Chapter 430: Not a Good Thing

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The three women worked with swift hands, and in no time, two large pots of braised pig’s feet and a large pot of pig’s innards were cleaned and ready. Gu Zi, however, noticed something amiss. “Didn’t they deliver the pig’s head?” she asked. “The pig’s head is the most important part of making braised meat.”

The town’s shop was set to open on New Year’s Day. In the meantime, Mother

Lin and Li Hua planned to sell braised meat at a street stall to test the market and spread the word. They would also sell breakfast during the village market days, at the very spot where Gu Zi used to set up her stall.

As for Gu Zi herself, she intended to spend this time helping her sister-in-law settle some matters, ensuring the smooth operation of the shop once it opened in town.

Once the New Year festivities were over and school started, she would have to put business matters aside. She would be busy taking care of her child and preparing for her exams. Therefore, she was determined to address any issues as they arose, leaving no room for lingering problems.

Li Hua and Mother Lin put the pig’s feet into the pot of braising spices. Li Hua looked troubled as she said, “Your brother came back earlier and said that pig’s heads don’t fetch much money. So, the workers usually cook them for themselves as a side dish with drinks. It’s not very tasty, but it’s better than pig’s innards, and it’s filling without costing anything. Some workers even take the pig’s heads home. Today, there were no pig’s heads left, and your brother didn’t say anything.”

Gu Zi nodded in understanding. “I see. Knowing the problem makes it easier to address. Let’s sell these for now, but I’ll discuss with Su Shen and ask him to keep the pig’s heads in the future.”

The workers had taken them in the past, but now that the Lin family was starting a business, the pig’s heads, feet, and innards were all essential ingredients. They were part of the pig farm’s supplies, and there was no reason to let the farm workers take the pig’s heads for free, especially when Su Shen was paying them wages. She decided to discuss this matter with Su Shen that night.

Li Hua, worried that this might strain relations and affect the pig farm’s operations, tried to dissuade Gu Zi. “We don’t need to keep all the pig’s heads, and we might not even be able to use that many. We shouldn’t offend the workers over this. ”

Mother Lin, concerned about the potential impact on her son-in-law’s pig farm, also chimed in. “Yes, we could just keep a few each day. That should be enough for selling.”

Gu Zi shook her head, considering her words before she spoke. “It’s not entirely about whether we have enough to sell or not. It’s too early to tell if we have enough now, but what if we don’t have enough when the shop opens? Do we deal with this issue then?”

She paused, allowing her words to sink in before continuing. “Moreover, everyone knows that Su Shen is generous with his employees. If we allow them to take things that could be sold from the pig farm for free, we’re spoiling them. That’s not a good thing.”

She paused again, her gaze steady and serious.

“We didn’t need these hard-to-sell parts before, but now that we’re using them for business, we can’t let the employees take them for free. There must be rules.”

She took a deep breath before delivering her next point.

“If not allowing the employees to take pig heads will offend some of them, then there’s no need to keep these employees. Don’t worry, Mother, Sister-in-law, losing a few people won’t affect the normal operation of the pig farm.” She paused, her tone firm and resolute.

“Besides, you both know that when you ask Su Shen for goods, you insist on paying him for the materials. I know about this. You’re not taking them for free, so it’s only right that Su Shen settles accounts with his employees.”

As Gu Zi spoke, she felt more certain that this issue needed to be addressed. It was also a good opportunity to weed out any troublemakers in the pig farm.

Of course, Gu Zi wouldn’t interfere forcefully. She would only suggest to Su Shen. Perhaps he had not been petty before, but once he calculated, he should realize that this was not a good situation.

Upon hearing Gu Zi’s words, Li Hua and Mother Lin agreed with her reasoning.

They had been advising Gu Zi mainly out of concern for Su Shen’s pig farm. Now that Gu Zi had explained her stance, they had no more worries.

As they spoke, all the ingredients were added to the stew pot. Two large pots were simmering together, filling the room with the delicious aroma of spices and meat. Gu Zi found herself salivating at the smell. She felt that her first year in this world would definitely be a prosperous one!

Gu Zi then remembered the oddity she had noticed when she first arrived. She asked Mother Lin, ‘Mother, besides the issue with Lin Jie, have you been hearing a lot of gossip lately?”

Gu Zi recalled that during her previous visits, there were always a few villagers chatting with her mother or sister-in-law outside the red-brick house. Today, however, the area outside the house was eerily quiet. There wasn’t even a passerby on the road. It was as if everyone was deliberately avoiding the house, which was very strange..