"...Thanks to everyone's concerted help, otherwise we really wouldn't be able to harvest all the grain and fruit. It was cloudy for a few days and then rained heavily for a few days. When the weather cleared up, we quickly spread it all out to dry. Luckily, only two bags of grain got damp, so I decided to feed them to the chickens and ducks."
The autumn crops have been planted, and Yuan Zhuangtou reported the summer harvest situation to Jiang Yue in detail.
Jiang Yue took away a lot of food when he went out. Excluding the taxes paid, the village could be said to have a bumper harvest, and several granaries were filled again.
Because the weather was hot and Fan Bai was worried that the fruit would spoil easily, he decisively lowered the price, which attracted ordinary people to join in the scramble.
This was also Jiang Yue's suggestion. Previously, the fruit prices were high because the quantity was small and they were being sold for freshness. However, this year's harvest was great, and with Wang's farm also selling some fruit next year, a price drop was inevitable.
The herbs that were not yet ready for harvest were probably the most affected. They were soaked in rainwater and almost half of them were lost.
There is no way around this. No matter how well the drainage ditch is built, it is powerless in the face of natural disasters.
Despite this, Jiang Yue earned more than 180 taels of silver without even selling any grain.
She gave Yuan Zhuangtou and Fan Bai a red envelope of five taels each as a reward. Yuan Zhuangtou was so happy that his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Since everyone else has given gifts of thanks, let's kill a sheep today to nourish the people in our village."
"good!"
…
This year, there are several more pork shops in Yindu City, and five more shops selling chickens, ducks, geese and other poultry, but many old customers are still accustomed to coming to Jiang's shop.
Those who are used to buying from them know that they never shortchange customers, and the meat is good and affordable.
Butcher Fang didn't even need to shout. He just set up a table in front of the shop and started slaughtering sheep.
The bleating of sheep could be heard from far away, and many people wanted to join in the fun, so they soon formed a big circle.
Fang Lu, now half-owner of the butcher shop, was very graceful and generous, calling out to the crowd, "The sheep just arrived from the border town. They're not fat or fishy, and the meat is tender and delicious!"
Although she has never eaten it, it does not stop her from being a Wang Po and bragging about it.
"Mutton nourishes Qi and blood, nourishes Yin and strengthens Yang, it's a top-notch medicinal food! One pound of mutton costs 60 wen!"
Butcher Fang paused, his knife in hand, and glared at his daughter. "How could a girl say that?" No wonder she couldn't find a good family. It was all because of her aggressive temper! Half the city knew they had such a powerful young lady.
Fang Lu didn't care what her father thought. She continued to shout one sentence after another, saying what needed to be said. How could she do business without being thick-skinned?
Her monthly salary of eight hundred wen was enough to pay taxes, live comfortably, and buy nice things for her parents from time to time.
Many men came up to her after smelling her fragrance, wanting to marry into her family. Fortunately, because of her favor, her mother was soft-spoken and reluctant, so everyone had to listen to her opinion when they saw someone.
As a female shopkeeper, with money and status, she naturally became more and more confident at home.
Fan Bai, who was helping to press the sheep, glanced at the eloquent Fang Lu and a smile appeared in his eyes.
This year, pork prices have dropped to 35 wen per jin, and mutton is indeed rare. It's safe to say that most people have never traveled far and have never seen a lamb like this in their lives. Furthermore, autumn is a good time to nourish the body, so even at this price, people can afford it.
The sheep raised on the grassland are just the right amount of fat and lean. The wool is shaved off and left to the owner, and after removing the bones, only about 70 to 80 kilograms of meat is left from a sheep, which is not enough to be shared.
If it weren't for the limit of five pounds per person, a single wealthy family would have wanted to take away most of the sheep.
While Butcher Fang was still sharpening his knife, the bowl of sheep's blood was already being sold. Finally, even the sheep bones, which cost six coins a pound, were divided up by several families.
Lamb bone and radish soup is also very good!
Those who arrived too late and couldn't buy mutton would go into the shop to buy pork or dried fish. After all, you can't leave empty-handed.
The money jar hanging on Fang Lu's chest was already full, and it made a clanging sound when she moved it.
At noon, Mrs. Wu and her eldest daughter-in-law came to deliver food. Seeing Fang Lu rolled up her sleeves, ready to help lift the wooden planks, they hurriedly pulled her back and said through gritted teeth, "Can't you act a little more like a delicate girl?"
Fan Bai came over and carried the thick wooden board away by himself.
Fang Lu then slowly straightened her sleeves, took the food, and did not argue with her mother.
When fleeing, they hope that women are strong and capable of both literature and martial arts, and will not be a burden to them. When life is good, they hope that women are virtuous, kind, and beautiful. When they are about to die, they only care about survival. When they have a good life and have nothing to do, they start to be picky.
I don’t know why we have to put shackles on people. What should a person be like and what shouldn’t he be like?
Fang Lu caught a glimpse of her sister-in-law who blushed when she wiped the sweat off her brother's face. She and her mother washed clothes, cooked, and mended clothes at home every day, and they had endless things to talk about. This was the kind of person who could walk together with her mother.
Fang Lu can understand people who like that kind of life, but they don’t understand the life she wants.
But she knew in her heart that everyone wanted her money. There was no such good thing in the world where everything could be satisfied.
If she dared to ask to go out to do business, she would definitely be severely scolded by her mother.
At this time, her sister-in-law sat next to her and said in a gentle voice, "Little sister, my mother and I saw a good man through the matchmaker today. He is handsome. He has three sisters in his family, but they are all married. He is the only son. He doesn't mind you doing business among men..."
Fang the butcher's expression remained unchanged. He placed the bowl on the table and said in a deep voice, "What's wrong with a woman running a business? Who doesn't need money? What do you mean by disdainful? So what does he do to make a living?"
Mrs. Fang's face was embarrassed, and she didn't dare to talk to her father-in-law. He was supported by his three sisters, but he didn't mind his younger sister being in the spotlight and having a fierce temper...
"It's not that he dislikes her, it's that he just said that he thinks his daughter can earn money and he's willing to take care of the family. How great is that, one is responsible for the outside world and the other for the inside."
Mrs. Wu didn't know if it was because she had lived too comfortably in the past two years, but she was obsessed with competing with Fang Lu's marriage. She stayed with the matchmaker all day and could no longer hear good or bad words.
Fang Xin, a teenager who was already sensible, spoke up for his sister: "So he wants to rely on you to support the family? He has no sense of responsibility at all!"
Fang the butcher shouted, "Shut up! If you have anything to say, go home and talk!"
Fang Lu didn't want to say a word to them. She poked the rice in the bowl with her chopsticks and suddenly wanted to move out on her own.
But she knew that this was impossible.
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