Xiao Wei stood in front of Wang Cuihua, carrying an empty little basket and holding the last chestnut he had given away.
"for you."
Wang Cuihua, who had been ignored, was deeply moved. She took the chestnut, quickly peeled it, and threw it into her mouth.
She wanted to taste just how delicious it was.
It's worth it for Brother Xiao Cheng... and those men to praise her so much, they even stopped drinking her chrysanthemum tea.
It's just a little soft, a little sticky, a little sweet, and has a slightly burnt taste.
"My brother loves her roasted chestnuts the most."
Wang Cuihua had just thought the sweet chestnuts in her mouth were not bad when Xiao Wei said something that made her teeth ache from the bitterness.
I feel like vomiting but I don't dare to, and I can't swallow it down.
He picked up the thermos and ran away without looking back.
Let's wait until she comes up with something even tastier.
The fruit stall is right across from the vegetable market. Wen Xiuyun's stall has a good location with people coming and going at the entrance.
When Bai Lu arrived with chestnuts, Wen Xiuyun was chatting with a female customer. The customer was carrying a basket of fresh fruit with a few chestnuts on it.
She held one in her hand, peeled off the shell, ate it, and her face was full of amazement, her smile widening even further.
He clearly liked it, and ate another one.
Before leaving, he told Wen Xiuyun that she must save some for her when the goods arrived, as she loved the sweet and caramel flavor.
Wen Xiuyun repeatedly said yes, watched the person leave, and only when she turned around did she realize that Bai Lu had already arrived at the stall.
He immediately beamed and greeted her, "You're here to buy groceries so early today? Look how popular your chestnuts are! Several regular customers asked me to reserve some this morning. They asked when the sugar-roasted chestnuts would be back. They're tired of eating seasonal fruits every year and want to try something different. These chestnuts are sweet, fragrant, and have a slightly glutinous and caramelized texture. They love them so much!"
Bai Lu smiled and handed her the basket: "I just cooked some and brought it over, it should weigh about twenty or thirty pounds."
Wen Xiuyun hurriedly took it, "Isn't thirty catties too little? The people who ordered from me in advance have already ordered more than thirty catties, not to mention those who want to try it out."
Regular customers might say they're just trying it out of politeness, but all the new customers who tried it said it was delicious.
After tasting them, I told her to keep all the stock.
"Fresh things, limited sales, focus on taste, not quantity." Bai Lu brought out a secret recipe from later generations.
Wen Xiuyun understood immediately and praised her for being smart, having a good business sense, and having more advanced operating methods than her.
Finally, the price of roasted chestnuts was set at 3.5 yuan per jin (500 grams), the same as that of pork.
Not too high, not too low.
Bai Lu remembers that in later generations, well-made roasted chestnuts were more expensive than pork.
The town's economy is not advanced, and since there are new things here that people haven't tried before, we can earn a monopoly on sales. The quantity is small but the quality is high, so even if the price is high, we can still maintain our market share.
Once sales channels are established and products are sold in cities and towns, prices can be adjusted appropriately based on local economic conditions and prices.
After everything was agreed upon, Wen Xiuyun wanted to pack fruit into Bailu's basket, but Bailu repeatedly declined, saying that she still needed to go to the market to buy vegetables, and there wouldn't be room for vegetables if she packed fruit in the basket.
Wen Xiuyun had just received dozens of plastic bags yesterday. She usually didn't use them, only giving them to long-time customers who came to buy fruit. But now, without hesitation, she took one out, filled a large bag with fruit, and gave it to Xiao Wei to carry away.
There was no way to refuse Bailu's offer.
She could only give it to Bai Lu's little follower.
Xiao Weicai was only seven years old and small in stature, unable to resist the love and care that the adults insisted on giving him.
A large bag of fruit was thus hung on his hand.
There was nothing Bai Lu could do but accept Aunt Wu's enthusiasm, so she could only tell Aunt Wu to keep some chestnuts for her family to try, instead of putting them all out to sell.
After watching the customers walk into the market, a young couple walked into the fruit stall with practiced ease.
The handsome young man asked, "Who is that girl? I don't think I've seen her before."
"You're just attracted to her because she's pretty, aren't you?" the girl with the schoolgirl braids teased with a smile.
“You’ve never asked about anyone before when you came here. Are you feeling romantic today? But that girl is really pretty. She’s a million times prettier than Zhou Jiayi, who calls herself the school beauty. I’m smitten with her.”
“They’re already married and have children,” Wen Xiuyun interrupted her children’s whimsical thoughts.
The boy was utterly shocked: "Was it the little boy following behind her? Her child is that big already?"
"That's her brother-in-law. She's married and pregnant, and the baby is due in a few months."
Very few people knew that Bai Lu was pregnant. Wen Xiuyun only overheard Xiao Dazhuang and the others mentioning it yesterday when she happened to pass by the new house to check on the construction progress.
They were discussing what gifts to prepare to celebrate the birth of Xiao Cheng and Bai Lu's child.
Upon hearing that the stunningly beautiful girl he had only glimpsed was pregnant, the young man said with a look of regret, "What a pity..."
The girl gave her brother a sympathetic look: "I wouldn't have noticed if Mom hadn't told me. Her belly looks the same as mine, flat, no difference."
Wen Xiuyun assumed her children were joking again and didn't think much of it. She explained gently, "She's slender and her pregnancy won't show until later. You can't tell in the first few months."
"Oh..." The brother and sister seemed to understand but not quite.
A gust of wind blew into the vegetable market.
Bai Lu asked Xiao Wei if the fruit was heavy and if he wanted her to carry it. The little guy said it wasn't heavy.
When asked what he wanted to eat, he said anything was fine.
But I turn my head away when I see chili peppers.
Looking at the little guy's cool, aloof face, Bai Lu felt like she was shopping at the market with Xiao Cheng. Maybe, perhaps, he would have the same expression if he saw chili peppers.
Actually, adding chili peppers to stir-fries is quite delicious, and as long as the amount is appropriate, it can also beautify the skin.
However, the ribs were even better today.
Bai Lu already has sweet and sour pork ribs, garlic pork ribs, braised pork ribs, and carrot and pork rib soup in her mind.
"Boss, please weigh these two pork ribs for me..."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure suddenly appeared in front of the pork stall. Without saying a word, he grabbed Bai Ludian's two ribs and turned to leave.
"You want to leave before you've even paid!"
The pig owner chased after them, carrying a butcher knife.
The slightly chubby man, whose face still bore the marks of old injuries, stopped and turned around. He still held onto the ribs in one hand, while raising the other, pointing directly at Bailu.
"She gave me the money." The tone was matter-of-fact.
The pig boss turned his gaze to Bailu.
Bai Lu shook her head: "I don't know him."
"I'm your brother!"
Bai Chaojie roared angrily, it was unclear whether he was trying to intimidate Bai Lu or the knife in Boss Zhu's hand.
In short, the pig boss was not intimidated and slowly raised his knife with a blank expression: "If you don't have money, put down the ribs."
Bai Chaojie stared at Bai Lu with resentment in his eyes, his face contorted with rage and his gaze menacing.
In the past, Bailu had to give him whatever he wanted, but now, this is the third time he has been turned down.
The money Li Xuelan gave him for buying meat has already been spent on scratch-off lottery tickets, so he has to make Bai Lu pay for it today.
"It's Mom's birthday today. You don't have to go back, but you have to buy me either pork ribs or pig's trotters to take back with you!"
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