Chapter Nineteenth: The Business Canon

  Liu Jian returned to see a pile of brightly colored sweet potatoes freshly dug from the ground at the door, and walked into the house with joy. On the table, there was a plate of warm roasted sweet potatoes, which seemed to be left for him, and his face showed delight.

  He grabbed another one and hastily walked out.

  When he arrived, Zhi Xiao and Mu Tian had already dug a pit half a meter deep, sweating profusely, panting heavily, and were busy taking turns to rest while handing over the iron shovel.

  "I earned about 400 coins today, and I put them all in that small jar of yours. Go count them when you get back." Liu Jian reported his earnings with a dry tone, not forgetting to report his income for the day.

  "In that case, our family can exchange for three or four taels of silver, after deducting daily expenses, it's only been more than half a month."

  The two of them used to live a life of luxury, and Liu Jian's ancestors also settled in the capital after making a name for themselves. Lan Niang grew up in a wealthy family and never had to worry about money. Ten years ago, they fled to this remote mountain village to escape Ouyang Fu's pursuit, and their lives were turned upside down. The little jewelry and silver they brought with them were soon spent, and the couple could only engage in unfamiliar farm work, barely scraping by for years.

  Now, Lan Niang withdrew her thoughts from her memories and looked at the pile of pumpkins on the ground.

  Liu Jian was also delighted, this thing can fill two stomachs and is delicious. The two of them discussed selling it in the city tomorrow, if it goes well, it will be another source of income, Lan Niang nodded enthusiastically with a smile, her eyes shining brightly as she agreed.

  With Liu Jian's robust labor joining in, they dug even more in no time. Occasionally, a hoe would go down and accidentally damage a few, so they had to be careful, using just the right amount of force.

  Lan Niang shouted to stop her daughter, who was about to quarrel with Mu Tian again. She told Gan Zheng to hurry up and work. This girl and Mu Tian would disagree on one or two words, and the two sides would start fighting again. It's better to do something useful with this energy.

  "Know that the bigger pumpkins are picked and gathered in a heap, these are for keeping seeds, when spring comes, we will plant them underground."

  Zhi Xiao softly said "oh" and obediently bowed her head to sort things out behind her.

  They turned back and whispered to each other, still discussing the mountain pig that had not been caught yet. They now have different opinions on how to cook and eat it. This little kid is also very stubborn, looking honest but actually having a strong temper. Who knows where he saw some folk remedy, using the lymph nodes on the pig's neck as an ingredient, insisting that it's delicious only when cooked that way, and if you don't die from eating it, it would be strange. He glared at him fiercely, trying to dispel this idea early on, and Zhi Xiao was very angry about this.

  "Zhi xiao, I've dug up the noodles for you to eat at home. Mother will make you some mixed sauce noodles, haven't you been craving them for a long time?" Lan Niang tried to stop Zhi Xiao but he wouldn't listen.

  Zhī xiǎo tàn le kǒu qì, zhè niáng lì yòu tā de, mō le xià bí zi, fàng guò tā hǎo le, yǐ hòu zài shōu gōu, bǎ tā de guài xiǎng fǎ gěi bāi zhèng guò lái.

  English Translation:

  Zhixiao sighed and rubbed her nose, deciding to let him off this time, but she would make sure to correct his strange thoughts later on.

  It wasn't until late in the afternoon that several people finally managed to transport all of the pumpkins back, after repeatedly going back and forth between the mountain hut and the slope.

  Lan Niang brought three kids today and spent almost the whole day digging sweet potatoes on that slope. After returning home and catching her breath, she found her waist sore and hands numb, but looking at the full house piled high with sweet potatoes, plus those stacked outside in the corner of the wall, her mood was quite good.

  Soon, Lian Niang and Er Nian hastily brought up the mixed noodles, made a few small dishes, and even picked out a few roasted sweet potatoes from the firewood pile.

  Liu Jian sipped his wine, snacking on the peanuts that Lan Niang had specially fried, and contentedly sighed: "Tomorrow I'll go to Old Man Liu's place to borrow a cart, first load up some of these, tomorrow we'll head into town together to sell them. What do you think, Lan Niang?"

  Knowing that she was eating zongzi on the side, she raised her head, rolled her eyes a few times, and hastily swallowed two or three mouthfuls. She then reminded him: "Dad, mom said that this pumpkin can't be known to people down the mountain, you'd better be careful not to let them know we're using it to exchange for money."

  Liu Jian lost a peanut into his mouth: "I know, I plan to give him some money, not for free, and not let him follow." He picked up the wine cup again and took a small sip of wine, his face slightly flushed, apparently after several cups of wine.

  Liu Jian's tone also rose.

  "What if he asks?"

  "What are you afraid of? Just say that I chopped some firewood on the mountain and brought it to the city to sell. I'll come over early tomorrow, chop it up and put it on top of the pumpkin. Don't worry, they won't see it, hehe." Liu Jian said after drinking wine.

  Knowing and thinking again, he said: "I heard that old beggar say that this pumpkin has at least over a hundred stones per mu."

  This ancient unit of measurement is known to Lan Niang, and can also be estimated in conjunction with modern production.

  "What, so much?" Liu Jian was somewhat stunned. To think that the land could produce at most two dan of grain per mu per year, and this sweet potato was beyond comparison! Liu Jian put down his wine cup and exchanged a glance with Lan Niang. Both of their eyes sparkled, shining brightly as they silently understood each other.

  "I heard it from that old beggar." Zhi Xiao lowered her head and took a sip of her face, covering up her lie: "So we have to sell cooked food, is that right, Mother?"

  Let's throw this question to her mother, according to her secret observation, her mother is a shrewd person, good at managing the family, especially on sensitive issues.

  Lan Niang listened to the conversation between the father and daughter, she was also surprised by the yield of this pumpkin, after careful calculation, she figured out the secret inside.

  "What her father said is right, we can't sell this pumpkin raw, otherwise it won't be worth anything in a few years. Firstly, not many people know about it now, and secondly, this pumpkin is such a high-yielding crop. If someone with ill intentions finds out and buys some to try planting successfully, I'm afraid our family's pumpkins will soon rot in the fields, nobody will want them, and we won't be able to sell them at a good price."

  She knew that she was secretly pleased, and this girl was particularly sensitive to money matters, and could also make a fuss about it. Xiaoxiao lowered her head and only ate the mixed noodles she had been craving for a long time. What else did she need to do below?

  Liu Jian poured wine for Nang's mother and said with a smile, "Here, have some more."