Zhang Hongyan felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and was about to get angry when she saw the letter that Xia Heping shoved in front of her eyes.

She looked at the man with suspicion and asked, "Why do you have another letter? Who sent it?"

"Qingqing sent it back too. Take a look, I guarantee you'll be happy," Xia Heping smiled ingratiatingly at his wife. He had been a little rough with his hands because he was too excited, and he hoped his wife wouldn't hold it against him.

"What good news is it?" Seeing his mysterious look, Zhang Hongyan didn't bother to argue with him and quickly took the letter to read it carefully.

Compared to the first letter, which was densely packed with text, the second letter was much simpler:

【

Mom, my roommates really like the fish and shrimp chili sauce you sent. They even want to buy some to give to their relatives and friends.

If it's convenient for you to make them, they're willing to pay 2 yuan per bottle, and they need a total of 30 bottles. I'll transfer the money to you directly when I receive it.

If it's inconvenient for you to do this, just write to me.

】

The three roommates ordered a total of 12 bottles of sauce, but Xia Qingqing directly ordered 30 bottles in her email.

She thought this was also a way to help her family earn money, and she would help promote it later. If it sold well, it would bring additional income to her family.

Zhang Hongyan stared wide-eyed at the numbers on the bottle: "I...am I seeing things? Does this mean it's 2 yuan a bottle?"

“That’s right, it’s 2 yuan a bottle, and we need 30 bottles in total, which is 60 yuan.” Xia Heping was so shocked when he calculated the total price that his jaw almost dropped. His family was about to become rich.

The couple looked at each other, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

Pork is only 70 cents a pound! Even though you need meat coupons for it, pork tastes so good.

The river is teeming with small fish and shrimp, and they simply cannot understand why anyone would be willing to spend 2 yuan to buy a bottle of chili sauce made from small fish and shrimp.

Zhang Hongyan quickly figured it out: "Maybe city people just like this kind of food. I fry all my small fish and shrimp in oil, which uses a lot of oil. If Qingqing didn't like to eat them, I would never have been willing to make them."

They usually eat this sauce at home, but they can't bear to fry the small fish they eat themselves; at most, they slowly dry them over low heat.

Xia Heping looked at his wife blankly and asked, "Should we do it or not? Would this be considered doing business in secret? If we get caught, will it affect Qingqing?"

"Why wouldn't you do something that makes money? Do you hate money?" Zhang Hongyan rolled her eyes at the man, then softened her expression and said:

"Since Qingqing said she can do it, it proves that it can definitely be done. Besides, we're not selling it on the black market. It's just that a few of Qingqing's roommates want it. They're all Qingqing's classmates, so they definitely won't go around saying anything."

Xia Heping nodded honestly: "Okay, wife, I'll do whatever you say."

"You should hurry up and go fish in the river," Zhang Hongyan said before turning and going into the kitchen.

She had to check how much oil was left at home, whether it was enough to make 30 bottles of sauce. If it wasn't enough, she would have to buy some more. After all, the customer had paid so much money, she had to make sure they used up all the ingredients.

Zhang Hongyan silently did the math in her mind. Including the cost, she could make at least half of the profit from this batch of sauce. Let's say it's 30 yuan, which is a month's salary for a city worker.

After Gou Dan came home from school, he heard about this from his parents and happily followed Xia Heping to the river to catch small fish.

Although the regulations now stipulate that the fish in the river belong to the collective, their brigade doesn't have many rules. If anyone wants to eat fish, they can catch one or two to eat, as long as they are not caught and sold.

Small fish and shrimp are not something most people want to eat; they are mostly caught by children to feed the chickens at home. Chickens that eat these things tend to lay more eggs, and the eggs they lay are also larger.

Zhang Hongyan picked all the chili peppers from her own private plot, but that still wasn't enough to make thirty bottles, so she went to a friend's house and exchanged them for a large basket of chili peppers.

When asked why she needed so many dried chilies, she simply said she was making some sauce to mail to Xia Qingqing, who was studying in Beijing.

All these chilies must be washed clean and dried before cutting. They must not get wet, otherwise they will spoil easily.

Because catching small fish and shrimp takes time, Zhang Hongyan rushed for three days before she could finish making the chili sauce.

It was a week later when Xia Qingqing received the package.

Xia Qingqing shared the small fish chili sauce with her roommates and then wired the money back to them.

After receiving the remittance slip, Xia Heping personally rode his bicycle to the county to retrieve the money and handed it over to his wife immediately.

"It really is 60 yuan," Zhang Hongyan said, her hands trembling slightly as she held the money.

Xia Heping wasn't much better off: "If only I could keep selling them, selling 30 bottles a month would earn me more than city workers."

......

Looking at the several bottles of small fish chili sauce in front of him, Song Ze smiled and said, "This must have been made by Aunt Zhang. I haven't had it in a long time. Qingqing is still the best to me. But isn't this a bit too much?"

Even if he can eat a lot, he can't finish 5 bottles in a short time.

"One bottle is for you, and I'll give the rest away for you," Xia Qingqing told him in detail about how she sold chili sauce in her dorm room.

Song Ze gave her a thumbs up: "My boyfriend really has a business mind. Leave this to me, I guarantee there won't be any problems."

Song Ze kept two bottles of the chili sauce for himself, Ning Zhiyuan shared one bottle, and Yuan Xin shared two bottles.

Yuan Xin works in a transportation team. Sometimes when he goes on long trips, he doesn't even have time to get a hot meal. He and the other people in the team are the target users of the chili sauce.

"It smells so good! I could eat five steamed buns with this sauce," Yuan Xin said, as he picked up a big bite of small fish and put it in his mouth, breathing out as he ate. The sauce is a bit spicy when eaten dry.

"Aze, where did you buy this sauce? I want to get a few more bottles so I can take it with me on the road."

Song Ze curled the corners of his lips and said proudly, "Isn't it delicious? My future mother-in-law made it."

Yuan Xin's eyes darted around, and he put his arm around Song Ze's shoulder and said, "Hey, Ze, let's talk business. I want to work with your future mother-in-law."

A smile flickered in Song Ze's eyes. He knew that Yuan Xin would never let go of such a good opportunity to make money.

"Cooperation is possible. The chili sauce is 2 yuan a bottle. How many bottles do you plan to buy?"

Upon hearing that it was 2 yuan a bottle, Yuan Xin felt that it wasn't too expensive, and that the taste was worth the price.

But he wanted to make money from this chili sauce, and 2 yuan a bottle was too expensive; even brothers should keep clear accounts.

Yuan Xin stopped joking and looked at Song Ze seriously, saying, "I need a large quantity, can the price be lowered?"