Stepmother in charge: Making a fortune through farming and raising her children to fight back

Qin Li was about to go out when he suddenly stopped and said, "Mom, I asked the butcher in Sanchaji. He also supplies pork to the town every day. He may not be able to spare much for me. What if the raw material supply is insufficient?"

Yun Zhenzhen thought for a moment before speaking, "It doesn't have to be pork. Other meats can also be used to make braised dishes..."

Yes.

There is a solitary hunter at the end of Qinjia Village. He often takes a few men to the mountains to hunt. He can get a lot of game in a month. Together with the hunters from several nearby villages, he can get a lot of meat.

Having said this, Qin Li put down his bowl and chopsticks and walked towards several surrounding villages to discuss the matter of collecting meat.

The first place he went to was Zhu the hunter in the village. It happened that he went there at the right time because Zhu the hunter was lucky that day and had just brought back two fresh wild rabbits.

"Qin's boy, you came at the right time. We just haven't been open for a few days, and today we caught two rabbits in the trap." Hunter Zhu said cheerfully.

Qin Li smiled and said, "Uncle Zhu, if we send your game to the town to sell, how much would you get per pound?"

Speaking of this, Hunter Zhu sighed deeply. "Before the grain harvest, we could sell one jin for fourteen wen. Now the county magistrate has issued a new decree, and the highest price we can sell game for is only twelve wen. And we have to clean it thoroughly inside and out to get that price. Otherwise, the restaurants and wealthy families in town won't buy it."

Qin Li nodded.

If wild game is not cleaned properly, it will have a strong smell of blood and mutton when you bring it home. A fat wild rabbit can weigh four or five kilograms. After removing the inedible parts, only about two or three kilograms can be sold.

No wonder Zhu the Hunter looked so worried.

He calculated the price in his mind, and considering the long-term cooperation, he did not lower the price.

"Uncle, I'm running a small business now and would like to buy game from you. I'll charge you thirteen cents per pound. After cleaning it, you can deliver it to my house every day. What do you think?"

When Zhu the Hunter heard this, he was shocked. He thought Qin Li came here today just to buy some game to satisfy his craving, but he didn't expect that he came here to discuss business.

Thirteen cents per pound, not only is the price higher than in town, but it also saves him the hard work of delivering goods every day and allows him to do some other small business. He is definitely making money.

Then he quickly replied: "Okay, okay, I will send game to your house whenever I have it in the future."

"Then it's settled." Qin Li said as he walked out, "As long as there is any goods in the next few days, you can deliver them to my house."

Watching his departing back, Hunter Zhu was deeply touched. He came to buy game, and not only did he not bargain for the price, he also gave him a very considerable price. What a good boy he was.

When the time comes, the things must be packed up carefully before being sent over, so as not to delay his business.

night.

A drizzle slowly began to fall from the sky. It had been cloudy for the past two days, and it finally rained today.

Everyone was a little worried. The rain meant that the weather would turn completely cold. Thin coats were not cold-resistant enough, and fillings like willow catkins from ancient times were not warm enough. They had to build a house quickly and find some way to get some warm clothes.

When it rains at night in late autumn, the temperature drops sharply, and people shiver with cold.

It was drizzling and everyone was crowded in the house. Yun Zhenzhen had just built a new fire pit in the kitchen, so everyone sat around and chatted.

There was a circle of potatoes buried next to the fire. There was a lot of charcoal left over from dinner, so I shoveled it here to make some night snacks.

The small fire gradually became very strong, and the aroma of potatoes could be faintly smelled. Xiao Nan ran to the corner, took out a handful of broad beans and threw them in. After a while, they were burnt to a golden brown on both sides, and the fire could be heard making puffing sounds from time to time.

This was given to her by Old Lady Qin a while ago. I don’t know which year she harvested it but she couldn’t bear to eat it, so it turned out to be a bargain for her.

For a moment, the kitchen was filled with the "crunch, crunch" sound of people eating broad beans. Yun Zhenzhen turned the potatoes in the ash from time to time, knocked them with tongs, and when she felt they were cooked, she took them out one by one, put them on the ground, and shook off the dust.

Several children stared at the gray potatoes with anticipation. Even Xu Ling'er, who had seen the world, had never seen them eaten in this way, and she looked at them with curiosity.

After the potatoes were no longer so hot, the children picked up one each and began to peel them impatiently.

Some parts of the skin were burnt, but the inside was still slightly yellow. When you take a bite, your whole mouth is filled with a sticky texture, and the aroma of potatoes spreads instantly.

Xiao Nan couldn't wait to eat it, but the potatoes were not completely cooled down and she kept swiping her lips because they were too hot.

Yun Zhenzhen couldn't help but find it a little funny: "Eat slowly, no one is snatching it away. We'll continue grilling after you finish eating."

Xiao Nan smiled sheepishly, blew on the potato a few times, then took a cautious bite and mumbled, "It's... really delicious!"

"If you like it, eat more. The potatoes in the field are almost harvested. We still have about ten pounds at home. After we finish eating them, we can eat new potatoes." Yun Zhenzhen said, and picked up a potato, peeled it and started eating.

It's delicious!

I just don't know what variety of potato this is. In her memory, Marco potatoes are the most to her taste.

Qin Li added a piece of firewood, and the sparks flickered. "It's rained a lot recently, and the potatoes in the field will be ready for harvest soon. I can put the business on hold for a few days. I can sell the extra potatoes, which will bring in more money for the family."

Yun Zhenzhen nodded. Indeed, there was no need to rush to make money in the next one or two days.

Suddenly, she seemed to hear faint knocking sounds coming from outside the courtyard gate.

It was raining outside and the door was closed tightly. Everyone was talking inside and only faint voices could be heard.

"Mom, is there someone knocking on the door?" Xiao Nan asked curiously.

For a moment, no one spoke in the room and it became quiet in an instant.

"Sister Yun, sister, are you home?"

After confirming that someone was knocking on the door, Yun Zhenzhen got up, put on her clothes and prepared to go out.

Qin Li was faster than her. He took out the bamboo leaf hat behind the door and rushed out.

When he opened the door, it was Aunt Zhao from next door standing outside. Qin Li was a little stunned: "Aunt, it's raining so hard outside, why are you here? Come in quickly, don't get wet."

Yun Zhenzhen was standing at the kitchen door. Seeing this scene, a smile instantly appeared on her face: "Sister Zhao, come in and warm yourself by the fire. You're all wet."

"I'm coming."

The two of them trotted into the house.

Several children inside also greeted politely: "Auntie, come and sit down."

Xiao Nan also considerately handed over a baked potato that had just been cooled.

Aunt Zhao didn't hesitate to take it and took a bite. She couldn't stop exclaiming in amazement: "This thing is so delicious even when it's roasted. It's simply amazing."

"After you finish this, there's still some left. I roasted a lot." Yun Zhenzhen continued with a smile.

That won’t do. Aunt Zhao put down the potatoes in her hand and jumped right into the conversation.

"I came here so late at night because I have something to discuss with you. Do you remember Chen Buya from Chenjia Village? She's getting married in a couple of days. I heard there's a business in our village that sells delicious wontons, so she wants to order a few hundred bowls from you to serve as the main course at the wedding banquet."

"She has some kinship with me on my mother's side, so her father asked me to come and ask if you can send it over a day in advance."

"He also said that money is not a problem. He will cover the travel expenses and the price will be 10% higher than the market price."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room had different expressions.

Xiao Nan only remembers that Chen Buya was a beautiful sister and her eldest brother liked her very much.

The older children looked at Qin Li with a little worry.