He Zifeng was walking back when he ran into Gouzi's father. Although they lived in the same village, they had hardly ever met. Gouzi's father was a son-in-law who had married into his wife's family and usually worked outside the village, returning only once or twice a month.
As we got closer, we heard Dog's father say, "My son said you always take him out to play. I'm busy with business outside and don't have time to play with the kids at home. Thank you so much."
Gouzi is seven years old this year, which is the age when cats hate him and dogs hate him. In addition, his father is a son-in-law who moved into his wife's family home, so adults always tease him. Ever since He Zifeng took him to the mountains to pick fruit last time, Gouzi has admired He Zifeng quite a bit and has become close to the He family. Qiuyu once treated Gouzi to food at home, and He Zifeng even gave him a copper coin as a running fee. Gouzi has mentioned it several times at home.
He Zifeng said, "Gouzi is a smart and clever kid, and our family all likes him very much."
Dog's father heard about He Zifeng's matter on his way here. The young people all thought He Zifeng acted decisively, but only a few elders in the village disapproved of the idea of suing the government.
But Gouzi's father was different. Hearing that He Zifeng was able to separate from his family so readily, he genuinely felt a connection with him.
He had seen too many people when he was a small vendor. Even though their families exploited them to the point of exhaustion, they still listened to their parents. Their stupidity made him not want to say another word.
He Zifeng used to live this kind of life, but now people look at him with new respect.
Dog's father then brought up another matter, saying, "I've made some money these past few years by going to the local markets. This time, I've found a way to buy a pound of cloth for three copper coins, a total of over four hundred pounds. Once I have it, I can sell it however I want, and I can make at least two copper coins per pound. Do you want to join me?"
He's just a small-time merchant who deals in all sorts of things. A few days ago, he went to the liquor stores in the five outer counties and bought 100 jin of liquor, putting all his savings from the past few years into the deal. This time, the goods are from a cloth shop. They're not just scraps of cloth; there are quite a few lightly dyed fabrics, or large pieces of silk and brocade.
Ordinary people can't find this source of goods. He only got it through an introduction. But the other party required him to buy 400 catties of fabric at once. He didn't have that much money. He was also reluctant to give up the opportunity, so he paid a deposit of 500 coins to reserve the goods. He hadn't raised the remaining payment yet.
With the agreed-upon pickup date set, if he didn't go, his principal would be wiped out, and he didn't get along with the others in Chishui Village. Now, seeing how well He Zifeng treated his son, he inquired about the cooperation.
He Zifeng was very interested: "Really?"
Dog's father said, "Hmm." Since things had come to this point, to keep the five hundred coins they'd already received, they had no choice but to find someone to partner with. Since they were going to find someone anyway, they might as well find someone they liked.
He Zifeng said, "Alright, I can buy 150 jin."
Dog's father calculated that it would be four hundred and fifty coins. He could scrape together the rest himself, but he was afraid the deal would fall apart, or that Dog would back out at the last minute, making it difficult to find someone to help him later. He said, "Then let's go and bring the goods back today. This stuff sells well, so we shouldn't have any problem covering our costs, but how much we can earn depends on our own abilities." He quickly added this, afraid of being blamed later, since making money is something that can't be guaranteed.
He Zifeng said, "I know the rules, thank you anyway."
Seeing how readily he spoke, Dog's father breathed a sigh of relief. He Zifeng went inside to get the money from Qiuyu. The family had bought land, and the only money left was from the sale of wild ferns last time, which amounted to a little over 496 coins.
"A poor family needs a rich traveler," Qiu Yu said, and gave him all her money.
He and Gouzi's father went to the cloth shop in the county. The shop assistant showed them around; the shop was full of scraps of cloth, many of them quite good quality, but they didn't examine them closely. These were items the shop had found while cleaning out the warehouse, and the shopkeeper had instructed the assistant to dispose of them. Only then did the assistant contact Gouzi's father. He could earn some money for drinks and also get his shop cleaned up—a win-win situation.
Dog's father had a small warehouse in the county. When he brought back wine and spices, the two of them divided up the scraps of cloth. Dog's father said, "I'll be the head of Qianshui County later, so you can just find a place in the middle." They decided to divide the place in advance to avoid fighting there.
He Zifeng indicated that he understood.
Dog's father quickly sorted out the goods. Neither of them picked through the 150-pound load of cloth. Dog's father hired an oxcart for He Zifeng. The oxcart would cost twenty coins to take them to their destination; they negotiated a price of two coins, but it was only for the goods, not for the driver. He Zifeng carried the goods back to the village. He took a side road, going directly home without passing the village entrance.
When they returned, everyone had already eaten dinner. He Zifeng gave the money to the oxcart driver, and he only had twenty-eight coins left in his pocket.
When Qiu Yu saw so much cargo, she quickly helped him unload it into the yard.
He Zifeng said, "Dog's father is really a kind man, helping us make money together."
Qiu Yu hummed in agreement. Then she began tidying up the cloth.
There was coarse cloth, fine cloth, silk, satin, and all sorts of scraps. Even the smallest piece of silk could make four handkerchiefs. Many were half a bolt or a whole bolt, and many were disposed of simply because the patterns were printed incorrectly or there were some stains. For the large cloth shop, these were defective products that needed to be disposed of, but to the villagers, they were treasures.
Qiu Yu's eyes also showed some surprise: "If the sisters-in-law who are good at handicrafts saw this, they would definitely be happy."
He Zifeng spent 300 cash on a batch of fine cloth last time, and here he found several half-rolls of fine cloth. There was a pattern that was very similar to what he bought, but it cost less than a tenth of the price. If such a large piece of cloth were taken out, everyone would definitely fight over it.
Small scraps of cloth can be put to great use in the hands of skillful people, and can be made into all sorts of things.
Qiu Yu said, "I'll sort these fabrics by size and material first, and then decide later."
“Let’s sort them together.” He Zifeng joined his wife.
Qiu Yu was probably still a bit shaken by yesterday's events, and she said to He Zifeng with a slightly flushed face, "Go fetch a bucket of water and wash the dirty cloths." Many of the cloths had years of accumulated dust on them. A quick wash would suffice; there were still a few days until the market, so they could get rid of as many as they could.
"Okay." He Zifeng agreed with Qiu Yu.
The two quickly got to work.
Although Qiuyu couldn't sew clothes, he had a good eye for fashion. If he saw a nice piece of fabric, he'd set it aside and say, "This navy blue one is perfect for making you a winter coat!"
"This one is for Ranran."
"The sky-blue fine cotton cloth is also very beautiful!"
"This piece has embroidery on it?" Qiu Yu asked with great interest, as if she were searching for treasure in a pile of fabric. She said to He Zifeng, "I'll go to the market with you then."
“Okay.” He Zifeng readily agreed.
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