Chapter 71 Compensation
"Of course I'm going to use it to make money! I can have my own shop in two more years!" Zhou Chengzhu is now looking forward to having her own shop. She is currently doing the accounting for Song Yushu, and Song Yushu pays her a monthly wage and gives her a commission based on the monthly profit. Therefore, she is always very enthusiastic about doing the accounting.
"You can calculate so fast!" Xue Qingyao looked at her with envy, seeing that she sometimes calculated things in her head without even using an abacus.
"It's just so-so. If you want to learn, I can teach you. It's just that you don't recognize the symbols on this ledger. This is our ledger." Zhou Chengzhu's lips unconsciously curled up under such a gaze.
The two little girls taught each other in the wooden house until they were too cold to bear it any longer, and then they went back to the restaurant to warm themselves by the fire.
"Dad, I'm sleeping with Chengzhu tonight," Xue Qingyao said. She was a studious girl and was currently very interested in accounting.
Xue Huai'an naturally wouldn't stop them, letting the two young girls develop feelings for each other.
During the time Xue Huai'an and his daughter were at the restaurant, the only one who was in dire straits was Zhou Chengyu. He finally had a holiday, but he didn't sleep in for a single day. As soon as he got up, he would take his books and go to Xue Huai'an's room.
With Master Xue's one-on-one instruction, the results were naturally remarkable. All the parts that Zhou Chengyu hadn't fully grasped were reviewed by Xue Huai'an. So, although Zhou Chengyu had some complaints about not being able to sleep in, he was more delighted by his academic progress.
“Although it was Master Xue who volunteered to teach our child, it’s not easy for him to come all this way, so it’s not appropriate for him to spend all his time teaching Chengyu, and besides…”
“Master Xue seems to have feelings for you, it’s not good for us to take advantage of him like this,” said Mother Wei, who had lived most of her life and was naturally more worldly-wise than Song Yushu and the others.
"What can we do? In this weather, there aren't many activities at our agritainment business," Song Yushu said. She didn't feel embarrassed at all. In fact, she cooked different dishes for them every day to nourish their bodies, which was the only way she could think of to make up for it.
"Have your father ask around the village if anyone has hunted anything good. We can give them a change of pace. Master Xue is no ordinary person; he's eaten all sorts of good things. Wild game is all about freshness," Wei's mother thought for a moment, and this was the only idea she could come up with.
"Who would go hunting in this freezing weather?" Song Yushu thought it was a bit unrealistic and that Wei's mother was overthinking things.
"Hurry up and go. A few years ago, we even managed to hunt wild deer. If all else fails, we can hunt roe deer. At least we don't have any of those in our restaurant," Mother Wei glared at Song Yushu with displeasure.
"Alright, I'll go ask Dad right away," Song Yushu said, unable to bear Wei's mother's nagging any longer. He then took Xiong Erni and drove to the village.
There was no snowfall today, and little snow accumulation, but the wind was biting cold. Song Yushu had no choice but to hold his thick coat in front of the two of them and drive the carriage slowly.
"Father, have any hunters come up the mountain in our village lately?" Song Yushu asked Wei's father after arriving at the Wei family's house.
"Of course there is. Nowadays, there is less snow, and in a while, no one will dare to go up the mountain."
"Then, Father, please keep an eye out for me. If any of the hunters in the village catch any game, please help me collect it," Song Yushu said, stuffing the silver he had brought into Wei's father's hand.
“Alright, I’ll have your older brother deliver it then,” Wei’s father accepted the money without hesitation.
Since Song Yushu rarely returned home, he took a stroll around the Wei family's pigsty.
The sheepfold has now been separated from the pigfold, and the newly built sheepfold is spacious, with dry straw laid inside to keep the sheep warm.
There are still more than a dozen large fat pigs in the pigsty, which are kept separately. Some of them are kept to be slaughtered before the New Year. Pork will fetch a good price before the New Year, so Wei's father and his family will only slaughter a pig or sheep every few days to sell, and they are reluctant to slaughter too many.
"Should we send some pork over to the restaurant?"
"No need, we just sent over a pig a few days ago, and we haven't finished the pork yet! We just need to collect some vegetables and eggs from the villagers," Song Yushu thought for a moment and realized that the food at the restaurant was running low.
"The most abundant crop in winter is Chinese cabbage; there aren't many other kinds. If you want some, I can help you get some."
Song Yushu went with Wei's father to harvest vegetables. After the villagers learned about the situation, several households took the initiative to bring their own Chinese cabbages and asked Song Yushu to help them harvest.
Song Yushu knew they had no income during the winter and were bound to be anxious, so he checked everything and accepted anything that was in good condition.
"With so many cabbages, won't it take several trips to transport them? Will the restaurants be able to sell them all?" Mr. Wei was worried when he saw that she had bought so many cabbages.
"I have an oxcart, I'll help you deliver it!" The village headman saw that the villagers rarely had any income, so he was unwilling to let the cooked duck fly away.
“Alright, let’s collect this much for now. We’ll transport this truckload back ourselves, and we’ll trouble you, Mr. Li, to help us transport the other truckload to the orphanage in town.”
Since restaurants don't need much cabbage, Song Yushu thought of the orphanage in town. Even though they had some land there, vegetables were scarce in winter, so he decided to send a cartload of cabbage there.
"Hey! I'll have someone deliver them over later," the village head said. He also thought that Song Yushu was a kind-hearted person. He knew that she was buying these cabbages to help the villagers earn some income, so he naturally appreciated her kindness.
"Do you only accept Chinese cabbage? I have some vegetables here. I wonder if Boss Wei would be willing to take a look?" This young woman had only been married for a little over three months and was not familiar with Song Yushu. However, seeing that she was kind-hearted, she gritted her teeth and took a gamble.
"This is the wife of the second son of the Wang family at the entrance of the village. She hasn't been married into the family for long, so it's normal that you don't recognize her," the village head introduced the woman's identity.
"Do you really grow other vegetables?" Song Yushu asked again.
"Yes, but the price..."
“The price is negotiable. I’ll accept whatever price you’re offered from outside. I won’t cheat you,” Song Yushu assured him.
"Okay, then let's go to my house first," the young woman said, relieved by her assurance.
Song Yushu could only have Xiong Erni take the cart of cabbages back first, and then bring more silver over.
"You guys are quite clever," Song Yushu said, confirming his suspicions as soon as he entered the Wang family home. However, he was genuinely surprised to see that the vegetables were growing so well.
"It's just that it's warmer inside because of the heated walls," the young woman said somewhat embarrassedly.
“It must have taken a lot of effort to grow them so well. I’ll take all of these vegetables. If you have any more in the future, just send them to me. I’ll make sure you get a fair price.” Song Yushu hadn’t expected to have such a good harvest on his trip. He was worried that the restaurant’s ingredients were running out, but he was surprised to receive such a good batch.
"I have a few close friends who have also started growing them. Could you harvest theirs too?" The young woman was a little nervous, but considering their difficult circumstances, she still brought it up.
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