Chapter 407 - 400: Discussing Contracting the Persimmon Grove

So the persimmon forest was simply left untended.

Anyone who wanted persimmons could just go over, pick some, and have enough to eat for a long time.

Most of them just fell to the ground and rotted, or were eaten by the birds in the mountains.

As it happened, Grandma Shen knew how to make persimmon cakes.

But she never made many each year—just enough for the family to eat, or to bring along as gifts when visiting relatives during the New Year.

"To make persimmon cakes, you need the ones that aren’t fully ripe..."

Shen Kuan, having learned through observation over the years, also knew how to make them. He was telling Yun Jiao and the others which kind of persimmons were best for making the cakes.

"These ones that are already fully ripe can be eaten right away. They’re very sweet. Here, Jiaojiao."

The persimmons weren’t particularly large, but the ripe, bright red ones looked like little lanterns and were especially pretty.

They were also very sweet.

Yun Jiao and the others had eaten the persimmon cakes made from these fruits before. They were delicious. Every time Grandma Shen and her family brought some over, they would be devoured within a few days.

Yun Xiaoqi gazed at the vast expanse of persimmon trees.

"Brother Kuan, are all the ones we can’t pick just going to waste like this?"

His eyes were filled with the pain of watching money go down the drain.

"Our family’s persimmon cakes are so delicious. Can’t we sell them?"

Shen Kuan laughed. "It’s not that easy. This persimmon forest is collective property. If our family starts making cakes to sell, the other villagers won’t stand for it if they find out."

Of course. When it’s a collective resource, if one family uses it to make money, others are bound to get jealous.

Yun Jiao said, "Then just lease the persimmon forest."

She was currently planning to lease an island, so her first instinct was to lease this persimmon forest.

’Once it belongs to us, no one can say anything if we sell them for money, right?’

This left Shen Kuan dumbfounded. "What? Lease the persimmon forest?"

"There’s no need for that. How much would that cost? Persimmon cakes don’t sell for that much."

Yun Xiaoqi looked like he wanted to grab Shen Kuan’s head and shake it. "Bro, are you dense? It’s a huge forest! You don’t even need to plant new trees; they bear fruit every year. This is a long-term business!"

"Besides, policies are more open now. If we seize the opportunity and become the first to build a reputation and open up the market for persimmon cakes, they’ll sell even better in the future."

"Of course not many people will buy them if we only sell in town, but we can go to the city!"

"And they’ll definitely sell better right before the New Year. This is all money! If you lease the forest, you can make money every single year. You’ll earn back the investment!"

Shen Kuan scratched his head. "But it’s such a big forest. How much would it cost to lease?"

His family couldn’t afford to lease it.

Yun Jiao puffed out her chest. "Don’t worry, I’ll lend you the money."

"Mm, just pay me back with half the profits you make later. If you don’t make any money, then forget about it."

Shen Kuan and Shen Xiuyuan’s jaws dropped.

’Wait, is our little cousin really this rich?’

’A little bit of cash? I’ve got it handled,’ Yun Jiao thought.

Shen Kuan said, "We can’t make this decision. You should go back and talk to my dad and grandpa about it."

Yun Xiaoqi said, "With the persimmon cakes our great-aunt makes, we’ll definitely make money."

Shen Xiuyuan asked, "How do you know?"

Yun Xiaoqi puffed out his chest and raised his head. "I’ve done my research! Even those bad-tasting Baozi they sell at our school gate make money. How could these delicious persimmon cakes possibly not be profitable?"

Yun Xiaowu added, "Grandma’s persimmon cakes are definitely top-notch."

Though they were all chatting, they didn’t stop working.

Once they picked all the persimmons from the branches they could reach, Yun Xiaowu and the others climbed up the trees to start picking the ones higher up.

The unripe persimmons were put together, while the ripe ones went into another back basket.

Only when all the back baskets they had brought were full did everyone head home.

But it was still early, and the people working in the fields hadn’t come back yet.

So they ran back to the persimmon forest for another trip and saw other villagers who had also come to pick persimmons, though they were mostly children.

After three trips, a large pile of persimmons had accumulated at home.

As it started to get dark, Grandma Shen and Aunt Shen came back first to cook dinner.

Because of Yun Jiao and the others’ visit, dinner tonight was a lavish affair.

One table wasn’t enough to seat everyone, so they moved a wooden table into the courtyard. They pushed the two tables together, and everyone gathered around to finally sit down.

The only downside was that it was hard for the people sitting on the ends to reach the dishes.

"After dinner, let’s peel those persimmons and start making the cakes."

Shen Yunlian nodded. "Good idea. Mom, you can make a big batch. It’d be such a shame for all those persimmons to just fall and rot on the ground."

Grandma Shen nodded. "The persimmons here in our mountains aren’t big, but they’re sweet. The problem is the price is low. The folks here go through all the trouble of carrying so many persimmons to town, but they can’t get much money for them. It’s exhausting, and they don’t sell that many anyway."