Chapter 257 - 172: New Year’s Gifts_1
After a rain in autumn, the cold sets in, and by the end of October, the temperature dropped suddenly, making the bleakness of fall all the more palpable.
The farm work in the fields was pretty much done, and the farmers, now having some leisure time, were looking for odd jobs to earn a little extra to ensure a comfortable year. This time of year was the best for hiring short-term laborers.
The Qian family’s third wife and the Wan family were both looking to hire short-term laborers to dig ponds. Because many workers were needed, not only did people from the nearby Huaxi Village, Darong Village, and Erliu Village come, but also people from neighboring towns.
The third wife’s family hired over sixty people, while the three other families hired fifteen people each. Along with this, they hired Madam Hua and a few other women to specifically cook for those digging the ponds. The families pooled their money together on a per-laborer basis and gave it to Madam Hua, who was responsible for all matters concerning food purchase and preparation. The food was cooked at her house, and once ready, it was carted to the work site.
Meanwhile, as the pond-digging was in full swing, the lotus roots in the Qian family’s third wife’s lake had also grown old and ripe. It was the best time for lotus roots, sweet and glutinous in flavor; as soon as they were harvested, they were taken away by Jinxiu Embroidery Workshop to be sold. In fact, the tender lotus roots had already started to be harvested in mid-August, but in small quantities.
Perhaps the water quality in her lake was better, for the lotus roots were larger, sweeter and had a better yield than those grown by others.
Over the course of the season, her six-mu lake produced more than 16,000 jin of lotus roots with more still in the lake, waiting to be harvested before New Year’s, projected to be a few thousand jin more. Altogether, this could amount to a harvest of more than 20,000 jin of lotus roots.
Because the quality was good, they sold for slightly more than others, at about five wen money per jin. Along with the fish from the lake, this could bring in a profit of more than 120 taels of silver.
Upon seeing the third wife’s family’s income, the big and second houses also felt that buying land and digging ponds had been the right decision.