Chapter 313 Making Century Eggs
It started snowing at noon, and by evening, there was a layer of white snow on the ground.
Cheng Wanwan told the workers who were digging lotus ponds to go home and rest, and to resume work after the snow stopped.
The kang (a heated brick bed) was always burning in the kitchen. Everyone, adults and children alike, sat on it. Even the little ones, Dahei and Xiaohei, crawled into the room and found a warm spot to lie down and keep warm.
"Even the ducks are starting to slack off." Zhao Sidan came back from walking around the backyard, his face red from the cold wind, and said breathlessly, "It's been three days, and not a single egg."
Cheng Wanwan chuckled: "People get lazy when they're cold, just like hens and ducks."
There are nearly fifty ducks, more than thirty chickens, and five geese at home. We can collect dozens of eggs a day, which is more than we can eat.
Eggs also have a shelf life. Even in winter, the shelf life is no more than two months. It's not enough for just the family to eat them. But it's quite troublesome to take them to town to sell. Eggs are fragile. Several will break along the way to the city, which is not worth the effort. Selling them to the migrants is also not an option, as they can't afford them.
Each person had ten jin of grain, which, even if they ate sparingly, would only last a month. In order to survive until next year, they would add tree bark, grass roots, and leaves to their rice. Although the food was poor, the group did not feel sad because they had hope. They knew that the current difficulties would eventually pass, and if they just persevered, spring would come.
"Aunt Zhao, are you there?"
A voice rang out in the courtyard.
Chunhua quickly put down the cabbage in her hand, got off the kang (heated brick bed), put on her shoes, went outside to take a look, and then turned back and said, "Auntie, it's Huzi."
Zhu Huzi was Old Lady Zhu's only grandson.
He walked to the door, shook the snowflakes off his head, stamped his feet, and then lifted the reed curtain to come in.
Cheng Wanwan asked Chunhua to bring a cup of hot water to Zhu Huzi and let the child sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
"It's so warm," Zhu Huzi exclaimed. "It's too late this year, but next spring I'll have someone build a heated kang (traditional Chinese bed) for the house, and Grandma will never complain of being cold again."
When houses were being built this year, some people in the village followed Cheng Wanwan's example and built earthen stoves, but only a few people did so. However, after this winter, many people should build this thing in their homes next year.
After drinking half a cup of water, Zhu Huzi got down to business: "Last time, my grandmother won a hundred taels of silver in a competition. She planned to use twenty taels to build an adobe house next year, and leave the rest for me to study. I asked Master Yu, and he said that studying is a very long journey, and if you want to be successful, you need to study hard for at least ten years... I don't know if my grandmother can live for another ten years, so I dare not gamble."
Cheng Wanwan sighed, "Hu Zi is eleven years old, and he'll only be twelve after the New Year. He's so young, yet he's already thinking so much."
"I'm not going to study anymore after this year. I've decided to go into business." Zhu Huzi laughed. "I asked Grandma to buy me an oxcart. It cost fifteen taels of silver. I thought about it for a long time and found that every household in our Dahe Village raises chickens and ducks. In the summer, they raise them to eat locusts. Now that the chickens and ducks have grown up, everyone is reluctant to eat the eggs they lay every day. They save them all. I want to buy these eggs and then use the oxcart to transport them to the city to sell for money."
He must have known about the market beforehand, because he spoke fluently and knowledgeably. "The eggs from the village sell for two coins each in the city, and sometimes a few break on the way. I buy three for five coins. Although they earn one less coin, they save a lot of trouble. I just asked around the village, and many people are willing to sell their chicken and duck eggs to me. Aunt Zhao, do you think this business is feasible?"
Cheng Wanwan asked him, "Can you guarantee that the eggs won't break when you transport them?"
In those days, there were no egg cartons. At most, rice was used to put the eggs in the rice to prevent them from colliding. This was fine for small quantities, but there wasn't enough rice for large quantities of eggs.
Zhu Huzi said, "I plan to have Grandma make some straw trays for holding eggs. The straw will be woven into the shape of eggs, and one egg will be placed in each tray. The eggs won't touch each other, so they won't break."
"You're a clever child," Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but exclaim. "However, I have an even better way to sell eggs. Would you like to hear it?"
Zhu Huzi's eyes lit up: "I want to hear it."
Aunt Zhao is the smartest person in their Dahe Village, and it's a blessing for him that she's willing to give him guidance.
“You can only earn one copper coin for three eggs, and only one hundred copper coins for three hundred eggs. This job is tiring and the profit is too small,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “If you process the chicken and duck eggs into other foods and then sell them in the city, the price can be at least several times higher.”
Zhu Huzi's breath hitched, and he listened even more carefully.
Cheng Wanwan picked up her pen and wrote out a recipe, which was the process for making preserved eggs.
She had wanted to eat preserved eggs for a long time, but she never had the time, and the process of making them was also a bit troublesome, so she kept putting it off.
If someone were to run this business, we could simply buy it whenever we wanted to eat it, without having to do everything ourselves.
Moreover, it can also add a fresh dish to the restaurant.
She blew on the ink and handed over the recipe: "Follow this recipe to process chicken, duck, and goose eggs. The resulting eggs are called preserved eggs, but the production process is quite long, taking one and a half to two months before they can be eaten. If you're in a hurry to make money, then you'll have to give up on this..."
"Let's make preserved eggs," Zhu Huzi said, swallowing hard. "My grandma said Aunt Zhao's word is law, we must listen to her. Since Aunt Zhao gave the recipe, she gets a share of the business, but I don't know the specifics of how it's split..."
Cheng Wanwan laughed. This child, although smart, also knows that some benefits cannot be taken for granted.
She asked Si Dan to bring two sheets of paper and asked Cheng Zhao to write two basic agreements. She would only provide the technology and wouldn't care about anything else, taking 10% of the profits.
“One-tenth is too little,” Zhu Huzi shook his head. “Cousin Cheng, let’s change it to a 30/70 split.”
“You silly child, you have to buy eggs, make preserved eggs, and manage the sales channels. If you don’t make any money, you’ll be the one to bear the losses.” Cheng Wanwan shook her head. “Let’s compromise and split it 20/80.”
That's how it was settled.
Zhu Huzi took the prescription back, and his wife naturally supported her eldest grandson in starting this business without any conditions.
The grandfather and grandson immediately began buying up chicken and duck eggs from the entire village, and Da Shu and Xiao Shu, who lived in the Zhu family's house, also helped by hawking their eggs throughout the village.
It was still snowing, but the villagers didn't feel cold. Every household brought out the dozens of chicken and duck eggs they had saved and took them to the Zhu family to exchange for a handful of copper coins.
"The Chinese New Year is almost here. We have money this year, so we can finally have a good New Year."
“In previous years, we could only eat dumplings on New Year’s Eve, dumplings with more cabbage and less pork. This year, my mother wants to put meat in them all.”
"That's right! I earned almost two taels of silver from Aunt Dashan this year, which means I can eat meat to my heart's content."
The villagers were filled with joy.
It's already the 17th or 18th of the twelfth lunar month. In previous years, people would have started preparing for the New Year at this time, but the ground is covered with a thick layer of snow, some of which has already frozen over, making it easy to slip and fall. The villagers have no choice but to wait until the snow melts before they go to buy meat and other New Year's goods.
Cheng Wanwan's braised food business has also stopped. Firstly, it's snowing, making travel inconvenient. Secondly, with the Lunar New Year approaching, pork is too expensive, increasing costs significantly, making it unprofitable to make braised food. She will resume business after the New Year.
Because of the heavy snowfall, the lotus pond project was also suspended, with only the soap workshop still operating.
The workshop burns firewood all day long, and some small vegetables such as scallions and chives are planted along the wall and foot of the wall. They are growing very well and are lush and green.
Cheng Wanwan cut a large bunch of chives, intending to make chive boxes for the children.
Everyone in the family has been working hard lately. Those who do housework are tired, and those who study are tired too. Eating something new and different can bring them a sense of satisfaction.
Chive boxes are mainly made with a lot of oil, because they are deep-fried food, which makes them even more satisfying.
A large plate of chive dumplings was served, and the aroma lingered in the room for a long time.
Kong Xiuniang was already used to the food at the Zhao family's house. She couldn't help but eat two leek boxes and sighed, "It's been snowing for two days, and it feels like it's getting heavier and heavier. I was planning to go home on the 20th of the twelfth lunar month."
Cheng Wanwan looked outside. The snow, as heavy as goose feathers, was falling without stopping. When she stepped on the ground, the snow was up to her ankles.
She was delighted when it first started snowing, because a good snowfall promises a bountiful harvest.
But the snow was falling heavier and heavier, and the temperature continued to drop, which made people feel uneasy.
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