Dong Mu He works

Chapter 170: Part Two

    

Uncle and Fourth Uncle's families definitely won't lack eight taels of silver. There's also Village Head Xu, Second Uncle Gao, Big Brother Liu, and Doctor Jiao. These families should all choose a yar...Gu Xiaoyu pondered her words seriously, then nodded after a moment. "Son understands, but if they really leak the formula, the business will definitely be affected. Will the in-laws agree at that time"

Gu Huanxi sighed, "Whether willing or not, what difference does it make A daughter-in-law's family can't be ignored. Who in this world can truly put aside human feelings and just follow the rules"

After a pause, she smiled and patted Gu Xiaoyu's head, advising, "They spread the recipe, it won't have much of an impact. At most, their business will be a little quieter, earning a little less. After all, people's foundation is still in the fields. If everyone goes into business, who will grow crops"

Gu Xiaoyu's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, "The founding emperor of Dayong didn't favor agriculture over commerce; on the contrary, he advocated for business development. He believed that when commerce flourished, the country would become rich and its people strong. Therefore, during his reign, he elevated the status of merchants and allowed their children to take part in the imperial examinations. Many academies and military academies in the capital city had children of merchants, and he required them to be treated equally, forbidding any signs of condescension. Even to further develop commerce, they increased taxes. The curfew was also moved later, to the hour of Zi (midnight), and at night, several main streets were lit by lanterns, bright as day."

Upon hearing this, Gu Huan looked at him with pleasure and said, "What Bu Yishang said is not wrong. It's right to encourage and promote it moderately, but don't go beyond agriculture. Agriculture is the foundation, commerce is the supplement. Once this balance is broken, the consequences will be unimaginable."

In the past, commercial activities flourished because of a significant increase in food production and mechanization, which freed up a large labor force. With so much manpower available, what else could they do besides engage in business Back then, there was no shortage of food; even if things were difficult, they could rely on imports from abroad. However, nowadays, conditions are lacking in many areas. There are fewer people working the land, and any disruption immediately leads to a food crisis. Don't even mention the frequent droughts we experience now, and the government's lack of action. Even during a prosperous era, with an enlightened ruler at the helm, agriculture would still be paramount, otherwise, there wouldn't be enough food to eat.

Unless...

Gu Huanxi thought about the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn in the car. Unless these high-yield crops were widely adopted, she wouldn't be sure of never going hungry again.

Next year, I don't know if there will be a chance to take it out.

……

Next, Xu Huaiyi got up under the stars and moon every day, persisted for seven days, saw that the tofu shop was on track and there wasn't much he needed to watch over, so finally, he could sleep soundly.

For the past seven days, Gu Huanxi only went to look at the ledger in the afternoons. She taught Liu Xiwen how to use accounting methods from her time, drawing simple tables. With all the daily income and expenses recorded, it was clear at a glance and very convenient to review.

The daily earnings are quite decent. I wouldn't say it's a fortune, but it's enough to live comfortably and not have to work too hard to be a small landowner who doesn't worry about food and drink.

The villagers also tasted the sweetness. At first, those who were timid and conservative only dared to sell some white tofu in nearby villages. They could earn a few dozen copper coins each day, which they found quite satisfactory. But things tend to change when you compare them. After seeing others selling snacks at their stalls making several times more silver, they immediately turned envious and changed careers.

Now the villagers have spontaneously divided up their plots of land. Anyway, the capital is big enough that there's no need to worry about competing with each other for business. By working together and making money, everyone benefits.

I've been rather busy and tired lately. I have to get up before dawn. First, I go to the market to buy tofu, then push it for dozens of miles in a cart to sell. I also have to cook and attend to customers while doing so. Often, we need two or three people to go with us to each house, otherwise, things wouldn't get done.

But no matter how busy or tired they were, the villagers were willing to work every day to earn money and bring it back home. This kind of life gave them something to strive for, something to look forward to. With that hope, there were more smiles on their faces, and they looked more energetic. When they met each other, they greeted each other with loud voices and walked with a spring in their step. Even the whole village seemed to wake up from its slumber, brimming with vitality.

The original villagers of Yuanhu Lake envied this.

The village head, Xu, upon seeing this, secretly wiped away a tear of joy. He whispered to his eldest son in private, “Even if I died now, I would die with a smile.”

Xu Changsong heard this and panicked, quickly persuading him, "This is only the beginning! The good days are still to come. When everyone has made money, we can buy land, build houses, and marry wives for our sons. Generations of children will follow, with no lack of food or drink, and even extra money to send them to school. At that time, life will truly be wonderful!"

"Mayor Xu smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. 'Ah yes, those were good times. If our village could produce a few more studious and accomplished individuals, oh my, just thinking about it makes life seem beautiful.'"

Xu Changsong suddenly asked in a strange tone, "You wouldn't still be hoping for Huaiyi to study and expecting the ancestral grave of the Xu family to sprout green smoke, would you"

The village head asked back, "What's wrong This won't do!"

Xu Changsong sensed the pressure and chuckled dryly, “It’s not that it can't be done, but I feel like you guys are a bit too confident in him I admit, he's capable, but being capable doesn't mean he has a natural talent for studying. Besides, how old is he now Wouldn't this be a little late to start"

"Xu, the village head, let out an annoyed grunt. "That's because you don't understand him well enough. If he wasn't certain about something, do you think someone with his personality would even attempt it Haven't you noticed along the way In our eyes, no matter how difficult or impossible something seems, to him, it's nothing. So when he says he wants to study, he will definitely achieve great things."

Xu Changsong was about to say something more when his own father slapped him unceremoniously. "If you keep raining on my parade, I swear I'll kill you!"

Xu Changsong, “…”

Who is the real son He's not even allowed to question it

It's not that he's petty and can't stand Xu Huaiyi being good. It's just that he doesn't see any scholarly demeanor in Xu Huaiyi.

At this moment, Gu Huanxi was also worried about Xu Huaiyi going to school. After the tofu shop stabilized, that troublemaker became restless and wanted to investigate the details of their next-door neighbors. She didn't stop him, but when he planned to go into town, she reminded him, "By the way, go to Jingwu Academy and ask about when they recruit students. Don't delay your registration."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi's scalp went numb instantly, "Wife, there's no need to be so hasty, right I seem to have heard someone say before that academies generally recruit twice a year, in spring and autumn. We definitely missed it this year. Why don't we wait until next spring to inquire again I was thinking..."

Gu Huanxi's face remained expressionless as she cut him off, "Are you backing out"

Xu Huaiyi immediately shook his head vigorously, as if it were about to fall off. "I definitely didn't mean that!"

"So you're not rushing to sign up, are you planning some mischief during this time"

"Huh No, I just want to expand the tofu shop's business and earn more money."

Gu Huanxi raised an eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. "Really Not some other ulterior motive"

Xu Huaiyi swore, "No, I didn't! I just saw a tall and strong man going to expand the channels too slowly. I wanted to make our tofu shop's reputation known in Beijing as soon as possible so that I could go to Jingwu Academy with peace of mind later on. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to rest assured about you all."pecially those eyes, wise and profound, as if they could see through everything.She was a bit of a social introvert, so after saying hello, she wanted to move past them and continue on. However, her b...