stingy landlady

Chapter 12 Innovation

Guizhi had a feeling that there would be competitors selling food boxes. The initial investment was small and the profit margin wasn't high. Once competitors appeared, a lot of trouble would follow.

Price, taste, profit, number of customers, etc.

Innovation is urgently needed!

That afternoon, as Guizhi and the others entered the courtyard, they saw Erzhu and Lao Si carrying a large vat out of the old house. Guizhi ran up to see: "Second Uncle, Fourth Uncle, why did you take this vat out? Don't let it freeze!"

"Big brother's back! Sanya, this jar is leaking. Your grandma wants to buy a new one, saying there's no place to put it on the stove, so we don't need it anymore!" the fourth brother replied with a smile.

"Second Uncle, Fourth Uncle, give it to my family! I'll use it to store things." Guizhi looked at it and saw that there were two holes in the bottom of the jar.

“Okay! Where do you want to put it? Your fourth uncle will take it to you.” The fourth brother agreed.

Erzhu didn't really disagree. The big vat wasn't going to break easily; it was his son, Dabao, who was being naughty and accidentally broke it while throwing stones. He got a scolding from the old lady, and now that someone else is taking care of it, it's less of a hassle.

"Dad, don't unload the truck yet. Put this cylinder on top. Let's take the cylinder over there."

Da Ya and Er Ya were carrying things to their room. "What do you need that broken jar for? Third Sister, it leaks and can't hold water or grain anymore," Er Ya replied without stopping.

Dazhu was also preparing to unload the cart and free the oxen. Upon hearing Guizhi's words, he stopped what he was doing and came over to look at the large vat.

"You silly child! Why do you want everything!"

“Dad! Look how hard Uncle Er and Uncle Si had to throw it out. But if you put it on the oxcart, it’ll be gone in a flash. Hehe!” Guizhi said playfully and cheerfully.

“Alright! Second brother, fourth brother, let’s all lift it onto the car together!” Dazhu called to his two younger brothers.

The empty vat isn't heavy, but its large belly makes it difficult to lift. It's much easier if several people carry it.

"Big brother, where are you moving to? I'll go with you, and the two of us can carry it down. It's too much trouble for one person, and if it breaks again, our Sanya will cry! Hahaha!" The fourth brother said as he got onto the oxcart.

"Wait a minute! There's another jar in the garden that's leaking too, take it all out! If Sanya wants it, she can keep it; if not, just take it out and throw it away!" Grandma called out as she heard the commotion.

"Hey! I'll go get it!" The fourth brother jumped out of the car and walked into the park, and Sanya followed him.

There was a jar and a small vat with only half its body left at the entrance of the garden, which could also hold some things. Sanya didn't mind and pulled them all onto the oxcart.

Guizhi got on the oxcart and held onto the large vat, while Dazhu drove the oxcart out of the yard again.

"Fourth Uncle, are you up the mountain collecting firewood again? Is the firewood selling well?" Guizhi chatted with the fourth uncle.

"Yeah! There's not much work to do right now! I'm thinking of collecting more firewood, whatever I can sell is fine! We farmers can't be idle. People say the more you stay idle, the lazier you become!" the fourth brother said.

"Hey? Sanya, what do you need all this for? People are just throwing it away, and you're treating it like a treasure."

"Hehe! Fourth Uncle, I have a use for you! It's a secret for now!" Guizhi said mysteriously.

"Dad, let's go to that house on the east side! I go there every day to burn incense and open the doors and windows to let in fresh air. There shouldn't be anything wrong inside," Guizhi said to Dazhu.

"Alright! We've already asked the pharmacy owner! Everything should be fine!" Dazhu replied.

"Fourth Uncle! What does my Fourth Aunt do at home? She must be having trouble adjusting since she just came to our house, right? You have to be nice to her!" Guizhi said to her fourth uncle like a little adult. She was thinking that women have it tough, and the newlyweds were deeply in love; it was the perfect time to correct her fourth uncle's thinking.

"Hey! What can she do? Besides cooking, washing clothes, and doing housework with your grandma, she just stays in the house mending and sewing." The fourth brother said in a tone that was just so-so.

"But your fourth aunt is very skillful. She made a purse out of scraps of cloth and even embroidered it! If you want to learn, ask your fourth aunt to teach you!"

"Yes, yes! My eldest and second eldest sisters are learning needlework! When they're not busy, we'll ask Fourth Aunt to teach us! Fourth Uncle, you must put in a good word for us." Guizhi said, pretending to be serious.

The group chatted and laughed as they arrived at their newly purchased house at the east end of the village. They opened the gate, and the oxcart entered the yard.

"Big brother, you really bought this house? Aren't you afraid of what might happen?" The fourth brother was surprised! He had also heard that the house had been sold. But since it didn't concern him, he just let it go.

"Hmm! It's nothing! Sanya just said that we've been using incense to disinfect for days! We've also been opening the doors and windows for ventilation, so all the toxins have dissipated," Dazhu said nonchalantly.

"Big brother, do our parents know?" the fourth brother asked.

"I don't know! I didn't say! Don't tell your parents unless they ask! I don't want them to worry. They're getting old and have a lot to worry about. We've already separated the family, so if things go well for us in the future, we should take good care of them." Dazhu instructed the fourth son.

"Sanya, where are you going to put these broken jars?" Dazhu asked Guizhi.

"Put it in the inner room, it's warm there. Dad, Fourth Uncle, I'll go open the door!" Guizhi dashed off to open the door.

Dazhu and Lao Si unloaded the jars and pots from the oxcart, and Guizhi found some bricks from somewhere and placed them in the inner room. Guizhi directed them to arrange the jars on the bricks.

Guizhi closed all the doors and windows tightly, and came out with the two brothers, Dazhu and Guizhi. The fourth brother looked around the yard and nodded, "Big brother, this detached house is quite nice!"

"Fourth Uncle, look, this is where we store firewood, it's empty. Fourth Uncle, could you please fill it up?" Guizhi teased!

"Okay! I'll start carrying the firewood here as soon as I find it tomorrow! I'll make sure it's all neat and tidy, and piled high!" The fourth brother was delighted, knowing he was about to earn extra income!

"Dad, we need to buy some things for this house. Look, a water vat, a water bucket, a water ladle, a basin, and a kettle to boil water, so it will be convenient for us to drink water when we come here to work." Guizhi reminded Dazhu.

"Hey! Big brother, are you guys moving in here?" The fourth brother turned to look at Dazhu.

"I don't plan to move right now. But we need this house, and we can't just leave it sitting there after buying it," Dazhu replied to Lao Si.

"Then we'll need to buy some bowls, chopsticks, and water cups. When we're busy farming, we can cook here; it's convenient and close by," Dazhu said after thinking for a moment.

"Brother, no need to buy a water ladle. There are a few gourds in Mother's storeroom. I'll get you one; after sawing it open, you'll have two gourd ladles," the fourth brother said. Then, after thinking for a moment, he added, "Sanya, when we get some good wood for firewood, I'll make you a few small stools!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Fourth Uncle! Fourth Uncle is the best!" Guizhi nodded several times, praising her fourth uncle without hesitation.

"Dad, don't forget to tell Mom when you get home tonight that you bought so many things," Guizhi instructed.

"Yes! Father understands!" Dazhu replied.

That evening, after dinner, Guizhi quietly discussed with her family. "Father, Mother, Eldest Sister, Second Sister, what do I need to prepare for sprouting beans today?"

"Sprouting beans? You don't need that many!" Daya asked in surprise.

Actually, some families in the village do sprout beans, but it's mostly those who are better off and willing to spend money that sprout bean sprouts for cooking during the Lunar New Year. Those who know how to sprout beans have vegetables to eat, but they also throw away a lot of rotten beans. If they don't sprout them properly, they all rot and can't be eaten, and the family will be scolded for wasting food.

“We’ll sprout beans and sell them for money. Didn’t Grandpa and Grandma give us several dozen pounds of soybeans this year? Tomorrow, we’ll pick out the best ones and sprout them to sell!” Guizhi explained softly.

"Will it work? What if it rots and all that stuff is wasted?" Mrs. Li said worriedly.

“Mom, let’s try using that small jar or pot first. If we sprout a lot of bean sprouts, we can have an extra dish in our lunchboxes and sell them in town.” Guizhi added, “Eldest sister, second sister, next year someone might also be selling lunchboxes, and there won’t be just one seller. We won’t be able to sell many lunchboxes and won’t make much money. So we need to find a way to make money. Mom and Dad! Look, it’s so cold in winter, and besides radishes, cabbage, and potatoes, there aren’t many vegetables. Bean sprouts are delicious, and fresh ones will definitely sell well in town.”

"I think it's a good idea! Mom and Dad, we've already bought that house, we can't let it go to waste. It's so remote there, no one will bother to find out what we do there." Er Ya was quick-witted; as long as she could make money, that was fine with her.

“Father and Mother, let’s give it a try! When we first started selling food, we also tried to do it ourselves! Since we have to try everything to know, let’s do as Third Sister says and give it a try.” Daya agreed.

Since her three daughters had all agreed, Madam Li said, "Alright, let's give it a try. Don't forget to buy two locks in town tomorrow; we need to lock things up in that house."

Dazhu then discussed the items they needed with Li. The group did the math: a large water vat would cost about 400 coins, two water bowls 30 coins each, a kettle 20 coins, and two basins, bowls, chopsticks, and cups would cost another 40-50 coins. That would bring the total to 550 coins.

I also ordered firewood from the fourth brother, which will cost at least 500 coins. It's been over half a year since the family split up. For the first three months, we only sold thirty boxes of rice, earning nearly five taels of silver each month. For the next three months, we increased to thirty boxes of rice and thirty boxes of dumplings, earning about ten taels of silver each month. During the autumn harvest, we earned another ten taels. So far, we have a profit of fifty-five taels. We've spent fifteen taels of silver on buying cattle, carts, houses, cloth, cotton, and other daily necessities.

Li took out the money, and everyone helped count it. There were now forty taels of silver. Li took out two taels and gave them to Dazhu. "Let's go shopping tomorrow! It's almost New Year's, so let's also see if we can buy some more food. Everyone will be resting during the New Year, but we need to stock up on more food. Let's also buy two boxes of frozen pears, one for our parents, and we can have some for ourselves occasionally in the evenings. What else would you like to eat?"

Li looked at her eldest daughters. "Mother, it's almost New Year's, are you getting ready to buy New Year's goods?" Guizhi smiled.

“Yes, it’s almost New Year’s! It’s so cold, everyone else is hibernating. You’re the only ones working so hard, enduring the cold every day to earn money. Your faces are all red from the cold. We don’t have much else right now, but your parents are willing to buy you some food.” Li Shi expressed her deep affection for her daughter.

"Mom is so good! I can't think of anything to buy right now! Dad, let's go to town tomorrow and see what good food there is, then we can buy it and eat it slowly!" Er Ya hugged Li Shi's arm.

"Mother, Mother, hug me!" When Siya saw her older sister hugging their mother, she ran over to let Li Shi hug her too.

"You little rascal! Your mother is our mother too!" Er Ya gently pinched Si Ya's cheek and scolded.

"Dad, Mom, aren't we going to buy a few more acres of land?" Guizhi asked疑惑地. They only had two acres. In the countryside, weren't people who had money always willing to buy land? Why hadn't her parents mentioned this plan before?

"Sigh! You're all girls. Even if I buy land, I can't cultivate much by myself. Are we just going to buy land and leave it to lie fallow?" Dazhu sighed. He also wanted to buy land. What farmer doesn't want to own more land?

Li was afraid that Dazhu would be heartbroken because he had no son, so she gestured to Guizhi with her eyes to stop talking. Guizhi pretended not to notice: "Father, how can we leave the land uncultivated after buying it? We can't let you do it all by yourself. We can hire people to do it when we make money! If we don't have enough land, we can hire people to do it. If we have hundreds or thousands of acres, we can rent them out! Wouldn't that be great!"

A single word awakened them from their reverie! Dazhu and Li Shi exchanged a glance, seeing the joy in each other's eyes. "But, if we hire people to cultivate the small plot of land, the villagers will laugh at us," Dazhu hesitated again.

"What's there to be afraid of! They can only be envious and jealous!" Er Ya was always full of energy.