The village chief was so happy he could barely speak, and immediately took action!
"I want the fatty part, this piece right here, give me five pounds!"
The village chief pointed directly at a lump on the wild boar's belly. Fan Zehao, even though he was a butcher, wasn't sure where that piece was.
"Everyone, don't rush. Once I've prepared it, you can all choose. Whether it's fatty or lean, tell me which part you want, and I'll cut it for you!"
"Alright, alright, nephew, thank you for your hard work. We'll help you out!"
Fan Zehao was completely dumbfounded. He hadn't even eaten breakfast yet, and he was already being put to work.
But seeing the villagers already helping out, some actively boiling water, some going home to get their large pots, some getting basins, and others arriving with machetes after hearing the news.
In a short while, the courtyard was filled with people, a vast expanse. Fan Zehao estimated that everyone except for infants still in swaddling clothes had come.
When the men came out, the women couldn't sit still either. They came to watch the excitement of the pig slaughter. But when they looked, they discovered that the new couple had also started a small business.
"Village chief's sister-in-law, what are you doing? Oh my, what is this you've made? A snake? It's so beautiful!"
A slightly fatter woman leaned in to take a look and exclaimed, "This monkey is so rare and beautiful!"
Liu Qinshi saw that the wives were all captivated by the items in their hands. An idea struck her: "If you have nothing to do at home, why not help us make these little trinkets? If they sell for money, I'll give each of you five copper coins. That's five coins per piece, not per day. What do you say?"
"This is a good thing! No problem, you know my needlework best!"
"Don't just talk about giving copper coins, even feeding me one meal a day would be fine!"
Two aunts, one fat and one thin, immediately agreed to join, but on the condition that the design of these items must not be revealed to anyone outside. Otherwise, they would be ostracized in the village.
Xu Xiang waved her hands: "Sister Liu, you know what kind of person I am. Do I look like someone who gossips? Don't worry about this!"
The fat aunt echoed, "In our village, besides Liu Erlizi's pile of dog excrement, look at anyone else, don't they have unity? We've known each other for decades, we wouldn't do such a thing!"
Liu Qinshi nodded slightly at Zhao Jiaqi: "Fan Niangzi, this is your Aunt Xu, and this is your Fat Aunt. They both have tight lips and don't gossip, so you can rest assured!"
Zhao Jiaqi had nothing to worry about. This business wasn't hers alone. Weighing the pros and cons, these aunts understood much better than she did!
In the house, the women chattered away, while outside, the men worked hard.
Five pounds for this house, five pounds for that house. Fan Zehao had no scale, nor the skill to cut meat precisely. He decided not to weigh them.
He cut the meat wherever they pointed, giving them more than they asked for, and only charging them the price of five pounds of meat!
"Thank you so much, nephew. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and your uncles will definitely help you out!"
"Since nephew is so generous, we elders can't just take advantage and say nothing. I have some sweet potatoes at home, I'll pack a bag for you to roast during the New Year. They're very fragrant, though they make you gassy!"
A slightly hunched-back uncle said, picking up his meat and heading out.
Fan Zehao wanted to refuse, but before he could even speak, the man had already walked away. The remaining villagers were still calling out to buy meat.
Of the more than three hundred pounds of meat, nearly two hundred pounds were sold. Seeing that there was still a good amount left, Fan Zehao quickly divided the meat and cleaned the offal. The work lasted for a good part of the day.
Zhao Jiaqi walked the aunts home and saw a pile of things stacked in the courtyard: potatoes and cabbage were the most abundant, along with sweet potatoes and radishes!
"What's going on?"
Fan Zehao wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, "We sold the meat cheaply, and I gave them extra. The uncles felt bad and brought some food."
So that's what happened. She smiled and said, "It seems the people in the village are the most simple and honest!"
In the kitchen, with pork today, they made some braised pork and some rice. When she opened the rice bin, she found there wasn't much rice left and thought about buying some grain tomorrow.
Dinner was not luxurious, but it was much better than the previous few days.
"I haven't eaten my wife's Dongpo pork in so long. I'm reluctant to even chew it after one bite!" he said pitifully.
Zhao Jiaqi gave him a playful glare: "This is all for you, don't be reluctant to eat it. If necessary, I'll make it for you every day!"
If I can't eat enough of it to puke, I'll take your surname!
Fan Zehao chuckled foolishly, eating the meat and drinking a little wine, feeling extremely happy.
"You eat first, I'll go deliver some meat and rice to Master."
When Fan Zehao heard this, he immediately put his hand on her shoulder: "It's already dark, you shouldn't go. I'll deliver it!"
He took out a basket, packed the food his wife had prepared, and said, "Master lives alone. From now on, let her eat with us, so there's no need to deliver it back and forth. What do you think?"
She had no problem with that: "Then when you deliver the meal, talk to Master properly, and light her stove for her. I'm afraid she'll be reluctant to burn firewood!"
Fan Zehao agreed and strode towards Granny Li's house.
Inside, Zhao Jiaqi counted the money left in her purse. Seeing that it was less than fifteen taels, she took out the broken silver and re-hid the ten taels.
A quarter of an hour later, the man returned with a silly grin, beaming at her: "Master said she'll come to our house for dinner tomorrow, no need to deliver it separately!"
That stubborn old woman was persuaded by her husband so quickly?
Before she could praise her husband's competence, he said, "I saw that your Master's eyes were red. It's not good for her to be alone!"
He then picked up his rice bowl and began to eat.
Seeing his somber expression, she knew he was missing his mother.
As night fell, shallow breaths emanated from the heated brick bed. Fan Zehao, who was asleep, suddenly opened his eyes, a tear sliding from the corner of his eye.
...
Since two more skilled women joined the team, the project progressed at lightning speed. Not only was the quality good, but the daily output also increased significantly!
While they were making things, Zhao Jiaqi drew more designs. For the twelve zodiac animals, she drew another version.
Everyone loved them at first sight. If they had to make multiple sets of each, their hands wouldn't be enough. Therefore, at Zhao Jiaqi's suggestion, they recruited more people from the village with tight lips to join.
A large plush doll cost eight wen, a smaller one cost four wen, and payment was settled daily.
Granny Li's house became a small workshop, and she herself was invited by Zhao Jiaqi. In nearly ten days, they made ten large plush dolls, five of each of the two versions, and seventeen smaller ones.
The work was done, and now they were worried about selling them.
Everyone sat on the heated brick bed and discussed: "Such beautiful things, we can't sell them in the town, it would be a shame!" The village chief spoke first.
Liu Qinshi glanced at him and didn't expose his past. Did they even need him to say this? Everyone had the same idea!