Chapter 77: Looking for Business Opportunities
Shui Qing paid 780 Wen, which was less than one tael of silver, which was not much for his family who had 177 taels of silver in savings.
But for the price of a meal, it is already very high.
After they walked out of the restaurant, the five little ones muttered that it was so expensive and that they would not come to eat in the future, so it would be better to eat at home.
At the same time, I thought that grandma and dad were so kind to them, taking them to the best restaurants to eat!
He even went up to the high second floor.
Next time you see your grandparents and uncles, be sure to tell them!
Shui Qing didn't worry too much about the money for food. After all, the main purpose of this visit was to explore the market and spend some money to see the world with five children. It was money well spent.
By the way, he also slapped the three people who had previously mocked Fan Jin in the face, which was an unexpected bonus.
The family was looking around on the street, and soon they noticed that the pedestrians on the street were walking in a hurry, and most of them were going in one direction.
"Where are they going?" Shui Qing asked casually.
Fan He responded quickly: "Aniang, I just heard someone say to buy charcoal!"
Shuiqing realized that this winter will be cold and every household has stocked up on charcoal in advance.
Then she looked at Fan Jin and asked, "Can we burn charcoal and sell it?"
The family was divided into three small hills. One bamboo hill can be used to burn bamboo charcoal. There are not many towering trees on the other two hills, but there are many miscellaneous trees and small crooked-necked trees. It should be good to use them to burn charcoal and sell them for money.
The tree roots can also be dug out and used as firewood, and the holes can be left to plant fruit trees next spring. A batch will be replaced every year, and it is estimated that seven or eight will be replaced in two or three years.
When they heard that they could make money, the five children didn't even bother to look at the delicious food sold on the roadside, and concentrated on waiting for their father's answer.
Fan Jin was looked at by his wife and children expectantly, with a warm smile on his lips, but he shook his head: "Aunt Zhang's family is the only one who sells firewood and charcoal in the village, because they pick them from Shanshui Village and sell them in Niutou Town. It doesn’t cost a lot of money, and the journey to Fucheng to sell it is far away, and you also have to pay two cents for the entrance fee. If you don’t sell it, you will lose money.”
When they heard the entry fee, the light in Shui Qing's eyes dimmed a lot.
They had oxcarts, and transporting them was much more labor-intensive than picking or pulling them manually. However, transporting a cart of charcoal would only cost a few pennies and then pay the city fee, and there was a risk of not being able to sell it, so it was not cost-effective.
“Besides, burning charcoal is a laborious job. You must first select trees as thick as an arm on the mountain, cut them down, and carry them to the charcoal kiln. You must not sleep a wink all night while burning, otherwise ashes will remain after burning;
It doesn't work if it's not fully burned. There is still firewood inside. When it is lit, the whole house will be filled with thick smoke and black mist. If it ruins the reputation, people will not buy it next time.
From cutting down trees to burning them and transporting them for sale, everything is labor-intensive work. Our family cannot make this kind of money. "Fan Jin continued to finish everything honestly.
However, charcoal occupies a small area and is durable for burning. You can order more from Taurus in winter and save it for next year.
After the five little ones listened, the light in their eyes completely disappeared.
Yes, the three boys are too young, it would be great if they were brothers!
Then I thought about it, even my brother couldn't do it. The eleven-year-old boy in the village didn't know how to burn a kiln. He could pull a cart, but his strength was limited and he couldn't pull it too much.
Shui Qing stopped thinking about selling charcoal and continued to wander the streets, looking for business opportunities.
Among the five little ones, the fourth one, Fan He, was very keen. He had a vague feeling that A Niang was not just bringing them to Guang Ninh Mansion to play today, and he was always paying attention to A Niang's actions.
When I saw Grandma, she looked to her left and right. What were she looking at?
He suddenly saw a line of people looming at the corner in front of him on the left. He pointed his finger there and asked his mother, "Look, what is there?"
Shui Qing immediately raised his eyes and looked up.
Ouch, there's a queue!
She became interested and waved: "Let's go and see what good things are there! If it's delicious, I'll buy it for you."
Everyone was happy when they heard about the delicious food.
Fan He confirmed his suspicions that A Niang was not just here for fun...
When the seven people came to the corner, they discovered that this was not the starting point, but the end of the line!
I kept walking along the line, only to find that the line was surprisingly long.
Shui Qing: .....What is so delicious? This is so curious!
"It turns out he sells rice wine." Fan Jiang's tone was mixed with disappointment.
Their children cannot drink.
When my grandpa was still alive, he would often drink two kilograms of rice wine during the Chinese New Year. Their children could not drink it, and only the uncle and grandma could drink a small cup.
"It's cold this year. Drinking can ward off the cold. This must be the main reason why sales are better than in previous years." After Fan Jin finished speaking, he looked at the sign hanging outside the wine shop and explained to Shui Qing in a low voice: "Bring your own jar to hold twenty coins." One pound, the one in the liquor store is twenty-two cents per pound, and there is only one flavor.”
Shui Qing glanced at the endless queue and decisively spent twenty-five cents per kilogram from the person who came out.
I used the wine cans provided by the wine shop.
"I didn't expect that the bamboo tubes that are everywhere on the mountain are used to store wine, and they cost two cents." Fan He sighed.
"That's right, life in the city is like this. Money is needed everywhere." After all, Shui Qing has lived in the city for many years, and is more accepting than the children who came to the city for the first time.
"Auntie, do you want to drink?" Yan Qiu asked.
"I wonder if it tastes good?" Fan Jiang swallowed and couldn't help but ask.
Shuiqing said casually: "You won't know until you drink it whether it tastes good or not. Do you want to try it?" This is rice wine, similar to fermented rice wine. She often drank it when she was a child in the countryside.
In the rural areas of Jiangnan, every woman in every household can make it. Even the yeast is made by themselves and stored for a whole year. The difference is that some are delicious and some are not.
"Is it okay?" The five children asked expectantly at the same time.
Fan Jin smiled and said lightly: "Yes, just taste it and don't drink too much."
The five children nodded hurriedly.
There was no cup, Shui Qing first drank two sips from the bamboo tube. It was not very sweet, but astringent. To be honest, I was a little disappointed.
It should be because of the yeast.
The five children lined up to drink from the oldest to the youngest.
Each person drank carefully and savored the taste carefully.
Shui Qing pulled Fan Jin to a secluded place with no one around, keeping an eye on the five children who were excited to taste the rice wine, and said: "What do you think about us making rice wine to sell?"
Fan Jin didn't expect Shui Qing to want to make it and sell it himself, and was stunned.
Shuiqing said the advantage: "I can make rice wine, and it tastes better than theirs! The best season for making koji is around the Dragon Boat Festival. Although we have passed the production season, we can buy it in the mall first, and then make our own koji next year.
After the second fermentation of one catty of rice, two catties of rice wine can be produced, and one catty of rice wine costs twenty wen, which means that nine wen of rice can make three times the profit, and the net profit can reach thirty wen."
The extra wen is used as the cost of making koji by yourself.
Although the main raw material for making koji, Polygonum hydropiper, is free, the ingredients such as barley, wheat, and rice should still be counted as one cost.
"Then, should we buy a wooden barrel or a water tank?"