By the end of May, the seven or eight nearby villages seemed to be accustomed to going to the Chu family in the village to buy burning paper. The sales of copper coin burning paper were also getting better and better, and even slightly surpassed the trend of ordinary burning paper!
On this day, Shen Luzhu looked at the accounting book in his hand, then went to check the inventory in the vacant room, and fell into deep thought. In the past twenty days, they had earned a lot more than before. Basically, they burned yellow paper and copper coins every day. , can be sold for about ten dollars each, and there are also varying amounts of free money! Based on this calculation, you can earn about six to seven taels a month!
Shen Luzhu thought it was time. Her original intention of starting the paper money business was to help Chu Yi share the money after she made money!
After dinner, Chu Yi filled the water tank at home with water. He went into the house and asked his wife to go to the empty room to make copper coins and burn paper. When he saw that no one was moving, he waved him over, so he stepped forward and stretched out his hand to explore Shen Luzhu. forehead: "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Shen Luzhu pulled Chu Yi to sit down and leaned on his shoulder: "I'm not uncomfortable, I'm just a little tired!"
"Then A-Zhu, don't do it these days. I'll just come."
"Not only these days, I don't want to do it anymore, Chu Yi, don't do it either!"
Chu Yi looked at Shen Luzhu, who was blinking his big eyes and looking at him innocently. He was stunned for a moment, and then smiled reassuringly: "Well, we won't do it until I finish dealing with what I have bought. ”
"real?"
"Well, if you don't want to do it, just don't do it!"
Shen Luzhu just wanted to tease Chu Yi: "But...Chu Yi, if I sell you one day, won't you help me count the money? I'm just teasing you!"
Chu Yi was a little funny. It seemed that no matter what Shen Luzhu did, he found it interesting: "Aren't you tired?"
"I'm tired. Why don't we make copper coins and burn paper instead? I'm so tired!"
"good!"
What is it like to have a husband who absolutely trusts you and says everything you say is a good husband? Shen Luzhu can answer this question now, that is, you can never joke!
Okay, let's talk about business: "I'm serious. During the day, you have to make coffins, and I have to set up a stall. I finally have some free time at night, and now I have to make copper coins and burn paper. First, our paper money business is getting more and more popular." Okay, maybe we will sell more every day in the future. If we only rely on the two of us, I'm afraid we won't be able to provide for it. Secondly, if we are always working so hard day and night, our bodies will not be able to bear it!
Therefore, in the future, if we do the work of burning copper coins and burning paper, we should ask others to do it for us, and we will be paid according to the number of finished products. In this way, although we will earn less for each cut of paper burned, we can also save more and have more time. You can also do something else, right? "
Chu Yi thought about it seriously and felt that his wife was right: "What A Zhu said makes sense. It will be the Hungry Ghost Festival in a while, and the amount of work that needs to be done during the fall will definitely be more. It is better to hire someone to do it!"
Chu Yi remembers that when the Chu family shop was still there, every year before the Fourth Festival, the family would stock up on extra paper money, just to prepare it for sale before the festival!
The amount of things like Mingcoin Burning Paper that are usually sold is not very large. These shops that sell ghost coins mainly make money from important sacrificial festivals such as Qingming Festival, Hungry Ghost Festival, Hanyi Festival and Spring Festival. No matter what family or origin, the four festivals are all about worshiping ancestors and the deceased. Dear relatives, every year before the Fourth Festival, the sales of Mingbi paper money will double!
Shen Luzhu knew something about it before. The Shen family also prepares sacrifices to their ancestors during the fourth festival every year. He really considered that he should prepare some things in advance when he fell down. Now that he heard Chu Yi's words, he was more certain of his thoughts!
"Then who do you think is more suitable to make it? This copper coin burning paper mold is the most critical. It may not be so easy to imitate if you only see the burning paper. It will be much easier if you see the mold, so it must be someone you can trust! I I think Chu Ping is good, my cousin and his family are very nice, and Chu Ping is a good friend of you, and he always helps you!"
"Although he is usually lazy, his character is definitely not a problem!"
"Are there any candidates? It's best to have two or three. We may need a lot by then." Shen Luzhu made a rough estimate. There are about seven or eight nearby villages, and people have come to buy paper money. Each village has about one hundred. There are multiple households, that is, seven or eight hundred households. Even if only half of the people come to buy, and each household buys two dollars, it will still be a big sum, and one family will definitely not be able to do it.
"Zhao Cheng can do it, too, and my mother-in-law."
Shen Luzhu didn't know if his mother-in-law would do it, so he planned to go back and ask in a few days: "My mother-in-law's side, I'll go back and ask another day. It just so happened that I invited Zhao Cheng and Chu Ping to have a drink. How about inviting them over for a drink tomorrow and asking them what they think?"
"Okay, then I'll go talk to them tomorrow morning."
Immediately afterwards, the couple discussed how much they should pay for wages. This became a bit difficult for Shen Luzhu. If the amount was too much, the copper coins and paper burning would be the same as ordinary paper burning. Then there would be no point in doing this. It’s meaningful, but I don’t have enough to give, and I’m afraid that people will earn less, so I don’t think it’s interesting and don’t want to do it, so I haven’t been able to decide on a number even after thinking about it!
Finally, it’s Chu Yi. He said that the raw materials, technology and molds are all provided by himself, and the people he hires only need to operate them. Even if the business is between relatives and friends, he does not lose himself and helps others! So I tentatively decided on the price of one dollar and five cents, and waited to discuss it with Zhao Cheng and Chu Ping tomorrow before deciding on the final price!
Early the next morning, Chu Yi chopped firewood and carried water for his family, and then went out to find Chu Ping and Zhao Cheng. Shen Luzhu did not go out to the stall that afternoon. He took Chu Li out to buy a lot of ingredients and wine, and went to the field to pick some vegetables. When he returned to Chu's house, he started preparing them in the kitchen.
Shen Luzhu had told the three elders of the Chu family early in the morning that she would treat her friends to a drink in the evening, and agreed that she would prepare the dinner. When it was served, she would prepare two portions and take one portion to the main room for the rest of the Chu family to eat. , the other portion was placed in her and Chu Yi's room, and Chu Li also ate in the room with them.
Shen Luzhu hadn't cooked according to her own ideas for a long time. Grandma Chu always thought she didn't know how to save money on weekdays. During the Dragon Boat Festival, she prepared dinner with the hall sister-in-law and mainly listened to the hall sister-in-law's arrangements. Is it okay this time? Whenever there is an opportunity, Shen Luzhu is ready to make a good meal to satisfy his craving!
The fat and lean pork belly is cut into large pieces and blanched in water. Add a little oil and sugar in the pot and stir-fry until the color turns sugary. Add the pork belly and stir-fry. Add water and spices to stew until soft and tender. The thick oily red sauce is so tangy!
Remove the scales from the fish and cut it with a knife, fry it on both sides until golden brown, sprinkle with shredded green onion and coriander, and then pour the thick sauce!
Chop the chicken into small pieces and blanch it in water, then stir-fry it with peppercorns and dried chili peppers. The spicy and salty flavor will make you want to eat it!
Then add a cold vegetable, and finally a large bowl of egg drop soup, four vegetables and one soup. Just after they were prepared, Chu Ping and Zhao Chengcheng went to the Chu family yard together. Shen Luzhu didn't waste any time. Chu Yigang invited the two of them to the house. Sit down and let’s start setting the dishes on the table!
The table was full of delicious food, and after three rounds of wine, Chu Yi stopped his chopsticks and told his two friends that he wanted to ask them to help with the work: "We will handle the purchase, raw materials, molds, and sales. You just need to pick it up regularly and send it back when it’s ready!”
Chu Yi also told the two of them in detail how to use the mold. If they cooperated like he and Shen Luzhu did before, what should they do? How to avoid losses and how to do it faster. According to the two of them's usual experience, it takes about ten cuts with a mold to burn paper with one cut, and then carefully remove the cut parts, and then rearrange and package them. After becoming proficient, they can make about five cuts in an hour!
Chu Yi and the others not only need to stock up before the Ghost Festival, but also before the Winter Clothes Festival, New Year's Eve, and Qingming Festival. In addition to what they usually sell, this is basically an odd job that can be done all year round. !
The only thing is that this mold cannot be shown to others, it can only be used by people doing work at home!
After everything else that needed to be said, Chu Yi finally said the tentative price: "The tentative price is one dollar and five cents. You can go back and discuss it to see if you want to do it. Send me a reply as soon as possible!"
As soon as Chu Yi finished speaking, Chu Ping spoke: "I'll do it, cousin! It's just what you said, but I still don't quite understand how the mold is used. It would be nice if I could take a look later!"
"I'm afraid you can't do it alone. Why don't you discuss it with your family?" Chu Yi was afraid that Chu Ping would get hot-headed and agree without thinking about anything. Although he hoped that he would do it, he still discussed it with his family before deciding. good!
"Hey, cousin, you don't know my family yet. As long as I am willing to do business, why would anyone disagree? Besides, I am also happy to work with my cousin!"
"Okay, but I still need to make it clear to Grandpa Tang and the others!"
Compared to Chu Ping's heartless temper, Zhao Cheng had more to consider. It was not that he was afraid that his former classmate and long-time friend Chu Yi would cheat him, but that he was afraid that Chu Yi would suffer a loss in order to take care of him!
Zhao Cheng's family has a large population, but not much arable land, but it is enough to feed the whole family. He works odd jobs during the off-season, and his life is not bad. In the first few years, his brother-in-law became obsessed with gambling and emptied the family fortune. In the end, he was required to collect debts. Only if they are beaten to death will the matter be settled!
His grandpa was irritated and became seriously ill and bedridden, and grandma cried all day long. From then on, life in Zhao Cheng's family became a bit difficult! Zhao Cheng and Chu Yi were of the same age. They had just married their wives in the spring of the previous year and were now pregnant. Zhao Cheng was afraid that Chu Yi would know that his life was difficult, so he took special care of him!
You must know that although Kaoshan Village is relatively wealthy, and the lives of the villagers are basically pretty good, the farmers, except for those with some skills like the Chu family or the Shen family, can only live on the output of the fields throughout the year, and harvest grain at the end of the year. After paying the tax, you can earn money by selling some surplus grain, or going out to do part-time work during slack periods!
This kind of work that does not require going out and does not delay farm work is difficult to find even with a lantern. According to Chu Yi, if you can make five knives in an hour after becoming proficient, it will be five cents per knives, even if you only do it for an hour every day. That's an income of 700 to 800 cash a month. If you go to town to do odd jobs during the off-season, you can only earn 600 to 700 cash a month. You have to work for four or five hours a day!
Zhao Cheng hesitated again and again, but decided to ask clearly: "Ayi, this job is indeed good, but why don't you do it yourself and hire someone to do it and pay extra?"
Chu Yi, who has been a friend for many years, knows Zhao Cheng well. When he saw that he had not spoken just now, he knew that he had concerns in his heart. He really wanted to use this matter to gain Zhao Cheng's hand, but as he and Shen Luzhu said, no matter what, No matter what, they can't lose themselves, not to mention that they haven't accomplished anything yet: "A-Zhu and I are doing our own private work. We can't handle such a large amount, so we thought of this way!"
Hearing this, Zhao Cheng was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, it was no wonder that none of the elders of the Chu family came forward for such a big thing, so he finally felt relieved: "Then I have no problem, count me in!"
Chu Ping moved his stool over, put his arm around Zhao Cheng's shoulders and said with a smile: "Brother Cheng, this is right! Don't think too much!"
