General, Madam Called You To Farm

Chapter 72 – Cooperation (2)

“Your mother-in-law beat you?”

Su Xiaoxiao was not going to pretend that she didn’t see it this time.

Mrs. Wu rubbed a handful of meigan cai, with some hesitation, but she said, “It’s….. about the matter of yesterday morning.”

-A bundle of Meigan Cai (梅干菜)
A type of dry pickled chinese mustard. The pickle consists of a whole head of various varieties of chinese mustards and cabbages that has undergone an elaborate process consisting of drying, steaming, and salting. The vegetables are harvested, trimmed before the Qingming Festival, and sun-dried until limp. It is then salted or brined, kneaded until the juices are exuded, and left to ferment in large clay urns for 15 to 20 days. The vegetable is then repeatedly steamed and dried until reddish brown in color and highly fragrant. 

Old Mrs. Wu scolded Mrs. Wu for taking the eggs back to her mother’s house, and took out her anger on Mrs. Wu’s two daughters. Mrs. Wu blocked them a few times for her daughters.

In her memory, this was not the first time that Mrs. Wu was beaten. However, Mrs. Wu had never complained outside. Su Xiaoxiao could always hear the beatings and scolding because she lived next door.

Su Xiaoxiao didn’t rush to ask her if she had other plans in the future, but said: “Can you come over every day in the future?”

Mrs. Wu nodded her head.

The two families lived next door, and she didn’t have to go far away. So it was no problem to come here every day.

Su Xiaoxiao took out the dough and said, “I will pay you wages on a monthly basis.”

-The dough

Mrs. Wu hurriedly said, “No need for the wages!”

Su Xiaoxiao said with a smile, “How can anyone hire someone to do work without paying them? After all, I’m not Zhou Bapi.” 

-A short story from the novel was adapted into a popular animated film, The Rooster Crows at Midnight. The villain of the story, a greedy landowner named Zhou Chunfu, known by the nickname Zhou Bapi (‘Zhou the flayer’) in the story. He became one of the most famous evil landlords in China. 

“Zhou… Pi? What do you mean?” Mrs. Wu didn’t understand.

Su Xiaoxiao said, “You come here every morning to help me cook, which is very tiresome. If the business grows better in the future, it will become even harder. In addition, I will also have to ask you to help me look after the children from time to time. You also have two children yourself, so it’s not an easy job.” 

Mrs. Wu said, “It’s okay. Meizi can also help me to look after them too.”

Meizi was the eldest daughter of Mrs. Wu. She was eight years old this year. She was well behaved and sensible.

The three little cuties ran around the village, and it was Meizi who always followed them all the time. 

“What’s more… Dahu and the others… are quite easy to look after.”

This was not a lie. The three children had a strong sense of survival. They never went to dangerous places, and they would never leave the sight of Mrs. Wu or Meizi.

They didn’t cry, didn’t pee in their pants. They would speak when they were hungry and thirsty. And they would speak up when they want to relieve themself.

Although they often made the other children in the village cry, they never bullied Meizi and her younger sister.

“It doesn’t matter whether Dahu and the others are easy or difficult to look after. You can’t receive less wages.” Sun Xiaoxiao said to Mrs. Wu, “For the time being, it will be 20 copper coins a day. When the business profitability improves in the future, I will give you more money.” 

Mrs. Wu was stunned.

“Twen… twenty copper coins?”

For a day?

Then just for a month, it would be half a tael of money ah!

She… she could earn more money than Liu Ping!

In addition to the wages, Su Daya also kept a portion of the cakes and pot-stewed dishes she made for Mrs. Wu every day. If Mrs. Wu went to town to buy them, it would cost a lot of money. 

-Wife’s cakes / Lao Po Ping (老婆饼) (example of the cakes)

-Pot-stewed dish / Lu Cai (卤菜)

“There’s no need to give that much…”

“If you think I give you too much, then you just have to do it well.”

  ……

Because she was going to the market, Su Xiaoxiao went out earlier today. When she arrived there, Luo Dazhuang had just set up a stall and had not hung up the meat yet.

“It’s so early.” Luo Dazhuang said.

“How was the sale yesterday?” Su Xiaoxiao asked.

“Here.” It was all sold out.

10 catties of stewed pork, 20 catties of stewed ribs. It was 30 wen for a catty of stewed pork and 40 wen a catty for stewed ribs. 

-Stewed pork dish

-Stewed ribs

When he heard her pricing, he thought that she was crazy. This was a small town ah. Did she think it was the capital city?

And in the end, all was sold out.

“One catty of stewed pork was used for food tasting,” he said.

He said that to express that he was absolutely never, deliberately stealing copper coins.

The revenue was one tael of silver and 70 wen. Luo Dazhuang took 20 percent, so Su Xiaoxiao got 850 wen in her hand. 

The cost of the meat was 300 wen. The cost of labor and spices for marinade would not be more than 50 wen at best.

In this way, the net profit was half a tael of silver.

“It seems that working together with you is very pleasant.”

She smiled, and took back yesterday’s jars. Then she put three new ones on his stall.