivate and tend to all that land. So I thought I'd try raising sheep," Manager Yan coughed and said. "Sister-in-law Zhao, how many do you think would be appropriate for me?"

Some wealthy families in the city would buy goat milk, but the amount they used was too small and unstable; if they couldn't sell it, they would be doomed.

So he planned to raise as much as Sister-in-law Zhao needed, making sure he didn't lose money.

Cheng Wanwan's family has one adult sheep and two lambs. In order to help the lambs grow up healthily, she specifically read books on the subject.

From a modern, economical perspective, 200 acres of land could support at least close to 1,000 sheep. However, pasture grass in that era did not grow as well as it does today, and there was no good fertilizer. It would be considered quite good if 200 acres of land could support 400 to 500 sheep.

Sheep can be bred at six months old, and their milk production period lasts about eight months. Such a large quantity is beyond the capacity of her soap factory. Fresh goat milk can only be stored for one day, and it's not practical to transport it elsewhere to sell, unless it's used to make desserts. However, her family simply doesn't have the manpower to handle that.

She carefully considered her words and said, "How about this: we keep forty acres to grow some grains and vegetables, use one hundred acres to raise sheep (about three hundred sheep), and use the remaining forty acres to raise pigs. We'll start with a small number and gradually increase the number as we gain experience."

Recently, the workshop's production has increased, and the demand for lard has also increased daily. She has been buying up all the lard from the fat pigs in several nearby counties, towns, and villages, causing the price to fluctuate slightly... What she is doing is easy to be criticized. It's not easy for ordinary people to eat pork, and she's buying it all to make lard. In Old Mrs. Zhao's words, it's a waste of good things...

If the village could supply lard, we wouldn't have to go through the trouble of buying it from all over the place anymore.

“Sheep graze on their own and don’t need special care. Raising pigs might be a bit more troublesome, but once you get the hang of it, one person can manage thirty or forty pigs without any problem.” Cheng Wanwan quickly did the math. “Lambs and piglets are about the same price, so the initial investment will be around two hundred taels of silver. However, the pigs can be raised in staggered phases. Next spring, we’ll raise a little over a hundred, and then another two hundred in the fall…”

Manager Yan listened blankly; these things were like a foreign language to him, and he struggled to remember some of the key points.

He asked hesitantly, "Sister-in-law Zhao, how do you know so much?"

Cheng Wanwan coughed. Anyone can talk the talk, but if she were actually asked to raise so many pigs and sheep in practice, she would have a hard time.

“My family raises a few sheep, and I can share some experience with you later. As for raising pigs, many elderly people in the village know how, so don’t worry about it, Manager Yan. As for sales, you don’t need to worry about that either. As long as my workshop is open, I will buy your goat milk and pigs regularly.” Cheng Wanwan took a sip of tea and slowly began to speak. “Manager Yan has three sons, so raising pigs and sheep can be left to his sons and daughters-in-law. Would you like to do some other work, Manager Yan?”