Chapter 37 Purchase of Chestnuts 1
Early the next morning, Qianhuan finished her breakfast and prepared to go to the headman's house.
"Mom, go to the back mountain and pick up some firewood. I'll go to the village head's house to discuss buying chestnuts."
"Okay, be careful on your way to the headman's house. I'll go collect firewood now." Liu immediately left the yard and went to the mountains to collect firewood.
After Qianhuan gave instructions to her mother, she went to the village head's house.
"Grandpa Village Head, are you home?" Qianhuan arrived at the village head's house and saw that the gate was open. She leaned in and asked tentatively.
"Qianhuan girl, your village head has gone to the fields to check on the rice. Do you have anything to talk to him about?" It was the village head's wife, Grandma Hu, who came out to answer.
"Grandma Hu, I do have something I want to discuss with the village head."
"Then I'll ask my little Yuanzi to go to the field and call his grandfather back." Grandma Hu said as she turned and shouted towards the backyard.
"Xiao Yuanzi, go to the field and call your grandfather back. Tell him that Sister Qianhuan wants to discuss something with him."
"Grandma, I understand. I'll go right away."
This little Yuanzi is the youngest son of the village head. He is only about seven or eight years old. He was squatting in the backyard playing. When he heard his grandmother's instructions, he immediately got up and ran to his own rice field.
"Qianhuan girl, what do you want to talk to me about?"
The head of the village entered the courtyard and saw Qianhuan sitting inside the gate waiting for him, and immediately asked.
"Grandpa Lizheng, it's like this. Doesn't every household in Yunfeng Village have chestnut trees in front of and behind their houses? My family is going to buy the chestnuts from the villagers, without the thorny shells, at a price of one cent per pound. They can be delivered to my house today. We plan to buy 3000 pounds and pay them now. We won't buy more than 3000 pounds for the time being."
Qianhuan originally thought that raw chestnuts could be kept at room temperature for 3000 to days. With kilograms of chestnuts, if she sold to kilograms a day, she would be able to sell them all in more than half a month. She still had about taels of silver in her hand. After spending taels to buy chestnuts, she would have more than half a tael left for expenses.
"Girl Qianhuan, you are not Grandpa Menglizheng's, are you sure you want to buy them for one cent per pound? You want three thousand pounds? And you want to pay in cash? Did your father ask you to come and discuss it with me?" Old Man Hu looked at Qianhuan suspiciously and asked several questions uncertainly.
After all, in previous years, there were a few middlemen who came to buy chestnuts, and they were all purchased at the price of several kilograms for one penny, and the quantity the vendors wanted was not much.
He really couldn't believe that they bought 3,000 kilograms at a price of one cent per kilogram and paid him in cash.
After Liang Laoer broke his leg, he has been staying at home to recuperate. People in the village have some understanding of what the three of them are doing after the family split up.
"Grandpa Lizheng, my father asked me to come here. If he hadn't been disabled, he would have come here to discuss this with you. Could you please notify everyone to send the chestnuts to my house today?"
"Qianhuan girl, let's go to your house and ask your father. If the situation is true, I will notify the villagers immediately."
Old Man Hu was obviously still a little unconvinced. After all, Qianhuan was just a 13-year-old girl.
Although he felt that Qianhuan would not joke with him about such a thing, if he really wanted to inform everyone, he still had to confirm with Liang Laoer.
What if it's fake? Where's his prestige as the head of the village?
"Okay, grandpa headman, let's go to my house now." Qianhuan knew that the headman was a little unconvinced, so she went home with him.
"Liang Laoer, Qianhuan said that your family is going to buy 3000 kilograms of chestnuts from the villagers at a price of one cent per kilogram. Is this true?" The head of the village couldn't wait to ask Liang Laoer as he entered the courtyard.
"Mr. Lizheng, it's true."
"Why did you buy so many chestnuts? Are you going to make the sugar-roasted chestnuts you sent to my house last time?"
Last time Qianhuan sent a few kilograms of sugar-roasted chestnuts to our home, and no one took it seriously at first. But who knew that when we tried them, they were actually so delicious.
"Grandpa Lizheng, yes, my family is now selling sugar-roasted chestnuts at a stall in the county town."
Qianhuan thought that her family was buying chestnuts in large quantities in the village, so the fact that they were setting up a stall could no longer be kept secret, so she simply told everyone. There was no need to hide it.
"I see. I also tried the sugar-roasted chestnuts your family sent last time. They are really delicious. Especially my little Yuanzi. After eating them, he kept clamoring for more. He didn't even want the cooked chestnuts his grandma boiled for him. He insisted on eating your sugar-roasted chestnuts."
The head of the village talked about this with a smile. In fact, he himself had not yet had enough of the food. His little grandson was young and at the age of being greedy, so he became addicted to it.
"Grandpa Lizheng, why didn't you tell me earlier? After we finish collecting chestnuts from the villagers today, I will ask my parents to fry some more and send them to your house in the evening."
"You buy chestnuts and sell them in the county town. How can you always give them to us to eat?"
"Grandpa Lizheng, we can go to the county town to set up a stall thanks to your family lending us a scale, so please don't be polite to us."
"Okay, then I'll thank you on behalf of my little Yuanzi. I'll go back and ask my sons to notify the villagers to send chestnuts to your house."
The head of the village confirmed with Liang Laoer that the chestnut purchase was true, and he immediately went home and arranged for his sons to inform everyone. This was a great thing for all the villagers in Yunfeng Village.
"Grandpa, please inform the villagers to pick out the rotten chestnuts, empty chestnuts and worm-eaten chestnuts first, otherwise we will refuse to accept them."
"That's a must. Your family gave us such a high price, so we naturally can't mix bad chestnuts with the chestnuts and sell them to you." Old Man Hu said, stroking his beard.
"Attention, villagers of Yunfeng Village. Liang Laoer's family in the west of the village started buying chestnuts today. If you have chestnuts at home, please send them to Liang Laoer's family to sell. Please pick out the rotten chestnuts and chestnuts with empty shells first, otherwise they will be rejected... Attention, villagers of Yunfeng Village..."
The two sons of the village head took gongs and started beating them and shouting loudly in the village, finally notifying everyone in the village.
When the villagers received the notice, they were overjoyed.
Families who had not yet picked the chestnuts from the trees quickly gathered their family members to pick the chestnuts from the trees. After picking them down, they quickly cut them open with scissors. Some even used stones or farm tools such as sickles and axes to smash them open and peel off the thorny shell on the outside.
When everyone heard that Liang Laoer's family was only collecting 3,000 kilograms at the moment, they were all afraid that they would be left behind. If they collected the full 3,000 kilograms and didn't want them, they would not be able to earn that much money.
That honest family poured all the chestnuts in the sacks at home onto the bamboo fence and picked out the rotten chestnuts and the empty-shell chestnuts first.
There were also some villagers who loved to take advantage of the situation. After receiving the notice, they did not pick out the rotten chestnuts. They were hoping for a lucky break and planned to mix the rotten chestnuts, empty-shell chestnuts, and worm-eaten chestnuts with the good chestnuts and sell them together.
After a while, villagers came one after another carrying chestnuts to Liang Laoer's house to sell.
Everyone was speculating that Liang Laoer's family might have made a fortune, otherwise how could they buy so many chestnuts at once.
The gossipy woman went to the headman's house to ask, and only then did she find out that the second son of the Liang family was selling sugar-roasted chestnuts at a stall in the county town.
Everything spreads quickly in a small village. The rumor that Liang Laoer's family made a fortune by setting up a stall to sell sugar-roasted chestnuts spread like a spring breeze to every corner of Yunfeng Village.
Now every household knows that their family is setting up a stall to do business in the county town.
But the villagers still don't know the exact price of chestnuts per pound. They only know that Liang Laoer's family can buy chestnuts in such a large amount, and they must have made a lot of money by setting up stalls.
Everyone in the village envied them for being able to come up with such an idea to make money. Some people also wanted to find out how the sugar-roasted chestnuts were made, and they also wanted to follow suit and set up stalls to sell them.
Unfortunately, these people don’t know the specific methods and can’t figure out the tricks.
When Old Lady Liang learned about this, she regretted it so much that her intestines turned green.
If she had known earlier, she would not have divided the family. Otherwise, all the money earned by the second son’s family would have been handed over to her.
She was so angry that she cursed Liang Laoer at home and complained to Old Man Liang.
"Old man, we have raised our second son in vain. He made a lot of money from business, but he doesn't come to take care of his parents. His eldest sister-in-law and I went to his house yesterday to get some cloth and food, but he didn't even stand by his mother and let Qianhuan, that stinky girl, drive us out. The Liang family really has an unfilial son."
Old Mrs. Liang cried and howled, and kept complaining to Old Man Liang.
"You and Zhu went to the second brother's house to take things? The second brother's leg injury hasn't healed yet, and his life is already difficult. How could you have the nerve to go to his house to take things?"
Old man Liang knew exactly what kind of temper his wife had. He ignored her crying and instead questioned her loudly.
"I'm his mother, so what if I take something from him? He loves Liu and Qianhuan the most. If I don't take those good things, they will end up being taken advantage of by Liu and Qianhuan, two outsiders."
Old Mrs. Liang didn't expect that her old man not only didn't speak up for her, but scolded her instead. She was so angry that she shouted out her true feelings without caring about her image.
"That's right, Dad. Mother-in-law is my second brother's biological mother. How can my second brother side with outsiders instead of his own mother?" Zhu also came out to help.
"That's right, old man, look at the people in this village, who dares to be unfilial to their parents?" Someone echoed, and Mrs. Liang immediately became more excited.
"The second son's leg injury hasn't healed yet, so we've separated his family. We've already felt very sorry for him. You are not allowed to take things from his house in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless." Old man Liang warned his wife and eldest son's wife with a cold face.
Old Mrs. Liang and Mrs. Zhu were scolded mercilessly by Old Man Liang. They both lowered their heads and dared not say a word.
"If you guys are just complaining here, why don't you just pick the chestnuts in front of the house and sell them to the second brother's house."
Old man Liang's words awakened the two people from their dreams, and the two of them hurriedly took bamboo poles and went to the door of the house to pick chestnuts.