Those days, Su Jiang Hai and Su Jin Long slept late and woke up early. In the end, they completed a cupboard, a living room cabinet, a large wardrobe with sliding doors, a side cabinet, and a chest of drawers.
At four in the morning, Su Jiang Hai prepared a donkey cart. The father and son pair then loaded the furniture on the cart. In order to prevent the furniture from breaking, they wrapped them with a quilt and then fastened with rope.
The distance between the Su Family’s house and the county was about 25km. It would take them two hours to travel on a donkey cart. The sky was still dark when they arrived in the county at 6 in the morning.
There were already a few places occupied in the furniture marketplace. Su Jiang Hai had picked a location on the side of the road that faced the sun, then moved the furniture down with his son and arranged his display.
Su Jin Long happily circled the furniture made by his father a few times, “Father, just by looking around, it seems our family’s furniture is the best. When I get married in the future, you should also make a set for me!”
Su Mian swatted the back of Su Jin Long’s head, “Aren’t you ashamed? How old are you and you’re already thinking about getting married?”
Su Jin Long felt a bit embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head and grimaced, showing a set of white teeth. He was only 15 years old and it was still a long time before he would get married.
“How are you selling this? Why is it all white?”
“These are Western…” Before Su Mian was able to explain, the person turned and walked away.
After him, there were others who came to ask about the furniture, but they all left when they saw that the furniture was white.
As the sun rose, more and more people came to the marketplace. During this era, rural villages were all poor. They would only begin visiting the marketplace when it was near the Lunar New Year.
When Su Mian saw that there were a lot of people, she immediately shouted, “Come and take a look. Look at these newly made Western furniture. This is the only set you could find around here!”
Su Jin Long also shouted as well. He was currently at the age where his voice began to change. The slightly husky yet unique voice attracted waves of crowds.
A father and son pair stayed around the longest. Su Mian noticed that the older man had seen almost all the furniture in the market before coming to them.
“Father, I love the style of this family’s furniture. It’s different from the rest!” The man who spoke was around 20 years old. The young man was tall and robust with a wide smile. It was clear that he was preparing to get married and set up a new home.
The father shook his head as he opened the cabinets before giving a knock on the wood. “This is good wood. There should be no problem using it for decades. The workmanship is quite meticulous and the carvings feel as if they are alive. But it’s a pity that it is white, you are about to get married!”
“Uncle, I can see that you know your things well. These cabinets were created by my father based on this book.” Su Mian took out the furniture book and turned to a page, “Take a look. Even the empress of E Empire used this model for her marriage. It’s not yet popular around here, but in a few years, you will not be able to buy them at this price anymore!”
“Even an empress used this?” The older man appeared to have been persuaded by Su Mian. He took the book and carefully examined the picture.
“Father, let’s buy this set. I like it. Besides, I am the one getting married, not you…”
The old man fiercely glared at the young man. The young man quickly stopped speaking. He pointed at the cupboard on the side and asked, “How much is this?”
“25yuan.” Su Mian let out a mischievous cough.
“We’ll get this first!” The older man finally gave in.
“You really are my father!” The young man hurriedly paid, afraid that his father would regret it. He immediately picked up the cupboard with another young man and took off.
Excluding the manufacturing cost of 10yuan, the cupboard yielded a net profit of 15yuan. Su Mian became so happy as this was the largest sum of money she had seen after being reborn.
She gripped the money tightly in her hands for fear that they would grow wings and fly away.
“Sister, let me see, let me see. I have never seen such a huge note before!” Su Jin Long moved his head closer.
The huge note was valued as 10yuan. It was also the biggest face value of the era. Su Mian’s eyes reddened at the thought that her little brother had not seen such a note before. She had handed it to Su Jin Long.
“Sister, are you really giving this to me?” Su Jin Long’s eyes suddenly glittered with surprise and happiness.
