THE STRAWBERRY
"Didn't we just intend to hire someone to help us, Ran? Instead, why did you decide to buy someone back? You've also bought two people. What was the total amount of money you had to spend?" Liu Tong drew Xu Ran aside and inquired anxiously.
Xu Ran took Liu Tong's hand in his and told him not to get too worked up. Then he went on to say, "I did not spend a lot of money. Tongtong, pay attention to what I'm doing. Buying people to work for us is a good investment. I was unaware of it before Zhuo Yun informed me of it today. Buying people makes sense to me as well."
"What did he say to you?" Liu Tong asked.
"Zhuo Yun pointed out that employing workers nowadays is expensive, and the employees aren't as dependable as those who can be bought back. After all, we still have the indentured workers' contract, which would be more beneficial to us. You are aware that we are currently occupied. Soon, we'll have to harvest wheat and strawberries. We need hands to work, so buying the staff back is a good option."
"Then why did you buy two? Isn't it good to buy one only?"
Xu Ran touched Liu Tong's hand and comforted him, "I intended to buy one, but those individuals did not meet my expectations. Only Shao Yu remained at the end, and he has also since given birth to a child. He was, however, sold with Gao Quan. I didn't think it made a difference if I purchased one or two workers, so I bought all of them back together. More citizens, in my opinion, equals more support. But, Tongtong, are you concerned that I won't be able to feed them both?"
Liu Tong gave him an angry stare, "I'm just worried that buying workers may cost a lot of money. You know that our family doesn't have much money now."
Xu Ran smiled, "Don't be worried about this. It didn't cost a lot of money. You will be able to relax. Gao Quan will accompany me to work in the field starting tomorrow, while Shao Yu will look after you at home and do the housework!
Liu Tong nodded, "Alright. Just follow your idea, but tell me why you bought these two people back."
Xu Ran nodded and replied, "Let's talk on the bed, shall we? Since their child was eaten by wolves, Gao Quan and Shao Yu are poor..."
Gao Quan and Shao Yu slept well here at night. Xu Ran gave them various tasks the next day. It was unbearably hot outside. Mr. Hu, Tangtang, and Guoguo were not allowed to work in the field by Xu Ran. He would only allow them to mow the lawn in the morning.
Xu Ran thought that the Ge'er, Shao Yu, was not as powerful as a man, so he didn't have to work in the fields when the weather was hot. He just wanted to help with household chores at home.
Gao Quan was taken to the strawberry fields by Xu Ran. Gao Quan had never worked on a farm before, and he was inept at it. Xu Ran, on the other hand, remained silent and gradually showed him how to do it. Gao Quan was a smart guy, so he could get right to work on his task.
His only flaw was that he had trouble grasping his own strength. He would sometimes pull down strawberries that were growing large and round by mistake. All those fruits made Xu Ran feel sorry for them. Gao Quan felt sorry for all of them as well. After pulling out more than ten fruits, he was finally able to control his strength.
They worked in the field for the whole morning, and their productivity was more than double that of Xu Ran working alone.
Gao Quan was a man of few words, but he still answered Xu Ran's questions one by one.
Xu Ran was even more convinced that these two people were not that easy based on his tone and word choice. They may not have been masters or powerful people, but they came from well-known families, some of whom were extremely wealthy and influential.
Shao Yu had already prepared their lunch by the time they returned in the afternoon, but he had gotten himself dirty, particularly his face, which was covered in soot.
Xu Ran was amused by his appearance, but he kept his distance from Liu Tong. Shao Yu was asked to go wash his face by Liu Tong. Dinner would be served after Xu Ran and the others had washed their hands.
Shao Yu had prepared the whole lunch by himself, with Liu Tong occasionally chiming in with something he didn't know. Shao Yu's cooking abilities were excellent, and everyone at the table was pleased today.
Xu Ran hurried the two children to take a nap after lunch. At noon, he also gave Gao Quan and Shao Yu some time to relax. They would return to work when the afternoons were not as humid. He and Liu Tong then walked hand in hand to their bedroom.
Mr. Hu was not going to take a nap at noon. He had his own ways of passing the time, such as chatting with the construction workers or walking around the village. He could meet one or two people who were as liberated as he was, or he could go fishing by the river.
Xu Ran used to recommend that Mr. Hu take a nap, but Mr. Hu was an elderly gentleman. He didn't get much sleep. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he slept through the day. Later, Xu Ran simply left him alone and asked him to set his own schedule.
They were both refreshed after a break, so they went back to work in the afternoon. Xu Ran was pleased when all of the family matters were turned over to Shao Yu.
Xu Ran took Gao Quan to town a few days later to buy some clothes and everyday necessities for each of the newcomers. By the way, they have brought Mr. Chen two jars of pickled bamboo shoots.
Mr. Chen also informed Xu Ran that he had discovered a market for the pickled bamboo shoots and allowed Xu Ran to give him as many as he could.
It was a wonderful news. When Xu Ran arrived in the village, he went straight to Xu An and the others. Their ox-carts and carriages were soon loaded with jars of pickled bamboo shoots and transported to town.
Because of Xu Ran, Mr. Chen did not give a low price. Both of the families had made about the same amount of pickled bamboo shoots, roughly the equivalent of two large jars. In the end, they each received 50 taels of silver for their efforts.
Xu Ran was fine after obtaining the silver, but the other three families were clearly trembling with too much money in their hands! In his center, Xu Ran was complacent. He was well aware that they had received this advantage as a result of his leadership.
He did not, however, show his self-satisfaction; instead, he seemed cool as normal and advised them to put the money away. He told them that if they wanted to spend the money, they should turn it into small change and keep quiet about it when they returned to the village.
Even if Xu Ran did not mention it, they were all well aware of it. They continued to nod in support. After all, Xu Ran was acting in their best interests. Xu Ran had made some money thanks to the pickled bamboo shoots, and he was no longer in such a tight financial situation.
He was still busy, however, because people from He Shui Town would be coming over to collect their goods in the next two days, and they would have to work overtime.
Xu Ran touched his head, feeling that making money was really hard.
____
It was already the end of May when the people from He Shui Town arrived to get what they wanted. The wheat was finally ripe after such a long time. Even if the harvest was small, it was still a harvest.
Xu Ran invited Wu Mei's and the other two families to help get the harvest in during those two busy days.
To make noodles and other things, wheat was ground into flour. In the future, Xu Ran did not believe they would need to produce as much wheat. They could develop rape instead next year. They could not only sell rape this way, but they could also extract oil from it for their own kin.
It was June, just a few months after May. The mushrooms in the mountains were about to erupt, the strawberries in the fields were about to ripen, and the fields were brimming with all sorts of vegetables. They've had a bumper crop of vegetables and fruits this year.
The new house's construction was nearing completion. The new house was built as long as the beams were installed and the tiles were sealed. Xu Ran requested Xu An's help with the furniture. He had drew a rough sketch, which Xu An slowly deciphered.
Xu Zhen and Xu Fa would also come over to help whenever they had time. From Xu An, they had learned some skills.
In early June, Xu Ran went to the town to meet Qin Shuwu.
Qin Shuwu had previously said that he would sell him his strawberry. Xu Ran would naturally remind him that the strawberry was ripe. Xu Ran just happened to catch this moment, which was a good time for his company, as other people's strawberries were almost sold out.
Fruit was scarce in this time period, and strawberries were not cheap. They were worth about eight pence for one jin when they were the cheapest on the market. When they were valuable, they were sold for twenty pence per jin.
Qin Shuwu and Xu Ran had a discussion. In the first year, he had no idea how much produce he had. The price Qin Shuwu offered Xu Ran for one jin was ten pence. In terms of how much he could sell, the additional money was already his. It was accepted by Xu Ran. He understood that good cooperation was essential for a successful business.
The strawberries were growing large and red due to the fact that they had planted the strawberry fruits on their leaves earlier, with bright sunshine and plenty of rain during the passing days.
These strawberries were enticing. Qin Shuwu's shop was small. Every day, the strawberries were picked so that they could be sold fresh. He also didn't have to pay anyone to bring the fruit in for him, which saved him a lot of money. Even so, it was unclear how much he might sell in a single day.
Xu Ran recalled the strawberry jam he had previously consumed. He reasoned that if he sold it with the strawberries, he'd make a profit. If a customer purchased a large quantity of strawberries, they could also sell him strawberry jam. The jam would taste even better with some pastries or biscuits, so it should be very popular among the wealthy.
On the fifth of June, Xu Ran's family started to pick strawberries in the fields.
And then Xu Ran took some strawberries back to make jam.
Two large baskets were packed with strawberries by the time the sun rose from the east. These two baskets were designed specifically to carry strawberries that were as large as a pack basket. Xu Ran delivered the strawberry jam and fruits to Qin Shuwu in the town.
The fruit shop of Qin Shuwu was in a good place. It was on the main street, where throngs of people were rushing from one place to another. After the strawberries arrived, the shop's waiters began shouting for sales. They would praise the strawberries first and then let them try one before introducing the strawberry jam to anyone who came to inquire about the price.
Indeed, the fruits had attracted many people's attention.
Xu Ran just made a small amount of strawberry jam. He reasoned that eating pastries with jam could be too sumptuous. He just fried some French fries on the first day. Not only can the strawberry jam be forced out, but the chips could also be sold out in this manner. Mr. Chen's restaurant, Xu Ran reasoned, may be able to profit from some of these desserts as well.
The end result was both obvious and incredible. Since so many people enjoyed it, those who were unable to purchase it on the first day were disappointed. They stated that they would return the next day. Many who didn't buy much or who had tried strawberry jam even asked for a deposit for the next day's store.
Xu Ran, on the other hand, disagreed, stating that they should return the next day to purchase new ones.
For the first day, the strawberry industry was booming. When they returned home at night, the whole family assembled to count the coins they had earned. Even when he was sleeping, Xu Ran was laughing. After a long struggle, he was finally able to get his work to pay off.
05.5.21