Thank you for the reward from Yue Zhi Garden
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Since Fang Pingying was set on doing this, she needed to prepare thoroughly.
Making jam is most troublesome in that it's a liquid state; it can't just be sold immediately after preparation, and proper jars have to be purchased to bottle the jam.
At that time, plastic containers weren't widely available, and most things were stored in glass jars like those used for canned goods, so Fang Pingying had to buy some glass jars to bottle the jam herself.
The jars used at home today were a few spare ones found by Hong Lan; clearly, they wouldn't suffice for large-scale production in the future.
This meant that even before selling the product, there needed to be an upfront cost, and currently, Luo Zhiyong's salary for the month had not yet been paid out, meaning that money would have to be taken from the funds allocated for his leg injury treatment if needed.
Fang Pingying thought it over and discussed with Luo Zhiyong the idea of temporarily reallocating the money set aside for treating his leg until his salary came through, and then they'd replenish the funds.
But Fang Pingying was also worried: what if all that money was lost? If Luo Zhiyong's leg ended up needing more money, she might not have enough.
However, it was hawthorn harvest season, a prime opportunity to make some money. Missing this chance meant higher production costs later, as they'd have to buy ingredients instead of using freely available hawthorns.
Seeing Fang Pingying's tensed face, Luo Zhiyong couldn't help but smile with his typically stern face, "What's there to be so conflicted about? It's our own money; use it wherever you want to start with. If we lose it, we lose it. Who can guarantee that every business venture will turn a profit?"
"Besides, the hawthorns are free. Even if you're just buying some jars and sugar to try making some, you aren't planning on making too much. How much can you really lose? At worst, it's a month's salary. I can afford that loss."
Though she had been thinking the same, hearing Luo Zhiyong say it made Fang Pingying feel even more at ease, and she responded with a sweet smile, "Our Zhiyong is the best. You support everything I do and aren't even afraid of me losing money."
Ever since Fang Pingying married into the Luo Family, Luo Zhiyong had always seen her capable and fierce side. Seeing her speak so softly and delicately for the first time made his heart soften, and he spoke with a hint of indulgence, "You can do whatever you want, don't stress too much about the money. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."
With Luo Zhiyong's support, Fang Pingying became even more motivated.
Still, it was their family's money on the line, and even if the loss wasn't meant to be significant, she couldn't bear to spend it recklessly. She spent a lot of time calculating expenses, ensuring every detail was accounted for.
Because she was so busy with all this, she ended up delaying the preparation of lunch.
Zhou Yunmei, Luo Cuilan, and Luo Dashan came back together. Seeing it was getting late and lunch was not yet ready, Zhou Yunmei, already very unhappy about not getting Luo Zhiyong's future salary, seized the opportunity to vent her frustration, "What have you been doing all morning at home? In the past, you always criticise others for not working, but now you're not doing any better."
Fang Pingying was already cooking in the kitchen. Seeing Zhou Yunmei's attitude, she knew she was just looking for trouble but didn't want to argue. She replied indifferently, "Don't make a fuss. I'm already cooking, aren't I? There isn't anything urgent to do this afternoon, so we can eat later."
Zhou Yunmei glanced angrily at Fang Pingying and raised her voice, "How can you say it doesn't matter? This afternoon I still need to go to the fields to harvest soybeans. If it gets too late, how can we finish gathering them all?"
What Fang Pingying least tolerated was Zhou Yunmei's habit of yelling at the slightest provocation, often turning minor issues into major conflicts due to her tone.
Frowning at Zhou Yunmei, Fang Pingying retorted, "Don't always shout about every little thing so that the neighbors can hear. We'll help you with the soybean harvest this afternoon. If we can't finish it today, I'll stay up late to help you get it done."
"Yes, with so many people and just that little bit of soybeans, there's no way we won't finish collecting them." Luo Dashan, seeing Zhou Yunmei stir up trouble the moment she returned, now realized that Fang Pingying wasn't one to be pushed around either. Fearing that they would start arguing, he hurriedly grabbed Zhou Yunmei.
Zhou Yunmei glared at Luo Dashan but knew it wasn't good to continue causing a scene, so she just huffed toward Fang Pingying and said, "Easy for you to say. If we really can't finish, you'll be the one staying up all night."
"Easy to say and do." Fang Pingying nodded at Zhou Yunmei. The truth was, their family hadn't actually planted that much, and it was Zhou Yunmei who had been making a big fuss.
Hearing Fang Pingying's response, Zhou Yunmei stopped talking and glanced over at Fang Pingying by the stove, then decided to head for the yard.
But Cui Lan, who was talking to Luo Honglan, who was cutting vegetables by the kitchen side, saw several jars of hawthorn jam placed on the countertop and asked Luo Honglan curiously, "Eh, Hong Lan, what's this in the jar? It smells quite nice."
Luo Honglan put down the knife she was using to cut vegetables and pointed to the jars for Luo Cuilan like presenting a treasure. "Sister-in-law made hawthorn jam and hawthorn cake this morning, she said to have you all try it when you return, if it tastes good, in a few days we'll make some to sell in town and see if anyone's interested."
"Alright, let me have a taste then." Luo Cuilan smiled and picked up some chopsticks to open a jar and taste it.
However, before she could reach in with the chopsticks, Zhou Yunmei, who had just walked to the doorway, heard Luo Honglan's words and turned back, outraged, starting to berate Fang Pingying, "Sell what sell? Our Luo Family has always been a respectable household."
"When we had the land reforms, we were classified as poor peasants, and then after the special period, our Zhiyong went to serve in the military, always a progressive exemplar in the village. Don't you go messing with speculations and activities that the state opposes. If something goes wrong and our whole family ends up criticized, it'll be trouble."
Luo Honglan and Luo Cuilan, who were talking, were startled by Zhou Yunmei's outburst. Both of them fell silent, especially Luo Honglan, who, fearing she had misspoken, was so scared she hid in the corner.
Luo Dashan gestured to his daughters that it was fine and then cautiously said to Fang Pingying, "Yeah, Pingying, if we're really unsure, let's not engage in this business, at least for now."
Luo Dashan, also not much educated, didn't know much about the outside world, and wasn't free from worries himself.
So, people say ignorance isn't scary; what's scary are ignorant people pretending to be educated.
An illiterate old village lady suddenly started talking about national affairs; such criticisms are things of many years ago. Nowadays, let alone the cities, even the towns have many people running their own businesses.
Fang Pingying first smiled at Luo Dashan because she knew he was genuinely unaware and worried, but she realized that Zhou Yunmei was being stubborn on purpose.
Then she helplessly looked at Zhou Yunmei, patiently explaining, "Mom and Dad, the country now encourages us to start businesses. It allows some to become rich first to boost the economy. That old notion of being proud of being poor peasants is long gone."
Luo Dashan nodded, indicating he understood, but Fang Pingying knew he might still be worried. However, out of respect for her, he didn't say anything more.
But Zhou Yunmei didn't care about that. She couldn't understand a word Fang Pingying said and insisted on her view, "What 'business', what 'economy', I don't get it. As long as you're part of the Luo Family, just live quietly and don't engage in speculative business. I can't afford to lose face."
After thinking for a while, she glanced at the jars of hawthorn jam on the countertop with disdain, "Let's not even talk about whether you can make money with this stuff. Even if you could, we wouldn't care for that money."
Knowing it was futile to convince her, Fang Pingying decided not to explain any further and adopted an attitude of ignoring her, "You might not care, but I do. I have to make this money. I didn't ask you to join in. If, as you said, something goes wrong, you don't have to bother with it."
"What do you mean by 'I don't have to bother'…"
Before Zhou Yunmei could finish her sentence, Luo Zhiyong, who heard the commotion from inside the house, came out, "What's going on? You've just got back, why the quarreling?"
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