Chapter 322: Reborn in the 90s: The Tyrant Flower Chapter 323 — Old Father, Not Entirely Without Merit

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

The inverted donkey went *squeak-squeak-creak-creak* on the way back. Passing the Song family courtyard, she could see from afar that the warehouse frame was already up — four meters wide, eight meters long, walls built plumb, beams in place, and several people were on the roof laying oilcloth paper. Song Qingshan stood below directing; Chai Youqing and a few others were handing things up.

Chai Mi parked the cart at the doorway, didn't go inside, and walked straight to the Song family courtyard wall: "Uncle, pretty fast!"

Song Qingshan turned back, a smile on his face: "Mi's back! Not bad, beams are on, once the oilcloth paper is laid and nailed firm, then mud is plastered over the edges to seal them, the roof's done. Window and door frames can be installed this afternoon, tamp the floor inside, and it's finished!"

Chai Mi looked at the nascent warehouse, a weight lifted in her heart: "Hard work for Uncle and you brothers."

"What hard work, it's our own family's job." Song Qingshan waved a hand, signaling this thing was being done at his own house, so Chai Mi could rest easy.

Chai Mi nodded, didn't say more. She returned home; Su Wan and Chai Xiu had already made lunch. Chai Youqing was back too, head down washing hands and eating.

Today the big fellows ate at Song Qiushui's house, but Chai Youqing didn't eat.

Of course, that's just how he is.

He just likes eating at his own home.

What can Chai Mi do?

At the table, Chai Xiu shoveled rice while saying: "Sister, you're going to the breeding farm this afternoon, take me along? I want to see what those many chickens look like."

"What would you go for? Stay home honestly, watch Little Third, help Mom cook." Chai Mi picked up a bite of food with her chopsticks, "The warehouse wraps up this afternoon, Dad you go keep an eye on things after eating, help mix mud, pass tile knives. Tonight you treat our family to a meal."

"Mm." Chai Youqing answered, then suddenly lifted his head, looking at Chai Mi, "That fried chicken... really sold?"

"Sold." Chai Mi glanced at him, "Seventeen."

Chai Youqing lowered his head, shoveled two mouthfuls of rice, didn't speak again. But Chai Mi saw his hand gripping the chopsticks seemed to tighten.

After eating, Chai Mi and Song Qiushui tidied up a bit, prepared to go to the breeding farm. Pushing the inverted donkey out the door, Chai Youqing happened to be heading out too.

"Dad, you're going to the warehouse?" Chai Mi asked.

"Mm." Chai Youqing answered, footsteps pausing, as if making a huge resolve, voice a bit hoarse, "That... tomorrow's fried chicken... need firewood split? I... I'll come back tonight and split extra..."

Chai Mi froze a moment, looking at her father's somewhat stooped yet awkwardly persistent back.

Helplessly sighed, a few seconds later, gave an "Mm."

Chai Youqing this person, though he has plenty of faults and flaws, is not entirely without merit. Chai Mi also remembers Chai Youqing actually lived frugally himself, it's not that Chai Youqing spent the money himself or anything.

Rather, Chai Youqing didn't do proper work, which led to the family being poor.

Chai Youqing belongs to the type who has no proper business, all day either researching some Confucian-Mencian way, scheming to become a petty official, or helping Chai Zhongxiao do labor.

But everyone also knows.

With Chai Youqing's ability, he can't even manage a household well, let alone be a village chief or such?

Chai Youqing's self-awareness is slightly insufficient. He feels others don't work hard helping Chai Zhongxiao, so he'll do it.

So, his impoverishment is deserved.

Of course, these are all character flaws.

Chai Mi knows Chai Youqing can't change, but also knows Chai Youqing actually lived very bitterly for many past years.

Raising Chai Mi herself didn't cost much money, Chai Mi mainly ate many meals at her maternal aunt's home. But raising Xiu'er cost no small amount.

Chai Xiu is purely a damn thing...

"Have to give Xiu'er a talking-to."

Chai Mi thought, so she called Chai Xiu over.

Chai Xiu wore long sleeves today, red, still what Chai Mi bought yesterday.

Person damn fresh.

"Cough cough... Xiu'er. From now on, your dad, you have to respect him a bit. I can not respect him, you have to respect him. I heard people say, that day you imitated me, scolded our dad?"

"No... how could it be. Eldest Sister, you're making trouble out of nothing, pinning a shit basin on me." Chai Xiu started quibbling: "How could I dare scold our dad?"

"Besides, Sister... do you have evidence? Speaking requires evidence..."

Chai Mi stretched out a hand, pointing at Chai Xiu's forehead: "I still need evidence? Dad himself went to handle wood, it's definitely you secretly inciting from behind. Family has these few people, if Mom said it, Mom would definitely have gone along. I didn't say, so it was you who did it."

Chai Xiu denied to the death.

Chai Mi didn't press Xiu'er too hard: "Dad has a pile of faults, I grew up, can earn money now, occasionally saying a few sentences to him is for his own good. What grounds do you have? Back then Grandpa and Grandma said, if the second child is a girl, to avoid being fined, have another son, those few masters all wanted to give you away."

Chai Mi sighed, told Chai Xiu about Chai Xiu's childhood.

When Chai Mi was ten, Mother was pregnant with Chai Xiu. As is universally known, as Grandfather and Grandmother, Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong, their preference for sons over daughters was extremely severe. And wanting a son was also what Chai Youqing and Su Wan wanted. Because they already had Chai Mi, having another son would make a son and daughter both.

Locally, having both a son and a daughter is good fate.

But whether what's born is a son or a daughter, nobody's say counts.

This isn't like later generations, when technology is more advanced, able to tell male or female through imaging. And back then who would send Su Wan to the hospital to check?

They just treated whatever Su Wan did as her duty, and couldn't possibly spend money to let her go to the hospital. In Chai Zhongxiao and the others' eyes, spending money on childbirth was bizarre.

Of course, earlier text also explained, this has a lot to do with Chai Youqing's uselessness and blind loyalty. For example, Che Lianyun gave birth at a hospital.

But Su Wan couldn't.

When Su Wan gave birth to Chai Mi, it was at home. Result: before Chai Xiu was to be born, this group moved crooked thoughts.

And crooked in a very bizarre way.

The Chai family people are indeed abstract, and each one is very abstract.

At that time, as one of the few intellectuals in the family — Chai Chunwei, she had just been married a little over a year, had a son, also lived in the city, she started coming back to her mother's family to say, after this son was born, her living treatment was extremely good. Also spoke of how good having a son is, and put forth a rotten idea: said, take Su Wan to the city to give birth, this way, if a girl is born give her away, unknown to gods and ghosts, afterwards let Su Wan stay in the city a year or half, then ask Chai Youqing for another child, wait for a son to be born, then return home, this way no one would know the born child was once given away. Of course, if a son is born, then all's well.

This idea theoretically sounds not bad.

Also perfectly suited Chai Zhongxiao's wishes.

Chai Zhongxiao prided himself on being a person of standing in Sanjiacun, and moreover was deeply versed in the Way of Confucius and Mencius; giving away a newborn child would certainly contradict that persona.

However, if it were done without gods or ghosts knowing, in a situation where absolutely no one knew, giving away a newborn girl — that way, they could avoid outsiders' gossip.

This plan was actually not told to Su Wan, and the most critical step in implementing this plan was that when the child was born, they needed to go to the hospital in the city.

But, this family was simply fucking abstract.

When the day for Su Wan to give birth to Chai Xiu approached, Chai Youqing had no money, and the others didn't put up money either.

This led to the situation where, when Su Wan was in so much pain in the morning she could barely take it and was about to give birth, this group of people only then hypocritically thought about going to the hospital.

But it was very obvious that by this time, it was already too late to enter the city.

They just went to the township clinic and gave birth.

After Chai Xiu was born, the whole group was in a dilemma.

Chai Zhongxiao felt that giving the child away at this time would definitely be known by someone, but if they didn't send her away, who knew if they'd have more daughters in the future — keep having, keep raising, could they afford it?

So Chai Zhongxiao didn't speak.

Wang Huirong said to give Chai Xiu away, and Chai Chunwei also thought so.

At that time, Chai Youqing was uncharacteristically righteous for once in his life, refusing to the death. He said it was his own daughter, he would raise her himself.

"So, our dad, on this point, treated you pretty well, at least he didn't have the heart to give you away."

Chai Mi said.

Chai Xiu blinked, pouted and said: "Sister, I actually feel our dad treated me okay. Treated you passably too, but the core problem is, he... does things in a rather cowardly way. He might not have been doing it because he cherished me, but because he was forced by circumstances, so I don't really appreciate it. Of course, since you said it, I won't talk about our dad anymore."

Chai Xiu thought a bit and said again: "Old Man is now so hungry she can't even eat, Dad's thinking is wavering. I feel, the three brothers, sooner or later, are bound to fight. The head-broken blood-flowing kind, you'd better be careful."

"Not your business to think about, don't think. You go take a lunch break." Chai Mi had no mind to listen to Chai Xiu babble: "I still have to make a trip to the small town this afternoon, today the fried chicken sold pretty well, counts as a good start. I'll go buy some more live chickens."

Chai Xiu oh-ed and obediently went to take a lunch break.

Chai Mi, having nothing much to do, also dozed for a while.

Chai Mi estimated the time, hadn't slept long before she climbed up. She still had to go to the breeding farm in the small town this afternoon, yesterday's fried chicken legs sold well, she had to hurry and finalize the supply. She nimbly put on her coat, glanced at Chai Xiu curled up at the end of the Kang sleeping soundly, and quietly left the room.

The courtyard was quiet, Su Wan holding the third child dozing in the shade. Chai Mi didn't disturb them, pushed the inverted donkey out the door herself. Just out the courtyard, she saw Song Qiushui rushing over energetically.

"Chai Mi! Let's go! What are you dawdling for! How come you didn't come call me?" Song Qiushui asked with a yawn.

"Just came out, I was a bit tired today, fell asleep." Chai Mi straddled the seat, "Just right, saves me going to shout for you."

Song Qiushui whooshed and jumped onto the inverted donkey.

"Today the fried chicken legs really sold well!" Song Qiushui was still savoring it, "You didn't see those half-grown boys, their eyes turned green, pooling money to buy one and share gnawing it! Three yuan, they actually forked it out!"

"Mm, the start's not bad." Chai Mi looked at the road ahead, calculating, "Quantity was still too little, tomorrow need to fry more. Once the storage room is fixed up, we'll do the fried chicken there, spacious place, saves the house from oil smoke."

"That's great!" Song Qiushui agreed, "That Wang Laoban looks pretty easy to talk to, going to order more chickens today?"

"Order for sure, but the price still needs pressing." Chai Mi had a bottom line in her heart, "These two days we didn't use much, so didn't bargain with him, gave at the native chicken price, but his chickens grow fast, low cost, our volume is large, there's room to negotiate."

Chatting all the way, they soon arrived at the breeding farm in the city suburbs. Still that Wang Laoban, directing people to load cages onto the truck. Seeing Chai Mi and Song Qiushui, he piled a smile on his face: "Yo, Miss Chai Mi, Miss Qiu Shui! How was it? Yesterday's chickens eat okay?"

"Good! Wang Laoban, flavor's authentic!" Song Qiushui rushed to say, "Today the student kids went crazy buying! Three yuan each, sold seventeen or eighteen!"

Chai Mi nodded, took over: "Wang Laoban, chickens are indeed not bad, meat tender, fry fast too. We plan to take long-term, volume will only get bigger. Look at this price..."

Wang Laoban rubbed his hands: "Aiya, Miss Chai Mi, look at my chickens, they eat proper feed, epidemic prevention all up to standard, cost isn't low either. First batch, those ten I still gave you, this wholesale price... five yuan a catty, how about it? This is my sincere price!"

He quoted a price slightly below market retail, but far above Chai Mi's expectation.

Current native chicken market price is six or seven yuan. First two times Chai Mi also gave at this price.

Chai Mi cold-laughed in her heart, face unchanged: "Wang Laoban, five yuan a catty? Your chickens leave the pen at a hundred days, each at least four or five catties, cost you know yourself. You're treating us like monthly-subscription fools..."

She paused, looked at Wang Laoban: "Like this, let's both be real. I'll pre-order five hundred chickens, two fifty a catty, deliver fresh daily according to our needed quantity, caught and delivered on the spot. We'll pay part deposit first, then settle payment every three days. If you think it works, we'll sign a simple IOU. No good, we'll just have to find another place, or collect some free-range chickens in the village to make do, just meat's older and uses more oil." Chai Mi spoke soft with hard inside, gave a choice, also left room.

The smile on Wang Laoban's face stiffened.

This fucking cut straight to the aorta.

He hesitated a few seconds, finally slapped his thigh: "Three fifty, delivery included. We sell at two fifty right at home, you still need delivery over there, that's labor and oil money... three fifty works, you order five hundred, pay some deposit."

"Deal." Chai Mi also felt this price was acceptable: "Rest assured, Wang Laoban, we're small business, what we talk about is credit. In a bit, we'll sign an IOU."

Chai Mi breathed a sigh of relief, "Today give us twenty first, spirited ones. Money together in a bit."

"Hao la!" Wang Laoban was also straightforward, called people to go catch chickens.

Song Qiushui listening on the side clicked her tongue repeatedly, waited for Wang Laoban to walk away a bit, then lowered her voice: "This chicken is half cheaper than the free-range chickens sold in our village... he wouldn't be losing money, would he?"

"Losing money?" Chai Mi curled her lip, "You don't understand, this thing grows big, tops our home free-range chickens by several sizes, unit price cheap but a whole chicken is still expensive. And our volume is large, he saves worry. Win-win thing."

Twenty lively white feather chickens loaded into cages, tied behind the inverted donkey. Chai Mi paid the deposit, agreed with Wang Laoban on daily morning delivery time and place. Business handled smoothly, both in good mood, rode back.