"I came back during the Mid-Autumn Festival and brought back six taels of silver. My father said it would be better for me to work at home, so I left after two days."
After the three of them returned home, Zhou went to the river to wash her intestines, while Chunxiao, Wangzu, Duoer and Shufeng went to plant soybeans. The holes were dug when they were applying the base fertilizer, so they just had to plant the seeds and fill them with soil. The work was not hard, but their backs would ache after doing it for a long time.
Yan Bingfa and the others had not returned yet when we had lunch.
At the beginning of the third hour, the three men returned driving the ox cart, with Tian's face filled with smiles.
"Have you bought the land?" Zhou looked at the three people who got off the car.
"I bought it. I went to the township government office with the land agent and Mr. Wang to transfer the ownership. I got two deeds. I'll get the deeds in a few days."
Yan Bingfa looked around the yard. He had finally accomplished something big today. He was excited but looked unusually calm. "When Dashan comes back, we'll have to discuss where to build a house over there. It'll need space for people and storage. We can't build it carelessly. When the time comes, we'll have to find the village head of Zhoujia Village to buy land and hire long-term workers. I see you had a lot to do from start to finish when you were growing cotton. I'm afraid you had things to do every day. 80 acres of land will require quite a few people."
"The land has been bought now. Fortunately, there are still a few months left, which is plenty of time. Dad, you should think carefully with my brothers when the time comes. I should also find land here as soon as possible."
"I've already made an agreement with the brokerage firm. They've earned quite a bit of commission from this transaction, so they'll help me find it."
The land for the two brothers has been secured, but the issue of hiring people is indeed a difficult one. It is hard to say whether to hire people directly from Zhoujia Village. The house has to be built first. His eldest brother and his family have been away for five days, and he doesn't know how they are doing outside. Although Tian is happy about buying the land, she is still worried because her husband and son are away, and she just hopes that they can both come back soon.
The weather was getting colder day by day. It rained just two days after the soybeans were planted. Then the sky cleared up again. Chunxiao discussed with her family and decided not to burn charcoal. Firstly, there was limited space in the backyard, and secondly, there was no one in the family to sell the charcoal.
Yan Dashan and his companions came back on the 14th day after they left, which happened to be the tenth day of October. The three of them were full of energy when they left, but when they came back, they had black eyes, which scared Chunxiao and the others.
Zhou was distressed. "What happened? How much sin did they commit to become like this? My dear daughter-in-law, hurry up and make some soup for them to drink to warm them up."
"Brother, did something happen on the road?" Chunxiao was also worried.
Unexpectedly, as soon as these words came out, the three of them smiled at her foolishly.
Maybe something bad happened and stimulated his brain. Chun Xiao hurriedly asked them to sit in the main hall. "Don't scare me. If the things are gone, they are gone. Don't let them get too tired."
"Shufeng, go to the gate and watch. We have something to say to your aunt."
Shufeng took Duo'er and Pan'er to guard the gate. Tian had gone to the kitchen to make soup. Only Yan Bingfa and his wife, Chunxiao, and the other three were left in the room. Everyone waited for Dashan to speak, while Shuwen and Dongsheng sat on the sidelines in silence.
"Don't worry. Although the journey was tough, the cotton sold for a good price. Chunxiao, the cotton prices here are much better than in the county town." He looked weary, but spoke with energy. He picked up a cloth bag from his feet and emptied it out. It was actually white silver. Several people were stunned by the silver.
"This, this must be about one or two hundred taels." Zhou immediately stood up and closed the door of the main room.
"How much cotton did you buy?" Yan Bingfa was almost speechless, while Shuwen and Dongsheng sat aside and laughed.
"We walked for eight or nine days to Tongzhou, the neighboring city. We sold the cotton there for 187 wen per catty. Here it's 251 liang and 2 qian. We spent ten liang on the journey."
"After traveling so far, the price difference of cotton is so big?" Yan Bingfa couldn't believe it.
"The further north you go, the more expensive it is. There was really a fight in the north, and we saw a lot of refugees in Tongzhou." At this point, Yan Dashan showed a look of compassion, "Anyway, it's more chaotic outside than we imagined. We could have gone a little further north, but I didn't go because I was afraid it was unsafe. We came back after selling the cotton. We didn't rest much on the way back, so we looked a little embarrassed." He laughed again.
"Brother, you did the right thing. Safety comes first." Chunxiao counted the silver and went back to the house to get an account book and a charcoal pencil wrapped in paper.
"You've worked hard this time. Go take a shower and have a rest early."
"Dad, it's already the tenth day of the tenth month. Chunxiao still has 1,900 kilograms, and my second brother and I have 1,400 kilograms. If we don't take this opportunity to make another trip, we won't be able to deliver it once the snow starts. We thought we'd rest for two days before making another trip."
"You just got back. You've been exhausted for so long. How can you just rest for two days?" Zhou was worried and anxious.
"It's okay, auntie. You'll be fine after two days of rest." Dongsheng gained some experience this time out.
"Let's all go and rest first. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Dongsheng was about to get up and leave when Chunxiao stopped him. "We agreed beforehand that you'll get a 20% commission on the excess. Take the money before you leave." While they were talking, Chunxiao had been quietly calculating the bill. She handed Dongsheng 32 taels and 760 coins. "This is your commission."
Dongsheng was stunned when he saw the 30-odd taels of silver. "Is this mine?"
"Yes, it's yours. 32 taels and 760 wen is your commission this time." Hard work pays off. Chunxiao is never stingy in rewarding those who work hard.
Shuwen took the silver and handed it to him. "You made this much money after making this trip. I don't have it. If you don't want it, I'll take it." After saying that, he looked at Chunxiao and said, "Aunt, you are so mean. If you give people money, at least give them a bag to put it in. His pocket can't hold so much money."
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