CTF 0041

Xu Yin’s sister-in-law’s tailor shop thrived.

The first reason was because of how fashionable and fresh the clothes were. The clothes that they displayed attracted a lot of onlookers who ended up entering the stores and placing orders for the clothes that they liked.

The second reason was because of Xu Yin’s sister-in-law’s craftsmanship, which had improved by leaps. Her clothes now had much more delicate stitches and fewer loose threads, which made them more comfortable to wear than store-bought, ready-made clothes. 

A certain young female teacher initially just walked into the shop to look around, and couldn’t take her eyes off a red chiffon dress and a pleated short-sleeve blouse. She ended up buying them on the spot. 

She would have bought a couple more pieces if she had more money in her wallet.

Xu Yin’s sister-in-law was delighted, and her face was filled with a constant smile these days. 

With her improved mood, she had newfound energy and motivation to do things. She made more food nowadays, and in the evenings, she was also much more interested in having special time with her husband. She was previously always too tired after being busy all day. 

Xu Zhinian was pleasantly surprised at first and, afterwards, completely satisfied. 

He was only now fully experiencing the pleasures of a happy relationship. 

Their bond significantly deepened as a result.

Xu Yin was pleased with this development. 

A harmonious relationship between her brother and sister-in-law meant her successful escape from being a cannon fodder.

She helped her sister-in-law stabilise her tailor shop and accompanied her on several trips to the wholesale market in the northern part of the city. 

Once her sister-in-law gained more confidence in running errands alone, Xu Yin also purchased a large number of items from the system marketplace, exchanging them for reasonably priced local specialities in Tongcheng. 

She got some silverfish, white prawns, and June yellow lake crabs from the nearby lake, as well as sheep, ducks, geese, and various types of eggs raised around the area. She also stocked up on sheep wool felt, cashmere yarn, and various fabrics.

With the upcoming busy farming season, it was time for her to return home.

Even though her sister-in-law and her nephews were reluctant to see her go, there was no other choice and they couldn’t do anything about it

“My little sister is just going back home. When she has some time off in the future, she can always come back. You’re making it seem like a life or death separation,” Xu Zhinian was unable to hold back and commented to his wife.

“Do you have to comment on everything?” His wife glared at him. 

Xu Zhinian, realising he was in the wrong, rubbed his nose. His wife was getting increasingly fierce.

Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember how well his wife and younger sister had gotten along in the past, but they were not as affectionate with each other as they were now. 

His colleagues and superiors envied his harmonious family. Since his sister had arrived, she never clashed with her sister-in-law and even helped her set up a tailoring shop. In her free time, she went to help with purchases and sewing. There weren’t many biological sisters who could say that they’d done as much for their sister, let alone other sisters-in-law. 

“Ah, if only your sister could stay here,” they had said to Xu Zhinian. Which of them didn’t have an eligible relative? They’d all thought about making a match for Xu Yin with their relatives. 

“Don’t even think about it. My sister is going to university,” Xu Zhinian scolded them. They’d better show some respect!

In any case, his wife and younger sister had a good relationship, and he was the one benefiting the most from it. He should be very grateful for it. 

Xu Zhinian carried his sister’s luggage, which had been packed by his wife, on his shoulder and took his sister to the train station.

“The luggage is too heavy. Let me check it in for you. Be safe on the way, take care of your luggage, and send a telegram once you’re home so you don’t make your sister-in-law and me worry.”

“Alright.”

The past few days have been quite lively in the Xu family’s village.

Through word of mouth, people in nearby villages had learned that many people in the Xu family’s village were raising fish in their rice fields this year. 

At first, most people considered it just some novelty that the people of the Xu family’s village were wasting their money on. Who would have thought it would work?

“Guobang, these fish must be close to a pound now, right?” 

Xu Guobang’s rice field was relatively close to the village road. After seeing that his family’s fish had grown that big in just three months, the villagers couldn’t help but show envy.

“About a pound and a half.” Xu Guobang scooped up a large carp and showed it to the onlookers. “And this isn’t the biggest one; there’s a grass carp that’s even larger.”

“Looks like you’re going to make a fortune this year, Guobang. How many fish did you raise?”

“Six hundred.” 

Xu Dajiao grinned from ear to ear.

Today, her family was draining the water and harvesting the fish. Their whole family had come to the field. Their pants were rolled up high, and they all worked together to chase the fish toward the drainage outlet.

“We bought 600 fish fry. However, I estimate that we’ll probably only be able to harvest around 90%. That’ll already be good, though. The fish had trouble adapting to the environment at first, and some of them died.”

“90% is still a lot. If each fish averages a pound, that’s over five hundred pounds. What’s the average price of fish now?”

“A few days ago, Yellow June fish from Hutang were selling for sixty-five cents a pound. I think your fish would be around the same price, maybe even a bit higher, probably around seventy-eight cents a pound.”

Some villagers teased, “Ah, Dajiao, just with these fish, you could earn three to four hundred yuan.”

Xu Dajiao smiled. “Don’t talk nonsense! Do you think fish fry doesn’t cost anything? Plus, not every fish weighs a pound. There are some smaller ones too, didn’t you see?”

“There aren’t too many smaller ones; overall, you’re still in for a good profit.”

“That’s right! If only we had all started raising them too!”

“It’s too late! I’ve always been saying that Yinyin is smart and we’ll be wise to listen to her. How would she be admitted to university otherwise? You all wouldn’t listen to me, though…”

“Hey! Then why didn’t you insist on it? We said we wouldn’t do it and you followed us!”

The villagers continued talking about it. They all regretted not raising fish, along with Xu Guoshun—Xu Yin’s father’s family.

“Speaking of Guoshun’s family, they don’t have a lot of fish, do they? Only half of your family’s fish.”

Xu Jianjun walked over towards them. He said, “More than half. I heard Yinyin mention that her family released a total of 268 fish fry of three types, but her fish are better than ours. The biggest one weighs over two kilograms.”

“Wow!” everyone exclaimed. “She raised a fish that’s heavier than two kilograms in just three months? How did she do it? Hutang Village can’t raise such a big fish even in a year.”

“The secret is in the fish feed.” When someone passed him a cigarette, Xu Jianjun wiped his hands and took it. “Yinyin found a special recipe in a book. When you decide to raise fish, I’ll tell you. Without her recipe, you’ll probably only get them to about four to five hundred grams in three months. Yinyin also mentioned that having a larger living space for the fish means a better living environment, making it easier to raise them. When we plant the late rice seedlings, I plan to separate them. We’ll put three to four hundred fish per acre, which might be a bit more work with changing the water, but it’ll be worth it.”

“Hey! Jianjun, do you want to raise more fish in the next rice season?” Everyone’s eyes widened when they heard this. Not only did he seem to imply that his family was going to raise fish again, but also that they’d be raising more.

Xu Guobang had three sons and four grandsons. His family was thriving. They had around eight to nine acres of paddy fields. If they were to use all of it for growing rice and raising fish…

Well, it’d be hard to say how big the profit that they’d get!

Xu Jianjun smiled calmly. “Of course! I plan to cultivate rice and raise rice paddy fish every year, maintaining a two-season cycle. I think I’ll earn enough to match a factory worker’s income by the next Chinese New Year.”

He really planned to do this.

Of course, the idea was instilled in him by Xu Yin.

In the past, the reason many thought farming work wasn’t promising and rushed to work in the factories in the city was primarily due to poverty and food insecurity. But if you could both grow rice for sustenance and raise fish to make money, with rice filling your stomach and fish filling your pockets, who would still be eager to work in a factory?

However, Xu Jianjun only dared to think these things silently for now. Otherwise, he might end up getting a scolding from his parents. They’d spent money on his night school education. However, in the end, he still returned to the village to farm. Wouldn’t that be stupid?