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Chapter 74
Fan Jin listened quietly.
“I’ve thought it over, our family can’t be merchants for now, it’s not worth it. But we can become large-scale growers.
“Sugarcane for sugar-making is agriculture, raising chickens, ducks, rabbits, goats, and pigs is animal husbandry. We can sell meat later on, and rabbit fur, sheep wool, pig bristles can be used for making brushes. It might be more profitable than just selling meat!”
“The distinction of merchants is clear: simply put, buying and selling for profit. Selling what we grow and raise ourselves doesn’t count as merchant activity.
“Many large-scale growers have lots of fields. They sell their harvest to grain merchants and food vendors, so they aren’t classified as merchants themselves.
“True merchants don’t produce anything; they just buy and sell for profit.”
“Chicken, duck, and rabbit manure can also be used as fertilizer for sugarcane. Water is clear, but can sugarcane only be grown in fields?
“Can it be grown on land? We don’t have much farmland, but we have plenty of land. It would be great if we could grow it on land,” Fan Jin added.
Shuiqing felt lucky to have a teammate who didn’t drag their feet or throw cold water on the idea. Shuiqing could really see the advantages and disadvantages of this new idea.
She grinned and whispered, “When we go back, I’ll go into the details. Today, I’m just asking around.”
Actually, she didn’t know the details.
Unfortunately, she grew up in a rural area and, for the most part, didn’t see sugarcane planted there.
She went to school and started her own business, and that was all in the city, with no contact with agriculture.
But now she had seen the shopping mall, and she had seen all the books about how to plant sugarcane and make sugar!
All she had to do was pay the subscription fee.
The only downside was that this was a fee for knowledge, and it was very expensive. So expensive that she hadn’t paid yet.
Fan Jin obediently nodded and walked alongside her towards the counter where they sold brown sugar.
In front of the grocery store was a row of half-height wooden counters. Behind them were tall cabinets with various items placed on top. Customers looked at the goods over the counter, and clerks behind the counter fetched them.
The clerks in the store saw Fan Jin wearing rough cotton but a long robe, and they also noticed that the women and children were dressed in brand-new clothes made of fine cotton. They treated them warmly: “Sir, Madam, what do you need to buy?”
First, respect the clothes, then respect the person—that principle was always clear to Shuiqing. To avoid unnecessary trouble, she always dressed well when going out.
Whether visiting Niutou Town or Guangning Prefecture, she made sure the children wore new clothes. Adults could handle cold words and criticisms, but children might remember such treatment for a lifetime. If there weren’t good clothes at home, there was no choice, but if there were, it shouldn’t be wasted.
“I want to buy brown sugar. Can you tell me what kinds you have?” Fan Jin replied.
The clerk immediately greeted them warmly and introduced, “You’ve come to the right place! We just received new stock. Please have a look:
Shuiqing was shocked when she heard the prices. She knew sugar was a precious commodity, but she didn’t expect it to be this expensive. No wonder Sun Jinhua felt as though she was cutting into her flesh when she gave her two jin of brown sugar.
Fan Jin promptly instructed, “One jin of each.”
Then he whispered, “Do we need anything else?”
The considerate clerk praised them repeatedly, “Madam is indeed fortunate! Sir is very caring. I’m not exaggerating—our brown sugar is the best nourishment for women. It’s sweet and refreshing, a sip goes straight to the heart! It’s also excellent for making pastries and sweet soups.”
Shuiqing, feeling her face burn with embarrassment, admitted she had thick skin. She just wanted to finish shopping quickly and leave. She listed everything she had planned to buy on the way: “Three pieces of pancreas, lamp wicks, lamp oil, candlesticks, fire starters…”
Each time she listed an item, the clerk responded loudly, quoting prices and fetching the goods.
Once they had everything they wanted, Fan Jin neatly arranged everything in a basket on his back.
Shuiqing paid with silver, and her five children each paid for their own items. Then the family left together.
Meanwhile, a woman in plain clothes with a bamboo hairpin watched their departing figures absentmindedly, lost in thought.
The clerks in the shop watched the family leave and sighed, “Truly a big-spending customer.”
One clerk glanced at the woman in front of the counter and hinted, “What’s rare is that when she listed everything, her husband kept smiling the whole time, not even frowning once.”
He had seen it all clearly.
Unlike the woman in front of him, who always hesitated and picked, causing trouble every time she came. If her husband came along, it would be a disaster. That scholar-looking man not only accused his own wife of extravagance and the store of overpricing, but also criticized them, the clerks, as dishonest.
In his eyes, there was nothing good about any of it.
Finally, when the woman chose her items, she picked and chose again, removing a few things before reluctantly paying for only one or two items.
“Ha, even the silver money is managed by his wife. I sneakily glanced just now, and her purse is bulging!”
“Didn’t you see? Not only does his wife manage everything, but each of their children pays for their own things. They each have a little purse. It’s normal for sons, but what’s rare is that both daughters have money pouches too! When she paid with silver just now, I saw it clearly—when she took out copper coins, a bit of silver was accidentally revealed.”
“Even the daughters have money to spend. This family is truly extraordinary.”
At the counter, Qin Wanyue, dressed plainly with a hairpin, looked on with dull eyes, lost in her thoughts. She couldn’t help but think, if only she had married her shige instead of marrying Zheng Pingsheng…
Exiting the grocery store, Shuiqing directly chose a grand two-story restaurant.
Even Fan He, who loved to eat, couldn’t resist tugging on his mother’s sleeve and whispering, “Mother, can’t we just eat wonton and baked cakes on the roadside?”
They were in a hurry to leave, and Mother hadn’t prepared food, but wontons with meat and soup were delicious, and it would cost a lot of money to eat at a restaurant.
“Big buns are delicious too! Mother, how about we eat big buns?” The other children also advised sensibly.
Fan Jin understood Shuiqing’s meaning and, holding his children’s hands, gently said, “It’s alright. Father and mother have enough money today. Let’s try the dishes at the restaurant in the prefectural city. Are they better than the ones mother cooks?”
All five children thought the dishes cooked by Mother were incredibly delicious. But the restaurant’s dishes should be even better, right? Otherwise, who would spend money to eat there?
Still, Mother’s cooking was already very delicious. If the restaurant’s dishes were even better, how good could they be?
As the five children stood stunned, they were led inside.
Entering the bustling restaurant, they were guided upstairs by the waiter and chose seats near the railing. The five children still felt unreal.
There were actually two-story buildings?
Standing by the railing, they could only see the heads of pedestrians on the road. Was it the same feeling as standing on the city wall?
As they stood by the railing, they felt a little scared inside but more excited and happy!
At the table, Shuiqing ordered dishes she had made at home: braised pork, sautéed small chicken, scrambled eggs with shrimp, stir-fried vegetables, plus two signature dishes of the restaurant.
During the lull between dishes, a sudden oily voice rang out:
“Oh, if it isn’t our often-unlucky Brother Fan! Why are you in the mood to dine at a restaurant today?”
“Haha, Brother Pingsheng, you’re already a scholar, while Brother Fan here is still a student. If it were me, I’m afraid even mountain delicacies wouldn’t suit my taste.”
“Mountain delicacies? Being able to order a meat dish would already be quite good. Brother Fan brought his wife and children out to eat meat buns by the roadside, it’s a much more economical choice. Why bother coming to the Mountain and Sea Pavilion!”