The next morning, Chen Xuan got up early to cook. She had always gone out with Wei Nian these past two days, and Chen Xuan knew that given the old lady Wei's temper, she must have been unhappy for a long time. So, in order to avoid provocation from the old lady Wei, Chen Xuan cleaned both yards early in the morning, and even the vegetable garden in the front yard. She pulled out the old seedlings that could no longer grow vegetables, turned the soil in the vegetable garden again, and added plant ash. Chen Xuan was thinking about whether to buy some soil fertilizer so that she could plant radishes and cabbages in the fall. More fertilizer would help the vegetables grow better.
Chen Xuan was busy all morning. When Mrs. Wei got up, she saw that the yard was much tidy, and she felt much more relaxed. During breakfast, she saw Chen Xuan just picking up a plate of pickled cucumbers in front of her, and didn't touch other dishes. The steamed buns in her hand were left over from yesterday and reheated in the morning, not the fried dough sticks bought outside. Especially the pickled cucumbers were grown on the cucumber racks in her own vegetable garden in the summer. There were too many to eat, so Chen Xuan pickled them. Except for the cost of the soybean paste, there was no cost at all. Mrs. Wei was very satisfied with Chen Xuan for this. A country girl, she knew how to be frugal.
Mrs. Wei's dissatisfaction in the past two days was also half gone. After breakfast, the men in the family went to the shop. Mrs. Wei was about to talk to Chen Xuan. As a daughter-in-law, you can't always go out with men. What about Western restaurants and Six Nations Hotel? Are those places for women to go? Do more work when you have nothing to do. This is the duty of a wife.
As a result, before Mrs. Wei could say this, Chen Xuan spoke first, "I turned the vegetable garden this morning, and I thought, since it's almost August, should we buy some radish seeds and cabbage seeds, and add some soil fertilizer? That way, we'll have vegetables for the winter."
Mrs. Wei thought about this vegetable and nodded, "This is serious business. Your sister-in-law doesn't know anything about growing vegetables, so go to the vegetable market with her and buy some vegetable seeds."
Chen Xuan said, "Should we buy some soil fertilizer? After planting in spring and summer, the soil is thin. If we add some fertilizer, the vegetables will grow better."
"I often see you mix wood ash with it. Isn't that fertilizer?"
"The grass is big and the ash is small in fertility."
"If it's not expensive, buy some."
Chen Xuan nodded in agreement. Seeing that almost everything that needed to be said had been said, Mrs. Wei said to Yun Jie'er, "It's time for us to go. Today is Yang Xiaolou's Farewell My Concubine. We can't be late." Then she took Yun Jie'er to the theater. As for mentioning that Chen Xuan was always going out, she had actually forgotten about it.
As soon as Old Mrs. Wei went out, the two of them, the aunt and the sister-in-law, went to the vegetable market together.
Chen Xuan said, "Sister-in-law, Sister Yin, please wait for me. I will ask Mrs. Xu first to see if her family wants to buy some vegetable seeds."
They both agreed. Chen Xuan went to the back neighbor to ask about buying vegetable seeds. Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "That's great. Thank you for coming to tell me. Otherwise, we wouldn't know about it." Mrs. Xu wanted to ask her aunt to go with her, but they were both busy. Chen Xuan said, "In that case, I'll help you. I also know the size of your garden."
"Okay, thank you for your help." Mrs. Xu asked Auntie to get the money, but Chen Xuan waved her hand and said, "I don't know the price yet, I'll go buy it first, and I'll settle the price when I get back."
Mrs. Xu smiled and agreed, wanting Chen Xuan to stay for tea. Chen Xuan smiled, "I'll go now. I'll come back and have tea with you."
Mrs. Xu smiled as she saw Chen Xuan off. Chen Xuan hurriedly asked her to stay. In Chen Xuan's opinion, Mrs. Xu was a very knowledgeable person. She had also advised her to learn foreign languages. Now it seems that foreign languages are indeed very useful. For such a favor, it was nothing for her to help buy some vegetable seeds.
Chen Xuan not only helped buy fertilizer for the vegetable fields, but she also helped with the sowing. Mrs. Xu wanted to do it herself, but she was not used to doing these jobs, so Chen Xuan slowly taught her how to use the hoe to save trouble, how deep to turn the soil, how deep to plant the seeds, and how to water the seeds thoroughly after planting. When the radish and cabbage seedlings emerge, they need to be lifted up when they grow up. At that time, the cabbage and radish seedlings are delicious, and they are too tender. The lifted seedlings are washed and fried to make a dish.
Chen Xuan is so warm-hearted that even Mr. Xu thinks that the second young lady of the Wei family is a good one.
Mrs. Xu also said, "She is very meticulous. She even wrote down all the tips for growing vegetables on paper for me. She is kind-hearted and enterprising. She has memorized four books. The other day, Erniu gave her the Analects and she said she has memorized half of it."
Mr. Xu nodded and said, "Even though she is a woman, it is good for her to read some books of sages. She is also good at farming. Well, after she finishes reading the Analects, I will lend her another book."
Mrs. Xu smiled and said nothing more.
But in just two or three days, Chen Xuan saw that the seedlings in her own vegetable garden had sprouted, and they were so green and lovely. The Wei family was also from the countryside, and from Grandpa Wei to Grandma Wei, they were all in a good mood when they saw the vegetable patch.
Chen Xuan has always been conscientious in her work. She even went to Xu's vegetable garden to take a look. Seeing that all the vegetables had been grown, Chen Xuan felt relieved.
As the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, the Wei family always gave winter cotton-padded clothes and shoes to the servants during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In the past few days, Mrs. Wei asked Chen Xuan and Li to make clothes and shoes at home. Chen Xuan was very good at doing the work, which satisfied Mrs. Wei very much, and she did it quickly and well.
However, due to the busy schedule during the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wei Nian had not had time to teach Chen Xuan foreign languages for several days. Chen Xuan grew up in her uncle and aunt's house. Although she doesn't talk much on weekdays, she has always been very good at reading people's faces. Seeing that Wei Nian was busy, Chen Xuan did not disturb him. He just looked up the foreign dictionary according to the foreign book. Although it took some effort, he was able to learn it stumblingly. Wei Nian was a little embarrassed and said, "During the festival, the goods are shipped quickly, and I have no time to teach you because of the things in the shop every day. If you don't understand anything, just ask me."
Chen Xuan said, "What's the matter? I know you are busy, so I didn't bother you. After this busy period, I have a lot to ask you, Brother Nian. Brother Nian, you should go home and have a good rest. Before the festival, the business in the shop is good and the family can make more money."
Wei Nian sighed, and Chen Xuan asked hurriedly, "What's wrong, are you tired?"
"It's not that tiring. It's nothing more than watching the shop every day, and watching longer when it's busy." Wei Nian said, "The material business is not very good now. The price of furs outside the Great Wall has increased again."
Chen Xuan didn't understand the business of these materials, but she had something in her mind, and she had been thinking about it for a long time, and wanted to talk to Wei Nian about it, but Wei Nian was busy recently and didn't even have time to teach her foreign language. Chen Xuan didn't want to talk about it at this time, otherwise, it would cause trouble to Wei Nian. Seeing Wei Nian talking about business, Chen Xuan didn't understand, but she still felt that this was a good time to talk. Chen Xuan closed the foreign book in her hand and asked Wei Nian, "I don't understand this very well, but if the purchase price increases, the selling price must also increase."
"yes."
"It's the same thing. You earn the same amount."
"You don't know, things are rising too fast. Even rich people have to say that things are expensive. What's more, there are so many shops selling materials, and the profit is thin now."
Chen Xuan thought about it and decided to speak. She said, "I have something to discuss with you, Brother Anian."
"What's the matter? Tell me."
"It's like this. These past two days, I was thinking that the strawberries we planted this year have sold quite a bit. Brother Nian, can we plant more next year? This thing is so expensive. If we plant more, we can sell more." Chen Xuan now owes Wei Nian more than eight yuan. She doesn't have any other way to make money, so she's thinking about whether she can plant more strawberries next year.
Wei Nian hadn't thought about this. He said, "We don't have any land in Beijing."
Chen Xuan asked, "Can't we rent some land? In our countryside, if we don't have land, we can rent someone else's land to grow crops. It's the same. We just pay a little rent a year. We don't have to rent much. One or two acres is enough."
"That's not the case." Wei Nian said to Chen Xuan, "The world is not peaceful now. If you say that there is land to rent near the capital, there is no place like Beijing. But don't you see that in this city, there are sometimes revolutionary soldiers and sometimes American soldiers. It's still good in the city. Outside the city, even if you plant this precious thing, I'm afraid you can't keep it. If a group of hooligans snatch it away, what should you do?"
Chen Xuan didn't know what was going on outside, and she couldn't help but feel troubled when Wei Nian told her about it.
Wei Nian advised Chen Xuan, "Grow strawberries in the front yard next year, and you can make more money. Don't worry, there are many opportunities to make money, not just growing strawberries."
Chen Xuan thought that for a man as capable as Wei Nian, there would naturally be many opportunities to make a fortune. But for her, it was just like this at the moment. Chen Xuan was unwilling to give up this strawberry idea. Wei Nian paid for the dictionary that day. She didn't buy many, just two dictionaries. The bookstore was full of books, and Chen Xuan was envious. If she had money, she would want to buy them all and read them slowly. How wonderful it would be.
Seeing that Wei Nian was not very interested in growing strawberries, Chen Xuan thought of what Wei Nian had just said and said to him, "I know, Brother Nian, you don't care about the few dollars you made from selling strawberries last year. Even if you planted strawberries all over the front yard next year, you would only make 40 to 50 dollars a year. Brother Nian, you are a big businessman, you don't care about these few dollars, right?"
Wei Nian didn't say anything. He really looked down on the strawberry business.
Chen Xuan glanced at Wei Nian, poured half a teacup of warm water for him, and said slowly, "I have a few words to say, I don't know if they are correct. Let me say them, Brother Nian, can you listen to them?"
"Go on, go on." Wei Nian discovered that since Chen Xuan learned to read, she has become particularly good at speaking.
Chen Xuan straightened her face and said solemnly, "Brother Anian, I don't understand the things in the shop, but now Grandpa pays you wages every month, and this money is also fixed. I know that you still have ways to make money, and you can definitely make money by selling some plates and bowls with Mr. Shi. But I think that selling plates and bowls is a business of tinkering. If you come across it, do it once. If you don't come across it, there is no business to do. This is not a crop in the field, which grows once a year and is stable. Your tinkering depends on luck. Besides, this also requires capital. Brother Anian, although you look down on the small business of strawberries, thinking that it is only a few dozen dollars a year. But think about it carefully, Brother Anian, we didn't make much money this year, but our capital is only one dollar, and as a result, we made more than 20 dollars. When we plant next year, we don't even need to spend one dollar. We have ready-made fruit seedlings and fruit seeds. This is a business without capital, and we make a net profit. Isn't it good to plant more?"
"You said that the dividends for the past half day are all for you and Ah Yin, and there is no share for me." Wei Nian was already somewhat tempted. Just as Chen Xuan said, although the strawberry business is not big, the profit is huge. But he is a mischievous person. He did not respond directly, but glanced at Chen Xuan lazily, deliberately teasing her.
Chen Xuan quickly said, "After we divide the money, I'll give you half of mine, how about that?"
Wei Nian smiled, took two sips of water, and nodded, "Okay. I'll think about it carefully tomorrow."
When Chen Xuan saw that Wei Nian finally agreed, she immediately put her worries aside. She even pretended to be calm and said, "There's no rush. It can be done before the New Year. We have to plant strawberries next spring. We can't miss the season." While saying there was no rush, she also set a time for Wei Nian.
Wei Nian could see through her little thoughts and smiled, "Okay, okay."
After settling this matter, Chen Xuan flipped open the foreign textbook and said to Wei Nian with a spirited look, "I have been studying on my own these two days, and there are many places that I am unsure about. I have marked them all. Brother Nian, didn't you just want to teach me? These are it, not much. Come and help me take a look."
So, Wei Nian, who had missed several days of classes, was called "Brother Nian" by Chen Xuan, and was made up for the missed classes from the previous few days. The make-up lasted until most of the night. Wei Nian was so sleepy that he could not open his eyes. Chen Xuan saw that he was really inefficient, so she let Wei Nian sleep.
The next day, Wei Nian woke up with dark circles under his eyes. He glared at Chen Xuan for several times. Chen Xuan quickly boiled an egg to help him roll his eye circles. After rolling for a long time, they were slightly better. Chen Xuan kept flattering Wei Nian, "Brother Anian, you are good-looking. You look good no matter what. Really! Besides, you can't just look at a man's face. As the old lady said, you have to look at whether he has the ability. There is an old saying in my family that bean sprouts that grow to a height of one room are of no use. They are just vegetables! Brother Anian, you are such a learned and kind-hearted person. There is only one in the world, right? Isn't it?"
Wei Nian forced her to flatter him and laughed. Wei Nian laughed, "Stop the sweet talk. I told me three times yesterday to go to bed early, but you didn't let me. It's useless for you to say all these nice things to me today! I see through you!" After saying that, he ignored Chen Xuan, got up, dusted off his clothes, and went out.
The author has something to say: ps: The third update~~~~~~~Good afternoon everyone~~~~~I was so nervous that I almost couldn't code it out~~~