Aunt Johanna

"The answer to Ruben’s troubles was Aunt Johanna. This enterprising woman had managed to earn some money by selling fish in the inland markets. On days when the fish didn’t sell, she exchanged the leftovers for farmers’ eggs, meat, and butter. When she returned to Råå, she sold the bartered goods to the fishing population. In this way, she could charge higher prices for the fish, and among the fishermen, she could sell the agricultural products at a higher price than would have been possible inland. Aunt Johanna had, in other words, on her own and without any formal economic training, discovered the law of supply and demand. Her business acumen had over the years resulted in a larger saved amount of money."

"When Ruben and his mother asked her for help, she immediately agreed. She had no children of her own and felt she might as well help her nieces and nephews. It was a fortunate day for Ruben. Aunt Johanna’s loan of five hundred kronor ensured his studies at the School of Business, Economics and Law were secured. He resigned from Sydsvenska Kreditaktiebolaget. It was a big step for a young man who had also only recently started his job."