Chapter 348 (2/2)
On the first day, Zhou Shanhu made three copper coins and Qian Yafang made five copper coins. Liu Huifang and her siblings earned nine copper coins in total. After they gave the Yu Family the fishwort and got paid, those who had baskets that weren't quite full would have those baskets settled during the next day's work.
After a month of work pa.s.sed, Liu Huifang and her siblings didn't expect that they had earned three hundred or so copper coins. In order to earn money nowadays, there were many people hungrily staring at the few open work positions available. If people encountered a bad boss, they could only earn ten or so copper coins for one day of backbreaking labor.
Thus, when Liu Huifang gave her mother the months' worth of money, Shuanzhu's wife asked in surprise, ”Huifang, where did you go to earn so much money?”
In the past, three hundred copper coins wasn't considered a lot of money. Those who worked hard when the tide receded to dig up sandworms could earn about this much in one day if they were lucky. However, last year was a disaster year. Thus, the beaches near Dongshan Village were now filled with people every day. Most of the beaches had been scoured completely clean and almost all of the sandworms had disappeared in the area.
Every day, after finis.h.i.+ng her ch.o.r.es around the house, her daughter would take her younger brother and younger sister out to play. Whenever she asked, her daughter said that she was going to find her good friend, Yu Xiaocao, to play with. Thus, Shuanzhu's wife didn't think much of it. However, she would have never expected that her daughter would come back in a month with three hundred or so copper coins.
Liu Huifang told her how she was getting paid for helping the Yu Family gather fishwort every day. Shuanzhu's wife sternly looked at her and said, ”I'm not even going to mention the good relations.h.i.+p between you and Xiaocao. However, just with your father's good friends.h.i.+p with your Uncle Yu, we should be helping them without taking their money ah! Come, Mother will return the money back to Xiaocao!”
Liu Huifang wasn't that concerned about the money as she patiently explained, ”Mother, you also know what type of people Uncle Yu and Xiaocao are. If I didn't take their money, they absolutely wouldn't let me help them. Instead of having them find other people, it's better for us to stuff each basket until they are bursting full of fishwort. That way, it'll prevent Xiaocao giving out money and not receiving enough fishwort in return.”
Liu Shuanzhu, who was in the courtyard drying out the fishnets, heard his daughter's explanation and remarked in approval, ”Wife, Huifang is right. You also know how Brother Dahai doesn't like to take advantage of other people. If we don't take his money now, he'll likely find some other way to compensate us even more in the future!”
When Shuanzhu's wife heard this, she hesitated for a few seconds before she finally said, ”Since your father said this, then I guess we'll just keep this money?”
Liu Shuanzhu was similar to Yu Hai as he also loved and pampered his children, ”Our Huifang, Xiaoying and Tiedan'er are all hard working. We'll give them ten copper coins each as spending money! Let's also buy a few catties of white flour and cut a couple catties of chives from Brother Dahai's place. Tonight, we'll eat some chive pockets!”
When the three kids heard this, they all started cheering in glee. Shuanzhu's wife laughed and then glared at her husband, ”You ah, is there anyone else who spoils their children so? Making some chive pockets is one thing, but you also give them some spending money! Children have loose hands, so giving them money is the sure fire way to lose it!!”
Liu Huifang placed the ten copper coins into her own embroidered purse and somewhat indignantly said, ”Mother, I don't agree with what you said! Younger Sister Xiaocao is younger than me, yet all of the money in her family is in her hands and I've never heard of her spending money recklessly! Also Xiaosha (Author's note: Yu Hang's nickname) and Xiaolian all keep the money that they earn. Even Little s.h.i.+tou has his own savings. Have any of them spent their money unwisely?”
Yingzi also nodded her head in agreement, ”That's right, that's right! Xiaocao is so amazing! She herself has said: 'Money is made by earning, not by saving. Those who know how to spend money are the ones who know how to make money!!' Look at how Xiaocao's family spends money. They're never stingy. Even last year, during the disaster, they ate white rice and white flour and had meat at every meal…”
Shuanzhu's wife pinched her daughter's face and said, ”Who among us can compare to that la.s.s Xiaocao? Every idea that comes out her head is a money-making method. Yingzi, if you can be half as good as her, then you can manage all of the money at home!”
Yingzi thought for a bit and replied somewhat in discouragement, ”My head is not as good as Xiaocao's, I can't think of any methods to make money…”
Liu Huifang hesitated for a moment and then said the idea that had been ruminating inside of her for a long time for the adults in her family to hear, ”Father, Mother! I want to get some small chicks and bring them back home to raise! I heard Xiaocao say that the reason why she's raising pigs is because she wants to open a braised food store in the prefectural city. I thought for a bit and I think that a braised food shop can't only sell braised pork. Braised chicken and duck should also be a good thing to sell too, right? We don't have a lot of people in our village raising chickens, so if we're able to get them, we won't have to worry about not selling them…”
Liu Shuanzhu stopped what he was doing, thought carefully a bit, and then nodded his head, ”Our daughter has a good idea!”
”How is this a good idea? The child's dreams are bigger than reality, yet you, as her father, also want to dream so big! Who doesn't want to raise chickens? Even if you can't sell them off when they get big, they can still lay eggs to make money. However, the problem is, who has enough extra grain lying around at home to feed all of these mouths ah?!” Shuanzhu's wife thought that both her husband and daughter were not reliable enough.
Liu Shuanzhu considered this for a bit before he replied, ”If we can't currently, I'll borrow Brother Dahai's horse cart and travel farther to buy a cart full of coa.r.s.e grain home. Along with some wild gra.s.ses, with our family's situation, we should be able to afford to raise around a hundred and eighty chickens without any problems.”
Last year he had gone shark-hunting with Yu Hai a couple of times. After the money came to hand, he also enlarged and updated the family's home. Right now, one side of their now larger courtyard was being used to grow vegetables. They could lay some stones at the other side and craft a few straw shacks to make a big chicken pen.