Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Disaster

April came in a flash, and business at the city stalls was noticeably depressed.

There are no major festivals this month, and people in the countryside are busy with spring plowing, so business is not as good as at the end of the year.

The novelty of the opening wore off, and business gradually got back on track and became dull.

Although the city has a large population, there are still only a few families who can afford to eat meat on the table every day. Most of the people are ordinary people who earn a little money every month and live a tight life.

Outside of festivals, fewer people buy meat. In the city, there are both butcher shops and meat stalls, so the businesses that can be concentrated in one place are even more isolated.

However, it is not just the Fan family's shop that is like this. Business on the whole street is not as good as during the New Year holidays. Everything has its ups and downs.

As usual, Kang He and Fan Jing came to the city early in the morning to open their shop. The morning market was usually very busy, but these days one person could handle it all.

In a good day, I can sell 50 to 60 kilograms of pork, and in a bad day, I can sell as little as 30 kilograms.

Other shops have regular customers during the off-season, but Kang He and Fan Jing have only opened their shop for a short time, so they don’t have as many regular customers as those old shops. However, Kang He is good at speaking, so his business is not too bad.

When they slaughter pigs now, if they buy a lean pig weighing less than 150 kilograms, they will slaughter one every two days. If they buy a fat pig weighing more than 150 kilograms, they will slaughter one every three days.

As the weather gets warmer, meat doesn't keep as long as it did at the beginning of the year. In early June and July, butchers have to pick out the lean pigs to buy, because if they can't sell all the fat pigs, they will have to keep the meat.

"Madam, what kind of meat would you like to choose? We just slaughtered the pig yesterday, and all the meat is available today."

Kang He went into the house to boil a pot of tea. When he came out, he saw a woman in yellow clothes coming to the stall. She had a silver comb in her hair bun and it was obvious that she was not from a poor family.

But she was not decisive in choosing the meat. She went back and forth, looking at all the meat on the stall, but she couldn't make up her mind to buy anything.

Fan Jing is quite patient. Apart from not chatting with others, he will let you look at it. Even if you look at the meat for half an hour, he won't say a word to you.

There was an old man who was choosing meat in front of a stall. He looked around for a whole incense stick of time and finally picked up the cheapest pig heart and lung.

Who would have thought that after some time, the old man came to their shop again and praised Fan Jing for being patient and not chasing people away. If it were another stall, he would have been impatient and asked people to leave.

Kang He found it a little funny, thinking that although Fan Jing was not popular with the general public, he could always teach some "unique" people to like him.

It was the He family who had previously slaughtered the pig. Ever since sending Doctor Zhu there, He Xiaoqiu would come to see Fan Jing every time she came to the city, giving him goose eggs, mulberries, and loquats from her own fruit trees...

The two of them didn't say much. Who could point to Fan Jing and talk to others at length, except Kang He?

When He Xiaoqiu left, Fan Jing would give him pork, and once he even gave He Xiaoqiu half a rabbit after selling the leftover meat.

Kang He smiled and said that he was making friends.

Then, the woman saw Kang He and said, "There are relatives coming to visit us. My mother-in-law wants to make meat dumplings, stew pork bone soup, and stir-fry pork liver... How can I prepare all these dishes by myself? I'm wondering what to make."

The food she cooked tasted good, but she was slow, which made her mother-in-law unhappy. Usually, there were only a few people in the family, so the food was simple, so she could still manage it.

But when three or two guests came and there were more mouths to feed, and the mother-in-law wanted more dishes, she became annoyed.

I was feeling annoyed when I came to buy things and wanted to make fewer dishes, but after all, I was a young daughter-in-law and I didn't dare to disobey my mother-in-law.

I was torn between two ideas, sometimes wanting to buy and sometimes not, and I couldn't make up my mind. As a result, I spent a lot of time on shopping. Otherwise, why would I be called slow?

Kang He's eyes flashed when he heard this, and he said, "When guests come, we have to prepare a good meal to show respect to the relatives. I have so much good meat here, so fresh, it will taste good with any dish I make."

"I wanted to cook a few more dishes to entertain my relatives, but I can't handle it all by myself. I have to go to the market soon, and by the time I get home, it will be so late. I'm afraid my relatives will be waiting until their stomachs are rumbling, and the food still hasn't been served."

Kang He heard the resentment in the woman's tone. He had served several tables of food before and knew how busy it would be if no one helped prepare the vegetables and meat.

But it was not easy to meet such a big customer, so how could he easily give up? He said, "That's easy. My wife, just choose the meat. After you choose, tell me whether you want it stewed or fried. I will prepare it for you at the stall.

You can take it back from here when you come back from the market. When you get home, you just need to wash it again and add the ingredients before cooking. It will save you a lot of trouble."

After hearing Kang He's words, the woman tilted her head and asked, "I'm making pork bone soup. Can you chop the pork bones into pieces? Can you also slice the pork liver when I stir-fry it?"

Kang He said, "Let's not talk about that. I can also mince the meat for the dumpling filling. I also know some cooking skills and my knife skills are presentable. I won't let my wife lose face in front of the relatives."

The woman thought there was something good going on and asked, "Do you charge extra for cutting the meat and bones?"

Kang He waved his hand: "No, I won't accept it. I just need my wife to tell me what to do."

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately selected four pounds of pork ribs, one square of front leg meat, one piece of pork liver, and two pounds of two-knife meat.

She gave the money to Kang He and said to her, "I'll be back after I go to the vegetable market."

Kang He responded, "If you walk fast, come to my shop and rest for a while. If you walk slowly, it will be just right for you."

The woman agreed and happily went to the vegetable market with her basket.

Fan Jing helped Kang He bring out a new chopping board, and gave him a bone-chopping knife, saying, "Find some work to do."

Kang He worked quickly and chopped the pork ribs into even pieces.

"Business is slow, and we're just sitting here with nothing to do. If I don't help her, how can she buy so much meat?"

"During the off-season, every bit of business we can get counts."

Fan Jing didn't really mean to say that he was nosy, he just felt that these things made him too tired.

"Don't worry, it's easy for me to cut the meat."

After saying that, Yiye Pig Liver taught him how to cut it into thin slices.

Fan Jing said nothing more.

After a while, a man passing by in the market saw Kang He sitting in front of the stall cutting meat and came over.

Kang He greeted the man and asked him what he wanted.

The man pointed at the chopping board and asked, "Why are you cutting up so much meat?"

"A lady bought some meat earlier and told me to cut it up. I'm going to clean it up with her now."

The man saw that Kang He cut the meat quickly but the slices were even, which showed that his knife skills were very good.

"How do you charge for cutting meat here?"

Kang He said, "It's free. Just buy meat from us and we'll cut it for you."

"I want half a pound of front leg meat, can you share it with me?"

Kang He replied: "How can there be anything that cannot be cut? No matter how little, I will cut it."

The man watched as Fan Jing cut off about half a pound of front leg meat, paid the bill, and said he was going to South Street to buy a bag of salt.

Kang He told him to go ahead and take the meat when he came back. If he was worried, he could weigh the meat again when he got it.

Only then did the husband leave with peace of mind.

Seeing this, Fan Jing thought that this person was really trying to find a way to attract customers again.

I originally thought that few people would ask me to help with cutting meat, but I didn't expect that there were many "lazy people" in the city. When they saw that the shop could help with cutting meat, they were happy to come.

After this, four or five customers came and asked for their meat to be cut.

Fortunately, Kanghe’s knife skills are really good, and he’s quick with his hands and feet, so even if you have a queue, you don’t have to wait for long.

The customers who came back from shopping and came to pick up the meat were almost all ready.

Fan Jing first checked the cut meat with the customer, then weighed it again. When the weight was right, he packed it and took it away.

Today's business is obviously much better than the previous few days. We sold more than 70 kilograms of pork in a row. With such business in the off-season, we are starting to rush to do business in the opening days.

Both of them were in a good mood when they closed the shop. Only Kang He's wrists were tired. It was the first time for him to cut so much meat, and his wrists were sore.

On the way back, Fan Jing stole some of Fan Dad's medicinal wine and rubbed his wrist with Kang He. The pain went away the next day.

So, after some time, everyone in Douhuifang knew that Fan's pork stall cut meat for him, and he also chopped chickens, ducks and rabbits for people to sell. Many people who wanted to buy meat but were too lazy to do it came to him.

Even some people from outside, after hearing this, stopped going to the pork shop and came to Fan's stall to buy meat.

"My grandson is clamoring for some stir-fried pork shreds. Please chop them up carefully for me, and I'll go for a walk down South Street and come back to get them."

"Why cut it? You buy meat and cut it when you take it home to eat it. There's no reason to cut it at the stall."

"Everything is chopped and cut in the Fan family shop. I'm just teaching you how to cut into strips, not chop it into stuffing. Master Hao, why won't you do that?"

An old woman bought half a cube of meat from Hao the butcher's shop, paid the money and told her what to do before leaving, but Hao the butcher refused to cut it for her.

The old woman was a little unhappy: "I thought I was a regular customer of yours, Master Hao, so I didn't go to Fan's stall to buy meat like those other women, but you still refused to cut the meat for me."

The pot-bellied Master Hao said, "Only a butcher who rents someone else's shop would resort to all sorts of tricks to attract customers. I'm running my own shop, so it's unworthy of me to pay rent to someone else."

"Selling meat is selling meat. I'm not a woman or husband who works around the stove. I can't cut the meat."

The old woman felt offended when she heard this. She spat and asked Butcher Hao to return the money to her. She never came to his house to buy meat again.

Butcher Hao was also arrogant. He said that the old woman was always picky and stingy, only buying two or half a catty of meat, and he was too lazy to serve her.

The two had a quarrel in the shop, and the old woman was so angry that she turned around and went to Fan's shop.

Butcher Hao shouted, "Even if I close this shop, I won't cut meat for anyone! If you don't want to come, don't come anymore!"

When the Mi Family Pork Shop across the street heard the noise, they couldn't help but shake their heads. How could they open their shop for business like that?

It's obvious that they are jealous of the store in front that has good business, but now they are chasing away their own customers.

That day, Kang He used an abacus to calculate his accounts and found that he had earned eight thousand three hundred and twenty coins from the shop in February.

He earned fourteen strings of cash in the whole month of March, and by the middle of April, he had ten strings of cash in his account.

Although the income is only gross profit, after deducting the shop rent and labor costs, there is still an income of eight to ten strings of cash per month.

Of course, this is the income of the entire shop. If it is just pork, it will be two or three strings of money less.

The konjac, tofu and dried goods at home are also sold for money.

Fan Jing sat on the stool and glanced at Kang He. He saw him writing and drawing on paper, and he didn't even use an abacus to calculate. He didn't know what he was calculating.

He ate a pear and looked out the window at the stalls outside.

"Mrs. Qu is here."

After saying that, Fan Jing got up and went to the stall outside.

Kang He was stunned, thinking which old lady Qu was right. She heard someone say outside, "Oh, this is really amazing. Look at how well your pork shop is doing now."

Hearing the sharp voice, Kang He immediately remembered that it was the mother of the lame Cheng Minsheng.

Kang He also put down the pen in his hand and followed him out.

Fan Jing always had a look that was neither warm nor cold. He asked Mrs. Qu, "What kind of meat do you want to buy?"

Mrs. Qu looked at it from left to right, selected a piece of fatty pork front leg meat, and asked the price.

Kang He walked over and answered her, "People from my hometown don't bid. Eighteen coins per square."

Mrs. Qu was amazed when she heard this: "So expensive."

Kang He smiled and said, "Madam Qu, you can ask other places, but they don't offer such a good price. They will ask you for nineteen or twenty coins per square."

Mrs. Qu said, "We are from the same village. Give me fifteen coins and I will buy two catties."

"We have had a stomachache and have been lying down for quite a while. Today, we feel much better and are craving for some meat."

Kang He asked Mrs. Qu why Cheng Minsheng had a stomachache.

"It's all because of that little bastard. He's always trying to seduce us, Dasheng, into doing some dirty work. He's drained our healthy bodies."

Kang He coughed dryly upon hearing this, thinking that Cheng Minsheng got married when he was over 30, and it was so hard for him to find a husband, and he was also handsome. How could he not have a hard time? Who would he need to seduce?

It's just a little more trouble, but it won't be so bad that you can't get up from the bed.

He kindly asked, "Have you gone to see Doctor Zhu?"

Mrs. Qu scratched her face with her index finger, looking ashamed: "How dare you go see a doctor when you're so sick? I don't even have the money to spend on that. I won't let those two sleep together again at night. So, why bother to see a doctor? I'll feel better now."

Kang He advised Mrs. Qu to ask a doctor to come to her house for a checkup. During this season change, there are many cases of stomachaches and fevers. If they are delayed, many serious consequences will be suffered.

Mrs. Qu wouldn't listen to him at all. She didn't say anything more and kept begging him to give her some money.

Kang He shook his head and refused to give her the almost ten copper coins.

Mrs. Qu said sharply, "If we hadn't sold you the land, you wouldn't have had more space to pass by the donkey carts, and you wouldn't have had the good fortune of running a shop and making money today."

"Your words are a bit harsh. According to what you said, if my family had not agreed to buy your land, would you have been able to get the money and be generous?"

Mrs. Qu glared at Kang He and said she would not buy it if he didn't lower the price, and Kang He would not keep her.

Qu left angrily.

Unexpectedly, less than half an hour later, the man returned to the stall with a basket.

She guessed that she had asked somewhere else and found the price to be higher, so she decided that this place was more affordable. With a stern face, she instructed Kang He to wrap the meat for her.

He is very flexible and has the nerve to come back and buy things.

Kang He and Fan Jing didn't take this matter to heart.

About five or six days later, at the end of April, it rained for two days and the weather was still very cold.

Kanghe closed early that day. It was a rainy day and there was not much business. He picked up a basket of leftover pig intestines and said he would go back early to cook them and eat them.

As soon as the two entered the village, they saw several people wearing straw hats and holding paper umbrellas, both men and women, heading towards the north end of the village.

When I got home, I saw Father Fan also coming back from outside wearing a bamboo hat.

"The cripple from the Cheng family is dead."

Father Fan said something to the two of them, frowned, and shook his head.

Kang He and Fan Jing were shocked when they heard this: "How could he be gone alive? A few days ago, his mother went to the store to buy pork, saying she wanted to make it for him to eat."

Father Fan said, "Later in the afternoon, her mother hurried to the Xu family to ask for Doctor Zhu, saying that her son was very unwell. Doctor Zhu rushed over, but the child was already dying. After examination, he said it was tuberculosis."

"Mr. Cheng Minsheng said he had been feeling unwell for a while and it was time to see a doctor, but Mrs. Qu refused to let him go and kept saying things. Now she refuses to admit it and instead blames someone for killing her son."

Kang He frowned and said, "A few days ago, I heard her say that her son had a stomachache, so I advised her to go see Doctor Zhu. But she insisted that it was her husband's fault. It was just a family matter, so I didn't try to persuade her any further. Who would have thought that she would lose her life in vain?"

"That's right. I was just over there, helping that young man with a few words, and Mrs. Qu scolded me for a while."

Father Fan was so embarrassed that he had just left the village. He wanted to go over and see if he could help, but he was scolded by the man. So he didn't want to help the Cheng family anymore and came back on his own.

Kang Hexin said that his father-in-law had become irritable. After the death of the previous Sun family member, he was scolded in the past, but he never acted like this.

Kang He and Fan Jing packed up and went to take a look at Cheng's house.

Everyone in the family was crying bitterly. Mrs. Qu kept blaming this and that. She first cursed the person she bought as a jinx, then she cursed Doctor Zhu for killing the patient with his medicine. But she refused to admit that it was she herself who refused to see a doctor and dragged her son to death due to her illness.

This man offended most of the people who came to pay their respects.

It was the relatives of the Cheng family who came over and persuaded her to go back into the house, and they apologized one by one.

What happened to the Cheng family is also a cause for regret.

Three days later, the funeral was held with the sound of gongs and drums. Kang He and Fan Jing were busy in the city and had no time to attend the funeral.

When Chen went home, she came back with a very strange feeling. At night, she had dinner with her family and told Zhen'er and Qiao'er to tell her if they felt unwell and not to bear it, otherwise it would cause a big disaster.

In the past, when her family was poor, she always talked about wanting to die. But in the past two years, the family has been united and life has improved. She no longer says such things. In her heart, she only hopes that her family will be healthy and live long.

Kang He also felt that what Chen Sanfang said was not wrong, so he went back to the room and told Fan Jing about it.

This person is the one who is most reluctant to talk about his illness or pain. If you ask him for treatment, even if the injury is minor, he will think the treatment is pretentious.

He must have a strong body and a strong life, otherwise he wouldn't be alive and well today.