Bai Shibao said, "Is that so? I was just saying that Jiangmi Tiao (glutinous rice strips) haven't been selling well lately, but since we're not working right now, I'll sell them on the black market a little longer, and we won't sell any less."

After hearing Bai Shibao's words, Bai Jiaojiao realized that Bai Shibao was also a fool.

"Third Brother, things are alright now, we have time to linger outside, but once spring comes, this business will be impossible."

Not only did Bai Shibao not have time, but other buyers also had to rush to work. If they could buy it at the supply and marketing cooperative, who would risk going to the black market early in the morning?

After all, people who can afford snacks aren't short of a few grain coupons.

Bai Shibao was troubled by Bai Jiaojiao's words: "Then what should we do? If it really doesn't work, we can just buy less. We'll still make a profit."

Bai Jiaojiao shook her head: "Third brother, this is not how you make money. Since it's not working in our town, you can try going west to the next town. It's more than ten miles away, but I don't think they've learned it yet."

Bai Shibao nodded: "I can ride a bicycle and it won't make a difference if I travel a few miles."

"You know, if Jiaojiao hadn't come back and told you, you wouldn't know anything at all."

Deng Min looked at Bai Shibao and shook her head.

Bai Shibao smiled sheepishly: "I thought they were just tired of eating it, so I didn't think much of it when fewer people were buying it."

“People are more willing to spend money during the New Year, so why are fewer and fewer people buying? Third Brother, if we want to keep the business going for a long time, we need to be more astute. If anything happens in the future, why don't you come back and talk to Dad, my eldest brother, and my sister-in-law, and discuss it as a family?”

Bai Shibao agreed wholeheartedly: "I understand now. My little sister is right. From now on, if anything happens, I will come back and tell everyone."

Although Bai Shibao was not clever from a young age, he was reliable and obedient.

"I recently made some candy, and I expect it to sell well around the end of the year. Come and pick it up, Third Brother, when it's done."

Bai Jiaojiao bought a lot of candy and parchment paper this time, planning to make some shrimp pastries.

"You can even make sugar?" Deng Min was pleasantly surprised.

"It's either boiled sugar cubes or peanut brittle."

"You can make that too?" Deng Min only realized it when it came to peanut brittle. "You're quite good at naming things, you even call it Shrimp Brittle."

"If I make it as long as my little finger, wouldn't it look just like a shrimp?"

Bai Jiaojiao smiled.

"Okay, okay, this one is guaranteed to sell well. You can't even get your hands on the ones sold at the supply and marketing cooperative."

Deng Min beamed with joy; this was another substantial sum of money.

"By the way, I'm taking your third brother to another village for a blind date in a couple of days. Would you like to come and check him out?"

Now that the family is well-off, the last problem must be solved as soon as possible: Bai Shibao's marriage.

"I won't join in the fun. Just make sure Third Brother makes the right choice."

Bai Jiaojiao only remembered that in her previous life, Bai Shibao was twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old when he finally found a wife. At that time, he had a bad reputation and the Bai family was poor, so he couldn't find a wife.

When Bai Shibao got married, she was already in Yancheng. As for what kind of person Bai Shibao's wife was, Bai Jiaojiao knew nothing about it, so she did not intend to interfere.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going now. Third Brother, why don't you try selling it in the next town tomorrow morning? I think it will definitely sell better than in our town."

"Okay, I've got it."

When Bai Jiaojiao left, Deng Min gave her two pairs of insoles, embroidered with colorful flowers and willows. The larger pair had "wealth" written on one and "nobility" on the other, while the smaller pair had "peace" written on one and "safety" on the other.

"I know you don't know how to do this, but I'll get you a new pair of insoles for the New Year."

"Thank you, sister-in-law, it looks beautiful!"

Bai Jiaojiao is currently using insoles bought from the supply and marketing cooperative at home. They are soft, but not as durable as these. With her heavy feet, she has to wear out a pair in just two days.

She took the insoles home and showed them to Shen Heng like they were treasures: "Look, my sister-in-law made these for us. I think the size is just right for your feet."

Shen Heng took it: "What about my share?"

This was incredibly exciting for Shen Heng; before meeting Bai Jiaojiao, he had never even known what it felt like to wear shoe insoles.

Now they've upgraded to the point where you can use insoles made stitch by stitch.

"Of course! You're benefiting from my connections. If it weren't for me, would my sister-in-law even know who you are?"

Bai Jiaojiao held the insole in her hand and rubbed it. Deng Min was indeed a very popular girl at the time. Her craftsmanship was impeccable. Every stitch was sewn firmly and full.

"Yes, yes, I'm so glad I married you. I really need to thank you properly."

He just threw away perfectly good insoles without a second thought. Bai Jiaojiao knew what he was up to as soon as Shen Heng smirked.

"Stop fooling around. I'm going to clean up and braise all the offal I bought today. We can just take it out and eat it during the New Year."

The main problem is that if you don't braise it now, it won't taste good if you leave it frozen for two days before braising.

First braise, then freeze—that gives it a completely different flavor.

"What's the rush?"

Bai Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose at Chen Heng: "If we go along with your whims, it will get dark again."

Shen Heng took Bai Jiaojiao's words as a compliment on his stamina: "Come on, I'll go help you."

Their new house now has a spacious kitchen with a very large counter next to the stove, which makes it convenient for Bai Jiaojiao to make desserts and is also very convenient to use.

This time they bought pig liver, pig heart, and pig ears. Bai Jiaojiao plans to braise them together. When it's time to eat, just take them out, slice them, and they'll be ready to eat. Dip them in soy sauce and add some chopped garlic for a delicious dish that won't spoil even in the dead of winter.

Bai Jiaojiao was preparing the braising ingredients, while Shen Heng squatted to the side cleaning them up.

Making braised meat requires patience; you can put it in now and take it out before going to bed at night.

“My sister-in-law made insoles for us, and I’ll write two couplets for them tomorrow. Hmm, I need to write three: one for the main gate, one for the main room, and another for my third brother’s room. I’ll also write two more ‘Fu’ characters for Dad and my eldest brother’s rooms.”

Bai Jiaojiao went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a lot of red paper. She not only had to send couplets to her parents' home, but also two pairs to Bai Shiqing, and one pair to Zheng Xu as a favor. Wang Fushun would definitely come for the New Year, so she would also send him one pair. As for Huang Meijuan, she didn't know many people in Shili Village, so since she had made friends with her, she had to keep in touch.

Adding in the "Fu" character and other miscellaneous items, Bai Jiaojiao was worried it wouldn't be enough, so she bought thirty sheets of four-foot-long Zhengdan paper. The salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative even asked her if she worked for the government, otherwise where would she put up so many couplets?

There aren't many literate people in Shili Village. In the past, when writing couplets for the New Year, everyone would take red paper to someone who could write calligraphy. It didn't matter how well it was written, as long as it was a neat and legible character, that was fine.

Since Bai Jiaojiao wanted to give a gift, she definitely wanted to make it presentable.

She threw the pig offal into the pot to braise, leaving the task of watching the heat to Shen Heng, while she went back to her room to practice calligraphy.

Bai Jiaojiao had practiced calligraphy for two years in Yancheng.