After chatting, they went back to their room to sleep. As soon as Lin Mai lay on the bed, Doudou hugged her tightly in her sleep and said in a tearful voice: "Mom, don't let me go, I will be obedient."
Lin Mai felt sour and hugged her tightly with his backhand, whispering: "Mom will never abandon Doudou in her whole life."
Doudou soon fell asleep in her gentle lullaby and fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Grandpa Fang and Lin Maibing went in two separate ways to buy chestnuts.
It only took Lin Mai half an hour to harvest forty kilograms of chestnuts.
When she returned to Grandma Fang's house carrying chestnuts, she saw a small figure standing at the door of Grandma Fang's house looking into the distance.
That little figure was Doudou. As soon as she saw Lin Mai, she ran towards her. With tears on her face, she asked aggrievedly: "Why didn't Mom call me when she got up?"
Lin Mai took her little hand and patiently explained: "It's cold when you wake up so early in the winter, so I didn't call you."
Grandma Fang, who followed, said: "This child woke up in the morning and didn't see you crying so anxiously. I told you that you went to collect chestnuts, but she still cried."
Lin Mai knew that Doudou was abandoned by her own mother, and she had a shadow in her heart. She was afraid that she would also abandon her, so she was so nervous.
She promised gently: "Doudou, mom will not abandon you, don't cry."
Doudou wiped her tears, hummed slightly, and held her hand tighter.
When the three of them returned home, Lin Mai saw that Grandpa Fang had collected the chestnuts and said with a smile: "Grandpa is more agile than me. He collected the chestnuts so quickly."
Grandpa Fang was a little proud: "You didn't even look at who I was. If I take action, it won't be easy!"
Grandma Fang took the breakfast out and glanced at him: "You are still so unstable at your age, bragging in front of juniors!"
Grandpa Fang chuckled and said, "I'm not bragging. I've already said hello to the villagers and asked them to spread my words.
Anyone who has chestnuts can come to my house to sell them, and I can buy them for just a dime per pound. I won’t have to go out to buy chestnuts anymore.”
Grandma Fang said with satisfaction: "Finally, I did something good."
After hearing this, Grandpa Fang not only didn't get angry, but also laughed even brighter. He asked Lin Mai: "There may be a lot of people coming to our house to sell chestnuts later. How much do you want to sell a year ago? Guess the number. I have collected enough."
I won’t accept it anymore.”
Today is January 2nd, February 3rd is the Chinese New Year, and there is still a whole month left.
If we calculate eighty kilograms per day, it would be about two to three thousand kilograms, but Lin Mai wants to sell more while he is in exclusive business.
So he said: "From today on, I will sell one hundred and fifty kilograms of chestnuts every day for ten days. Grandpa will help me collect two thousand kilograms of chestnuts first, and we will see the situation after ten days."
Then he said with a shy face: "I have to help me pay for the money to buy chestnuts."
Grandpa Fang waved his hand and said proudly: "This is nothing!"
Grandma Fang was setting up breakfast. When she heard this, she was startled: "You sell so much in one day, how did you get it to the city?"
Grandpa Fang said hurriedly: "I will help her get her to the city."
Grandpa Fang is already an old man in his sixties or seventies, how could Lin Mai have the heart to let him deliver goods to him!
Shaking his head: "No, I'll just find someone to take me to the train, and then find someone on the train to take me to Grandma Pang's door."
The final stop of the train she took was Hankou Railway Station. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone to help deliver the goods.
Grandma Fang hesitated and said: "It's not difficult to ask someone in the town to help you deliver it to the train. You don't know anyone on the train. Who can you ask to help you deliver it?"
"If you pay someone else, there will definitely be someone willing to give it to you."
In Lin Mai's eyes, anything that can be solved with money is nothing.
After solving one problem, Grandma Fang was worried about other problems: "You pick so many chestnuts to sell in the city, how can you have time to buy food at noon? No, I have to bake some soft dough cakes for you to take with you as dry food."
After that, he wanted to go to the kitchen, but Lin Mai stopped him.
"Grandma, there's no need to go to such trouble. Just use the leftover rice to make a few rice balls and take them with you later. Let's eat first."
Grandma Fang just sat down to have breakfast.
After eating a few mouthfuls of rice, he suddenly remembered something and asked Lin Mai seriously: "Did you put fifty cents under the teapot? I was going to ask about this yesterday, but I always forgot to ask."
Lin Mai smiled sheepishly: "I'm disturbing my grandparents by staying at grandma's house, so I put down fifty cents."
Grandma Fang was very unhappy and said: "I don't like you to be so polite!"
Grandpa Fang immediately sang along: "I don't like it either."
Lin Mai hurriedly said: "Okay, okay, it's my fault, I will never be polite again."
Grandma Fang was satisfied.
Lin Mai took advantage of the situation and said, "Since my grandparents don't allow me to be polite, I have something to ask of you now."
"What's the matter? Tell me." Grandpa Fang raised his head from the bowl and looked at her.
"I just want to keep Doudou at home and let you help take care of her. It's not convenient for me to take her with me when doing business."
Grandma Fang said with a smile: "It's good to stay, we two old guys can relieve our boredom."
But Doudou was about to cry and looked at Lin Mai pleadingly: "Mom, don't leave me. I want to go to the city with you to sell chestnuts."
No matter how much the three adults tried to persuade her, she wouldn't listen.
Lin Mai had no choice but to agree to take her with him.
What Doudou lacks now is a sense of security. When she feels safe, she will not be afraid of being separated from herself.
After dinner, Grandpa Fang went to find someone to help Lin Mai deliver the goods to the train station.
Grandma Fang made cuts on the chestnuts.
Lin Mai put away the dishes and made rice balls.
Originally I only planned to make two rice balls, but Doudou had to make five if he wanted to follow.
Fortunately, Grandma Fang still had enough leftover rice, so Lin Mai made five rice balls with sour beans, then put the five rice balls in a large porcelain jar, and then worked with Grandma Fang to score the chestnuts.
Not long after Grandpa Fang went out, he brought back a dull man about thirty years old with a disheveled face.
Although the man's clothes were relatively clean, they were patched one after another, and he looked like he was living in poverty.
Grandpa Fang introduced him and Lin Mai.
Lin Mai learned that this man was from a nearby village and his name was Li Tieniu.
She smiled and said to Li Tieniu: "If I give you two cents for each delivery, will Brother Li do it?"
Nowadays, workers in provincial capitals only earn 20 or 30 cents a month. They can earn 20 cents by helping deliver goods to the train. Only a fool would not do it!
Li Tieniu said shyly: "Do it!"
Lin Mai gave him two cents as wages and asked him to go back first and come back in an hour.
It was still early, and she planned to cut the chestnut for an hour before going to the city.
Selling snacks is not selling breakfast, so you don't need to go so early.
Li Tieniu took a small stool and sat down in front of the pile of chestnuts to be scored: "It's okay if I go back. I'll score the chestnuts too."
Grandma Fang joked: "You can cut it, but Maizi doesn't have any wages for you."
Li Tieniu chuckled and said, "How much does this little thing cost? I haven't fallen into the eyes of money."
With more people and greater strength, an hour later, all the 150 kilograms of chestnuts were slashed and packed in sacks. Li Tieniu picked up a load of chestnuts and left.
Lin Mai also hurriedly picked up another load of chestnuts.
Grandma Fang stopped her, took off the watch on her hand and handed it to her: "I see you don't have a watch. Put on my watch so you can keep track of the time when you go out."
"This..." Lin Mai hesitated.
She really needs a watch to keep track of time, but watches are luxury goods in this era and she is embarrassed to get them.
Grandma Fang couldn't help but put it on for her: "What's this? Why are young people so unhappy? You can just pick it up!"