Chapter 98: Moving to a New Home

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Moving to a New Home

When Widow Xie and Hu Liang returned from town and heard what happened, they were so furious they wanted to go to the Jiang family and settle the score.

They had gone to great lengths to keep it a secret, but they never expected someone to steal the method—and for that someone to be Tian Jiao of all people.

"She’s just as disgusting as her mother!" Widow Xie had never liked that mother-daughter pair. "Wuan, why won’t you let us go and confront them?"

"Going there would be useless, aside from getting into another shouting match. Besides, even if we don’t go, they’re probably having plenty of trouble among themselves right now."

Ji Huan had only threatened to take Tian Jiao to the magistrate to scare her. This era didn’t have an intellectual property office; how could she sue for patent infringement?

Even if such a thing existed and they went to court, the two products weren’t really all that similar at the moment. They might even be forced to reveal their respective methods in the courtroom for comparison, which would have Tian Jiao laughing all the way.

Hu Liang, however, was thinking about something else. "You saw the dehydrated vegetables she made. What were they like, exactly?"

Ji Huan didn’t deny it completely. "She’s on the right track, but she’s still lacking finesse and precision."

For example, the blanching step. Judging by the final product, Tian Jiao must have boiled the vegetables until they were fully cooked. And for the pan-frying step, she just scorched them.

Hu Liang couldn’t help but worry. "Things like temperature control can be mastered with a bit of trial and error. What if she really manages to make something identical to ours..."

The dehydrated vegetables weren’t just profitable; you could call it a windfall. In a short time this year, they had already made a net profit of several dozen taels. They were even planning to start several months earlier next year, which would at least multiply their profits several times over.

But if someone managed to copy it, more competitors would surely pop up. Once the product became common, it would lose its novelty. Eventually, it would sell for the same price as fresh vegetables, and then what would be the point?

"I’ve said it before: an easy path is never walked by only one person. We’ve made money, so some people are jealous, and naturally, some will try to copy us. The law doesn’t forbid them from following suit, so there’s nothing we can do about that. But being a copycat isn’t so easy. We have the reputation of being the first to make dehydrated vegetables. As long as we build and strengthen our own brand, we won’t have to fear any number of competitors appearing on the market. The product is king, and quality is what truly matters."

Widow Xie still looked worried. "I know that’s the principle of it, but I still get angry just thinking about it. I was watching so carefully, and I didn’t see Tian Jiao snooping around during that time. How could she have managed to steal it..."

Ji Huan herself had only thought of making dehydrated vegetables in a flash of inspiration; it wasn’t some deeply considered plan.

Besides, there was really no technical skill to making dehydrated vegetables. The ingredients were cheap, and it was quick to learn. It was completely unrealistic to think of it as a long-term business.

Ji Huan said as much.

She finished by saying, "No one can live off a single product forever. You always have to learn to adapt and innovate. Otherwise, if you just stick to your old ways, you don’t need competitors—you’ll trap yourself. Making dehydrated vegetables was just a way to make ends meet for a while. It’s not like there won’t be more profitable methods in the future. So there’s no need to worry or feel it’s a pity. We have to look forward."

After her explanation, both Hu Liang and Widow Xie felt much more at ease.

"That’s true when you think about it. No matter how good the dehydrated vegetables are, it’s a seasonal thing. It’s not like our hot and spicy soup stall. The money might not come in as fast as with the vegetables, but it’s a steady, reliable stream. That feels more secure."

Ji Huan wanted to say that the hot and spicy soup stall wasn’t necessarily a guaranteed thing either and that they should always stay vigilant. However, she knew how much Widow Xie valued the stall, so she didn’t say anything to spoil the mood.

In the blink of an eye, it was the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and the new house was completely finished.

The main hall rooms were the first to be built. After a period of airing out and drying, they were ready to be moved into.

Ji Huan took Dabao to look over every part of the house, inside and out.

Of the three main rooms, only the east and west rooms had heated *kang* beds built, leaving the one in the middle as the main hall.

Entering the main hall, she had a carpenter build a long console table against the north wall. The upper part was a row of drawers with small cabinets on either side. It was aesthetically pleasing and could also hold many things.

The middle section of the console table was left open to accommodate a square "eight immortals" table. Below it, four chairs with backrests were placed against the east and west walls, respectively. This way, guests could sit on chairs instead of having to be led onto the *kang*.

The east room was Ji Huan’s. On the *kang* were a low table and a cabinet, and next to the *kang*, she had a large wardrobe built.

By the window, there was a long, narrow desk and a round-backed armchair. Next to it stood a large piece of furniture similar to a curio shelf, which served as Ji Huan’s combination vanity and writing desk.

The west room was naturally Dabao’s, and its layout was more or less the same as Ji Huan’s.

People in the countryside didn’t place much importance on privacy. Besides the main door to the hall, the east and west rooms were usually just separated by a cloth curtain. Ji Huan wasn’t used to this, so she had proper side-opening doors with latches installed for both.

Outside the main hall was the front courtyard. Of the two wing rooms on the right, one was made into a kitchen, and the other a storeroom. For now, there was no grain to store, so it was used for stockpiling purchased rice, flour, oil, and other miscellaneous items.

The two wing rooms on the left and the rooms in the back courtyard were still empty.

Widow Xie looked all around, inside and out, and repeatedly praised how well the house was arranged.

She just didn’t quite understand why the two of them, just Ji Huan and Dabao, would need to build such a large courtyard house.

Of course, there was a reason.

Farmhouse courtyards were generally low-walled, and their previous wicker fence was the type to deter a gentleman but not a scoundrel. Anyone who wanted to could get in. You could even stand at the gate and see what was happening in the main hall. There was no sense of security at all.

Ji Huan wasn’t used to living her life out in the open for everyone to see, which was why she wanted to build a "deep residence with a large courtyard." With the front and back courtyards as buffers, their living quarters were in the very middle, guaranteeing their privacy. Building the walls higher could also keep out thieves.

’Besides, having your own private villa in a place nestled by mountains and water is something countless people dream of.’

But none of this was for outsiders to know. Ji Huan simply said it was to secure a wife for Dabao in the future.

Widow Xie was taken aback, thinking that she was planning way too far ahead.

Ji Huan smiled and patted Dabao’s head, thinking to herself, ’It’s not that early. If a kid this age were in kindergarten, he might already have a little crush. And besides, my Dabao is so handsome.’

Hu Dacheng and Hu Ximei, along with Xiao’an and Hua, were running all over the courtyard, absolutely ecstatic.

After a little while, Hu Dacheng ran over, his face beet red, and said, "Sister Wan, even your latrine is paved with bricks, and the cesspit behind it is brick-lined too. It feels so weird squatting over it..."

Ji Huan was confused. "How is it weird?"

He stammered for a long time before Hu Ximei blurted it out for him: "He says he can’t poop when he squats on it! HAHA!"

Annoyed, Dacheng went to pull Hu Ximei’s hair, and she yelped as she dodged away.

Ji Huan and Widow Xie were both amused.

Later, they also checked the cellar and so on. Overall, she was quite satisfied. Finally, it was time to settle the bill.

Because they were right by the mountain, many materials like dirt, wood, and stone were sourced locally. The main expenses were for the bricks, tiles, and furniture.

Ji Huan had originally budgeted that the building materials, plus the cost of building the *kangs*, making the furniture, and labor, would come to about sixty taels of silver.

Partway through, she had requested a well be dug in the courtyard, and considering the problem of mud when it rained, she also had both the front and back courtyards paved with bricks. This put her nearly ten taels over budget.

However, the carpenter she had hired from town took a liking to the furniture designs she had drawn. He offered to only charge for the materials and waive the labor fee if Ji Huan would allow him to produce and sell them in his own shop.

It was rare for Ji Huan to meet someone from this era with such an awareness of intellectual property. Besides, she had only sketched a rough outline; they could hardly be called blueprints, and she didn’t know the first thing about design principles. Naturally, she had no reason to disagree.

The waived labor fee covered the cost overrun with some left to spare.

Afterward, Ji Huan did a quick calculation and found she still had about twenty-five taels of silver left. For the time being, she wouldn’t have to worry about Dabao going hungry.

On the day they moved into the new house, custom dictated that they hold a housewarming banquet.