Chapter 44

After listening to Shuiqing’s idea, Fan Jin’s first reaction was that it was feasible.

He praised, “Shuiqing, you’re quick-witted! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Shuiqing wanted to be modest, but being praised made her feel quite pleased inside.

“Just so happens, tomorrow they’ll stop selling polygonum multiflorum. I’ll go to the bookstore and inquire,” Fan Jin said promptly.

Shuiqing agreed, “Since this quality is good, let’s not price it too low.”

“How many should I take with me? There must be some bookstores willing to negotiate. I’m thinking of buying a batch first,” Fan Jin said.

Shuiqing urgently wanted to cash out some money from the mall.

As the weather gradually cooled down, there was rarely snow in Shanshui Village, but what if it snowed this year?

Moreover, even if it didn’t snow, the temperature could drop to zero degrees. They couldn’t rely on the thatched cottages that were cool in summer and cold in winter; they’d suffer.

“Each take fifty, large, medium, and small?” Wholesale price for a batch of one hundred fifty brushes was only 135 yuan, which was as cheap as if they were being given away.

Shuiqing also doubted, could this really make money?

She immediately dismissed this thought harshly; it must be profitable.

Fan Jin responded, “Alright, I’ll say it’s my wife’s craftsmanship. If we can establish long-term supply, deliver goods every seven days, one hundred each of large, medium, and small, how about that?”

Shuiqing quickly did some calculations. If each brush averaged one hundred thirty wen, three hundred brushes would be thirty-nine taels!

Excitedly, she looked at Fan Jin, who gave her a knowing smile and said softly, “Thirty-nine taels in seven days. Maybe we can build a brick-and-tile courtyard next month.”

After all, having one hundred fifty-six taels of silver in a month was quite a lot.

Suddenly having money to build a house, and especially having plenty of it, made Shuiqing’s mood soar.

“Alright, you’ll go tomorrow. Oh, by the way, the ox cart is rented, right? When you have money tomorrow, see if you can buy a cow on the way back.”

“Buy a cow?” Fan Jin thought he misheard. Weren’t they talking about selling brushes to build a house? How did they get to buying cows?

“Yeah, think about it, we have to bring back rice every day, a few hundred catties at a time. How can we manage without an ox cart?

Renting an ox cart every day is not only troublesome but also expensive. It’s better to buy our own cow.

It’ll be convenient to go out in the future. Besides, the day after tomorrow is the market day in Niutou Town; it’s a good opportunity to visit my parents and brother. Who will carry the things we bring back?

The three older kids are fine, but if the younger ones, Fan He and Fan Hu, can’t walk anymore, who will carry them?” Shuiqing analyzed meticulously.

In rural areas, especially where transportation relies entirely on walking and carrying things on one’s back, having an ox cart is incredibly convenient.

If there were floods or droughts later, it would also be convenient for transporting people and goods.

Fan Jin didn’t need much convincing; he agreed directly, “Okay, I’ll go see tomorrow. I estimate a cow will cost twelve to thirteen taels of silver, and a cart will be around one or two taels.”

They must negotiate a good price for the one hundred fifty brushes tomorrow.

Early in the morning, Shanshui Village was in an uproar.

“Old Village Head, Zhang Tuzi isn’t doing the right thing! You must do something about it!”

“He caused trouble yesterday; others didn’t want to accept his things, and now, he can’t exchange them, so he’s making sure none of us can exchange them!”

The old Village Head furrowed his brow, listening carefully as villagers crowded around, each eager to lodge a complaint.

Li Changlin, understanding the situation, summarized, “So, Zhang Tuzi picked the chicken rice fruit but didn’t take them home, he just threw them into the lake and ponds?”

The villagers nodded eagerly, “Yes, yes, his family is small; they can’t finish so many, and it’s a waste of time for him to take them back and forth;

my youngest son saw it; he was picking them while throwing them away!”

“He’s trying to ensure none of us can exchange!”

“He’s usually incredibly lazy, but now he’s suddenly so diligent, doing things that harm others and not himself!”

Li Changlin looked to his grandfather, wondering how to handle this.

“Where’s Zhang Tuzi?” the old Village Head asked, raising his gaze.

“Here, I brought him. My people have him outside in the yard,” Li Changlin replied.

“Bring him in.”

Zhang Tuzi was escorted in by a few burly men, staggering as he walked in, yelling, “What’s the matter? You lot can pick, but I can’t?!”

“Hey, I can’t exchange for rice, and now I can’t pick chicken rice fruit? These are naturally grown, not planted by you; why can’t I pick them?!”

Some women were not convinced and retorted, “You call that picking? You’re wasting food!”

Zhang Tuzi stubbornly refused to admit wrongdoing, “It’s not your stuff anyway. I’ll pick however I want; it’s none of your business!”

Since he couldn’t exchange for rice, neither could they.

The old Village Head looked straight at Zhang Tuzi, remaining silent for a while.

Zhang Tuzi felt uneasy under the stare, but he still held his ground, waiting for the old Village Head to propose terms.

After all, he only picked things from the wild; what could they do to him?

“Aren’t you worried that when there’s a shortage of food in the village, no one will lend you any?”

“Why should I worry? Are there people in the village poorer than my family? If they come to ask for food, haha, by then, they’ll be impressed if they can find any at my house!” He was barefoot, he didn’t fear those who wore shoes.

Let’s see what they could do to him!

“Then, when you’re short of food, aren’t you afraid no one will lend you any?”

Zhang Tuzi was stunned.

He borrowed food from others for several months every year, borrowing a little from one household and then from another, returning it when the harvest came.

Thinking of Fan Dahu and Fan Qian’s assurances, he gritted his teeth and shouted, “I can’t control all of that! If I can’t have it good, then nobody can!”

Zhang Tuzi’s shameless and despicable words thoroughly angered the crowd.

The crowd erupted into a series of curses.

Zhang Tuzi displayed an insolent demeanor, as if he had nothing to fear from anyone.

The old Village Head raised his hand to quiet everyone down. When the crowd settled, he stared sharply at Zhang Tuzi and said, “You are inherently lazy and wicked, acting lawlessly in the village, disregarding others’ property. Today, the entire village agrees to expel you from the village;

If you reform yourself outside and prove your change, you may return with a relative’s guarantee. However, if you don’t change, even after death, you won’t be allowed back into the village for burial;

What do you think of this punishment?”

Being expelled from the village was a very significant matter!

Without land or skills outside, starving to death was the only fate.

And even after death, there was no guarantee of being buried in the village, unable to return to one’s roots, which was even more frightening than being expelled from the village!

The crowded courtyard fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Zhang Tuzi widened his eyes, looking incredulously at the old Village Head and then at the people around him.

Then, he burst into tears, wailing, “Old Village Head, I was wrong! You can’t expel me from the village.”

Outside the courtyard, Zhang Tuzi’s wife and children rushed in, kneeling in front of the old Village Head with tears streaming down their faces, pleading, “Old Village Head, the head of the household can’t leave. If he goes, we, as orphans and widows, can’t survive.”

“Daddy, I don’t want you to leave.”

The old Village Head lowered his eyes and said calmly, “Don’t plead to me; plead to the other villagers. If everyone agrees not to drive him away, naturally, he won’t be expelled from the village.”

Realizing this, Zhang Tuzi hastily knelt down and begged each and every villager, promising never to harm anyone again.

Previously, the villagers had wanted to get rid of Zhang Tuzi due to his arrogant behavior. Now, seeing him crying with tears and snot all over, while feeling disgust, they couldn’t harden their hearts any further.

“Old Village Head, why not give Zhang Tuzi another chance for now? If he continues to be wicked and lazy, then we can expel him from the village!”

“Let’s see how he behaves in the future.”

Zhang Tuzi felt that he had lost more than he gained. He had tired himself out all night, offended the majority of people, and nearly been expelled from the village, but he hadn’t gained any benefits in the end.

It was all Fan Dahu and Fan Qian’s instigation; he would settle the score with them.

Damn it, what kind of people were they? They had deceived him, Zhang Tuzi. He wouldn’t let them off easy!