That morning at breakfast, Chen Kai told his family that they had almost finished harvesting their flowers and plants, and the house was almost overflowing with dried flowers and dyes. He said that after they finished harvesting today, they would stop harvesting from tomorrow onwards.
The rest of the Chen family had no objections. In any case, the adults weren't involved in this matter. If they made money, a portion would be given to Old Man Chen and confiscated. If they lost money, it would be theirs as children.
After dinner, the Chen family members all went about their own business. Chen Kai and Xiao Tian took a few drawings of flower baskets and went to find Chen Lao Er.
Chen Kai handed the blueprints to his second brother and said, "Second brother, we want these kinds of flower baskets. Can you make them?"
Chen Lao Er took the blueprints, studied them for a while, and said, "Little brother, no problem. Although these flower baskets are a little different from the ones I've woven before, the principle is the same. Whenever you need them, I'll bring them to you after I finish weaving them."
Chen Kai said with a smile, "Second Brother, we're in a bit of a hurry. We want to get the finished product by tomorrow morning."
Chen Lao Er lowered his head and pondered for a while before saying, "Little brother, I can give you the finished product tomorrow morning, but what do you need it for in such a hurry?"
Xiao Tian said, "Dad, we just want to collect some flower baskets to hold dried flowers, and ask the villagers to make them for us according to these styles, so they will look nice when we sell them."
Chen Lao Er asked in surprise, "Little brother, Xiao Tian, I've seen you exchange a lot of money for candy these past few days. Do you have enough money left to collect flower baskets?"
Xiao Tian said, "Dad, don't worry about that. We have enough money to buy a batch of flower baskets first. Once we sell some of the dried flowers, we'll have enough money to buy more flower baskets."
Chen Lao Er said, "Alright, I'll make the flower baskets you want today and give them to you tomorrow morning."
That evening, when Chen Kai and Xiao Tian were collecting flowers, they told the children who had returned to exchange their candy earlier to wait at the door after they had exchanged their candy. They said they had something very important to announce after everyone had arrived.
At the entrance of the Chen family courtyard, children kept coming to exchange candy. When they heard that the family had something to announce, they all stayed and chattered about what it was.
Before long, everyone had arrived, and Da Ya shouted loudly, "Everyone be quiet for a moment, my uncle has something to announce."
After everyone quieted down, Chen Kai said, "Starting tomorrow, we will no longer accept flowers and plants. You will not be able to exchange the flowers and plants you bring for candy."
Immediately, a chorus of sighs and lamentations rose from the courtyard gate. A slightly older boy asked, "Will you continue collecting flowers and plants in the future?"
Chen Kai said, "If we accept more offers, we will notify you. I also have another announcement to make today, which is also a way to make money."
When Chen Kai mentioned other opportunities to make money, the group of children looked up at him expectantly.
"Starting tomorrow, we will begin collecting the flower baskets. Go home and inform your family and neighbors. If you know how to make flower baskets, meet at the village entrance after breakfast tomorrow morning. I will then announce the specific procedures for collecting the flower baskets."
That evening, many people were discussing at home how much the Chen family spoiled their child. They no longer needed to exchange flowers and plants for candy, but instead started collecting flower baskets again. Usually, when they went to town to sell flower baskets, they couldn't even make a penny from several baskets.
Most people wanted to go to the village entrance the next morning to see how the Chen family planned to collect the flower baskets. If the price was right, they would make some in their spare time and exchange them for money at the Chen family's place, saving them the trouble of selling them in town, where they wouldn't earn much money and would also have to cover the travel expenses.
Early the next morning, many people came to the village entrance, discussing how the Chen family would collect the flower baskets and whether they would be more expensive than selling them in town.
When Chen Kai and Xiao Tian arrived at the village entrance, almost half of the village had already arrived, eager to see what the commotion was about.
When Chen Kai saw that so many people had come, he had Da Ya carry him and place him on a large rock at the entrance of the village, and put the flower baskets next to him as well.
Chen Kai shouted loudly, "Good morning, everyone! I'm sure you're all curious about how we collect our flower baskets."
"Everyone sees the flower basket next to me, right? The flower baskets we collect should be woven like this, and they should be made of bamboo."
“We have several prices for flower baskets, depending on their style and size. Large and difficult-to-weave flower baskets cost ten coins each, small and easy-to-weave flower baskets cost two coins each, and the rest cost five coins each.”
"You can pass these finished products around and take a look later. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask us separately."
The flower baskets that Chen Kai and the others made were based on some beautiful vase designs that Chen Kai and Xiao Tian had seen in their previous lives. They were filled with a few dried flowers and looked very pretty.
A woman from the village asked, "How will you settle the accounts? How many flower baskets do you want?"
Xiao Tian said, "We'll start collecting flower baskets today. I'll let you know in advance when we stop collecting them."
"As for how to accept the flower baskets, we will settle the payment in person. We will pay you for the number of flower baskets you make. However, we also have requirements for the quality of the flower baskets. If the quality is not up to standard, we will not accept them."
Then someone else asked, "Can I have my relatives weave some flower baskets and bring them to your family to exchange for money?"
Chen Kai said with a smile, "Sure, we'll accept as many flower baskets as there are at this stage."
Then Chen Kai pulled Xiao Tian home, leaving Da Ya and Er Ya to deal with the villagers who still had questions. This morning, from the moment they got up, Chen Kai had spent the whole morning telling Da Ya and the others about the prices of various flower baskets.
Originally, Old Man Chen and Mrs. Zhou were not in favor of accepting so many flower baskets, but after Chen Kai's fuss, the two elders finally agreed.
That evening, many people came to the Chen family with one or two woven flower baskets, wanting to try and see if they could really exchange them for money.
The first person to come and exchange money was an old man from the village. He usually lived with his two grandsons. The rest of his family had died in the natural disasters of the past few years. In his spare time, Uncle Zhao would weave some things and take them to town to sell.
Uncle Zhao brought over one of the most difficult-to-make flower baskets and asked cautiously, "Xiao Tian, can this flower basket really be exchanged for ten coins?"
Xiao Tian took the flower basket, inspected it, and found that it was well made. So Xiao Tian counted out ten coins from the box and handed them to Uncle Zhao, saying, "Okay, here are ten coins for you. As long as the flower basket is well made, we will accept them."
Uncle Zhao thanked him excitedly, then took the money and went home.
Seeing this, the others also came over to exchange money with Xiaotian, but most of them brought the kind of flower basket with two coins, and only a few brought the kind with five coins.
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