Xiao Dazhuang left when he realized there was nothing for him to do.
Xiao Wei wanted to ask him to help move the bamboo, but then he thought that since it was nailed into the river, it wouldn't take much and he could manage on his own, so he silently turned around and followed Bai Lu and Wang Cuihua into the courtyard.
After Bai Lu sat down, Wang Cuihua poured her tea, which was a small chrysanthemum tea that she had specially brought back from her parents' home.
A perfect balance of strength and subtlety, with a fragrance derived from nature.
Xiao Wei was also treated to a drink.
Sitting next to Bailu, he sipped his drink quietly, listening to Wang Cuihua chat with Bailu about this and that.
After exchanging pleasantries for a long time, Wang Cuihua finally got to the point: "Bai Lu, when I went to the countryside to pay respects to our ancestors, I saw you buying chestnuts. It reminded me that my family also had a lot of chestnuts stored up. They were all buried in sand, and each one was plump and full of flesh. None of them were shriveled or rotten. They could all be made into sugar-roasted chestnuts."
Bai Lu smiled and said in a very trusting tone, "The purchase price is two cents per pound."
Wang Cuihua almost choked on her tea. Her lips twitched, and it took her a long time to swallow it.
The price was the same as the Xiao family's, with no room for negotiation; they were extremely considerate of their own people.
Bai Lu's smiling eyes were full of kindness.
Wang Cuihua felt a chill run down her spine. After a pause, she sighed and said, "Ever since Abiao passed away... the entire burden of supporting the family has fallen on me, but I don't know how to do anything. All I can do is grow a few vegetables and raise a few chickens and ducks. I have absolutely no other income... even the rice and oil for the family come from my parents' home in the countryside..."
“Last month, my mother came to town to visit me. When she was cooking, we ran out of salt, and she had to pay for it herself… Seeing how hard my life was, my mother kept urging me to find someone to remarry as soon as possible. But it hasn’t even been a year since Abiao passed away, how can I remarry at this time…”
Wang Cuihua shook her head firmly, but her tone grew increasingly sad and miserable: "But life has to go on, and I have no income. Life is getting harder and harder..."
“It is quite difficult,” Bai Lu said, her smile vanishing and her expression instantly turning into one of genuine sympathy.
But a memory of the big boss surfaced in my mind.
After Xiao Zhongbiao went out to work on his own, he brought along the big boss's gang of thugs. During a trip to collect debts at a casino, a fierce conflict broke out with the debtor, resulting in injuries and deaths on both sides.
Xiao Zhongbiao was hacked to death.
The big boss's organization is roughly the same as the big gangs in Hong Kong gangster movies, with a pyramid structure, strict rules and regulations, and clear hierarchy of power from top to bottom.
Newcomers like Xiao Zhongbiao, who are fresh out of school and have no outstanding past achievements, are at the bottom of the pyramid.
His status was only one point higher than the lowest-ranking henchman.
According to the big boss's rules, if a low-level henchman dies, he dies; it's a common occurrence and not worth mentioning.
Even those at the bottom of the pyramid don't deserve pensions.
The next day, Xiao Cheng, along with Luo Shiliu and others, returned after collecting a debt from a notorious troublemaker in Nanshi. When they mentioned the matter to the big boss, the big boss, out of respect for Xiao Cheng, gave Xiao Zhongbiao's family three thousand yuan in compensation.
Finally, Xiao Chengquan gave the three thousand yuan compensation to Xiao Zhongbiao's only family member, Wang Cuihua.
In less than six months, Wang Cuihua began to complain about being poor, having no money, and having a hard life.
Bai Lu silently drank her tea without saying a word.
Xiao Wei also silently drank his tea without saying a word.
He believed Luo Shiliu and Xiao Dazhuang when they said they had no money, but he didn't believe Wang Cuihua when she went out every day, buying fish, pork, ribs, pig's trotters, etc.
Seeing that Bai Lu remained silent, Wang Cuihua was both annoyed and anxious. She couldn't help but speak again: "If only I were as smart as you, Bai Lu, you could do everything and support yourself by running a small business."
Bai Lu said modestly, "You know it's a small business, barely enough to make ends meet."
Wang Cuihua regretted mentioning "small business."
She's interested in even small businesses; isn't that contradicting herself? But the words are already out, and there's no going back.
I can only sigh with envy: "If only I could run a small business, but unfortunately I don't know how to make roasted chestnuts."
"If I could make roasted chestnuts too... Brother Xiao Cheng wouldn't be gossiped about by the neighbors that his brother died and his wife is now destitute and no one cares about her..."
Wang Cuihua looked guilty towards Brother Xiao Cheng: "If I could also make roasted chestnuts, at least I could sell them and earn a little money to make ends meet."
Bai Lu had listened to so much preamble that her ears were practically calloused, but finally, the ultimate goal arrived.
He immediately said, "Selling roasted chestnuts isn't difficult; you can do it too."
Wang Cuihua was taken aback, not expecting things to go so smoothly. Her worried face instantly blossomed into a big smile.
"Bai Lu, I knew you were just as good as Brother Xiao Cheng. You both know how to take care of us, your fellow sufferers, and you would never let us go hungry."
"Toasted chestnuts aren't hard to learn, are they? When are you free? I'll come to your house and learn from you. I learn things very quickly; I can start my stall tomorrow after I finish learning today."
After hearing this, Xiao Wei couldn't even finish his tea.
He stared intently at Bai Lu, wondering if she had reverted to being the same fool who had been deceived by Li Shuixian.
Bai Lu smiled with exceptional tenderness: "Why bother learning how to roast chestnuts? That's too much trouble. Just sell me your chestnuts, and I'll make you sugar-roasted chestnuts. You can just take them out and sell them!"
Wang Cuihua: "..."
Xiao Wei: "..."
That's great! Isn't the goal to make money? ... Just like Aunt Wu, you can set up a stall and do business, and you'll be able to make money.
If there is a difference, it is that Fifth Aunt works with Bai Lu, while Wang Cuihua works for Bai Lu.
I don't know how much the salary will be yet.
Wang Cuihua's face turned pale and then red. Even if she was stupid, she would know that she had been tricked by Bai Lu. Bai Lu had no intention of teaching her how to make roasted chestnuts. She only wanted her to help sell roasted chestnuts!
But we still need to ask about the wages: "So, how will the money from selling roasted chestnuts be divided?"
Bai Lu said, "After deducting the cost and the labor cost of one cent per pound, the net profit is split 50/50."
"It costs a dime to roast chestnuts!" Wang Cuihua was so excited that she shouted.
Bai Lu calmly explained with her signature fake smile, "Roasting chestnuts requires strength and skill."
Technology, technology, technology...
Wang Cuihua's high notes suddenly fell silent.
Although a 50/50 split of net profit is already quite substantial, she wants all of it.
She was the one who supplied the chestnuts, and she was the one who ran around selling them. Bai Lu only roasted chestnuts, and she still had to charge labor fees. In the end, she could sit comfortably at home and wait for Bai Lu to come back from selling roasted chestnuts, and then she would get half of the money.
No matter how Wang Cuihua thought about it, she felt she had been taken advantage of.
Bai Lu, however, analyzed with a smile: "You're not losing out. Look, you sell chestnuts to me for two cents a pound, and you can get the money right away. My labor cost is only one cent a pound. In the end, the net profit is split 50/50. You get five cents plus two cents, while I only get five cents plus one cent. You get one cent more than me, so you're obviously making the bigger profit."
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