The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Meanwhile, Ge Hetong was selling his pea cakes with a lively voice outside the door.

The street was bustling, with many people going to the tofu shop. This popularity was promising. Occasionally people would stop to admire the bright yellow pea cake and couldn’t resist buying a piece.

Watching the pile of pea cakes dwindle, with only a few left, Ge Hetong couldn’t suppress the smile on his face.

See, his idea to move the stall here was just brilliant!

The tofu, as usual, was sold out by noon. Zhuang Qingning got a sense from Mrs. Cao of how many people came to buy tofu in the afternoon after it was sold out yesterday. She stayed longer and observed carefully. Once she had an idea, she went home with Zhuang Qingning.

Zhuang Qingning was instructed to go back and rest while Zhuang Qingning hurried to find Zhuang Yonghe. She discussed the plan to start producing tofu twice a day, early morning and afternoon, at the mill from tomorrow. She arranged for the previously appointed workers to familiarize themselves with the tofu workshop in the evening and start working directly tomorrow.

Zhuang Yonghe promptly agreed: “The workers are the same two people you have met before, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Fang. They are all honest and capable of working. I’ll have your aunt go talk to them later.”

“Something just struck me. We’ve been transporting tofu to the town with the help of Bai San using the bullock cart. It has been convenient so far, but now that we also need to transport tofu to the town in the afternoon, how will we arrange the bullock cart?”

Zhuang Qingning rubbed her forehead: “I’ve been busy with so many things recently, I indeed forgot about this detail.”

Dong Dazhu was responsible for transporting tofu to the county town, Bai San to the local town, and Zhuang Yonghe directly took tofu from the tofu workshop. Since there was no mistake in these arrangements, Zhuang Qingning slightly overlooked this aspect.

“Are there any families in our village who have a bullock cart and are willing to travel to the town? If not, we could rent it for the entire month or year. Uncle Yonghe, could you ask around if anyone is willing to do this job?”

Zhuang Qingning added, “This person needs to be honest and trustworthy, and it would be even better if he could come at short notice.”

“I’ll look around in the village first. Now that it’s not the farming season, it should be manageable. However, whether it can be done on a long-term basis, I’m not sure.”

Those in the village who own a bullock cart are usually robust laborers. They usually do farming work at home and look for jobs during their free time. If it’s for the long term, not everyone might be able to take up this job.

“Let me search around first. If I really can’t find anyone for the long term, it won’t be a big problem to find someone temporarily for the next few days. Just leave this to me. I will find someone suitable.”

“Alright,” Zhuang Qingning nodded.

“Uncle Yonghe.”

As the two were talking, a voice came from the doorway. Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Yonghe looked up and saw Zhuang Sifu at the door.

“Sifu? Are you looking for me?” Zhuang Yonghe hurriedly beckoned him into the courtyard, “How’s your father doing these days? Any better?”

“He’s still the same, seems to have a bit more energy than before and is eating more.” Zhuang Sifu replied with a restrained smile, looking at Zhuang Yonghe and then at Zhuang Qingning, “Little Sister Ning is here too.”

“Actually, I am here to discuss something with Uncle Yonghe, but since Little Sister Ning is here, it’s even better. Maybe you can give some input.”

Zhuang Sifu paused for a moment, then continued, “I heard from Aunt He who told Aunt Zhang about working in the tofu workshop. I heard that the tofu workshop is going to produce tofu during the day as well, if that’s the case, someone definitely needs to deliver the tofu to the shop in town.”

“So I came to ask if the transportation to the shop in town is already arranged. If not, do you think I would be suitable? I can drive the cart and also help to load the tofu. My daily wage wouldn’t be high either, only three or four coins would be sufficient. If you need me for a long period, I could even lower the price…”

It turned out he was here to offer his services.

Zhuang Qingning blinked.

Zhuang Sifu was Zhuang Qingning’s relative, they could trace back three generations to being brothers. As for Sifu, he was the fourth child at home with three older sisters. When he was three or four years old, his mother had passed away. His father and sisters took care of him and raised him.

Suddenly, when it was almost time for Sifu to marry, his father fell ill.

Of course, the illness had to be treated, so a doctor was called. The doctor said that Sifu’s father’s illness was severe and medication would probably not work. Only acupuncture could cure him.

Since the doctor had said so, they let the doctor perform acupuncture. However, after several sessions, his condition didn’t improve, and Sifu’s father ended up being bedridden. Now he could do nothing but lie in bed all day, relying on others to feed him, wipe him, and take care of his daily life.

With their family situation like this, no one came to propose for Sifu anymore. Previously in their family, Sifu’s father was quite capable. They used to have over ten acres of farmland, and Sifu’s sisters were also considerate. They lived comfortably. However, for Sifu’s father’s treatment, most of the land had to be sold, leaving only three acres for daily meals. Along with the monthly cost for the medication, Sifu’s family was not living a comfortable life anymore.

His sisters wanted to help, but since they were already daughters-in-law in other families, they had to consider many factors. Mostly they could only provide some food occasionally, save some money during the year to give to their brother, and often look after their ill father.

The burden of providing for the family fell on Sifu’s shoulders.

No matter how hard-working Sifu was, three acres of land could not yield much. The income was limited, and each month they had to pay a significant amount for the medication. Therefore, Sifu’s family lived a frugal life.

Sifu wanted to go out and work, but he had to take care of his father. He couldn’t go far or work full time. He could only farm and raise some chickens and ducks at home. The eggs were sold to support the family expenses.

Given the situation at home, it was no wonder that Sifu was desperate to earn more money. Therefore, he was eager to take on the job of transporting tofu to the town.

“Our ox at home is not old but quite strong. It was our calf that grew up. It’s healthy and there is no problem transporting things to the town..”