The Lucky Farmgirl

Ms. Qian was not willing to take a big risk, but she wasn’t averse to taking any risk at all. After weighing her options, she finally decided to take out some money to buy a flatbed cart.

The household lacked one, and since Manbao had started going to school, her opportunities to go out had become more frequent. Having a flatbed cart at home would also be convenient. Even if this business venture didn’t work out, the cart could still be used, so it wouldn’t be a loss.

However, she was not very keen on buying a large cauldron. She said, "We have a large cauldron for boiling water at home and a smaller one, which is sufficient for stewing and boiling things. If we buy another one and don’t need it later, wouldn’t that be a waste?"

She continued, "A large cauldron costs more than three hundred coins. If the business goes as well as it did today, then fine, but what if it doesn’t?"

Erlang then asked in distress, "Then what do you suggest we do? Second Sister-in-law and I can’t just go into business empty-handed, can we?"

After a moment’s thought, Ms. Qian said, "This business won’t succeed overnight. You have to first go check out the location and even greet the local constables. So, tomorrow morning go to your uncle’s house, ask to borrow a large cauldron and take along two pounds of meat. Tell them you’ll borrow it for two months, and also speak to your second uncle to ask if he can look after your uncle’s need for hot water during these two months."

Ms. Qian, always careful with money, said, "There are plenty of pots and pans in the house. Bring more of those; they can also be placed over the fire to heat."

Erlang happily agreed. As long as he had a way to get the business up and running, he wasn’t eager to spend money either.

Manbao felt it was too troublesome and discussed it with Wulang, "It’s so troublesome. We might as well take the money and buy the cauldrons for Second Brother ourselves. It’s best to buy two, a large and a small one, the small for stewing and the large for making broth."