Chapter 30 Returning to Hometown and Entering Sweet Potatoes
Lin Mai threw down the branch and entered the village. Not far away, he saw Niuniu and Doudou playing a game.
I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. Doudou was very timid when he was first adopted by her, but now he is much bolder and dares to go out and play with Niuniu.
Doudou saw Lin Mai running towards her happily, calling her mother as she ran.
When I got there, I looked into her basket and saw that it was full of stones. I asked puzzledly: "Mom, why did you pick up so many stones?"
"It's for roasting chestnuts."
Lin Mai answered her question, called Niuniu over who didn't dare to come close, and asked her to hold hands with Doudou and go home with her.
Question: "You were playing outside just now, and someone gave you candy and you ate it."
The two children nodded one after another.
"Then you tell others what they ask you?"
The two children nodded again.
“What if that person is a bad guy?”
Niu Niu closed her mouth tightly with some fear.
Doudou looked innocent: "That man said he was from the village, how could he be a bad person?"
"Who told you that there are no bad people in the village? If they capture you and sell you, Niu Niu will never see her father and grandmother again, and you will never see your mother again."
Niuniu was so scared that she almost cried.
Doudou didn't quite believe it: "Then during the two days when I was looking for my mother at the train station, why didn't any bad guys kidnap me and sell me?"
"That just means you are lucky. It doesn't mean there are no bad people, nor does it mean you are lucky every time.
If you don't want to see your mother again, you must listen to her and don't eat what others give you.
You are not allowed to answer whatever people ask you, and you are not allowed to follow them."
Doudou nodded his head.
Lin Mai was afraid that she wouldn't take it seriously, so he told another story about a case in which an acquaintance raped and killed a little girl that he had seen online in his previous life, but it was not as bloody and violent as what she told.
Even so, the two little girls were frightened.
Lin Mai saw that he had achieved his goal, so he stopped there.
When the three of them returned home, Tieniu Ma had already prepared breakfast.
Lin Mai took a look at the rice, vegetables and pickles, and said to Tieniu Ma: "Didn't Grandma Fang give me a basket of eggs? She cooks one for each of the two children every morning."
Iron Cow Mother waved her hand: "It's enough to have a full stomach, why don't you eat eggs!"
Lin Mai said patiently: "Niuniu and Doudou are growing and need nutrition. They must eat well. Besides, those eggs will go bad if left uneaten."
Tieniu Ma reluctantly agreed.
After breakfast, Lin Mai and Tieniu packed up their things and set up a stall.
From nine o'clock in the morning to the closing of the stall at five o'clock in the afternoon, a total of 600 kilograms of chestnuts were sold.
Lin Mai originally planned to sell four hundred kilograms a day, which was enough, but he didn't expect to sell so much before five o'clock.
I went home with a little money and made a net profit of more than 70 yuan.
Last time, Grandpa Fang gave away three thousand kilograms of chestnuts. At this rate, the sale will be over in four days at most.
With money in hand, Lin Mai gave Iron Cow Mother ten yuan and asked her to go to the black market from time to time to buy some meat or fish, soy products, etc., so as to make better food.
The next morning, although Iron Niu Mama cooked hard-boiled eggs according to her request, she only cooked one.
The reason is very good. The basket of eggs from Grandma Fang is for Lin Mai and her daughter. Niu Niu eats and drinks for free, so how can she have the nerve to eat Grandma Fang’s eggs!
Lin Mai said angrily: "Niuniu is eating and drinking for free. How much can a child of how old eat?"
Cut the hard-boiled egg into two halves with a kitchen knife, one half for each of the two children, so that Iron Cow Mom must have a hard-boiled egg for each child every morning.
Seeing how generous Lin Mai was, Tieniu Ma fell in love with her even more.
Three days have passed in a flash. There are not many chestnuts left at home, but Grandpa Fang hasn't come yet.
Although he could borrow the phone number of the Sanyang Village brigade to call Simei Town and ask the cadres of Simei Town to send a message to Grandpa Fang to deliver the chestnuts as soon as possible, Lin Mai did not know the phone number of Simei Town.
In this era, there was no Internet and it was impossible to inquire.
Lin Mai had no choice but to leave Tieniu alone to do business. She caught the earliest train back to Simei Town early in the morning.
It was already past eight in the morning when we arrived at Simei Town, and we finally met Aunt Wu.
Lin Mai was a little confused, why didn't this old scheming bitch go to the provincial capital to sell chestnuts, or was it only her son and daughter-in-law who went there instead of her?
When the old scheming bitch saw her, he gave her a fierce look, as if she had burned down her house and thrown her only grandson into the well.
Lin Mai ignored it and returned to Grandma Fang's house.
As soon as Grandpa Fang saw her, he said: "I was just thinking about whether to go to the city to find you, and you came back."
Lin Mai hurriedly asked: "What's wrong?"
Grandpa Fang waved his hand: "It's nothing, don't be nervous. I just want to tell you that the price of chestnuts has increased. It costs 15 cents per catty. It's not easy to collect. I have collected it for several days, but I can only collect it."
Two thousand catties."
Lin Mai was a little surprised: "Why did the price increase?"
"If there are more people collecting, the price will naturally increase." Grandpa Fang said worriedly, "What will you do if you can't collect these chestnuts? You are still waiting to sell chestnuts to make money to buy a house."
Although it is already the 1980s, it is still a planned economy, and you have to vote for everything you buy.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and citizens are going to buy New Year's goods. You won't be able to buy much with your tickets.
If you pour some agricultural products and sell them in the city, they will definitely be popular with housewives who are shopping for new year's goods.
Lin Mai made a plan in his mind: "If we can't harvest chestnuts, we won't harvest them. Grandpa can help me harvest peanuts, broad beans, peas, and dried sweet potatoes to fry and sell."
Today's rural areas have better food than urban residents, at least this is the case in Hu Province.
Since every household has their own plot of land, they can harvest a lot of peanuts, broad beans, sweet potatoes, etc. every year. It is not difficult to purchase these.
Grandpa Fang asked: "How much do you want? I will buy it for you right away."
Lin Mai first paid the 300 yuan for the chestnut purchase, leaving only about 400 yuan on hand.
She asked about the prices of peanuts and other crops.
Grandpa Fang said: "Peanuts cost thirty cents per catty, and broad beans and peas cost two cents per catty. No one buys these dried sweet potatoes, so there is no market price. But I know the price of sweet potatoes, which is five cents per catty."
Lin Mai thought of Jiangcheng's snack, sweet potato noodles, which are made from cut sweet potatoes and deep-fried.
The sweet potato noodle nest is fragrant with oil, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, soft and glutinous, and delicious. You can definitely sell the sweet potato noodle nest, and it is very popular for a dime.
Lin Mai thought for a moment and said, "Let's just buy two thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes, ten kilograms of vegetable oil and fifty kilograms of flour."
Grandpa Fang asked: "Do you want some peanuts or something?"
"No more." Lin Mai told the two elders of his plan, "I'm going to fry the sweet potato noodles and sell them."
Grandma Fang worriedly said: "You and Tieniu are selling chestnuts and fried noodles, are you busy enough to come here?"
Lin Mai nodded: "I'll be busy."
She has already made a plan. Chestnuts will only be sold after nine o'clock every day. She can fry the sweet potato noodles and sell them between six o'clock and nine o'clock, and that's all.
Grandpa Fang immediately went out to collect sweet potatoes, vegetable oil and flour for Lin Mai.
Lin Mai smiled and said: "I haven't given money to grandpa yet."
Two thousand kilograms of sweet potatoes cost one hundred yuan, vegetable oil costs one yuan per kilogram, ten yuan ten yuan, flour costs two cents a kilogram, and fifty kilograms costs one hundred yuan.