Chapter 6: Procurement

Chapter 6: Procurement

Qiu Huanian set his basket down on the ground and, after obtaining Meng Yuanling's permission, took out two baskets and placed them on the long table by the window in the tofu shop.

He first picked up a willow leaf. Then, he lifted the white cloth covering the basket of Sorghum Candy, took out a candy stick, and with his slender, pale fingers, deftly wrapped the willow leaf around the lower end of the candy stick.

The bright green willow leaf against the ruby-red Sorghum Candy made it look as pretty as a flower.

"Wrap it with a willow leaf to keep your hands clean," Qiu Huanian said as he handed each person a wrapped Sorghum Candy.

The tofu buyers looked at the exquisitely beautiful candy in their hands, unsure how to start eating it.

"Is this really made from sorghum? How much does it cost?"

They wanted to know the price before tasting it, fearing it might be too expensive and they wouldn't be able to afford it.

Qiu Huanian smiled, "One copper coin per stick, fair for all. You'll know what it's made of once you taste it."

One copper coin? How could candy be so cheap?

The group tentatively took a bite and indeed tasted a hint of sorghum and red beetroot.

They were used to these ingredients, but never had they tasted anything so sweet and delicious. They could recognize the ingredients but had no idea how it was made.

A woman with silver earrings didn’t hesitate after finishing her candy, "One coin a stick, right? I’ll take ten!"

The others quickly followed suit, each buying several sticks to take home for their families to try.

Qiu Huanian wrapped each candy in a willow leaf and placed them in their baskets, saying, "This candy is called Sorghum Candy, something I came up with. I'll be selling it here by the tofu shop every afternoon from now on. If you want to buy more, just come find me."

In one go, he sold twenty-three sticks of Sorghum Candy, earning twenty-three copper coins.

After the customers left, Meng Yuanling pulled out a copper coin and handed it to Qiu Huanian, saying, "I’ll take one too."

Qiu Huanian pushed the coin back, "Aren't we friends? It's on me."

Meng Yuanling grinned, holding the Sorghum Candy up to the sunlight, "This is really made from sorghum? It’s gorgeous, like a flower."

"My parents went home to rest after making tofu this morning. My eldest brother and sister-in-law are grinding beans in the back, and my second brother drove the cart to deliver tofu to a banquet in Lijia Village. I want to bring some for them too."

Meng Yuanling tried to take out more money, but Qiu Huanian stopped him, "I’m selling candy in your tofu shop today, so think of this as rent for using your space."

From then on, whenever someone came to buy tofu, Qiu Huanian and Meng Yuanling would recommend the Sorghum Candy.

Seeing that this unfamiliar candy was cheap, beautifully presented, and vouched for by Meng Yuanling, many were happy to buy a stick to try. After tasting it, almost everyone bought a few more sticks.

When they returned home and spread the word about the candy, some even came specifically to the tofu shop to buy Sorghum Candy. Since they were already there, they would also pick up a piece of tofu, boosting the tofu shop's business.

In under four hours, Qiu Huanian sold all the hundred-plus sticks of candy he had brought, earning a total of 156 copper coins.

"I think we sold at least twenty more pieces of tofu today, Brother Hua. You’re amazing!" Meng Yuanling excitedly counted the tofu profits.

One piece of tofu weighed half a pound and sold for three coins. Twenty pieces of tofu amounted to sixty coins, a handful when held.

Qiu Huanian handed Meng Yuanling the Sorghum Candy he had specially set aside for him, and Meng Yuanling cut a piece from the remaining tofu, wrapped it in straw paper, and stuffed it into Qiu Huanian's basket.

"Since we’re friends, I’ll hook you up with some tofu too."

As they were exchanging pleasantries, Meng Yuanling's eldest brother and sister-in-law finished their work and came out from the backyard. Meng Yuanling introduced Qiu Huanian to them.

The eldest son of the Meng family is simple and taciturn, while his wife is a brisk and efficient person. She had already heard from Meng Yuanling about who Qiu Huanian was yesterday. Now seeing him in person, she immediately cut another large piece from the tofu, wrapped it up, and handed it to Qiu Huanian.

"A small piece won't be enough to eat. We've got plenty of tofu at home, so help yourself to as much as you want! In the future, Brother Hua, when you come to town, just come directly to the tofu shop, don't be shy."

Qiu Huanian thought that perhaps because he had made Zhao lose face a couple of days ago, the Meng family now looked upon him favorably.

"Thank you, sister-in-law, then I'll come to disturb you every day from now on."

"We're just afraid you won't come!"

...

It was still early before nightfall, and Qiu Huanian planned to stroll around the town, using his newly earned money to buy some things to take back.

Qingfu Town, with its four short streets, may be small but it has everything, with butcher shops, spice shops, fabric shops, incense shops, and many people selling live chickens and ducks, fresh vegetables and fruits, and various handmade trinkets.

Qiu Huanian had over two hundred copper coins in hand, and with more money to be earned, he could finally afford to spend a little.

He first went to the butcher shop and spent 35 coins on a pound of well-marbled pork, adding another 5 coins for a few meatless bones.

Next, he headed to the spice shop and picked up a pound each of ginger and chili peppers for 10 coins. As for spices like Sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon, they were too expensive and currently unaffordable.

Across from the spice shop was the fabric shop, which only sold cheap cotton and linen fabrics. There was no demand for luxurious silks and satins.

Qiu Huanian walked into the shop and browsed around. The fabrics here were mostly plain and durable colors, without much variety.

A bolt of fabric, thirteen meters long and one and a half meters wide, typically made three sets of short clothes for the villagers. Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng were petite, and with careful tailoring, he could make new clothes for everyone at home, including Du's eldest son, whom he hadn't even met yet.

A bolt of linen cost 150 copper coins, and a bolt of cotton cost 400 copper coins. Qiu Huanian calculated and decided to save more money before buying.

Next, he walked through all four streets, buying tooth powder, soapberries, and two half-grown hens in cages, spending a total of 70 coins.

Finally, he entered the incense shop.

It wasn't Qingming or the Ghost Festival, so the incense shop was quiet and dim, filled with the scent of yellow paper and incense sticks.

"Who are you offering sacrifices to?" the shop owner asked from behind the counter.

"A young man who died prematurely," Qiu Huanian replied.

"Was he married?"

"Not exactly."

Although the original owner was sold to the Du family as a child groom, by the time he arrived, Du's eldest son had already gone abroad for studies. There was no formal wedding banquet, no ceremony of bowing to heaven and earth, and no wedding night, so it couldn't be considered a marriage.

The shop owner sighed, thinking of something, "Such a person cannot have a grave. Buy a bundle of incense sticks and a stack of paper money to burn at the place where his bones are buried, that's enough to show your respect."

Qiu Huanian nodded, "Can I borrow some paper and a brush?"

The incense shop sometimes helped people write sacrificial tables, so they always had paper and brushes on hand. The owner was surprised that this young man carrying two chicken chicks could write, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "A page of cut Xuan paper costs three coins."

A large sheet of ordinary Xuan paper cost three coins, and the smaller cut ones, plus the cost of borrowing the brush and ink, was a fair price.

Qiu Huanian had learned calligraphy since childhood and naturally knew how to write traditional characters. After agreeing, the owner brought him the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and then returned to behind the counter.

He put down his basket and the things in his hands, slowly exhaled, and picked up the brush to write elegant characters on the snow-white Xuan paper.

This was a sacrificial text, from the modern Qiu Huanian, to the Qiu Huanian of the Yu Dynasty, who had gone who knows where.

The eulogy wasn’t long, but every word was heartfelt. The person being memorialized was named Qiu Huanian, and the person conducting the memorial was also named Qiu Huanian. Anyone who saw it would find it strange.

After writing the last character, Qiu Huanian read through the essay once, waited for the ink to dry, then folded it and tucked it into his chest.

Then, he spent twenty-five coins on a bundle of the best incense sticks and a stack of spirit money from the shop.

In total, he spent one hundred and fifty coins. The money he’d just earned was almost all gone in no time.

Qiu Huanian didn’t feel heartbroken. Money was meant to make life better. If money was just held onto and not spent, how could it improve the quality of life? What was the point?

Even if he wanted to save money, he could start tomorrow. On his first day of business, he deserved to treat himself.

Carrying a big load and walking for another two hours, Qiu Huanian, tired but satisfied, finally made it home as the sky grew dark.

He’d only had a few bites of wheat gluten noodles on the road at noon, and now he was both tired and hungry. After putting away the things he bought, he lay down on the heated bed, planning to rest for a while before going to pick up the two children.

After lying down for a bit, there was a knock at the gate. Qiu Huanian opened the door and saw Hu Qiuyan.

"I figured you’d be tired today. I heard you had returned, so I decided to bring the children over for you," Hu Qiuyan said, holding a boiled corn cob in her hand.

"The children have already eaten. I saved you a corn cob. Rest early tonight, don’t bother lighting a fire to cook."

Although her initial kindness was for Yun Kang’s education, after spending these past few days together, Hu Qiuyan had genuinely grown fond of this young man who was both good-looking and had a pleasant personality.

That afternoon, his two children had been very well-behaved, helping her weave willow baskets. As an elder, Hu Qiuyan also wanted to take care of them a bit more.

Qiu Huanian expressed his thanks, feeling a warmth in his heart, and felt a stronger connection to this unfamiliar era.

After eating the corn, his hunger finally eased. Qiu Huanian reorganized the things he had bought.

The two half-grown hens were placed in the chicken coop, the tofu, meat, and bones were stored in the deep vat in the storeroom, and the other items were put in their respective places.

Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng watched in awe.

"Brother Hua, these... these must be expensive, right?" Jiu Jiu hesitantly asked. She was old enough to understand how difficult their family’s situation was.

"Not expensive. All these things cost less than what I earned in a single day," Qiu Huanian said with a smile, patting Jiu Jiu’s head.

Jiu Jiu had washed her hair at Hu Qiuyan’s house in the afternoon, and it was fluffy and soft to the touch.

"When I earn more money, we might even move to the city. You and Chun Sheng can go to school, wear new clothes, and eat meat every day. Jiu Jiu, do you want to eat meat?"

Jiu Jiu felt like she couldn’t quite understand what Brother Hua was saying. Moving to the city, wearing new clothes, going to school... were these things she could really have?

"...I want to eat meat," Jiu Jiu finally whispered.

Qiu Huanian smiled. "I’ll make some for you tomorrow at noon."

"Oh, and don’t tell anyone about me earning money and buying things yet, okay?"

The two children agreed in unison.

There was still plenty of sorghum starch and corn starch left, so there wasn’t much to prepare for the evening. Qiu Huanian taught the children how to brush their teeth with toothpaste, and after washing their faces and feet, they went to sleep.

Lying on the heated bed, Qiu Huanian mentally calculated the profit margin of Sorghum Candy.

One jin of sorghum cost four coins, and two jin of sorghum could produce one jin of sorghum starch, which could make about sixty candies. Including the cost of red beetroot, corn starch, and other ingredients, the total cost was around ten coins, while the total selling price was sixty coins.

In other words, the profit margin of Sorghum Candy reached 500%!

This figure sounds alarming, but it is actually subject to many limitations.

Firstly, the unit price of Sorghum Candy is too low, only one copper coin per piece. Secondly, the consumer base in the town is limited, as not everyone can afford to buy candy every day, so Sorghum Candy sales struggle to pick up.

Based on today's candy sales, Qiu Huanian estimates that after stabilizing, the sales will decrease. In the town, the most Sorghum Candy he could sell in a day is one hundred pieces, with a net profit of eighty copper coins, equivalent to about forty dollars in today's money.

At the initial stage, this amount is already pretty good, but it is still far from the rosy picture Qiu Huanian had painted for Jiu Jiu earlier.

He had no choice but to take things one step at a time, slowly saving money to develop.

The next day, he woke up naturally at the right time without the rooster's crow to wake him.

He made the remaining sorghum starch into Sorghum Candy at a faster speed than yesterday, poured the mixture into molds, woke up the two children, warmed up the last of the chicken and broth, and after breakfast, told them to stay home and play.

He then packed a bowl of chicken and some Sorghum Candy into a basket, along with incense sticks, spirit money, a eulogy, and a fire starter, and headed out with the basket in hand.