Chen Guizhi nodded. “As long as you know what you’re doing.”
Lu Liu instantly perked up.
Mother didn’t want Er Tian and the others working either!
When sorting the mountain produce, they placed large round winnowing baskets on wooden stools. Bag after bag of goods was emptied into the baskets. People sat around the baskets, each with a bamboo basket at hand.
The best-looking items were picked out, transferred to another basket, and placed on the rack to continue drying.
The poorer-quality ones were fine for chopping into cubes for sauce. They were set aside, waiting for an empty basin to soak in. Once soaked, they’d be washed, diced, and set aside for later use.
Lu Liu was skilled at sorting and truly industrious. When asked if he was tired, he always said yes, yet even when seated, his hands never stopped moving.
Seeing this, Chen Guizhi’s tone softened.
“You’re so different from your brother.”
Lu Liu chuckled. “My brother’s smarter than me. Since I’m not quick-witted, I just work harder.”
As the saying goes, diligence makes up for lack of talent; the slow bird must fly first. He must work hard!
Chen Guizhi said she would teach him things—the mundane skills of daily life. It wasn’t like starting school, with primer books and learning character by character.
Her teaching mirrored how Lu Liu learned to read: first mastering characters needed immediately, learning by necessity.
She told Lu Liu, “Our household is busy—anyone can see that. There just aren’t enough hands to manage everything. You’ve heard it yourself these past days: many people have jokingly probed us, asking if we need help. My old friends aside, even Dafeng had several brothers come by—the same group from the rice cake-making—asking if he wanted to team up again.”
Lu Liu knew all this; he’d overheard it in the kitchen.
He had few friends in the village. Yao Fulang lived nearby and often dropped by to help with odd jobs. Miao Xiaohu, who lived in the new village, also came frequently, saying he wanted to ask Lu Liu about rabbit breeding.
Lu Liu hadn’t been raising rabbits long. Even if his rabbits thrived, it wasn’t worth teaching others yet. He needed more time, longer, to raise several more litters and see rabbits in various situations before he could share experience. Besides, it was about making money.
Then, recently, he’d made overtures to Chen Fulang. Though he hadn’t gotten kind words, Chen Fulang started coming by more often.
Perhaps his mind and heart still disliked Lu Liu, but his stomach had made its choice. Between the mountain village and the new settlement, he’d seen both sides. Among all these households, only Lu Liu’s place was thriving and promising. Could he really push away the God of Wealth?
Lu Liu waited obediently for further instructions, but Chen Guizhi didn’t tell him how to choose. Instead, she said, “The person leading the group must be someone everyone trusts. What does it mean to be trustworthy? It’s not that you stir-fry sauce, so they follow you stir-frying sauce, or you raise rabbits, so they follow you raising rabbits. It’s about believing in your ability, knowing that following you will lead to a better life. They must also trust your character—knowing you’re fair, impartial, and free from favoritism. They must believe you have backbone, that you stay calm under pressure and steady the group’s resolve. Among these, the most crucial is trust in your fairness and impartiality.
“You must never show bias or play favorites. Money matters are most dangerous when unclear. If accounts can’t be settled cleanly, even the biggest deal will fall apart. If you can uphold this principle and show genuine resolve to feed everyone, even the smallest venture can unite people.”
Lu Liu listened intently, making a mental note and reflecting on whether he possessed such qualities.
The family’s business ventures were still too diverse and numerous. Even they themselves couldn’t tell which ones were sustainable or most profitable, let alone outsiders.
The current prosperity was just silver pouring out—they hadn’t recouped their investment yet. When good times felt hollow, others naturally lost trust.
A backbone—Lu Liu lacked a backbone. He panicked when faced with decisions, needing someone else to make the call before he could act.
Fairness and justice… when it came to dividing money, he would stick to his principles. If it wasn’t his silver, he wouldn’t take it.
To put it this way, he still had a long way to go before he could become a leader.
A little while later, Li Feng returned after fetching water. Seeing the two chatting so well, he came over and sat down.
“What are you talking about?”
Lu Liu smiled at him and explained, “Mother’s teaching me how to be a leader.”
Li Feng wanted to learn too.
Chen Guizhi asked him, “Tell us how you lead.”
Li Feng: “…”
His mother really was something—he hadn’t even warmed the seat yet.
Li Feng’s experience was half taught by his mother and half learned through trial and error. With Lu Liu, he didn’t mince words, explaining it bluntly.
“Leading means making sure people eat their fill, earn their money, and live to spend it.”
As for selecting and recruiting people, Li Feng had his own set of principles.
“They must be fearless, obedient, willing to work hard, and able to endure hardship.”
“Hmm…” Lu Liu hesitated. “Does that mean my operation involves life-and-death situations?”
Li Feng countered, “What exactly do you need here?”
Lu Liu had his own ideas. First, they had to be trustworthy. Second, they had to be obedient—otherwise, if he gave one order and they argued back ten times, he’d never get anything done.
Then there was diligence and a willingness to endure hardship. This work was truly grueling.
Beyond that, he hadn’t thought much further.
Chen Guizhi told him, “All that talk is just empty words. You need to focus on what you know how to do to grasp the real meaning. You can cook, you’re skilled with seasonings, and you have a good sense of proportion. Now treat our family’s business as the main dish. Pick out some spices to add to it and hone that sense of proportion in your heart.”
Lu Liu finally felt a glimmer of clarity.
Truth be told, he’d been muddling through lately. Many people sought him out, yet he never knew what to probe for or how to select the right candidates. Even conversations left him stumbling.
If cooking were the analogy, their little shop was a balanced dish of meat and vegetables.
This dish was reliable and economical. With connections, it could steadily accumulate wealth over time.
Like the common dishes at home, eating a mix of meat and vegetables meant more greens than meat. It wasn’t fancy, but it definitely filled you up.
Mountain produce was about living off the land, comparable to the cured pork at home.
Buying meat is like abandoning the fundamentals to pursue profit; salting it for preservation is like fronting money for consignment sales.
The expense is painful, a heavy burden. A whole plate of meat is a rare treat, usually just a small cut to savor the freshness. Paired with vegetables, they complement each other.
Rabbit was wild game hunted—not always available, but never absent, a welcome addition.
When it came, they feasted and made a profit. When it didn’t, they still got by.
Mushroom paste was simply a dish of pickled vegetables.
These were hard times. In household management, this pickled dish was indispensable. It went well with rice, and with it present, one less side dish was needed. Day by day, it added up to silver. The profit was thin, the labor arduous.
Lu Liu thought slowly, spoke slowly. As he continued, he saw approval and encouragement on the faces of Li Feng and Chen Guizhi. Gradually, he found courage and arrived at his answer.
“Given our family’s current situation, we can manage other dishes, but pickles are truly bitter and exhausting. The profit margin is slim—it’s hard-earned money. We could bring in partners. The volume is too large for us to handle alone. Offer them a sweet deal, let them earn a little extra. Then our little shop can thrive, and we can collect more mountain produce. These two dishes are the main course!”
As for raising rabbits, that would have to wait. It required long-term experience to refine the process—breeding litter after litter, extending the rabbits’ lifespans so they could keep growing, bearing young, and producing offspring.
The male rabbits would be sold once grown, while the females would be kept for breeding. That was for the future.
For now, their main focus is running the small shop and the mountain produce business well.
Lu Liu spoke with evident joy in her eyes.
Last time we met, Brother said we should keep partners few and workers many.
Making mushroom paste isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t yield much profit anyway. Others learning the craft isn’t the problem—the real challenge is finding places to sell it.
Take the mountain goods before him—everyone in the village could make them, but who actually sold them for a good price and made a fortune?
Lu Liu said, “Mother, I’ve thought it through. Mushroom sauce isn’t a big business, so we don’t need many partners. If the brothers who make rice cakes want to join, let them come. I have a few friends here too who want to join. This is a labor-intensive operation. The money isn’t great, and once we start plowing and planting, some will surely drop out. Let’s run it for half a year or a year, see how things go in each area, and count how many families stick around. Then we’ll set up a workshop together.”
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