Chapter 50. The way to fortune
After sending off Yunweixuan's people, the entrance to Su's house was closed.
In the main room, You Jin placed the silver she got today on the kang table. A total of twenty-two silver liang. It stunned everyone's eyes.
"It turns out that mandarin fish is so valuable!" You Zhu was over the moon. Only a few days ago, she was heartbroken about family's lost of income. Never thought twenty silver liang was earned after five or six days! After the joy, she remembered the two mandarin fish they ate at home yesterday. She couldn't help but feel a little sad: "Eldest Sister, we really shouldn't have eaten those two fish last night. We could have get six more coins!"
Hearing what she said, the smile on You Jin's face gradually subsided. She sternly gazed at You Zhu and stated, "You Zhu, do you know why we work so hard to earn money? It's so that our family can be full and eat well. We do want to make money, but we can't place more importance to money than our family, understand?"
The atmosphere that was originally ecstatic suddenly became a little stagnant. Everyone looked at each other. No one dared to make a sound.
You Zhu's first reaction was to argue: "Eldest Sister, I'm not..."
But before she could finish her words, You Jin raised her hand to stop her: "You Zhu, among so many sisters in our family, your temperament is the most like me. And also the most stubborn among the sisters. I know that you want to make money for the good of our family. But we are making money for this family, right?" You Zhu pursed her lips. Eldest Sister was right.
"We've only made twenty silver liang now. For the sake of six coins, you think we've done something wrong. How about we earn two hundred liang, two thousand liang, and twenty thousand liang in the future? It is right to be thrifty. But there is a limit, understand?" You Jin rubbed the slightly dejected head: "What Eldest Sister said today isn't blaming you. I want you to become better. If you feel that Eldest Sister is wrong, tell Eldest Sister. Our family is only this big. If you have any unhappiness in your heart, you shouldn't hide it in your heart. Good communication is an important prerequisite for maintaining a good relationship."
She looked around at the few smaller children: "You guys too. If there is something you can't figure out or don't understand, speak out. Keeping everything in your heart will gradually distance the heart with the family. A broken family will become a mess, understand?"
The few children, including You Zhu, nodded after absorbing this lesson: "Understand."
After putting the silver back into the purse, she instructed You Yin to help Mrs. Su with the cooking. Then You Jin went back to the east wing to carefully put away the silver.
You Zhu wasn't a child who hold a grudge. On top of that, she knew You Jin lectured her for her own good. So she didn't resent You Jin. In her later life, she always remember You Jin's words about family being the most important. When someone bullies her sisters, she was the top candidate when it come to following You Jin to seek justice for the family.
***
Selling mandarin fish earned back twenty silver liang. It also gave You Jin a way to make a fortune. There were no fishermen who specialized in raising fish in the Dafeng Dynasty. What if they could raise a batch of mandarin fish by themselves? Luohe Prefecture had well-developed land and waterways. And Wuliqiao River had abundant water all year round. Raising fish was a good method.
Of course, this was only the preliminary stage of You Jin's idea. After all, the investment in fish farming required more than a hundred liang. Plus she had limited understanding of fish farming. Whether it was human or material resources, they hadn't reached the most basic requirements. Therefore, this method of making money had to be put on hold for the time being. Once money is enough, then preparations can happen.
Although she couldn't immediately dig a fish pond to raise fish, You Jin still thought of a way to make money: medicine for fish! She remembered that there was a herb called daphne genkwa. Once it was dried and ground into powder, the fishes would be stunned when it is sprinkled into water. After the medicine had worn off, it would not leave any toxins in the fish. Wasn't this the best choice for her??
After the continuous spring rain had passed, it was already late March. You Jin carried the basket on her back, stepped on the slippery and soft soil, and walked in the bamboo forest. Today, she came to the mountain to look for daphne genkwa. However, none was found. Instead, she found a lot of tea tree mushrooms that grew after the rain. Fresh tea tree mushroom cooked with some lard suet was quite delicious. You Jin dug it when she saw it. When she came down from the mountain, she couldn't find a single bloom of daphne genkwa. Her final harvest was half a basket of tea tree mushroom.
You Zhu and You Yin washed away the dirt on the roots of the tea tree mushroom as You Zhu asked, "Eldest Sister, can this be exchanged for silver?"
In You Zhu's opinion, as long as it was something that can be eaten at home, it can be exchanged for money. But now, her eyes will no longer only see money as she did before. She was willing to give all the food that should be given to her family. Which was considered a great improvement.
You Bao, who had just picked up a handful of tender green cabbage seedlings from the front of the yard, heard Third Elder Sister mentioning selling for money again and couldn't help but cover her mouth and snickered: "Third Elder Sister!"
"What are you laughing at?" You Zhu disgruntledly rolled her eyes at her twin sister: "If we can sell it for money, let's go together to the mountain to forage it later. How can you not want free money from the ground?"
Though You Zhu's phrasing was crude, it was reasonable.
You Jin nodded and agreed: "You Zhu is right. After lunch, we will go to the mountain together. Once we dig it back and sell it, we can eat the leftover ourselves."
Seeing Eldest Sister standing on her side, money-loving You Zhu straightened her small back. She proudly glanced at her twin sister who was complaining about her just now: "Hmph!"
You Bao wasn't mad. She just covered her mouth to snicker.
Seeing how cute the two younger sisters were, You Jin was very relieved. Compared with the days in Yue's house, the current days were simply too good. However, You Zhu's words reminded her of what she had been thinking about last night. Mrs. Su was timid and weak in personality. The only time she was strong in her life was to protect two newborn babies and then separate with Yue Chang Lu.
But this resistance didn't change Mrs. Su's natural temperament. Now that several younger sisters were getting older, the children brought up by Mrs. Su's nature must have similar temperament. She can protect a few children for a while, but not forever.
So the top priority was to nurture the several girls to be tougher. After all, it was better to bully others than being bullied, right? The second was to teach the sisters some self-defense skills. After all, there were mainly women in the family. They can't let outsiders bully them and can't demand an explanation. The third was to cultivate the sisters' correct concept of money.
These three points were both urgent and long-term. The first thing they can start was to learn some self-defense punch and kicks. One, the body get strengthen. Second, they gain self-defense skills. Yue Family's frolicking sisters didn't realize Eldest Sister's claws had reached out to them as they had fun in the yard!
In the afternoon, You Jin led the three older ones up the mountain with each carrying a back basket and useful tools like sickles and hoes in hand.
The spring rain was gentle. The bamboo forest nourished by the spring rain was even more verdant. The bamboo shoots have grown a lot taller overnight. In the bamboo forest, You Jin first took her three younger sisters around to distinguish which mushrooms were edible. Then they spread out to find them.
Most of the mushrooms growing in the bamboo forest were fresh tea tree mushrooms. Out of caution, You Jin repeatedly emphasized to the few girls: "The brighter the color, the more poisonous the mushrooms are. We'll only just pick the tea tree mushrooms. In addition, don't go too far. Go where we can see each other, okay?"
The mountains behind Wuliqiao were all 100 to 200 meter hills. Unlike Cuifeng Mountain, which is a continuous stretch of deep mountains and old forests, there were no traces of wild beasts. That was why You Jin was relatively at ease to let her few sisters follow her up the mountain to pick tea tree mushrooms.
Today was the first day since the spring rain stopped. Now there people in the village who dig bamboo shoots and sell to the city. Today, they were busy in the field. For a while, the four sisters had the whole bamboo forest to themselves to search for traces of tea tree mushrooms. With the nourishment of the spring rain, the sight of tea tree mushrooms swaying slightly with the spring breeze can be seen almost everywhere. The sisters picked a large basket full of tea tree mushrooms within an hour.
In You Jin's hands were a few plump and beautiful spring bamboo shoots. The four sisters welcomed the spring breeze that carried the fragrance of bamboo with a bountiful harvest.
***
You Jin was a person who did what she said. That night, she pulled all of them except the babies to the yard to start training after dinner.
Looking at the sisters who were lined up in a row with their hands behind their backs, You Jin slowly announced, "Starting today, let's learn some boxing and kicking moves together. First, our body can be strengthened. Second, we can protect ourselves."
When hearing that they were learning to fight, the sisters were all stunned. Eldest Sister knew this? In fact, Mrs. Su was also a little suspicious of why You Jin always knew strange things at the beginning, Later, she got used to it. Mrs. Su, who was standing in the corridor with just-awake little Tenth, was also stunned when she heard her daughter : "Jin-er, why do you know this?"
Yes, that's right! Why did Eldest Sister know this? The few little ones all looked at Eldest Sister as if she was god. Their eldest sister was too awesome! She can make money as well as know martial arts!
You Jin coughed slightly and made an excuse: "I saw a lot of performers at the market and I mimicked a little by pondering on it myself."
Seeing that everyone accept it without much hesitation, You Jin didn't say anything despite finding it a little strange. They dived straight into practice.
"First of all, we learn to squat." You Jin faced her few younger sisters and gave a standard squat demonstration: "The strength come from the ground. The feet are shoulder-width apart."
Seeing her press her lips into a serious expression, the few youngers sisters felt inexplicably awe. They all copied You Jin's movements. Even the youngest, You Chou did a proper mini squat.
Although they were doing it properly, it was a little too much as time lengthened. Especially for You Bao, who was relatively weak in health. She was a little shaken. You Jin knew that haste make no progress. So she got everyone to get up and rest for half an hour before continuing.
That night, Su sisters all collapsed on the hard kang with sore arms and legs. Not long later, they all fell into a deep sleep after a while. Even soft snore appeared. After covering the quilts for a few younger sisters, You Jin got up and checked the doors with the lanterns before going to rest.
After sending off Yunweixuan's people, the entrance to Su's house was closed.
In the main room, You Jin placed the silver she got today on the kang table. A total of twenty-two silver liang. It stunned everyone's eyes.
"It turns out that mandarin fish is so valuable!" You Zhu was over the moon. Only a few days ago, she was heartbroken about family's lost of income. Never thought twenty silver liang was earned after five or six days! After the joy, she remembered the two mandarin fish they ate at home yesterday. She couldn't help but feel a little sad: "Eldest Sister, we really shouldn't have eaten those two fish last night. We could have get six more coins!"
Hearing what she said, the smile on You Jin's face gradually subsided. She sternly gazed at You Zhu and stated, "You Zhu, do you know why we work so hard to earn money? It's so that our family can be full and eat well. We do want to make money, but we can't place more importance to money than our family, understand?"
The atmosphere that was originally ecstatic suddenly became a little stagnant. Everyone looked at each other. No one dared to make a sound.
You Zhu's first reaction was to argue: "Eldest Sister, I'm not..."
But before she could finish her words, You Jin raised her hand to stop her: "You Zhu, among so many sisters in our family, your temperament is the most like me. And also the most stubborn among the sisters. I know that you want to make money for the good of our family. But we are making money for this family, right?" You Zhu pursed her lips. Eldest Sister was right.
"We've only made twenty silver liang now. For the sake of six coins, you think we've done something wrong. How about we earn two hundred liang, two thousand liang, and twenty thousand liang in the future? It is right to be thrifty. But there is a limit, understand?" You Jin rubbed the slightly dejected head: "What Eldest Sister said today isn't blaming you. I want you to become better. If you feel that Eldest Sister is wrong, tell Eldest Sister. Our family is only this big. If you have any unhappiness in your heart, you shouldn't hide it in your heart. Good communication is an important prerequisite for maintaining a good relationship."
She looked around at the few smaller children: "You guys too. If there is something you can't figure out or don't understand, speak out. Keeping everything in your heart will gradually distance the heart with the family. A broken family will become a mess, understand?"
The few children, including You Zhu, nodded after absorbing this lesson: "Understand."
After putting the silver back into the purse, she instructed You Yin to help Mrs. Su with the cooking. Then You Jin went back to the east wing to carefully put away the silver.
You Zhu wasn't a child who hold a grudge. On top of that, she knew You Jin lectured her for her own good. So she didn't resent You Jin. In her later life, she always remember You Jin's words about family being the most important. When someone bullies her sisters, she was the top candidate when it come to following You Jin to seek justice for the family.
***
Selling mandarin fish earned back twenty silver liang. It also gave You Jin a way to make a fortune. There were no fishermen who specialized in raising fish in the Dafeng Dynasty. What if they could raise a batch of mandarin fish by themselves? Luohe Prefecture had well-developed land and waterways. And Wuliqiao River had abundant water all year round. Raising fish was a good method.
Of course, this was only the preliminary stage of You Jin's idea. After all, the investment in fish farming required more than a hundred liang. Plus she had limited understanding of fish farming. Whether it was human or material resources, they hadn't reached the most basic requirements. Therefore, this method of making money had to be put on hold for the time being. Once money is enough, then preparations can happen.
Although she couldn't immediately dig a fish pond to raise fish, You Jin still thought of a way to make money: medicine for fish! She remembered that there was a herb called daphne genkwa. Once it was dried and ground into powder, the fishes would be stunned when it is sprinkled into water. After the medicine had worn off, it would not leave any toxins in the fish. Wasn't this the best choice for her??
After the continuous spring rain had passed, it was already late March. You Jin carried the basket on her back, stepped on the slippery and soft soil, and walked in the bamboo forest. Today, she came to the mountain to look for daphne genkwa. However, none was found. Instead, she found a lot of tea tree mushrooms that grew after the rain. Fresh tea tree mushroom cooked with some lard suet was quite delicious. You Jin dug it when she saw it. When she came down from the mountain, she couldn't find a single bloom of daphne genkwa. Her final harvest was half a basket of tea tree mushroom.
You Zhu and You Yin washed away the dirt on the roots of the tea tree mushroom as You Zhu asked, "Eldest Sister, can this be exchanged for silver?"
In You Zhu's opinion, as long as it was something that can be eaten at home, it can be exchanged for money. But now, her eyes will no longer only see money as she did before. She was willing to give all the food that should be given to her family. Which was considered a great improvement.
You Bao, who had just picked up a handful of tender green cabbage seedlings from the front of the yard, heard Third Elder Sister mentioning selling for money again and couldn't help but cover her mouth and snickered: "Third Elder Sister!"
"What are you laughing at?" You Zhu disgruntledly rolled her eyes at her twin sister: "If we can sell it for money, let's go together to the mountain to forage it later. How can you not want free money from the ground?"
Though You Zhu's phrasing was crude, it was reasonable.
You Jin nodded and agreed: "You Zhu is right. After lunch, we will go to the mountain together. Once we dig it back and sell it, we can eat the leftover ourselves."
Seeing Eldest Sister standing on her side, money-loving You Zhu straightened her small back. She proudly glanced at her twin sister who was complaining about her just now: "Hmph!"
You Bao wasn't mad. She just covered her mouth to snicker.
Seeing how cute the two younger sisters were, You Jin was very relieved. Compared with the days in Yue's house, the current days were simply too good. However, You Zhu's words reminded her of what she had been thinking about last night. Mrs. Su was timid and weak in personality. The only time she was strong in her life was to protect two newborn babies and then separate with Yue Chang Lu.
But this resistance didn't change Mrs. Su's natural temperament. Now that several younger sisters were getting older, the children brought up by Mrs. Su's nature must have similar temperament. She can protect a few children for a while, but not forever.
So the top priority was to nurture the several girls to be tougher. After all, it was better to bully others than being bullied, right? The second was to teach the sisters some self-defense skills. After all, there were mainly women in the family. They can't let outsiders bully them and can't demand an explanation. The third was to cultivate the sisters' correct concept of money.
These three points were both urgent and long-term. The first thing they can start was to learn some self-defense punch and kicks. One, the body get strengthen. Second, they gain self-defense skills. Yue Family's frolicking sisters didn't realize Eldest Sister's claws had reached out to them as they had fun in the yard!
In the afternoon, You Jin led the three older ones up the mountain with each carrying a back basket and useful tools like sickles and hoes in hand.
The spring rain was gentle. The bamboo forest nourished by the spring rain was even more verdant. The bamboo shoots have grown a lot taller overnight. In the bamboo forest, You Jin first took her three younger sisters around to distinguish which mushrooms were edible. Then they spread out to find them.
Most of the mushrooms growing in the bamboo forest were fresh tea tree mushrooms. Out of caution, You Jin repeatedly emphasized to the few girls: "The brighter the color, the more poisonous the mushrooms are. We'll only just pick the tea tree mushrooms. In addition, don't go too far. Go where we can see each other, okay?"
The mountains behind Wuliqiao were all 100 to 200 meter hills. Unlike Cuifeng Mountain, which is a continuous stretch of deep mountains and old forests, there were no traces of wild beasts. That was why You Jin was relatively at ease to let her few sisters follow her up the mountain to pick tea tree mushrooms.
Today was the first day since the spring rain stopped. Now there people in the village who dig bamboo shoots and sell to the city. Today, they were busy in the field. For a while, the four sisters had the whole bamboo forest to themselves to search for traces of tea tree mushrooms. With the nourishment of the spring rain, the sight of tea tree mushrooms swaying slightly with the spring breeze can be seen almost everywhere. The sisters picked a large basket full of tea tree mushrooms within an hour.
In You Jin's hands were a few plump and beautiful spring bamboo shoots. The four sisters welcomed the spring breeze that carried the fragrance of bamboo with a bountiful harvest.
***
You Jin was a person who did what she said. That night, she pulled all of them except the babies to the yard to start training after dinner.
Looking at the sisters who were lined up in a row with their hands behind their backs, You Jin slowly announced, "Starting today, let's learn some boxing and kicking moves together. First, our body can be strengthened. Second, we can protect ourselves."
When hearing that they were learning to fight, the sisters were all stunned. Eldest Sister knew this? In fact, Mrs. Su was also a little suspicious of why You Jin always knew strange things at the beginning, Later, she got used to it. Mrs. Su, who was standing in the corridor with just-awake little Tenth, was also stunned when she heard her daughter : "Jin-er, why do you know this?"
Yes, that's right! Why did Eldest Sister know this? The few little ones all looked at Eldest Sister as if she was god. Their eldest sister was too awesome! She can make money as well as know martial arts!
You Jin coughed slightly and made an excuse: "I saw a lot of performers at the market and I mimicked a little by pondering on it myself."
Seeing that everyone accept it without much hesitation, You Jin didn't say anything despite finding it a little strange. They dived straight into practice.
"First of all, we learn to squat." You Jin faced her few younger sisters and gave a standard squat demonstration: "The strength come from the ground. The feet are shoulder-width apart."
Seeing her press her lips into a serious expression, the few youngers sisters felt inexplicably awe. They all copied You Jin's movements. Even the youngest, You Chou did a proper mini squat.
Although they were doing it properly, it was a little too much as time lengthened. Especially for You Bao, who was relatively weak in health. She was a little shaken. You Jin knew that haste make no progress. So she got everyone to get up and rest for half an hour before continuing.
That night, Su sisters all collapsed on the hard kang with sore arms and legs. Not long later, they all fell into a deep sleep after a while. Even soft snore appeared. After covering the quilts for a few younger sisters, You Jin got up and checked the doors with the lanterns before going to rest.
Thank you for the chapter!
ReplyDeleteI finally caught up to the translation🥺 i really like this novel. Kinda rare to see sister bonds novel + this one is about survival and development. Kinda similar to BTTS (Back to the sixties) which i love very much. Thank you so much for translating this novel
ReplyDeleteI hope they get a dog or something. There’s always some sinister pos that’s on the prowl for victims.
ReplyDelete