The next day was sunny again. Sunny weather meant the wood from the mountains could dry quickly. The Yan brothers had already left for town early in the morning. Today was a test for them; they had to find buyers themselves. They were a bit nervous, mainly because they didn't know how to calculate. Chunxiao told them it was okay, as long as they had a rough idea. Only then did they muster the courage to set off.
When Yan Musheng and his son arrived, they were puzzled because they didn't see the two brothers. Yan Bingfa said that they had gone up the mountain and would come back in the afternoon.
The ground is much drier today than yesterday; at least I'm not treading mud everywhere I go. This morning, Chunxiao went to the river to fetch water and saw people in white clothing on the other side of the riverbank. Uncle Mu's family is having a funeral tomorrow, and everyone in the village is going, including my brothers.
Yan Dashan and the others came back around noon. As soon as they came back, they pulled Chunxiao into the house, leaving Chunxiao looking confused.
The two brothers looked very excited, especially Dahe, who was so excited that he was speechless.
As soon as she entered the door, Chunxiao saw that their backpacks were empty. The charcoal must have been sold. "Second brother, what's wrong with you? Did you pick up silver on the road?" she teased deliberately.
"Brother, please tell me. I'm afraid I can't explain it clearly."
Yan Dashan looked at the tightly closed door and said, "Chunxiao, we've received a large order." He had just come back from a daze and didn't know what was going on in his mind. "Today, when we were selling charcoal, we met a family who said they needed 1,000 kilograms of charcoal to be delivered to the owner's family in the county town, and they wanted to place an order with us."
"1,000 jin?" Chun Xiao was also surprised. "Which company is it from?"
Yan Dashan waved his hand. "It's not from any of them. I've never bought from us before."
"How dare he order so much from us at once if he hasn't bought anything from us before?"
"Oh, let me tell you." Da He was getting anxious when he saw that his elder brother had been talking for a long time without making any clear explanation. "Didn't we deliver charcoal to people on rainy days? The quality of the charcoal is pretty good. Although the residents don't visit each other, the servants do a lot of business. After a while, they found out about our charcoal business. This family's business is in the city. I heard they're wealthy and have a small shop in this town. The man wanted to buy 1,000 kilograms of charcoal to deliver to the city, and he came all the way to find us today."
"Did you sell the charcoal to him today?" No wonder it sold so quickly.
"No, I didn't sell it to him. I sold it to someone else."
Chunxiao was surprised. "If I didn't sell it to him, wouldn't he have wanted 1,000 kilograms of charcoal?"
"Please listen to what we have to say. We didn't agree to his request and were thinking of coming back to wait for your decision. He asked for 1,000 jin of charcoal and asked us to sell it to him at 55 wen per jin. We have to give him an answer tomorrow, otherwise we will look for another company. We don't have any wood raw materials now, so what should we do about this?" Thinking about losing 1,000 jin of business, he felt like his heart was on fire. Today really made him excited and uncomfortable.
"Chunxiao, I'm afraid you'll have to go tomorrow. If there's a way to do this job, you must take it. How much silver does 1,000 kilograms cost?"
Chunxiao was also feeling a bit depressed. The charcoal at home was gone after one more charcoal fire today, which only weighed about 100 kilograms. Where would she find wood for the 1,000 yuan? A good cook cannot cook without rice. "Did the buyer say how long it would take to deliver?"
The brothers were stunned, "I forgot to ask this."
"Then I'll go there tomorrow. This matter is really a bit difficult. I have to..." Before he could finish his words, he heard Zhou knocking on the door outside.
Yan Dashan opened the door.
"What are you guys doing? You're going to hide in your sister's room right away. There are outsiders in this house. Come out. It's time for dinner."
"Mom, there's something serious. I'll scare you to death if I tell you."
Zhou glanced at the smiling Yan Dahe and said, "What's the big deal? Tell mother about it too."
"Let's eat first. There's no charcoal to burn this afternoon anyway. We can talk later when we have time. It would be best if Dad is here too." Chunxiao looked outside. "Mom, where are Shuwen and the others? Aren't they here yet?"
"Your sister-in-law said she gave instructions before she left. She should be here soon."
Speak of the devil, and here he comes. The chatter of several children drifted into the yard from outside. They went to the kitchen. Dashan pulled Chunxiao and gave her the silver for the day. "You can go there tomorrow and decide the rules."
"Let's find out first. I'd like to make money if I can, but earning less is better than not earning anything."
At noon, Zhou cooked thick porridge, fried a big pot of radish, and fried another big pot of scrambled eggs with cabbage. Everyone ate with relish. The rough skeleton of the shed had been built yesterday, so today's work was much easier. It would be completed in about an hour. By then, we would not need help from others to lay the roof. The three of Yan's family, father and son, could handle it.
The children refused to go home after dinner. Zhou had no choice but to let them run around in and out of the yard.
"What are those three mud lumps in the thatched shed in the front yard? I wanted to ask yesterday."
"Chunxiao and the kids were playing with something. Who knows what it was?" Yan Bingfa evaded the question casually.
"It's better not to build earthen mounds at home. It's unlucky. Children are ignorant and adults need to keep an eye on them."
At this moment, Chunxiao was weaving curtains with Zhou and two other sisters-in-law. When she heard this, she suddenly laughed and made a face at her sisters-in-law. "My mother also said it looked like a grave."
Zhou slapped her and told her to stop talking nonsense.
By 2 p.m., the straw hut was fully erected. Yan Musheng shook it vigorously with his hands and said, "It's very solid. It won't collapse even under heavy snow."
Yan Bangfa thanked them repeatedly, jokingly saying he'd treat them to another drink, and escorted them out of the yard. The next task was to lay the roof.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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