Chapter 33: Partnership
Li Xuedong went up the steps and peeked inside, his eyes widening in surprise.
Before Li Xuedong could ask, Li Xiaonan pushed him, “Let’s go inside first!”
“How do we get in?” Li Xuedong asked, pointing at the tightly packed egg baskets.
Li Xiaonan ducked back inside and fell silent.
Li Yin Zhu stood close to Li Xiaonan, cautiously glancing at her eldest and second sisters standing side-by-side outside the threshold.
“We’ll have to move one basket out,” Li Yu Zhu said with a sigh, looking around.
“Let’s move this basket, and then shift those few, and we’ll be able to squeeze through. Once we’re past the west wing room door, we can walk along the wall,” Li Jin Zhu said, examining the egg baskets carefully and pointing at them.
Li Xiaonan and Li Xuedong watched with bated breath, one on each side. Li Yin Zhu and Li Yu Zhu carefully lifted a large basket of eggs. Li Jin Zhu held the basket, directing them to lift it higher, to the left, to the right, and then placed the large basket of eggs right next to the threshold.
Li Jin Zhu steadied the basket and shook it a few times. Once it was firmly in place, she breathed a sigh of relief, stepped over the threshold, and stood in the gap left by the egg basket. She carefully moved another egg basket, then another, and another. She worked up a sweat but finally cleared a path.
Li Yin Zhu quickly squeezed in after her. Li Yu Zhu watched Li Xiaonan and Li Xuedong go through, took a deep breath, and followed through the narrow passage to the side room door.
Li Jin Zhu led the way, with Li Yu Zhu at the rear. The five siblings lined up, holding their breath, pressing close to the wall. They went around the west wing to the main hall, and then from the main hall into the kitchen in the east wing.
Fortunately, the large water vat was in the kitchen. The Li family’s water vat was always full. In Pingjiang City, households had drainage systems in their courtyards. The drainage for this house was right by the kitchen door. Even though the courtyard was piled high with egg baskets, it didn’t hinder washing vegetables or cooking.
Li Yin Zhu tended the fire, Li Yu Zhu prepared and washed vegetables. Li Jin Zhu started steaming the rice. Li Xuedong stood at the kitchen door, tiptoeing to count how many egg baskets were in the courtyard. Li Xiaonan sat next to Li Yin Zhu, and the two of them, feeling guilty, dared not make a sound.
“Let’s stir-fry some eggs,” Li Jin Zhu said after starting the rice. She walked to the door, took two eggs from a large basket, hesitated, then took two more. Just as she was about to turn, she reached for two more.
“Eldest Sister, there are so many,” Li Yin Zhu stretched her neck to watch and couldn’t help but remind her.
Only six eggs, not enough for her to eat alone! So many eggs!
Li Jin Zhu turned her head and shot Li Yin Zhu a stern look. Li Yin Zhu immediately ducked her head back, not daring to make a sound.
Li Jin Zhu looked at the eggs filling the courtyard, sighed, brought over a large bowl, and squatted by the egg baskets, cracking fourteen or fifteen eggs in one go.
“It’ll use too much oil,” Li Yu Zhu said, unable to help reminding her when Li Jin Zhu reached for more eggs.
“Then let’s steam them! Steam a large bowl of egg custard!” Li Yin Zhu quickly chimed in.
Li Jin Zhu and Li Yu Zhu both turned to look at Li Yin Zhu.
Li Yin Zhu immediately ducked her head and neck back.
“That’s all. Any more and we’ll be stuffed,” Li Jin Zhu said, taking the bowl of eggs and chopping scallions to start stir-frying the eggs.
After they ate, it was already dark. Li Yu Zhu took out a small lantern that had never been used, lit the oil lamp inside, and carefully moved it to the courtyard entrance, hanging it on the courtyard gate.
The five Li siblings sat in the kitchen, facing the small lantern at the courtyard entrance. Li Jin Zhu sighed, “Let’s discuss it. What should we do?”
“I think doing preserved egg and salted egg business is a good idea,” Li Xiaonan said, being the first to express her opinion.
“We don’t know how to make preserved eggs, and the salted eggs eldest sister pickles don’t taste good either,” Li Xuedong said softly.
“If we really want to make preserved eggs, we’ll need to add more capital,” Li Yu Zhu said, frowning.
“Do you really think this business can work?” Li Jin Zhu asked Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan nodded repeatedly. “How about this, let’s take a few baskets of eggs and sell them to the market. The money we get can be used as capital for the preserved egg and salted egg business. That way, even if we lose money, we won’t lose our own capital.”
“Just because these eggs didn’t cost us any money doesn’t mean they aren’t valuable?” Li Jin Zhu said with a frown, reprimanding her.
“There are too many eggs, and there are only three of us, we can’t handle it all. If we really want to do this, we’ll need to hire people. Also, Sister-in-law Yin, we can’t just have her help us make preserved eggs and salted eggs for free, we have to give her money too, right? How much money should we give someone like her?” Li Yu Zhu thought more and more about how many things there were to consider.
“Whether our preserved eggs and salted eggs taste good will depend entirely on Sister-in-law Yin. I think, instead of giving Sister-in-law Yin money, we should partner with her in this preserved egg and salted egg business. What do you think?” Li Xiaonan suggested.
“How would we partner? What about the capital?” Li Jin Zhu asked, looking only at Li Xiaonan.
“We’ll have to discuss this with Sister-in-law Yin and see what she thinks.”
“Then let’s go now,” Li Jin Zhu said, standing up.
The eggs filling the courtyard weighed heavily on her heart. If they didn’t come to an agreement soon, she definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Li Yu Zhu and Li Yin Zhu stood up to follow.
“I’ll go with Xiaonan. It’s not good if too many people go. Xuedong, don’t worry about this. Go study; your schoolwork is important. Yu Zhu, go to bed first. Yin Zhu, watch the eggs,” Li Jin Zhu instructed her younger siblings. She and Li Xiaonan, holding their breath, went out the courtyard gate and headed towards Sister-in-law Yin’s house.
“Is Sister-in-law Yin home? I’m from the Li Xiucai family next door,” Li Jin Zhu said, standing on the steps of Sister-in-law Yin’s courtyard gate, knocking and calling out loudly.
“Coming, coming,” Sister-in-law Yin responded. “You focus on your writing, don’t look outside!”
Sister-in-law Yin came running out and opened the courtyard gate. Li Jin Zhu greeted her and first introduced Li Xiaonan with a smile: “This is my little sister, A Nan. She’s literate; her brother taught her. My sister and I have come to ask for your advice on making preserved eggs and salted eggs.”
“It would be best if we could find a quiet place to talk,” Li Xiaonan said, glancing at the old woman peeking out from the opposite courtyard gate.
“Then come in, we can talk here.”
Sister-in-law Yin invited Li Jin Zhu and Li Xiaonan into the main gate, closed it halfway, then ran inside and brought out three small bamboo chairs.
“The rooms on both sides of my house are used for storage and not for living. It’s very quiet here to talk, please sit,” Sister-in-law Yin explained with a smile, gesturing for Li Jin Zhu and Li Xiaonan to sit.
“Have you discussed it? Are you planning to do the preserved egg business?” Sister-in-law Yin asked directly and efficiently.
“Yes, my sister and I have come to discuss with you about our two families doing this preserved egg and salted egg business together. What do you think, Sister-in-law?”
Sister-in-law Yin was straightforward, and Li Jin Zhu was equally direct.
Sister-in-law Yin paused, then instinctively said, “Our family’s warehouse is already too busy…”
“We want to partner with you entirely, not with your family’s business,” Li Xiaonan interrupted Sister-in-law Yin.
Sister-in-law Yin frowned.
“How many children do you have, Sister-in-law? How old are they? Where do they go to school? If they don’t understand anything, tell them to find my brother. We’re so close, it’s very convenient,” Li Xiaonan continued with a smile.
Sister-in-law Yin leaned back, glancing at Li Xiaonan, who was smiling broadly, and said to Li Jin Zhu, “Your sister is very clever.”
“Yes, she’s very smart. Xuedong’s teacher said if she were a boy, she would definitely pass the Xiucai scholar exam,” Li Jin Zhu quickly replied with a smile.
“Oh! That’s impressive!” Sister-in-law Yin looked at Li Xiaonan carefully.
“Putting other things aside, her knowledge of Investigation of Things is even better than her brother’s,” Li Jin Zhu added.
“My Da Bao says Investigation of Things is very difficult!”
“If Da Bao doesn’t understand anything about Investigation of Things, he can ask me. He’ll definitely understand once I explain it,” Li Xiaonan said confidently.
“This Xiaonan really knows how to talk,” Sister-in-law Yin chuckled.
“When Xuedong doesn’t understand Investigation of Things, he always asks A Nan,” Li Jin Zhu quickly added with a smile to support her.
“Really? This Xiaonan is indeed more and more clever the more I look at her. Should I really let my Da Bao come find you?”
“Yes, yes!” Li Xiaonan nodded vigorously. “If we partner up and do business, we’ll be like family. I’m fifteen this year, how old is Da Bao?”
“He’s only eleven.”
“Then I’m the older sister, and this older sister has no responsibilities to shirk,” Li Xiaonan declared, puffing out her chest.
“This Xiaonan is truly likable,” Sister-in-law Yin smiled, reached out to pat Li Xiaonan’s head, and looked at Li Jin Zhu, saying, “So, how do you plan to partner?”
“How do you think we should partner, Sister-in-law?” Li Jin Zhu asked back.
“Let’s forget it for now,” Sister-in-law Yin leaned back against the chair back, causing the small bamboo chair to creak. “I’m busy from morning till night, how could I have the time? Don’t worry, I’ll definitely teach you how to make preserved eggs wholeheartedly. I’m telling you, making preserved eggs is very easy. This Xiaonan is so smart, she’ll surely learn it quickly.”
“Doesn’t your family have any servants, Sister-in-law? If you earn money yourself, you can hire a couple of servants to help you with household chores,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
Sister-in-law Yin burst out laughing. “You little girl, you have quite a big mouth. Do you know the price of buying or pawning people? How can you say that?”
“Can’t the preserved egg business earn enough to pawn two people?” Li Xiaonan retorted.
Sister-in-law Yin was stunned and didn’t speak.
“We just came from the countryside. None of our relatives have ever done a preserved egg or salted egg business. If we partner up, everything will be decided by you, Sister-in-law. My sisters and I will all follow your instructions. We’ll do this business however you say it should be done. Right, Eldest Sister?” Li Xiaonan continued with a smile.
“Yes, yes, we’ll all listen to you, Sister-in-law,” Li Jin Zhu quickly nodded in agreement.
Sister-in-law Yin looked at Li Xiaonan, then at Li Jin Zhu, and hesitated.
Li Xiaonan and Li Jin Zhu watched her, holding their breath slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, Sister-in-law Yin looked back at the brightly lit main house, lowered her voice, and said, “This is not a small matter. I need to discuss it with Da Bao’s father.”
“Alright! Then we’ll go back first. I’ll bring you some eggs tomorrow, Sister-in-law,” Li Jin Zhu said, pulling Li Xiaonan to her feet.
An author who can’t grow vegetables isn’t a good leader.
