Chapter 155: About to Make a Big Profit

“I’m really going to get on.” Cheng Xiaolin actually really wanted to get on and give it a try.

Who doesn’t have a youthful heart? Besides, her childhood days were quite frugal, and she had never played with so many new things.

But she had a thin skin, unlike her thick-skinned husband, who had no qualms about trying anything.

“Get on.” Cao Shujie urged her again.

Mengmeng was sitting on the sled, also urging her, “Mommy, come up quickly, it’s so fun.”

Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t withstand the coaxing and finally got on. After she and her daughter covered their legs with the small quilt, Cao Shujie tossed the dog leashes holding Daha and Erha to his wife.

But Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t hold back this time and asked him, “Aren’t you supposed to be holding the dogs?”

“Wife, why are you so timid.” Cao Shujie said.

Talk aside, seeing his wife’s nervous look, Cao Shujie obediently took the dog leashes back, led the two dogs at the front, and walked up the slope towards the dam.

Daha and Erha pulled the makeshift sled very steadily, but Cao Shujie was useless. More and more snow stuck to the soles of his feet, and he started slipping while walking. On the short stretch from the bottom to the top of the river-blocking dam, Cao Shujie slipped and fell twice, so half his body was covered in snowflakes.

At first, Mengmeng thought her daddy was doing it on purpose, which made her laugh heartily.

But later, seeing her daddy unable to stand steadily and falling again, she started to worry and even stretched out her little hand, beckoning Cao Shujie, “Daddy, you come up too.”

Cao Shujie really wanted to get on, but pulling on a main road was different from pulling up a slope. His wife and child were both on the sled, so he didn’t dare to try.

Cheng Xiaolin saw that the two dogs were indeed pulling the makeshift sled very steadily. She felt reassured this time. Seeing her husband fall for the second time, she also wanted him to get on.

But before she could say anything, the view before them suddenly opened up. They had reached the top of the dam.

Looking further east, they could see a vast expanse of white. The Yellow River was covered with ice, and the ice was piled high with snow. It seemed as if the whole world had been dyed white. Looking at it for a long time, even one’s own heart felt purer.

They didn’t look for long before Mengmeng, the little rascal who didn’t know how to appreciate the scenery, started yelling for her daddy to hurry up.

The snow on the dam hadn’t been compacted yet. Considering safety, Cao Shujie didn’t take up the middle of the road. He led his wife and daughter along the roadside, slowly moving forward.

“Wife, what do you think of this sled I made?” Cao Shujie asked her.

“You’re amazing, okay.” Cheng Xiaolin couldn’t be bothered to argue. When she was down below, she had doubted the sled’s quality. Who knew because of that, her husband had asked her twice, trying hard to prove that the sled he made was fine.

Cao Shujie chuckled “hehe,” feeling a little smug inside, “You little thing.”

After about half an hour, while they were on the dam, they heard the village loudspeaker start playing Peking opera again. They didn’t even need to listen further to know the Village Committee was calling everyone to clear the snow collectively.

“Wife, Mengmeng, let’s go down first to work. We can come up again to play tomorrow.” Cao Shujie said.

Cheng Xiaolin nodded in agreement, but Mengmeng wasn’t happy and insisted on continuing to ride the sled and play.

Cheng Shujie told her, “Mengmeng, let’s go down and build a snowman. Daddy will build you a really big snowman, okay?”

As soon as Mengmeng heard ‘snowman,’ she immediately agreed happily.

She didn’t even want to sit on the sled anymore. She stood up directly, wanting to run home by herself. Luckily, Cheng Xiaolin was quick-eyed and swift-handed, catching her. Otherwise, with Mengmeng’s skills, it was more likely she’d roll down from the dam.

…

The section from the intersection at the north end of the village to the bottom of the eastern dam was taken care of by Cao Shujie.

The couple was busy with shovels and brooms, while Mengmeng squatted on the ground nearby, using a set of plastic molds to make snowballs, little houses, little people, and various animal models. She was having a great time.

Before the couple finished their work, his father Cao Jianguo and mother Wang Yuelan came over to help.

Seeing her grandparents, Mengmeng shouted loudly, “Grandpa! Grandma!”

“Yes, Mengmeng, what are you doing?” Wang Yuelan asked her.

Mengmeng pointed at the row of houses, little people, and snowballs she had pressed out, saying proudly, “I’m building houses! And people too. Grandma, am I amazing?”

“Our Mengmeng is so amazing.” Wang Yuelan said.

Cao Jianguo also praised her.

Mengmeng smiled smugly and went back to her busy work.

After finishing the work, Cao Shujie and his father Cao Jianguo together built a chubby snowman for Mengmeng. They stuck a carrot into its round head and selected two similarly sized lumps of coal from the coal at home, pressing them above its nose to serve as eyes.

Mengmeng watched the increasingly well-formed snowman, happily clapping her little hands, “Grandpa, Daddy, you’re so amazing.”

Cao Jianguo laughed heartily. He felt happy no matter how tired he was.

Cheng Xiaolin ran back home to get the camera, took a few photos of Mengmeng and the snowman alone, and also took a group photo of the whole family.

Thinking of the busyness and stress back in Beijing, Cheng Xiaolin felt she still preferred her current life.

It was very comfortable, not stressful!

She didn’t have to think about getting up early every day to go to work, nor did she have to think about it being almost time to get off work and needing to finish the work at hand quickly.

She wasn’t the kind of person who cared about the whole world. In her view, as long as the family was healthy and safe, that was enough. She didn’t seek great wealth and honor, but her husband’s money-making ability seemed unexpectedly good.

In the evening, at their new home, Cheng Xiaolin and her mother-in-law were busy preparing dinner together, chatting non-stop, but the topics mostly revolved around Mengmeng.

Cao Jianguo and his son Cao Shujie were sitting in the living room. The father and son were talking casually. Cao Jianguo said, “Your uncle called me. Barring any accidents, they’ll be back next Saturday and will stay at home for one night then.”

“Okay, Dad, you see whether we eat at home then or go to a restaurant in town.” Cao Shujie asked his father.

But before his father could respond, Cao Shujie suggested again, “I suggest eating at home. If possible, I’ll go a couple of days early next week to buy some fresh beef and lamb, and get some other things too. I guarantee it won’t be worse than at a restaurant.”

“With your cooking skills, can you manage?” Cao Jianguo was very doubtful.

Despite his doubts, Cao Jianguo still nodded and said, “Just do as you said, eat at home.”

“Great.” Cao Shujie nodded, “Dad, let’s do it at my place then, it’s more convenient.”

Regarding this point, Cao Jianguo did not object.

If they did it at his son’s place, after dinner, anyone feeling sleepy could go straight to rest. If it were at his place, they’d have to walk back here again, which would be a hassle.

It was just past nine after finishing dinner. The snow on the ground outside couldn’t be completely cleared and had frozen solid in the low temperatures.

The elderly couple, Cao Jianguo and Wang Yuelan, wanted to leave. Cao Shujie was really worried. He went out to test it and almost slipped. It was pitch dark out there; he absolutely wouldn’t let his parents go back.

“It’s just this short distance. We’ll walk slowly, it’s fine.” Cao Jianguo was very stubborn.

But Cao Shujie was still worried. Mengmeng also held her grandma’s hand, not letting her go out.

“Mom, just stay here tonight. Otherwise, we won’t go stay at your place either.” Cheng Xiaolin said this.

These words worked. The couple, Cao Jianguo and Wang Yuelan, didn’t mention leaving anymore. This was also the first time the elderly couple stayed at their son’s new home.

…

In the blink of an eye, a week slipped through their fingers.

The sun had been very good these past few days. The snow on the main roads had already completely melted, but there was still a bit of snow piled in the shady corners near the houses, and by the looks of it, it wouldn’t survive the weekend.

Taking advantage of the Qingshi Town Grand Market, Cao Shujie drove his wife and child to the town for the market.

In a few more days, his grandfather would be back. When that time came, his eldest uncle and two older cousins would also return. Cao Shujie needed to prepare some ingredients in advance.

He had already thought about what dishes he would make by then.

Beef, mutton, and pork were all absolutely essential.

Mengmeng was bundled up like a big rice dumpling, with only her pair of eyes peeking out to look around.

Cao Shujie wanted to carry her, but Mengmeng wouldn’t let him, insisting on walking by herself.

“Daddy, what’s that over there?” Mengmeng pointed at a stall up ahead where someone was sculpting sugar figures, asking with great curiosity.

“That’s a sugar figure. Do you want one?” Cheng Xiaolin thought her daughter was clamoring for one.

But she was mistaken. Mengmeng shook her head. “So ugly. I don’t want it.”

“…” Cheng Xiaolin didn’t know what to say. She also noticed that her daughter’s preferences seemed quite different from other children’s.

She preferred playing more exciting games, like the dog-pulled sled that others didn’t have. She played with great enthusiasm.

However, Cheng Xiaolin hadn’t planned on buying her a sugar figure anyway and was just worrying about finding an excuse to refuse. Who knew Mengmeng would proactively say she didn’t want one? It was exactly what she had hoped for.

This saved a lot of trouble!

“Shujie, where are we going to buy things?” Cheng Xiaolin asked her husband.

Cao Shujie thought of Li Jiagen’s stall and pointed in a direction. “Over there. There’s a pretty reliable stall selling mutton.”

“Is it the one that delivered sheep to our house before?” Cheng Xiaolin asked him.

“Yes, Uncle Gen sells reliable stuff,” Cao Shujie said.

Cheng Xiaolin found it strange and asked him, “Is he very familiar with Dad?”

“Dad used to sell kiwi fruit and apples over here, and his spot was quite close to Uncle Gen’s,” Cao Shujie explained. “I asked Dad about it; they’ve known each other for over ten years.”

“Oh!” Cheng Xiaolin nodded and didn’t ask further. Holding Mengmeng’s hand, she followed behind her husband as they walked forward.

Not long after, they arrived at Li Jiagen’s stall.

When they arrived, Li Jiagen was busy cutting beef for two customers. Turning his head and seeing Cao Shujie, he recognized him at a glance. “It’s Little Cao! I rarely see you coming to the market.”

“Uncle Gen, I’m usually busy, so I don’t come often,” Cao Shujie said with a smile.

Li Jiagen smiled too, pointing at the meat in his hand. “You guys wait a bit. Let me finish weighing this portion.”

“Uncle Gen, you go ahead with your work. I’m in no hurry,” Cao Shujie said.

It wasn’t long before Li Jiagen finished weighing that portion, collected the money, and then came over with a smile to greet Cao Shujie’s family of three.

Cheng Xiaolin also called out ‘Uncle Gen’. When it was Mengmeng’s turn, without any urging from Cao Shujie or Cheng Xiaolin, she also followed along and shouted, “Uncle Gen!”

“Haha!” Li Jiagen laughed heartily. He knew children were prone to mimicking speech; she must have just copied her parents’ greeting. He didn’t mind.

Cao Shujie, however, felt a bit awkward and quickly corrected his daughter. “Mengmeng, you call him Grandfather.”

“Grandfather!” Mengmeng shouted loudly again, making Li Jiagen laugh heartily.

“Good child, what kind of meat would you like to eat? I’ll cut you a piece. Take it back and have your daddy stew it for you.” Li Jiagen was just that straightforward.

As soon as he finished speaking, Cao Shujie waved his hand. “Uncle Gen, that really won’t do.”

“It’s fine for a child,” Li Jiagen insisted. “I’ll put it in for you guys later.”

He then asked, “Little Cao, what do you want to buy today? Or order another whole sheep?”

Cao Shujie waved his hand. “Uncle Gen, my grandfather is coming back in a few days. Cut me some good pieces of both beef and mutton. Also, get me some lamb spine with plenty of meat and some beef steaks. I’ll go home and stew them.”

He felt that cooking at home should be substantial and genuine, not full of flashy, insubstantial things.

“Your grandfather?” Li Jiagen recalled someone and asked, “Is Uncle Hu coming back?”

“Mhm!” Cao Shujie nodded. “The New Year is almost here. My grandfather has to come back to his hometown to celebrate the New Year, right?”

“Oh my, Little Cao, I almost forgot if you hadn’t mentioned it. There’s less than a month left before the New Year,” Li Jiagen said, quite surprised. He muttered, “No wonder the meat prices have gone up again recently.”

“Exactly. The years just seem to pass faster and faster,” Cao Shujie said with deep feeling.

He felt this was especially true after starting a family, establishing a career, and having a child. Watching the child grow bigger day by day, the clothes bought for Mengmeng would suddenly no longer fit before he even realized it, only then becoming aware that she had grown taller again.

Li Jiagen, following Cao Shujie’s request, specifically selected good cuts for him.

He then put the desired beef steaks and lamb spine into two separate bags and said, “Little Cao, I don’t have quite enough lamb spine with a lot of meat here. Should I pack you some extra beef steaks instead?”

“Or you could wait a couple of days, and I’ll bring more when I come.”

“Uncle Gen, no need. Just give me more beef steaks. Make sure they have plenty of meat, though,” Cao Shujie instructed him.

Only then did he remember to ask, “Uncle Gen, what are the prices now?”

Cheng Xiaolin rolled her eyes beside him. She had never seen anyone like this. The other person had already packed the goods, and then you ask the price. Even with other vendors, you’d have to buy it anyway, wouldn’t you?

“Well, let’s put it this way. The price of beef has been rising continuously these past few months. The good cuts at my place now sell for 21.3 yuan,” Li Jiagen told him. “You really shouldn’t buy that kind of beef that’s only a dozen yuan or so.”

He didn’t go into too much detail, but Cao Shujie knew that water-injected beef would be much cheaper.

He wouldn’t buy that kind either.

At this point, Li Jiagen asked him, “Little Cao, I remember you raise cattle over there, right? Well, you’ve caught a good time.”

As he spoke, his face showed a somewhat envious expression.

Cao Shujie nodded with a chuckle. “I have 50 head. But they’re still too small now, only a little over 600 jin. They won’t be ready for slaughter until next summer or autumn. Who knows what the price will be next year.”

“Shouldn’t be a big problem. I’ve been hearing people say recently that beef prices will continue to rise next year. If you sell next year, you might even make more profit.” After saying this, Li Jiagen looked even more envious.

“What about pork? How’s the recent price trend?” Cao Shujie asked casually.

Then he heard Li Jiagen say, “Probably because the New Year is approaching. Anyway, pork prices this month have risen quite a bit compared to last month.”

“Oh!” Cao Shujie nodded and didn’t ask further.

After weighing and paying, he still needed to buy other things, so he told Li Jiagen, “Uncle Gen, I still need to go further in to buy some fish and vegetables. I’ll come back to pick these up when I’m leaving.”

“Alright, just come by whenever you’re ready.” Li Jiagen placed the several bags he had weighed for Cao Shujie to one side.

Watching them walk further in, Li Jiagen was also thinking about contacting Cao Shujie early next summer to ask if he’s willing to sell those 50 cattle.

Beef prices have been rising for several consecutive months, which is bound to drive up the prices of slaughter-ready cattle and calves as well. It’s a chain reaction.

But precisely because beef prices are rising, many cattle-raising farmers have started holding back their slaughter-ready cattle, practicing supply restraint, thinking of raising them at home for a few more days, as there might be higher prices later.

You have to understand, a single cattle weighs over 1000 jin at slaughter. For a farmer, even if the price per jin rises by just 5 mao, overall, that can mean at least 500 yuan more profit. That’s not a small sum.

And precisely because of this, someone like Cao Shujie, who has 50 cattle, is in a very favorable position.

Not to mention Li Jiagen, there were others watching too, it was just that the time wasn’t right. They knew even if they went to buy now, Cao Shujie wouldn’t sell.

Cao Shujie wasn’t aware of this. He led his wife and child further inside, bought some more vegetables, fish, and fruit, then started carrying the things back.

When they passed by the snack section, Cheng Xiaolin asked him if he wanted to buy some sunflower seeds, peanuts, and the like.

“Let’s buy them at the supermarket up ahead,” Cao Shujie said, pointing to the large supermarket in front.

Cheng Xiaolin didn’t ask further and walked with him.

When they passed by Li Jiagen’s stall to pick up the meat, Cao Shujie felt his hands getting heavy.

Cheng Xiaolin wanted to help him, but Cao Shujie refused. “Honey, the market is crowded, just keep an eye on Mengmeng.”

As they were walking, Mengmeng suddenly pointed to a toy stall nearby and shouted, “Mom, look!”

“Dad, look!”

She grabbed her mom’s hand, dug her heels in, and stopped walking.

Cao Shujie, who was walking ahead, paused, turned his head, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“She wants to buy a toy,” Cheng Xiaolin said helplessly. They had already bought her so many toys; she’d play with them for a few days and then toss them aside.

Cheng Xiaolin often thought, it was only because her husband earned enough money, otherwise, others would find it hard to manage!

The things in his hands were cutting into his fingers. Cao Shujie said, “You take her to buy one. I’ll put these things in the car first and then come find you.”

The parking spot was still over 100 meters away. Cheng Xiaolin also knew it was tough for her husband to carry so many things.

So she said, “After you put the things down, just go straight to the supermarket to buy some peanuts, sunflower seeds, and candy. Don’t come back here. We’ll go find you after we’re done buying.”

Cao Shujie thought that worked too. He wasn’t being fussy and walked ahead by himself.

Twenty minutes later, the couple reunited. Cao Shujie drove his wife and daughter back to Cao Family Village.

Mengmeng was happily playing with a little dog toy she held in her hands.

On the way, Cheng Xiaolin asked him, “Shujie, did you hear earlier? The price of beef has gone up quite a bit.”

“Yeah, the price of beef has risen a lot, but the price of slaughter-ready cattle might not have increased as much. Let’s wait and see next year,” Cao Shujie wasn’t naive.

But he had a feeling that the price of calves might rise significantly.

After all, when everyone sees beef prices going up, more people will start raising cattle, which will drive up the price of calves. That’s an indisputable fact.

He processed this thought internally but didn’t mention it to his wife.

According to Cao Shujie’s thinking, his operation wasn’t fully developed in all aspects yet. The truly ideal state should be self-breeding and self-raising.

But he was also working hard on the path to improvement. Once everything was properly established later on, he could step back and spend time traveling everywhere with his parents, his wife, and his child.

“I really hope it happens soon,” Cao Shujie thought to himself.

Mengmeng was very restless in the car. She sat next to her mom for a while, then leaned forward to chat with her dad. Luckily, Cheng Xiaolin kept her arms around her, preventing her from scrambling around.

Cao Shujie drove at a leisurely pace. They weren’t in a hurry and made their way home slowly.

When they got home, it wasn’t even 11 o’clock yet. Cao Shujie unloaded the things. Cheng Xiaolin took the freshly bought prawns and prepared to make lunch.

Mengmeng had been fussing at the market, wanting to eat prawns. Eating was a good thing; Cao Shujie hoped she would eat more.

He had bought extra prawns; the rest would be kept for the day after tomorrow to treat his uncle.

After finishing up and letting his daughter play at home, Cao Shujie went to the orchard on the mountain. His father, Cao Jianguo, and Cao Shuchao were both busy there.

Looking at the 50 cattle, Cao Shujie said to his father and Cao Shuchao, “Dad, Brother Chao, I just came back from the market. I heard from Uncle Gen that the price of beef has gone up a lot.”

“That’s good. Let it rise more, so you can sell for more money later,” Cao Jianguo wouldn’t say anything contrary on this matter.

Cao Shuchao also chimed in, “Shujie, I’ve also heard beef prices have been rising.”

“Even pork prices have started to go up. I reckon they’ll increase quite a bit by next month,” Cao Shuchao actually disliked seeing meat prices rise the most.

He had been thinking of buying more meat this Chinese New Year to have a prosperous year. Who knew beef and pork would start rising a month early.

It was just that lamb prices hadn’t risen yet, but Cao Shuchao was worried that after a while, as other meats got more expensive, lamb would follow suit and rise too.

Cao Shujie smiled. “Brother Chao, I bet Uncle Hua is quite happy right now, don’t you think?”

Was there even a need to ask? Cao Jianhua would be thrilled if pork prices rose quickly. If they could double, he’d be even happier. At worst, he just wouldn’t eat pork this year.

He had bought piglets at the high price of 45 yuan per kilogram in September. By November, the price of piglets had dropped to 28 yuan per kilogram. If prices didn’t rise, Cao Jianhua would really be crying over his losses.

And indeed, just as Cao Shujie thought, Cao Jianhua was now watching pork prices change every few days, feeling happy inside again, though he didn’t show it on the surface.

What he feared now was that right before Chinese New Year next month, pork prices would plummet again. That would not only mean his happiness was for nothing, but he’d also suffer huge financial losses.

This round of pig farming had been full of twists and turns, really putting him through the wringer.

Now, whenever Cao Jianhua thought about getting into livestock farming, he felt apprehensive. Once he cleared this batch, he really didn’t want to raise pigs anymore.

But what should he do with the pig farm he had invested so much money into setting up?

And he had already paid five years of rent; not even half a year had passed yet. It hurt!

(End of Chapter)

#### Translator’s Notes

jin: A traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500 grams or 1.1 pounds.

mao: A unit of Chinese currency, equal to one-tenth of a yuan. Also known as a jiao.

Peking opera: Peking opera (Jingju) is a traditional form of Chinese theater that combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance, and acrobatics. It is one of the most prestigious forms of Chinese opera.