Chapter Bonanza (7/10)

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Yan Xiaoyu first told his family about his plan.

“We’re selling so many different things right now that we never get a moment’s rest. Mom and Dad still have to take care of the housework and the farm chores, which makes it even harder on them. Why don’t we let Aunt He and the others handle selling the tofu, silken tofu, fermented tofu, dried tofu, tofu skewers, and tofu puffs? We’ll just focus on making them. That way, our family can have it a little easier, and Aunt He and the others can earn some money too.”

“We won’t run the tofu stall at home anymore. As for the one in town, my older sister will only sell chicken soup, tofu, and spicy dried tofu; once she sells out, she’ll close up shop and come back to help with the work. Mom, Dad, and older sister, what do you think?”

Even though they’re making good money now, the recipes for those items aren’t difficult. It probably won’t take more than a few months before others start copying them. Yan Xiaoyu wanted to seize the opportunity to sell as much as possible before others could copy them, so he could earn enough silver to build a house and open a restaurant next year.

When it came to business matters, Yan Xingmao and his wife, Yan Xiaoyue, always listened to him; they rarely had any objections.

Yan Xiaoyu continued, “Besides Aunt He, let’s ask the village chief if he wants to join us. When we went to the county office to buy supplies and bail out Yan Xiaobao and the others, the village chief and Aunt Yu helped us a lot. Nian-ger has also been very supportive of our tofu business. Since we have this opportunity, we should repay them a little.”

He Qiuhua and the others nodded repeatedly. “Alright, we’ll do as you say.”

After everything was settled, Yan Xiaoyu remembered the matter of Liu Xu being divorced and couldn’t help but ask, “Sister Xu was sent away from her husband’s home—did Nian-ger go to court her?”

“Of course he went! Your Uncle Liu was furious. He said Sister Xu had barely set foot in the house before Nian-ger followed right behind her. He pounded his chest and swore he’d find Sister Xu someone even better. But the very next day, he went out looking around and came back with his tail between his legs, saying he hadn’t found anyone suitable.”

Nian-ger is young and unmarried, so there weren’t many suitors willing to approach him in the first place. Among the few men who did, he was still quite selective, hoping to find a good match for Liu Xu. But as soon as they heard Liu Xu was barren, their faces fell instantly, and in the end, the lad was practically chased away.

Even after arriving, he remained undeterred, insisting he’d keep looking for a match for Sister Liu Xu, but Aunt He and Liu Pingshan had already given up.

Having been divorced, Liu Xu was deeply shaken. Since her return, she’d been gloomy and withdrawn. If not for their desire to see her pull herself together quickly, Aunt He and Liu Pingshan wouldn’t have let Nian-ger run wild.

When she first arrived, there was some gossip in the village, but yesterday Yu Chunying helped Aunt He go up to the field embankment and give them a good scolding, and no one dared to gossip anymore.

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua weren’t the type to spread rumors either, which is why Yan Xiaoyu and his sister only mentioned this today.

Yan Xiaoyu felt a pang of sadness. 

Aunt He had a fiery temper, but neither of her own children took after her. Liu Tiao was gentle and well-behaved, while Liu Xu was almost too docile.

In her original memories, Liu Xu had only enjoyed six months of happiness after her marriage. When she hadn’t conceived after half a year, her in-laws began to treat her coldly.

Because of this, Aunt He and her husband made several trips over there. Each time they visited, the family would behave themselves for a few days, but before long, they would revert to their old ways.

Aunt He and Liu Pingshan had carefully selected a son from a family known for being strong-willed and close-knit to marry into.

Little did they expect that the family’s “strength” depended on who they were dealing with; while the family was united, they singled out Liu Xu, their daughter-in-law, to bully.

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The next day, when Yan Xiaoyue and her younger brother arrived, Aunt He and Liu Pingshan were already waiting at home.

Aunt He was visibly moved upon seeing Yan Xiaoyu. She grabbed his hand and thanked him repeatedly, and when she spoke of her daughter, tears streamed down her face.

“Your sister is truly pitiful. All these years at the Ding household, she’s worked day and night, helping that Ding man tend to his parents, and caring for his nephew and younger brother—only to end up like this! Being sent away from her husband’s family—what a terrible disgrace for a young woman! What ger or woman could bear such a fate? Sister Xu has come back this time looking nothing but skin and bones, with not a trace of color in her face. It breaks my heart as a mother! I only regret that I and your Uncle Liu, are powerless to go and chop that Ding fellow to pieces!”

Yan Xiaoyu listened and grew furious as well; together, they vented their anger by cursing Liu Xu’s in-laws.

“I heard from Brother Yan that according to the laws of our Great Chu, a woman must be at least fifty years old and childless before her husband’s family can divorce her on the grounds of infertility. Sister Xu is only twenty this year, and they’ve already divorced her—it’s simply outrageous! But Sister Xu is still young. Getting out of that den of thieves early is actually a good thing. With Uncle Liu and Brother Tiao to support you, your life from now on will surely be better than it was at the Ding household! As the saying goes, ‘A blessed woman does not enter an unblessed home.’ I don’t think being divorced is necessarily a bad thing—it might just be Heaven’s blessing!”

Yan Xiaoyu’s words truly struck a chord with Aunt He and Liu Pingshan.

“Brother Yu, I always knew you were a good soul!” Aunt He wiped away her tears with a smile, slapped her thigh, and said, “Your mother told me you’ve been thinking of ways for us to make money. Just tell us—Uncle Liu and I can handle any kind of work and endure any hardship!”

“Alright.” Yan Xiaoyu nodded and explained the plan he’d come up with.

“From now on, our family won’t be selling tofu, tofu pudding, fermented tofu, or any of the other ingredients anymore. You can take over selling all of those. As for where to sell them, you can choose for yourselves—whether in the village, at the town market, or going door-to-door, anything goes.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Aunt He and Liu Pingshan were stunned.

Yan Xiaoyu’s family had been relying on this trade to make a living—in just over half a month, they’d managed to buy a donkey and a donkey cart! Just a few days ago, He Qiuhua had even paid a hefty sum to buy cotton from them.

It goes without saying how profitable this business was.

Liu Pingshan exclaimed in shock, “A business that makes this much money—you’re just going to give it up? And hand it all over to us?!”

“Yes, for now, my family will only sell chicken soup, tofu skewers, and spicy dried tofu. We won’t sell anything else.”

Yan Xiaoyu explained the specific details of the arrangement in full.

The Liu family would purchase goods from Yan Xiaoyu’s shop: tofu at four wen per block, tofu pudding at thirty wen per bucket, and dried tofu, tofu skewers, and tofu puffs all at fifteen wen per pound; fermented tofu at ninety cash per jar. The selling prices would be the same as those previously set by Yan Xiaoyu and his family. 

Working the numbers out, for every block of tofu sold, the Liu family would make one wen; for every bucket of tofu pudding, ten wen; for every pound of tofu products, three wen; and for every jar of fermented tofu, thirty wen.

On average, their small family stall was selling about fifty blocks of tofu, one bucket of tofu pudding, five pounds of tofu products, and half a jar of fermented tofu each day. 

Yan Xiaoyu had already spread the word about the family’s tofu, so once the Liu family opened shop, they didn’t need to go out of their way to attract customers—they were already coming in droves.

Based on current estimates, if the Liu family sold their goods in the village, they could earn roughly ninety wen a day, amounting to two thousand seven hundred wen a month; if they went to town, they could earn even more—about two or three times what they made in the village.

Liu Pingshan went to town every few days to sell vegetables, but even after a month’s work, he could only earn a little over one tael of silver—and that was after toiling away planting vegetables. With Yan Xiaoyu’s business, they wouldn’t have to make the tofu themselves. If they sold it in the village, they could simply carry the goods to their own home early each morning and earn silver right there—and double what they’d make otherwise. Going to town might be a bit tiring, but the earnings were much higher!

Aunt He and Liu Pingshan were both a bit stunned; they truly hadn’t expected Yan Xiaoyu to come up with this line of work for them. They’d assumed that, since the two of them had no special skills, the best they could do was come to Yan Xiaoyu’s place to do manual labor!

No wonder the Yan brothers have been getting along so closely with Yan Xiaoyu’s family lately! That guy really knows his stuff!

Seeing the bewildered looks on their faces, Yan Xiaoyu emphasized, “Selling in the village won’t earn as much as selling at the town market. If you go to the town market, you won’t need to rent a separate stall—we can share one. However, the Qian family’s tofu shop is right next to the market. If you go there to sell tofu, you’re bound to offend the Qians. You’d better think this through carefully.”

One option earns two or three taels a month, while the other earns six or seven. Anyone would choose the latter. Six or seven taels a month adds up to nearly a hundred taels a year!

Yan Xiaoyu and his sister packed up early, arriving home by the end of the Wu hour every day. If they sold for just a little longer, they might earn even more!

Liu Pingshan had already decided to sell in town, but upon hearing this, he calmed down again.

Should they choose stability but earn less, or take the risk and earn more? He was torn.

In the end, Aunt He made the final call: “We’ll just sell in the village!”

Nothing matters more than the family living a peaceful life—there must be no more trouble in the household!

Yan Xiaoyu didn’t object to Aunt He’s decision: “That’s fine. Selling in the village means Sister Xu can help watch the stall; she’ll be too busy to dwell on the Ding family’s affairs.”

“Ah, Sister Xu probably doesn’t want to see anyone today.”

“Alright,” Yan Xiaoyu said with a hint of regret. “Starting the day after tomorrow, let my mother know a day in advance how much of each item you’ll need so we can prepare. Don’t order too much for the first few days—if we can’t sell it all, you’ll have to take responsibility yourselves.”

Perhaps in the future, he would teach Aunt He and the others how to make fermented tofu and a few other dishes, but not yet.

“Of course!” Aunt He replied without hesitation.

Yan Xiaoyu was already doing them a huge favor by letting them earn a living this way; how could they possibly ask him to provide for their livelihoods as well?

Liu Pingshan had no objections either.

Once everything was settled, Yan Xiaoyu also mentioned to them that the tofu stall in town might be handed over to Niu Fugui’s family to run, and neither Aunt He nor Liu Pingshan objected.

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The next day, Yan Xingmao and his wife, following their son’s instructions, discussed the matter with Niu Fugui and Yu Chunying.

Niu Fugui and Yu Chunying were also very surprised and delighted.

Their family had plenty of laborers, a large amount of farmland, and raised quite a few chickens and ducks. Compared to the Liu family, their household circumstances were like night and day.

However, no one would turn down more opportunities to make money, especially since they had a large family and high expenses. Nian-ger’s three older brothers were young and strong, each with an appetite bigger than the next, and the two nephews had reached the age where they were “half-grown boys who eat like little giants.”

Although the family earned a decent income, they couldn’t save much silver by the end of the year.

The business opportunity Yan Xiaoyu offered could earn them six or seven taels a month—more than all their current ventures combined! How could they not be thrilled?

“Wonderful! Brother Yu is capable and has real guts!” Niu Fugui beamed with excitement. “It wasn’t for nothing that I ran back and forth for your family earlier—you’ve remembered my kindness! Yan Er, rest assured, your family’s kindness is deeply appreciated by Nian-ger’s mother. From now on, if you ever need anything, just come find me!”

When Yan Xingmao reminded him about the Qian family, he waved it off, unconcerned.

“Liu Pingshan may fear the Qian family, but I, Niu Fugui, certainly don’t! Our Yu family has deep roots in this area, and besides, Qian Hong’s in-laws are right here in our Xiling Village. If he dares to trip me up, I’ll find a way to make up for it through your older brother!”

Niu Fugui and Yu Chunying both guessed that the Liu family had been given first pick of the two business opportunities, with whatever was left going to their family.

But Aunt He and Yan Xiaoyu’s family shared a special bond—a friendship forged when the Liu family was down on their luck. They couldn’t compare to that, so they accepted the leftovers without a single complaint.

‌Besides, while the Liu family’s business was stable, theirs was far more profitable! They weren’t afraid of the Qian family either, and the town trade suited them better.

Niu Fugui even wanted to send the Liu family a gift to thank them for giving up the more lucrative business.

‌On the way there, he and Yu Chunying discussed who should go to town to handle the trade.

“I think we should send Sanlang and Nian’er to handle the business in town. One of them is too picky and hasn’t managed to find a wife yet; the other is all talk, meddling in other people’s love lives all day long, and making me a laughingstock in the village. It’s about time we found them something to do!”