Li Mingtang could only sigh, looking glum.

But people’s hearts are hard to fathom. Although Li Gengtian had spoken righteously to his Third Uncle, he was actually a bit sour inside. However, he had seen more of the world than others, so of course he wouldn’t go around saying the Zheng Family was heartless—there was no reason to.

After his family had also butchered their pig, Qingmu and Zhang Huai came over to buy some pork.

After the meat was weighed and the silver was paid, Qingmu sat down on a small stool and smiled at Li Gengtian. "Uncle Li, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about."

Li Gengtian quickly smiled back. "Go ahead. If there’s anything you need your uncle’s help with, just say the word. Seeing how well your family’s business is doing, I can’t imagine you have any troubles, do you?" As he spoke, he gestured for Zhang Huai to sit down as well.

Qingmu smiled. "This is actually what I came to talk to you about. About our family making sausages... we originally planned to tell everyone about it. But right now, we’ve only just started selling them in Qinghui County, and the demand isn’t very high yet, so we didn’t want to make a big fuss. Instead, we directly raised the price we pay for pork by two cents a jin, as a way to compensate everyone. Next year, when everyone raises more pigs and the sausages have made a name for themselves, I want to open a workshop dedicated to making them. Every family in the village will have a share."

Li Gengtian’s eyes widened. "Qingmu, are you serious?" he asked, pleasantly surprised.

Qingmu smiled. "Of course I am. One jin of pork only yields about six or seven taels of sausage after drying, and it takes a lot of effort and ingredients. We work hard, and while we can make some money, it’s not easy. That’s why we didn’t tell everyone the method before the workshop was up and running. We were mainly afraid of gossip, that the recipe would get leaked."

Understanding suddenly dawned on Li Gengtian, and he finally understood the Zheng Family’s intentions. He couldn’t help but feel ashamed of his own petty thoughts. ’How could I have been so envious of them making money, without even stopping to think from their perspective?’

He spoke to Qingmu with great sincerity. "I understand what you mean now. After all the trouble of making the sausage, you only earn so much per jin. If you told everyone and the method got out, that would be a huge loss. By raising the price of pork, you’re basically giving everyone free money. Sigh... The villagers don’t understand. They just see your family making money and get jealous, but how could they think of all this? Don’t worry, I’ll explain it to everyone."

Zhang Huai chimed in, "The main thing is that the demand for sausages in Qinghui County isn’t high enough yet. Otherwise, we could have opened the workshop this year. Once the business in Qinghui County grows, the workshop can be built right away. Actually, we’re mostly waiting on Changyu. As long as he can make a name for himself in Qinghui, we won’t have to worry about selling our sausages, spicy cabbage, acorn flour, and chrysanthemum tea. We can’t rely solely on the Chen Family’s restaurant."

Qingmu nodded as well. "That’s why I came to talk to you, Uncle Li, and ask you to explain it to everyone. Our family can’t get rich on its own—don’t we rely on everyone raising pigs to get meat for the sausages? Changyu can’t get rich on his own either—he needs the things our village produces to have something to sell. And your responsibility, Uncle Li, is even greater—the village depends on your leadership to plant more trees, raise more fish, and grow more bamboo and flowers, so that our future can get better and better."

Li Gengtian was so moved he was on the verge of tears. He suddenly felt that he had truly gotten old—his vision and his open-mindedness were no match for these two youngsters in front of him. ’What a meticulous plan, and what a bright future it promises!’

He was silent for a moment, calming his turbulent emotions. Then he said to Qingmu and Zhang Huai, "You two have thought this through so well. I won’t waste time on pleasantries. You just go ahead and do what you need to do with confidence. If any of the villagers have ideas, I’ll be the one to guide them. Next year, planting trees, raising fish, growing flowers and vegetables—we’ll tackle it all, one thing at a time. Even if sales aren’t great in the first year or two, we’ll get everything ready. At the very least, we have to plant those acorn trees in advance."

Qingmu smiled. "That’s exactly right. We’ll see how the acorn saplings do next year. If they’re good, we can plant quite a few next spring."

The three of them discussed the plans for next year a while longer before Qingmu and Zhang Huai finally left, carrying the pork on a shoulder pole.

After the two had gone, Li Mingrui turned to his son, a thoughtful look on his face. "So? What do you think?"

Li Gengtian sighed. "I’m no match for them. Those two kids are going to go far. If what they say comes true, this isn’t just about one or two families getting rich—our whole village is going to prosper."

Li Mingrui nodded. "You don’t have to sigh. That boy Qingmu is right—no one can get rich all by themselves. He’s got vision. He knows he can’t succeed without Changyu and your support. Your role in all this is huge."

Li Gengtian rubbed his cool hands on his cheeks and gave a bitter smile. "It’s not that I feel useless. I’m just amazed that they could be so thoughtful at such a young age. Even Changyu, who’s studied for so many years, was only thinking about how to make money when he first told me he wanted to go into business. He never thought like Qingmu and Huai Zi, planning things out so everyone is included, one interconnected step after another, ensuring everyone benefits."

Li Mingrui leaned against the foot warmer, a small brazier in his hands. He warmed them for a moment, then clasped them together and rubbed. He looked up at the gloomy sky outside, remaining silent for a long time.

After a good while, he finally said to his son, "Look at the sky. It’s so cold, and making sausages is no easy task. Like Qingmu said, you have to carefully mix the seasonings, chop the meat, and stuff the casings. After that, you have to take them in and out to dry every day, and a jin of meat only yields six or seven taels of sausage. Even if they make a little money, it’s money they’ve earned through hard work. It’s ridiculous that your Third Uncle and the others are still grumbling when they’re being given an extra two cents a jin for free."

Li Gengtian felt deeply ashamed upon hearing this. ’I was jealous too,’ he thought to himself. ’I just put on a good face and said the right things, so nobody knew.’ (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation.)