The Eunuch Has A Wife - Chapter 18

Seeing that they remained silent, Bai Li sighed and said, “This year’s rainfall has been a bit excessive, and the soybeans from the manor are shriveled and not plump enough, so they haven’t been selling well. I’m sorry to trouble you, cousin, but this is really the only option we have. What do you think?”

What do we think? Not much!

Bai Zhi remained silent for a while before asking, “Brother, do we have any other options? If we were to buy the seeds, how much would they cost?”

Bai Li smiled and replied, “Cousin, you can go out and ask about the price of seeds. But let me remind you, if you can sell these soybeans, the manor will provide you with free seeds for any crop, in any quantity, for as many years as you need. How you weigh this decision is up to you.”

Was this a choice or not?

Bai Zhi fell silent again. Although she didn’t know the price of seeds, judging by Bai Li’s expression, it would likely be a significant expense. They had four acres of land, and they would need a lot of seeds in the future. It seemed like agreeing to sell the soybeans would be the more cost-effective option.

As she hesitated, a sudden thought struck her, and she turned to Wei Ziwan: “You’re in charge of the household finances, so this decision is up to you.”

Bai Zhi thought of her empty money pouch and felt a rare sense of relief. Whoever holds the money handles the matters.

Wei Ziwan pursed her lips. This eunuch really knew how to shift responsibility.

After a moment of thought, she turned to Bai Li and said, “Brother, you mentioned that the soybeans are shriveled compared to previous years, so the market price can’t be set at six hundred coins per dan. How about this: we’ll calculate the cost at five hundred coins per dan. If we sell at a loss, we’ll cover the difference. If we make a profit, the extra money will be our reward. What do you think?”

Bai Li was taken aback. Since when did they start bargaining?

Wasn’t the reward the free seeds in the future? Why ask for additional compensation?

However, recalling his father’s instructions, he realized it wasn’t entirely unreasonable. So he straightened his expression and said, “Alright, we’ll do as you suggest.”

The matter was settled, and in no time, Manager Lu efficiently arranged for the twenty bags of soybeans to be delivered to their residence.

Bai Zhi looked at the twenty bags of soybeans piled on either side of the door and turned to Wei Ziwan. “How are we going to sell these? How much can we make?”

Wei Ziwan blinked. “How would I know? That’s for you to figure out, husband.”

“Me?” Bai Zhi pointed at herself in disbelief. Was this troublemaker joking?

After all that confident bargaining, she had no plan?

Wei Ziwan smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, husband. I’ll help you think of something.”

In that situation, they didn’t have a better choice. Reducing the cost by a hundred coins per dan was the best deal she could negotiate.

As for what to do next? Well, she hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“What if we lose money?” Bai Zhi was stunned. Now she didn’t feel so relieved anymore.

Such a large sum—could they even afford to lose that much? Would selling her cover the loss?

Wei Ziwan, as if reading her mind, said with a sly glance, “If we lose money, we’ll just hand you over to the manor.”

Your uncle and cousin wouldn’t actually sell you.

But since the words were already spoken, they had to do their best to keep their promise.

So they couldn’t afford to lose!

Bai Zhi frowned and shook her head. “No, we’ll hand you over instead. You’re worth more than me.”

She glanced at Wei Ziwan and added guiltily, “If it really comes to that, don’t worry. I’ll work hard in the fields to earn enough to buy you back.”

Wei Ziwan: “…” Worth more? She couldn’t believe this eunuch’s nonsense!

“Husband, instead of arguing over who’s worth more, why don’t you think about what to do next?”

Bai Zhi rolled her eyes. Did she not want to think of a solution? She just couldn’t come up with one!

The sun was warm, and it was almost noon. The two of them still hadn’t come up with anything.

It wasn’t until lunchtime, as Bai Zhi ate the food on her plate, that a sudden idea struck her. “What if we sell the soybeans as food?”

Wei Ziwan smiled knowingly. “Like turning them into tofu?”

Bai Zhi smiled. She had to admit, this troublemaker was quite clever at times. Maybe she wasn’t just all looks.

“Exactly. Let’s go find out the price of tofu.”

Wei Ziwan’s lips curved. “Alright.”

Being unfamiliar with the area, they instinctively went to Aunt Chen, who was in charge of their daily needs.

Aunt Chen listened carefully to their request and answered, “The market price for a pound of soybeans is about twenty coins. A pound of tofu sells for ten coins. One pound of soybeans can make about five pounds of tofu.”

So, twenty coins’ worth of soybeans could be turned into five pounds of tofu, which would sell for fifty coins. That’s a profit of thirty coins per pound—more than double.

Bai Zhi’s eyes lit up, and a hint of joy appeared on her face.

Wei Ziwan, however, wasn’t so quick to celebrate. She nodded and asked, “What about the cost of making the tofu?”

Aunt Chen, as if expecting the question, answered without hesitation, “Making tofu requires gypsum powder. If you hire someone to grind the tofu, you’ll have to pay wages. Renting the manor’s mill also costs money. All in all, the cost of grinding one pound of soybeans is about forty coins.”

Wei Ziwan’s heart stirred. That meant there was still a profit of ten coins per pound.

Bai Zhi, listening to the exchange, calmed down. She suppressed her excitement and thought more carefully. “How is tofu usually sold? Are there other costs involved?”

Aunt Chen glanced at Bai Zhi before lowering her head again. “If you have connections, you can deliver it to merchants. Otherwise, you’ll have to carry it around and sell it yourself. Hiring someone to sell it would also cost money.”

Bai Zhi paused. Connections? They had none.

Hiring someone? They had no money.

As for carrying the tofu around and selling it herself, she looked at her own arms and legs, then glanced at Wei Ziwan.

Wei Ziwan, feeling Bai Zhi’s gaze, had a sudden sense of foreboding. She looked up and stared at Bai Zhi.

Bai Zhi, however, averted her gaze and said vaguely, “How strong are you, Ziwan? Do you think you could handle carrying the load?”

How strong was this troublemaker? She really didn’t know. But she knew her own strength wasn’t up to the task.

Wei Ziwan smiled slowly and asked, “Husband, do you think I can handle it?”

Bai Zhi pursed her lips and said in an even softer voice, “I’ll go with you, walking the streets and calling out to customers.”

If she got tired, she could help carry the load too.

Wei Ziwan was almost amused by the absurdity. She stopped smiling and said in a dangerous tone, “Since you’re so capable, husband, why don’t you do it all yourself? You can keep all the profits. I won’t take a single coin. How about that?”

Bai Zhi looked at Wei Ziwan’s face, trying to figure out if she was serious or just angry.

She felt even more guilty and hesitated before saying, “Maybe… we should think of another way?”

Wei Ziwan glared at her and said nothing more.

Aunt Chen, sensing the tension, tactfully stepped outside.

Bai Zhi glanced at Wei Ziwan’s displeased expression and then at Aunt Chen standing outside. She walked over and closed the door.

Turning back to the table, she said in a low voice, “Don’t you think Aunt Chen seemed to know we’d come to ask her about this?”

Wei Ziwan glanced at her. “She probably got instructions from your cousin. He must have guessed we’d consider making tofu and wanted to kindly let us know the difficulties.”

“What do we do now?”

“What else can we do? Think of another way.” Wei Ziwan walked to the table, sat down, and poured herself a cup of tea, sipping it slowly.

Bai Zhi sat on a nearby stool and poured herself a cup as well. “Does your cousin expect us to just sell the soybeans at the market? But what’s the point of all this?”

If that were the case, the manor could have done it themselves. Why involve them?

It felt like they were being given a test, and their answer would determine something.

But what was Bai Li’s goal with all this indirect maneuvering?

Wei Ziwan frowned in thought, then said meaningfully, “It seems like a test. Maybe he’s interested in you?”

Wanted to see what this eunuch was capable of?

It didn’t seem to make much sense.

“Interested in me? For what?” Bai Zhi was full of confusion, unable to understand the reasoning.

Wei Ziwan frowned. “If there’s a motive, it’ll reveal itself eventually. Right now, the most important thing is: what do we do with these soybeans? Thinking of turning them into food is a good idea, but tofu is too common. Dishes made with tofu are also too common.”

Especially since every step required hiring people or renting equipment. After deducting costs, it was almost pointless.

Bai Zhi frowned. She knew tofu was too common, but aside from making dishes, what else could they do?

She took a sip of tea and suddenly stopped, staring at the teacup in her hand.

What else?