Chapter 227: Need to Work Harder
Dengdeng fell asleep after eating his fill. Bai Ruozhu gently put him down and quietly went into the main hall. Tonight, the whole family was going to gather there to tally up their earnings.
Lin Ping’er was beaming with joy as she took out the money box. This box contained all the money they had made from selling hand-grabbing pancakes over the past few days. Of course, it also included the money used for the daily purchase of ingredients.
"Mother, let me do the counting." Bai Ruozhu was excited to see the copper coins. Although their value could not be compared to silver, these coins represented the collective effort of her family, and thus, they meant a lot more to her.
"Alright, you do it." Lin Ping’er pushed the money box towards Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu started counting the coins, grouping them in batches of fifty. Finally, she counted the piles and announced, "We have a total of 2,830 copper coins, plus three taels of broken silver."
She began to calculate, "One tael of silver was given by the benefactor, which we can’t always expect, so I’ll exclude that from our daily income. Apart from the money we got initially by selling the furnace and dishes, we still have 4,500 copper coins. After also subtracting the monthly tax for our stall, we still have over four taels of silver."
Everyone in the room gasped. They had only been operating their stall for a few days, yet they had already earned over four taels of silver.
Bai Ruozhu was confident this reaction would occur. With a triumphant look on her face, she continued, "We haven’t operated our stall for long, but considering our current situation, our family could at least earn fifteen taels of silver a month based on a conservative estimate."
Bai Yihong took another sharp intake of breath, unable to resist saying, "My goodness, what we earn in a month is enough to buy us two acres of land!"
Bai Ruozhu concealed a smile. Her father was indeed so used to measuring wealth in terms of land.
Lin Ping’er was beaming, saying, "We’ve made the right decision in taking up this trade. At this rate, we’ll be able to save considerable money soon."
"But we’re currently living in the benefactor’s house for free. In the future, wouldn’t we have another expense to worry about?" Bai Yihong asked after some thought.
"Father, don’t worry. I’ve already asked around about the rent prices in town. Even if we were to rent a small courtyard for living, it wouldn’t cost more than two taels a month," replied Bai Ruozhu. She was referring to a well-maintained lower-middle class courtyard, which could hardly be compared to the Xie Residence.
Lin Ping’er tapped Bai Yihong lightly, saying, "Father, isn’t it always right to follow Ruozhu’s advice? With this trade, we will eventually have enough silver to buy land."
Bai Yihong chuckled joyfully. He scratched his head before asking another question, "With this kind of profitable trade, why don’t other people in the town buy more land?"
"Father!" Bai Ruozhu drew out the syllable. "Haven’t you noticed these past few days that our stall has been the busiest in the area? Even Fusa and others envy us."
"The food at our stall is not only nutritious and filling, but also delicious. Many people come back after their first visit; some even visit twice a day," added Bai Zehao. He was now in charge of hawking their products and attending to customers and kept an eye out on who made frequent visits to their stall.
Bai Yihong scratched his head sheepishly. He hadn’t paid much attention, having quite a simplistic mindset.
Bai Ruozhu knew her father was not careless. His attention was simply more on their farmland. He was always meticulous when it came to farming.
"At this rate, I won’t have to worry about your second brother’s expenses for the Study Palace after the New Year. I’d feel better if he has some extra money with him," sighed Lin Ping’er. Even though she was reluctant to see him go, she managed to smile.
Bai Ruozhu took this chance with a mischievous smile on her face. "Mother, mothers are naturally prone to worry when their children venture far from home. You sure you can feel at ease with the second brother alone in Beiyu City?" she asked.
Her words stirred up Lin Ping’er’s anxiety. "Indeed, how can I be completely at ease? But I can’t hold back your second brother either. This is an excellent opportunity that he can’t miss."
"The second brother is a man; he can’t cook. He will be too occupied with his studies to make food. I heard that meals in Beiyu City are expensive. He will definitely skimp on food and perhaps will end up eating only steamed buns. His body won’t be able to take it if he keeps on like this," Bai Ruozhu continued, shaking her head. She stole a side glance and noticed her second brother’s lips twitching in response.
Upon hearing Bai Ruozhu’s words, not only Lin Ping’er but also the rest of the family started to worry.
"What... what can we do then?" Lin Ping’er expressed her concern.
"What if we accompany the second brother together?" suggested Bai Ruozhu with a smile. "Our whole family could move to Beiyu City, where we could set up our hand-grabbing pancake stall. Even though products are more expensive in Beiyu City, we can sell ours at a higher price too. The increased income from our pancake sales should cover our family’s expenses. Meanwhile, we can take care of the second brother and provide him the support he needs to focus on his studies."
After finishing, she turned to her second brother, signaling him that it was his turn to speak.
Bai Zepei twitched his lips once again and then said, resolutely, "The little sister has made a valid point. All these years, I have only been focused on my studies and farming. I am not adept at any other task. If I were alone at the Study Palace, even my meals and clothing could become problems. Besides, I wouldn’t be at ease about you all either. If you all were to accompany me, I would feel settled and could wholly concentrate on preparing for my exam at the Study Palace."
Bai Ruozhu chuckled inwardly. Her second brother truly made a great sacrifice. To convince the family, he had practically portrayed himself as an incapable individual.
Fang Guizhi was the most excited about this plan. If they could move far away from Anyuan Town to Beiyu City, she no longer had to worry about her mother seeing her helping at Bai Ruozhu’s stall.
Like any young person, Bai Zehao was curious about life outside their town and was very supportive of exploring the big city, Beiyu City. His only concern was whether Caiyue could adapt without her parents around.
Xiaosi didn’t care much. Wherever Bai Ruozhu went, he would follow.
Lin Ping’er looked excited but was worried about whether they could set up a successful business in Beiyu City and meet the family’s needs. If things didn’t go well, would they end up with nothing to eat?
As for Bai Yihong, he was the hardest one to convince. Being attached to his rural roots and valuing land above all else, leaving his native place was a challenging decision for him.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t expect to convince her family right away. She smiled and said, "We are not in a hurry. We can take some time to visit Beiyu City before deciding. As for our land here, we can sell it or lease it out. We can always buy more land on the outskirts of Beiyu City, right?"
Bai Yihong was silent, clearly not ready to voice his opinion. Bai Zepei hinted at Bai Ruozhu with his eyebrows, signalling: The plan is not successful yet, little sister still needs to put in more effort.