Chapter 44 Something happened?

Chapter 44 Something happened?

Chapter 44 Something happened?
Half a month after the heavy snow is the winter solstice, and after the winter solstice it is the twelfth lunar month, and after the twelfth lunar month it is the Chinese New Year.

Isn't this what ordinary people do? Day after day, year after year, a lifetime passes in the blink of an eye.

Kang Tai, the owner of Kang's Tofu Shop, is already quite old. He has worked hard for most of his life, and his health has been getting worse over the years. He also doesn't have as much energy as when he was young.

But as his two sons grew up and now have their own families and children, Kang Tai is relieved about his descendants.

Although the eldest son Kang Youfu is not good at making tofu, he has a good business mind.

As for the second brother, Kang Youlu, his tofu-making skills have surpassed his own. In the past two years, the work of grinding and making tofu in the workshop has basically been handed over to the second brother, while the eldest brother takes care of the business in the front. The two brothers cooperate very well, and their Kang's tofu shop is thriving.

A good family and many children and grandchildren, what else in the world could make Kang Tai happy? Seeing that another year was about to pass, Kang Tai began to think about handing over the ancestral tofu workshop to his two sons.

After working hard all his life, it was time to take a break. His sons had grown up and had to take charge of the family, but Kang Tai was hesitant about whether the eldest son or the second son should take on the responsibility.

Logically speaking, it was the eldest son's right to be the head of the family. After all, he was the eldest son, had a quick mind and was good at business. If the tofu workshop was handed over to him, he would definitely be able to do a good job with his skills. But the tofu made by the eldest son was really not that good. If tofu was to be made, the second son had to be the one. From this point of view, it seemed that the second son should be the head of the family.

But if the tofu workshop is handed over to the second son, it would be unfair to the first son, because the first son is in charge of all the business outside, and the second son is only good at making tofu.

From this point of view, it would not be appropriate to give it directly to the eldest brother or the second brother. Kang Tai has lived for most of his life, and he knows very well that although both the eldest brother and the second brother can support this tofu workshop, if they really want to pass on the ancestral business, the most important thing is for the brothers to be united.

It is also for this reason that Kang Tai is still hesitating about the next arrangements. It is not a big problem now that he is still alive, but once he is gone one day, it will be a difficult problem to whom the family business will be inherited. Although Kang Tai said that the two brothers will not separate, it is no problem as long as he is alive. But when he is gone in the future, can he guarantee that the Kang brothers will continue to be as friendly and respectful to each other as they are now?

Everyone has their own worries, and every family has its own troubles.

It is because of this reason that Kang Tai has been hesitating and has not made a final decision on this matter these days.

After finishing their work today, the two brothers were cleaning up the workshop in front, while Kang Tai went to rest in the residence in the back. He heated up a pot of wine, a pot of sauerkraut and boiled tofu, and two side dishes. This was his dinner.

When he was young, Kang Tai got up early and went to bed late every day for his family's tofu workshop. In addition, making tofu was very hard work. After most of his life, the problems that he didn't have when he was young gradually appeared. At this age, coupled with this weather, Kang Tai drinks a little wine every day to warm his muscles and bones.

Kang Tai sat cross-legged on the kang and drank some wine, while his wife Sun was doing needlework at the other end. The old couple chatted casually.

"The second child's family is calculating the date. The baby will be born after the New Year." Sun said while doing needlework.

Kang Tai nodded. Sun was talking about his second daughter-in-law, whom Kang Youlu married last year. She became pregnant about half a year ago and her belly is now quite big.

According to the date calculation, the baby will be born after the Chinese New Year, and this baby will be the third grandchild in the Kang family. The eldest has a son and a daughter, and the second has a son now. Kang Tai is happy when he thinks of this.

Picking up the wine cup and taking a sip, Kang Tai said to the old woman, "Do you have enough money at home? Save some for the wedding when the eldest son's wife gives birth to her grandson. The second son should be treated equally. Remember this, don't let the second son's wife down and make the whole family unhappy."

"Do I need you to tell me this? I wouldn't have mentioned this to you if I didn't remember." Sun rolled her eyes at her old man. These were all her flesh and blood. Both the eldest and the second son were her sons. Aren't the children born to their wives her grandchildren?
Since the eldest son's family had been given a wedding, the second son's family couldn't be left behind. The tofu workshop's business was pretty good this year, and the family was a little wealthy, so she had already reserved the money for the wedding.

"Haha." Kang Tai laughed. He and his wife have been together for decades, and they know each other very well. He took another sip of wine and looked outside. Seeing no one outside, the eldest and the second son were still in front, and the wives of the two families were in their respective rooms. "Old lady, these days I have been thinking about whether the eldest son or the second son should be the head of the family in the future."

"What's the matter? You haven't figured this out yet? How many times have you thought about it?" Sun looked up at her husband and asked.

Kang Tai sighed and shook his head, saying, "I've been struggling with this. The eldest is too witty and the second is too naive. When it comes to business, the eldest is the best, but when it comes to making tofu, the second is the best. Every family has its own problems. Now that I'm still here, the eldest and second can handle it, but one day this family will have to be handed over to them."

"If I give it to the eldest, I'll be wronged by the second. If I give it to the second, I'll be wronged by the eldest. I'm worried about this..."

Hearing her husband say this, Sun also sighed. The old couple had discussed this matter several times, but they had never come up with a feasible solution. It was not a good idea to keep dragging it on. The old man was right. There was no problem for the two of them, but people would die one day when they got old. When they passed away, who would the family business be left to?
"Why not give it to the second son? Our family has run this tofu workshop for three generations. The second son's craftsmanship is impeccable. This skill is enough to establish the family business."

"What about the boss?"

"The boss is smart. If nothing works out, give him some of the family wealth and let him go out and try his luck on his own..."

"No way!" Kang Tai frowned and shook his head: "This is unfair to the eldest brother. He has been helping the family all these years, and in the end he just got some of the family fortune. What does this count as? Besides, it's not like the family doesn't have a business. Letting him go out and try his luck? What if he fails?"

"This workshop was left by our ancestors. The eldest and second oldest are both our own children. I hope that they will not separate and pass on the family business together. But the problem is that it is OK now. Who can predict what will happen in the future after we are gone? What if the brothers become enemies because of the family business? It will be a loss."

"I've been thinking about it these days. Even if we don't split up the family, we have to appoint a head of the family. This way, at least we can avoid a lot of trouble. After thinking it over and over again, I still think that..."

Just as Kang Tai said this, before he could finish his words about who he wanted to pass on his family business to, he heard faint noises coming from the front.

"What happened in front?" Kang Tai asked with a frown.

"Why is there such a commotion? I'll go take a look." Sun put down the needlework in her hands, got off the kang and went to the front. Kang Tai didn't take it seriously and continued to drink his wine.

But before he finished his drink, Sun came running back in a hurry. As soon as she entered the room, she said, "Old man, hurry up! Go to the front and take a look. Something happened!"

"Something happened? What happened?" Kang Tai was stunned and asked hurriedly.

"As a woman, I can't figure it out, but it looks like something's wrong. The eldest and the second are arguing with someone up ahead."

"Arguing? With whom?" Kang Tai hurriedly got off the kang and put on his shoes. He heard Sun say, "The village head Liu Qi is here, and the eldest and second sons are arguing with him."

"Liu Qi? What is he doing here?" Kang Tai frowned. Liu Qi was the head of the neighborhood in their area. The so-called head of the neighborhood came from the Baojia system, which had a long history and existed since the Spring and Autumn Period. This system was continued in all dynasties, and it was the same in the Ming Dynasty, but it was slightly different from the previous dynasty's system.

The head of a village is not an official, but some officials have jurisdiction over some of the rights of the residents in the village. In other words, the head of a village is similar to the director of the neighborhood committee, and Liu Qi is the head of this village. Liu Qi is not a good person, he is idle and a gangster. If his surname is not Liu, he can be related to Mr. Liu Shancheng and have several brothers under him, otherwise he would not be the head of the village.

There had been no conflicts between the Kang family and Liu Qi. Although Liu Qi was the head of the village, the Kang family had been supplying Liu's tofu all year round, and the money they had to pay was also paid according to the rules. Liu Qi never made things difficult for the Kang family for the sake of face. But what happened today? Hearing from the old woman that the eldest and second sons were arguing with Liu Qi in front, Kang Tai hurriedly walked to the front, fearing that something might happen.

(End of this chapter)