Chapter 29 Money really goes by too quickly! ...

When Song Yu told Yuan Yuan that her mother was inviting them to her house to play, Yuan Yuan jumped up with joy on the spot.

"Yay! Will Auntie make us Bo Bo Chicken?" Yuan Yuan asked excitedly.

Zhang Xiaoda's eyes crinkled with laughter: "I love Bo Bo Chicken the most!"

"I asked my grandma to buy it for me, but it's not good. It doesn't taste like Auntie's Bo Bo Chicken." Zhou Xue was a little confused. Obviously, her grandma had bought a counterfeit, but the child didn't know what was going on. She only knew that the taste was different.

"My mom made me Bo Bo Chicken, it was so-so," Zhang Xiaolang said.

Song Yu shook his head: "It's not Bo Bo Chicken."

"Ah..." The four children exclaimed in unison.

"It's oden."

"What is that?" The three children asked, somewhat bewildered.

Yuanyuan immediately exclaimed excitedly, "I know! It's similar to hot pot, I've eaten it before!"

Song Yu said, "It's not hot pot. Oden isn't spicy. My mom says it's sweet and savory."

Zhang Xiaoda blinked: "It tastes like shrimp?"

Song Yu had never eaten live shrimp before and didn't know what it tasted like, since there were no live shrimp for sale in the town, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

"Anyway, it's delicious," Yuanyuan said. "You'll know once you try it."

Yuanyuan is the food expert in their group. She has tried a lot of things and has a lot of snacks at home. She often brings them out to try. They are full of anticipation for anything that Yuanyuan says is delicious.

"When can I come to your house to play, Song Yu?"

Song Yu thought for a moment and said, "My mother asked me to ask you if you have time this weekend."

The other three children all said yes, but Yuanyuan frowned and said, "I can't, my mom and dad want to take me home."

"Don't you live in town?" Song Yu asked curiously.

Zhang Xiaoda said, "Yuanyuan has another home in the city, and she goes back there during the holidays."

"Yes, Yuanyuan doesn't play with us during summer and winter vacations."

Yuanyuan clenched her little fist: "When I grow up, I can come back by myself during summer and winter vacations, and then I'll come to find you."

"What should I do? I really want to eat oden."

After discussing it, the children decided that it didn't have to be on the weekend, since they got out of school at five o'clock every day and could come over as soon as they finished school.

Song Yu went home and discussed it with her mother again, and finally decided to meet on Monday night of the following week.

Now that the date was set, Song Xinran began preparing the ingredients. The core of the umami flavor of the oden broth is kelp and bonito flakes, which are dried kelp and dried bonito. Dried kelp is available in town, but Song Xinran asked several dried goods stores, and none of them had ever heard of bonito flakes.

So they had to go into the city, and Song Xinran decided to also visit the stainless steel handcart processing plant that Lei Hong had introduced.

Song Xinran got up early in the morning, thinking that if she went early and came back early, she could still set up her stall on time in the afternoon.

Originally, I wanted to leave Song Yu at Huang Yun's house and help look after him for the morning, but when she got up, the little one was also awake. He rubbed his eyes, looked at the still dark sky outside, and said he wanted to go with her.

Looking at the child's sleepy yet expectant eyes, Song Xinran agreed. The two took the earliest bus to the city at 6:30, but didn't arrive until 8:30.

The first thing Song Xinran did was go to the market to buy the ingredients needed for oden.

The market in the city was several times larger than the one in the town, and it was bustling with people. Song Xinran took a quick look around and got a general idea of ​​the types of goods and prices of the items she wanted to buy. Then she headed straight for the shop she had her eye on.

As soon as she entered the store, Song Xinran asked, "Boss, do you sell dried seaweed?"

The shop owner looked her up and down, then greeted her with a smile: "Yes, yes, we have all kinds of dried seaweed in our shop, see which one you want."

The shopkeeper led Song Xinran to some large woven bags filled with various kinds of dried kelp, which at first glance appeared to be of much better quality than the ones in town.

The shopkeeper explained, "This cheaper kind is 4 yuan per jin. This kind is transported from X Jian, and it's more expensive, 6 yuan per jin. This bag is the best. Look how thick the meat is, it's first-grade dried kelp, and it costs 10 yuan per jin."

Song Xinran picked them up one by one, examined them, touched them carefully, and finally smelled them.

The shop owner knew he had met a connoisseur when he saw her like this, and said with a smile, "Young lady, you don't need to worry about the quality at all. Our dried seaweed is the best in the entire market."

Song Xinran neither confirmed nor denied it, saying that the quality was indeed up to standard, but the price was a bit too high.

She pointed to the first-grade dried kelp: "Boss, give me a bottom price. I'll buy it if the price is right. I'm too lazy to haggle back and forth."

The owner said, "The price I quoted is the bottom price. Our shop is different from others; I don't like to quote inflated prices. Ten yuan is the lowest I can go!"

Song Xinran looked up and glanced around. The neighboring shops were all dried goods stores, but hers was doing better business. As she looked around, she noticed that the owners of the other shops were glancing at her with a hint of jealousy.

Song Xinran said, "I'm not buying half a jin or an ounce, I'm buying at least four or five jin. Give me a fair price."

The shopkeeper's eyes darted around, and he spoke very sincerely: "Young lady, I'm a very honest person. If you buy five pounds, I'll give you a price of nine yuan per pound, which is almost our cost price! Just consider it making friends."

Song Xinran almost rolled her eyes at these exceptionally sincere words, too lazy to even reply, and simply left.

The boss was still shouting from behind, "Name your price, I'll sell if you can!"

I just saw her turn around and head towards the dried goods store next door, so I shut my mouth and rolled my eyes.

They just bought a few pounds of cheap dried kelp and think they're some big customer!

The owner of the dried goods store next door immediately greeted Song Xinran with a smile: "Young lady, you want to buy dried seaweed, right? We have some too, and the quality is much better than the store next door. Let me show you!"

Song Xinran glanced at the bags and, seeing that the quality was similar, pointed directly to one of them and asked, "How much is this best quality seaweed per pound?"

“Young lady, I can tell you’re a connoisseur. I won’t quote an inflated price; it’s eight yuan a pound.”

Song Xinran thought that this price was more in line with the market, and she nodded: "Okay, I'll weigh five catties, and I'll pick them out myself later."

The proprietress's smile became much more genuine: "Okay, okay, is there anything else you want to buy? We have a very complete selection!"

Do you have bonito flakes?

Upon hearing the name, the proprietress's smile became even more genuine: "Yes, of course, but it's much more expensive than dried seaweed."

Song Xinran said, "Take it out and let me see."

The proprietress opened the glass cabinet, took out a bag of bonito flakes, and handed it to Song Xinran: "This is genuine bonito flakes. Each bag contains 100 grams, which is two liang (100 grams), and costs ten yuan a bag."

"Girl, since you know this name, you know how hard it is to buy. In the city, apart from the largest department store, only our market sells it. This is made from genuine dried bonito!"

Song Xinran asked, "Can I open it and take a look?"

The shop owner was in a bit of a dilemma. This stuff was expensive, and not many people who knew its value would buy it. If people opened it up and looked at it but didn't buy it, she would have a hard time selling it. Even the cost price of a bag wasn't cheap.

Song Xinran said, "Name your price, and I'll buy a bag to check it out first. If it's genuine, I'll buy at least a few kilograms."

The proprietress glanced at her, then, recalling Song Xinran's decisive manner when she came from the dried goods store next door, she gritted her teeth and said, "If you buy a lot, I'll give you a discount of eight yuan per bag."

Song Xinran did the math in her head and figured it was about 41 kilograms, which was in line with her budget. Besides, it wasn't easy to buy genuine bonito flakes these days, so she agreed.

She first opened a bag and carefully examined it from multiple aspects, including appearance, feel, and smell, confirming that it was undoubtedly genuine.

In the end, Song Xinran bought fifteen bags of bonito flakes and five catties of dried kelp, spending a total of 160 yuan.

There are many dried goods shops in the market, but this shop owned by the proprietress is not large. Usually, individual customers who come to buy things usually spend a few or ten yuan. Song Xinran bought 160 yuan worth at once, so she is considered a big customer.

The proprietress was all smiles as she did the bill: "Where do you live, young lady? We can deliver to your door within the main city area."

This is clearly a preferential treatment for major clients.

Song Xinran said, "I'll be there later. I can take it to the bus station for you. By the way, what kind of vehicle do you use for delivery?"

The proprietress said, "We have tricycles in our shop."

Song Xinran: "Okay, I'll ride with you to the bus station later."

This also saves on the bus fare to the bus station.

Song Xinran now lives a frugal life, spending money only when necessary. After deducting the cost of her stall and Song Yu's tuition, she really doesn't have much money left.

The proprietress readily agreed. When she returned after seeing Song Xinran off, she glanced at the dried goods shop next door and deliberately raised her voice, saying, "Another big customer has left. Don't let her young age fool you; she knows her stuff. She came specifically to buy bonito flakes!"

The dried goods store next door is the most successful in their market. They are all competitors. The store next door always likes to shout loudly and show off in a subtle way, which makes the owner's wife very angry. Today, she can finally get her revenge.

A big customer came from the shop next door and bought over a hundred items, and he was very generous with his purchase!

The shop assistant, naturally aware of the boss's thoughts, chimed in, "Bonito flakes, huh? These aren't cheap; a tael (50 grams) costs several yuan!"

"That's right!" the proprietress said. "An ounce of bonito flakes is more expensive than a pound of dried kelp, and this person bought an ounce or two at once!"

The helper smiled and said, "Congratulations, boss! This one sale makes more money than you usually make in the whole morning!"

"That's right! Some people just don't know what's good for them, so they deliberately drive their big customers to our store. Hahaha!" The proprietress laughed heartily.

The proprietress and her assistant sang in unison, their conversation sounding like a theatrical performance.

The owner of the dried goods store next door was furious. He was quite resentful of Song Xinran, who only said she wanted to see dried seaweed and didn't mention bonito flakes at all. If he had known she was a big customer, he would have offered her this price!

*

After leaving the market, Song Yu was still thinking about the money her mother had taken out earlier, and she frowned slightly: "Mom, did you buy things to make oden?"

He remembered very clearly what his mother said about coming to the city today.

Song Xinran laughed: "Xiao Yu is so smart, those are all ingredients for making oden."

Song Yu was a little worried: "Mom, we'll only make oden once, and we won't eat it again."

Song Xinran was surprised.

Song Yu frowned and said like a little adult, "Oden is too expensive, it costs two hundred yuan. Let's eat something cheaper."

Song Xinran chuckled. She had taught Song Yu how to recognize money, from one cent to one hundred. Song Yu quickly memorized it. Today, she took two one-hundred-yuan bills out, and Song Yu remembered them right there beside her.

“Xiao Yu, oden isn’t expensive. Today, Mom bought ingredients for the soup base. Although it cost 160 yuan, it will last for two or three months. So, the soup base only costs less than three yuan a day, but we can make more money selling it.”

When Song Xinran bought it, she did some mental calculations. She planned to cook three pots of oden each time, and for the soup base, she would use about 60 grams of dried kelp and 50 grams of bonito flakes each time.

Dried kelp costs 8 yuan per jin (500g), and bonito flakes cost 40 yuan per jin. The broth is not discarded after each use; it can be reused. You only need to add some seasonings to maintain the flavor during subsequent uses. This saves costs and makes the broth richer.

However, it shouldn't be used too many times, otherwise the soup base will become cloudy and the flavor will be weakened. There's also the issue of soup base preservation. Generally speaking, the soup base can be reused about 3 to 5 times.

Song Xinran plans to make oden in winter, when the temperature is low and the shelf life is greatly increased. One batch of soup base can be used three times without any problem, and generally speaking, the flavor is best on the third use.

Based on this calculation, the cost is similar to that of Bo Bo Chicken, but it is easier to make, since the soup base for Bo Bo Chicken needs to be made fresh every day.

Moreover, oden is more suitable for winter.

When the wind is biting cold, you feel a chill run down your spine as soon as you step out of evening self-study. Then comes a bowl of steaming, sweet and delicious oden, which not only fills your stomach but also warms you up from head to toe. Who could resist?

After listening to Song Xinran's words, Song Yu felt a little dizzy, but he only understood one key point: although he spent a lot of money today, it would last a long time and he would earn it back in the future.

Song Yu clenched his little fists, thinking that he would make money like this in the future, and make lots and lots of money!

After leaving the market, Song Xinran took Song Yu to the processing plant. Thanks to Lei Hong's introduction, his friend even came to pick Song Xinran up at the gate.

“Hongzi told me that you want to make a street vendor cart, right? Our factory has made many of these carts. We just received the same order a few days ago and made a frame for the cart. Do you want to go and take a look?”

Song Xinran readily agreed. When she arrived at the factory, she found that they were making a cart that looked like a potato fryer, with space reserved for gas cylinders. There was also a vegetable box next to it, and the folding panels around it could be pulled up to form a worktable.

Her eyes lit up. Without anyone explaining, she knew the design was excellent and gained a deeper understanding of current manufacturing techniques, which were much more advanced than she had imagined.

This processing plant mainly produces large items such as stainless steel doors and stainless steel railings, but it also accepts small orders. You don't need to worry about the quality.

Song Xinran gave a general description of the cart she wanted, and Lei Hong's friend smiled and said, "I know, our factory has done orders like that before, but they put it on a tricycle."

Her friend even dug out the original design drawings. When Song Xinran saw them, she realized they looked exactly like an oden stand. She asked, "Do you get many orders for stalls like these?"

My friend said, "This is the only one. Most of the people we pick up are vendors selling cold noodles, potatoes, and fried skewers."

Song Xinran understood. She saw that most of the stalls in the city sold the same few items. When summer came, there would be many more stalls selling ice jelly, cold shrimp, and cold rice cakes. Stalls also need to be adjusted according to the season.

"Thank you, brother," Song Xinran said. "Let's design it according to these blueprints. You guys have experience in doing it."

Lei Hong's friend smiled and said, "Don't worry, you were introduced by Hongzi. He even gave me a special talk. I definitely won't rip you off. You'll see the results when you see the finished product. I'm not afraid to compare prices with other factories."

Song Xinran thought to herself that these words gave her a bit of a psychological trauma. It is said that acquaintances love to trick each other, and they always say this before doing so.

Although she hadn't spent much time with Lei Hong, she knew he was an honest person who wouldn't cheat anyone. Besides, with information not flowing freely these days, having an acquaintance was something she couldn't ask for.

She smiled and said, "Brother Lei told me the same thing, saying that his friend is very straightforward, loyal, and his skills are unparalleled. Of course, I trust Brother Lei and you too. How do I pay the deposit, and when can it be finished?"

Hearing her praise, Lei Hong's friend's smile never stopped: "I've known Hongzi for decades, we're as close as can be, we know each other best! Half of the deposit is 500, and the remaining 500 will be paid after it's finished. Leave your address, and I'll call a car to deliver it to your door after it's done. The construction period is about ten days."

Song Xinran thought the price was reasonable compared to other factories she knew, so she readily paid the deposit.

Lei Hong's friend took her to pay the money and got a receipt.

As he was leaving, Lei Hong's friend thought for a moment and said, "Hongzi said you're setting up a stall in town now. Do you need anything else? Our factory recently received a small order to make small handcarts, but the customer didn't want them after they were made, and they're still sitting in the factory. If you want them, I can give them to you at a discount."

"I'll go take a look."

Upon seeing the actual item, Song Xinran was immediately captivated. It was a handcart as tall as a person's thigh, somewhat resembling a suitcase.

Song Xinran immediately thought this would be perfect for carrying vegetables. She was exhausted from carrying groceries to the market every day, and this vehicle would make things much easier!

"How much?" Song Xinran asked calmly.

"The price for a custom order is 100. The customer paid a 50 deposit, but none of our employees need it since it's sitting in the factory. If you want it, you can pay 40."

The price was lower than Song Xinran expected, so she readily paid 40 yuan to buy it and took it to the market to pick up the dried kelp and bonito flakes she had bought.

On her way home, Song Xinran did the math. She had spent 700 yuan today. After deducting Song Yu's tuition fees, which she couldn't touch, she only had about 500 yuan left. All her hard work for a month had been wiped out in one day.

Song Xinran sighed, "This money really goes by too quickly!"

Upon returning home, the first thing Song Xinran did was make Bobo Chicken. The lack of money she had made her feel a great sense of crisis, and she couldn't afford to miss a single day of making money.

As for oden, we'll make it when Song Yu's friends come over.

*

On Thursday afternoon, Song Yu brought back a small gift: a small handkerchief. The workmanship was a bit strange, and the edges were not cut very neatly, but there was an embroidered little dog sticking out its tongue in the center of the handkerchief, which was very vivid and cute.

When Song Yu showed the item to Song Xinran, Song Xinran's first reaction was, "Was this cut from clothes?"

Song Yu's eyes widened: "Wow! Mom is so smart! She guessed it right away!"

Song Xinran was a little embarrassed by the child's amazed praise, and at the same time a little confused. She remembered that Song Yu did not have such clothes, and most importantly, Song Yu did not know how to cut clothes.

Song Yu said in a childish voice, "This was given to me by Yuanyuan. Her kindergarten had a practical class this afternoon, and the teacher outside taught them how to make handkerchiefs from old clothes. Yuanyuan gave me the one she made."

Song Xinran picked it up and, after learning its origin, thought the handkerchief was very well made, with all the necessary features, considering that Yuanyuan was only four and a half years old.

Song Yu said, "Yuanyuan said that handkerchiefs can be used to wipe hands, face, and toys. If you can't finish your food, you can wrap it up in a handkerchief. She also said that the puppy is very cute, so she gave it to me."

Actually, what Yuanyuan said at the time was, "This is my favorite little dog outfit. Song Yu, you are as cute as this little dog, so I'm giving it to you."

In Song Yu's mind, saying someone is like a dog is not a good thing. Back in the village, when the kids cursed someone, they would say things like "hateful like a dog," "disgusting," or "drooling."

However, Yuanyuan's words didn't sound like she was swearing, and the puppy was very cute, so Song Yu took it as Yuanyuan praising him and happily accepted the gift.

Song Xinran squeezed the handkerchief, which was made of pure cotton and had soft embroidered puppies on it. She said, "It's okay to wipe your hands and face, but don't wrap things that you're going to put in your mouth with a handkerchief."

Song Yu nodded, folded the handkerchief and put it in her pocket, saying with a touch of anticipation, "Mom, there are so many activities at Yuanyuan Kindergarten!"

Every day when everyone played together, they would talk about what they did at kindergarten. Song Yu had no idea that school was like that.

He had only heard the older children in the village talk about how tiring it was to read and do homework every day at school.

But Yuanyuan and her friends play every day, and they play different things. Their teacher leads them in dancing, teaches them to recognize words, and teaches them to wash their hands, get dressed, and tie their shoelaces...

Although Song Yu could do many of the tasks, he still found them interesting.

Song Xinran patted his head. She had also learned a lot about Xingmiao Kindergarten from the children. She knew that Xingmiao Kindergarten had a practical class every two Thursdays. The handkerchief Yuanyuan gave her today must have been made during that practical class.

In her previous life, Song Xinran knew about these special courses because of her relatives' children. Usually, the school would invite teachers from outside children's palaces or tutoring centers to teach the students. There were many courses to choose from, such as Lego robotics, children's hosting and drawing, programming and chess, mainly to cultivate students' interests.

I didn't expect Xingmiao Kindergarten to have such an advanced educational philosophy. It's already here, although it's not as advanced as programming robots or anything like that, but that's because of insufficient educational resources.

She wanted to send Song Yu there even more, because she knew how rare such an educational philosophy was at this time, especially in such a small town.

After dinner, the two went out for a walk together, and Song Xinran deliberately went to the Xingmiao Kindergarten area.

The kindergarten is in another direction. From a distance, it looks like an ordinary kindergarten, but if you stand at the entrance and look inside, you can tell how different it is from an ordinary kindergarten. The interior design is somewhat similar to the urban kindergartens that Song Xinran saw in her previous life.

It was already evening, and there were only a few people strolling around. The kindergarten entrance was brightly lit.

Song Xinran spotted the job posting on the bulletin board at a glance:

Xingmiao Kindergarten is recruiting several practical teaching teachers. Applicants must have a teaching certificate, possess relevant professional skills, and have experience.

The work hours are every other Thursday afternoon, the workday is two class periods, and the salary is 50 yuan.

Song Xinran's eyes lit up. She knew that this was due to a lack of practical teachers. Although the educational philosophy was advanced, the educational resources were obviously insufficient, so she posted the recruitment information directly on the bulletin board.

Song Xinran knew this was an opportunity; if she could get a job as a practical course teacher, Song Yu's chances of entering the kindergarten would greatly increase.

Although she doesn't quite meet the requirements, her advantage is that she has knowledge in this area, graduated from a top-tier university in her previous life, and possesses the relevant skills. She can teach children to make rice balls and some simple handicrafts.

Song Xinran looked somewhat excited, but she restrained herself. It was almost seven o'clock, and the kindergarten teachers had already gone home. She decided to come for the job interview tomorrow.

Song Xinran arrived early Friday morning, but when she passed by the bulletin board, she found that the information that was there yesterday had been taken down today, and a bad feeling immediately arose in her heart.

However, he didn't show it and walked towards the door with a smile on his face.

The security guard already recognizes her. Song Xinran has come twice in the past few days, and this is her third time. Every time she comes, she is very polite and even brings the security guard some things, such as candy or cookies.

These items weren't valuable, but the security guard felt valued, so she treated Song Xinran much better.

As soon as she arrived, he said, "Girl, it's not good for you to come every two days. The registration line in our park is incredibly long. If you just wait patiently for a spot, you'll have to wait five or six years. You should try to find some connections."

Song Xinran knew she was telling the truth, but wasn't it just that she didn't have the connections?

She smiled and said, "Sister, I came here because I heard that the kindergarten is recruiting teachers for practical courses, and I would like to apply."

The security guard was quite surprised when she heard this: "Why didn't you come yesterday?"

Song Xinran said, "When I came here yesterday, it was almost seven o'clock. I thought the teachers in the kindergarten would have already gone home, so I didn't want to bother them."

The security guard nodded, somewhat regretfully: "But the director said they're no longer recruiting."

Song Xinran was surprised: "You recruited them all in just one day?"

The security guard shook her head and said in a low voice, "It's not that fast. Our kindergarten pays high salaries. Yesterday, a lot of people came shortly after we posted the notice, but none of them had a teacher's certificate. They were only interested in the money. The principal was very angry and said she wouldn't hire anymore."

"If you had come earlier yesterday, you might have been able to meet the principal."

Song Xinran felt a mouthful of blood well up in her chest, almost choking her to death.

But then she thought about it again, and realized that she didn't have a teacher's certificate either, and the original owner of the body only had a junior high school education.

She applied for the job only because of Song Yu, and because of their past life connection, she also thought she could teach the children to make handmade rice balls or some simple handicrafts.

"Thank you, sister. It's such a bad timing," Song Xinran said.

The security guard said, "It's alright, just keep an eye on it. This person isn't so easy to find; they might publicly advertise for new hires again someday."

Song Xinran thanked her and left, looking somewhat dejected.

As soon as she left, Yuanyuan ran out and said to the security guard, "Auntie, I've come to get Xu Shuyuan's water bottle."

The security guard recognized her and said with a smile, "Yuanyuan, why did you forget your water bottle today? Your dad just brought it over."

Yuanyuan took the water bottle and said, "Thank you, Auntie."

She wouldn't tell anyone that it was because she overslept today and hurriedly carried her schoolbag to school, forgetting her water bottle.

She was carrying the water bottle when she suddenly saw someone, immediately stopped, and bowed: "Hello, Director!"

The sound is crisp.

Kang Zhilan was both amused and exasperated. Before she could say anything, Yuanyuan had already run off with the water bottle.

The security guard saw her and greeted her with a smile: "Principal, Yuanyuan is so polite. She greets people from afar."

Kang Zhilan said, "It's all thanks to Teacher An's excellent teaching. You all guard the school gate every day, welcoming and seeing off so many children, and even helping them carry their things. You've worked so hard!"

The security guard quickly replied, "It's no trouble at all, it's our duty!"

She added, "Principal, there are other people applying to be practical lesson teachers today."

Kang Zhilan said, "It's not needed for now."

She has already asked someone in the city to keep an eye out, as this would be more in line with her requirements. Thinking back to the people who came to apply yesterday, it was all a waste of time for both of them.

Kang Zhilan strolled around the garden, then returned to her office. Recalling Yuanyuan's earlier appearance, she couldn't help but chuckle.

I don't know who she learned it from, but she never calls me "Mom" at kindergarten and never calls me "Principal" at home. She makes a very clear distinction between the two.