Råå

"“I can still see Lisa as she arrived, tall, straight, and slender. I remember her sun-tanned face, beautifully rounded and framed by dark hair. She was beautiful and spirited, both spirit and matter. The impression was overwhelming, and I soon realized that she was the woman in my life.” This is how Ruben himself described his meeting with the postmaster’s daughter, Elisabeth Varenius. The family was of Halland origin and belonged to an old clerical family that had moved to Råå."

"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."