Despite competitors offering lower prices right across the street, Wen Xiuyun's business continued to thrive, and the chestnuts quickly sold out.
They're all repeat customers. Even if the price is reduced by 50 cents, in the initial stage, people are still more willing to trust Wen Xiuyun's fruit stand because the taste and reputation are guaranteed.
Besides, Wen Xiuyun is easy to talk to, and roasted chestnuts don't necessarily have to be sold by weight; she'll weigh them whether you buy a lot or a little.
When several people buy a pound of fruit together, they can all be packaged separately so that customers don't have to worry about dividing it up themselves.
Nearly 410 jin of chestnuts were sold out in five days, a perfect start to making a fortune.
After deducting costs, the net profit was 1262 yuan, with Bai Lu and Wen Xiuyun each receiving 631 yuan.
The chestnuts belong to Bailu's family, so naturally the cost also goes to Bailu, as well as the money for buying maltose to make syrup.
Bai Lu provided Wen Xiuyun with a detailed list of all the ingredients, including the proportions of chestnuts and syrup, for each use.
Wen Xiuyun trusted Bailu implicitly and insisted on charging her 30 cents per pound for chestnuts.
"Chestnuts grow all over the mountains in the countryside, so not many people pick them. Even two cents is too expensive to buy them. But your sugar-roasted chestnuts are all handmade. Roasting chestnuts is not as simple as boiling them. You can't just wash them and throw them in a pot to boil. It takes a lot of effort to roast them to taste that good. I can't just turn a blind eye and pretend I don't know."
"Even with a cost price of three cents, which includes one cent for labor, I still think you're losing money."
"But the sand came from your house." Bai Lu needs to make the facts clear and settle the score.
Wen Xiuyun waved her hand: "Those are all sifted sands that are not needed. They can't be used for building houses. At most, they can be poured into cement slurry when paving the front yard and used as gravel. They are far inferior to your manual stirring and mixing."
Bai Lu personally oversees the entire process of making sugar-roasted chestnuts, from selecting chestnuts and roasting them to the finished product.
She simply occupied a stall, and her customer base was the same old channels she had built up from selling fruit. It was like she was casually selling roasted chestnuts, making a net profit of over 600 yuan.
They also profited from roasted chestnuts, which brought back all their old customers who had gone to other fruit shops.
Bai Lu cooperated with her mostly because Xiao Cheng was building a house for her family, and she wanted to do him a favor.
If she collaborates with others, Bailu can still make a fortune, since roasted chestnuts are a rare and fresh seasonal delicacy, and it's hard to even buy raw chestnuts now.
Wen Xiuyun is a down-to-earth person, but not stupid. She needs to carefully safeguard Bailu's unique path to wealth.
In the end, both of them were satisfied and agreed to continue their cooperation. Wen Xiuyun would intensify her efforts to find new sources of goods and ask her husband for help as well.
Bai Lu naturally wouldn't miss out either; she had already gotten some clues about the new source of goods from Xiao Wei.
We're just waiting for the Qingming Festival to arrive the day after tomorrow.
Today is a good day. Bailu went to the market and bought a lot of vegetables, and cooked a big table of delicious dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, sauerkraut fish, salt-baked chicken, braised pork...
From the moment she started eating, her bowl was never empty, always piled high with meat, more than vegetables.
When Xiao Wei saw Xiao Cheng serving her food, she followed suit and served herself some too.
After finishing his meal, he even took the initiative to wash the dishes, working harder than the donkey in the production team in front of the emperor.
After finishing her meal, Bai Lu would take a walk in the courtyard to aid digestion.
Xiao Cheng sat in front of the stove and tended the fire. After the water was heated, he scooped it into a large bucket, carried it to the bathroom, rinsed her with some cold water, and only told her to take a bath after confirming that the temperature was suitable.
Bai Lu is now regarded as the Empress Dowager who is pregnant with a "golden child". Apart from cooking, tending the vegetable garden and roasting chestnuts, she does not have to do any rough or heavy work.
After taking a shower, I went back to my room to count my money.
The two boys, one big and one small, finished their baths and sat in the yard washing clothes, looking at each other in silence, very quiet.
...
Before going to bed, Bai Lu knocked on Xiao Wei's door.
The little guy always runs excitedly to open the door, but once he sees her, his head and shoulders droop.
Bai Lu entered the room, touching his bowl-cut hair, and even produced a RMB note from behind her back as a gesture of comfort.
"Why are you giving me money?" Xiao Wei didn't take it.
His eyes held a mixture of doubt and wariness.
Bai Lu smiled and said, "The roasted chestnuts are sold out."
Xiao Wei gave an "oh," his face revealing no emotion, and he didn't take the RMB in front of him.
Bai Lu stopped teasing him and directly stuffed twenty yuan into his hand. "You picked the chestnuts, you washed them, dried them, and stored them. Without you, there would be no roasted chestnuts. You are now a great contributor to our family."
"Besides, you've helped a lot these past few days, so this twenty yuan is your hard-earned money. You can use it to buy whatever you like, anything you want to eat or use. If you see anything more expensive than twenty yuan, you can just tell me and I'll buy it for you."
These days, Bai Lu has been speaking in a relaxed and easy-going tone. Suddenly, she explained the reason in a serious manner, which surprised Xiao Wei. He felt as if he had done something quite important.
Moreover, in the past few days, his older brother has started talking to him more than he has in the past three years combined.
The eldest brother often smiled, though not at him, but at Bailu.
Xiao Wei couldn't remember ever seeing his older brother smile, not even once in his life.
It seems everything changed when Bailu threatened to drink pesticide and forced him to hand over twenty yuan...
Xiao Wei looked at Bai Lu carefully for a moment, then pushed the money back: "I don't want it."
"The chestnuts belong to the eldest brother; if you want to give them to him, then give them to him."
Bai Lu sat at her desk, her gaze casually sweeping over the new schoolbag on the table. In an inconspicuous corner to the side, there was a small bubble gum wrapper figurine stuck on it.
A slight smile played on her lips as she turned her gaze back to the stubborn little figure in front of her, giving her a once-over.
"When are you free? I'll take you shopping for new clothes." Her question was completely irrelevant.
Xiao Wei frowned slightly: "No need."
His clothes were old and a little too small, but still wearable, so there was no need to waste money on new ones.
It's not Chinese New Year now.
Bai Lu didn't argue, and nodded slightly: "Alright then... I'll go pick one out for you myself. If I pick out a color, style, or size you don't like, don't blame me~"
"After all, it was your brother's decision. If you're not happy about anything, go talk to your brother."
The little guy's eyes lit up instantly, then immediately dimmed again, and his little hands unconsciously tugged at his clothes.
"You don't need to lie to me, my brother doesn't care about these little things." Her tone was both joyful and nervous, with a hint of suspicion in her probing.
“It doesn’t matter, but…” Bai Lu’s tone trailed off.
Xiao Wei stared at her intently: "But what?"
Her little hands gripped her clothes tightly, remaining motionless, her small body straight and tense, forgetting even to steady her breathing.
Her breathing was so light that Bai Lu almost didn't notice it. After pausing for two seconds, she suddenly burst out laughing.
"But your brother said it makes him lose face if you wear your old clothes, so he asked me to take you to buy new ones!"
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