Chapter 86 - Buying a Stone Mill in Two Combinations (A minor change...)

Chai Jiao glanced at Guo Jixiang, who then continued, "It's good for you to gain experience. Did you sign a contract with Madam Lin?"

“It’s signed,” Chai Xingyu said, “but that’s our secret.”

Chai Jiao rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't even know someone sold you out, and you call that a secret?"

Chai Xingyu said, "Whether I've been sold or not, we'll find out by seeing whether I make a profit or a loss."

After Chai Xingyu left, the three fell silent.

Chai Jiao spoke first: "Are we just going to let him run wild like this?"

Guo Jixiang sighed softly. Even if he lost money, he wouldn't lose much. Besides, he hadn't asked them for the money yet, and he was using his own money. It would be better if he made a profit, but if he lost money, they could go talk to Lin Chuntao again.

"Forget it, let him do whatever he wants."

Since Guo Jixiang said so, Chai Jiao decided to ignore it.

After going to bed that night, Chai Songchuan complained to Guo Jixiang. Guo Jixiang thought about the attitude of Chai Laosan's family. She knew perfectly well that the second and third branches of the family actually hoped that Chai Xingyu would not take over the soy sauce factory.

Chai Xingyu doesn't really want to manage the soy sauce factory now, but he's interested in business, so it's good for him to gain experience. Even if the soy sauce factory falls into the hands of the second or third branch of the family in the future, Chai Xingyu will still have a way to make a living.

She pondered for a moment and said to Chai Songchuan, "This is a good thing. Let Ayu go and gain some experience. If he really succeeds, won't the money flow into our family?"

Chai Song said, "I'm afraid your son will work for that Lin guy for nothing."

"We'll see in a while. Go to sleep."

The night was deep, the sky was dotted with stars, and a half-moon hung high above the rooftops.

Lin Chuntao and Pei Yinggang had just lain down but were not yet asleep.

"Let's go to the village head tomorrow afternoon to redraw the building plot. Once it's confirmed, I'll go find a craftsman the day after tomorrow. We need to hurry up and build the house."

Lin Chuntao agreed. The courtyard was small and the house was cramped. She needed a spacious place to make a lot of sauce. Now that this matter was settled, it would be easier to plan what kind of house to build. People would live in the front yard, and sauce would be made in the back yard. Livestock would be arranged on the side, and a wall would be built in the middle to separate them.

She shared her idea with Pei Ying, and Pei Ying thought about it and agreed that the layout was acceptable.

The next day, Lin Chuntao got up early. She had borrowed a mule cart from Aunt Guizhi the night before, thinking that she would go ahead to bring the little mule over to feed it hay and water, and then take it to the county town after it was full.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived, Aunt Guizhi had already gotten up, and the little mule had almost finished eating.

Yesterday, Aunt Guizhi specifically asked them when they were leaving. She thought they were getting up to open the door, but it turned out they were getting up to feed the mules.

"Thank you so much, Auntie. You got up so early to prepare this for us. I was even saying I'd take it over to feed it before taking it to the county town."

Lin Chuntao thanked her, and Aunt Guizhi patted her arm: "You don't need to be so polite with me. We have all the hay and feed it needs here. Just give it to me for a moment."

"It's almost full now, and it's had water too. We can just sign the form and go."

Lin Chuntao nodded.

"I have a lot to buy today, including two stone mills, so I might be back a little late."

Aunt Guizhi glanced at Lin Chunxing and Pei Ying beside her. One had to work at the butcher shop, and the other had to watch the noodle stall. "Can you manage to go buy it by yourself?"

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'll go buy the lighter items first, and we'll go buy the stone mill with Pei Ying."

"Be careful when moving heavy things."

Lin Chuntao nodded, "I know."

The system was quiet today, so there was no need to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms. Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying went directly to the county town.

The vendors at the market all arrived early. When the woman selling buckets came, Lin Chuntao was already waiting in front of her stall.

"Oh my, Mrs. Rice Noodles, what brings you here so early?"

Lin Chuntao chuckled upon hearing this; the nickname was truly...

"Shopkeeper, I've come to ask if you have any large wooden basins or buckets?"

How big do you want?

Lin Chuntao gestured with her hand, "Do you have any this big?"

The woman glanced at her and smiled, "Yes."

Lin Chuntao's face lit up with joy. She had never seen the woman display such items before; usually, only small and medium-sized ones were displayed.

"Then I need two large wooden basins and two wooden buckets. How much is each? I'm buying a lot, so you have to give me a discount."

After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, the woman's expression froze, and she twitched the corner of her mouth: "We do have two wooden basins, but there's only one large wooden bucket. If you want it, the other one will have to be made on the spot."

"How many days will it take to make it right now?" Lin Chuntao asked.

The woman said, "If you need it urgently, I'll rush it for you; it'll be done in five days."

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. She needed two more large steamers, and luckily she had some here. She bent down, picked one up, and looked at it. It was made of wood and had some weight. Looking at the inner wall, she saw raised dots, indicating that it could be divided into several layers. She smiled and said, "This steamer is suitable for steaming buns and mantou."

The woman laughed and said, "This steamer is big. If you're using it at home, you can buy a smaller one. But if you're steaming buns to sell, why don't you just buy a steamer basket?"

Lin Chuntao hissed coldly. She had been thinking of buying a steamer to steam the beans, and she would have needed to buy two... Wouldn't it be more convenient to buy a bamboo steamer instead?

She was also confused, and looked at the steamer next to her with a smile: "What's the price of this steamer and the pot?"

The woman said, "The large steamer is thirty-eight yuan, the bamboo steamer is cheaper, it depends on how many layers you want." She paused and asked, "Are you going to steam buns to sell?"

Lin Chuntao shook her head: "Not for sale, I'll buy it to steam beans."

Upon hearing this, the woman said, "Then it's more convenient for you to buy a steamer. If something happens at home, you can steam several dishes together and they'll be ready quickly."

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Chuntao decided to buy a steamer.

She then inquired about the price: 55 coins for a six-tiered steamer. After confirming the price of the steamer, she asked about the wooden bucket and basin.

The woman laughed and said, "I'll charge you seventy coins for the two wooden basins, and fifty-five for this wooden bucket."

The woman quoted a price, and Lin Chuntao hissed coldly, "Shopkeeper, I'm buying so much, can you give me a discount?"

The woman said, "Those two water buckets with a carrying pole cost over thirty yuan. These wooden buckets are big, but they're not easy to make, and they're even more difficult to make. Our basins and buckets don't leak, so you can buy them with peace of mind, madam!"

Lin Chuntao still needs to buy two water buckets. The wooden basin costs seventy, and the wooden bucket costs one hundred and eleven. Adding the water bucket and steamer, it will be almost three hundred coins. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I bought water buckets from your store before. They are of good quality, so I came back. Can you give me a discount? I'll order another wooden bucket and two more water buckets."

"Since my wife has said so, I'll just call you a fool."

"Two hundred and twenty." Lin Chuntao countered, and the woman paused for a moment, then sighed, "Wife, we only earn a few coins a day through hard work. You can't buy this for us."

As she spoke, she observed Lin Chuntao's expression and saw that she was smiling and ready to offer this price. It was the first order of the morning, and the large wooden basin was too big, so few people bought it. She was buying two at once, so she figured she wouldn't lose out.

"Two hundred and fifty, I'll give you a ten-cent discount, you can add some too."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Auntie, it's only two hundred and twenty. If you like it, I'll come back to buy more from you in a while."

The woman sighed softly and smiled, "I'll sell you the first one today." The woman thought that Lin Chuntao might need to buy more things in a while, so she smiled and went into the house behind her. After a while, she brought down the wooden basin and bucket from the upper floor of that house.

The wooden basin was very large, and Lin Chuntao thought it was perfect for soaking beans and chili peppers. The wooden bucket was also suitable for holding water.

The shopkeeper helped pack several items into the wooden bucket, like nesting dolls.

Lin Chuntao said, "I'll pay half the price for the custom-made one first. Call me when it's finished."

Everyone was on the same street, and the woman nodded. "Okay."

As she was about to pay, the woman looked at Lin Chuntao and smiled, "Madam, why don't you take a look at our wooden spoon? It has a long handle and works very well."

Inspired by the woman's invitation, Lin Chuntao actually bought two long-handled wooden spoons.

After buying the wooden buckets and other utensils, Lin Chuntao went to look at the soy sauce jars. She wasn't in a hurry to use them today, thinking she could buy them tomorrow or the day after.

She then looked at the stone mill. The shopkeeper and the waiter in the stone mill were all men. Lin Chuntao originally thought that if she bought it, she wouldn't be able to move it without help. But to her surprise, the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Don't worry, madam. If you like it, just buy it. The journey won't take more than an hour and a half. We can deliver it to your door."

Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow slightly: "You'll send one plate too?"

The shopkeeper replied, "Yes, one plate will be included."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Your service awareness is quite good."

How much is one plate?

The shopkeeper asked, "What will you use it for, madam? This is a small one for hand-push use, it's cheaper, three hundred coins a roll. This larger one can be pushed by a person or pulled by a mule, it's a bit more expensive, six hundred coins a roll." As he spoke, the shopkeeper turned his head and pointed to the large stone mill in the corner, he said, "That one will cost one thousand three hundred coins."

Lin Chuntao glanced at the large stone mill; she probably wouldn't need it.

Looking at the two in front of her, she had never used a stone mill before. She bent down and examined them carefully. The stripes and engravings were very neat.

"Shopkeeper, is there a big difference between the two things that come out of this grinder?"

The shopkeeper said, "There's not much difference. If you're making it dry, the larger one will be finer." Then he added, "If you're just grinding some millet or cornmeal for yourself, then a small plate will be enough for you, my wife."

After thinking for a moment, Lin Chuntao decided to buy the bigger one. Once the house was built and she had more money, she could buy two more mules to save some effort.

"I'll take two of these, shopkeeper, give me a discount."

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'll give you a discount of ten coins on that plate, madam."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao smiled and tried to negotiate a lower price.

"Shopkeeper, give me a discount. Two plates for one string of cash and fifty coins."

The shopkeeper's pupils changed drastically as he looked at Lin Chuntao and said, "Madam, you're really something. This is the first time I've ever seen such a shocking bargain. It wasn't easy for me to make this millstone. The shop rent and the stonemason's wages—I'm already losing money at this price."

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I sincerely want it, so please give me a fair price, shopkeeper."

After Lin Chuntao spoke up, the shopkeeper gave her a discount of ten coins. After haggling for a long time, the final price was five hundred and fifty coins. Lin Chuntao paid the money and took the deed. The man in the shop then brought over a mule cart and carried both stone mills onto it.

Since they were offering to deliver it, Lin Chuntao didn't delay any longer. After telling Pei Ying and Lin Chunxing, she pulled the mule cart and led the people who delivered the millstone home.

The man delivering the millstone knew Shuangzi Village. His mule was rather lively and couldn't stand still, so it walked in front. Guizhi's mule was much more docile and followed slowly behind.

She sat on the slow-moving mule cart, opened the control panel, entered the living area, and exchanged for two large iron pots, as well as several kilograms of chili pepper seeds and bitter vegetable seeds.

I'll take some of these to my uncle's house when I have some free time, so they can plant some in their fields when they're not busy. She can harvest them and they can make some money too.

Lin Chuntao didn't withdraw the chili peppers. Lin Jiahui hadn't bought enough, and dried chili peppers were quite expensive in the county town. After thinking for a while, she decided to take out fifty jin of dried chili peppers from the package.

These things show no signs of age. She forgot to buy gauze earlier and wanted to exchange them directly, but she was afraid that what she got would be very different from what was here, and she wouldn't be able to explain it.

Just as I was thinking this, the system's voice came from my mind: "Host, don't worry. After you accumulate more than 20,000 points, you will level up, and the items you exchange will automatically be compatible with this era."

Lin Chuntao hissed coldly.

"Why didn't you tell me about something this big sooner?"

System: "The upgrade happened in the middle of the night, and the host was sleeping."

Lin Chuntao: "..."

What she really wanted to say was that it was such a big deal, and it wouldn't be a problem to wake her up and talk about it; she could easily stay awake.

Now that this concern was gone, Lin Chuntao quickly exchanged gauze, a set of writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, two sickles and a kitchen knife from the system.

After taking it out of her backpack, she quickly glanced at the wooden bucket. The two irons lay quietly inside, along with some vegetable seeds, gauze, a dark blue notebook, a fine brush, an antique inkstone, and a box of ink.

Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. These things looked as if she had just bought them from the shop.

At home at this time.

Lin Jiahui came to Lin Chunhe to get the money and prepared to go visiting villages.

He had only been gone a short while when Sun, along with her second daughter-in-law Hu and third daughter-in-law Deng, went to call Aunt Guizhi, and the group came over together.

Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er had just finished breakfast. Four braised eggs had been left over from the morning, and the two sisters each ate two. Lin Chunhe also made a buckwheat pancake and made a cup of honey water, which the two sisters happily ate.

Seeing them come in, the two sisters greeted them with smiles.

Lin Chuntao had already given instructions on everything: picking out pebbles and spoiled beans, removing the stems from the chili peppers. Lin Chuntao had already prepared the winnowing baskets and other tools as soon as they arrived. Now that they were here, Lin Chunhe brought out chairs, and everyone took a winnowing basket, emptied their things, and sat down to start working.

Lin Chunhe picked some potatoes and started cooking them. Lin Duo'er went to chop up the pig feed for today and set it aside. She then took a sickle and a basket on her back to cut pig feed. Lin Chunhe watched the fire cook the potatoes and let the chickens out to find food.

After finishing her chores, she brought a winnowing basket, put some beans in it, and then brought a stool to sit with them and work together.

Lin Chuntao was in charge, Lin Chunxing also set up her own stall, Lin Duo'er was sweet-talking, and among the four sisters, Lin Chunhe was the only one who didn't stand out and didn't leave much of an impression.

It was only after seeing this today that they realized that Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing were busy outside, and Lin Chunhe mainly took care of things at home.

She was only two or three years older than Lin Duo'er, but she seemed much more mature.

As Lin Chunhe picked up the beans herself, she looked at what the others had picked up. Apart from pebbles and dirt, they were reluctant to throw away beans that were shriveled up or half-rotten.

Lin Chunhe noticed that Hu Shi had left behind half of the rotten beans, so she said directly, "Second Aunt, we can't leave the ones like the ones from before. My sister said that leaving them in there will affect the good beans and waste even more, so we have to pick them out."

Sun, Aunt Guizhi, and Deng all peeked out to get a sense of what was going on.

Mrs. Hu smiled and agreed, then picked up the ones she had just picked up again.

As they approached the village, the man who delivered the stone mill didn't know which way to go, so he waited at the crossroads for Lin Chuntao to come forward.

As soon as she entered the village, she encountered many villagers. Seeing the large wooden basins and buckets on her mule cart, they all asked, "Chuntao, why did you buy so many basins and buckets? What are they for?"

Lin Chuntao looked at the person who spoke and replied with a smile, "Making sauce, Auntie."

"Making sauce? How much are you making? You're using such big basins and buckets."

"There's a lot to do."

As Lin Chuntao spoke, she walked over. The people had already arrived, and they were still exclaiming in surprise about how many there were. Just as she finished speaking, the people who delivered the stone mill arrived in front of them.

The man who delivered the stone mill was a stranger. They hissed and muttered, "Did she buy this stone mill too?"

The man delivering the stone mill replied, "Yes, the lady in front bought it. You can buy a stone mill from our stone mill shop and have it delivered to your home. Aunties, please go to He's Stone Mill Shop whenever you need one."

"She bought both of them?"

The man replied, "Yes."

"Wow~ How much would that cost?!"

"This costs 600 coins a plate in our shop, but if you buy more, we can give you a discount."

The villagers didn't hear the last two sentences at all; they only heard the first sentence: "One plate costs six hundred coins, two plates would be one thousand two hundred coins!"

And that cart of things in front of her, it must have cost several hundred coins, right?

"Have Chun Tao and the others struck it rich?"

Where did you get so much money?

"What do those sisters sell at their stall in the county town again?"

The group of people were all talking amongst themselves, and a sense of unease was rising in their hearts.

One man laughed and said, "What kind of business is this? It's so profitable! I want to do it too."

The woman next to them laughed and said, "What can you do? I heard they sell noodle soup. Can you cook? Why don't you go and cook?"

The adults were just talking, but the children stared intently at the two stone mills. There weren't any in the village, and they just wanted to come and see for themselves.

But with the adults around, I had no choice but to give up.

When Lin Chuntao returned home, they were working in the yard. They had already processed quite a lot of dried chili peppers and soybeans. Lin Chuntao greeted them at the door, and the group came over to help her with the wooden basins and buckets.

After she finished unloading the things from her mule cart, she called the man to bring in the stone mill.

The man was somewhat surprised to see the dilapidated courtyard. Lin Chuntao had paid for the stone mill readily, so he thought the family had some money, but he didn't expect it to be like this.

The house was too cramped to fit them all, so the two stone mills were placed in the yard.

The man entered the courtyard and saw that it was all flat ground. He said, "Wife, let me move it in and put it here for you first. Later, you can get some stones to build it up a bit higher, and then find a few people to carry the millstone up and put it on a stable surface, and then it will be ready to use."

Lin Chuntao asked him to help move it to the side of the stove.

After placing the millstone, the man checked that everything was there and then drove off with his mule cart.

Sun and Aunt Guizhi looked at the brand-new stone mill with curiosity. Just yesterday, Lin Chuntao was saying that she wanted to pound beans and chili peppers. Now that's not necessary, they don't need to pound them anymore.

"Chuntao, did you buy this stone mill to grind beans and chili peppers?" Sun asked. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, Grandma. I thought pounding would be a bit slow and laborious, so I bought two millstones to use first."