The next day, Da Bao and Lin He brought the orchid cream they made to Cai Die Xuan. Uncle Wen found the fragrance of this orchid cream even more refreshing than the plum blossom cream, calling it a fine product. Uncle Wen also mentioned that Sister He Cai’s business was thriving, and if sales continued to rise for a few more months, he planned to open a branch in the county town.

Lin He agreed. For the poor, these fabric dolls were luxuries; such items would naturally sell better in larger settlements. Uncle Wen said he would decide on opening a sub-branch and its location after observing the sales stability over the next few months. Lin He left the decision to Uncle Wen, and once their business was largely concluded, they headed back.

At home, Er Niu did not go to the fields. Instead, he wandered around the village, inspecting the fish ponds. The village originally had several ponds, but after some villagers tried raising fish and failed, everyone deemed the ponds largely useless, and they fell into disuse. Some dried up during the drought, while others had been filled with all sorts of refuse, making them unsuitable for fish farming. They would need to create new ponds themselves. Ultimately, he decided that a plot of riverbank land near their home, about one mu in size, would be most suitable for digging a pond. The water source was close, and it would be convenient to collect fry from the river to stock the pond later.

Lin He also thought the plot of land was excellent—the size was appropriate. Once cleared, she suspected the cost wouldn't be too high. They could catch some fry from the river, and perhaps buy more if needed from the market.

For fish feed, they could gather wild grasses and supplement it with the excrement from their pigs and chickens, which wouldn't require much capital outlay, yet the profit from the fish could be quite substantial.

Everyone agreed. Er Niu then took some gifts from home to the clan elder’s house to discuss purchasing that piece of land. Since buying the field, Er Niu had become very adept at social graces, bringing gifts to the elder’s family during festivals and significant family events. The elder was genuinely pleased with Er Niu’s thoughtfulness.

Now hearing that Er Niu wanted to buy the riverbank land, the elder opened his mouth to speak, “Er Niu, what use would you have for that riverbank land? It’s surrounded by stones; it will be very difficult to clear. If you plan to buy land, you could choose some better plots.”

Er Niu caught the caring tone in the elder’s voice and replied, “Clan Elder, I intend to clear it and dig my own pond. I want to try raising some fish. That area is close to the river, making water diversion and so on much easier.”

Hearing that Er Niu intended to raise fish, the elder didn't press further. Everyone in the village knew Er Niu’s family had earned some money recently; he likely had his own ideas. The elder then said, “Er Niu, people in the village have tried raising fish before, but none succeeded. You must be certain of your ability. That land belongs to the village and has no specific owner. If you want it, it’s five taels of silver per mu. How large a plot do you need?”

Er Niu replied, “Mmm, thank you for your concern, Clan Elder. I’m just giving it a try. I need about one mu of land. When can you arrange for someone to measure it out?”

Seeing Er Niu was set on the purchase, the elder accepted the money and promised to find someone to measure the land that afternoon, with the deeds to be processed at the government office the next day.

Er Niu received the confirmation and returned home.

The elder was highly efficient. That afternoon, he brought a few villagers to measure out the land. He said Er Niu should accompany him to the town the next day to finalize the deeds at the government office so Er Niu could begin clearing the land.

However, it was exactly the start of spring. Corn needed to be planted in their own fields, and the rented fields had several mu of wheat that also required weeding. They suddenly found themselves too busy.

Lin He felt the same way. If her father and Old Man Qin were left to manage the fields alone, she didn't know how long it would take. She insisted that Er Niu hire some temporary laborers from the village, aiming to finish some tasks within two days, while not wasting time on the fish pond preparations.

Time, in that regard, was money. The sooner they could raise fat fish, the sooner they could start earning. Er Niu agreed with Lin He’s reasoning. Finally, the family agreed to offer thirty wen per day for labor, not including room and board, planning to hire about a dozen temporary workers.

Er Niu didn't know which villagers were available, so he went to find a labor broker—the same one Er Niu had used when buying the field previously. Hearing that the Er Niu family was offering thirty wen a day, the broker cheerfully said he could find as many people as needed.

The next day, the broker brought ten men. Seeing they were accustomed to farm work, and upon hearing the thirty wen daily wage, some even temporarily set aside their own household chores to come and work. The men brought by the broker were not talkative; they immediately followed Er Niu to the fields and began working with great enthusiasm, a dozen or so people suddenly immersed in labor.

After the temporary workers had been toiling for a while, Old Mrs. He, having somehow heard the news, dragged Qing Shan and Lin Da Jiang over. She found Er Niu and asked, “Second Uncle, what is the meaning of this? You hire people and pay such a high wage, two full days of work, yet you don't even ask your elder brother and nephew, two grown men, to help? What is your intention?”

Er Niu’s expression darkened slightly upon hearing Old Mrs. He’s words, but he replied coolly, “No, I thought since Sister-in-law’s family fields also needed tending at this time, I feared you all were too busy, so I didn’t inform you.”

Old Mrs. He laughed, “How much land do we have? Besides, don’t we still have me and Qing Shan’s wife at home? Your family has so much land; let them come help you. Our chores are nearly done. It’s thirty wen a day, right?” Saying this, she pushed Da Jiang towards Er Niu.

Er Niu glanced at his elder brother and, feeling genuinely embarrassed, said, “But I’ve already hired people; I have over a dozen temporary workers, and all spots are filled.”

Da Jiang and Qing Shan had been dragged along by Old Mrs. He. Initially feeling awkward, upon hearing Er Niu say that, Da Jiang nudged Old Mrs. He and whispered, “Maybe we should go back. Er Niu’s hired hands are full. We still have work to do at our own place.”

Qing Shan also felt embarrassed and whispered, “Yes, Mother, let’s go back.”

Old Mrs. He ignored them and continued speaking to Er Niu, “Second Uncle, you are going too far. I brought your elder brother and nephew here, and you won’t let them work, preferring outsiders over your own family. What kind of younger brother are you?”

Er Niu found it difficult to respond. His elder brother was standing right there; if he spoke too harshly, his brother would surely feel bad. At this point, Da Jiang seemed to sense Er Niu’s difficulty and spoke up, “Er Niu, if your spots are full, then forget it. I thought you might still need more hands when your sister-in-law brought us, so we came to look. Don’t trouble yourself. You go ahead with your work; we’ll head back now.”

Seeing his elder brother’s demeanor, Er Niu’s heart softened. His elder brother and sister-in-law were indeed different people; moreover, he was his own flesh and blood. Having an extra person or two in the field wouldn’t hurt; finishing faster would be better and save him the endless nagging from his sister-in-law. He said, “Elder Brother, you and Qing Shan can come along. More people mean we can finish sooner.”

Da Jiang confirmed once more, “Er Niu, perhaps I should go alone? Qing Shan should go back and work at his own home.”

Old Mrs. He interrupted, “Second Uncle said he needs people; you and Qing Shan should both go help.”

Er Niu nodded and said, “Come together, it’s fine, Elder Brother.” He even smiled to comfort his elder brother.

Hearing Er Niu relent, Old Mrs. He walked back happily, already calculating in her mind: two days of work for these two men meant over a hundred wen of good money! Working outside, the wage was only ten wen a day, and although food wasn't included, food only cost a few wen daily. This was a real windfall. If her own family didn't require them for the planting, she would have gone herself.