For several days in a row, the two were inseparable. Until Chen Jinyou's booming voice rang out in the courtyard...
Qi Huan tidied up her things and went to open the door for him: "Come in quickly, it's so cold outside."
"Cold?" Chen Jinyou shook his sable fur coat in bewilderment.
Seeing this, Qi Huan decided to change the subject: "Did you come looking for me for some reason?"
Walking to her left side, Chen Jinyou smiled and teased: "Guess."
"The greenhouse vegetables are ripe?"
"Wow, Qi Huan, you guessed right."
"Hehehe, because I'm smart." Qi Huan blinked her eyes mischievously.
The deepest connection between her and Chen Jinyou was their partnership in growing greenhouse vegetables. Chen Jinyou braving the snow to come here must mean there was important business, so it was easy to guess that the vegetables they had planted earlier were ready to be picked and sold.
Seeing that she had guessed correctly, Chen Jinyou smiled in amazement, then turned and shouted towards the courtyard outside: "Cucumber! Pumpkin! Bring the vegetables in!"
Qi Huan stopped in her tracks, her gaze slightly surprised: "Your new servants are called Cucumber and Pumpkin?"
"And there's Loofah and Bitter Gourd too! My dad assigned me four of them at once!"
"Hmm, I'm very curious, who named them?"
"Of course it was this young master! Aren't the names easy to remember?"
Qi Huan nodded, they were indeed easy to remember.
"Qi Huan is still the best! My dad said the names I gave them were ugly, and that the names sounded gourd-like and gourd-ish. He said that when I have children in the future, he'll have to name them himself. How annoying, why can't I name them myself? I've already thought of names!"
"...Let's hear them."
"For a son, Chen Fugui, and for a daughter, Chen Ronghua. I want to be the father of fortune and glory!"
"I suggest you listen to your father's advice."
"Why? Qi Huan, do you think the names don't sound good too?"
Hearing them discussing children's names, Li Shuchen glared at Chen Jinyou with an unfriendly gaze and coughed violently several times.
At the same time, this finally attracted Qi Huan's concerned gaze.
"Shuchen, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, maybe the open door let in too much wind and I got a chill. Don't mind me, you two can continue your discussion."
Qi Huan frowned, quickly walked into the hall, poured him a cup of hot tea, and said: "You should go back to the room and warm up on the heated bed."
Just as Li Shuchen was about to pick up the tea cup, he put it down again, glanced at Chen Jinyou, took a sip of the hot tea, and said: "Feeling better after the tea."
Qi Huan couldn't help but be surprised, could hot water really cure all illnesses?
At this time, Chen Jinyou tugged at her sleeve: "Qi Huan, look quickly, these are our vegetables."
The baskets were filled to the brim. Although the vegetables didn't look perfect, they were pure organic greens grown without any chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
Chen Jinyou then continued excitedly: "Qi Huan, you're really amazing. It turns out you can actually grow so many kinds of vegetables in winter! After the village chief reported it to me, I had someone pick a little bit of each variety to send over to you. The rest is still in the fields, what should we do with them?"
"Pick a portion first and sell them to Qi's Restaurant and the noodle shops." Since the greenhouse vegetables were not solely her own produce, Qi Huan used the word "sell". This way, the accounts would be separate and distinct.
Without using ingredients from her space, the costs would inevitably rise, but there would still be considerable profits. Moreover, earning a little less money but gaining more points was not a bad thing.
Currently, her most profitable business was the starch factories scattered in various places. Earning a little less from the restaurant was not a big deal.
Having made up her mind, Qi Huan then discussed with Chen Jinyou: "For the vegetables sent to the restaurant, since we save on transportation costs, can we offer a slightly lower price?"
Originally, Chen Jinyou had no intention of charging money for the vegetables supplied to Qi's Restaurant, as he didn't need the extra money. But seeing Qi Huan's insistence, he eventually agreed.
His father had once told him that in order to maintain a lasting friendship, it's best to avoid owing each other favors. Also, when possible, it's better to spend money than owe someone a favor. Perhaps Qi Huan shared a similar mindset to his father's, so Chen Jinyou expressed his understanding.
After discussing the specific prices for the vegetables, Qi Huan added: "For the remaining vegetables, we'll pick some more, and first have the merchant caravan take them to show the restaurants in nearby counties. Once they confirm they want to buy, and pay a deposit, we'll freshly harvest the vegetables and send them over quickly. During transportation, we need to keep them well-insulated so they don't freeze. It's best to cover the baskets with thick blankets. Also, the prices for selling to them should be higher!"
"Firstly, it takes a lot of effort to transport the vegetables. Secondly, our vegetables are a unique commodity in this winter weather, so we have a monopoly on the market. Charging a higher price is justified. Moreover, there are more wealthy people in the county cities."
She went on elaborating at length, leaving Chen Jinyou feeling lost, although he understood one thing.
They needed to sell at a higher price!
As for the specific prices, that would have to wait until the Yunying Caravan had negotiated with the restaurants and wealthy households in various places.
With things to do, Chen Jinyou hurriedly took his leave: "I'll go tell the village chief now to have the workers pick a batch of greens to send to Qi's Restaurant, and another batch to the Yunying Caravan."
"I'll come with you. I also want to go and see, and stop by the restaurant to give some instructions."
Hearing that Qi Huan wanted to go too, Li Shuchen immediately stood up: "Let's go."
However, Qi Huan said: "You're still coughing, stay home and drink more hot water to rest."
"I'm going to the Yunying Caravan anyway, I have something to take care of."
Qi Huan couldn't refute his reason, so she could only let him put on a cloak, standing on her tiptoes to tie it for him: "Don't always pursue elegance without warmth, dress warmer."
Li Shuchen smiled softly.
Just as they were sharing this warm moment, Chen Jinyou quickly untied his sable fur coat and handed it over: "Wear this one, it's thick and warm. Brother Li's health isn't good, so he should wear this instead."
Li Shuchen, whose 'health wasn't good', flatly declined Chen Jinyou's kindness.
As the carriage rolled away from the Qi residence on the stone road, they arrived at the restaurant. Qi Huan first informed Mr. Xu that from now on, she would no longer 'procure' the restaurant's ingredients. Mr. Xu should make a list of which vegetables were needed and how much, and give it in advance to the village chief who would be delivering the produce.
Next, they went to the village, where the village chief and the tenant farmers excitedly came out to welcome them.
"Miss Qi, you're the great benefactor of our village! These vegetables, they actually grew!"
Qi Huan smiled kindly: "It's a mutual achievement. ...It's also thanks to everyone's hard work that these vegetables grew so well. Rest assured, the silver coins promised earlier will not be less. In addition, for every pound of vegetables harvested, I'll give you all two extra fen."
Two fen was not much, but compared to the real selling price of the vegetables, it was peanuts. However, the unsophisticated tenant farmers did not see it that way. They would normally split a copper cash into two halves to spend it, so earning an extra two fen for every pound of vegetables they picked was an unexpected bonus, a delightful surprise.
Everyone's face beamed with an honest and sincere smile as they surrounded Qi Huan, praising and thanking her with enthusiasm.
In fact, Qi Huan's reason for doing this was not only for the score but also another consideration.
In her previous life, her close friend worked at an electronics factory. When she was paid by the hour, she would slack off, but when she was paid by the piece, she would work relentlessly.
At the end of the day, if you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat grass. By giving away two fen per pound, she motivated the tenant farmers to work harder. In the long run, Qi Huan might not lose out.
However, there was one point she had to make clear: "You all know that the reason we can grow out-of-season vegetables in the greenhouse is because of this special plastic film. So, you must protect it!"
"Patrol it from time to time to prevent it from being accidentally torn. I've also left a guard in the village who will help patrol. If you notice any suspicious person, you can inform him as well."
After she finished speaking, one of the tenant farmers quickly responded: "Don't worry, Miss Qi! This is our livelihood. If anyone dares to damage the greenhouse film, I'll fight them to the death!"
"Yes! Don't worry, Miss Qi, we'll definitely protect the greenhouse film!"
......
Qi Huan nodded with a smile. When their interests were aligned, they would also make an effort to protect what she wanted to protect.
Apart from that, she had another concern to express.
