stingy landlady

Chapter 5 Increasing Revenue

As the days went by, Guizhi's family gradually adapted to their new life. They had enough to eat every day and earned money. They were busy cooking, buying meat and vegetables every day.

Guizhi had also fantasized about being a time-traveling heroine and whether she would have some kind of cheat code. Unfortunately, after countless attempts, nothing came of it.

What if I run into a handsome, rich, and powerful male lead? Looking at my own childish physique, forget it, forget it, I should just stick to counting every penny with my current family!

Time flies, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is here in the blink of an eye, marking the start of the autumn harvest.

Grandpa called the whole family to start the autumn harvest. He sent a message to the third son, who had also returned. The fifth son, who was studying but didn't know how to farm, continued his studies. Although Wang Dazhu had divided the family property, this was the first year that the grain was still stored together. The grain would be distributed after the harvest and taxes were paid.

Next year, he can manage the land himself after he plants it. Dazhu said he's willing to work, but he'll eat at home and won't eat with the others.

Meanwhile, the wife and daughter don't have to work or eat together; they still manage their own affairs. This was agreed upon by the whole family so as not to delay the autumn harvest or the income from selling food. Although it's tiring, it ensures that neither is neglected.

Guizhi had been thinking about how to get rich, at least to be able to live a life free from worries about food and clothing. Although she was making money, after a month she had only earned five or six taels of silver, which didn't seem like a bad deal.

But this is the family's entire income. Winter is coming soon, and we need cotton-padded clothes and quilts, firewood for the winter. If it snows heavily, we won't be able to go anywhere. We also need to store rice, vegetables, meat, and other necessities, and be prepared for any special circumstances.

Although I am young, my family is not well-off, but I still have to do my best.

The autumn harvest has begun. In the morning, Guizhi went to the fields with her father. Many people were starting to work in the fields.

Guizhi was just a child, and nobody cared. That's how kids in the countryside are. They do whatever their parents tell them to do, and if they don't, they go play with their friends on their own.

Guizhi ran home.

"Mom, eldest sister, second sister, let's sell food in the field! There should be some people in the field who don't want to go home to rest at noon, so it should be easier for us to sell our food there."

Let's take a small amount to the fields first and ask around. If there's any demand, we can pre-order for tomorrow, so it won't delay our trip to town. It's busy farming season now, so we should be able to produce and sell more.

“I think it’s a good idea. What if we run into someone in the village who’s rich and willing to spend the money? We’ll sell it then. Sanya’s mind is really sharp.”

Er Ya chimed in.

“Mom will stay home and take care of Fourth Sister. Shall the three of us go?” Daya said.

"I'll pack the food at home and bring Siya. The three of you go over there. Be careful. We're only ordering for tomorrow. We don't have enough food to make today."

The three sisters took ten food boxes to the field, but everyone was busy and no one paid them any attention.

"Shout it out!" Guizhi laughed!

"Food for sale! Delicious food! Meat, vegetables, and rice!"

The younger sister called out, and then the two older sisters started calling too! Gradually, people looked up to see what was happening.

"What are you shouting for?"

"Looks like a food stall?"

Why are you selling food here?

"Who eats here instead of at home? Get back to work!"

"What are we eating for now! We brought our own food! Let's get to work!"

At that moment, a middle-aged man walked over, smoking a cigarette.

"Little girl, what kind of food do you sell?"

"Hello Uncle Xu! We made our own mixed rice at home, with meat and vegetables to go with it."

Da Ya recognized him; it was Carpenter Xu.

"Oh! Your dad said you guys should earn your own money, that's great! Open it up and let me see what delicious food we have!"

Er Ya opened the food box, and the aroma of the food wafted out. Someone came to check on it during their break.

"It smells delicious! The food is great!"

How much is a box?

"Ten coins a box, meat and vegetables, delicious and inexpensive! Uncles and brothers, pre-orders are accepted! I brought my own lunch today, you can order for tomorrow!"

Guizhi promoted the food vigorously, hoping someone would place an order.

"Not bad! These little girls can help the family earn money now! Give me five portions!"

Xiao Quan, you're quick! Go home and tell your grandma that we're eating lunch in the fields. Hurry up and finish your work so you won't be coming home for lunch.

Tell your grandma and the others to make dinner later. Also, could you go back and get some water while you're at it?

The first person to arrive, carpenter Xu, came from a well-off family. After ordering food, he hurriedly called his youngest son home.

"Uncle Xu, are you booking for tomorrow?"

"Okay, I'll order five more tomorrow. Deliver them here. I didn't bring any coins with me to work today, I'll give them to you tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you so much, Uncle Xu! Anyone else who hasn't ordered dinner for tomorrow, please have it delivered here too!" Er Ya said loudly.

"Someone delivered lunch to us today. Order three portions for me tomorrow! Ten coins for one portion, thirty coins for three portions, right? I'll pay you tomorrow." The person who placed the order was Grandpa Zhao from next door.

There are three strong men in his family working in the fields, and his two sons are not yet married. Aunt Zhao has difficulty walking, so delivering meals is quite a hard job for her.

Thirty portions were ordered in succession. Seeing that it was getting late and the villagers were continuing their autumn harvest, Da Ya quickly took her two younger sisters home to pack the food boxes for the town.

When business was a bit better, Wang Dazhu used his spare time to have Xu the carpenter make thirty more food boxes, and this time they all came in handy.

Guizhi's village is called Xiaopinggou. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a flat area in the middle, which is just right for the villagers to live and farm.

Although the village was poor, with diligence and thrift, people could still live a self-sufficient life. Families with many men who were willing to work would cultivate some wasteland, thus avoiding some agricultural taxes. However, wasteland also needed fertilizer, and manual labor was too inefficient, so not much was cultivated.

During the autumn harvest season, Guizhi's family earned an extra six or seven taels of silver. In total, they have earned more than ten taels of silver since the family split up.

Some villagers were envious. Seeing that Guizhi's family was selling food, the neighbors had all sorts of opinions. Some said they should only divide the family property once they could earn money, while others said they should have given each other a heads-up beforehand so that everyone could make money together. In short, opinions varied widely.

Wang Erzhu and Zhao Shi were unwilling, but with the two elders, the old man and his wife, keeping them in check, they didn't dare to really cause trouble for the eldest son's family. Guizhi's family ignored the gossip and didn't have time to think about it. Making money was the only priority!

One day, a shopkeeper said, "Young lady, you serve almost the same dishes every day! It's time to change things up!"

Guizhi thought for a moment:

"As the saying goes, standing is not as good as lying down, and nothing tastes better than dumplings. Let's make dumplings tomorrow."

That day, I went to the market and bought 50 jin of flour, 3 jin of pork, and 50 eggs. I also bought celery and chives to make celery and pork dumplings, chive and egg dumplings, and some cabbage and pork dumplings.

The next day, Guizhi's family got busy and ordered thirty more boxes of dumplings. Thirty boxes of rice and thirty boxes of dumplings weren't enough to carry, so they had to ask Grandpa Liu for an oxcart.

Grandpa Liu is getting old, and during the off-season, he earns a little money by driving his oxcart back and forth to town. He charges one coin per person, and he can carry five or six people at a time, earning a dozen coins for a round trip, which makes his life much better.

Not wanting the villagers to see them and gossip, Guizhi's family hired Grandpa Liu's oxcart for ten coins for a round trip. Grandpa Liu was happy, since he didn't have to wait for customers anymore.

Upon arriving in town, Grandpa Liu's oxcart was waiting at the edge of town. Guizhi's father led his three daughters in groups, not only to the shops on both sides of the street, but also to the vegetable market to ask the vendors, trying their best to sell their food and increase their income.

We're preparing to harvest cabbages and radishes at home these next few days, so we don't need to buy any more. After returning home, the three sisters helped sort the cabbages and radishes. We can only get about twenty large cabbages and twenty large radishes for our family.

Guizhi's mother, Li, said:

"Let's buy more cabbage to pickle sauerkraut. We'll buy two big vats tomorrow so we can eat sauerkraut all year round!"

"We need to pickle sauerkraut and also some spicy cabbage. It's refreshing, delicious, and sells even better with rice!" Guizhi loves spicy cabbage the most.

"Okay, I'll listen to Sanya and ask around at several stores to buy more cabbages."

I originally planned to buy another five or six hundred catties of Chinese cabbage, but this time I decided to buy a thousand catties.

Cabbage was cheap; during the autumn harvest, ten catties cost one coin, so a thousand catties only cost one hundred coins. They bought three large vats and pickled three vats of sauerkraut.

After working for three or four days, during the time they returned from selling food, one person would cut the cabbage with a knife, another would scald it with boiling water, another would pass it around, and yet another would stand in a large vat almost as tall as a person to stack the cabbage, add salt, and tamp it down firmly.

My back aches and my waist hurts at the end of the day, but life at home feels better and better, and everyone is happy!

I bought chili powder, the luxury item "sugar," and two small jars for pickling spicy cabbage. It's homemade by the villagers; they blanched the cabbage, chopped it, and brushed it with chili sauce containing minced garlic, sugar, and salt. It smells wonderful. It'll be ready to eat in about ten days.

I heard there's a Korean village not far from the county seat, and their Korean pickled vegetables are delicious. They put in so many ingredients! Guizhi thinks they're probably modern-day Koreans; she used to frequently buy Korean kimchi and cold noodles online. She misses the good old days!

Now, her little girl is penniless, but at least she can eat her fill and doesn't get scolded anymore. Life is steadily progressing towards a life where she has enough to eat and wear. No rush, she's still young, and the family has already made great strides. Guizhi encouraged herself, reminding herself to be steady and not to be hasty in anything.

With better food at home, the children and adults all looked rosy and healthy. Siya, in particular, looked much better; she used to be pitifully thin and skinny, but now she's plump and adorable! Guizhi's mother, Li, has also gained weight; she rarely goes out in the sun anymore, and her skin is fair and tender, making her look even younger and more beautiful.

Since the family divided their property, Aunt Zhao, Guizhi's second aunt, had been responsible for everything: washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning. Before, her two daughters, Da Ya and Er Ya, helped out, so it didn't feel like much, but after the division, she realized how much work there was. Looking at her sister-in-law and then at herself, she felt her hands had become rougher, her face darker, and she looked several years older. It was heartbreaking!

“Sister-in-law! You’re using so much firewood. Winter is coming soon, and you haven’t gone to collect any. Mother told me to remind you what you’re going to do in winter!” Zhao shouted from outside.

The men and children had gone to town, leaving Li alone at home to take care of Si Ya and do needlework. She usually locked the door from the inside, afraid Si Ya might run out if she wasn't looking. Hearing Zhao's voice, Li went to open the door.

"Second sister-in-law, thank you! Here are two bowls of dumplings. Could you take one to Mom and give one to the children as well?"

Usually, when cooking, there are a few extra bowls for the family. Dumplings are rarely made in large quantities; occasionally, if there's extra food, Li will take it to the two elderly people. Today, there happened to be two bowls of dumplings, which she had originally planned to deliver to the elderly when the children returned. Fortunately, Zhao came over, and everyone was happy to receive a bowl.

"Sister-in-law, it seems like I came here asking for food! Mother will scold me again if she finds out! Mother just told me to remind you to collect firewood when you have time, otherwise you'll freeze in the winter!"

Zhao was genuinely happy. Usually, the food Da Ya and the others brought was limited, and only her two sons occasionally got to eat. This bowl of dumplings was specially for her family, so she could finally taste it herself. Zhao took the two bowls of dumplings back home. Li went outside, looked at her own woodpile, then at her parents' side, lost in thought.