Rebirth Married The Control group Fulang Chapter 97 Part 2

       Zhang Shicheng wanted to keep playing with the children, but their attention had already shifted entirely to the baby birds. They wriggled their legs, demanding to be put down.

　　"Don’t touch the baby birds, understand?"

　　The two little ones nodded obediently, and only then did Zhang Shicheng put them down. As soon as their feet touched the ground, they surrounded the bird’s nest, squatting side by side and chattering away in a language even Xu He sometimes couldn’t understand.

　　Zhang Shicheng watched the two chubby children squatting there, feeling reluctant to leave, but eventually returned to chopping wood.

　　Zhang Fangyuan shook his head: "Since fourth uncle loves his grandchildren so much, why doesn’t he just take these two for a while?"

　　"They’re too lively. My old bones can’t handle them."

　　"Then find a husband for Xiaomao sooner. You’ll get to hold your grandchild earlier."

　　Zhang Shicheng glared at Zhang Fangyuan, scolding him for being disrespectful, but deep down, he was already happily imagining it. However, he was too embarrassed to say it out loud, so he changed the subject.

　　"Speaking of which, why are you hoarding so much firewood? It’s not as profitable as hoarding grain and selling it in Wojiang County. You might still make some money there."

　　Zhang Fangyuan replied, "I’m hoarding firewood for the winter, and I also plan to make charcoal."

　　Zhang Shicheng had been busy irrigating the fields these past few days and only now had time to help chop wood for a couple of days.

　　Hearing Zhang Fangyuan’s explanation, he was even more puzzled: "It’s so hot it feels like sitting in a stove. Why are you hoarding charcoal?"

　　"Fourth Uncle, haven’t you noticed that after a summer drought, there’s usually heavy snow in winter? It’s too late to hoard grain for sale, so why not make some money from charcoal?"

　　Zhang Shicheng chopped at a dry tree trunk: "It’s true that summer droughts often lead to cold winters, but it’s not always the case. It’s just a coincidence. You should hoard some, but don’t overdo it. If this winter turns out to be as warm as last year, not only will charcoal sell cheaply, but no one will buy it."

　　Zhang Fangyuan smiled: "Just trust me. I know what I’m doing."

　　The Zhang family spent the entire summer chopping wood and making charcoal.

　　There was a severe drought this year. Although Siyang City was not affected by the drought to the point of having no harvest, the harvest was greatly reduced compared to last year.

　　The farmers quickly finished gathering their crops, and many were seen carrying baskets through the harvested rice fields, picking up any leftover grains.

　　"I lost money, we sold too early. The price of rice in the city has gone up another five copper coins. If we had waited, we could have made more money."

　　"Ah, Wojiang County suffered a severe drought. After barely surviving the summer, they were hit by a locust plague in the fall. It’s really tragic. With poor harvests everywhere, how could grain prices not rise?"

　　"Now that grain prices are so high, why not sell more?"

　　"I don’t dare sell now. I should have listened to Zhang Fangyuan."

　　The villagers returning from the city chattered away, while those still in the fields gathered around to hear about the situation in other counties. The news of the disasters left everyone feeling uneasy.

　　"You are still standing around and chatting? The Zhang family just announced they’re buying charcoal. Anyone can sell to them, but the price is slightly lower than the market price, ten copper coins per catt."

　　Suddenly, a villager carrying a chopping knife and heading up the mountain shouted this news as he passed by.

　　The villagers fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Is it true? Don’t spread rumors!"

　　"Who would joke about something like this? If you don’t believe me, go ask the Zhang family yourself!"

　　With that, the villager went on his way.

　　The villagers immediately erupted into discussion: "What is Zhang Fangyuan up to? He’s been gathering firewood and making charcoal for over a month, and now he’s buying more!"

　　"Who cares what he’s doing? I’m going to check it out! This year’s farming season was short, and I’ve been worried about having nothing to do. If I can find some work with the Zhang family, that’d be great."

　　Xu He noticed more and more people coming to inquire about the situation. Even though they had spread the word, many still came to the house to confirm, finding the whole thing a bit unbelievable.

　　The Zhang family’s front and back yards were already piled with thousands of pounds of firewood. Now, they had dug several earthen kilns behind the house to make charcoal. They no longer needed to go up the mountain themselves to gather more wood.

　　Zhang Fangyuan was pleased with the enthusiastic response from the villagers and planned to invest more money into the venture.

　　"What’s wrong? Are you still worried?"

　　He looked at Xu He who was somewhat lost in thought. While Zhang Fangyuan was confident in his plan, others, not knowing the whole story, naturally thought that he was a little unreasonable.

　　Xu He, however, had only hesitated briefly when Zhang Fangyuan first mentioned the idea. After hearing his explanation, he had wholeheartedly supported him, which moved Zhang Fangyuan deeply.

　　"I'm worried, but since we’ve already started, let’s take the gamble."

　　Although Xu He was also afraid of ending up with too much charcoal that they couldn’t sell, he calculated that they would always need charcoal in the winter. With so much stock on hand, they could always open a charcoal shop and sell it slowly.

　　The only downside was that it would take a long time to break even, and they wouldn’t make much profit.

　　As he watched the villagers coming and going, an idea formed in his mind. It was risky, but seeing how confident Zhang Fangyuan was, Xu He couldn’t help but feel that this winter would indeed be extremely cold. If that were the case, their family could really strike it rich.

　　"I was thinking, since we’re planning to stockpile so much charcoal, the villagers can certainly help us gather a lot. But if we want to stockpile even more and faster, why not go to the charcoal shops in the city and negotiate a deal to buy in bulk at a low price? Wouldn’t that allow us to stockpile much more quickly?"

　　"Moreover, if most of the charcoal in the city ends up in our hands, wouldn’t that make it easier to control the market? It’s just like when you sold toothbrushes before."

　　Zhang Fangyuan paused for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter: "He ge'er, you really have the talent to do business! I hadn’t even thought of buying directly from the charcoal shops in the city!"

　　It was still autumn, and the weather was hot. The charcoal shops in the city were in a slow season, so prices were at their lowest. Once winter arrived, prices would rise, and it would be harder to buy in bulk, as the merchants would become more difficult to deal with.

　　Excited, Zhang Fangyuan grabbed Xu He’s face and planted a kiss on his cheek: "I’ll go right now!"

　　Xu He watched as Zhang Fangyuan dashed off in high spirits. He wanted to call out to him, but Zhang Fangyuan was already out of sight. Xu He couldn’t help but shake his head, unsure whether his idea was a good one or not.