Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chapter 362 Economy and People's Livelihood

"We don't have anything to pack it in. I'll have someone come and get it later. How much is it?"

There must be at least five or six pounds there.

"Give me thirty coins!" the young man hesitated for a moment.

"Hey, Lin Shuisheng, you can't cheat people like this! Usually, a bunch of these only cost ten coins, right? Look at these, madam, they're only twenty coins each." An older woman nearby, seeing this, looked indignant and started promoting her small fish and shrimp.

Chen Wenfang turned to look at hers; it was similar to the aquatic one, weighing about five or six jin (2.5-3 catties). This was too cheap.

"Alright then! I'll take both of yours, but our carriage might not be able to fit them all. How about this, I'll give you a little extra, fifty coins each, and you can deliver them to my home, okay?" Chen Wenfang sighed at their hardship and went to the rice shop next door to exchange some copper coins for them.

"Alright, alright!" The woman took the money, immediately covered the basket, and prepared to deliver it. "This is the Wang Duwei residence, right? I'll deliver it to you now."

After saying that, he ran away in a flash, as if afraid she would change her mind.

When the other vendors saw that this woman was so easy to talk to, they all came over with their goods.

"My esteemed guest, take a look at these pears of mine. They're very fresh; I just picked them this morning, and they're incredibly sweet!"

"Would you like some of these short yellow berries? I picked them from the garden this morning; they're especially good for soup!"

"My crab is good too, just a bit small, but it tastes great with alcohol..."

"Wait!" Chu Yi, displaying the imposing manner he had when he was a manager in Wangjiazhuang, blocked their way. "Come one by one, I'll take a look. If you want it, I'll pay you on the spot, and then you can deliver it to your residence, okay?"

"Okay"

"Okay, okay, okay!"

"I'll do whatever you say, buddy!"

Everyone lined up excitedly, letting Chu Yi choose what to buy. They bought almost everything from the stalls before Chen Wenfang and the others headed home.

When she got home, she found about a dozen neighbors weeding in the yard, and quite a few people delivering furniture and other items. Aunt Hu had already returned, and she handed her a letter, saying, "It was sent from the county government. Take a look."

Chen Wenfang opened the letter and saw it was from Brother Nie and Aunt Liu. The brewery was now completed and could produce a thousand catties of wine a day if needed. The chili peppers were growing very well and had already been harvested once. They were working hard to make chili sauce and planned to send her five hundred catties of it. They also said that everyone in the county knew about Chen's business this year, so they would finally have enough garlic.

Aunt Liu said that she had asked her daughter-in-law Ye Peining's father to act as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) to see if he could open up trade routes between Jiangxi and Fujian. She also promised to deliver goods to Ye Peining in the future. Finally, she asked if Ye Peining was feeling well and if she needed money, and asked someone to send her some. She also told Ye Peining that she was pregnant and wanted to share the joy with her.

Chen Wenfang replied to each letter, first praising them for their excellent idea of ​​sending her things, and then asking them to discuss with General Ye that the money didn't need to be sent. Instead, she suggested that Da Zhuang or Hu Chengxin be sent to help the old businesses with the new ones, and to open a shop in Hunan and Jiangxi respectively, along with a warehouse and a basement. The shops should be large, and they should specialize in selling wine and chili sauce, which would also facilitate the transport of grain.

After replying to the letter, Caiyun came over. "Madam, Magistrate Lou is here."

“Perfect timing, I also need to see him.”

Chen Wenfang invited him to sit down and said solemnly, "County Magistrate Lou, as a member of Huinan Town, I have to say that the people here are too poor and the economy is really bad. I have a method I want to try, and I hope you can cooperate with me."

Magistrate Lou was slightly embarrassed and bowed, saying, "We are located by the sea, and we don't have any crops. In addition, we are under the jurisdiction of the Japanese, so it is indeed difficult to develop. If Madam Chen has any ideas, please give us your guidance."

Chen Wenfang waved her hand, "I'm just a woman and I don't understand things like war, my husband will take care of that. But I can try to get some help with people's livelihood."

Chen Wenfang paused for a moment, then said, “I see that the house next door is also abandoned. Could you help me set up a connection? I want to rent it and open a workshop. I also need to rent a shop in town. Of course, I will pay for it myself, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

"Once these two matters are settled, the next issue will be manpower. I'll need your help in recruiting people, as I'm new here and don't know many people. Thank you for your help!" Chen Wenfang said, raising a cup of tea to him.

"These are all minor matters." Magistrate Lou stroked his beard. He had also witnessed Madam Chen's extravagant spending. "May I ask, Madam Chen, how many people would you need if this workshop were to open?"

Chen Wenfang pondered, "From cleaning to shipping, it probably requires at least a hundred people."

Magistrate Lou was startled and knocked over his teacup. "Every day?"

Chen Wenfang nodded, "I estimate we'll need even more later."

"No problem!" Magistrate Lou stood up abruptly. "I'll get it done for you right away and guarantee you the best price."

"Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome!" Before he could finish speaking, he had already disappeared.

This Magistrate Lou speaks slowly, but he's very efficient in his work.

Not long after.

"Madam Chen! The weeds in this yard have been cleared. If there's nothing else, I'll take them with me." Lou Min and Lou Sheng, the two servants of Magistrate Lou, came to say goodbye to her.

"Wait a moment." Chen Wenfang called out to the two of them and beckoned Aunt Hu over.

"In our area, no one works for free. It's kind of you to come and help weed and tidy up the yard. Aunt Hu, please pay those people twenty coins a day, and these two will get thirty coins. I hope you won't think it's too little."

"This!" Lou Min and his companion exchanged a glance and immediately bowed in gratitude. They had never heard of receiving wages for doing things according to the master's orders. This Madam Chen was far too generous.

"On behalf of the villagers, we thank Madam Chen and wish her a prosperous business and abundant wealth."

These two people are really good at talking, and Chen Wenfang happily returned to the hospital.

The villagers who were weeding were all acquainted with Magistrate Lou and knew that the couple had come to help them fight the Japanese pirates for free. They were surprised to find that they were actually paid. They were all overjoyed. Twenty coins! They usually only earned thirty coins a day for clearing mud from the river for the county. They couldn't help but be a little skeptical. Could it be fake?

It wasn't until Aunt Hu led Caiyun to the door and they received the copper coins one by one, the heavy coins clinking in their hands, that they were truly overjoyed.

"What a kind man!" The villagers left, filled with gratitude.

That day, Huian Town was in an uproar. Although the town was small, its ability to spread gossip was remarkable. The whole town knew that a Commandant Wang had come to Huian Town. It was said that he was there to fight the Japanese. Whether he could actually fight them was unknown, but his wife was extremely rich and had bought up everything in town in one day!

The more they talked about it, the more mysterious it became...

After listening to the gossip of the village women, Lin Shuisheng's wife, Huang, couldn't help but ask her husband, who had just returned home after a long day, about it.

"Brother Shuisheng, is this Madam Chen really that rich? Is all her clothing made of gold?"