Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Quite a Stir (2/2)

Being well aware of her experiences from her previous life, Su Wenyue naturally knew that selling vegetables for a bunch of depreciating currency was not worth it. Currency reform would not be just a one-time event, and money would continue to depreciate. It was better to process the surplus vegetables into pickles or dried goods. Properly packaged, they appeared high-end and classy, definitely presenting well, and for a very long time to come, food would be the most precious commodity, often more welcome than gold and silverware as gifts in most places.

Grandma Chen was not aware of Su Wenyue’s thoughts and was somewhat puzzled; after all, not having experienced it, one could hardly imagine how difficult life would become, and most families would be doing well just to have enough to eat.

“Madam, making all these pickles, I’m afraid we won’t be able to finish them,” Grandma Chen stated, thinking the madam was simply acting on a whim, and her fondness for the pickles was the reason they were making so many.

“If we can’t finish them, we can give them away. Don’t worry, mother, I have my reasons for what I do. Just carry out my instructions,” Su Wenyue said and then remembered that they did not have enough jars at home to make the pickles, so she sent Xiao Xi into the town to commission the production of a batch, with the designs personally drawn by her.

“It’s okay if the price is a bit higher. Make sure they make the jars attractive, just according to this design,” Su Wenyue cautioned, worried Xiao Xi might compromise the quality of the jars in an attempt to save her some silver. She also specified a few requirements, insisting on the jars being aesthetically pleasing and elegantly made.

“I understand, madam. Don’t worry, I’ll handle the task well,” replied Xiao Xi, who was not new to running errands for Su Wenyue and whom Su Wenyue trusted to get the job done.

However, although Xiao Xi took the silver to make the purchase, the job was not completely settled. The kiln owner said they could produce the jars according to their specifications but he would not accept silver for the deposit, only food. With the recent Currency Reform, the value of currency was declining, whereas tangible food was seen as more reliable, staving off the fear of sudden devaluation.

These days, food was precious to every family. In the past, Xiao Xi might have made the decision on her own, but today, he decided to return and consult with Su Wenyue first. So they sent a portion of the food as a deposit and would exchange the rest after the jars were ready.

Su Wenyue was not short of food. Knowing the future development, she had prepared early, stocking up several granaries full of food and spending all her silver. Additionally, the Zhuangzi also produced a large quantity of crops, so there was no need to buy food from outside. The Su Family also stored a considerable amount of food, having more silver on hand and therefore managing to make a much larger provision than Su Wenyue.

“Those fruits and vegetables from the Zhuangzi should be treated the same—preserve what can be kept in the cellar, and process the rest into dried vegetables or pickles. There’s no need to sell them,” instructed Su Wenyue. Considering convenience, once things here were settled, she specifically sent Shu Qin and Xiao Xi to take charge of these responsibilities at the Zhuangzi. Feng Susu alone was enough to handle affairs at home; Su Wenyue did not plan to let Feng Susu know too much about the Zhuangzi operations.

These days, Han Yu had also been busy. The chaos caused by the currency reform could not be managed by the limited force at the Yamen alone, and the military camp also had to dispatch troops to maintain law and order. But even in his busyness, he had not neglected his pregnant daughter-in-law at home, aware that she had been quite active these days.