Having not eaten meat for a long time, Yang Cui dreams of braised pig's trotters, braised pork ribs, and braised pork.
Does that mean we'll never eat pork again?
Yang Cui has decided to raise pigs!
Of course, she herself didn't want to raise pigs, since cleaning the pigsty was no easy task.
Yang Cui thought of her uncle An Dafu's family.
Without hesitation, Yang Cui went to Anjia Village after having breakfast.
The An family was quite surprised by Yang Cui's arrival.
"Uncle and Aunt, I've come today to discuss serious matters."
"What important matter is it?"
"I once read some records about pigs in a book, saying that in some places, pigs can be raised to weigh two or three hundred pounds, and pork can be used to make many kinds of delicious food."
The Wen couple, An Dafu and his wife, were shocked and looked incredulous: "People actually eat pork? Can it really grow to two or three hundred pounds?"
"Of course it's true! And the fat on a pig can be rendered into oil, which can be used for cooking. In short, a pig is a treasure trove. Nobody raises pigs now, so I want to start a pig farm and be the first to try it. Can you help me, Uncle and Aunt?"
An Dafu: "How do you want us to help?"
"I certainly won't let you help for nothing. I have two options. First, I'll pay for the piglets and build the pigsty, and you can raise them for me. I'll pay you wages, one tael of silver each for you and your aunt per month. However, I don't have that much money to pay you right now. I'll have to wait until the end of the year when the pigs are sold before I can pay you. But I can write you an IOU. Second, I won't pay you wages. Instead, we'll split the profits. I'll provide the money and the pig-raising methods, and you'll provide the labor. When the pigs are ready for market, I'll sell them to you for eight copper coins per pound. We'll split the profits 40/60, you get 60% and I get 40%."
Wen asked curiously, "Do you have that much money?"
"I have the money to sell the piglets and build the pigsty, but I can't get a share of the profits until I sell the pork. I'm very confident. My uncle and aunt can consider it and give me an answer in a couple of days."
"How much money can you offer?" Wen asked again.
“Aunt, I’ve already told you, I still have the money to buy piglets and build a pigsty. You guys think about whether you want to work together.”
"But didn't you say you lost all the money?"
Yang Cui didn't respond, and her impression of the Wen family instantly worsened. Who keeps asking how much money someone has? That's so tactless.
Yang Cui said, "You are my elders and relatives, which is why I contacted you first. I will definitely raise pigs. If you don't approve of it or don't participate, I will find someone else to do it with."
If all else fails, just raise it yourself! If you can't even make ends meet, you can't be complaining about this and that.
Ms. Wen was somewhat displeased, feeling that Yang Cui hadn't told her the truth and had given evasive answers.
An Dafu was considering the feasibility of Yang Cui's suggestion to raise pigs.
"Uncle and Aunt, you two should discuss it first. Once you've decided, come find me in Ji'an Village. I'll head back now before the sun gets too strong."
“This is such a big matter, we need to discuss it. Take some plums back with you.” An Dafu packed some plums and peaches for Yang Cui in a basket.
In Anjia Village, almost every household has several plum and peach trees.
Seeing these fruits, Yang Cui suddenly had an idea: perhaps these things could be put to good use!
"Uncle, I won't take the peaches and plums. Please have Xiao Hai send twenty catties of each to my house, and I'll buy them at the market price."
"Why buy anything? It's not worth much. Xiao Hai, take the things to your sister."
“Okay, if we don’t have enough at home, I’ll go pick some more.” An Xiaohai readily agreed.
"Thank you, Uncle. Xiao Hai thanks you too."
*
After Yang Cui left, Wen was not happy and complained to An Dafu, "That little Cui is so cunning now, she's keeping everything from us."
An Dafu: "What are you trying to say?"
"Didn't she lose her money? Where did she get the money to buy piglets and build a pigsty? I don't think she lost her money. I asked her just now, but she wouldn't tell me the truth."
Upon hearing this, An Dafu retorted irritably, "Would you tell other people how much silver your family has?"
Are we the others?
"Stop thinking about all that nonsense. Now, let's think about whether or not we should raise pigs for her."
"Can you make money? Nobody eats this stuff. Even if you raise it to two or three hundred pounds, nobody will eat it. It's a waste of time and money. You'd be better off saving that money to live a good life. What's the point of women bothering with all this? Finding a good man to marry is the most important thing."
An Dafu fell silent.
After leaving Anjia Village, Yang Cui went to the county town to prepare some materials.
Yang Cui plans to make some dried plums with perilla leaves and dried ginger with perilla leaves and peaches, as these two things are best eaten this season.
Yang Cui bought six jars, two catties of sugar, two catties of vinegar, spending more than five hundred coins. She also bought a grass carp. She didn't eat any meat every day, and her mouth was so bland.
Yang Cui put the rock sugar, rice vinegar, and fish she had bought into a jar so that others could only see the jar.
On the mule bus back to the village, they ran into two villagers again. Seeing that Yang Cui had bought several jars, they couldn't help but ask her about them. Yang Cui brushed it off by saying that she was making pickled vegetables.
When Yang Cui got home, An Xiaohai had already left, but she saw plums and peaches in the house.
Let's put the pig-raising business aside for now. After dinner, she took Er Ya and San Ya to the mountains to pick perilla leaves.
When they returned, the mother and her two daughters carried three baskets of perilla leaves on their backs.
After drinking some water and resting for a while, Yang Cui led them to wash peaches and plums, and cut them up, keeping them very busy.
By dusk, all six jars were full: three jars of perilla, peaches, and ginger, and three jars of perilla and dried plums.
"Mother, can these really be sold for money?" Er Ya was very excited.
Sanya had an inexplicable trust in Yang Cui: "If Mother says it's okay, then it definitely is!"
"I'll definitely find a way to sell them! I'll use the money to buy delicious food for my daughters, Erya and Sanya."
The dried plums and perilla need to be dried in the jar for three days until they are about 80% dry before they are considered finished. The perilla, peaches and ginger can be marinated in the jar overnight and can be eaten the next morning.
The next morning, Yang Cui took out perilla, peaches, and ginger, and the three of them tasted them first.
"So delicious!" Er Ya and San Ya exclaimed.
Yang Cui also tried it, and the taste was indeed quite good. She picked out a bowl for the two little girls to eat, and took the rest to the city to find buyers, with restaurants as her target customers.
At this moment, Yang Cui realized that she didn't even have a decent set of clothes, and that she would probably be kicked out before she even got inside.
Yang Cui first went to a clothing store and bought a new outfit. The material wasn't the best, but it wasn't the worst either. After wearing it, she looked more energetic.
Yang Cui also inquired with the cloth shop about the largest restaurant in the city.
Afterwards, Yang Cuicai arrived at the largest restaurant in the county town—Guanxinglou!
"Please come in, sir. What would you like to eat?" the waiter asked enthusiastically.
Yang Cui looked up and down at the largest restaurant in the area. Hmm, it was an antique-style building with luxurious decorations. It was only lunchtime, but the restaurant was already 70-80% full, which showed how popular it was.
I just don't know if this deal will go through.
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