The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 741 - 740: Ambition

Chapter 741: Chapter 740: Ambition

Jindou had some hesitation, "To get Yellow Pine Mushrooms is a matter of luck, moreover, when my aunt initially signed the contract with Boss Zhang, it was to provide three jin of Yellow Pine Mushrooms to Boss Zhang per year, which is why he signed the contract with us. Now that aunt has moved to the city, we still don’t know where to get those annual three jin of mushrooms..."

Jinhoo’s expression darkened, "What big brother is saying makes no sense. Let’s not even talk about whether I have the luck to find those mushrooms; even if I do, how much can I really get? Not to mention our mother and aunt, what about uncle father? Have you forgotten, if it wasn’t for the medicine uncle father begged for, our father would still be lying in bed. Would we have the good days we’re having now? What did we say when we thanked him? Has it only been a few days and you’ve already forgotten?"

"If a man is so ungrateful, who would dare do business with our family? I know you’re worried, big brother, but even if Boss Zhang doesn’t take our mountain produce this year, does that mean there are no other buyers? Not to mention Boss Zhang was introduced by our aunt!"

Jindou’s face turned red, "It’s not that I’m unwilling, I’m just worried—"

Jinhoo sneered, "I know what you’re worried about now. Is it because you see uncle three and uncle four’s families living a more prosperous life these days, and you’re feeling anxious? Big brother, you haven’t thought it through. What’s our family’s current well-being attributed to? As long as we do our mountain goods business well, our whole family won’t have to worry for a lifetime! All the rest, those are just minor benefits."

"Could aunt three and aunt four really support the family with just embroidery and hunting? Haven’t you thought about it, how old are we, and how old are uncle three’s kin, Jinpan and the others? If we can help the family do business now, we’ll get a larger share of the profits. Jinpan and the others are young, they need to study now, which is the most expensive period, and uncle three has always been loose with money. Have you forgotten how much it cost for uncle two to study? Aunt three hasn’t embroidered for years, and she’s only started again because she foresees the high expenses in the future."

"As men, we must stand strong and support our family! Letting the women of the house worry about the livelihood, that’s not what a man should do. When we get married, are we supposed to marry embroideresses and hunters? A grown man who can’t even support his own wife and kids might as well not bring misfortune upon an innocent girl!"

At these words, Jindou was rendered speechless.

It was Wang Yongfu who broke the tension, "I think what Jindou is saying makes sense! A man has to support a family. Although our lives look tough now, it’s much better than before! Besides, you’re both almost adults and can help earn money for the family. Uncle three’s siblings still have their spending years ahead! If we get through these next few years, our family’s life will certainly become more prosperous!"

"Once the mourning period is over, father will find two good matches for you brothers, so you can marry two girls to your liking. In a few years, I can hold my first grandson. Only then will life have a direction!"

Jindou found it difficult to respond to these words; he couldn’t very well say he didn’t want a wife. Which teenage boy wouldn’t want a wife?

For a moment, he couldn’t help showing an expression of longing.

But it was Jinhoo who decisively said, "Father, even after the mourning period, I’m not in a hurry to find a wife to bring into the home. I’ve thought about it, once the mourning is over, I first want to find a virtuous sister-in-law for big brother to manage our home, so we can rest assured and focus on business."

"After that, I want to go out and explore. We might just be making a mere hard-earned income by selling to Boss Zhang. If we can take our mountain goods to sell in other cities, wouldn’t all the profit go to our family?"

Saying this, Jinhoo’s young face revealed a brimming ambition.

Since returning from Qi City, even though he didn’t get many chances to go out when he was there, he had still seen the prosperity of Qi City.

What was commonly found in the countryside, and sold for just a penny here and there in larger quantities in the town, was considered rare in the city, where the price could be marked up several times over.

He had thought then that if such worthless items became so valuable once they left the countryside, what prices could the mountain goods that came from deeper within the mountains fetch if sold outside?

Having inquired carefully about the prices of mountain goods, Qi City wasn’t too far from Qilidun, and the prices of the goods had more than tripled, it seemed that even a blade of grass could fetch a high price in the Provincial Capital or Capital City.

From that moment, Jinhoo had a goal in his heart—after running the family business for a couple of years, accumulating some capital, and becoming familiar with the trade, he would definitely try to travel far and sell those mountain goods from the hills to the outside world, to Capital City!

Wang Yongfu and Jindou were both startled by Jinhoo’s ambition.

Jindou spoke up first, "Hey, second brother, have you lost your mind? It’s good enough that we can deal in mountain goods and purchase them. We also earn quite a bit, as long as people come to buy our goods every year, we can make money. Why bother making trouble for yourself and going outside? Those city folks out there, every one of them is as cunning as a sieve, can we outplay them?"

"Besides, those traders are experienced in their business, we can’t just barge in and take over their business. Do you think they will let our family off easily? In my view, it’s best to be honest and just stick to our Qilidun, to our Shiqiao Town, life is passable here! Why go out and make unnecessary trouble? Wouldn’t it be terrible if we end up losing money?"

Wang Yongfu had not expected his second son to have such aspirations and, hearing Jindou’s words, he also felt that Jindou made sense.

Their business relied on their little sister’s skills, and they didn’t have many connections.

If the second son really wanted to do business outside, not to mention anything else, the amount of silver needed would be significant. If they ended up with losses, the family didn’t have that much silver to waste on the second son’s ventures.

So, he frowned and said, "Enough! You’ve just learned to walk, and now you’re thinking about running? It’s better to be honest and reliable. If we do our business well, supporting our whole family won’t be a problem, and we don’t have that much spare cash for you to squander! You’re grown up enough to get through mourning, hurry up and take a wife, and have a few grandsons for your father to hold! Where are you getting these fanciful ideas?"

Jinhoo, who was initially excited, felt his enthusiasm cooled by the continuous opposition and rebukes from Jindou and Wang Yongfu.

Despite his dissatisfaction, he held back his words.

Only bowing his head, he muttered, "I’ll get ready and head up the mountain tomorrow. Dad, keep an eye on mother, don’t let her stir up any trouble!"

With that, he turned and left.

Watching Jinhoo’s dejected figure, Jindou felt somewhat pitying and looked at Wang Yongfu, "Dad, I’ve seen second brother harboring this thought not just for a day or two, why not—"

Wang Yongfu cut him off sharply, "Why not what? Does our family have spare cash for your second brother to throw away? After mourning, don’t you have to take wives? Don’t you have to raise children? Which doesn’t cost money? Our family doesn’t own a mountain of gold or silver for the second son to waste!"

"But second brother—"

"He’ll come to his senses in a few days. Aren’t we satisfied with how things are now? What else is there to stir up? What if we lose what we’ve built, and the whole family ends up on the winds of the Northwest? When Laosan and Laosi have their prosperous days, if our first house has squandered everything, how will our first house ever hold its head high?"

Hearing Wang Yongfu speak like this, Jindou dared not say more, only watching Jinhoo’s retreating figure with worry...