Chapter 460 - 460: Excitement
Su Binglan truly treated Baili Jinghua as a sister, so she thought of many details for her.
Baili Jinghua might seem careless, but she was very meticulous in many things. She could feel the things Su Binglan had done for her. She felt so touched that she did not know what else to say besides thank you.
“Binglan, I want to bring my parents here when I find them. Their lives will be easier here.”
Su Binglan nodded. “Yes, but ensure you come home early when you find them.
I’ve prepared some things for you and put them in your carriage. I also made you some compressed biscuits. Although they’re a little stiff, they’re easy to store and fill your stomach.
“These are down jackets, hats, scarves, and snow boots for you and Xihong to keep warm. I also prepared some pork jerky for you to eat with rice. Those are the pickled vegetables I made myself.”
Su Binglan showed Baili Jinghua everything she had prepared, and Baili Jinghua’s eyes reddened as she listened. She even stretched out her arms to hug Su Binglan. She could not bear to part with her.
Su Binglan hugged her back and patted her head, saying, “Xihong, you can return when your mother finds your grandparents. I’ll cook delicious food for you guys then.”
Baili Xihong nodded vigorously. “Yes, Aunt Binglan!”
Although he was still a kid, he traveled alongside his mother for a long time. The mother-son duo had experienced many things, making Baili Xihong much more sensible than his peers.
He understood what Su Binglan truly meant, and his mother had also told him that they would look for his grandparents.
After chatting momentarily, Baili Jinghua left with her son in the carriage. Su Binglan could only sigh and go home when the carriage disappeared from her sight.
Then she thought of Luo Jin’an. ‘I wonder how he’s doing now.’
She looked up at the sky while images of her husband filled her mind. Since it was a bit cold outside, she went home.
Although it was still early morning, her parents had helped her all day yesterday and were probably exhausted. They did not wake up before dawn like their daughter.
Su Binglan did not feel sleepy and started making breakfast instead. Since her uncle had just married, she would have to start working in the winery. Hence, she decided to hire people to brew wine, bottle it, and sell it.
She knew she had to properly arrange these things, especially since most wedding guests wanted to buy wine. Everyone in the village asked her when she would sell wine two days ago.
Su Binglan planned to set the wine price at fifteen copper coins per jar, the same as rice wine.
Although different grains and brewed wine prices differed, she would not let them get too high. Fruit wine would cost 20 coins per jar, but she had no fruits for now. She had one jar of wine but could only sell it in limited quantities.
Everyone thought they had misheard when they heard about the price. They wondered how such good-quality wine could be so cheap. After all, it was costly whenever they bought alcohol in town.
Many people asked Su Fengzhang and Su Wenxian about it again. After confirming they had not misheard, they became anxious. They feared they would be too late and the father-son duo would run out of wine.
Since it was cheap, everyone wanted to buy a jar as soon as possible. Even if the villagers could not bear to drink it every day, they would save it for special occasions like the New Year.
Everyone worked hard all year to eat and drink well during New Year’s. Moreover, most worked at the tofu factory and embroidery shop. They would hand over their earnings to their families so that they could afford things like wine.
Some wines did better in bottles—the more exquisite the bottle, the costlier it would be. After all, special bottles also cost money. Even though that was the case, Su Binglan’s price was still meager in others’ eyes.
No one could buy wine at such a price before and could only afford inferior wines. Everyone who tasted Su Binglan’s wine during the wedding said it was excellent and high-grade.
Those who had never tasted it before would think such a fragrant wine would be delicious. Many people asked around to know when Su Binglan would sell these wines.
Their hearts were full of anticipation.
Su Fengmao returned home at noon. When he saw his daughter, he asked, “When will you start selling wine, dear daughter? Several people have asked me about it because of its deliciousness.
“The guests who went to your grandparents’ house yesterday were full of praise. They love your wine so much that they can’t wait to buy it. I can understand how they feel.
“Now that everyone’s families are better off, they can afford to buy wine at 15 coins per jar. It’s still possible to buy a jar and have a taste.” He was all smiles as he spoke.
Su Fengmao was incredibly proud to have such a capable daughter.
Su Binglan looked at her father’s happy expression and laughed lightly despite herself. “Father, we hired many of our villagers to work at the tofu factory and embroidery shop.
“Almost every family here has someone working for us and can earn wages. That’s why many of our villagers’ lives have improved. Still, other villages are struggling, so fifteen copper coins for a jar of wine is still expensive.”
Su Fengmao frowned. “Those people will feel disappointed if they can’t afford it. Sure enough, fifteen coins is a lot of money for ordinary people.
“Our family’s conditions weren’t good in the past, and I wanted to drink, but I wasn’t willing to do so even though I had the money for it. After all, we needed that money to buy food for ourselves.” He sighed after speaking.
Su Binglan said, “That’s why the people from our village who have better conditions can afford to buy wine. Still, I want to sell my wine outside, so we must bottle and sell it.
“We can hire more people for our winery, mainly because I want to make everyone rich. Then they can afford more things like wine.”
Su Fengmao agreed with his daughter. “Your words make a lot of sense, Binglan. ”
However, Su Binglan knew she could not help more people if she only relied on her current shops and the winery. After all, the land was still the most important thing for farmers.
Still, their land would only be helpful when it could produce crops they could sell for money. Therefore, Su Binglan had to introduce potatoes and sweet potatoes to everyone in the spring of the following year.
‘Everyone has a high yield of wheat and rice they can use to exchange for other things, too.’ Thoughts like these filled Su Binglan’s mind.
She was talking to her father when someone rushed over. It was Tao Eryong, and he was panting from running over. He looked at Su Binglan anxiously and said, “Miss Su, my brother finally burned it!”
Su Fengmao looked at Tao Eryong’s panicked expression and asked anxiously,
“How did he get burned?”
‘Don’t the Taos usually make jars and bottles with their furnace? Is that how his brother got burned?’