Chapter 45: Chicken Prices Drop

Today, Sun Jinshan and Jiang Lihai were both on break. They woke up together with Feng Yi, but Jiang Lihai didn’t accompany them to the town. After a quick breakfast, he went to work on his new house, mixing cement and starting to build the walls of the back cottage.

Despite being exhausted by noon, Jiang Lihai felt satisfied. After tidying up, he returned home to prepare lunch and unexpectedly found Sun Jinshan there.

Sun Jinshan had dinner at their place last night, but why was he here again today? Jiang Lihai was puzzled and noticed Sun Jinshan trailing behind Jiang Liyun, assisting her.

Before, Sun Jinshan acted like a boss at the transport team, but now, seeing his sister, he has transformed. His sister was indeed impressive!

Jiang Liyun had a favourable impression of Sun Jinshan. According to Feng Yi, Sun Jinshan had taken good care of him at the brick factory.

Now, Sun Jinshan humbly sought advice, and Jiang Liyun shared some insights into business matters. In her previous life, she had a successful online store, riding on a trend that led to growing profits. However, she hadn’t experienced much of the cutthroat business world.

The Jiang family had an early dinner, and by the time Jiang Lirui returned from school, they were already done. After finishing the meal, it was only 11:30.

Jiang Liyun told Sun Jinshan, “I’ve said all I can. I’ll be busy this afternoon and won’t have time to discuss these matters with you.”

“No problem, you go ahead!” Sun Jinshan replied, contemplating buying a gift for the Jiang family as Jiang Liyun had imparted valuable knowledge.

With the teaching he received, he considered Jiang Liyun his master. He felt he should express his gratitude.

Once Jiang Liyun left, Feng Yi turned to Sun Jinshan and said, “It’s been a while. Let’s have a good chat this afternoon.”

“Sure, let’s have a good chat, brother!” Sun Jinshan agreed. It had been some time since they last met, and Feng Yi seemed to have changed a lot compared to his time at the brick factory.

Feng Yi suggested, “Let’s go to Lihai’s new house to talk.”

Feng Yi slept after 9 p.m. and woke up before 5 a.m. He didn’t take a nap during the day. Usually, when Jiang Liyun took a nap, he helped Jiang Quanzi with chores or assisted Jiang Lihai in building the house.

Yesterday night, he had already discussed with Jiang Lihai that they would work on the house today. So, the three of them went to Jiang Lihai’s new house.

Jiang Lihai and Feng Yi rolled up their sleeves and began working, with Feng Yi saying to Sun Jinshan, “Brother Sun, can you pass us the bricks?”

Sun Jinshan, who had specially worn his most expensive clothes, came to see Jiang Liyun and thought they would have a chat. However, he ended up doing manual labour.

Confused, he still helped pass the bricks. Feng Yi chatted with him, sharing some observations from the town. After Jiang Liyun left to set up her chicken stall in the town, only Sun Jinshan and Jiang Lihai were left, and Sun Jinshan continued to help with the construction work.

Sun Jinshan had initially thought of bringing a gift to the Jiang family, but now he felt it wasn’t necessary. After all, he had already done a lot of work for them!

Certainly! Here’s the English translation:

“By the way, what he originally planned regarding kickbacks or the like is definitely not possible with a contract in place.

Selling white-featered chickens, Jiang Liyun’s 40% profit is acceptable to him, as Jiang Liyun truly has the ability and prevents him from being cheated.

Jiang Lihai can easily make a 20% profit just by tallying the data, making him genuinely envious!

He even has to help Jiang Lihai build a house.

Building a single-story house is quick, especially with many preparations done beforehand.

One day, they finished building all the walls.

Next, they found someone to construct a roof and lay tiles on top; the house was now complete!

Jiang Lihai affectionately touched his new house, then invited Sun Jinshan for dinner.

After working all afternoon, hungry Sun Jinshan declared, ‘Today, I’m eating all the food at your place! ‘

Recently, besides selling braised chicken giblets, Jiang Liyun also sells braised eggs and braised dried tofu, which are affordable for parents picking up their kids or nearby residents to buy as a side dish.

In these times, everyone is frugal with vegetables; a piece of braised dried tofu can easily accompany a large bowl of white rice!

It’s unavoidable; people are still too poor.

For example, when eating preserved duck eggs, some families share a small piece with each family member, dipping it in soy sauce, taking a bite, and then having a mouthful of rice or porridge. They repeat this process, and a person’s entire meal might be just that small piece of preserved duck egg.

Some families, during congee meals, don’t have any vegetables and just add a spoonful of soy sauce!

Similarly, during meals, scallions and soy sauce mixed with water make a simple soup to pair with rice.

Pickled vegetables are a common sight on the dining table, sometimes the only dish available.

During this season, after eating radishes, rural people keep the radish leaves, dry out some moisture, and turn them into pickled vegetables.

The Jiang family used to do the same, but recently, things have changed.

Tonight, the Jiang family’s dinner table has a plate of garlic leaf stir-fried chicken giblets, another plate of braised dried tofu and vegetarian chicken, plus two stir-fried vegetables, providing a balanced and hearty meal.

The dried tofu and vegetarian chicken are deep-fried first before being braised, making them especially delicious. Sun Jinshan had two large bowls, satisfying his hunger before leaving the Jiang family’s house.

He insisted on not giving gifts to the Jiang family, but the next day, he still had Jiang Lihai bring back two old hens. He was sincere about it.

The Jiang family used to raise chickens, but Jiang Liyun found it troublesome and not very profitable. So gradually, she had Wu Xiaochun slaughter all the chickens at home.

In the past, Wu Xiaochun would definitely resist, but now that she’s earned money, she doesn’t mind those few chickens.

Seeing Jiang Lihai bring back two chickens, Jiang Liyun also has no intention of raising them.

She doesn’t want to accidentally step on chicken droppings when coming in and out of her own house!

‘Kill one for tomorrow’s meal, and the other one, brother, take it to the He family as a gift,’ Jiang Liyun said.

Jiang Lihai and He Chunlin have already started talking about marriage, so occasionally sending gifts is necessary.

‘Liyun, thank you! ‘Jiang Lihai was overjoyed.

Taking a hen to He Chunlin’s house is quite prestigious! “

He is now willing to visit the He family. Most of the chickens previously raised by the He family were sold to Jiang Liyun, improving their relationship with him.

Jiang Lihai was busy building the house yesterday and didn’t go to the He family. Now with the old hens, he borrowed a bicycle from Uncle Jiang next door and went to the He family, even though it was evening.

Not long after he left, Aunt Jiang came over and said, “Liyun, I heard you can earn over thirty yuan a day. Your brother and sister-in-law have nothing to do on weekdays and are always idle at home. Can you teach them to make fried chicken?”

Since Jiang Liyun bought a tricycle, Aunt Jiang has been wanting her to teach her son and daughter-in-law to make fried chicken. However, due to the tricycle from Jiang’s family, they no longer borrowed bicycles or carts from them. She felt embarrassed to bring up the matter with Jiang Liyun.

Jiang Liyun glanced at Aunt Jiang and said, “Aunt, I can’t teach you this method. If I teach you, my sister will want to learn, and my brother will surely want to learn. If everyone learns, I won’t be able to do business.”

She doesn’t mind supporting relatives at home. In her past life, many of the customer service and packaging assistants she hired after expanding her business were from Qiaotou Village. However, just because they were relatives, she wouldn’t give them special treatment or share her money-making methods for free.

“We’re all family; just teach a bit!” Aunt Jiang insisted.

Jiang Liyun still refused, no matter how Aunt Jiang argued.

“So stingy! You just know how to take advantage of our family!” Aunt Jiang left with an annoyed remark.

Wu Xiaochun and Jiang Lame were extremely embarrassed, looking apologetic, but Jiang Liyun didn’t care. They really didn’t take advantage of Uncle Jiang’s family much, just occasionally borrowing some things.

But if you want to talk about it, her grandparents’ things were originally given to Uncle Jiang’s family! Also, Aunt Jiang borrowed a piece of their dry land for vegetable cultivation.

According to Aunt Jiang, their family couldn’t handle the land, so it was left idle, and she helped cultivate it.

Given this, borrowing Uncle Jiang’s family’s cart occasionally is not a big deal.

“Mum, Dad, how many years has she borrowed the land near the pond? Borrowing a cart is nothing,” Jiang Liyun said to her parents.

Jiang Lame and Wu Xiaochun felt a bit relieved at her words.

In the next few days, Jiang Liyun’s business continued as usual. Her schedule was regular, but Jiang Lihai was busy.

He had previously counted the number of people raising chickens in the commune, and now he went to count again, obtaining more detailed data.

A few days later, Jiang Lihai and Sun Jinshan set off for Shanghai again.

Part of the bricks from the brick factory are sold locally, and the rest are either sent to the provincial capital or to Shanghai, with more going to Shanghai—there is a greater demand for bricks there.

Members of the transport team often go to Shanghai.

After Jiang Lihai and others left, Jiang Liyun spent money to buy another bicycle. Their family needed a bicycle for more convenience when going out.

With the bicycle, she could ride to sell fried chicken in the afternoon and also ride with Feng Yi in the morning. As for Jiang Lame and Wu Xiaochun, they could walk slowly… It’s a bit risky to have two people on the back of the bicycle, so she dared not carry both at once.

It’s not very suitable to carry only one, so let them walk over. Consider it exercising.

The days in Jiang’s family are getting better, but those who raise chickens in the village are starting to panic.

Jiang Liyun knows that large-scale chicken farms can send white-feathered chickens to market in 42 days. However, their breeding methods are different from those in Qiaotou Village.

The chickens on the farm are fed precisely measured and well-balanced feed, and even the drinking water is temperature-controlled.

People in Qiaotou Village don’t raise chickens with such meticulous care!

As a result, people in Qiaotou Village cannot raise white-feathered chickens to market as quickly; it generally takes about fifty days.

By the fiftieth day, they start selling, often unable to sell all at once, requiring them to raise them for a few more days.

When the price of white-feathered chickens was good, everyone rushed to raise them, including the neighbouring Feng family.

However, now the price of white-feathered chickens has dropped.

The first batch of chickens that the Feng family is currently raising was supposed to be sold before the New Year. At that time, their plan was to raise the first batch to gain experience and then raise the second batch, which could be sold during the Chinese New Year.

However, just as their first batch of chickens grew, the price of white-feathered chickens dropped!

Meanwhile, the cost of feed remains high.

Selling these chickens will definitely result in a loss, and if they don’t sell and keep them at home, they will lose money every day.

To make matters worse, many people have recently bought chicks to raise since raising them now would mean they would be ready for market by the end of the year.

Raising chickens is similar to running a stall; you need to prepare some things, such as tools for feeding the chickens and a stove for keeping them warm, all of which require spending money.

Those raising chickens never thought of quitting after one batch; they see it as their own business.

Now, with the sudden drop in chicken prices, what should they do?

It’s already the end of December, and the first batch of chicks that the Feng family bought has grown. Not long ago, they even bought another hundred chicks.

The Feng family is in despair.

Initially, they bought over two hundred chicks, and although some died during the breeding process, they still have two hundred left.

Now, these two hundred chickens eat a lot of feed every day, and unfortunately, they can’t sell them!

People who buy white-feathered chickens in the town and county are bargaining hard. Rumour has it that there are plenty of chickens in the market, and they’re not worried about finding buyers.

“Dad, what should we do now?” Feng Eldest asked Feng Lao.

Feng Second went to work at the brick factory and wasn’t at home, and he didn’t bother with things at home. Feng Eldest, who stayed home every day, also contributed to raising the chickens.

After working hard for fifty days, they finally raised the chickens, only to find out that they couldn’t sell them. What should they do?

“How would I know?” Feng Lao replied irritably.

“Then, why not ask next door to Jiang Liyun? She buys ten chickens every day now, and several households in the village sell their chickens to her,” Feng Eldest suggested.

Feng Lao took a puff of his cigarette. “You know our relationship with her is not good!”

In the past two months, their family has had quite a few conflicts with the Jiang Lame family. Feng Yi also treated them with disdain.

They realised that Feng Yi didn’t consider them family.

In such a situation, how could Jiang Liyun possibly buy chickens from them?

Furthermore, they suddenly wanted to raise chickens to surpass the Jiang family and earn more than Jiang Liyun.

They even spoke in front of Jiang Liyun, claiming they would make a lot of money.

Now, they had to go to Jiang Liyun for help, which was quite embarrassing!

“Even if the relationship is not good, we should still ask. We can’t just let these chickens rot at home, right?” Feng Eldest said.

Feng Lao took another long drag of his cigarette before looking at Zhou Qiaoxia and saying, “You go next door to Jiang Liyun and Feng Yi; let them buy our chickens.”

If Jiang Liyun is willing to buy and offers a reasonable price, they won’t lose too much. Although it would cost more to feed the chickens for a few more days, they wouldn’t starve to death immediately. Even if they did, they could sell them to Jiang Liyun.

Zhou Qiaoxia’s face turned ugly at the suggestion.

Feng Lao didn’t care about Feng Yi at all and was unaware of the situation between her and Feng Yi.

But she was well aware that her relationship with Feng Yi was terrible.

Even though she treated Feng Yi poorly before, Feng Yi still stayed in the Feng family. This made her think that Feng Yi cared about her as a mother.

However, during this period, she had already seen through it. Feng Yi didn’t leave before because she had nowhere else to go. In reality, Feng Yi didn’t care about her as a mother.

Jiang Liyun, in particular, showed a strong dislike for her.

She went to find these two, but they probably wouldn’t even bother with her.

But since Feng Lao had said so, she had to go anyway.

Thinking about this, Zhou Qiaoxia began to resent Feng Yi’s father.

If she hadn’t married Feng Yi’s father and instead married another man who wanted her, she would definitely be living a good life now. Why would she need to marry Feng Lao, who was over ten years older than her?

Zhou Qiaoxia’s first husband was an intellectual, with ancestors who were in the silk business.

They had a large mansion by the canal, built with blue bricks before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with walls three metres high.

During the silkworm harvesting season, the river next to their mansion would be crowded with small boats filled with cocoons collected by nearby families.

As a result, everyone in their family was educated. Her former father-in-law, whom she had never met, was said to have travelled abroad and even lived there for a while.

Of course, her former husband didn’t have such a unique experience. Although he was also educated, he was born and raised in the countryside.

At that time, she thought her former husband looked very knowledgeable, so she married him. Who could have predicted that the situation would change drastically in a few years?

Their house was ransacked, and several pots of silver coins were dug up from behind their house.

It was a chaotic time, and her former husband was even beaten.

Perhaps due to the beating, her former husband’s belly grew bigger and bigger until he passed away not long after.

At that time, she also suffered a lot of grievances. She regretted it deeply.

She had no idea that her former husband’s family had hidden silver coins. She didn’t enjoy any luck from it; instead, she suffered a lot!

When this happened, she had just given birth to Feng Yi and was still weak from childbirth. She was criticised, and she harboured resentment towards Feng Yi. She even thought about strangling Feng Yi to death so he could follow his father to the grave. It was her mother who took Feng Yi away, allowing him to survive.

Later, she ignored Feng Yi and even wished he would die, but Feng Yi continued to live well.

Zhou Qiaoxia took a deep breath and arrived at the Jiang family’s house.

The Jiang family had been particularly lively recently, with people coming to see Jiang Liyun from time to time, all wanting to sell chickens to her.

The situation with Sun Jinshan is still unclear. Jiang Liyun didn’t dare guarantee these people anything and didn’t dare buy their chickens. In the end, she only bought chickens from families with whom she had a good relationship.

For example, Jiang Yuxian, who had been raising chickens all along and now had chickens ready for sale,!

Jiang Liyun had already booked the chickens she needed for the next ten days, so no matter who came knocking, she would tell them she didn’t need chickens.

Then… Zhou Qiaoxia showed up.

Zhou Qiaoxia was a bit arrogant, and Jiang Liyun didn’t expect her to come.

However, with the Feng family raising so many chickens, it was indeed worrying.

The families that raised fewer chickens in their previous lives were fine; many of them eventually gave up selling chickens and just pickled them for their own consumption. But those who raised a lot of chickens… One household’s man couldn’t bear it and even took a knife to slaughter their young chickens.

“I’m not buying chickens. I’ve already booked the chickens I need for the next ten days.”

“But you’ve only booked them, right? You haven’t paid yet? Then don’t buy their chickens; buy mine instead,” Zhou Qiaoxia said.

If these two hundred chickens couldn’t be sold, the Feng family would lose a lot of money!

By then, the lives of her two children would definitely take a turn for the worse.

Jiang Liyun said, “Since I’ve already made an agreement with them, I won’t change it.”

“If you’re going to marry into my family with Feng Yi, I am your future mother-in-law. Why won’t you buy my chickens?” Zhou Qiaoxia retorted. “If you don’t buy, I won’t care about your marriage! Let’s see where you can get married!”

Jiang Liyun looked at her speechlessly. “I never expected you to care, and I won’t marry into your family.”

At this time, people were more traditional, and getting married involved some complications. But Jiang Liyun felt these rituals were optional. Getting Feng Yi a new household registration and then just going to register for marriage was sufficient. Nowadays, there is no issue with being unable to marry without parental consent.

“You…” Zhou Qiaoxia wanted to say more, but Feng Yi, who got the news, rushed back and pulled her away.

Feng Yi, who had been eating and drinking well with Jiang Liyun for over two months, had become stronger and could easily pull someone away.

“What are you doing? Let go!” Zhou Qiaoxia protested.

Since he had already pulled her out,. Feng Yi, let go.

Zhou Qiaoxia looked at Feng Yi, took a deep breath, and said, “Feng Yi, look at Jiang Liyun. She doesn’t care about you at all. She even said she won’t marry into our family! You follow her every day, but she doesn’t take you seriously!”

Feng Yi suddenly said, “Sister Liyun will naturally not marry into your family. When the time comes, I’ll marry into her family.”

Since he was very young, he wanted to be part of the Jiang family and take on the Jiang surname.

Even if Jiang Liyun didn’t marry him, it was fine; he could be adopted!

In the future, he would use the Jiang surname by following Jiang Liyun!

He was more than happy about it!