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Chapter 705: Chapter 695 and after, let’s work together.
Dashuan was very pleased that Shen Yunfang could think this way, and she deeply felt that going out to see the world was not in vain; look, hadn’t it brought a surprise?
Li Hongjun also nodded along, admiring Dashuan’s proactive approach.
After chatting for a bit, Shen Yunfang headed to the kitchen to start cooking; they had come from far away, so she certainly had to offer them a meal.
Dashuan’s wife didn’t want to stay in the room with the two men talking about pointless things, so she came out to lend Yunfang a hand and chit-chat about some gossip.
"We’re all family here, we came over just to see how you two are doing, not to feast without restraint. So, any simple meal will do; there’s no need to go to all this trouble," Dashuan’s wife said as she saw Yunfang taking out a large basin filled with various meats, insisting there was no need for such extravagance, really.
"Oh, give me a break, do you think all this is for you? Keep dreaming. I brought it out because there’s someone to help with the work now, so hurry up and help me get it all set up," Shen Yunfang joked.
Caught off guard by her remark, Dashuan’s wife wasn’t sure if Yunfang was being serious or not and had no choice but to help her with the basin, washing everything one by one.
"Hey, I heard from the kid’s grandma that your father-in-law clashed with your eldest brother-in-law? What are you going to do about that?" she asked, munching on a pig’s trotter and not forgetting to gossip. Thankfully, she was still considerate enough to keep her voice low, taking into account old man Li in the house.
Shen Yunfang mixed some warm water and started washing the half slab of ribs in the basin; she would fry them later since the children all loved them.
"What can we do? Initially, my husband Li Hongjun and I discussed bringing my father-in-law to our place. Later on, my father-in-law refused, saying he didn’t want to move that far away and insisted on staying in his hometown. He said he didn’t want to live with anyone else and would find someone to take care of him. So, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, all of Li Hongjun’s siblings who could come did so, and we discussed the matter. Tomorrow, Li Hongjun and his eldest brother will go to find someone," Yunfang explained.
"Wow, I never expected your father-in-law to be so open-minded for his age. I’ve never heard of anyone in the countryside hiring a nanny to take care of them." Dashuan’s wife marveled. In rural areas, the responsibility of elder care usually fell upon the sons, and even with ungracious children, due to face-saving reasons, no one heard of elders hiring nannies.
Another reason was that the community still vividly remembered the movements of the previous years; nannies, being equivalent to servants, hinted that the employer’s social status was not favorable.
"Exactly, I didn’t expect it either, but my husband’s sister-in-law said that the village’s welfare recipients arranged through the village officials to have someone come regularly to clean for them. It seems my father-in-law is following their example," said Shen Yunfang, chuckling as she recalled Wang Dan’s expression when she mentioned this. "But it’s actually a good thing, at least for us."
"That’s true; you already have a tough relationship with your in-laws. If you took the old man to your place, just watch, it would be trouble," Dashuan’s wife confidently gave her verdict.
"Let’s stop talking about my family’s issues. How about your little shop? How’s the business doing?" Shen Yunfang didn’t want to keep discussing her family matters, so she changed the subject.
"Hehe, Yunfang, let me be honest with you, it might seem like a small business dealing with eggs, but those who are in it know the profit is quite significant," Dashuan’s wife said with a big smile across her face.
With her closest friend, there was nothing to hide, so she just went on and on about it.
Shen Yunfang also became happy upon hearing the news, thinking that Dashuan had finally come to his senses. As long as he did not take a wrong turn, their family’s future would undoubtedly be bright.
The two of them chattered away in the kitchen, and by noon, they had prepared eight dishes.
Though the number of dishes was not large, they were solid and satisfying, leaving the children with mouthfuls of greasy smiles.
At the table, Dashuan fully exhibited his transformation from farmer to businessman, holding a glass of liquor and bantering convincingly with Old Man Li.
After the meal, Old Man Li felt a bit dizzy and lay down on the kang to rest. Shen Yunfang and Dashuan’s wife began clearing the table. Seeing Pangpang had no idea when to stop horsing around with Huzi on the kang, they quickly chased the children out to play.
Pangpang was delighted to go out and play. With a grand wave, several children followed him, running toward the village’s only supply cooperative. Today, Uncle Dashuan had given them New Year’s money, and Pangpang couldn’t wait to spend it.
After tidying up the table, the adults went to another room to sit, drink tea, and chat.
This time, Shen Yunfang directly said to Dashuan, "My farm is going to start raising chickens and ducks this year, and by the end of the year, we should have eggs and duck eggs and such. What do you think about the possibility of us collaborating?"
Dashuan’s eyes lit up as soon as he heard this. "You’re going to raise chickens and ducks on your farm? That’s just great. You have no idea how much demand there is for eggs these days. It’s not about worrying whether they’ll sell but about not having enough supply. I have to run around the countryside every day, asking from house to house. It’s such a hassle."
Shen Yunfang smiled, thinking to herself that these were good times—domestic resources were scarce, and it seemed like any business would do well since it was entirely a seller’s market. But after more than a decade, this situation would reverse. Then, doing business would truly depend on one’s actual skills.
"If you can really get things going on your end, then after this year’s harvest, I’ll bring over any good stuff I have for you." To grow and improve a business, a certain scale was a must; if one sold just a basket of eggs or duck eggs every day, the business would not develop much even after years. She could see that Dashuan was inclined to grow in this direction, and she was more than willing to lend a hand if she could.
Dashuan immediately became interested. "Yunfang, tell me, what will your farm produce by fall, and what do you grow there?"
Shen Yunfang smiled and described the crops her farm planned to produce the following year.
"You mean to say, not only will you have eggs and duck eggs, but you’re also planning to make century eggs and marinated eggs?" Dashuan was somewhat surprised.
"Of course," Shen Yunfang replied. "Sister-in-law knows that relying solely on the field’s produce to make money is difficult, and even more so to make a large sum. I also understand that if we just sell the farm’s by-products as they are, we won’t earn much. So, once the farm is stable, I plan to think about setting up a processing plant or something to add value to these raw materials. That way, they will be worth more when sold. For now, we don’t have enough people, and I don’t have the energy to do more, so this is as far as we can go this year." Shen Yunfang had many plans in store but was limited by the current circumstances, so she had to do what was possible, slowly developing them over a long and arduous process.
Shen Yunfang and Dashuan verbally agreed on the collaboration, but since she had nothing concrete in hand at the moment, the specifics would have to wait until she actually had produce to count on. Fortunately, Shen Yunfang’s place now had a telephone, making communication much easier without having to rely on letters.
At around two in the afternoon, Li Hongjun warmly dressed and drove the borrowed donkey cart to send Dashuan and his family of four, along with their two bicycles, back to Gaijiatun. By the time Li Hongjun returned, it was already completely dark outside.
