Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Lack of Money
The Fan family was overjoyed when they heard the news that Fan Jing was pregnant.
By the beginning of the first month of the next year, it would have been two years since they got married. Although it had only been a year and a half now, Kang He had come to the Fan family during Qiuyue's marriage, and they had not lived together until after their marriage.
Both of them are young and in good health. It would be strange if there was no news after two or three years of marriage.
Although we knew that having a child was a natural thing, we were still very happy when we got the confirmed news.
Chen Sanfang kept telling Fan Jing to pay attention to this and that, and Fan's father took out the wine jar and started drinking happily.
The two little girls were also happy and said they wanted to make clothes for their nephew.
Fan Jingshou felt a little uncomfortable with being surrounded by his family so enthusiastically, so he chatted with them for a few words and then went back into the house.
It was Kang He who patiently told the family the baby's gestational month and what Doctor Zhu said.
"Okay, okay, our family is looking forward to you two having a baby. But we're busy with business this year, so we can't say anything and add to your worries."
Chen Sanfang said, "It's good to have it now, it's good to have it now."
As she spoke, she began to think, "We can't sell the old hens anymore. We have to kill some and stew them for my eldest brother. The doctor said that even if he's healthy, he needs to take good care of himself."
Father Fan also said, "Now that my eldest brother is pregnant, I'm afraid I'll have to put the work on hand on hold for a while."
Kang He said, "Let me think it over and discuss it with Da Jing."
After talking for a long time, Kang He went to call Fan Jing for dinner in the evening. He saw Fan Jing lying on his side on the bed with his back to the wall. He did not respond when he called him, as if he was asleep.
Seeing this, Kang He tiptoed out of the house again.
Hearing the sound of the door closing, Fan Jing turned over and lay back down.
He looked at the tent with clear eyes and couldn't help touching his flat abdomen.
It would have been fine if the doctor hadn't told him that he had a child, but after he opened his mouth and knew about it, he felt that things were different from before.
I had concerns in my mind. I thought about it when I moved and when I sat.
He had an indescribable feeling in his heart, probably because he was used to being rough, and now that he had a child, he knew he had to take good care of the little one, so he had to be careful for a while, which was very uncomfortable.
After some time, Kang He opened the door and came into the house again. He brought in more food.
Fan Jing was so absorbed in thought that he turned over when he heard the door open, and Kang He saw him clearly.
Kang He saw it all, he spread the food on the table and then went over to coax the person up.
Fan Jing sat up with his messy hair. Kang He smoothed it out and bent down to help him put on his shoes.
"Tonight, Mom made your favorite stir-fried pork chops. Try it. I think it tastes really good."
Fan Jing picked up the vegetables and meat with his chopsticks and ate with the rice. Kang He sat opposite him and watched him finish a bowl of rice before saying, "Why, aren't you happy about having a child?"
"No."
Fan Jing said this and added another bowl of rice.
"You're pretending to be asleep in the room and not even getting up to eat. Are you acting like a spoiled brat?"
Fan Jing glanced at Kang He, stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth with his chopsticks, and told him not to call him spoiled.
He emphasized: "I'm just not used to it."
Kang He laughed and swallowed the meat in his mouth: "I'm not used to it either. I've never been a father to anyone."
After that, he held Fan Jing's hand and said, "Don't worry about me. I will do my best to be a good husband and a good father and take good care of you and the children.
No matter how spoiled you are, I will serve you well. I am happy to serve you."
Fan Jing said: "I'm not what you said. I can kill pigs just as well."
Kang He frowned and said, "Isn't it too tiring to kill pigs when you already have a kid? What if you lose your balance and the pig kicks and hits you?"
"No, I know I'm careful. I've killed so many pigs before, but I've never had one kick me."
Fan Jing said: "If I don't do this, what else will I do? Who will do this?"
Kang He said, "You can still take care of the shop even if you don't kill pigs. I'll hire a butcher to help kill the pigs, and I'll pay him every time he kills the pigs. It's just a matter of spending a few more coppers. Making money from business is important, but it's not as important as having children!"
"Aren't we all so busy and worried so that we can live a better life and teach our children to suffer less in the future? If we're so focused on making money now that we don't rest when we should, then that's putting the cart before the horse."
Fan Jing was silent for a moment and looked at the person in front of him.
"Kanghe, I don't want to be unable to do anything just because I have a child. I don't want to sit around all day, eat and sleep, doing nothing... I can't live like this."
Kang He saw the emotion rising in Fan Jing's calm eyes, and he softened his voice: "I'm sorry, I was too arbitrary and didn't consider your feelings."
He said, "Don't be angry alone. If you have any unhappiness, just tell us everything like this and we can discuss the matter slowly."
"I'm not angry."
Fan Jing said: "I just don't want to lose sight of what I'm doing. I will protect the child."
Kang He thought he was worrying too much. Fan Jing was not a child. He would be the father of a child in the future and would not be so reckless.
He gave in: "Okay, when the baby is young, we'll still slaughter the pig and sell the meat as before. When the baby is older, we'll do as I say and hire a butcher to help slaughter the pig."
"But no matter what, we finally have a child. Even if we continue to slaughter pigs and sell meat as before, you can't work as hard as before.
The shop is also selling braised meat now, so it's very busy. I'll ask my mother to go to the city every day to look after the shop, so we can relax a bit."
Fan Jingxi nodded and agreed to Kanghe's arrangement.
But he also had another worry: "She's the only one who's going to look after the shop. I'm afraid Dad can't handle the farm work alone."
"I thought of this one."
Chen Sanfang didn't go to the city very often at the moment, and only went there to help out when she had time. This was because she wanted to help Father Fan with the work in the fields and make konjac vermicelli.
In short, there is no relaxation either in the city or at home. If you want to relax, you either have to hire someone to help in the shop or hire someone at home.
"Hiring people for a shop requires a lot of skills. They have to be able to shout and handle things, and such people are hard to find. Mother used to be so successful selling konjac and tofu in the city. When we opened a butcher shop, customers who came to buy konjac and tofu often asked about her. But now, hiring people from outside is not as good as her."
"If she's going to work in the city, then we can hire a farmhand for the family. He'll help with the fields, mowing the grass, feeding the pigs... He just needs to be willing to put in the hard work. If she's not very smart, she'll be hard to find, and the rent won't be as high as for a worker in the city."
Kang He asked Fan Jing, "Do you feel good?"
Fan Jing thought that if they didn't hire anyone at home, Father Fan would be too busy and Kang He would have to take care of the farm work.
He nodded in agreement, thinking that it would be a good idea to hire a long-term worker.
Seeing this, Kang He said, "Then I will talk to Dad and Mom tomorrow and ask them to find someone strong and healthy to work at home. The wages can also be negotiated."
"Our house is not in good condition. Summer is here, and the winds are strong and the rain is heavy. We need to repair it. We can't let the child be exposed to the rain at home after he is born."
Kang He looked up at the roof. He had originally wanted to save more money so that he could build a new house with green tiles and more than a dozen rooms, which would be enough for the whole family to live in and no longer be cold in winter or leaky in summer.
It is difficult to build a big house without a hundred or so strings of cash.
The child said that he had it and couldn't wait to save money to build a bigger house, but there was still money to improve the living conditions.
"Let's stick to the original plan. We'll replace the thatched roof with tiles and cover the dirt floor with stone bricks. We'll just live here for now and then improve it when we make some money."
Fan Jing said, "It will cost a lot of money to replace the tiles and bricks, and we have to hire people too. How much money do we have on hand?"
Kang He took out the cash box and sorted out the bulk of the silver and Jiaozi. After several months of business, including the money he had on hand before, he had saved more than 50 strings of cash.
To rent a young man, if he signs a one-year contract, it would cost five or six strings of cash.
According to the size of the house, you need to prepare thirty strings of cash to buy bricks and tiles and hire people.
Fan Jing reminded him, "June is coming soon, and we still have two months to pay the shop rent."
When paying the rent previously, Mr. Luo only asked for half a year's rent out of courtesy. This time, he has to pay for a year at least.
One string of two coins a month means fourteen strings of four coins a year.
Kang He calculated the accounts carefully and felt a headache. He had some money on hand, but it was not enough to do anything.
"We only paid the rent in early July. I opened a braised meat stall this month, and business is better than before. We were able to make seven or eight strings of cash in the first month. I figured with the braised meat stall, we could make a lot more. If everything goes well, I'll earn enough to pay the rent in one month. If not, it should be enough until the end of July."
"We don't have to worry about the money. We have enough to build a house and hire people, and there's still some money left over for working capital, so we can still get things done."
Fan Jing responded, and there was nothing he could do for now.
I feel like I've made a lot of money in the past two years, but the money I have is not much more. Fortunately, the money has been converted into visible things, so it's not like I'm spending it recklessly.
The two of them settled accounts for some time and felt a little tired, so they took a shower and then lay down on the bed.
The wind outside is a little cooler than the stuffy room, but there are a lot of mosquitoes. Otherwise, it would be more comfortable to sleep on a mat outside.
Although it was hot, Kang He moved closer to Fan Jing. He hugged him and took the opportunity to touch his abdomen.
He had wanted to do this for a long time, but hadn't had the chance yet.
"It seems to be bulging a bit."
Kang He looked at Fan Jing in surprise.
Fan Jing asked him to touch his stomach, which made it a little itchy. He moved his body and stopped him: "That's because he just ate too much."
"How do you know if it's from overeating or the baby?"
Kanghe wanted to touch it again.
"I just touched it before dinner, and it was still flat. How could it have grown in just a few hours?"
Kang He: "......"
Fan Jing closed his eyes and leaned on Kang He's shoulder, not feeling the heat at all: "I'm going to sleep."
Kang He raised the corner of his mouth and picked up the palm-leaf fan beside the pillow: "Okay~ I'll fan you for a while."
The next day, Kang He told his plan to Father Fan and Mrs. Chen. Neither of them had any objections. Father Fan then started looking for a reliable farmhand nearby, and Mrs. Chen followed him into the city to take care of the shop.
Chen Sanfang was a good businessman, so Kang He and Fan Jingli felt much more relaxed in the shop.
At noon, business slowed down, so Kang He took advantage of his free time to go to the brick and tile workshop, compare prices, and observe the market conditions. He would then ask Father Fan to help him make a decision.
After going out to make bricks and tiles, he was on his way back when he bumped into a worker from Zou Fulang's shop.
"Boss Kang, I was just saying I wanted to come to your shop to look for you. It's so hot out here, where are you going to have some fun? Why are you walking around outside?"
Kang He exchanged a few words with the young man and asked, "What do you want from me?"
"Our boss said business is slow at this time, so he should be free. He wanted to invite you in for some tea."
Kang He guessed what was going on and thought that he was really short of money, so he said with a smile, "I must go and have a cup of Mr. Zou's good tea."
"My dear brother, you are very patient. It's a hot day, and the business was booming. I am almost tired of hearing so many questions."
When Mr. Zou saw Kang He coming, he offered him some good tea and also brought out a bunch of large lychees that had been rinsed with water and a bunch of purple grapes.
Kang He ate a lychee, which was really sweet and icy. "Where did these lychees come from? They taste so good."
Mr. Zou was fat and would sweat after sitting for a while. He kept fanning himself. When he heard Kang He say this, he said, "My brother sent some from the capital. If you like it, I'll give you two skewers to take home."
Kang He laughed: "How can I come back empty-handed? It's fine if I come here to eat, but I can also take away such delicious food when I leave."
Mr. Zou said, "You are not empty-handed. You sent me those heavy braised geese weighing several kilograms earlier. They are so delicious."
The two exchanged a few empty words before Kang He said, "You know, I opened a small shop at the beginning of the year to do some business. During this summer, the pork business is so busy that I don't have the energy to do anything else."
"The pork business is profitable, but that good business before is no longer profitable?"
Zou Fulang angrily said to him, "You are capable, but you don't know how to plan."
"I'm just a country boy, a dull-witted man. I'm not supposed to understand how to do something else. I was lucky enough to make some money from those things, but now I've opened a small shop, but I'm still stupid and can't figure it out."
Kang He asked Zou Fulang, "What do you want from me this time?"
Mr. Zou is a shrewd businessman. How could he not be greedy for the medicinal candle after getting it?
Over the past year or so, he found that except for his family, no one else could find that good thing. People in the county thought it was their family's exclusive craft.
Not long ago, several people came to discuss business with him, asking him to give them some medicinal candles to sell.
Of course he didn't agree. The merchants outside were unaware of this and just thought he was highly qualified, so they raised the price and came to ask for more, not knowing that he also relied on others to get the goods.
Mr. Zou was not sure whether the candle-making skill belonged to Kanghe or was in the hands of someone he knew. As summer came, he wanted to wait for Kanghe to come to him again to make money, but he didn't expect that Kanghe was so interested in the pork shop that he couldn't sit still anymore.
"I treat you like a brother, and I won't hide it from you. The medicinal candle business is not bad. But sometimes there is stock, and sometimes there is no stock. Although you can sell it as rare and get a high price, it is difficult to make a big profit if the goods cannot be distributed."
"If you can keep the goods with me, I will definitely reward you."
Kang He said, "The medicinal candle business is booming, and I'm happy about it. But I'm afraid it's hard to get hold of the stable stock. That person doesn't specialize in the candle business, but he does have some unique skills and tricks."
Zou Fulang's eyes turned and he asked, "Would he be willing to pass on this skill to others?"
Kang He knew that people would eventually turn their attention to this recipe. He looked embarrassed and said, "I don't know how to ask."
Zou Fulang plucked a large lychee and said to Kang He, "Brother, go there and ask him. If you can learn his craft, we will all be better off."
"We won't let him suffer any loss. We'll give him a generous fee for his work. If he needs anything, we'll take care of it for him. He's not a professional trader anyway. It would be more satisfying to get the full pay at once than to have to work with a few small pieces."
Then, he made another friendly gesture to Kang He: "If you can get this done, I will give you a spacious shop. Not only will it be big enough for you to sell pork and dry goods, but it will also have a yard for boiling water and cooking. It will be able to accommodate three or four people."
"I know my husband is always generous, but I dare not agree to this with you. He has a strange temper. When he is in a good mood, he is very good, but if he offends me, he will be very fierce. We have been friends for such a long time. My husband is willing to help, and I also want to help. I am willing to make this trip."
Kang He said, tentatively: "If you just say you want to buy his craft, you should at least tell me the price. I know it in my heart, so I can feel at ease when discussing it with him."
Mr. Zou held up two fingers and said, "You can negotiate based on this number."
He wanted to negotiate it himself, but this deal had to go through Kang He's hands. If he didn't let anyone know, where would they find such a person to do the candlework?
This candle was also very clever. No one knew how it was made to have the scent of mugwort but not to produce smoke. In order to make the candle, he ordered his craftsmen to figure out the method. After working on it for half a year, they did achieve some results. The mugwort candles they made had a scent but were very choking, and they also produced smoke that could sting one's eyes.
There is no other way but to ask for help, otherwise how can I be willing to give up such a large amount of profit to ask others to do things for me.
"I've made a note of it. I'll go talk to that person when I have time. I'll tell you when I have news."
When Zou Fulang saw that Kang He did not refuse, he said yes repeatedly.
After talking for a while, Kang He returned with a basket filled with grapes and lychees.
When I returned to the shop, Chen Sanfang was sitting in front of the counter, fanning himself and dozing off, while Fan Jing was sitting outside in the breeze to enjoy the cool air.
Seeing him come back, Fan Jing asked him why he had been gone for so long.
Kang He brought a stool and went to sit next to Fan Jing in the wind. He took some lychees and shared them with Fan Jing, and told him about being called by Zou Fulang.
It was the first time for Fan Jing to eat lychees. He found them to be smooth and sweet. He ate three in a row. Although the sweet lychees tasted good, he wanted to eat something sour. He asked Kang He about the purple-skinned grapes.
Kang He then took some grapes and gave them to him to eat. Although they were sweet, they were not as sweet as lychees. The sourness of grapes was more to his taste.
"He was so generous as to give you grapes and lychees, good fruits that are scarce in the market."
"He has something important to ask of me, so this little bit of fruit is nothing."
Fan Jing was the only one in the family who knew that he was making medicinal candles, so he did not hide it from him and told him that Zou Fulang wanted to learn the art of candle making.
Fan Jing's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Are you willing to pay so much money?"
"Not much. I heard that the candles they sell in their shop can cost several guan (a Chinese coin) for a pair. Although they are very different from the crude candles we sell, and they have been reworked, they are still very expensive."
Kang He said, "If he had mastered this skill, I wonder how much profit he could have made. Two hundred strings of cash is nothing."
Fan Jing asked Kang He: "So what are your plans?"
Kang He originally had no intention of selling this craft. He thought of making some candles and selling them in Zou Fulang's shop from time to time, exchanging them for a few dozen coins from time to time. When the family business was stable and had a foundation, he would recruit people to start this business.
The medicinal candle business is about to take off, and it will definitely make more money than the pork business.
He did not concentrate on this business at first. Firstly, he did not have specialized manpower. Candles had to be made into fancy shapes, and with his rough skills, he could only sell novelty, not exquisite works. Ordinary people would not buy candles because they were too expensive, and wealthy people would not buy them because they were not elegant, so he had to hire someone to do it.
Not only can the Bo family not use the staff they hired, but the wages for the craftsmen are also high, and the beeswax needed to make candles is difficult to get. The cost is too high, so how can the Bo family afford it?
Another thing is that the candle business requires unique skills. Unlike slaughtering pigs and selling meat, it is easy to learn from a master. People will not be greedy for your pig-killing skills. It is a business that requires courage and hard work.
Making candles is different. With a recipe, anyone with expertise can make it. For those without connections or backing, once the medicinal candle business takes off, they will be like fat lambs, tempting people and easily eaten up.
After careful consideration, Kanghe decided not to resort to drug-induced candlelight. Making money is one thing, but long-term development is the key.
Now that the Zou family wanted the recipe, Kang He could have gotten away with it, but he also had some thoughts of passing the skill to Mr. Zou.
If I were to do a good job in the medicinal candle business, I really don’t know when it would take. Besides, I really need money now.
"The craft is yours. Whatever you do with it is up to you."
Fan Jing said: "If you are reluctant to give up, I will sell the prescription for the sake of my child. We are not at the end of our rope yet."
What he was thinking about was that the farmers were in urgent need of money and had no choice but to sell their land. Although they were reluctant to give up the land, they had to do so in order to survive.
In order to prepare for Xiangxiu's marriage, the eldest wife had no choice but to sell two acres of land after the autumn harvest to raise money.
Kang He said, "I have no regrets, I just want to make more money. You don't have to worry about it, I will take care of it myself."
After a few days, Kanghe went to report to Zou Fulang and said that he was unwilling to sell his skills.
"That man was very stubborn and stupid. He told me that selling my craft was shameful, as if he couldn't make a living. How unlucky!"
Kang He took out a box of candles and said, "But you were kind enough to give me another forty pairs of candles, which can be considered as making up for it."
Mr. Zou looked at the candles, but he was not very happy. He went there for the recipe, but in the end he only got a box of candles. His hopes were dashed, so how could he be happy?
Although he was disappointed, he still wanted the candles. He took the candles at the old price, but when he discussed it with Kang He, he gave him twenty-five strings of cash.
"Good brother, please go with me again and tell him that the price is negotiable. Ask him to think about it again."
Kang He looked very embarrassed: "I'm afraid if I tell him again, he will be angry with me, and he might not want to give me candles anymore."
"Let's be sincere, so we don't worry about him getting angry."
Mr. Zou asked his servant to bring out a few boxes and gave them to Kanghe, asking him to take them to give to others.
Kang He couldn't refuse and agreed to run again.
When he got home and opened the box, he found two jars of candied fruits and four pieces of fine cloth.
After some time, Zou Fulang came to urge him again, but Kang He did not reply.
Two days later, Kang He happily ran to Zou Fulang and said, "After much persuasion, he finally relented a little. But he thinks the price is too low and wants this amount."
Kang He counted two and then eight.
"Don't blame me for not knowing how to negotiate. You told me the number before, but I gave him the full amount without even opening my mouth. I started by talking about the lower amount, and then he refused to add to it bit by bit."
Zou Fulang was very happy to see that people were more relaxed, but the price was indeed higher than he had expected.
Two hundred strings of cash were taken away at once, which was no small amount.
If he needs to take it out, he can do it all in one go. As a human being, he doesn't feel any pain when spending ten or twenty strings of cash on a meal, but he still feels uncomfortable when giving away a large sum of money to others.
Seeing this, Kang He said, "If my husband thinks it's a good idea, I'll go and reply to him. This is indeed a bit scary. But he won't agree with anything else I say, so I can only bring back the original words."
"Don't be in a hurry. Let me discuss it with my family first."
Kang He said, "Then please give me an answer as soon as possible. Although he is not a man of vision, after being asked so many times by us, I am afraid that he will realize the goodness of the craftsmanship. It would be bad if he went to find someone else."
"Just hold the person back for now. I'll give you an answer in a couple of days."
Kang He nodded.
It took only three or two days. The next day, he could no longer sit still and went to the pork shop to find Kang He and asked him to bring the recipe.
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