Springtime Farming: A Happy Wife At Home

Zhao Shu stood on the sidelines, determined not to miss this opportunity. The fate of the Zhao Family hung in the balance, and it seemed almost certain that their decline was imminent.

As expected, when the silk began to flood the market, a significant number of families who had previously signed contracts with Zhao Mu had a change of heart. They preferred to pay double the deposit rather than sell their silk to him.

This turn of events left Zhao Mu torn between anger and anxiety. A considerable number of families reneged on their commitments, with about 16 or 17 of them opting to pay the double deposit. Faced with this predicament, Zhao Mu found himself in a difficult position.

Taking the matter to the authorities was an option, albeit a challenging one. The involvement of so many families complicated matters, and the magistrate was unlikely to favor Zhao Mu’s case. Several days had already passed since the issue arose.

Furthermore, if he dared to expose this situation, he risked alienating himself from potential future collaborators. This was a decision that required careful consideration from all parties involved.

In light of these circumstances, Zhao Mu had no choice but to approach the manager of the weaving workshop and seek a supply of silk from Ms. Zheng’s mulberry garden.

The frustration mounted as Ms. Zheng’s mulberry garden thrived this year. The leaves were fresh and abundant, the silkworms were plump and vigorous, producing copious amounts of silk. The resulting cocoons were flawless and snow-white, clearly of superior quality.

Ms. Zheng’s mulberry garden was poised to yield 30% more silk than the previous year. After accounting for expenses, this would translate into an additional 200,000 liang—a substantial sum that rarely came by in a single year.

Zhao Mu couldn’t help but feel vexed by the situation.

Ms. Qin’s frustration deepened upon hearing the news. She couldn’t help but think that the money rightfully belonged to her and her son.

“We’ve been tending to that mulberry garden for years, helping it thrive. The earnings should be ours, and we must reclaim what’s rightfully ours. We can’t allow them to take it without compensation!” she asserted passionately.

Zhao Ye found himself at a loss for words at times, considering his mother’s insistence on such seemingly unreasonable ideas. After all, the mulberry garden already belonged to them, and this situation had nothing to do with outsiders. He couldn’t hide his irritation, but what good would that do?

His mother intended to approach the Zhao Family to rectify the situation. Zhao Shu from Hangzhou, Yangzhou, and Huzhou agreed to sell the silk, but they insisted on a 30% price increase based on market rates. Furthermore, they refused to accept an advance payment, demanding the entire sum upfront, or the deal was off.

Zhao Mu’s anger flared, and he resorted to harsh words, accusing them of bullying.

Zhao Zhai and Zhao Ye shared their father’s annoyance and joined in the verbal exchange, criticizing Zhao Shu for his apparent ingratitude.

Zhao Ye expressed his determination to source silk from Hangzhou, Huzhou, and Suzhou, believing he could secure supplies from all three locations.

Zhao Zhai also expressed his willingness to contribute to this effort.

After some consideration, Zhao Mu concurred with their plan. They sold more assets, giving each son 100,000 liang to purchase silk from Su and Hu states.

While Zhao Mu remained in Yangzhou to oversee the workshop, he needed to repurchase silk from the silkworm store promptly to keep production running smoothly.

The urgency of the situation was clear: they had to act swiftly, or the silk supply would fall short, jeopardizing their ability to fulfill last year’s orders. Failure to deliver on those orders would spell disaster for the Zhao Family.