The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 383: Reward Given to the Wrong Person (3)_1

Chapter 383: Chapter 383: Reward Given to the Wrong Person (3)_1

"Elder! You’ve worked your entire life, but only for others, and your own family has none to show for it! If you work with me, as long as you do well, in five years, I’ll hand over a shop to your family, so you can also run a shop and sell roasted goods!" Pei Qin said with a smile in her negotiations.

Such a tempting offer left Old Man Chang momentarily stunned. What kind of employer would do such a foolish thing!? Give a roasted goods shop to a subordinate!?

Pei Qin wasn’t short of money and was willing to spend it, "My word is my bond!"

Old Man Chang hesitated. His old employer had treated him well too, and it would be quite ungracious of him to just walk away. On the other hand, he really had worked for many years. His son had married, his daughter needed a dowry for her own marriage, and with grandchildren, the whole family was living quite frugally. If he followed Pei Qin for five years, he could open a roasted goods shop just like hers—then his whole family would have hope! But, if he opened his own shop and competed with her in business... People would surely point fingers at him and curse him for being heartless!

"Yuanyang County is so vast, no one can monopolize the market! Besides, I have more than just Yuanyang County!" These issues were never a problem for Pei Qin.

Looking at the various roasted sunflower seeds on the table, and the Drunkard’s Peanuts that he had never managed to successfully produce, Old Man Chang thought about Landlord Chang’s regard for their family, the fact that Young Master Chang was even living with them, and he gritted his teeth in agreement. There already was someone capable of taking over his duties at the old employer’s, doing quite well in fact—if it weren’t for him standing in the way, they’d already be known.

Pei Qin immediately signed a five-year employment contract with him, leaving the shop to him and his son to tidy up while she went home to prepare.

In the past few days, Pei Qian also became busy. It was time to harvest the cabbages, and she was taking Lu Hao and several other women around to collect cabbages.

The ingredients for the kimchi were already piled up at home, filling up an entire room. In the workshop warehouse, three rooms were filled with cabbages, almost reaching the ceiling.

Fang Hui had barely had time to rejoice at obtaining the kimchi recipe before she was severely scolded by Old Scholar Fang. Even Grandma Fang gave her a lecture, which left her seething with anger. After a few days, thinking about how making kimchi could earn her several tens of taels of silver in a year, she came to town to express her gratitude.

Pei Qin didn’t say much, and Pei Qian showed no warm reception. After Fang Hui left the items without daring to overstay her welcome, saying that she would come back to invite them once Feng Bo got married, she went back home to start preparing kimchi, planning to make a fortune before the New Year.

However, by the time the cabbage harvest season came, apart from the nearby villages, the villages further in the mountains had been cleaned out by Pei Qian, leaving Fang Hui frustrated and enraged. She taught them how to make kimchi, yet she bought up all the cabbages—is that not the same as preventing them from making it!?

Feng Shouxing talked her through it and hurriedly went out to gather cabbages.

Fang Hui could only vent her frustration at home, still seething. After the hairpin incident, Pei Qin had already offended them; now by asking for a kimchi recipe, she made them hold grudges, even turning her own family dissatisfied with her, leaving her unable to share any of her grievances with her family.

Seeing the cabbages collected in the workshop, Pei Qian again asked for Pei Qin’s help and guidance with the ingredients, and the Kimchi Workshop was started up once more.

As the price of cabbage rose slightly, more people turned to eating radishes and turnips, leading to an increase in sales of these vegetables.

The Feng family, in more remote areas, also managed to gather a lot of cabbage and began making kimchi in a hurry.

In just a few days, the cabbages they had collected were all processed.

Pei Qian was bustling with activity in the workshop. When Pei Qin came to observe, she nodded continuously, "That looks about right!"

It was also because she was in charge. Lu Hao had been serving as Pei Qian’s guard the entire time; otherwise, who would listen to a young girl like her, and who wouldn’t try to deceive her?