The night before market day, Chen Kai and Yu Wenjiang went to the backyard to find Xie Yuyao as agreed.

At that time, Xie Yuyao and Yang Shumei were packing braised dishes that they would sell at the market the next day.

Hearing the sound, Xie Yuyao went out to welcome them in, pointing to the braised dishes in the pot and saying, "Look, we have prepared more than 50 catties of braised meat and about 100 catties of braised vegetables. Tomorrow, you two can take some to the market to sell. Bring our coal stove with you too, it will make the food smell even better and attract more people when it's warm."

The aroma of the freshly cooked braised dishes was so enticing that Yu Wenjiang and Chen Kai couldn't help but swallow hard.

After listening to Xie Yuyao's explanation, Yu Wenjiang nodded: "We'll come over first thing tomorrow morning to pick them out. These braised dishes taste so good, we're sure they'll sell well."

"I hope so." Xie Yuyao wasn't sure about the purchasing power of Hongqi Commune, but she guessed it was definitely not as strong as that of the county town.

The demand in the county town is increasing every day. Zhao Dayong can't carry that much by himself, so he called his brother Arong to help him move it. Arong is from Lijia Gou and is very eloquent.

Xie Yuyao learned about Jiang Minzheng's affair with the brigade leader's daughter from him, and only then did she understand why Jiang Minzheng had seemed ashamed to see her that night in the county town.

Xie Yuyao pulled herself out of her reverie and told them about the cooperation plan.

Similar to their collaboration with Zhao Dayong, they priced braised meat at 2.5 yuan per jin (500g) and braised vegetables at 0.8 yuan per jin. They sold them for 2 yuan and 0.5 yuan respectively, allowing them to profit from the price difference.

Yu Wenjiang and Chen Kai looked at each other, wondering if they could sell it at such a high price.

Yang Shumei knew their concerns and comforted them, "Don't worry, if you don't sell them all, just bring the rest back to us."

It's the dead of winter now, and the braised food won't spoil anytime soon. They can sell it to Zhao Dayong tomorrow; they won't lose money no matter what.

Xie Yuyao took out two bowls and filled each of them with some braised dishes, saying, "Try them."

"No, no, no, this is for selling." Yu Wenjiang and Chen Kai waved their hands repeatedly.

"It's not a big deal. Once you taste it, you'll have more confidence, and you can convey that to your customers that our dishes are worth the price."

Only after Yang Shumei's persuasion did they pick up their chopsticks and try the food. Needless to say, they felt much more confident after eating it.

Yu Wenjiang secretly calculated the price difference; if he sold all of them, he could make a lot of money.

"Sister Yuyao, if we haven't sold them by the afternoon, I'd like to take them to the family compound to sell, is that okay?" Yu Wenjiang had tried his best, but returned empty-handed.

Xie Yuyao looked at Chen Kai and saw that he was also eager to try, so she said, "You guys handle it as you see fit, but be careful."

*

Nothing was said that night.

The next day, Chen Kai and Yu Wenjiang quickly finished breakfast and went to the backyard to pick up two buckets of braised food and related items to go to the market.

Although they got up very early, there were already quite a few people setting up stalls at the market.

In the 1970s, private business was not allowed; it was called "investing in a few companies," and getting caught had serious consequences.

But on market days, people can sell goods or barter.

On this day, most farmers sell agricultural products grown on their private plots, or items like eggs and hens.

They could only sell on market days; on other days, they had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to sell their goods. However, the cooperative offered very low prices, and they were so desperate to make ends meet that they were reluctant to sell to the cooperative.

Farmers with no other source of income naturally save up to sell on this day, resulting in a large number of stalls.

Many residents of the commune also went to the market to buy agricultural products on this day, resulting in a huge crowd.

Yu Wenjiang spotted a good spot and quickly ran over to claim it.

This location, situated between the vegetable and snack stalls, caters to both types of customers.

They lit a fire and started the stove, their hearts pounding with trepidation as they began to hawk their wares.

Just like in the county town, the aroma attracted a lot of onlookers, but when the price was announced, the older women exclaimed that it was outrageously high.

Yu Wenjiang was prepared and took out samples for them to try.

Many people's mouths were whetted, but due to the price factor, they still looked more than they bought.

Most people are not well-off these days, but there are always some people who live comfortably.

After trying the food, a well-dressed middle-aged woman ordered three jin each of meat and vegetables.

Spurred on by her actions, even more people took action.

By noon, the braised meat they brought had finally sold out.

The two men were overjoyed to see the large amount of small bills they had received.

Chen Kai, unusually generous, said, "Let's go! Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some meat buns!"

After filling their stomachs, Xie Yuyao returned to the educated youth compound and served them the ginger soup she had prepared with added ingredients.

After the four of them did the math, they found that their combined profit was over sixty percent.

After being divided equally, each person received more than thirty yuan, which was higher than the monthly wage of most workers at the time.

Chen Kai said happily, "I want to sell at the next market again."

"No problem, as long as you're not afraid of getting tired," Xie Yuyao said with a smile.

Don't be fooled by their high earnings; their work is far from easy. They have to stand in the freezing wind for hours on end, while also hawking their wares, packing vegetables, and making change. You could see when they came back—their faces, ears, and hands were red and stiff from the cold.

Yu Wenjiang was not satisfied with selling at the market. He had been collecting scrap in his hometown and had been roaming the streets and alleys, so he knew a lot about the art of selling goods on the street.

In order to earn more money to treat his father and older brother's illnesses, he proposed the idea of ​​going door-to-door to sell braised food.

"Selling like this carries certain risks. Have you thought it through?" Xie Yuyao reminded him.

Yu Wenjiang was determined: "Sister Yuyao, you know my family's situation. I need to do my best to earn money. Don't worry, if anything happens, I will never implicate you."

Seeing Xie Yuyao hesitate, he added, "I will familiarize myself with the environment first, and only sell when I am confident. I will not act rashly."

"Alright, let us know if anything happens." Xie Yuyao and Yang Shumei were both interested in expanding into the commune's market, and since Yu Wenjiang insisted, they readily agreed.

In the afternoon, Zhao Jianbin returned to Qingshan Village from the commune and rode his bicycle directly to the educated youth compound.

As usual, he helped buy a lot of meat and vegetables, which he put in a basket on the back seat and brought back.

Yang Shumei helped him get back into the house and then poured the remaining ginger soup for him to drink.

After he finished drinking, Yang Shumei said, "I want to buy a bicycle, so that if anything happens to you, it will be convenient for me to go and buy it."

With the income from selling braised food, buying a bicycle is no longer a problem for her.

Zhao Jianbin chuckled, "What could possibly happen to me? You're so sensitive to the cold, try not to go out. Let's wait until next spring when the weather warms up before we buy it."

“But you’ve been helping with the shopping every day, so why don’t I pay you?” Yang Shumei didn’t want to owe him too much. She felt he had become too dependent on her these past few days, which was not in line with her usual style, so she offered to pay him.

Zhao Jianbin's smile froze instantly, and he said urgently, "Shumei, do we need to be so clear about who we are? Tell me what I did wrong, and I'll change."