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Chapter 147: Discussing Partnerships
Chapter 147: Discussing Partnerships
Jiang Xia was exhausted, her back aching as she lay on the bed, not wanting to move a muscle.
Zhou Chenglei, feeling sympathetic, began to massage her, trying to ease her fatigue. "Maybe we should stop doing this. It's too tiring."
Jiang Xia said, "I plan to partner with someone and hire help. It won't be this tiring in the future."
"With Zhou Yongguo's wife?"
"How did you know?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "She's the only person you know in the village."
The eldest sister-in-law and Jiang Xia had different paths and different goals.
Jiang Xia was speechless.
It made sense, and she had no rebuttal.
With nothing more to say, Jiang Xia turned her head, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep under his gentle massage.
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her, feeling a twinge of tenderness. He continued massaging her for a while before carefully turning her body over so she wouldn't sleep on her stomach. He then kissed her forehead and lay down to sleep.
The next morning, Zhou Chenglei woke up at 5 am. In the dim light, he looked at his peacefully sleeping lover, gently kissing the top of her head.
She must have been exhausted last night, as she hadn't even changed her sleeping position or hugged him.
He couldn't resist kissing the top of her head again, not daring to kiss anywhere else for fear of waking her. He gazed at her peaceful face, his expression soft, a smile playing on his lips and in his eyes. After watching her for half a minute, he kissed her once more, tucked her in, and carefully got out of bed.
He dressed quietly, making not a sound, just like when he was on a mission. Opening and closing the door, he ensured not a single noise escaped.
Jiang Xia slept soundly until 6:30 am. By then, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Fu had already gone out to sea, and the entire family was awake, speaking in hushed tones to avoid disturbing her.
Zhou Mu smiled when she saw Jiang Xia and greeted her. Everyone's movements became more relaxed.
Jiang Xia felt a bit embarrassed.
Li Xiuxian glanced at Jiang Xia, thinking that she had the life of luxury. Her husband had asked everyone not to wake her, and her mother-in-law had prepared breakfast, including a sea cucumber just for her, a delicacy the rest of the family didn't get.
Li Xiuxian even considered inviting Zhou Mu to live with them in town. Usually, she had to get up early to make breakfast before school, and when she returned home, she had to prepare lunch and dinner, followed by laundry and mopping in the evening.
If Zhou Mu were there, Li Xiuxian wouldn't have to do any housework.
Li Xiuxian couldn't help but say, "Mom, why don't you and Dad come live with us in town? If you're willing, I'll prepare a room for you. This old house is damp, and I'm worried it might not be good for you and Dad in the long run."
Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow as she ate breakfast. They had already packed their things and were leaving at 7 am to return to town. They had been staying there for days, and only now, just before their departure, were they mentioning this. It seemed insincere, as if they were just saying it without any real intention, or perhaps they had some hidden motive.
Jiang Xia didn't think much of it and remained silent.
Zhou Chengsen didn't give it much thought either. He wanted to bring his parents closer, so he said, "Yes, Mom, do you want to come live with us in town?"
Zhou Mu packed a tarp bag of vegetables and corn for them to take back to town, smiling as she declined, "No, your father and I aren't used to living in town, and he needs to go out to sea. Be careful on your way back, and take these vegetables with you."
The younger son didn't have a house yet, and they hadn't had a child. Zhou Mu just wanted to help her younger son and his wife, hoping they could build a house soon and help them raise their children.
Zhou Chengsen didn't insist, and since they had already left, it seemed insincere. He mentioned returning for the Mid-Autumn Festival, giving Zhou Mu time to consider, and then he left with his wife and daughter for town. He had to work that day, and Zhou Ying would start school the next day.
After breakfast, Jiang Xia and Jiang Mu began drying the red salmon, abalone, and the small fish fry and miscellaneous fish from the previous night. Then, Jiang Xia went to Great-Grandmother's house next door.
Great-Grandmother's family was also helping them dry the red salmon.
Jiang Xia shared her plan to partner with He Xinghuan to make snacks as she continued drying the fish.
Great-Grandmother's family didn't own a boat, and usually, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would weave fishing nets at home to earn money, while Zhou Yongguo and Great-Grandfather would help others build houses.
Weaving fishing nets could earn them around one yuan a day, and helping with construction paid two yuan per day.
However, there were very few people who could afford to build houses, so they didn't have construction work every day.
Therefore, compared to families with boats who could go out to sea to fish, Great-Grandmother's family was considered relatively poor in the village.
That's why Jiang Xia approached He Xinghuan to propose a partnership in making snacks, and both Great-Grandmother and He Xinghuan were delighted.
Jiang Xia smiled and said to He Xinghuan, "I can't manage this alone, so I plan to partner with you. I'll teach you, and once you've learned, you'll lead others in the work. I'll be responsible for selling the products, and then we'll split the profits equally. What do you think?"
Upon hearing that the profits would be split equally, He Xinghuan felt a bit embarrassed because she was only responsible for leading the workers. Jiang Xia could have simply asked for her help instead of proposing a partnership.
"Xia Xia, I can just receive a salary like the other workers. There's no need to give me half of the profits."
Great-Grandmother also realized that Jiang Xia was trying to help their family and said, "Yes! Just a salary is enough. There's no need to split it in half!"
Jiang Xia intended to support Great-Grandmother's family, but she also wanted to earn money, and there was a reason for proposing a partnership with an equal profit split.
She was planning to attend university next year, so this business would mainly rely on He Xinghuan.
If the profits were divided too little, it wouldn't be appropriate, and it might lead to conflicts in the long run.
She explained to both of them, "I don't have much time for this, and in the future, you'll primarily lead the workers, including collecting fish, drying fish, and making the final products. I'll only handle the initial investment and sales. So, splitting the profits equally is the best way to ensure a long-term partnership."
He Xinghuan still felt that an equal split wasn't necessary, and she was content with just receiving a salary.
Jiang Xia said, "In that case, I'll take fifty percent of the profits, and you'll get forty percent. The remaining ten percent will be a bonus for the workers, so everyone will be motivated to work harder. If you still feel embarrassed, I'll have to find another partner."
With the terms laid out, He Xinghuan couldn't refuse.
He Xinghuan was ready to get to work and asked, "Should we start making the Sweet and Tangy Baby Fish Jerky now?"
Jiang Xia replied, "The fish fry hasn't dried yet, so we can only start tonight. But we can divide the small dried fish I collected yesterday, and then I'll see which ones can be used."
So, Great-Grandmother and He Xinghuan went to divide the dried fish at home.
Jiang Xia didn't participate in the division; she would calculate their wages after they finished.
She also had translation work to do, so she returned home to work on that.
Zhou Mu was at home, making a fish cage according to Zhou Chenglei's instructions.
The fish cage needed to be large to accommodate big fish, and there weren't any for sale outside.
They had to make fish cages with large holes for bigger fish and smaller ones for small fish.
In the evening, Jiang Xia went to the wharf to receive the goods.
There, she saw Wen Wan collecting dried fish, and the price was two fen higher per catty than what she had paid the day before.
A group of women surrounded Wen Wan, eagerly signing their names on a piece of paper.
Wen Wan glanced at Jiang Xia and smiled. That morning, Zhou Guohua and Zhou Bingqiang had inquired with the production team about renting a sea area and had gone to the Maritime Administration Office.
She also knew that Zhou Chenglei had gone out to sea as usual that morning! Haha, the sea area had already been rented!
The title was wrong, but my fingers were faster than my eyes, and it was already published!
It should be about forming a partnership.
The title is locked, and I can't change it (/ω＼). I need to contact the editor.
(End of Chapter)
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