"A thousand, plus five more vats half a man tall." He can't be less courageous than his little granddaughter, right?
Li Da and his wife Yang exchanged a glance, "Brother Liu, I can do it, but you're ordering this many to do business, right? Trading is risky. If not careful, you'll lose big. How about this? Order a little less first, and
when you're sure there's a head start, you can order an additional batch. When you've gotten a big deal, I'll produce more for you then!"
"Hai, you're still worrying about me," Grandpa Liu and patted Li again on the shoulder, "I ordered the jars to actually brew something. It's no big deal if the business doesn't work out. We'll just consume it ourselves. A thousand, go ahead and fire it for me."
Li Da sighed, "Okay, a thousand wine jars plus five large vats. I'll make them for you within ten days! Tell me what else you want, and I'll take note of it."
"The wine jar is the size of half a catty. Nothing else is required, I can trust your handiwork!"
"Alright, it just so happens that I have quite a bit of clay left here, enough for it. We're all going to seal the kiln anyway. I'll give it as a gift to Brother Liu. Just give me some firewood money."
"This shouldn't be, Li Da! It's whatever price it should be, you have to provide for your family too. If I were to take advantage of this, are you trying to make me uneasy for the rest of my life?"
"You're being stubborn, and just don't listen to others!"
"I'm stubborn! I, old man Liu, don't like to take advantage of people and owe them favors. This is, this is my principle!"
"I'm all about to seal the kiln, and all that clay is a waste. So can't I just give it to you?"
"No, you can't!"
The two old men were red in their faces as they glared at each other, while Liu Yusheng pursed her lips and snickered at the side.
But she felt that these two men, who are about a hundred years old, are too cute.
Yang also couldn't stand the deadlock and went forward to round the field, "Stop arguing, the both of you! We'll sell them to Brother Liu at a lower price so you won't feel indebted to us and we don't lose. That's it then. Brother Liu, we'll really feel like you're treating us like outsiders if you're so serious!"
Only then did the two old men lay down their flags.
"This kind of wine jar is quoted at 3 wen. I'll give it to you at 2 wen. Don't argue, it's not a loss. The large jars are more expensive, 30 wen each; totalling to 2150 wen. I'll take 200 wen as your down payment, hurry up and get lost!" Li Da calculated everything and began to drive someone away. To dispel the congestion in his heart, he added, "Nannan can stay, let her accompany me and my wife."
Grandpa Liu counted two hundred wen and stuffed it into Li Da's hand, and picked his own granddaughter in a flash, "Coveting my Nannan, I'll kill! Let's go!"
"Huh! Come and pick up the goods in ten days, and pay the rest of the money once your business is done!"
"Don't worry about it! Why do you look down on me? It's not like I'm going to lose money on my business, this old man will show you how it's done!"
Liu Yusheng poked her head out of the old man's arms and waved her hand at the Li couple, "Uncle, aunt, don't seal the kiln, it will definitely prosper in the future!"
"Okay, Nannan is blessed, we'll definitely be fine in the future." Yang joyfully looked at the little toddler who waved to them, and the more she looked, the more she liked her.
No wonder Brother Liu's family pampers their little girl like the apple of their eyes.
This child is warm-hearted.
Out of the door, Grandpa Lu's lofty and magnificent halo moments ago vanished in an instant, and his feet felt weak as he trudged on the road.
Did he really, like, order a thousand wine jars?
"Ahem! Nannan, our wine will sell, won't it?"
Liu Yusheng nodded her head hard, her little titular voice booming, "Sure can!"
"A thousand…is not many, right?"
"Not much! A thousand isn't enough to sell!"
"Well, Nannan is right. A thousand of such good wine will definitely not be enough to sell. Your grandpa has a long-term vision and will plan ahead. Let's set it a thousand at a time so that when the time comes, we won't have too much in our hands for insufficient preparations!"
"Grandpa is the best!" The little kiss from Nannan was like a pin in the heart. Grandpa Liu's bent waist straightened up again in an instant.
If unsold, drink it by themselves! The three of them can drink everything together for a year, so they don't have to spend money on alcohol!
When they returned home to break the news, the other members of the family were again struck dumb.
Then each scattered and to do their own work.
Grandpa Liu stood there stupefied. What is this? Silent protest? Silent condemnation?
Grandma Liu rolled her eyes, "What are you doing, go to work! After ordering so many jars, are you not going to work hard to do it right? Whether it works in the end or not, how can you three men with your hands and feet and your strength let the women and children starve to death? How big a deal!"
"…." Who was the one who didn't even dare to make a decision in the first place? Grandpa Liu's heart finally settled down. He inched closer to his wife's face and whispered, "Wife, you're still as beautiful as ever."
The old woman hastened to push the old man away with one hand. Her wrinkled face was a little red accompanied by her scolding, "Get away! Nannan is watching! This old shameless man!"
She spat and turned around, heading to the vegetable patch behind the house.
"Nannan, grandpa was just complimenting your grandma!" With a dry cough, Grandpa Liu struggled hard to put on a serious expression.
Liu Yusheng also nodded solemnly, "Nannan knows, grandpa praised grandma!"
"Yes!" Grandpa Liu glanced towards the back of the house and raised his voice, "Grandpa boasted that Grandma is the best!"
Behind the house, Grandma Liu, who plucked a young vegetable seedling by mistake, murmured something secretly with a smile brightening her whole face.
Over the next few days, the days went back to business as usual.
In the morning, Liu Yusheng would often follow her grandfather, father, and second uncle to the fields and covertly released some Lingquan (spiritual spring water).
The vegetable patch at the back of her house was also the focus of her care. The vegetable seedlings a few days ago have now grown into a lush greenery that would soon be ready for the table.
Occasionally, she would accompany her father to the back of Xinghualing Mountain to see the grape grove and take notes of the growth of the grapes.
The family also cleared out a utility room in the west wing, where the large jars will be stored.
Even the cellar has been reorganized to make as much space as possible for the wine jars.
Ten days flew in a flash, and the three Liu family members went to pick up the goods, pulling the Li family's wagon back and forth a dozen times, before all the jars were moved back.
Such a big commotion naturally also caused shock and curiosity in the village. Many people came to the door to pry for news, all were sent back by Grandma Liu saying that they're going to brew something at home.
The family is working on something new, so the two brothers, Liu Zhixia and Liu Zhiqiu, did not go out after school, which was rare. They would linger around the wine jars, touching here and there.
"Zhixia, Zhiqiu! I've come to play with you!" Outside the door, Dabao yelled at the top of his lungs while running in.
"What brings you here?" Liu Zhiqiu asked.
"You still ask. Since you both refuse to come out, of course I'll have to come and see you." Dabao grumbled and then followed suit, reaching out and touching the wine jars, "I just saw the little lunatic at the village entrance … Axiu. He just sits on top of a boulder in front of the woods without speaking or playing with us, he's really weird."
T/N: Going back to the currencies, I must have used copper coins before. That should be Wén – A string of 1000 wén = one tael (liǎng)