| TBBOTOF | 184
After breakfast, Wei Dong left the house, but he didn’t go far.
In the past, he wanted to talk to his aunt about something.
The old Wu family, due to their wealth, expanded their courtyard a bit. It’s said that matchmakers had come over several times to try and arrange a marriage for Wu Hong.
However, Wu Hong rejected all of them, as he didn’t want to be distracted.
Due to the heavy snow blocking the roads, Wu Hong hadn’t been out to sell his marinated snacks recently and had been helping Wei Zhonghong with chores at home.
Hearing the sound of the courtyard door opening and closing, Wu Hong pulled back the curtain to take a look and quickly said, “Mother, Brother Dong is here!”
Wei Zhonghong, holding a feather duster, heard this and went outside. As soon as she saw Wei Dong approaching, she asked with a smile, “Have you eaten?”
Wei Dong nodded, “Auntie, I have something to discuss with you.”
Wei Zhonghong, puzzled, lifted the curtain to signal him to come in and talk.
Inside the house, Wu Qiang was also present. However, Wei Dong didn’t have much to say to his uncle-in-law, so he just nodded in greeting and then nodded to Wu Hong.
He then said to Wei Zhonghong, “We’re planning to form a trading team. We should be able to start transporting goods to sell after the New Year.”
Just that one sentence left not only Wei Zhonghong but also Wu Qiang and Wu Hong father and son with their eyes wide open in surprise.
A trading team? That’s not just a few people pulling a cart; it’s a team of many people, and the goods they transport will be substantial.
“We don’t have anything to sell around here,” Wei Zhonghong expressed some concern. Just the thought of the scale of the trading team made her worry.
What if the goods they brought out didn’t sell? They didn’t have any unique products here.
“We’ll only send out two carts. What the others sell is up to them; we’ll just be selling dried marinated snacks,” Wei Dong didn’t go into details.
After all, what others choose to transport and sell wasn’t his concern. As far as he was concerned, he was definitely going to sell marinated snacks. He had particular confidence in the marinated snacks made by Tang Xu.
In fact, he also wanted to transport Tang Xu’s sorghum wine and take it to the colder northern regions. The wine made people feel warm, which would be especially suitable for colder areas.
However, both brewing wine and drying marinated snacks required manpower and time. This time, he planned to focus on the dried marinated snacks and deal with the sorghum wine later.
After a bit of thought, Wei Zhonghong agreed that his idea was good. Dried goods could be stored for a longer time. “So where do you plan to sell them?”
“Wherever we end up,” Wei Dong said. “The reason for forming the trading team is for safety. We haven’t decided on the exact destination yet.”
He didn’t elaborate on the trading team but continued, “I wanted to ask if you’d like to join us in making dried marinated snacks.”
Wei Zhonghong, quick on the uptake, had earned some money working with Tang Xu before. She had a rough idea of how things worked based on Wei Dong’s question.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Wei Zhonghong responded directly, “Of course, we’ll do it. I’m definitely willing. Just have Xu Ge’er teach us how to make them when the time comes.”
“We’ll need a large quantity, so we need to start making them soon. I’ll go back and discuss the details and pricing with Xu Ge’er and let you know,” Wei Dong said, then turned to Wu Hong and asked, “How about you? Do you want to come with the trading team and earn some money?”
Wu Hong’s eyes widened in surprise, and he straightened up, “Really? Brother Dong, are you willing to take me with you?”
“I’m thinking that I can’t always be with the trading team, and I’m not comfortable leaving Ah Xu and the three kids behind. If you’re interested and willing to learn, I can take you along a couple of times. Once you’re familiar with it, you could lead the team,” Wei Dong patiently explained.
He then turned to Wei Zhonghong and asked, “Auntie, what do you think?”
Wu Hong looked at his mother with excitement, almost reaching out to shake her.
“Mother!!!”
Wei Zhonghong sighed, knowing her son wasn’t the type to settle down easily, and waved her hand, “Don’t ask me, ask your father.”
Wu Hong quickly turned to look at his father.
Wu Qiang didn’t see any problem with his son going out to explore, especially if it meant going with Wei Dong. The chance to be part of a trading team was rare and could potentially earn them a lot of money. It was a rare opportunity that they should seize.
However, a token of humility was still needed, so he asked, “Is he capable of doing this? He doesn’t know anything yet.”
Wu Hong bit his lip, looking nervously at Wei Dong.
Wei Dong nodded, “It will be fine. We haven’t done this before, but if the first batch of goods sells well, it will be easier to sell the next batches without needing to advertise. You don’t need to worry about that. Just make sure to manage the route and finances well.”
Wu Hong quickly agreed, “It’s just like carrying a load of marinated snacks to sell. I know how to do it!”
Wei Dong saw this and, to be honest, he wasn’t confident in his own ability to promote the sales.
He was a bit awkward with words and didn’t feel as capable in sales as someone who was articulate and experienced. That’s why he approached Wu Hong.
Firstly, Wu Hong wasn’t married and had no children, so he was more flexible.
Secondly, Wei Dong knew his cousin well. Wu Hong had a cheerful personality, was meticulous in his work, and was strong and sturdy.
He often helped with family chores and was skilled in a fight. His presence alone was likely to deter anyone from causing trouble.
Moreover, forming a trading team was about mutual assistance. It was safer than traveling alone. When his partners mentioned the idea, he agreed without much hesitation.
“Dongzi, who are you forming the trading team with? Are they reliable?” Wei Zhonghong asked with some concern.
Wei Dong replied, “With wealthy families from the county who we often deal with. They’re trustworthy.”
He didn’t elaborate, as Wei Zhonghong wouldn’t know them anyway.
“Alright, you’re the one with the plan. I won’t question you further, but you must avoid any dangerous situations. Not just for yourself, but also for the sake of your family, alright?” Wei Zhonghong advised.
Wei Dong nodded, “Understood. Auntie, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now.”
“Go on, go on. If Xu Ge’er has time to teach you how to make the marinated snacks, let me know,” Wei Zhonghong said as she saw him off.
Wu Hong stopped her, smiling, “Mother, I’ll send Brother Dong off so we can chat for a bit more.”
They left together and got on the mule cart. Wu Hong was puzzled as to why they needed a mule cart for such a short distance.
But then Wei Dong gave the mule a pat and headed towards the village.
“Are we going to Aunt-in-law’s place?” Wu Hong asked.
Wei Dong nodded, “We need to inform them too. If you’re not selling the marinated snacks, we need to let them sell some.”
Wu Hong understood the reasoning.
They arrived at the Tang family’s old residence and were warmly welcomed.
When they heard that Wu Hong would be joining Wei Dong’s trading team after the New Year, Tang Zu and Tang Wei, the two brothers, expressed envy.
However, neither of them had the intention to go themselves, as they had wives and children and didn’t see the need for the risks of traveling.
When Luo Pingping learned that Wei Dong was going to make dried marinated snacks, she had the same concerns as Wei Zhonghong, but she asked, “Will we be making a lot? I’m worried we might not be able to keep up.”
“It will require a lot. We’re talking about at least one or two thousand pieces to make it worthwhile. Otherwise, it won’t be worth the trip,” Wei Dong said casually, causing the people listening to him to look alarmed.
Wu Hong’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at Wei Dong in disbelief.
“What if we can’t sell them all?”
Wei Dong waved his hand and took a sip of water. “How could we not sell them all? Just the marinated snacks sold at the town’s shops can move dozens of pieces a day. These dried snacks can be stored for longer, so you can believe they’ll sell even better, right?”
Wu Hong swallowed hard, “But, but we don’t need thousands of pieces, do we?”
“Why not? In other prefectures and states, people have more money than we do. There are plenty of people willing to spend half a tael of silver for a piece of dried marinated duck,” Wei Dong said confidently.
Although he had only been to the county town, he had seen large trading teams from the prefectural city and knew that what seemed ordinary to them could be very valuable to big merchants.
“Half a tael of silver? For a piece of marinated duck?” Luo Pingping exclaimed, clutching her chest. “Oh my God, that’s so expensive!”
The elderly woman, who had been listening quietly, was startled and scolded, “Stop shouting! Just because you’re loud doesn’t mean you’re right!”
Luo Pingping exhaled, “Mother, think about it. If we really sell one piece for half a tael of silver, we could sell a lot with a thousand pieces!”
Wu Guizhi waved her hand, “Don’t calculate. Even if we sell a lot, it won’t be your concern.”
“Well, that’s good news,” Luo Pingping said, looking at Wei Dong. “Can it really sell like that?”
Wei Dong nodded. He was confident in Tang Xu’s cooking skills.
After all, even the owner of the Fortune Inn wanted to buy Tang Xu’s marinated recipe, which proved that the taste was definitely appealing.
Luo Pingping thought for a moment and said, “Alright, with a thousand pieces, we can divide them up, and each family will only need to handle a few hundred. We can manage that.”
Wei Dong nodded, “Xu Ge’er said to start with the marinated ducks first. We’ll consider the marinated chickens and geese later. Auntie, you’ll need to help with collecting the ducks and making sure they’re all of similar weight.”
“Got it.”
“Keep all the duck feathers; Ah Xu can use them.” Remembering the warm down jackets worn by the elders at home, Wei Dong added.
“Okay.”
With the preliminary plans set, Wei Dong drove Wu Hong back and then headed home.
At the big house, Tang Xu was already stewing a large pot of geese. He was preparing cornmeal cakes to go with the stew when he heard the sound of the cotton door curtain being lifted.
Xu Ze turned and called out, “Brother Dong is back!”
Wei Dong nodded at him, and Tang Xu also turned around and smiled, "Where did you go?"
"I went to my aunt and uncle's place, to tell them about the dried marinated food business." Wei Dong walked over to Tang Xu, giving him a kiss and hugging him, rubbing his face against Tang Xu’s. “Is there anyone else you want to add in this business?”
Tang Xu smiled and covered the pot with the lid.
“First, we need to work with people we’re familiar with. How about asking the Pan family’s four brothers?” Tang Xu suggested.
Wei Dong thought about it and agreed, “Alright, I’ll visit them tomorrow. Although they might not be eager to participate.”
After all, they had made a significant amount of money in the past, and now they were all focused on their own lives. No one was too keen on running around outside.
Tang Xu didn’t see it that way. Sitting idly and waiting for opportunities to run out wasn’t a good strategy.
“If there’s a profitable business, no one is going to pass it up.”
At noon, the family enjoyed a hearty meal of goose stew cooked in an iron pot. Everyone’s faces were covered in grease, and the three children were gnawing on the meat with grease smeared all over their faces.
“Dad, it’s delicious!” Er Bao said, waving a chicken wing at Tang Xu.
Xiao Bao also agreed, holding a piece of leg meat, with gravy all over his nose.
The chubby boy didn’t even lift his head as he ate, grunting like a piglet rooting for food.
Tang Xu picked up a piece of potato and watched the table of people enjoying their meal with a smile. “If you all enjoy it, then our two big geese did not die in vain.”
Wei Xi twitched his mouth and looked up at him, “Brother-in-law, please speak properly.”
Tang Xu laughed heartily and waved his hand, “No need to be formal. Just enjoy your meal, enjoy your meal.”
1 Comments
thank you for the update.. ❤️🐾
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