novelaction Chapter 676 Asking for Crab Seedlings
Chapter 676 Asking for Crab Seedlings
"Oh, how can there not be more? You have so many at home. We don't want more, just a few will do, just to give them to the elderly and children at home to have something new to eat. Besides, we don't want them for free, just tell us how much you want, and we'll buy them for you, isn't that enough?"
Zhou Guo happened to come back and heard this and said, "Even if you give me money, it won't work!"
A group of people turned around and saw Zhou Guo and laughed.
"Guoguo is back? We came to discuss something with your mother."
Zhou Guo said, "Aunts, this matter is non-negotiable. I got these crabs from someone else. I signed the document when I bought them from him. These crabs cannot be sold to others. If I give them to you, not only will they ask me to pay compensation, but they will also arrest me and put me in jail. I don't want to go to jail."
Several people looked at each other, not knowing whether what she said was true or false. After a while, one of them said, "It's not flowing out. We just want to eat it. If the elderly and children at home want to have a bite, can't we buy it with money?"
Several people agreed, it’s not given for free, can’t they sell it after buying it?
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "That's easy. I sell them to restaurants for 800 coins each, and I'll sell them to you for 600 coins each. I'll deliver them to your home after they're cooked. How many do you want?"
When he heard that they were still making it, he said, "No need, we can just take it back and make it ourselves."
Zhou Guo laughed and said, "That won't work. The villagers can only buy cooked ones from me. If I sell them alive to you, I'll go to jail. You guys don't want me to go to jail, do you?"
No matter how much we persuaded Zhou Guo, he just refused to do it.
The group had no choice but to leave in disgrace and return empty-handed.
Even Zhou Sanyuan's wife came to ask for crab seedlings.
How could Zhou Guo be willing to give it to her? This was what she exchanged for with her tender tofu recipe. Even if she wanted to give it to her, it would not be at this time. She would have to wait a few years until her crab seedlings flowed into the market in large quantities.
He refused without hesitation and said directly, "Aunt, this is not a charity. You can't give me anything you want. I signed the document when I settled it somewhere else. I can't let this thing get out there. After all, he is the only family in the whole North that has it. If it gets out there, I'll have to go to jail."
Sanyuan's wife was stunned. "How could this be possible? Your uncle is already a general. Who would dare to arrest you and put you in jail?"
Zhou Guo said, "My uncle is not a general yet. Besides, the one who arrested me and put me in jail was a civil official, and my uncle is a military general. The civil and military officials are in charge of their own affairs, and he can't do anything about it. Well, anyway, I can't share the crabs with you now, but don't worry, after a few years, maybe it will work. Just go back and wait, ah, it will work one day."
Zhou Sanyuan's wife went back on Sunday. After all, Zhou Guo didn't say anything definite. He only said it wasn't possible now, but he didn't say it wouldn't be possible in the future.
When the other families in the village saw that they all returned empty-handed, their restless hearts calmed down. They didn't even dare to think about Zhou Sanyuan's wife not being able to go.
It would be impossible for the Chen family, Wang Fugui and other families not to have any thoughts in their minds, but when they thought about the fact that Zhou Guo had been selling pine mushrooms for years without asking them for a penny, they couldn't bring themselves to ask.
With this boat, our family is getting richer and richer every year. We have quietly added more than ten acres of land, and can also send our children to school. If we want more, we really can't bring ourselves to ask for it.
Zhou Guo didn't care what they thought. It was better if they didn't ask. If they did, she wouldn't give it to them. She was still hoping to make money from this.
But as long as the live ones are not taken out, it is still fine to cook them.
The servants on the farm are enough, other families don’t need these few either.
The next day, Zhou Gu and Wu Ya brought the steamed crabs to the homes of their friends and gave each of them one.
Everyone was overjoyed and clamored to pay for it, after all, one was not cheap.
Wu Ya smiled and said, "No need. We are all family. Our Guoguo said that although the live crabs cannot be taken out, there are still some if everyone wants to eat them. It's just that there are not many crabs this year, and we have to save seeds for next year, so there are not many. One crab per person is the most."
Even so, everyone was very happy, feeling that Zhou Guo had not forgotten them, and there was no estrangement between the families.
Wu Ya went back and told everyone about their reactions.
Li sighed, "It was so nice to be a family for a few years, why are we getting more and more distant now?"
Zhou Gu and the others also sighed, thinking back to when the families were as close as one.
Zhou Guo said: "Isn't this quite normal? When our family gets better and better, we will have more and more people to interact with, and they will become more and more different. Naturally, we will become estranged. We are not a real family, so as long as we have a clear conscience, it will be fine."
She is busy every day and rarely has free time. She feels that such things cannot be forced, and she really does not have the energy to maintain the relationships between several families.
And she felt that she had not done anything wrong to others. She had thought of everything and made things convenient for them. If they asked for more, she would not be able to give them anything.
The old man said: "You are right. The higher you go, the more you will lose."
Li still sighed.
More than half a month later, the villagers who went up the mountain every day finally found the first pine mushroom emerging in the mountains.
Since then, this year's Matsutake mushroom season has arrived.
Zhou Guo was already prepared and was leisurely collecting mushrooms and selling them.
……
When the shopkeeper Yang heard the figure of 780 Wen, he took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Zhou, you have to leave us a way out. The price has been rising too much year after year. People have eaten too much of it over the years, and it doesn't seem to be as rare as it was at the beginning."
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "Boss, what I offered you is not low enough? We all know what price I gave you for a pound of pine mushrooms and what price your restaurant sells them for. I didn't ask for more. You can earn back the more than 700 coins for each mushroom. Besides, my people still need to eat. Even if you are full, you have to let us have some steamed buns to eat. I need money to feed so many mouths."
Shopkeeper Yang still wanted to fight for it. "How about 660 wen, or even 700 wen? We are all acquaintances, and we can't be too harsh. I have to report to the higher-ups."
Zhou Guo opened his folding fan and said, "Let me tell you the truth. Your place is the closest to me. Considering our relationship, my price is the lowest. Ningping and Kang'an can't be lowered without 900 Wen."
Shopkeeper Yang's mouth twitched. It was so cold, could he not wave his folding fan? He thought for a moment and said, "I wonder how you are raising the crabs?"
Zhou Guo smiled. "Thanks to you, it's pretty good. Not many died. I wonder if the soft tofu is selling well?"
Shopkeeper Yang: "...Good, very good, especially popular in summer."
Zhou Guo smiled and said, "That's good."
After the deal was settled, she said goodbye, and this time Manager Yang didn't give her anything.