Chapter 348: Making a Trade-off

Chapter 348: Chapter 348: Making a Trade-off

That afternoon, Ji Xuelan and Ji Mingfang were called over to Ji Huan’s house. They thought something was up, but when they arrived, they learned that Baiwei Square would have to suspend operations for a few more days to free up their hands for the dehydrated vegetables.

Naturally, they would listen to Ji Huan. They had already signed contracts, so what did it matter which job they did?

Widow Xie, however, expressed her doubts. "A few days won’t be enough. Just think about how long we were busy with this last year."

Ji Huan shook her head. "Baiwei Square must open by the end of the tenth month at the latest. We can’t delay any longer. The new year is in just over two months."

It wasn’t that she was desperate to open; she was mainly worried about preserving the spices.

With the exception of aged tangerine peel, which gets better with time, most spices have a shelf life. If stored properly, they could last for up to two years, or as little as one. Any longer, and their active compounds would evaporate completely.

Two months had passed since the harvest. During that time, work had stopped repeatedly for reasons like harvesting crops, planting new ones, and holding weddings, which had slowed their progress to a crawl.

Of course, the main issue was the lack of manpower and the fact that everyone was a novice. She was just one person leading three complete beginners, teaching them as they went. Even if she wanted to speed things up, it was beyond her power.

Fortunately, the hot weather had passed. In the high heat and humidity of summer, with even slightly poor ventilation, the spices would not only mold easily but also attract insects, making them very difficult to store.

Although only a few types of spices were prone to insect infestation, she had taken plenty of precautions—

First, she naturally ensured the storage environment was well-ventilated and dry.

Second, she made sure all the spices were thoroughly sun-dried, using the ultraviolet rays to effectively kill any potential microorganisms and bacteria. This also eliminated any moisture within the spices themselves, reducing the possibility of them becoming damp again.

But just because they weren’t prone to insects didn’t mean they couldn’t mold and spoil.

And mold didn’t just grow in the summer. Once it started snowing and the weather turned cold, damp, and gloomy, it was still possible for mold to appear.

The best method was to grind them into powder, mix them according to the recipe, and store them. They were currently at this stage. However, the biggest drawback to this method was that the aroma would dissipate quickly, and since they didn’t have any vacuum-sealing equipment, they could only rely on oil paper.

Oil paper offered some protection against moisture and acted as a barrier, but its effect was very limited.

"The end of the tenth month? But that’s only a little over ten days away!"

Widow Xie was dumbfounded, wondering if Ji Huan was talking in her sleep.

In just over ten days, you couldn’t make that many dehydrated vegetables even if you had ten hands! Not unless you had help from the gods.

Ji Huan nodded. "The raw ingredients are already processed anyway. I’ll handle the mixing. Aunt Xie, the three of you will be in charge of the dehydrated vegetables."

"But... but we don’t know how..." Ji Xuelan and Ji Mingfang looked completely lost.

Last year, the four steps of selecting, cleaning, cutting and blanching, and cooling and draining the ingredients were all done at the Hu Family’s place, so Widow Xie remembered the general process, but not completely.

At the very least, when it came to the wok-drying step, she knew what to do but not the reasoning behind it.

Different types of vegetables required different temperatures, times, and colors. Mastering these nuances was the most critical part.

Widow Xie was afraid that someone would steal their "core" technique, so she was vehemently against Ji Huan teaching this step to anyone else. She even refused to learn it herself.

Because of this, Ji Huan had nearly worked herself to exhaustion last year, to the point where she developed a psychological aversion to making dehydrated vegetables.

"Then I’ll just have to teach you, won’t I?"

Seeing that Widow Xie was about to say something else, Ji Huan raised a hand to stop her.

"Last year, we made dehydrated vegetables just to get by. Now we have a more profitable business, so we need to prioritize and know what to let go of. If you can’t bear to let go of this, and can’t bear to let go of that, feeling that everything is a pity to lose, you might end up with nothing. I’m sure you know where my focus lies, Aunt Xie. I can’t be in two places at once. Do you really want me to be like last year, without even a moment to catch my breath?"

Widow Xie sighed.

In truth, after this past year—with the hot and spicy soup and now the spices—she had gained some perspective. She could see that the dehydrated vegetables weren’t as precious as she once thought.

’But even if they weren’t that precious, they still belonged to Ji Huan,’ she thought. ’If we don’t make them this year, we can make them next year. If not next year, then the year after. It’s something to fall back on. How can we just teach the secret to others for free?’

But Ji Huan had already made up her mind, so they could only do as she said.

Just as Widow Xie compromised, Ji Huan’s next words made her jaw drop.

"I’ll spend a day or two teaching you and Cousin, and then we’ll hire helpers. This time, we won’t just look for acquaintances. We’re going to recruit from all of Dafeng Village, and we’ll be hiring in large numbers.

The hiring criteria will be the same as last year: they must be diligent, clean, and hygienic, have decent character, and not be troublemakers.

Once they’re hired, we’ll assign them to morning and afternoon shifts based on their individual skills and family situations. After that, we’ll conduct pre-employment training.

Then, we’ll select the best of the best—a small group of the most outstanding and fastest learners—to be in charge of the fourth step with you..."

It wasn’t just Widow Xie; now even Ji Xuelan was stunned.

"It’s one thing for Auntie Xie and me; we definitely wouldn’t spread the secret. But the hired help will be outsiders. If they learn how to do it, won’t they just start making it themselves next year?"

Widow Xie nodded frantically. "Since the beginning of the tenth month, no fewer than ten families have come to ask me about it. So many people are craning their necks, just hoping to get a peek at our methods! We can barely keep it a secret, so why are you actively revealing it?"

Ji Huan gestured for the two of them to calm down.

"I’ve said it before: there’s nothing particularly technical about dehydrated vegetables. The ingredients are cheap, and it’s easy to learn. It’s simply not realistic to treat it as a long-term business. You should remember what happened with Tian Jiao last year, Aunt Xie. She had already figured out the basics, she just lacked a bit of finesse. There are quite a few people in the village secretly trying to figure it out just like her. They’ll learn it sooner or later, within a year or two at most."

"But... but we can drag it out for another year..."

Ji Huan waved her hand dismissively. "After how much money we made last year, keeping it a secret this year won’t be so easy. Everyone has their own tricks; it’s impossible to guard against everything. Rather than have people steal the method and make enemies, it’s better if we’re the good guys..."

"You mean a pushover!"

Ji Huan chuckled. "Don’t be so anxious, Aunt Xie. I have no interest in being a pushover. The main thing is, with so many people watching, we can’t hide it even if we want to, so we might as well spread the method. In any case, our profits for this year are guaranteed. The worst that can happen is the whole village starts making it next year. Then we can just buy their products at a low price and resell them to the army. It’ll save us trouble, and we won’t earn any less."

Widow Xie was stunned. "This is the new model you were talking about?"

Ji Huan nodded.

"What if they bypass us and sell directly to the military camp?"

"You saw it yourself. The men from the military camp came to us on their own initiative this year, which means they trust us. Do you think they’ll have the patience to buy from people piecemeal? Someone needs to step up and coordinate everything, and who’s more suitable for that than us?"

Besides, ordinary folk wouldn’t dare deal directly with the military.

"And in the worst-case scenario, even if someone does manage to build another bridge to them, by then every household will know how to make dehydrated vegetables, and it won’t be anything special anymore."

Widow Xie looked at Ji Xuelan, and Ji Xuelan looked back at Widow Xie—it seemed to make some sense.

"So, you see! We have nothing to fear from others finding out. Didn’t you say so yourself last year, Aunt Xie? Dehydrated vegetables are a seasonal business. A steady, long-term income is more reliable. We have bigger goals. The dehydrated vegetables really aren’t worth worrying about so much, at least not to the point of working ourselves to death over them."

"Alright... we’ll do as you say."

Both Widow Xie and Ji Xuelan cast their votes of approval.

Although she had agreed, Widow Xie couldn’t help but mutter, "We’re giving the villagers this method, teaching them a way to make a living. I wonder if we’ll even get a word of thanks for it."

"We aren’t doing this for their gratitude. The real goal is to buy from them next year. Even if they aren’t grateful, Village Chief Meng will be. When the villagers have a way to earn money and their lives improve, it all counts as his achievement. He’ll be laughing in his sleep."

Besides, even if human nature has its flaws, most people can still tell right from wrong.

At that moment, Ji Mingfang, who had been listening quietly the whole time, raised his hand and asked calmly, "So, what can I do?"

"I’ve already arranged a task for you, Cousin."

Ji Huan curled a finger and tapped her chin.

"But first, we need to call Liangzi back."