For example, it’s always the men who stand out when it comes to significant investments.
"Brother-in-law, your niece went to the estate today; did you know that?"
Li Zhihao was teasing, trying to gauge Hongji’s reaction as a setup for what he was about to say next.
Li Zhijun watched silently. He was generally more composed over the past three years, and his words were fewer but meaningful, as he was a man of action.
"Oh my, my daughter must be so cold. Why did she go to the estate? My wife didn’t even stop her. No wonder when I saw them during dinner, my little girl, who usually has rosy cheeks at home, looked like she might have gotten a bit frozen today. I was in such a hurry I didn’t observe carefully."
Upon hearing that his daughter might have gotten cold, Hongji, an overly concerned father, rattled on with a lot of words, blaming his wife for not stopping her.
"It’s not elder sister’s fault..." Li Zhihao started to argue, but was interrupted before he could finish.
Hongji, realizing the instigator might be the Young Uncle, glared at him and said, "Ah, so it was you, Young Uncle! I’d rather you not do that again. What if my little girl gets really cold!"
"Yes, yes, brother-in-law, it’s all my fault. I just notified elder sister that if she had any tips, she could let me know. There was no need for her to be there in person."
"What matter brings you to elder sister again, is it related to something you’ve discussed with me?"
Prior, Li Zhihao had only mentioned to his elder brother what his little niece had said but hadn’t disclosed the whole situation.
Then, he explained everything, including his niece’s suggestion about building thatched huts and the idea of buying the estate.
Li Zhijun, a farmer, heard for the first time the use of thatched huts to protect small saplings and vegetables from the cold weather.
He marveled, realizing you truly learn until old age. The warmth retention idea, though coming from a little girl, was something they hadn’t experienced despite decades of farming.
So he thought if it was still before the Spring Festival and cold, they could start cultivating melon seedlings, and by the time spring bloomed, they could plant these seedlings and possibly beat other estates in getting their produce to market.
Their estate had also managed to earn its first bucket of gold by planting produce earlier than other estates in the past.
Having heard this idea, they could plant melon seedlings even earlier, which would make the next year’s planting more profitable.
Li Zhijun, considering the thatched hut insulation idea, realized many possibilities, and Hongji, another farmer, didn’t need any hints to think of them, given his responsibility over two estates and his experienced, versatile mind.
Hongji praised his little girl for her cleverness in thinking of such insulation techniques.
Ye Shiqi suggested this idea out of necessity, unmoved by her father’s praise. She had seen greenhouses and the glasshouses where rich people grew flowers.
Having a glasshouse for growing flowers at home, she couldn’t share these experiences with others, nor fully discern the praise she received for her intelligence.
All three, coming from humble beginnings, immediately picked up on this lifesaving idea and started discussing it. Realizing its potential, they knew they had to act on it first by cultivating melon and vegetable seedlings.
After discussing this topic thoroughly, Li Zhihao then remembered that there was another important matter he hadn’t yet mentioned.
The three men had been so engrossed in their earlier discussion that they had almost forgotten the current topic.
"Brother-in-law, your little niece also mentioned something else,"
"What’s that now!" Hongji, now immune to his little girl’s numerous ideas!
She always had many ideas; none of his daughters could compare, and he really hoped his young son would be as clever as his little girl.
With only five or six months under his belt, his son couldn’t yet speak or walk, and certainly couldn’t draw as his little girl did at such a young age.
"Your little niece mentioned that the Meng Family next door is selling their estate. If we could buy it from Housekeeper Meng, it might strengthen our future development!"
Upon hearing this, Hongji shook his head and said, "Young Uncle, as you’ve seen, although your estate is profitable daily, this estate only drains resources. Besides, workers need to be paid for the Spring Festival. It’s priced so high, I don’t have the funds to spare."
Hongji said this partly because he feared overstepping and falling into debt, especially when a large sum of money was needed during the festive season.
Having been a boss for two years, his factory didn’t require investment but provided dividends and salaries, guaranteeing a sum of money by year-end, yet not enough to purchase an estate.