Chapter 381 Have you learned it?
"Master He?"
Sister-in-law Xu looked up and saw He Xiao with a cold expression.
He Xiao shook off her hand: "No provocation or trouble is allowed in Dahe Village."
Sister-in-law Xu said in a shrill voice, "This is a matter for the Xu family, and the Xu family should handle it themselves. What, can't even the elders discipline the younger generation?"
"As far as I know, this is Miss Cheng, surnamed Cheng, not a member of the Xu family," He Xiao said calmly. "Miss Cheng is my cousin's person. Did you get her permission to teach my cousin's person a lesson?"
"You, you!"
Sister-in-law Xu was furious.
The most formidable person in the whole village is Aunt Dashan. If Aunt Dashan is really lured here, she will be in deep trouble and will be cursed and gossiped about by the whole village.
She glared at Cheng Fang and sneered, "We'll see."
She grabbed her son and left.
Cheng Fang breathed a silent sigh of relief. She was really afraid that if things got out of hand, it would cause unnecessary trouble for Aunt Zhao.
She looked at He Xiao and whispered, "Thank you for helping me out, Master He."
He Xiao turned around and said to Zhao Sanniu behind him, "Come here."
Zhao Sanniu immediately came over eagerly. He followed He Xiao around all day learning martial arts, and his skills were even better than Si Dan's. It could be said that he was the one who could be considered He Xiao's true disciple.
He walked up to He Xiao, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Master, please give your instructions."
Before he could finish speaking, He Xiao grabbed his arm and, without warning, threw him over the shoulder, slamming him hard to the ground.
Fortunately, it was by the river, the soil was soft and wet, and there were many thick weeds, so the fall didn't hurt too much.
He Xiao looked up: "Have you learned it?"
Zhao Sanniu rubbed his buttocks and said, "Didn't Master teach me this move a long time ago? I've already learned it. Master, could you please tell me before you spar with me next time...?"
He Xiao coughed: "I wasn't asking you."
He looked at Cheng Fang.
Cheng Fang was somewhat incredulous. So, Master He had just been teaching her how to fight back?
She immediately became serious, tried the movements once, and frowned slightly: "But I'm not strong enough."
“If you’re not good enough, then practice slowly,” He Xiao said calmly. “It’s not always possible for someone to step in and help you out.”
After he finished speaking, he left with his hands behind his back.
Cheng Fang stood there and tried the movements again before picking up the bucket and hurrying back.
Smoke curled up from the kitchen roof, occasionally wafting the aroma of food.
Cheng Wanwan deliberately sat outside in the courtyard, looking at the account books that Manager Yan and Wu Xiaochui had brought over.
Wu Xiaochui was responsible for recording the accounts, while Manager Yan was responsible for reviewing and checking them. The two assisted each other and kept each other in check. In the past half month, they had filled half a thick notebook. Fortunately, they were using modern accounting methods, which made it easier to check. Otherwise, she would have had to spend most of the night looking at the books.
"The soap workshop is currently producing about 1,500 pieces of soap per day," Manager Yan reported. "Among them, milk-scented soap is the most popular, but the milk supply is limited, which leads to limited production... Sigh, my lambs will not be able to breed for at least another four to six months, and they won't be able to produce milk until the end of the year."
He now understands that raising sheep is definitely profitable, because the soap factory needs a lot of sheep milk. Raising pigs is even more profitable, as he has a clear view of how much lard is consumed every day, and can take as much as he can get.
“So, we need to launch a new fragrance.” Cheng Wanwan tapped the table with her hand. “Spring is here, and so many flowers are blooming on the mountain. Let’s make a floral-scented soap, make a small batch to try it out first, and if it sells well, we can make the floral fragrance a regular product.”
Manager Yan's eyes lit up: "Okay, I'll have someone take care of it right away."
Just after they finished looking at the soap workshop's ledgers, Aunt Wang and Old Lady Zhu came over together.
Both women were holding account books, but they were illiterate and had the children write them down.
The Wang family's ledger for braised food clearly lists the daily income, costs, and net profits. However, Mudskipper hadn't learned bookkeeping methods and wrote everything down line by line, making it very difficult to find the numbers in the text. Similarly, Zhu Huzi's ledger was also very difficult to read.
Cheng Wanwan said, "Xiao Chui, could you teach Mudfish and Tiger to keep accounts when you have some free time? They just need to fill in the numbers every day, and it will be much more efficient."
Wu Xiaochui respectfully agreed.
In the past two weeks, she has made a profit of 100 taels of silver from braised food, and she can take 30 taels. The market for preserved eggs has just opened up, and she has made 20 taels of silver in the past two weeks, and she can take 4 taels of silver.
"Grandma, I don't know what to say." Old Mrs. Zhu's eyes were full of gratitude. "I never dared to dream of earning so much money in a month before. I am content, truly content."
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "It's because Hu Zi is so ambitious. If he wasn't ambitious, he wouldn't have had this opportunity."
Tiger bought the oxcart himself, intending to become a secondhand egg vendor, which is when she remembered to make preserved eggs. In short, this was money Tiger earned himself.
"I made some salted duck eggs, Auntie Dashan, have a taste." Old Mrs. Zhu picked up the basket in her hand. "They're all big eggs, the yolks are oozing oil. If you like them, come back for more."
Cheng Wanwan glanced at it and thought, "Good heavens, there are nearly a hundred salted duck eggs in this basket. Old Mrs. Zhu is really generous."
However, she did not refuse, because if she did, Grandma Zhu would think that she did not like salted duck eggs and would send her other food the next day.
"Alright, I'll accept it then, thank you Grandma Zhu." Cheng Wanwan took the basket. "Grandma Zhu, Mudfish Girl, why don't you stay for a meal?"
Aunt Wang waved her hand: "No, no, I have a lot of things to do at home, I'm leaving."
Old Mrs. Zhu naturally wouldn't stay and quickly left.
Cheng Wanwan asked Si Dan to wash a few salted duck eggs and then put them in a pot to cook. They could try this delicious dish that evening.
As the sun began to set, the meal was finally ready, a table laden with dishes: braised fish, eight-treasure duck, twice-cooked pork with spices, assorted chicken, winter melon and fish ball soup, braised pork with bamboo shoots, stuffed cabbage with meat, stir-fried wild ferns, salted duck eggs... and a pot of wine was also served.
Master Yu, He Xiao, and Kong Xiuniang were also invited to eat together, and the room was bustling with activity.
However, the three Wei siblings refused to sit at the table, and Cheng Fang was unwilling to eat with the Zhao family. So the four of them set up a small table in the kitchen. Although they ate separately, the food was the same for everyone.
With tears welling up in her eyes, Wei Hongying said in a low voice, "This is the best meal I've ever had in my life."
Wei Hongyan nodded, chewing on a grain of rice: "We really hit the jackpot."
“So we need to help Auntie with the chores.” Wei Xiaohai ate heartily. “Hurry up and finish eating. Chop the firewood in the yard outside. I’m not very good at it, so I’ll have to figure it out later.”
The three men's gazes hardened.
"It's so delicious!" Zhao Sidan exclaimed from outside. "I haven't had my sister-in-law's cooking in so long. I'm going to eat four bowls of rice today."
Grandma Zhao said irritably, "You said the same thing yesterday when your second aunt made braised pork with bamboo shoots."
During this period, they all bought their meals from Lao Zhao's house. They would just bring their bowls and money and get their own food.
The children from Cheng Wanwan's family, the Yu family, and He Xiao and Kong Xiuniang all ate at Old Zhao's canteen. Gradually, it attracted many people. They could eat several different dishes there, and the prices were not expensive. They could afford to eat there every few days. As a result, Old Zhao's business had been very good for the past two weeks.
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