Zhao Qi's family in Shuxia Village.
The Li family was joyfully welcoming the three members of the Yan family, while the Zhao family's main hall was packed with about a dozen men.
"Old Zhao, you'd better think of something."
"That's right. Look at the Li family, they're doing so well these days. We're from the same village, can't we get a share?"
"That's how it is. Can you talk to the Li family for us?"
Zhao Qi held his pipe, puffing away, completely ignoring the group of men in front of him who sounded like hundreds of ducks quacking.
"Old Zhao, say something! We've been talking for so long, why don't you give us your opinion?"
Zhao Qi tapped the table with his pipe.
"What stance should we take? How should we take that stance?"
"It's about getting the Li family to help us make money!"
"Then tell me, why should someone who has no relation to you help you make money? If your family has two taels of silver, can you share one tael with me?"
The man who had just spoken looked embarrassed and inwardly grumbled.
If you asked me to give you fifty taels out of a hundred taels of silver, I would definitely give you my share! But giving you one tael out of two taels? No way.
I don't have the former, but I definitely do have the latter!
"So we're just going to watch the Li family live a life of luxury from now on? Are we just going to wait and see?"
"Otherwise what? If any family has a profitable business, wouldn't they all try to keep it a secret? If it were your Qian family making money today, would you openly invite us to make money together?"
Qian Shulin, who was singled out by Zhao Qi, flashed annoyance in his eyes and replied in a choked voice:
“If I were the one making money today, of course I would teach the people in our village! A hero needs three helpers. We are all from the same village, so it is only right and proper for us to help each other make money together.”
The other men looked at Qian Shulin and thought, "Wow, this shameless guy's way of speaking is truly astonishing. I've learned something. Look at him, so righteous and eloquent."
"Pah, you old Qian, still putting on airs in front of me! Everyone knows who you are. If you have this lucrative business and don't keep it a secret, I'll change my surname to yours!"
Zhao Qi was amused by Qian Shulin's shamelessness, thinking, "Who doesn't know who I am?"
"Hey! Don't be angry, Lao Zhao. Lao Qian may be a bit reckless, but in the end, it's the Li family that's making money now, isn't it?"
An old man stepped forward to smooth things over, explaining that they had come to discuss joining the Li family together, and that they couldn't let their own people start fighting before they had even reached an agreement.
"You can go if you want, I'm not going."
This is something that will offend people. He's not stupid; why would he do something like this?
The others laughed awkwardly again: "Old Zhao, you have to think about your eldest son. He's a cripple and can't farm. If the family has an extra source of income, and you and your wife leave some money when you get old, his life will be easier."
Zhao Qi's face was ashen, and he remained silent for a long time.
Qian Shulin's eyes darted around, realizing he had found Zhao Qi's weakness, and he quickly added fuel to the fire.
“That’s right, Old Zhao. Life’s tough in the village these days. We only have about ten years left. Everyone wants to get involved in the Li family’s business, isn’t it all for the sake of our descendants? As long as the children are doing well, we don’t care about saving face!”
"But even if we go to the Li family, they won't hand over their profitable business. Do you think all those people in their family are pigs?"
"At worst, we can just kneel down and beg them. We're all from the same village, so they probably won't go too far."
"That's true. Although his family is large, if we all went, our dozen or so households would be more than theirs."
The Li family.
After a delicious meal.
Li Xuming called Li Qingyao, Li Xushen from the fourth branch, Li Xuxi from the fifth branch, and Li Xuyue from the seventh branch to hold a meeting together.
They already held daily meetings to review their work, and now that Li Qingyao was here, it was a good opportunity to tell him about what they were doing at home.
Li Qingyao listened in, and the four of them quickly reviewed the day's events.
"Soybeans are still being harvested. Our family has harvested a lot, and the price has now dropped to six cents a pound."
"Today, the Fugui Restaurant in Huangshi Town also placed an order, to be delivered once a day, 20 catties per day, at the wholesale price."
"Several restaurants in Liantang Town have also placed orders, and we'll be delivering 60 jin (30 kg) daily from there, at the same price."
"The market, which is held every three days, is still operating, but sales are not as good as at the beginning, though they have stabilized."
"The main business is still in restaurants and eateries. We'll continue doing that for now. There's not much profit in tofu; the real money comes from the products we make later."
"Auntie, have you decided what to do next?"
"Yes, they said they'll start working on it in the next couple of days."
"Alright then, we'll just wait and see."
Although hundreds of kilograms of tofu are sold every day, the profit is meager. In the end, with so many people working on it, the profit is so small that no one can make much.
They've been waiting for the new product for ages.
The terms "product," "review," and "wholesale" were all learned from Pan Jinhua. They carefully considered them and found the wording to be very accurate, so they started using them as well.
After the four finished checking the particle size, they all looked at Li Qingyao.
Did you understand?
"I think I understand now. These days, all of you uncles are in the tofu business, and tofu is indeed delicious."
"Yes, this recipe was devised by my mother."
"The old lady is wise and has a firm grasp of the situation."
Li Qingyao was also curious. He had just heard at the dinner table that the group of more than fifty people from the side branch, including women who had just given birth and newborn babies, had all arrived in Shaoguan County in good health.
Even the old servant in the family had already brought some money and was waiting in Shaoxing County.
Afterwards, the old lady visited Zishuxia Village and instructed the villagers to cultivate the land. She then devised a plan to help the villagers work together to earn money.
These events led Li Qingyao to suspect that the person who delivered medicine and money to him on his way to exile was also arranged by the old lady.
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