"The total profit is nine hundred and sixty-five taels. The wages are twenty-five taels. Forty taels are used for bonuses, leaving one hundred taels for costs. The remaining eight hundred taels are for the Zhang family, one hundred and sixty taels, the Qiao family, and Sun Ada, three hundred and twenty taels each. What do you think, Am?"
As soon as Miao Wan finished speaking, everyone's faces showed joy. There was no need to ask any questions. They all nodded.
Although we were busy for so long before the New Year and basically didn't get any money, it has been just over two months since the New Year and the family has some extra money again.
Especially Madam Zhang, she was very satisfied with more than one hundred taels.
At least in a few days, I can send Donkey Egg, Dog Egg and five-year-old Tiezhu to the private school. The tuition and writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone will be enough. I can also buy some new cloth to make long gowns for the children to wear to school.
Only Sun was concerned, "Awan, how do we divide the bonus?"
There are fifteen people working in the restaurant, including Zhang Erzhuang who helps out when he has nothing to do. So the wages of this waiter, the shopkeeper, and the chef must be different, right?
One is her own man, one is her own Ada, and the other is her younger brother who has been doing it for almost a month. Sun cares more about him than anyone else.
Miao Wan showed her signature dimples and winked at her mother-in-law.
Geng understood and stood up. "I think Taotao should be awake by now. If we don't go back now, she'll cry. Why don't we have Awan and her father think through the rules and make an agreement with the employees. Tell them to work hard and they'll definitely get their pay."
Zhang Sanzhuang's bad premonition deepened. Was Awan going to the restaurant in person?
He wasn't afraid of Miao Wan going to see how they worked, but he was worried that if Miao Wan felt that he didn't do a good job, she would fine him... It would hurt both physically and mentally.
After Geng finished speaking, Miao Wan also felt something was wrong with her chest and quickly stood up. "We've been busy for a month. Why don't we take a day off tomorrow and let the guys relax."
After saying this, she looked at Geng and said, "It just so happens that mother has some free time these days. We can go to the human traffickers and pick out a few more women. At least that will make things easier for the guys."
No one has any objections.
From working hard for a year to save a dozen or at most dozens of taels of silver, to now being able to open a shop at home, the Zhang family and even Sun Laohuo are already satisfied.
As long as they can make money, no matter how much they earn, they just listen to Miao Wan. If they work harder, it will be better than anything else.
But Miao Wan didn't think so. If making a little money was enough, the Qiao family would have earned around 1,000 taels of silver before the New Year. Why would they bother to open a shop?
She wanted to build a big house for Taotao so that Taotao could have a better living environment and the whole family could live a comfortable life.
Of course, as a genuine Northwestern girl, she also wants to help her fellow villagers live a better life.
Nowadays, there are still many people who are not well fed and clothed. Who knows how many people will freeze to death in the next winter. She has not seen it, but she knows that in the bitter cold of the northwest, there will definitely be many people who starve to death.
At the very least, she wanted to repair the road leading to her home so that her business could provide many people with enough food to eat.
In the future, during festivals and holidays, in addition to dragon dancing, fireworks and lantern festivals will also become lively in the northwest.
In the long run, if the Qiao family is rehabilitated and can return to Beijing, in addition to the house awarded by the old saint, they will have money and will be more powerful, and can continue to live a comfortable life.
To be honest, the silver she had left was actually less than one thousand taels. Qiao Ruichen sometimes needed the silver to run around for his family. When Taotao was born and she was in confinement, Geng also bought her a lot of supplements.
I also need to buy a mule cart and build a house, so it would be good if I could have about 500 taels of silver left.
This amount of money may seem like a lot to ordinary people, but it may not be enough for the big things that Qiao Shengwen and his son want to do.
Therefore, Miao Wan has always had a strong sense of urgency.
If a money-maker doesn’t have a five-digit deposit, can he still be called a money-maker?
When we got home, Taotao had indeed woken up. However, Aunt Geng held her in her arms and rocked her. She just turned her head left and right, but didn't cry.
As soon as Miao Wan approached, Taotao smelled a familiar scent and immediately started crying. With his little hands wrapped in the swaddling clothes, he stretched out his neck, which was still unable to stand up, and rubbed it against his mother's chest.
Sun Yaozu's face turned red and he quickly lowered his head and ran to the main room.
Miao Wan called out to him, "Yaozu, wait for me a moment. After I feed Taotao, I have something to ask you."
Geng advised her, "Don't you need to rest? You can still ask tomorrow."
"It's better to tell me earlier so I can feel more at ease." Miao Wan felt that if she didn't ask clearly, she would not be able to sleep well at night.
Who knew that Taotao might not have smelled his mother's scent for a while, so he clung to his food bag and refused to let go. As soon as he was put down, he started to whine and started to cry, even though he didn't wake up.
There’s no way, I can only tell you the next day.
After thinking about it all night, Sun Yaozu no longer hesitated like last night and pushed the book of daily income and expenditure in front of Miao Wan.
"Sister Wan, my second brother-in-law's accounts were a mess before I went there. After I sorted them out, I found that there was something wrong with the expenses. The seasonings purchased and the prices were correct, but the quantities taken back were wrong. There were even cases where inferior seasonings were passed off as good ones."
These are what Sun Laohuo whispered to him in private.
Sun Yaozu has a gentle personality and doesn't like to talk much, but he is very thoughtful.
Most of the time he was quietly watching in the restaurant and noticed that two of the waiters always had sad faces, which seemed a little strange, so he mentioned this as well.
Geng frowned first, "Is there something wrong with the guy?"
Zhang Sanzhuang is in charge of buying things and paying for them. As the shopkeeper, he can't get everything himself, so there must be times when his assistants have to run errands for him.
She was very sure when choosing people. She chose honest guys to work with. She believed that she had some vision in judging people, and she didn't expect that there would be any problems.
"Don't worry, mother. The guys may not dare to deceive their subordinates and hide the truth from their superiors. They are under a death contract. What are they trying to gain?" Miao Wan comforted Geng.
Qiao Shengwen said gently, "That's not necessarily true. If something went wrong when they went out, it's not impossible that they were coerced to avoid being sold out by the master."
Throughout history, haven't servants of death pacts betrayed their masters often? Even if their initial motivation wasn't to betray them.
Miao Wan puffed out her cheeks. Even if someone outside was plotting against her, how could she still do this?
"How about I go to the restaurant? Dad, you..." Miao Wan stopped mid-sentence, "Do you know when my husband will be back?"
It’s not that she doesn’t want to ask her father-in-law to accompany her to the restaurant, but when it comes to taking advantage of the power of others, her father-in-law is an old fox and she can’t bully him.
Qiao Bailao, the baby’s mother needs you!
"Wow! Brother Zicheng has great swordsmanship!"
Qiao Ruichen, who was being talked about by his wife, was killing the enemy at the border fifty miles away from Xiping County.
The centurion who was out on patrol with him patted Qiao Ruichen on the shoulder and praised him, "Thank you, Brother Zicheng. If it weren't for you, I might have had my arm cut in half. This damn Xiban person is really good at hiding."
Qiao Ruichen smiled gently and put away the bloody knife. "It was just luck. In terms of experience in killing enemies, Brother Chen must be more experienced. Only you can find where the enemy is."
That’s true.
Brother Chen said with a smug smile, "We have connections. These bandits are in dire straits after the winter, so we can trace them when they come out to plunder and where they want to commit crimes."
Qiao Ruichen's eyes flashed, he smiled but said nothing.
The bandits' actions can be traced, and unless they have spies stationed in Xifan, it is more likely that they are in collusion.
"Let's go, there won't be many people here after noon. Let's go to the Hehuang Valley. There is a hot spring there and some beans should be ripe. The bandits might go there, so let's go and take a look." Captain Chen patted Qiao Ruichen and winked.
"If they haven't gone, we can buy some beans and roast them to eat and warm our hands."
Qiao Ruichen also thought of his wife. He had heard Miao Wan talk about wanting soybeans more than once. Unfortunately, the Zhang family had no livestock other than pigs, and they didn't store any beans.
It was five days later when he returned to Xining Town with two bags of soybeans.
As soon as the weather gets warmer, the little guy Taotao becomes wild and doesn't like to lie in the house all the time. As long as he is full and not asleep, he will look outside and shout.
Geng felt sorry for her granddaughter and made several sets of beautiful clothes for Taotao so that she wouldn't have to keep her in swaddling clothes when it wasn't so cold.
After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cleaned Taotao, they changed her into a small floral jacket.
If Taotao could not tie his hair into pigtails now, he would be plump and fair with delicate features after his fur was shed. He would look like a Northeastern New Year doll in later generations.
Miao Wan always liked to hold her in her arms and stand at the door, staring at the door, hoping that Qiao Ruichen would come back soon.
She really wanted to go to the restaurant, and after asking Sun Yaozu about the lack of sales in the first few days of the month, she wanted to go even more.
It’s not that she couldn’t go with Uncle Geng or her father-in-law, but when she wanted to go two days ago, Yang couldn’t wait to come to her house.
"Awan, my family came with a message saying that the piglets in the countryside are ready to be slaughtered. Could you please tell me and your second brother how to modify the pigpen at home and how to choose the piglets?"
Geng was holding the child and laughing beside her. "No, Erzhuang's wife, Awan has never raised pigs either. Ask her, what can she tell you?"
Miao Wan was in a delicate mood. Don't say that when it comes to raising pigs, she might be better than raising children, but there was no way to say that.
Mrs. Yang doesn't need her to explain.
"Joam, you don't understand this, do you? Raising pigs is just like running a business. Where to build the pen, what it should look like, how to choose the piglets, Awan's advice will definitely be more helpful than us figuring it out on our own."
Yang took Miao Wan's hand and smiled confidently, "Even if Wan doesn't understand, the pig chosen by the God of Wealth will definitely make more money than ordinary pigs."
Geng: “…” What? She can even pick out the golden pig?
Miao Wan: "..." Sun Ran But why did she feel that her second sister-in-law seemed to believe in a cult?
"How about I go and help my second brother and the others?" Miao Wan still wanted to go. It wasn't that she missed the intoxicating smell, but she could really help with raising pigs.
Geng was at a loss for words. "What will happen to Taotao if you leave? If he goes to the countryside, this little guy will flood the mountains of gold when you come back."
Yang had heard Taotao crying many times. He was even more energetic than a little wolf cub. Lu Dan was no match for him at all.
She thought for a moment and said, "How about Erzhuang and I go get the piglets, and then Awan can help take a look? If you think it's not okay, then Erzhuang and I can go back and make another choice."
Although it took some effort, Yang still felt uneasy without Miao Wan's stamp of approval.
Didn’t you see that if you work in the restaurant according to Awan’s instructions, you can earn hundreds of taels a month?
She didn't expect to earn that much. If she could have a few dozen or a hundred strings of cash by the end of the year, she would use it to light a perpetual lamp for Miao Wan.
After the discussion, with the Lin family present, the pig pen was built very quickly and was completed in one day.
There was no need to burn green bricks and tiles, just earth bricks. Following Miao Wan's instructions, they built a semi-enclosed and semi-open pig dormitory. From a distance, it looked like a small yard for children to play house.
The Zhang family was stunned, and the children started to play around inside.
"Not only do we need a house to live in, but we also need to change the straw diligently. In the future, the pig food must be cooked and you can add some wine dregs. In addition to pig grass, you also need to add some herbs." Miao Wan counted on her fingers.
"First, it can prevent diseases like swine fever. Second, distiller's grains are a food source and are very nutritious. Just don't put too much. Bean curd dregs would be better, as they can help you grow more meat."
Zhang Dazhuang glanced at the fat pigs that were originally penned in the wooden fence. "I think, now that we're making money, the pigs are having a really good time. They're better off than when Ada and Am first got married. I remember when my second brother was born, our family still lived in a shabby mud-brick house."
Yu: “…” How do you know whether my parents had a good life when they were married?
Butcher Zhang overheard this and kicked him with his hands behind his back, "Can you even talk? You're always comparing yourself to pigs. You're quite capable! Pigs get slaughtered for their meat, and you're envious?"
The children who were watching the fun laughed so hard that Miao Wan couldn't straighten her back.
She didn't stay too long on the first day. She came out after Taotao fell asleep, and Taotao didn't notice her when she came back.
But the next day, when the piglets arrived, she went to pick the piglets for Yang, and when she came back, the situation was different.
Yang and Zhang Erzhuang did not dare to buy too many piglets, so they bought back the pigs and their piglets together, totaling more than twenty.
The pig dormitory has been smoked dry with wormwood and covered with straw, so it can be used directly.
Miao Wan checked them one by one and found everything was fine. Although the piglets were not strong, they all looked healthy and there were no sick pigs.
Because we are afraid that the piglets will get diarrhea if they change their environment, we let the adult pigs live with several piglets.
When she came back after making all the arrangements, Taotao had already woken up. There was no time to change clothes, so she quickly washed up and went over to pick up the child.
Taotao rubbed his chubby little hands and was stunned when Miao Wan picked him up. He burst into tears.
Miao Wan felt a little helpless. This kid was too impatient and would start crying if he was delayed for a while.
"The rations will be here soon, Taotao, be good!" She quickly undressed and wanted to stuff the rations into Taotao's mouth.
As soon as the clothes were untied and brushed against Taotao's face, she wrinkled her little face and cried even harder: "Wow——"
Geng heard the noise and hurried over. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"I, I don't know. Maybe he didn't see me when he came back?" Miao Wan was also a little at a loss.
Pig grunt, she could probably guess what was going on.
Taotao was crying, she really didn’t know why, her daughter had too many flaws.
Geng came over quickly, and before she could comfort the child, she turned her head and took a deep breath, "Oh my God, what's that smell on you?"
Miao Wan: "...I've washed it." The smell on the clothes shouldn't be that strong, right?
She just held a few... a dozen or so piglets.
"So you know, here, I really don't think I'm ugly." Geng Shi didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she brought Taotao over. She stepped back and patted him gently to comfort him, her voice soft, "But I definitely think I'm smelly!"
Miao Wan: “…” She said it as if she had saved herself a ton of shit.
She squeezed out some food angrily, asked her mother-in-law to feed the child, and went to take a shower and change clothes.
The newly collected piglets should be fed steadily for a few days. After making sure that nothing is wrong, add some knockout drug into the pig feed and ask the master to come and castrate them.
Zhang Erzhuang hadn't learned it yet, but when he saw the master using a small blade to poke, press, and pick out the two testicles, he clamped his legs together as if he had to pee urgently, and had no time to learn.
On the contrary, Yang, seeing that her husband was so incompetent, came over to the side, almost understood what he was doing, and even tried it herself. She succeeded on the first try, and looked very proud.
Now, all the men in the Zhang family, including Yang's two sons who were old enough to remember things, looked at their daughter-in-law/wife/mother with a different look, with an unspeakable awe in their eyes.
Miao Wan listened to the old farmer who came to deliver the pigs talk about pig farming, and found that the piglets at this time were not as strong as those in later generations. If they got inflammation after castration, they would most likely die.
It would be a bit of a waste to use the medicine on pigs, so she asked her eldest and second sisters-in-law to burn some wood ash and sift it out.
After the castrated piglet was washed with strong liquor, wood ash was applied to the wound. When the piglet woke up, it was whimpering and nothing happened.
After returning to the Qiao family, it was back to milking, bathing, and then coaxing Taotao. There was no time to go to the restaurant.
After she finished taking care of the pigs, she took Taotao out for a walk outside the door.
She was thinking that if Qiao Ruichen didn't come back, she would go to the restaurant with her father-in-law and Uncle Geng tomorrow.
We really can't wait any longer. Many families have already started sending the vegetables they grew in their homes in early spring to the tile market. It's time to barbecue.
Just as she finished her thought, she heard someone knocking on the door.
Miao Wan's eyes lit up. Could it be that this person came back without being mentioned?
It was the warmest time of the afternoon. When Miao Wan saw Aunt Geng go to open the door, she couldn't wait to follow her with Taotao in her arms.
It was really Qiao Ruichen. He was standing at the door, removing the threshold. Seeing Miao Wan holding Taotao standing in the courtyard, he lowered the threshold and came over.
"Awan." Qiao Ruichen hadn't seen his wife and daughter for nearly twenty days. He was a little excited. "I brought them to you..."
As he spoke, Taotao stretched out his arms and waved them, and even his limp neck seemed to be about to lift up.
Miao Wan was originally holding Taotao's neck, and she was much more excited than Qiao Ruichen when she saw this.
"Husband, look, Mom, come and see, Taotao probably knows that Daddy is back, so she's raising her neck!"
After saying this, Miao Wan felt a little jealous. People say that a daughter is her father's lover in the previous life. Isn't this little girl giving her father too much face?
Qiao Shengwen came out with Qiao Rui and Geng.
Although children can only lift their heads and turn over, for parents, every first time of their child is a big surprise that cannot be missed.
Qiao Ruichen also subconsciously looked at his daughter. In less than a month, Taotao had changed a lot.
After the wrinkles faded away, the little face became chubby, and the flesh on the face seemed to tremble when he moved.
Her big eyes were like Miao Wan's almond-shaped eyes, with black and bright pupils, as black as grapes, and her eyelashes fluttered on her tender white face like two small fans.
Seeing his daughter pursing her rosy little lips and trying hard to look up, he was also very excited. Taotao still remembered him.
No one cared about the mule cart that had driven in. They all gathered together and watched Taotao, who was held upright, straighten his neck and slowly turn towards his father who had just returned.
As if she had just taken a breath, she closed her eyes, quickly turned her head away, and burst into tears, reaching out to Geng while crying.
Mom smelled so bad a few days ago, and Dad who just came back today also smells so bad. Can you please let her leave here?
Everyone: “…”
"Puff--hahahaha!" Qiao Rui couldn't help laughing out loud, and ran away pulling Changshou.
The author has something to say:
It takes 2-3 months for a newborn to be able to straighten its neck and hold its head.
Taotao: I looked up when I was less than two months old, just to escape from here!
Qiao Rui: Hahahaha… please give my niece a thumbs up!
Chapter 50, please comment, this chapter will randomly drop a red envelope~
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