Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Recruiting People to Join Her Partnership
"Besides, if I leave, I won't be at ease leaving Big Girl alone at home." Liu Daniu's face turned red from his wife's stare, but he still said it out.
Which mother-in-law would not bully their daughter-in-law?
With his protection, his mother could still restrain herself.
If he were to leave, his mother would definitely make things difficult for his wife, not to mention bullying her ruthlessly.
After all, his wife had asked for ten taels of silver as a betrothal gift.
His mother had grumbled about this next to his ears often.
Big Girl Li was already extremely touched by her man. She looked at Liu Daniu without blinking and didn't even move her hoe anymore.
Qin Xiaoyao also looked at Liu Daniu with admiration.
This chap was quite manly.
"Your family doesn't lack labor for the time being. Eventually, you'll still have to venture outside. However, there are many kinds of work to do in town, so you can take your time to look around. I'm sure you'll be able to find a job with relatively flexible hours." Qin Xiaoyao said to comfort him.
"Besides…" Suddenly, Qin Xiaoyao looked at Big Girl Li.
"Big Girl, do you have any plans?" she asked.
Big Girl Li was caught off guard.
"I… don't have any plans," she replied in a daze.
What plans could she have? She would help out at home and wait for her man to earn money.
In fact, one couldn't blame Big Girl Li for not making an effort to improve herself. It was the norm to think like that in this era.
After all, it was usually the men who went out to make a living, while the women stayed at home to take care of the elderly and children.
Although Big Girl Li didn't have a child yet, and her in-laws didn't need to be taken care of, she still had to stay at home.
Moreover, even if she wanted to go out, she must go with her man. It wasn't easy for women to find work outside anyway.
Qin Xiaoyao chuckled. "I do have some ideas. If you're interested, why don't you join me?"
Big Girl Li was a little hesitant.
On the other hand, Liu Daniu's interest was piqued.
"What are you thinking of, Mrs. Song?" he asked.
There wasn't much land at home, so his parents and two siblings could take care of everything.
Big Girl Li couldn't help much by staying at home.
If there were other ways to earn some money, wouldn't that be a good thing?
After all, it might not be long before the couple had a child.
Big Girl Li looked at Qin Xiaoyao as well.
She was somewhat tempted, but she was also afraid that she would fall into Qin Xiaoyao's trap.
Qin Xiaoyao laughed.
"Just these things from the mountains."
"For example, this Chinese yam. And also mushrooms, wild fruits, and so on."
The couple looked puzzled.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Qin Xiaoyao looked as if she had just recalled something.
"The manager in charge of purchasing at the kitchen of Fortune Mansion is a good friend of my father. He's also an elder who watched me grow up."
"Uncle Zhao heard that my family is in a difficult situation, so he allowed me to supply goods to Fortune Mansion."
"Mushrooms from the mountains, wild game, and wild fruits are all acceptable."
Qin Xiaoyao didn't pay attention to the two surprised people and continued. "Our family doesn't have land. Although we can't grow vegetables to sell, there are many mountains near our Brook Falls Village. There are also many things in the mountains."
"It hasn't rained these two days. When the rain comes, the mushrooms in the mountains will pop out. We can pick them and sell them for money."
"There's also the water-locked river next to our village. I've observed that there's a relatively shallow river bank. If we make a fishing net, we can probably catch a lot of fish."
"We farmers don't really like to eat fish, but it's very popular in restaurants. I think I can make some money with this method."
Seeing the couple's hesitation, Qin Xiaoyao thought for a while and said, "Of course, this is just my current thoughts."
"It's not a good idea to keep ourselves busy every day just by relying on these."
"After I've secured a stable partnership with Fortune Mansion, I plan to build a purchasing point in the village."
"I'll buy some mountain products at a low price, along with the things I've procured myself. Then I'll send them to Fortune Mansion."
"In this way, the villagers can earn some money, while I can also earn some fees for my hard work."
Going into the mountains every day was definitely not a long-term plan. She wanted to start a small business in the future.
Of course, there was a process to do this.
When they heard this, the couple was finally tempted.
"Sister Sanya, did you just say that this Chinese yam can be sold for money?" Big Girl Li asked.
She had asked Qin Sanya about it since she saw the Chinese yam, but Qin Sanya had not told her.
She didn't believe that Qin Sanya would spend money to get them to dig up a pile of firewood.
Moreover, the firewood was still wet and could not be used for a fire.
Liu Daniu looked at Qin Xiaoyao as well, and he had more guesses in his heart.
Qin Xiaoyao's expression changed slightly.
Then, she nodded. "Yes."
The couple was shocked.
"This thing can be eaten? Fortune Mansion will accept it?" Liu Daniu swallowed a few times and asked in disbelief.
When he looked back at the Chinese yam, his eyes were filled with curiosity.
"Yes." Qin Xiaoyao nodded again.
"How… are we supposed to eat this?" Liu Daniu felt that he definitely wouldn't be able to handle the taste of Chinese yam.
Qin Xiaoyao chuckled. "Peel off the skin and you can stew or fry it."
"Don't be fooled by its ugly appearance. It's actually very nutritious, and it's even a medicinal herb."
The couple was shocked.
"It's because not many people know it that this plot of Chinese yam can grow. I just happened to bump into it, and that's how I managed to lay my hands on such a good thing." Qin Xiaoyao continued.
"As for Fortune Mansion, Uncle Zhao didn't say that he would keep accepting them. He only bought a hundred catties from me and said that he would try to sell it in the restaurant. If it sold well, he'll buy more from me."
The couple was shocked again.
He bought… a hundred catties?
"However, I have confidence in this Chinese yam. If we dig up this Chinese yam, we won't have to worry about selling them."
Big Girl Li instantly understood.
"Then… how much are you selling it for per catty?" She asked Qin Xiaoyao in a probing manner.
Qin Xiaoyao's brows instantly furrowed.
At the same time, Liu Daniu reached out and pulled his wife back.
"Hey, please don't take offense, Mrs. Song. She's just curious. You don't have to tell her," he said with a smile.
Big Girl Li smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to look at Qin Xiaoyao.
"It's fine. It doesn't matter if I tell you. Anyway, Fortune Mansion doesn't simply accept goods from just any delivery guy," Qin Xiaoyao said.
That was indeed the case. All the suppliers that supplied Fortune Mansion had stores in town. There were only very few things that the kitchen would send people out to purchase.
Her Uncle Zhao had helped to open the back door for her.
The couple's faces turned pale.
"Also, not many people know about Chinese yam. Most people wouldn't buy it when they see that it resembled a stick of firewood." Qin Xiaoyao said with a bright smile.
The couple understood what Qin Xiaoyao meant. She was hinting to them that even if they got their hands on this item, they wouldn't be able to turn it into money.
The couple felt a little helpless, but they did not feel too disappointed.
After all, they didn't discover this thing. They were only here to earn wages.
"Then… how much did you sell it for?" Big Girl Li couldn't help but ask Qin Xiaoyao curiously.
Qin Xiaoyao smiled as she extended her hand.
"Five copper coins for ten catty?" Big Girl Li asked again.
She would never have thought that Chinese yam could be sold for five copper coins per catty.