Chapter 141: Cooperation
Editor: Atlas Studios
“My father is very familiar with the forest. If we get him to lead a team to teach everyone how to set up traps, we will definitely be able to catch a lot of rabbits,” Mu Yangling said. “Besides, setting up traps or digging up rabbit nests don’t take up too much time. You just have to go and pick up the prey in the traps the next morning. Since there are already so many rabbits out in the day, I’m sure there are as many rabbits out at night as there are people on the streets during the Lantern Festival. The traps set up will definitely be useful.”
Qi Haoran widened his eyes. “You’ve been here at night?”
Mu Yangling shook her head. “Although I’ve never been here at night, I can tell from the traces on the ground. Actually, although there were many rabbits before winter last year, there were never so many of them. I didn’t expect them to reproduce so many descendants in just one winter.”
Rabbits could breed at three months of age, and each litter contained at least four to five babies. Going by this calculation, the number of newly added rabbits was quite sizable.
However, Fan Zijin asked curiously, “Since rabbits grow so quickly, why have people never thought of raising rabbits? Instead, people usually raise chickens and ducks? Isn’t rabbit meat more expensive than chicken and duck meat?”
Lowering her head, Mu Yangling fell into deep thought. After a while, she said, “Rabbits are difficult to raise because they tend to run away when given a chance. Moreover, rabbits are more difficult to sell. After all, most farmers raise chickens and ducks for their own consumption now. Very few people specially raise them for the purpose of selling.”
However, Qi Haoran said, “We rarely get to eat rabbit meat in the restaurants and eateries when in Lin’an Prefecture. If we want to eat it, we either ask our servants to buy it or hunt it ourselves. If there are many rabbits, the restaurants and eateries can sell dishes made using rabbit meat, like here. The customers will naturally be willing to spend.”
Fan Zijin looked at him in admiration. “That’s true. Selling northern goods in the south is a profitable business.” Fan Zijin tried to tempt Mu Yangling. “Miss Mu, why don’t we cooperate? You’ll raise rabbits, and I’ll be in charge of selling rabbits to the south. We’ll split the profits 30-70.”
Mu Yangling’s eyes lit up. “70% for me and 30% for you?”
Fan Zijin looked at her strangely and said, “Of course it’s 70% for me and 30% for you.”
Feeling that he was being too unfair, Mu Yangling asked, “Who’s in charge of the baby rabbits—you or I?”
“Of course it’s you,” Fan Zijin said matter-of-factly. “I’m only in charge of selling them. The work of raising rabbits is all yours.”
This time, Qi Haoran also felt that Fan Zijin was being too unfair to Mu Yangling. Both of them being his good friends, he felt conflicted before deciding to handle this fairly. He pulled Fan Zijin back and said, “This is too disadvantageous to Mu Yangling.”
Fan Zijin sneered. “She’s at a disadvantage? If not for the fact that she’s familiar with us, I would at most buy rabbits from her at a bargained-down price before reselling them. That way, she won’t even get a single cent of the profits.”
Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling’s jaws dropped.
Fan Zijin continued, “Do you think those rabbits can be sold so easily? I have to stop the merchants from going south and find restaurants and eateries to collaborate with. With so many rabbits transported to the south, if they’re alive, I have to ensure that they stay alive all the way to Lin’an Prefecture. If it’s something like jerky, I have to find someone to smoke it or steam it. I haven’t even factor in the spices needed. These expenses will all be on me.” The more Fan Zijin spoke, the more he felt that he was suffering a loss. He said, “No, 30-70 is too much of a loss for me. We should split it 20-80.”
Mu Yangling hurriedly said, “Don’t lie to me. How could there be spices in the jerky given to you by the farmer?”
Fan Zijin snorted and smiled. “Maybe spices weren’t used in the past. But can’t I improve upon it since I intend to earn money from this? Considering those who can afford to eat meat all the time aren’t the poor, the better the taste, the better it will sell. It’s settled then. We’ll split it 20-80.”
Mu Yangling could only turn her head to look at Qi Haoran. She did not know how to do business, so she had no idea if Fan Zijin’s calculation was right. This was because after taking in consideration various factors, the cost and risk that Fan Zijin had to bear seemed to be greater than her who was raising the rabbits. However, 20% seemed too low, right?
In her previous life, Mu Yangling was very good at computing, mathematics, and even physics and chemistry. She was one of the top students in her class, but good mathematics did not mean that she knew how to do business.
Mu Yangling didn’t understand, let alone Qi Haoran. After hearing Fan Zijin’s words, he waved his hand and said, “In that case, let’s split it 30-70.” Then, he chuckled at Fan Zijin and said, “Since Mu Yangling is a girl, you should give in to her more.”
Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly.
Fan Zijin snorted and asked her, “Let me say this first—this rabbit business better be of a sizable scale. Have you thought about where to buy baby rabbits? If you don’t have enough money, I can lend you some temporarily.”
Mu Yangling waved her hand and said, “There’s no need to buy baby rabbits. Aren’t rabbits found everywhere? Besides, since no one raises rabbits these days, you can’t buy baby rabbits from other people.”
Mu Yangling was very certain about this because when she sold wild rabbits back then, she had once wanted to sell them for more money since they were wild. Unexpectedly, her father looked at her strangely and said, “Aren’t all rabbits wild?”
Rabbits were all wild. Other than some people who raised one or two rabbits as pets, there were no domestic rabbits.
Therefore, if they wanted baby rabbits, they could only go for wild baby rabbits.
Mu Yangling turned around and said to Qi Haoran, “Didn’t you bring people into the mountains to hunt for rabbits in rabbit holes? Ask your men to keep the baby rabbits for me. Remember, you must keep all the rabbits in the nest. When the time comes, I’ll give you one-third of my 30%.”
Fan Zijin swallowed the words he was about to say. ‘Not bad. Mu Yangling is working for her 30%.’
Qi Haoran agreed without thinking.
“Then where do you plan to raise the rabbits?”
“I still have more than 60 acres of low-grade land in the east that I haven’t planted. I’ll raise them there.”
Fan Zijin frowned. “They won’t be stolen?”
Stunned, Mu Yangling scratched her head and said, “Then should I go out and guard at night?”
Fan Zijin looked at her body suspiciously. Nodding, Qi Haoran said, “That’s one way to go about it. I’ll go around telling everyone that those rabbits belong to me. Let’s see who still dares to have any designs on them.”
Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin nodded repeatedly. “That’s a better idea.”
After the three of them agreed, Mu Yangling showed them how a hunter hunted for rabbits. Then, she walked out with Qi Haoran, covered in rabbits. Fan Zijin walked two steps behind them, unable to understand why they didn’t find it dirty or smelly to hang rabbits on their waist like this.
Mu Yangling hung the rabbits on the horse and said, “Let’s go back to my house first to place the rabbits. My mother makes a delicious braised rabbit meat dish. Let’s eat at my house tonight.”
“Sure, but you have to come back to the camp with me after you put down your things. I’d like to see how you managed to make your way to my tent while avoiding the patrol soldiers.”
“No problem.”
She had been training for such offensive and defensive battles since she was in her sophomore year. After entering the army, she had even participated in a large military exercise. Her usual training mainly involved infiltrating the enemy’s military camp, investigating the enemy’s situation, or assassinating the commander-in-chief. In the modern era, she even deployed infrared defense. In this era without such high technology, missions could only be simpler.
Besides, Qi Haoran’s soldiers had only been effectively trained for less than a month.