Chapter 13, Time-Limited Mission Progress 1/3

☆

That evening, She Hongmei would tell everyone her decision.

She Ning was worried that she was too tired, but She Hongmei waved her hand and said she was fine and could manage.

Seeing that She Ning was still looking at her disapprovingly, the little girl looking like an adult, she laughed and patted She Ning's hair. She Ning only withdrew her hand when She Ning showed a childlike expression because of her action. She looked at her seriously and said, "Don't worry, Mom knows what she's doing."

The family had 600 yuan in savings, which seemed like a lot, but that included the dowry her family provided when she got married. Excluding that, she only had 400 yuan in cash available. The old lady needed to take medicine prescribed by a large hospital every day, which cost several yuan a month.

She's still young, she can work hard, she can just sleep less.

"Mom, I'll prepare the braised food for you tonight, and I'll help you with the work in the cornfield." Unable to change her mind, She Ning could only do her best to lighten her workload.

“Mom, I’ll help you wash the vegetables and start the fire too.” She Ni leaned closer to her and eagerly raised her hand to speak.

Looking at She Ning and She Ni, whose eyes were full of love for her, She Hongmei felt a warmth in her heart. People outside said that she had given birth to two girls, which was a loss for her, because they would belong to other families when they grew up, and she would have no one to rely on when she got old. Everyone advised her to adopt one of them or go back to Liu Jianguo to take charge of the family.

Sometimes, when she heard those people's comments, She Hongmei wanted to laugh. She was doing just fine, but she insisted on bringing back a tyrant to serve her. All she talked about all day was how good her son and her husband were, but she was blind to their concern for her. The one who cared about her was her daughter who fed the chickens, washed her clothes, and cooked for her before dawn, while her son and husband, who were so good to her, would just throw down their chopsticks after eating and wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle.

Looking at her daughters, who looked to be in good spirits these past two days, She Hongmei pinched Xiao She Ni's cheek and said, "Don't just talk the talk, you'll be nowhere to be found when it's time to do the work."

"Mom!" She Ni protested, stamping her feet. "Sister, look at Mom!"

She Ning smiled and didn't interfere.

She Hongmei laughed heartily.

Hmph, her daughter is so wonderful, she just wants to live a good life with her daughter, and even live better than them.

In the west room, Old Mrs. She listened to the commotion outside. Her expression was gentle, and she showed a look of relief. Her health was failing, and she couldn't help with anything else. All she could do was take her medicine on time, take care of herself, and not cause any trouble or burden to the family.

With the addition of another stall, She Hongmei became even busier. She handled various permits, bought containers for braised meat, ordered ingredients from the slaughterhouse, and went to the town to conduct research and investigation. She learned about which factory canteens had bad food, which streets had a lot of people, and the train station timetable. She ran back and forth without finding it troublesome at all.

She Hongmei likes to have a backup plan. If business at her fixed stall doesn't meet expectations, she will pick up her goods and go to places with more people to sell them.

A week after everything was prepared, She Hongmei set off early with two large baskets of goods. Today was her first day setting up her stall. She Ning planned to go and help after dropping Xiao She Ni off at school.

The system is quite user-friendly. The task of completing 500 tasks in three days is calculated from the day the stall is officially set up, not from the time the task is issued.

The waterway to town was half the time faster than the land route. After settling She Ni and Grandma She in, She Ning pushed the boat, which hadn't been used since they caught the human traffickers that day, into the water and poled it across the river.

The She family's stall is inside the market. It was She Hongmei's first day opening her stall, but the surrounding vendors were already familiar with her. A few days ago, when she went to town to buy things, she would come here to chat with everyone, which could be considered as giving them a heads-up.

We'd heard her say she was selling braised dishes and Fuding-style sliced ​​meat, and everyone was quite curious.

Today was her official opening day. It was still early and there were no customers yet, but the surrounding stall owners had already placed their orders. This is a long-standing tradition among them, to bring good luck to the new stall and wish her a prosperous and thriving business.

Some people only bought Fuding sliced ​​pork, while others bought both. Those who only bought Fuding sliced ​​pork couldn't resist ordering an extra portion after seeing how delicious the braised food looked to them.

Although street vending has a bad reputation, the money you earn is real. The purpose of earning money is to be able to buy the things you like, so they don't compromise themselves and eat whatever they want.

The Fuding meat slices were all prepared at home. After the water boiled, She Hongmei skillfully used a spoon to scrape the minced meat into the boiling water, filling the pot to the brim. She covered the pot and cooked it for three or four minutes. While the meat slices were cooking, she added soup base to the customers' lunch boxes and added ingredients according to their needs.

With the firewood blazing, the slices of meat in the large pot quickly floated to the surface. A large ladle with perforated holes scooped out a generous amount, filling the lunchbox to the brim. Just looking at it brought a sense of satisfaction and joy.

The meat slices were tender and smooth, with a rich meaty flavor. The soup base, with seaweed and dried shrimp, was fresh, fragrant, and appetizing, and warm and comforting. Then, a bite of the braised meat, which had been soaking in soy sauce overnight, would brighten your whole day.

As dawn broke, more and more people came out to walk around the streets. Although She Hongmei was a new face, with the ready-made advertisements from the surrounding stall owners and the aroma of braised food filling the air, the line in front of her stall gradually grew long.

When She Ning arrived, She Hongmei was working with great enthusiasm, wishing she had eight hands.

She Ning quickly stepped forward to help collect money and give change. She didn't expect the business to be so good. They only prepared 20 jin of lean meat to make Fuding meat slices and 20 jin of braised food, and they sold out before noon.

They told the customers who hadn't bought anything yet that they would be setting up their stalls here from now on, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

After packing up her stall, She Hongmei went to the convenience store next door and bought some soda. She and She Ning then thanked each of the stall owners. The stall owners were quite surprised to receive the soda, as it was the first time someone had thanked them so earnestly.

However, they were not coy or hesitant; they readily accepted the soda and warmly told She Hongmei that she could contact them if she needed anything in the future.

As for the deposit on the soda bottles, they kindly asked the shop owner to return it to She Hongmei, and they would return it after they finished drinking the soda.

Since they were all acquaintances, the shop owner quickly returned the money to She Hongmei. Knowing that She Hongmei had a daughter at home besides She Ning, the owner specially went back to the shop to get two lollipops for her, insisting on giving them to her as a gift for the child.

“Okay, Xiao Ning, thank you Aunt Chen.” She Hongmei didn’t refuse and let She Ning, who was beside her, express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Aunt Shen."

"Don't mention it, it's nothing precious," Mr. Shen said cheerfully.

Perhaps it's because of similar temperaments and appearances; the connection between people is so magical. Even though it's the first time meeting, it feels like we've known each other for a long time.

She Ning watched as the two of them quickly became engrossed in their conversation, and when she left, they were still reluctant to part ways.

On their way back, She Ning took She Hongmei by water.

She Hongmei had been fishing and catching crabs with her father since she was a child. She knew how to row a boat, but she was afraid of being reminded of the past. This was the first time she had stepped onto this boat since her grandfather passed away. At this moment, watching the little girl holding a bamboo pole several times taller than herself and struggling to row, the emotions in her heart suddenly subsided.

She Ning was seated, and she took the bamboo pole.

Back home, She Hongmei took a sip of water and then hurriedly went out again. When she returned, Guan Xiuli followed behind her with a bag in her hand.

Today at her stall, someone asked her if she would sell braised chicken feet, duck feet, chicken gizzards, etc. in the future. She Hongmei immediately thought of Guan Xiuli. She remembered that Guan Xiuli had said that her sister ran a farm and that some factories and restaurants wanted cleaned chickens and ducks, but not the scraps such as chicken feet, duck feet, and chicken offal.

Her sister complained to her that the internal organs were hard to clean, and burying them would pollute the land, so she had to pay someone to take them away. Chicken feet and duck feet didn't have much meat, so not many people wanted them. There were new ones every day, and they couldn't even finish eating them all. Giving them away would be impolite.

She Hongmei wondered if she could get some goods from her, braise them and see how they sold. If they sold well, she would discuss a long-term, stable supply with her.

"Yes, of course! This is a good thing." Guan Xiuli slapped her thigh in agreement, "If this works out, it will be a huge help to her."

Guan Xiuli was well aware of her sister's troubles. Just a few days ago, she heard her sister complaining again, saying that someone at the neighboring farm had buried the entrails for convenience, and the pit they dug wasn't deep. When the weather got hot and the wind blew, the stench filled the air, making it impossible for anyone to stay there.

She Hongmei thought for a moment and said, "Could you ask for me first, about the price, comparing it to the market price?"

"Okay, I'll ask around for you in a bit." Guan Xiuli readily agreed. A moment later, she glanced at She Ning, a blush creeping across her slightly round face with a double chin. "Ahem, I have a small request."

"I'll invite you to try it after it's braised," She Hongmei said with a smile.

"My dear sister, wait for my news."

"This is for Xiaoni and Xiaoning." Guan Xiuli picked up the bag at her feet, stuffed it into She Ning's arms, gave her instructions, stood up, and ran off without looking back.

"Mom." Suddenly, something appeared in her arms. She Ning looked down and quickly gestured for her mother to see.

The bag contained a can of malted milk powder and a tin of biscuits; it wasn't cheap.

"Your Aunt Guan is really something, just put it away." She Hongmei shook her head, both amused and exasperated.

No wonder she ran so fast. She Hongmei knows her personality. She definitely won't accept it back. Over the years, they have become as close as sisters. Guan Xiuli used to worry that she was not doing well, so she always refused to accept her things, unless they were wild vegetables or clams she had picked.

Relationships between people need to be reciprocal to last. If one side gives too much, even relatives will feel resentful. She Hongmei knows that Guan Xiuli is not that kind of person, but she still wants to give her something in return.

Now that such an opportunity has come so often, She Hongmei thought that she would prepare an extra portion of any good food at home for her in the future.

After dinner, everyone gathered in Grandma She's room again.

"Today I earned 104.8 yuan. After deducting costs, I made about 74 yuan," She Ning said after calculating her earnings.

"Wow! Mom is so amazing!" She Ning clapped enthusiastically.

Hearing this number, She Hongmei's eyes reddened a little. This was the first time she had earned so much in one day. Nowadays, an ordinary worker in the town only earns about 30 yuan a month. She earned two months' wages in one day.

Before, when the villagers found out she was going to set up a stall, they looked at her with disdain and contempt, which made She Hongmei feel a little uncomfortable. Now, she is at peace.

"Beep, the timed task has been completed: 156 servings of Fuding meat slices / 500 servings."

That evening, as She Ning lay in bed preparing to sleep, the system notified her of the progress.

156, which is a bit lower than the three-day average, but still acceptable.

We only sold 156 servings today because we didn't have enough ingredients. If we had enough ingredients, we could easily sell 167 servings a day.

After all, when they sold out and packed up, there were still many people who wanted to line up to buy.