Chapter 47: A Way to Make Money

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: A Way to Make Money

Hu Liang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"Don’t you all worry so much. In a few days, I’ll go out with the other villagers to find odd jobs. I heard the brick kiln is hiring, so I’ll go..."

"You’re not going!" Widow Xie cut him off without a second thought.

Ever since losing her husband and eldest son, Widow Xie had forbidden her two remaining sons from doing any such dangerous jobs.

She was simply too afraid and couldn’t bear another accident.

"Ma..." Hu Liang looked pained.

’He was actually the most worried one of all. His marriage into the Cao Family had been delayed again and again. He had planned to save some money to formally propose next spring, but now it looked like that was all down the drain. How much longer would the girl wait for him?’

"Aunt Xie, Liangzi, I do have an idea for making some money..."

Wanting to help the Hu Family get out of their predicament as soon as possible, she laid out her idea of selling dehydrated vegetables.

When she finished, Widow Xie and Hu Liang exchanged a look, both of them a little hesitant.

’They understood Ji Huan’s desire to help, but selling vegetables... Just about every family in the village had their own vegetable garden; some even had so much they had to throw away the excess. They wouldn’t make much money selling them in town, and once winter set in, where would they even find vegetables to sell?’

Ji Huan knew they thought this way only because they didn’t yet understand what dehydrated vegetables were, so she went on to explain the production method, properties, and advantages in detail.

When they heard that the finished dehydrated vegetables could be stored for a very long time—even through the winter—and that they were just like fresh vegetables after a quick soak in boiling water, both mother and son grew excited.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry up and make them now! Once they’re ready, we’ll have Liangzi and Dacheng take them to town to sell..." Widow Xie said, getting up to head outside.

Ji Huan was used to her impulsive nature. She pulled her back, exasperated, and said, "Aunt Xie, it’s not time yet."

"Then when is the right time?"

"When it gets truly cold."

No matter how well you make them, dehydrated vegetables can’t compare to fresh-picked ones.

This was the time of year when gardens were about to be cleared. Everyone was afraid their vegetables would rot in the ground, so they all flocked to the town to sell them, and prices hit rock bottom. At a time like this, they would have no advantage selling dehydrated vegetables.

In some respects, dehydrated vegetables and off-season vegetables have the same appeal. The selling point is the principle of "the rarer it is, the more valuable it is."

Once winter set in and everyone was left to gnaw on the cabbages and frozen radishes in their cellars, or to eat pickled vegetables with bean paste every other day, *then* they could introduce the dehydrated vegetables. At that point, there would be no fear of a lack of a market.

There were always more wealthy people in town. The county, being situated by the canal, didn’t face a critical shortage of vegetables in the winter, but the prices were several times higher than normal. Aside from the gentry and wealthy households, what common family could afford them? Dehydrated vegetables were perfect for filling this gap.

And when the heavy snows sealed off the mountains and the canal froze over... a time when even the wealthy households couldn’t buy fresh vegetables no matter how much money they had, wouldn’t they become potential customers too?

By the time Ji Huan finished her explanation, Widow Xie and Hu Liang were left dumbfounded.

"If we can really pull this off... how much would we sell it for?"

"Hmm..." Ji Huan scratched her chin. "We certainly can’t increase the price ten-plus times, but we can’t sell it at the original price, either. We’ll have to multiply the price several times over."

Hu Liang felt himself choke on his own spit when he saw Ji Huan hold up five fingers.

"Pathetic!" Widow Xie slapped him on the back, unable to even look at him. She then turned to Ji Huan. "So, according to you, we still have to wait a month or so to get started?"

"No. The selling has to wait until it gets truly cold, but we need to start making them as soon as possible." This was the main point Ji Huan wanted to make. "We have to catch the last harvest from the gardens and turn it all into dehydrated vegetables. Otherwise, once the gardens are cleared, we won’t have any raw materials, and even the best idea will be useless."

Ji Huan’s words made Widow Xie anxious. They had finally found a way to make money; it couldn’t be delayed.

"There’s still a lot left in our garden. I’ll take Liangzi and the others and go pick it all right now..."

Ji Huan shook her head. "That’s nowhere near enough."

Widow Xie thought about it and realized it was true. Their own garden was tiny; it wouldn’t yield enough for even a few trips to the market.

"Then what should we do?"

"We buy it."

"...You’re saying we have to spend money first to buy vegetables from other families?"

"Exactly. We buy while the garden-clearing prices are dirt cheap. The more, the better."

Hu Liang looked troubled. "That part isn’t the problem. It’s the capital..."

You had to spend money before you could make any, and you didn’t even know if it would succeed in the end. It was enough to make anyone’s heart pound with uncertainty.

Of course, the main issue was still the lack of capital.

The Hu Family was already dirt poor, and on top of that, they had to periodically buy medicine for their maternal grandmother. It was no exaggeration to say their house was down to its four bare walls.

Although Ji Huan had earned a good amount of Silver, she had spent it all on Dabao. They all knew this.

Not wanting to put the two youngsters in a difficult position, Widow Xie said, feigning a casual air, "I’ll go out later and see if I can borrow some..."

’Borrow? From whom? Who would still be willing to lend to their family? Everyone was afraid it would be a loan that was never repaid.’

Hu Liang knew this, and so did Ji Huan.

"I’ll figure something out for the capital."

’She’d had one tael of Silver from when she dealt with the Orphanage for Dabao. She later gave half of it to that girl named Qu, which left five maces. Adding the four and a half maces she’d previously set aside, she had just under one tael in total.’

One tael was not a small sum, but it was nowhere near enough if she wanted to make the business big.

The only plan Ji Huan could come up with was to use this money to buy as much as she could for now, then copy more books in the meantime, and reinvest whatever she earned.

But Widow Xie refused to dip into Ji Huan’s purse. "This is all you have left. You need to keep it as a safety net. If this all goes down the drain, what will you and Dabao eat and drink? What will you live on?"

"Aunt Xie, you can rest assured. It absolutely won’t be a waste; I’ve already tested it out. Besides, I’m not afraid even if we lose money." Ji Huan patted Dabao’s head. "If I eat meat, Dabao eats meat. If I eat bran, Dabao eats bran. He has no objections, right, Dabao?"

While the adults had been talking for some time, Dabao had been off to the side, silently playing with a stuffed doll.

The doll was about the size of a palm, hand-sewn by Ji Huan in her spare time. She insisted it was a little lion named Simba, but Dacheng, Ximei, and the other kids were adamant that it was a mutt—and a hideously ugly one at that.

Ji Huan didn’t deign to argue with children. Fortunately, Dabao knew quality when he saw it. He carried the little lion everywhere he went, never letting it out of his sight. The slingshot Dacheng had made for him had been utterly cast aside.

"Dabao, do your big sister a favor, won’t you? Give us a response." Ji Huan was beaming, a mischievous look on her face.

Dabao glanced up at her, then lowered his eyelids again to tug on the little lion’s tail. A moment later, he gave a perfunctory nod.

"Aww, my Dabao is the best boy!" Ji Huan exclaimed, wrapping an arm around his little head and planting a loud smooch on him.

Dabao raised a hand and wiped his cheek.

Seeing the two of them, Widow Xie thought they really did look like a proper brother and sister pair.

Moreover, ever since she’d kept Dabao, Ji Huan had really started to put down roots and settle into her life. She wasn’t like before, always acting like a miniature adult, so cold and withdrawn it was painful to watch.

"You’re raising Dabao so well, and teaching him well too. Look, he’s even starting to get some meat on his cheeks..." Widow Xie bent down, wanting to pinch Dabao’s cheek, but he dodged her by turning away.

’This child,’ she thought, ’is still only close to Ji Huan.’

Ji Huan just smiled. ’Even though she knew it wasn’t good for Dabao to be this way, she couldn’t help but feel a small, secret warmth in her heart. He still relied on her, after all.’

The diversion had thrown them off topic. Just as Ji Huan was about to discuss the details of the procurement, Hu Dacheng suddenly ran into the yard, panting.

"Sister Wan, you have to come quick! There are visitors at the old shack, and they say they’re here for you!"