Translator: Lonelytree
These people came to compete with them for money.
The children had all three Mus of land to pick, but now the elderly came to compete with them.
However, competition bred motivation.
As a result, the children moved faster than they did in the morning.
These elders were not willing to be outdone. They spent a lot of effort convincing Grandma Xiao to offer them this job. They would be paid according to weight, so the more they did, the more they would be paid. They were not willing to give in to the brats.
The children glared at the elders. The elders shook their heads and turned back to their work.
The group of women led by Zhou Yan planned to help pick the peanuts after they were done harvesting the peanut stalks. Their wages were not calculated by weight but by time. If they worked a full eight hours, they would be paid 30 RMB. Since so many people were there picking the peanuts, they didn’t
join them and instead went to cut the soybeans.
The soybeans were also pulled from the ground and then they were spread out in piles under the sun to dry. Once the soybean sprouts dried, the pods would crack open, and the soybeans would pop out.
Normally, after two days of sun exposure, all the soybeans in the pods would come out. For the more stubborn ones, the villagers would use a stick to hit the pods a few times. The resistant pods would crack from the external pressure. The dried pods would be gathered to be used as firewood or fertilizer.
After the pods were cleared away, the remainders would be the soybeans, soybean leaves, and some dirt and branches.
First, a bamboo rake would be used to separate the beans from the leaves. Then, a dustpan would be used to sieve out the impurities like the dirt. In the end, the villagers would use a threshing windmill to carry out the final filtration to get clean soybeans.
It was easier to collect peanuts than soybeans. In the future, Xiao Lingyu planned to invest in a more effective harvesting mechanism, but for now, she had to rely on manual manpower.
Thirty-plus people harvested the peanuts for three days.
Everyone felt that they had reaped a bountiful harvest.
The children could make more than ten RMB a day. The faster ones could get up to twenty. The little ones were so happy. In three days, they had earned forty to fifty RMB. They could buy beautiful clothes or toys they liked.
After the peanuts were cleaned, they had to be brought to the river to have the surface soil washed off. The people Xiao Lingyu hired were either children or elders. She was afraid that they’d get into an accident carrying the heavy peanuts to the river, so she planned to hire two young men.
However, First Uncle Xiao and Third Uncle Xiao offered to help.
Xiao Zhengyang and Grandpa Xiao were watching over the work in the mountains. Since the two uncles were free, they decided to help out.
First Uncle Xiao and Third Uncle Xiao picked up loads of peanuts and carried them to the river. There were people waiting for them at the river.
The best way to wash the peanuts was to use a bamboo basket or a plastic frame with holes in it. The holes were large enough for the dirt to run away with the water but small enough to detain the peanuts.
For an average field, one Mu of land could generate around 800 to 900 catties of peanuts. Even the less fertile fields would get around 600 catties.
Xiao Lingyu’s field produced around 1200 catties per Mu. This was much higher than the average yield. Therefore, the total harvest was 4000 catties. However, for the Xiao Family, this was very normal.
Naturally, the villagers thought this was the contribution of the Little Cattle King. The Little Cattle King was with the Xiao Family, so they had the chance to use his manure the most. Other than that, Xiao Lingyu had planted the peanuts under large sheds. This involved agricultural techniques that they
didn’t understand.
Xiao Lingyu’s peanuts were large. If they were used in oil extraction, they would probably get three to four teals of peanut oil per catty. In comparison, normal farmers would only get 2.5 taels of oil per catty of peanut.
Pure peanut oil made in the countryside was sold for ten RMB per catty. 4000 catties of peanut could extract more than 1000 catties of peanut oil. Just from the sales of the peanut oils alone, they would earn more than 10,000 RMB. And that was if they sold the peanut oil at normal prices.
The Xiao Family wouldn’t have sold them at an average price. They had tried the Xiao Family’s peanuts. They tasted sweet and crunchy. They tasted more like fruits. Therefore, the oils would be more expensive too.
They could afford to use a higher price than the market. The vegetables were the perfect examples. A normal cabbage was sold at 30 cents per catty at the market, but Xiao Lingyu was able to sell her at several RMB a catty.
Some villagers believed that the Xiao Family’s peanut oil would sell for more than 100 RMB per catty.
Other than peanuts, there were soybeans too. Soybeans could be made into oil or tofu. However, making tofu was not easy.
Forging iron, sailing, and making tofu were the three greatest hardships in Ancient China.
Forging iron: One had to endure the heat of the furnace day and night. Plus, it was not easy working with big hammers.
Sailing: One’s life depends on the winds and waves. Death loomed ever so presently.
Making tofu: One had to wake up in the middle of the night to work. It was hard to grind tofu, but the income was only a pittance.
However, as technology advanced, there were now machines to make these jobs easier.
Xiao Lingyu intended to have her third uncle deal with the tofu-making.
Over the past few years, Third Uncle Xiao and his wife had been working outside the village to support their children. Now that they had returned, Xiao Lingyu wanted to find them a way to continue earning money to support their family. They had bought a house in the county, but it was not yet
furnished. Soon, Xiao Lingyu’s eldest cousin, Xiao Lingshuo was going to enter high school. With his result, he could get into No. 1 High School easily.
Once Third Uncle Xiao and Third Aunt settled in Taoyuan Village, Xiao Lingshuo could focus on his study and the Xiao Family might have another university student in the family.
This was why Xiao Lingyu handed the tofu-making business to her third uncle. She was confident in her soybeans and the quality of the tofu made from them. Of course, she still needed to discuss this with her family first.
The peanuts had already been washed and dried in the tanning field.
The soybeans needed more time as there were a few more filtration steps.
Soybeans didn’t normally have a high yield. Normal soybeans would produce 500 catties per Mu. Even for the Xiao Family, one Mu of land only produced 600 catties of soybeans. Three Mu meant 2000 catties. This was not enough to make tofu, much less to make oils.
In any case, Xiao Lingyu wanted to test the taste of the soybeans first before she planned her next step.
“Xiao Zhengyang’s peanuts and soybeans are both high-yielding,” The worker said with envy. “Ever since they have the Little Cattle King, their family has been enjoying large harvests.”
“Yea. After the Little Cattle King appeared, the lives of our village have improved.”
“Hehe, that’s true. The Little Cattle King helped us grow better crops. Normally, the villagers could work for Xiao Zhengyang’s family too. In addition, we also got the rent from the mountain contracts. Thinking about it, I’m smiling even in my sleep.”
“It’s the same for me. Now, I deposit all the money I get into the bank to gain interest. Furthermore, if I keep them at home, the money will grow mold. I heard that Xiufang’s family had lost several thousand because of it.
“However, I took Xiao Zhengyang’s advice and took the moldy money to the bank. The bank exchanged them for new notes. Of course, there are some that are too rotten but at least not alll is wasted.”
“Thave no idea the bank takes rotten money!” Someone said in surprise, “We’ve thrown away the moldy money. I was so heartbroken that I cried. I should have asked Zhengyang.”
“Nowy, I’ve learned to deposit the money in the bank. They will not grow mold but will instead accrue interest. I deposit 10,000, and a year later, I will have an extra several hundred. The extra hundreds are enough for us to survive for a whole year!”
“If we have known this earlier, we would have saved all our money in the banks..”
CREATORS’ THOUGHTS
‘2| Tonelytree
‘You have no idea the research I have to do for these farming chapters XD
