Chapter 50 Steaming Hot
On the way home.
Liu Yu Niang hesitated for a while.
He took out two taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to Lu Qingyao.
"Sister-in-law, this is what your elder brother left over from his medical treatment. Please keep it."
She was reluctant to do so, but her husband said that his sister-in-law had already helped them enough.
Can't take more.
"Sister-in-law, this is what you deserve. You don't need to pay me back."
Finding and digging bamboo shoots is a technical job, and it would be impossible without my big brother.
Her ideas and money were fine, but when she actually started digging, she didn't dig up even half as much as her sister-in-law did after a whole day.
Lu Qingyao didn't take it and said with a smile, "From now on, after deducting the expenses from the bamboo shoots business, we'll split the remaining profits 50-50."
When Liu Yu Niang heard this, she happily withdrew her hand, somewhat unable to believe her ears.
"Sister-in-law, 50-50, isn't that too much?"
She and her husband only knew how to dig bamboo shoots, and knew nothing about doing business or managing accounts.
She wanted so much but felt uneasy about taking it.
Lu Qingyao held her hand and said, "Sister-in-law, these bamboo shoots are gifts from nature. It's your ability to find and dig them out. Just keep them safe."
Besides, after the incident with Huazi, she was not comfortable leaving the child alone at home.
Delivering bamboo shoots to Jiangzhou was a lot of hard work for the couple.
Liu Yu Niang's eyes were red, "Sister-in-law, I don't know how to thank you. If it weren't for you, your brother wouldn't have the money to treat his leg..."
Without Lu Qingyao, they would still continue to eat coarse food.
When Lu Qingyao heard her mention it, she remembered to ask about Jiang Yunhu's injury, "How is my brother's leg? What did the doctor say?"
"The doctor said it can be cured. He fixed the bones, gave me acupuncture, and applied internal and external medicines. I still need to take medicine for half a year. This time, I only got a month's supply."
Just one month's worth of medicine cost them three taels of silver. If they wanted to recover, it would probably cost more than forty or fifty taels of silver, and they still had to pay back the fifteen taels they owed their brother and sister-in-law.
Liu Yu Niang felt very upset just thinking about it.
Seeing her expression, Lu Qingyao guessed that she was worried about money, so she said a few words to comfort her.
"Sister-in-law, no matter how much it costs, as long as it can be cured, it's good. We will definitely earn the money for treatment soon."
She calculated in her mind that these winter bamboo shoots could still be sold for at least two months, and if nothing unexpected happened, it should be no problem to sell them for over a hundred taels.
The winter bamboo shoots are gone and there are still spring bamboo shoots.
Although the price of spring bamboo shoots is not as high as that of winter bamboo shoots, once the market is opened, the sales volume cannot be underestimated.
After hearing what her sister-in-law said, Liu Yu Niang felt much more relaxed.
He didn't mind her just holding the smelly Heiwa, and took her hand, "Sister-in-law, we will do whatever you ask us to do. We listen to you."
If it were in the past, she would definitely not believe that her sister-in-law could earn so much.
But this time she saw with her own eyes that her brother and sister-in-law earned in one day the amount of money that his family would have to save for a year to earn.
She couldn't help but believe it.
Lu Qingyao smiled, then thought of the 800 kilograms of bamboo shoots, and couldn't help but feel a little worried.
There are less than two days left until the delivery date.
Thinking of this, she pulled Liu Yu Niang and said, "Sister-in-law, go around to each family and spread the word about our trip to Jiangzhou to sell bamboo shoots yesterday. Then ask my eldest brother to find some hardworking and capable people who don't know how to find winter bamboo shoots to help us dig them."
Liu Yu Niang was confused. Shouldn't she make a fortune quietly?
"Sister-in-law, why do we need to spread this out? If people find out, will they steal our business?"
Lu Qingyao smiled and said, "Qingshi Town is full of bamboos, so bamboo shoots are a must. We carry these bamboo shoots in and out every day, and we can't hide them. If we don't show them off, people will be jealous. In the end, we will have to sell these bamboo shoots at a low price. Instead of letting the villagers compete viciously, it's better to publicize the bamboo shoots in Qingshi Town and tie everyone's interests together. We can sell bamboo shoots together and make money together."
Liu Yu Niang nodded, not quite understanding. "Okay, then how much money should we give to the people digging bamboo shoots? Will ten people be enough?"
Digging out 800 kilograms of bamboo shoots in one day is no joke.
Fortunately, no one is competing with them yet.
Lu Qingyao: "One hundred coins per person, one meal included, daily salary. Let's try digging for three days first."
"One hundred coins!" Liu Yu Niang exclaimed, "Isn't that too much?"
Working in Qingshi Town, one could earn only sixty or seventy cents a day at most,[1] and ordinary servants could only earn forty or fifty cents.
One hundred coins, including a meal.
Who wouldn't be tempted by such a job?
"Not much, not much." Lu Qingyao smiled, having her own plans in mind.
"Sister-in-law, you stay home and help me cook tomorrow. Let my eldest brother go on horseback and bring some wood ash. Mark the places where there are bamboo shoots so that people can dig them up..."
"good."
"Let's go out and buy an ox cart tomorrow morning."
"Okay..." Liu Yu Niang nodded habitually.
After a while, he suddenly reacted.
"Sister-in-law, aren't we renting the ox cart from Old Man Li? Why do we need to buy one?"
"That will cost a lot of money..."
Buying a set of ox carts would cost at least fifteen taels of silver.
Lu Qingyao explained, "Sister-in-law, we can still use the ox cart of Old Man Li, but after the New Year, spring will come. I'm afraid that by then, even if we have money, we won't be able to rent an ox. It would be more convenient to buy one ourselves."
Liu Yu Niang thought about it.
"That's right. Then we won't have to borrow cows to plow the land at home."
His eyes were full of admiration when he looked at Lu Qingyao.
Jiang Miaomiao's home.
There was a car parked in the yard.
It was sent by the County Magistrate Xu Heng.
Jiang Zifeng lifted the cloth covering the car, revealing a car full of black bear meat.
Black bear head, black bear meat, black bear mane...
Neat and tidy, a little scary.
In the dormitory.
The charcoal fire is burning.
Jiang Miaomiao had been washed clean and fragrant by Sister Qiaoer.
Waving her pink, white, lotus-like little hands and feet.
Just as he was about to bend his toes and put them in his mouth, Sister Qiaoer gave him a big kiss.
"My sister smells so good! She smells like milk."
Jiang Qiaoer thinks Miaomiao is fragrant.
But no matter how Xuan Ge'er washed, he still smelled like shit and milk.
Maybe the girl doll smells better.
Jiang Qiaoer thought so and smelled it again. It was still very fragrant.
In ancient times, little babies rarely took a bath in winter.
Not only does it waste coal and water, but you may also catch a minor cold if you are not careful.
Jiang Miaomiao took a rare hot bath and lay comfortably in the basin.
The heat made me feel lazy and I didn't want to get up at all.
So comfortable!
I was sucking my fingers and enjoying the bath when Sister Qiaoer picked me up.
Sister Qiaoer helped her change her diaper and put on her sweet little jacket.
Her movements were gentle, even gentler than her mother's.
Jiang Qiaoer saw through the crack in the door that there were so many succulents in the yard!
I'm so happy that I can eat meat again.
She licked her lips and said, "Xiao Miaomiao, I'll take you to see the big black bear, okay?"
No, I don't want to see a black bear...
She had seen enough.
Jiang Miaomiao protested with babbling sounds and rolled over on the bed.
Sister Qiaoer was on this side, and she turned to the other side.
After Qiao'er passed by, she turned over again.
Jiang Qiao'er was sweating profusely after being tormented by her. She climbed onto the bed, grabbed her, and slapped her on the butt with a wicked smile on her face.
"Hey, little girl, let's see if you can run away."
Jiang Miaomiao: “…”
She didn't think there was anything good about black bears.
She couldn't eat it anyway.
The delicious food is right in front of you, but it is out of reach. It’s so painful.
When she was carried out of the house by her sister Qiao'er, she saw her mother and aunt holding two kitchen knives, cutting meat diligently.
Dismember the big black bear and chop its bones.
"Crack, crack~~"
"Bang, bang, bang~~"
The smell of raw meat filled the yard.
Everyone stared at the two big bears, as if they would be served steaming hot on the table in the next moment.
Only Jiang Miaomiao's little face was wrinkled.
Her little face turned red.
So pitiful!
While others eat meat, she can only drink milk.
[1] See Dongjing Menghualu, Volume 4: “All kinds of miscellaneous goods were sold, and each hired laborer was paid a hundred coins a day.”
Volume 1 of Ji Lie Bian states: "When the wheat in Jiangnan is ripe, the price of hired laborers can be as high as 100 coins a day."
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