The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

“You two keep it for yourselves.” Mrs. He declined.

“Auntie, please accept it.” Zhuang Qingning still pushed it into Mrs. He’s hands, “You have been helping us make clothes and shoes, without asking for money or tofu in return. How would 1 have the nerve to ask you to make clothes for us in the future if you don’t accept this?”

Seeing Zhuang Qingning insist, Mrs. He, knowing they were now making tofu as a business, felt they were doing alright, so she reluctantly accepted it: “Then, Auntie will accept this without any shame…”

After accepting the tofu, Mrs. He didn’t leave immediately, but was grinning and casually looking around, seeming quite embarrassed.

“Auntie, do you also need something from me?” Zhuang Qingning sensed something and asked.

“Well, there is a little something…” Mrs. He appeared hesitant but finally seemed to make up her mind, biting her lip and saying, “I wanted to discuss something with you.”

“Auntie, feel free to say whatever you need.” Zhuang Qingning fetched a newly purchased small stool and invited Mrs. He to sit down, “Auntie, please take a seat and tell me at your ease.”

Once she sat down, Mrs. He seemed somewhat less nervous. Clearing her throat, she said, “Now that you’ve rented Sister-in-law Wen’s tofu workshop, 1 have tasted your tofu and it is very good. You are also doing well at the town market. 1 am very happy for both of you.”

“However, since Sister-in-law Wen’s workshop stopped grinding tofu, our village no longer has anyone making tofu. To buy tofu, we must either go to the town or Lincun village, which is very inconvenient.”

“You and Miss Sui can only manage to sell tofu in the town market, but you cannot manage to serve our village. I was thinking of proposing something: why not keep some tofu at home before you go to the town market to sell, and your uncle and 1 can help sell it in our village?”

“We don’t have much to do during the off-farming season, and our child is growing up gradually. 1 am also thinking about earning some extra money to support the family. Seeing that your tofu business is good, I thought about buying tofu from you to sell in the village in hopes of earning some money.”

“Secondly, whether you grind a little tofu or a lot, you’re still grinding. Why not grind a little more? 1 can sell it in the village on weekdays. If we don’t manage to sell all of it in the village, your uncle can carry a basket and sell it house to house. This way, we can help you sell more, and you can earn a bit more.”

“However, after all this is said, we also want to make money for our own family. If you think it’s a good idea, let’s give it a try. If it’s not suitable, that’s okay, just let that idea pass.”

As she was proposing to use someone else’s business to make money for her own family, Mrs. He felt very embarrassed, and her eyes showed embarrassment as she spoke.

Zhuang Qingning blinked her eyes.

Before Mrs. He had arrived, she was just thinking about how to expand the sales of tofu. But now with Mrs. He’s suggestion, she had an idea.

Why wouldn’t she want to take upon an idea that not only expands her sales channel, but also offers some rewards to those who are kind to her?

“Auntie.”

Zhuang Qingning even smiled, “I won’t hide it from you, our tofu business is indeed doing quite well in the town market. Given the current trend, I have been thinking whether I should increase production, and also consider selling tofu in our village.”

“However, with just me and Qingsui at home, we can only manage one place. At present, we can barely manage the business in the town market, and we really can’t afford to sell tofu in the village. Originally, I’ve been thinking about finding a reliable and diligent person to help me with the tofu sales, and coincidentally, you’ve come.”

“Dependable and diligent – aren’t these perfectly describing Uncle and you?” Zhuang Qingning continued, “Auntie, it’s such a coincidence that you brought up this subject today. We are indeed on the same page. How about starting from tomorrow, your family can help me sell the tofu?”

“Alright, alright.” Seeing that Zhuang Qingning also had the same idea and agreed readily, Mrs. He nodded her head hastily, “We will start tomorrow. Rest assured, Uncle and I will definitely do a good job selling the tofu.”

“I trust you and Uncle.”

Zhuang Qingning smiled, discussing the specific details of selling tofu on behalf of her with Mrs. He.

Details like, the price should be the same as what she sells in town and not too cheap, the daily amount should not be too much, selling based on scarcity would be best, and some tricks in selling tofu, etc.

When they finished discussing, Mrs. He saw that it was getting late and let the Zhuang sisters rest. She headed home under the night sky.

Zhuang Qingning and Zhuang Qingsui had been tending to their vegetable garden for a while, and after such a long conversation, they were tired and went back to bed to sleep a bit more.

Meanwhile, Mrs. He quickly entered her house.

“Why are you back so late?” Zhuang Yonghe was weaving straw shoes in the courtyard under the moonlight. When he saw Mrs. He return, he asked moving his children to set up the table and scoop out porridge for dinner.

“I thought you would have already finished dinner.” Mrs. He said with a smile, “Qingning gave us a piece of tofu. It would be troublesome to stir-fry it now. Why don’t we just pick a few green onions to make a cold tofu dish.”

“Alright.” Zhuang Yonghe nodded, calling their oldest son into the kitchen to help Mrs. He prepare the meal.

Zhuang Yonghe and Mrs. He have four children in total, all boys and no girls. Normally, tasks like helping out in the kitchen would be done by a daughter, but in their case, the sons had to take up the responsibilities typically assigned to daughters.

Fortunately, their oldest son Zhuang Mingliang is such a kind and honest boy who doesn’t mind doing these things. He is dutiful and respectful towards his parents and always takes the initiative to finish tasks.

They brought a dish of jade-like tender green onions mixed with tofu to the table, in addition to some pickled vegetables from their home, fresh spinach with glass noodles from their flourishing vegetable garden, porridge of cornmeal, and steamed cornbread of cornmeal and sweet potato flour, making the meal quite plentiful.

“How did the negotiation with girl Ning go?” Zhuang Yonghe asked after taking a bite out of his cornbread.

“You might not believe this.” Mrs. He laughed and shared, “As soon as I mentioned this idea to Qingning, she said she was also considering finding a trustworthy person to help sell her tofu in the village. It was a coincidence that we asked her, and it was immediately decided that as of tomorrow, we would be selling the tofu that Qingning makes in the village.”

“That’s wonderful.” Zhuang Yonghe grinned, “I was worried that Qingning might refuse, and that we’d then be seen as pushy.”

“Yes, I felt the same way,” said Mrs. He, “However, Qingning said that we need to control the quantity properly. We should not start with too much in the beginning. From tomorrow, let’s start with forty pounds and see how it goes.”

“As for the initial investment, we don’t need to provide that. We only need to settle accounts with Qingning every day after selling the tofu. The tofu is priced at one coin per pound, five coins for two and a half pounds. The income from the sale, we will keep twenty percent and give eighty percent to Qingning.”

Forty pounds of tofu can fetch more than thirty coins. Two percent of this would be six or seven coins. Zhuang Yonghe who usually weaves straw shoes and makes bamboo baskets at home during off-farming seasons, only earns around four or five coins a day. Selling tofu earns more than weaving straw shoes.

Moreover, this is just the beginning. Later, if working harder, strolling around the streets and visiting more villages to sell more tofu is feasible..