Cui Da Na politely gestured for the two to have some water, then asked with a smile, "Oh, so tell me, what important matter is it!"
Chen San Qiu lowered his voice as if sharing a secret and leaned forward. Cui Da Na, however, waved his hand impatiently, "Alright, alright, don't be like that, just say what you need to say."
Chen San Qiu had no choice but to return to his original posture, "It's like this, I've discovered that there are many wild fruits on the mountain, and they're very sweet."
As he spoke, he produced two apples from his sleeve and placed them on the table.
Cui Da Na looked at the two apples, his expression doubtful, "Can these really be eaten?"
"Yes, yes, Uncle, please try one. This one is fragrant, sweet, and crisp, it's delicious."
Cui Da Na hesitated for a moment, then finally picked one up and took a small bite.
"Hmm, the taste is not bad." Cui Da Na's reaction was rather reserved.
After a few bites, he set the apple aside, "San Qiu, you didn't just come to give me two fruits, did you?"
Chen San Qiu chuckled, "Uncle, do you think people in the county town would buy these fruits if we took them there?"
Cui Da Na looked at Chen San Qiu without speaking.
Chen San Qiu continued, "Uncle, there are endless fruit trees like this on the mountain, as far as the eye can see, dense and numerous."
Cui Da Na glanced at him sideways, "Then why don't you pick them yourself?"
"Alas, Uncle, I don't have anyone under my command. You know the people in our village, they all listen to Chen Xiao Bei, so I thought of you." Su Dan Novel Network.
Cui Da Na turned to look at his steward, Cui San.
"Send two men up the mountain with him tomorrow, bring some back, and let's see if there's a market for them."
Receiving this reply from Cui Da Na, Chen San Qiu was overjoyed, "Exactly, exactly! If we take these to the county town, someone will surely buy them."
Cui Da Na understood Chen San Qiu's intentions and then said to the maid beside him, "Go, fetch a jar of the wine we just bought today."
The maid agreed, turned, and returned a short while later with a jar of wine.
Cui Da Na pointed to the wine, "This was specially sent for from the prefectural capital. You can try it later."
Chen San Qiu appeared overwhelmed with gratitude, his smile reaching all the way to the back of his head.
Upon returning home, he was even more elated and said to Liu Shi, "Look, your uncle even gave me wine! This is a great honor."
Liu Shi, however, looked a little worried, "Husband, if the fruits are picked tomorrow and can't be sold, what then?"
"Cough, if they can't be sold, they can't be sold. There's no capital involved, it's just a trip up the mountain."
Thinking about it, these things required no inventory, no cost.
The next morning, Chen San Qiu woke up early and eagerly headed to Cui Family Village. Cui San Er had already brought two long-term laborers to wait at the village entrance.
Seeing Chen San Qiu arrive, Cui San Er cleared his throat and reiterated to the two men, "Remember the path up the mountain, understand?"
"Understood, understood. Master San, don't worry. After one trip, they won't need this kid to lead the way anymore."
Cui San nodded with satisfaction, "Yes, that's good. This is also the Master's wish."
By this time, Chen San Qiu had arrived. Cui San politely cupped his fists at him, "Nephew San Qiu, everything depends on you today."
Chen San Qiu patted his chest, "Please don't worry, Master San, this matter is on my shoulders."
Watching Chen San Qiu lead the men away, the smile on Cui San's face vanished, "Heh, trying to scheme against Master? He doesn't even look at who Master is."
While Chen San Qiu was leading the men up the mountain, Chen Xiao Bei was already rushing towards Xiao Jia Town with the apples.
Along the way, Chen Xiao Bei began to consider that Feng Xiao Yue had helped him for free last time with selling vegetables. But this time, with a large quantity of apples and a longer selling period, he couldn't let her work for nothing.
So, he had to offer her something.
Upon seeing Chen Xiao Bei arrive, Feng Xiao Yue seemed very excited. She invited him in to sit and poured him a cup of water.
Chen Xiao Bei didn't stand on ceremony and directly presented an apple to state his purpose.
After tasting a few bites of the apple, Feng Xiao Yue was overjoyed, "Brother Xiao Bei, you've come at the perfect time. The shopkeeper was just discussing with me the possibility of replacing the peanuts and melon seeds with something else. With just these two items, many customers are getting impatient."
Hearing this, Chen Xiao Bei's confidence soared. He believed that the county town wouldn't be any different.
Feng Xiao Yue didn't hesitate and kept twenty apples first.
This instantly boosted Chen Xiao Bei's confidence.
Then, Feng Xiao Yue said, "Come, Brother Xiao Bei, I'll take you to see other places."
This time, Chen Xiao Bei refused, "Xiao Yue, can we discuss this? From now on, I'll give you these apples, and you can distribute them. I sell them to Zui Xian Lou in the county town for one wen per jin. I'll give them to you for two wen for three jin, what do you think?"
Feng Xiao Yue repeatedly shook her head, "No, no, how can I take your money? Besides, I haven't even paid back the five taels of silver you lent me last time."
Chen Xiao Bei smiled calmly, "That silver was a gift to you, I never said you had to return it."
Feng Xiao Yue, however, said earnestly, "How can that be? How can one not repay a debt?"
Chen Xiao Bei pondered for a moment, "Then how about this: The workers I employ now get ten wen a day. I'll calculate your wages based on this, deducting half and giving you half each day. We'll discuss further when the five taels of silver are repaid."
Feng Xiao Yue understood one thing: a strong laborer only earned five wen a day. Chen Xiao Bei was offering her ten wen, and after deducting half, she would still receive five.
In plain terms, this was like repaying nothing at all.
However, Feng Xiao Yue also understood that if she refused now, it would be awkward for both of them. So, for her, the best she could do was to help Chen Xiao Bei with as much work as possible.
With this thought, she stood up, "Come, Brother Xiao Bei, I'll take you around to visit other shops."
Feng Xiao Yue was indeed capable. She took Chen Xiao Bei to several shops, and the apples were sold out. Moreover, these shops paid directly and without hesitation.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao Bei felt reassured. What was there to wait for? He hurried back to organize people to go into the mountain.
As Chen Xiao Bei was returning to He Tou Village, the two laborers from Cui Da Na's household also returned.
After hearing the two laborers vividly describe the apple forest in the mountains, Cui Da Na was moved. If these things had a market, they could turn into piles of silver.
He immediately took the matter seriously and summoned Cui San Er.
"Tomorrow morning, you take these things to the county town and see if there's a market for them."
Cui San listened and immediately said with a smile, "Master, in my opinion, whether they sell or not, let's get them down first. Even if they don't sell, they can be used to offset the wages of these dirt-covered peasants."
Cui Da Na glared, "Such delicious fruit, giving it to these dirt-covered peasants? Isn't that a waste of heaven's bounty?"