Chapter 84: Making Preserved Eggs

Chapter 84: Making Preserved Eggs

"As long as I'm around, neither you nor Brother will suffer."

If that day ever came, the child would indeed have a bleak future with Zhang Shi.

"But, I can't control what happens to others." Qin Xiaoyao said this with a playful glance at Qin Dazhuang.

By "others," he clearly meant Zhang Shi.

This expression was enough to make Qin Dazhuang laugh.

After laughing, Qin Dazhuang's expression turned serious as he patted his daughter's arm.

"That day won't come. If it comes to it, after the child is born, we'll send her back." He spoke decisively.

His daughter's words today were a significant wake-up call for him.

Zhang Shi's family of origin did indeed pose a major problem.

Today, that woman had the audacity to suggest that his son should be buried alongside her as an offering.

She clearly didn't see herself as part of the Qin family but merely as someone who bore his sons.

If her heart wasn't truly with the Qins and she only thought about taking advantage of them, then his indulgence would only harm his own family.

Of course, the unborn son was important, but so were his eldest son, second son, and daughter.

It was unnecessary to disrupt the peace of the household and alienate father from son over a mere wife.

As for his daughter's offer to support him and the child, that was something he could never accept.

Qin Xiaoyao was taken aback.

"Alright, Father won't see you off. Go back now." Qin Dazhuang didn't continue the conversation, dismissing her.

He turned back into the courtyard without waiting for Qin Xiaoyao to leave.

Qin Xiaoyao didn't yet realize that because of her words today, Qin Dazhuang had finally made up his mind to confront certain issues.

And Zhang Shi, in turn, had hardened her heart and started refusing to be her brother's cash cow.

At the Song residence,

Upon arrival, Qin Xiaoyao noticed Li Daniu was also there.

Mrs. Liu felt relieved upon learning that her daughter-in-law had already eaten.

After setting down the cart and briefing Mrs. Liu on some matters, Qin Xiaoyao returned to her room to tidy up.

Then, she ventured into the mountains with Li Daniu.

"There are bamboo shoots wherever there's a bamboo grove. Actually, we don't necessarily have to go to that mountain to dig for bamboo shoots." Li Daniu suddenly remarked.

Qin Xiaoyao was momentarily stunned.

"Aren't there bamboo groves on the front mountain?" Li Daniu looked at Qin Xiaoyao. "Perhaps there might even be bamboo rats there."

She referred to the bamboo grove where villagers occasionally went to cut bamboo.

That grove was closer to the village and had plenty of bamboo.

Bamboo rats were uncertain; since she rarely went there, she hadn't encountered any.

However, the number of bamboo shoots there was definitely greater than in the grove they had discovered.

Qin Xiaoyao recalled the bamboo grove Li Daniu mentioned but didn't agree with her suggestion.

"The bamboo grove on the front mountain is unowned, but over the years, the villagers have been cutting bamboo there. That grove has long been tacitly recognized as communal property of the village."

"Just like the Ramie forest, if anyone needs to use some of it, they take what they need. As long as it's not excessive, no one will complain."

"But if people find out we're making money from the bamboo shoots in the bamboo grove, and especially if it's ongoing, things might not be so simple."

"You're right..." Li Daniu agreed.

She had only considered the shorter distance to dig for bamboo shoots there, overlooking these factors.

Once people knew bamboo shoots were edible and valuable, even if no one stopped them from digging there, many would likely join in to dig for bamboo shoots.

Excessive digging of bamboo shoots could affect the reproduction of bamboo.

When she and Third Sister dug, they didn't completely clear out all the bamboo shoots, leaving some to grow.

But others might not be so considerate.

"However, we can look for bamboo rats there later." Qin Xiaoyao added.

Digging bamboo shoots would cause some damage to the bamboo grove, which would be obvious to others.

But hunting bamboo rats was much simpler; unless someone watched her, who would know what she was doing in the bamboo grove?

Li Daniu smiled.

Then, she sobered up.

"I wonder if Manager Fang will still buy bamboo rats from us in the future?" She expressed her concern.

"Don't worry, he will." Qin Xiaoyao answered confidently.

Since the bamboo shoots would only start being delivered the day after tomorrow, the two of them didn't head to the mountain where the bamboo grove was located.

Instead, they went to an adjacent mountain for new explorations.

The result was merely finding some wood ears and mushrooms, along with Qin Xiaoyao bagging a wild rabbit.

What delighted Qin Xiaoyao was that she discovered quite a few walnut trees in this mountain.

Unfortunately, spring wasn't the season for walnuts to bear fruit and ripen. Her discoveries were, for now, of no immediate use.

In the following days, Qin Xiaoyao continued to find chestnut trees and vast areas of jujube trees in the mountains.

Alas, still constrained by the season, all she could do was note down their approximate locations; she couldn't do anything else.

Although her search for new mountain goods to make money wasn't going smoothly, there were positive developments.

One such event was when she and Li Danni found another bamboo grove in a mountain.

Moreover, this bamboo grove was larger than the one on the front mountain of the village, and it also housed a significant number of bamboo rats.

Additionally, after seeing what bamboo rats looked like, Mr. Fang from Lai Fulu agreed to continue purchasing bamboo rats from Qin Xiaoyao.

And he was buying them in large quantities, with a provisional daily purchase of fifty pounds of bamboo rat meat.

To maintain secrecy, he asked Qin Xiaoyao to process the meat before delivering it.

Processed bamboo rat meat sold for twenty cash per pound, meaning the daily income from just bamboo rat meat was enough to amount to one tael of silver.

This income made up for the loss of income due to the shortage of yam, providing her with a sense of relief.

However, Qin Xiaoyao knew that even if she could hunt bamboo rats in three bamboo groves, the number of bamboo rats was limited, and selling bamboo rat meat was not a business she could sustain long-term.

Therefore, she began preparing for the century egg business.

After Mrs. Liu helped her sew gloves, she prepared the first batch of century egg mud.

Then, she wrapped part of the eggs and duck eggs she had recently acquired into century eggs.

She then placed the wrapped century eggs into jars she had bought, sealing them for preservation.

"There are too few eggs collected in the village. I'll buy more from town after selling the goods," said Qin Xiaoyao.

Mrs. Liu was taken aback.

"Now, we're collecting around forty to fifty eggs a day. Is that still too few?"

"Mm-hmm." Qin Xiaoyao looked at Mrs. Liu.

"I want to collect over two hundred a day." The business at Lai Fulu was getting better and better, and using two hundred century eggs a day was completely manageable.

And once summer arrived, green pepper century eggs would be even more popular, and two hundred might not even be enough then.

"Two hundred?" Mrs. Liu was somewhat shocked.

Seeing her daughter-in-law nod, she calmed down a bit.

"But eggs and duck eggs are fragile. How will you transport them back if you buy too many?" she asked worriedly.

Qin Xiaoyao looked at the straw beside Mrs. Liu. "Make some egg trays; they can absorb shocks."

"Egg trays?" Mrs. Liu was puzzled.

Qin Xiaoyao smiled.

"When I make them, Mother will understand."