Chapter 38 – Clear Accounts Even Among Blood Brothers

“How much?” everyone asked in unison.

Seeing how they were all staring at her, even holding their breath, Xia Tian didn’t keep them in suspense any longer and quickly announced, “We have 3,566 copper coins. Adding the silver, our gross income today is six and a half taels of silver.”

“So much?” everyone gasped.

“That’s just the gross income—we haven’t deducted the costs yet.”

“Even so, that’s a lot!”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen that much money in my life!”

“Same here!”

Xia Tian quickly waved her hand to quiet everyone down.

“Let’s first calculate the cost.”

Today, they bought 150 jin of pork belly at nine copper coins per jin, totaling 1,350 coins.

That’s right—because Xia Tian bought in bulk, Uncle Niu gave her a one-coin discount per jin.

They also bought 30 jin of dried tofu, which cost 150 coins in total.

Twelve sets of pig intestines cost 120 coins, and pig heads were priced at 80 coins each. Eleven pig heads came out to 880 coins.

Various seasonings cost 2,429 coins, but those were bought in bulk for a whole month.

Other items like pots, bowls, and utensils would be listed and deducted separately since they were considered fixed assets.

“The total cost of today’s raw ingredients is 4,929 coins. Of course, that includes seasonings for a whole month, so we won’t have to count that again later,” Xia Tian explained to everyone. “So, after deducting costs, our net profit today is 1,637 coins.”

“Over a tael of silver? We made more than a tael in just one day?” Xia Yang said in disbelief.

“That’s right. And that’s after including a whole month’s worth of seasoning costs. If we don’t count that tomorrow, the profit will double.”

“Really?”

“Truer than pearls.”

“That’s amazing!”

Everyone was overjoyed. From now on, they’d never have to worry about going hungry again.

Xia Yang happily scratched his head, finally able to relax.

Once everyone had settled down, Xia Tian pulled out a notebook and pen and started carefully recording all the expenses and income.

It was a special account book she had bought just for bookkeeping.

Xia Yang stared wide-eyed. When they signed the agreement with Yunlai Restaurant yesterday, he had seen Fourth Girl write her name. He had meant to ask about it but got too busy and forgot.

“Fourth Girl, you really know how to write?”

“When did you learn?” Xia Yue asked curiously. She had no idea Xia Tian could read and write.

“Oh, Brother Shen taught me,” Xia Tian replied with a smile.

She wasn’t lying—it really had been Shen Nian who taught her.

Everyone immediately looked at her with admiration.

Especially Xia Shiji—his eyes sparkled.

“You all need to start learning to read too, especially Big Brother and Xia Shiji.”

“We do?”

“Of course. From now on, all expenses and profits will need to be recorded. You need to not only recognize the characters but also know how to write them. You can’t rely on your memory alone.”

“Fourth Sister, can I learn too?” Xia Shiji asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up.

“Mm, study hard. Once we’ve earned enough, I’ll send you to school,” Xia Tian said, ruffling his hair.

“Okay! I’ll study super hard!” Xia Shiji beamed with joy.

He could go to school too—how wonderful! He wouldn’t have to envy Fourth Uncle’s kids anymore.

Xia Tian clapped her hands. “That’s enough about that. I’ll teach you all when I have time. Now let’s talk about how to divide the money.”

“What’s there to talk about? You give us work, and we get paid—simple as that,” Xia Yang said earnestly.

The others nodded in agreement.

“We may be blood siblings, but clear accounts keep things fair. Since we’re running this business together, even though it’s still small, we need to set clear rules.”

“Alright, we’ll do as you say.”

“This is how I see it – this business is a partnership between me and Big Brother. The rest of you are helping hands, so you’ll get wages.”

“Fourth Girl, we’re not going to take your money,” Xia Yue said quickly.

“I already said—you’re listening to me now.”

“Okay, you say it.”

“Then based on the work everyone did today – Mom will get 300 wen a month, Sister and Sister-in-law are the main workers, so 500 wen each per month. Xia Shiji and Xia Chen both helped out, so they’ll get 100 wen each. Dad is still recovering, so we’ll make other arrangements once he’s better. Big Brother, as a partner, won’t get a wage.”

“Alright,” Xia Yang said with a grin. He was fine with whatever.

“Going forward, Big Brother will be mainly in charge of this side of the business, with me offering guidance. After deducting all expenses, we’ll split the profits 50-50.”

“Huh? I get a share of the profit too?”

“Of course. You’re a partner. This business belongs to both of us. Even once Dad recovers, he’ll only be paid a wage. Got it?” Xia Tian explained to Xia Yang.

Xia Yang had thought he was just helping—he hadn’t expected to become half a boss.

“I get it. But… isn’t fifty percent a bit too much for me?” he asked, embarrassed. After all, he was just following Xia Tian’s lead and doing as she said—it didn’t feel right to take that much.

“It’s not too much. That’s just how it’s going to be. Once everything runs smoothly, I won’t be here every day. You’ll be the one managing it.”

“No problem,” Xia Yang nodded.

Xia Tian looked around at everyone, including her father. “Does everyone understand? Any objections?”

“Understood! No objections!” everyone responded in unison.

Xia Tian then wrote out the agreement and included a confidentiality clause, asking everyone to press their fingerprints on it—including her father.

She was mainly worried he might get confused and give things away to the Xia family again.

“Alright then, let’s eat. Once we’re done, it’s back to work.”

Xia Yue and Sun Maimiao headed to the kitchen to cook.

Meanwhile, Xia Tian pulled Xia Yang aside to discuss other details.

But before they could even finish eating, Manager Guo from Yunlai Restaurant arrived.

“Manager Guo? What brings you here? Is there something wrong with the braised pork?” Xia Tian asked, puzzled. It was peak business hour at the restaurant—what was he doing here?

“No, no! I just wanted to ask if you could make another delivery this afternoon. The 100 jin we got this morning is already sold out!” Manager Guo said anxiously.

He hadn’t expected the braised pork belly to be this popular—it had completely sold out before the lunch rush was even over.

Xia Tian was surprised. She had expected them to increase their order eventually, but not this fast. She thought it would take a few days of building reputation first.

“There’s no way we can make more today, but we can deliver again tomorrow.”

“Do you have any left at home now?” Some loyal customers were asking for it—he was in a bind.

Xia Tian glanced at Xia Yue, who nodded. “We’ve got about twenty jin left.”

“Then give it all to me for now. Tomorrow morning, bring me 150 jin, and another 100 jin in the afternoon,” Manager Guo urged.

“Alright. Big Brother, take this batch to Manager Guo right now.”

Xia Yang immediately put down his bowl, packed the meat, slung on his basket, and followed Manager Guo out for delivery.

As soon as Manager Guo left, everyone looked at each other, then burst into excited cheers.

Who would’ve thought that on the very first day, Yunlai Restaurant would already be increasing their order?

They all began eating faster, eager to get back to work—making Xia Tian smile at their enthusiasm.

That afternoon, she took Xia Yang to speak with Uncle Niu. Unfortunately, Uncle Niu could only provide up to 200 jin of meat. They had no choice but to place an additional order for 150 jin with another meat stall.

Once all the arrangements were in place, Xia Tian returned to Liu Family Village.