When the pears are green

Chapter 249 Selling Silkworm Cocoons

Collecting and selecting cocoons is an extremely labor-intensive task. Jiang Qingzhou, Jiang Qingye and Song Li, who selected cocoons while Jiang Huan was sleeping, spent four or five days to select all the cocoons.

Song Li looked at the cocoons piled in the basket and discussed with Jiang Qingzhou: "Qingzhou, the book says that each moth can lay 400 eggs. Let's pick out 25 pairs of moths. It's hot in summer and it's hard to raise silkworms. Let's raise fewer first. In addition, I want to use those double cocoons and some cocoons to make two silk quilts for Ruyi's baby and Huan'er."

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and nodded in agreement, and told Song Li: "When the next batch of silkworms have cocoons, I'll make a bed for Dad, Mom, Xiaoyue, Mingde and the others. We can always make money."

Song Li nodded repeatedly, took out an empty basket and began to pick silk cocoons. The female cocoons were longer, while the male cocoons were rounder.

After selecting, Song Li put the basket on the wooden rack and waited for the silkworms to emerge from their cocoons.

The next day when Jiang Qingzhou went to deliver goods to the restaurant, he took the cocoons on the car, as well as the yellow-spotted cocoons, the pierced cocoons and other lower cocoons to the town. There was a business in the town that specialized in collecting silk cocoons.

The slightly fat shopkeeper with a goatee squinted at the silk cocoons in the four cloth bags, raised the corner of his mouth and asked Jiang Qingzhou: "How many silkworms do you have at home, little brother?"

Jiang Qingzhou quickly replied with a smile: "To be honest with you, not all of this is mine. There are also three other relatives'. Because I can read a little, they gave it to me so that I could sell it together."

The slightly plump shopkeeper rolled up the sleeve of his blue gown embroidered with auspicious clouds on his right hand, took out a cocoon from the cloth bag containing the cocoons for the upper part of the cart, examined it carefully and said, "Little brother, our boss's price is 300 coins per catty for the upper cocoons, and 10 coins per catty for the lower cocoons, which are worthless. We clearly mark the prices and we are fair to everyone."

After hearing this, Jiang Qingzhou pondered in his heart that this price was almost the same as the price he had heard from Hu Zhimin. Although he could sell it for ten cents more per catty in the city, he still had to pay taxes separately when selling items in the city. It would be better to sell it directly to the business in the town.

Seeing that Jiang Qingzhou did not express his opinion, the slightly fat shopkeeper stroked his goatee and urged: "Brother, are you going to sell it? If not, I have to go and serve other customers."

Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly explained to the slightly fat shopkeeper: "Don't worry, shopkeeper, of course I am selling it. It's just that I suddenly forgot what my wife told me to buy before I left, and I was a little distracted."

The slightly plump shopkeeper laughed after hearing Jiang Qingzhou's words. He asked the waiter to weigh the goods while chatting with Jiang Qingzhou: "Are you henpecked, little brother?"

Jiang Qingzhou quickly shook his head to deny it. The slightly fat shopkeeper smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Being henpecked is not a shameful thing. Our boss is also henpecked, and his business is still thriving."

As they were talking, the waiter asked Jiang Qingzhou to go to the scale to look at the weights. The upper cocoon weighed 45 jin, and the lower cocoon weighed 5 jin.

The slightly plump shopkeeper took a look and raised his hand to call the young man standing behind the counter: "Zhao Chengye, come over and record the bill for this brother."

Zhao Chengye hurried over with an account book and a brush and carefully wrote down the numbers. The slightly fat shopkeeper couldn't help but praise him: "It's no wonder that the boss specially transferred them from the medicine store in the city. They are indeed more capable than those people we found in the town."

"No, no, this is my job. When I came from the city, the boss specifically told me that everything in the company should be done by you, Manager Qian." After Zhao Chengye finished speaking, he smiled and asked Jiang Qingzhou to go to the counter to pay the bill.

Shopkeeper Qian walked away satisfied. Seeing this, a waiter muttered, "Flatterer."

Zhao Chengye put the account book on the counter, picked up the abacus and started to count the beads. He said to Jiang Qingzhou as he wrote down the money: "Little brother, the upper cocoon is 19 taels, 2 qian and 60 wen, and the lower cocoon is 50 wen, so the total is 19 taels, 3 qian and 40 wen."

Jiang Qingzhou had only heard that silkworm cocoons were valuable, but he didn't know they were so valuable, and he was a little overwhelmed for a moment.

Zhao Chengye took out a silver ingot of ten taels, a silver ingot of five taels, and forty copper coins from the cash box and placed them next to Jiang Qingzhou's hand. He pushed Jiang Qingzhou's arm and said, "Little brother, pack these quickly. I will weigh out three taels of silver for you now."

After Jiang Qingzhou came back to his senses, he thanked Zhao Chengye and put the silver in his hand into his purse.

Zhao Chengye first weighed the broken silver with a scale, then cut off a piece with scissors and continued to weigh it, smiling and letting Jiang Qingzhou look at the scale on the scale.

"Little brother, that's exactly three cents. Now that we've settled the deal, take the silver and go home quickly. Don't stay in town, especially not near any casinos or brothels." Zhao Chengye said this earnestly and handed the silver change on the scale to Jiang Qingzhou.

Jiang Qingzhou thanked Zhao Chengye again, hurried out of the store's gate, took the donkey cart from the gatekeeper and went home.

There were knocks on the door and a donkey's bray of "Ah...uh" at the same time. Song Li hurriedly threw the "Silkworm Breeding Notes" in her hand onto the rattan chair and ran to open the door.

As Song Li pushed open the courtyard door, she asked Jiang Qingzhou, who had just jumped off the donkey cart, "Did it go well?"

"It went smoothly. I'll tell you in detail later." Jiang Qingzhou said and drove the donkey cart back home.

After Song Li closed the gate, Jiang Qingzhou washed and dried his hands, then took Jiang Huan who was holding out his hand for a hug, and said to Song Li and Jiang Qingye with a smile: "Come on, let's go to the main hall. I'll show you something good."

"Brother, what good stuff?" Jiang Qingye asked behind Jiang Qingzhou.

Jiang Qingzhou looked back at Jiang Qingye and replied, "You'll know in a moment."

Jiang Qingye hurried into the main room and placed a stool for Jiang Qingzhou, who was holding Jiang Huan, to sit down.

Jiang Qingzhou took out a heavy purse from his purse and handed it to Song Li, letting Song Li fall on the Eight Immortals Table.

Jiang Qingye stared at the purse in Song Li's hand, and copper coins fell on the table along with silver ingots and silver change.

The crisp sound of "rustling" filled the entire room.

Jiang Qingye excitedly covered his mouth to prevent himself from screaming. After a long while, he whispered to Jiang Qingzhou: "Brother, are these people selling silkworm cocoons?"

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and nodded.

Jiang Qingye rubbed his hands and continued to ask: "Brother, sister-in-law, can I touch it? I have never seen such a big silver ingot."

Song Li smiled and put two silver ingots into Jiang Qingye's hands.

Jiang Qingye touched the silver ingot in his palm, then smiled and weighed it, saying contentedly: "It feels so good to have the silver weighing heavily in my palm."

Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou laughed out loud at Jiang Qingye's words. Song Li held onto the eight-immortal table and told Jiang Qingzhou, "Qingzhou, go to the clinic tomorrow and ask if there's any soda ash. I read in a book that soda ash is needed when boiling cocoons."

Jiang Qingzhou quickly nodded in agreement.

During this rare leisure time, Song Li put Jiang Huan on the bed and let Jiang Qingzhou lie down and rest as well.

Jiang Huan's calves were kicking tirelessly as if they were equipped with two springs, and the bed board was banging against it with a clanging sound.

Song Li leaned over to Jiang Huan's ear and said, "Huan'er, don't kick for now. Your father rarely has a few days off. Don't disturb him, okay?"

Jiang Huan, who was nearly eight months old, naturally didn't understand. He still kicked his legs excitedly, and his hands kept shaking to the rhythm of his legs.

Song Li pretended to be angry and moved to the right. Jiang Huan turned his head to look at the frowning Song Li, smiled, turned to the right, and rolled back to Song Li's side.

Song Li moved again, Jiang Huan turned over again, and the mother and son started playing a game of cat and mouse.

Jiang Huan turned over and over excitedly, and finally grabbed Song Li's sleeve while yawning.

Song Li held Jiang Huan in her arms and fed him. After feeding, Jiang Huan fell asleep contentedly in Song Li's arms.

"Qingzhou, you go to sleep too." Song Li put Jiang Huan on the inside, pulled Jiang Qingzhou who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed and said.

Jiang Qingzhou opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Huan lying under the thin blanket and asked, "Are you asleep?"

"Well, it's time to sleep. You should sleep too." Song Li said as she stood up to make room for Jiang Qingzhou, but was pulled over by Jiang Qingzhou.

Song Li laid on Jiang Qingzhou's chest and asked softly, "Weren't you sleepy just now? Go to sleep."

Jiang Qingzhou reached out and took off the pear wood hairpin from Song Li's hair, played with Song Li's long hair and replied, "I was sleepy just now, but now that Huan'er is asleep, I'm not sleepy anymore."

Song Li bit her lip lightly and turned back to glare at Jiang Qingzhou. Jiang Qingzhou smiled, let go of Song Li, walked to the window and closed it.