Li Tieniu was very responsible and put Lin Mai and his daughter on the train before leaving.
As soon as she sat down, Lin Mai began to look for someone to help her carry the load after getting off the train.
After looking around a lot, I selected a young man with a loyal and honest face, and his clothes were so simple that they were almost shabby.
She turned to Doudou and said, "Mom, go over and say a few words to that uncle. Don't be afraid."
Although Doudou nodded obediently, he kept staring at her intently.
Lin Mai walked up to the man and explained his intention in a few words.
The man looked at her, then at the four sacks of chestnuts she pointed at, and readily agreed.
You can earn 30 cents just by picking the goods off the train and walking less than two stops, which is quite cost-effective.
As soon as the train arrived at the terminal, the man came over and picked up a load of chestnuts and followed Lin Mai and her daughter.
When getting off the train, Doudou was too small and it was difficult to get off the train alone. The man freed up one hand to lift her out of the train.
Then, as previously agreed, they sent her mother and daughter to the door of Mrs. Pang's house.
Lin Mai kept his word and paid him thirty cents of wages.
The man took his wages and left happily.
Mrs. Pang was just preparing to set up her stall. When she opened the door, she saw Lin Mai coming. She was very happy and said with a smile: "It's so late. I thought you wouldn't come today."
He didn't bother setting up a stall for himself, so he set up a stall for Lin Mai first.
When he took out the stove and iron pot, he realized that Lin Mai had brought four sacks of chestnuts this time, and murmured: "You brought two loads of chestnuts today?"
Lin Mai knew what she meant by asking this question, so he hummed and said, "Because it's twice as much, I plan to give grandma two yuan a day, is that okay?"
Since the extra money was reasonable, Mrs. Pang naturally agreed readily.
The second time I set up a stall, I was more experienced than the first time. Mrs. Pang had prepared paper for Lin Mai to wrap chestnuts in advance, and Lin Mai became more skilled at frying chestnuts.
Today is Sunday, a day off. There are no fewer people shopping than yesterday on New Year's Day. Linmai's business is still good.
Grandma Pang took advantage of her, and her tea business became popular. She was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth.
Soon it was noon, and Lin Mai had already sold 60% of her chestnuts, but she had no intention of taking a break and wanted to sell them all in one go so she could go back to Grandma Fang's house.
But she still had to eat, so Lin Mai asked Doudou to bring her a rice ball.
Although Doudou stood with her in the wind, she didn't feel cold next to the stove.
The little guy quickly took a rice ball from the enamel jar and handed it to her. He also took one and ate it.
Mrs. Pang asked with concern: "Doesn't it matter if you eat cold food?"
Lin Mai smiled and said: "It doesn't matter."
People in this era are not squeamish, so there is no problem in eating something cold, as long as it is not eaten for a long time.
At this time, Mrs. Pang's grandson ran out of the house again, staring at the chestnuts in the pot with salivation.
Yesterday when chestnuts were being fried, he ran out several times, but Lin Mai always pretended not to notice, and it was the same today.
She rented his grandma's pot and stove every day without paying a penny less, so why should she give him chestnuts to eat?
She had to sell these chestnuts for money, and she didn't even eat any of them.
The little boy ran to his grandmother and complained that he wanted to eat fried chestnuts, but his grandmother scolded him and sent her back to the house.
After a while, he ran out again. This time he didn't go to his grandmother to complain, but asked Lin Mai: "Auntie, can you give me some chestnuts to eat?"
He spoke politely, but if he insisted not to give it, Mrs. Pang would be unhappy, so Lin Mai had no choice but to give the little boy five chestnuts.
Afraid that he would ask for it if it was too little, Lin Mai said apologetically: "I have to sell these chestnuts to make money. I can only give you so much. I'm sorry."
She lowered her attitude so low that Mrs. Pang felt embarrassed and scolded her grandson.
He said that if he dared to come out to ask for chestnuts again, he would be sent back to his parents, and the little boy stopped showing up again.
At this time, a chubby middle-aged woman walked out of the next door.
Lin Mai glanced at her, it was not easy to be fat in this age.
The middle-aged woman looked at her up and down haughtily while knitting a sweater.
She kicked the chestnuts in a sack behind her with her feet and asked in a playful voice: "Where did you buy these chestnuts?"
Although Lin Mai was disgusted in his heart, he didn't show it.
There is a saying that goes well, it is better to offend a gentleman than a villain.
This woman looked like a villain at first glance. If she offended her, she went to the Industrial and Commercial Office to report herself. She would no longer be able to set up a stall here, so how could she make money?
In this era, although the country does not crack down on self-employed businesses as severely as in the past, it only targets self-employed businesses with business licenses. Unlicensed vendors will still be expelled, confiscated, and even fined.
Lin Mai accompanied him with a smile and said, "I went to the remote mountainous area to buy it."
The middle-aged woman said impatiently: "Which mountainous area, can't you be more specific?"
Lin Mai deliberately reported a place with eighteen bends on the mountain road: "Daguo Mountain."
The middle-aged woman immediately became dumbfounded when she heard this.
Daguoshan is far away from Jiangcheng, and the transportation is inconvenient. Even if she wants to sell fried chestnuts, it will not be easy to buy them.
The middle-aged woman looked as if Lin Mai had cut off her money. She knitted a sweater for a while with a slumped face, and said arrogantly: "Hey, give me half a catty of chestnuts."
Lin Mai had already tried his best to give in to her in line with the principle that he would rather offend a gentleman than a villain, but she offended Jin Chi. There is no need to tolerate this kind of person anymore.
He weighed half a catty of chestnuts and said, "Two cents, thank you."
The middle-aged woman's eyes suddenly widened: "I ask you for chestnuts because I think highly of you, and you want money!"
Before Lin Mai could speak, Mrs. Pang spoke up: "My grand-niece sets up a stall to sell chestnuts just to make money to support the family. Why don't you want money? Besides, who cares about you?"
The middle-aged woman looked at Mrs. Pang suspiciously: "She is your grandniece, why haven't I seen her before?"
Mrs. Pang rolled her eyes: "I still have to report all my relatives to you. She has never been to my house before, so of course you haven't seen her!"
The middle-aged woman sneered: "Since she is your grand-niece, why are you so stingy? You don't even give me lunch, and they still eat the rice balls you brought."
Lin Mai said to him: "Although I am a great-niece, I am not so shameless as to eat from the old man. These days, no one in the city supplies food according to the quantity."
The middle-aged woman was not a fool, so she couldn't tell that Lin Mai was mocking her for being thick-skinned. She snorted coldly and entered her home.
She had just been hiding in the house and observing for a long time, and was sure that Lin Mai had nothing to do with Mrs. Pang. Then she came out and wanted to trick her into setting up a stall to sell chestnuts, but she didn't expect chestnuts to be so difficult to buy, so she gave up the idea.
Instead, he sought the next best thing and wanted to take advantage of Linmai.
But seeing Mrs. Pang protecting her, she knew that Mrs. Pang had received a lot of benefits from Lin Mai, and it was long-term, so she had to give up.
If it's a foreigner, she can bully him as much as she wants.
But she didn’t want to offend Old Mrs. Pang. They were all neighbors, and if she cut off her money, how could she be spared?
Besides, Mrs. Pang has a large group of daughters and sons, and she can’t afford to offend them.
Lin Mai was quite glad that he had given Mrs. Pang a favor. Without her, I was afraid that he would not be able to set up a stall here tomorrow.