Fu Xin Ci, with her bright, sparkling eyes, leaned close to her grandfather's ear and whispered, "Grandfather, we can sell them some cheap cotton. Then they can make padded jackets."
"Where would we get cheap cotton?" Grandpa Meng exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Ci'er, can you actually find cheap cotton?"
Fu Xin Ci really wanted to say, not only can I find it, but I can find a lot of it. Without waiting for her grandfather to pry further, she explained that she grew it herself in her little world.
Her grandfather was, of course, overjoyed. He immediately cleared out a cabinet for his granddaughter to store the cotton.
With the cabinet packed to the brim, the grandfather and granddaughter shared a knowing glance, a secret smile between them.
Watching her grandfather's triumphant grin, Fu Xin Ci suddenly had a peculiar feeling; her grandfather was becoming more and more like a child.
After the young men finished their training, the old man casually mentioned that the family had cheap cotton to sell, ten big coins per jin (one big coin was one wen). The young men looked as if they couldn't believe their ears.
It wasn't surprising that they reacted that way. Grandpa Meng knew that although the Great Ming Dynasty cultivated cotton, the low yield per mu was a significant drawback.
Furthermore, the weather in Liaodong was an unpredictable factor in cultivation, so the number of farmers growing cotton was very small. This was the main reason for the persistently high cotton prices in Liaodong.
Hearing Grandpa Meng say cotton was ten big coins a jin, it was only natural for them to be astonished.
Their next action after their surprise was to bolt home as fast as their legs could carry them, eager to inform their families to come to Grandpa Meng's house to buy cotton.
They all feared they would be too slow, and the cotton would be sold out before they got there.
When people from both villages swarmed in, Fu Yu and Madam Fang were taken aback.
Upon seeing the excellent quality of cotton their father-in-law produced, they had the same reaction as the villagers from the two villages.
Madam Fang nearly cried out, "We're not selling it anymore! We'll keep this good cotton for ourselves."
It was only when Fu Xin Ci quickly stopped Madam Fang and whispered in her ear, "Mother, if you want this kind of cotton, we have as much as you want," that things calmed down.
"Ci'er, are you teasing Mother?" Madam Fang couldn't help but think. "Ordinary cotton outside costs thirty big coins a jin, which is enough to buy two jin of leg-wrapping meat. The cotton your grandfather brought out today is definitely worth more than that, even forty big coins would be reasonable. Moreover, in various military garrisons, the price of cotton is doubled."
Fu Xin Ci: ...
Seeing her daughter's bewildered expression, Madam Fang explained the intricacies to prevent any misunderstanding.
"Those exiled here cannot freely leave the jurisdiction of the garrisons, and merchants who want to come and sell goods also have to grease some palms. The wool comes from the sheep, and businessmen don't engage in losing trades."
Fu Xin Ci: Are the exorbitant prices of daily necessities a symptom of a vicious cycle?
"After we moved here, you and your grandfather, along with the general store owner you recruited from Xian Shui Town, have greatly helped the people of Meng Family Village. And the Wang family too. Without them, these people would be living even more difficult lives than they are now."
"Mother, you know so much."
"Mother doesn't know these things. Your father told me everything."
Hearing her mother's words, Fu Xin Ci began to admire her cheap father. He usually kept quiet, but he had managed to gather information about the local market and the current situation. It seemed that Uncle Qi and Uncle Jin had made significant contributions.
In the gatehouse, Fu Yu and Qi He were helping the old father maintain order. Meng Qi Cheng and Tian Shi, the couple, were helping to weigh the cotton.
Looking at the large bundles of cotton on the kang, their brilliant white color was very striking. Not only were the women buying cotton casting envious glances, but Fu Yu's eyes also flickered.
He knew that ever since the family's misfortune, his old father had changed quite a bit.
Not only did he produce things they had never seen before, but sometimes other items would inexplicably appear at home.
For instance, the room where they stored rice and flour was one he never allowed anyone else to enter, not even Madam Fang. The key was firmly held by him and his son, for fear that others might discover his father's secret.
If Fu Xin Ci knew what her cheap father was thinking, she would definitely laugh secretly at him for protecting the wrong person.
The queue outside kept growing. Grandpa Meng hadn't expected that a single action of his would attract people from two villages.
Could they afford not to come? Buying a jin of cotton for ten big coins was a price they never dared to dream of before. Today, thanks to the second master of Meng, how could they miss this opportunity?
Everyone feared missing this chance, thinking there would be no other. Every household wanted to buy a few jin of good cotton, even if it meant selling their pots and pans, to make padded jackets for their families to wear in winter. Moreover, this was the season when it was most needed.
Fu Yu watched the piles of cotton on the kang shrink and thought about asking his old father if they had any more at home.
Coincidentally, Grandpa Meng also saw him and called his son over to help with collecting money. He was going to find his granddaughter to get more cotton.
Fu Xin Ci hadn't expected the purchasing power of the two villages to be so strong. When she followed her grandfather, each carrying a large sack of cotton, she saw the young boy from next door to Shan Xiao Cong's house arriving with his grandmother to buy cotton on credit.
The Han family was very poor and had no money. The little bit of rice and flour they had was given to them by the second master of Meng.
Grandma Han pondered for a long time before deciding to bring her grandson along for this trip.
In such cold weather, she and her husband could endure, but their grandson was still young. He was the last hope of the Han family. If anything were to happen to her grandson, they would not only be letting down their son but also their ancestors.
Grandma Han came with the intention of asking for a jin of cotton on credit to make a cotton-padded jacket for her grandson. She would pay them back with grain next year for the ten big coins.
Before Grandma Han could finish speaking, Fu Yu asked Meng Qi Cheng to weigh cotton for the grandmother and grandson, and to add an extra jin.
Grandma Han repeatedly said it wasn't necessary, "Thank you for your kindness. One jin of cotton is enough for our Xiao Zhi."
"Old lady, you should make yourself a jacket too when you go back."
"How can that be?" Grandma Han didn't know how to accept.
The little boy, however, knew to step forward and bow to Fu Yu. Watching the boy's clumsy movements, Grandpa Meng was delighted.
"Good boy, well done."
Although Grandma Han was old, she was still a good judge of character. She glanced at Grandpa Meng and guessed his identity. She quickly brought her grandson over to pay their respects to the second master of Meng.
Although the little boy had never met the second master of Meng, he had heard quite a lot about him these days.
So, without waiting for his grandmother's instruction, he imitated his previous action and stepped forward to bow, "This boy greets the second master of Meng."