He Zifeng's house in the city was too big. Since there were only a few of them, the house felt empty, so they returned to the village that evening.

Once we arrived in the village, we felt completely at ease.

He Zifeng had just arrived home when Shuanzi came knocking on his door.

I gave him the accounts, and we recently bought almost a thousand catties of grain again. Their grain purchase price is fair. Not only people from the nearby villages, but even people from outside came to ask if they still wanted grain after hearing the news!

Grain loses weight the longer it's stored, so it's best to sell it and get some money to prepare for the winter.

He Zifeng said, "Yes. I need more coarse grains!" He was cooking porridge, making at least a hundred catties a day. And the number of people was increasing. It seemed that even a hundred catties a day wasn't enough, so he needed to collect more grain. The price of coarse grains was two copper coins per catty, so a hundred catties would be worth two taels of silver.

He Zifeng gave him ten taels of silver and asked him to collect five thousand catties of coarse grains, all kinds of coarse grains, so they could mix them together to make porridge.

Then he said, "If you come across any pumpkins when you're collecting grain, take some. Take as many old pumpkins as you can get." He then gave him another five hundred coins.

Pumpkins in the county cost ten coins each, and only weigh a little over six pounds; the price is too high. It's not worth buying them like this.

There are experienced farmers in the village who can grow all kinds of vegetables. A single vine can bear many pumpkins, some of which weigh over ten kilograms.

The price was set at one copper coin for two catties. Pumpkins weren't anything special in the countryside; they were willing to sell to anyone who offered the right price.

Shuanzi said, "Okay."

He Zifeng paid Shuanzi his wages for the past two days, and Shuanzi happily went home.

Fang also went to the village to pack up the baskets she had woven, since her small shed at home had plenty of space. Once she finished, she would put the baskets in the shed, and if she had time, she would sell them at the morning market to earn some money.

Every time He Zifeng offered Fang money, she refused to accept it, as the small amount she earned from selling baskets was enough for her daily needs.

After Fang left, He Zifeng went back to his room with Qiu Yu and even massaged Qiu Yu's shoulders.

Qiu Yu became addicted to running her small business. Many of her customers were repeat customers who ate porridge for breakfast; seeing how generous the ingredients were in their free porridge, she assumed the rest of their food must be good too. Around lunchtime, she was incredibly busy.

Even He Zifeng found this job tiring. The kitchen was a constant scramble of washing and cleaning. There were people chopping, stir-frying, serving, and even the children were helping out.

He Zifeng said, "Why don't we invite a few more people?" Especially in the morning, there are many people queuing for porridge. There are only two queues, which is moving too slowly.

It's all done by one master chef. Chef Zhang has to cook several pots every night so he can just reheat them during the day. Otherwise, he won't be able to cook them all.

Qiu Yu said, "Okay." This time, they just wanted to do good deeds by distributing porridge, but they ended up attracting a lot of people. After accounting for lunch and dinner, they didn't lose any money and even made a small profit.

They want to do business for the long term; they don't want to exhaust their employees all at once.

He Zifeng said, "I'll talk to the village chief."

Qiu Yu said, "Go."

Seeing that he always stayed in the back, He Zifeng said, "You're a manager too, come along."

Qiu Yu is actually quite capable, but when it comes to work, he's there, but when it comes to showing off, he shrinks back.

He was afraid that the villagers would say he wasn't living a stable life.

But He Zifeng knew his abilities. If he didn't go, he would be hiding his true strength!

He Zifeng said, "What others think is not important. Besides, our Ranran is a boy. As his father, you should set an example for him. So what if he's a boy? He can still achieve great things."

After hearing his words, Qiu Yu's cheeks flushed slightly. She said, "Then I'll give it a try."

He Zifeng was very pleased to hear what he had to say.

Ever since He Zifeng became the deputy head constable, he always felt that Qiu Yu had become somewhat self-conscious, and in some occasions when he was introduced, he would always involuntarily hide behind.

They were a young couple, and their affection for each other was incomparable. The idea of ​​distributing porridge this time was Qiu Yu's, and as long as he was happy, He Zifeng would naturally give his full support.

When they arrived in the village, Village Chief Liu had finished dinner and was sitting at his doorstep staring at his pipe.

This year's harvest was good; we set aside enough grain for the whole year, and sold the rest at a good price.

With money in my pocket, I stand tall. I used to smoke cheap, low-quality tobacco that cost two coins a tael. Now I can even crave better tobacco that costs eight coins a tael. One puff, and it's wonderful!

Seeing He Zifeng arrive, he tapped his pipe to the side and said, "What brings you two here? Your auntie made some spicy stir-fried potato slices today. It's nothing special, but have a taste."

He Zifeng said, "We've finished eating."

After the autumn harvest, the villagers liked to gather together to chat and boast. Seeing He Zifeng talking to Village Chief Liu, they couldn't resist listening to what they had to say.

He Zifeng is quite something now, in such a short time. He can already manage several people at the yamen (government office). He's the pride of the whole village.

His and Qiu Yu's demeanor was also nurtured; He Zifeng was majestic, Qiu Yu was gentle, and even their little He Ran was like a sprouting ear of wheat. With both of his fathers being handsome, he grew more and more lovable as he grew up.

Their lives seem to be climbing a ladder to heaven, getting better and better.

He Zifeng said, "We came here this time because we need some manpower. We figured we'd be hiring anyone anyway, so we might as well hire people from our village. It'll cost ten coins a day, and we'll provide two meals." The labor force in the village is cheap, and the cost of living is incomparable to that in the county.

He Zifeng said, "I'll pay for the round-trip oxcart fare."

Village Chief Liu's interest was piqued. "Sure," he said, "everyone's got nothing better to do these days. They've got a little money on their hands, they'd love to gamble it all away. Let them keep busy." Besides, ten coins a day, including meals and transportation, was a tempting offer. His son and daughter-in-law were both unemployed. Rather than wasting their days chatting and boasting with the villagers, they might as well earn some money.

We should also see the world outside; people shouldn't just be frogs in a well.

The village chief of Liuzi Village asked, "How many people do you need?"

He Zifeng said, "Ten people a day." Upon hearing this, Village Chief Liu's mind started to race, and he asked, "Is the number already decided?"

He Zifeng said, "No. So I'd like to ask the village chief to help me find someone who is clean and capable."

The village chief was overjoyed; this was He Zifeng giving him face.

It was obvious everyone would want to come. At this point, it was up to him who to send and who not to send. His prestige as village chief would naturally increase. He Zifeng also had other villagers gather firewood; he ran his shop daily and used a lot of firewood. Those villagers who couldn't get into his shop could earn a little extra money by gathering firewood.

This one business alone is enough to make a lot of money for many people in the village! He Zifeng collects wild mushrooms and vegetables. He also buys radishes and cabbages that keep well in his cellar. This year, with He Zifeng's success, everyone in Chishui Village is doing a little better than before.

He Zifeng said to the village chief, "This was all Qiu Yu's idea."

Village Chief Liu said, "Qiu Yu is so thoughtful. Alright, I'll make the trip for you. I'll definitely find you a good one." He Zifeng set the time and place with Village Chief Liu. Then he would go to the ox-drawn cart driver in the next village and ask for two oxcarts. He would go in the morning and bring them back in the evening.

Qiu Yu walked with He Zifeng.

On the way, Qiu Yu kept stealing glances at He Zifeng. She was very satisfied with his arrangements.

He Zifeng could tell that his wife was looking at him with a hint of happiness, but she couldn't show it. She could only secretly hold his hand when no one was looking. Their son was already four years old, but they still looked like they were when they first got married.

The next day, He Zifeng and his men drove a horse-drawn carriage, going a little faster. Upon arriving at their destination, they hastily set up an open-air stove in the backyard and set up the large iron pot from their home!

A short while later, Qiu Yu called him out. The shop wasn't open yet, but there were already quite a few people waiting outside.

Qiu Yu told him that he was there to arrange for the ten people from Chishui Village.

Village Chief Liu Zi truly put in a lot of effort, finding only the most capable and respected people in the village: four young men and six women. Among them was Village Chief Liu Zi's son.

He Zifeng assigned two of the women to watch over the makeshift stove to cook porridge. Two other women were assigned to help Zhang's wife wash the dishes. The last two women did chopping and other chores.

He Zifeng led the four young men to set up another porridge shed at the entrance. Porridge was served simultaneously from both sides, twice as fast as usual, so they didn't have to wait long. Seven or eight small stools were placed at the entrance. If there wasn't enough room inside, they could eat outside.

The four men with mustaches were put as waiters, while Xiao Chen was in charge of the bookkeeping. Fang and Qiu Yu served porridge on one side, while the two waiters, Xiao Bing and Da Bao, served porridge on the other side.

Cooking porridge on two stoves at the same time will make things easier for Chef Zhang.

As for Mr. Zhang's three sons, they don't need his help; they can go and have some fun nearby.

The porridge arrived shortly afterward, and everyone quickly gathered around it.

With ten more people helping, the shop was busy yet orderly. Customers didn't have to wait long; they could come and eat as they pleased, and leave as quickly as they wanted. The porridge was never stopped running, and the entire street was filled with its sweet aroma. Besides ordinary people, the queue included the poor, the rich, little beggars, and even quite a few poor scholars. He Zifeng's porridge was plentiful; he cooked as much as needed. The lively atmosphere soon reached even the county magistrate.