"Am I sleepwalking?" Gan Mingyi muttered, his eyes glazed over.
Gan Tian smiled like a flower, her legs felt weak, and she was so happy that she could hardly walk.
Neither of them expected that a small popsicle could earn them so much money!
In comparison, Ganli was much calmer, silently calculating today's expenses in her mind.
The cost of popsicles is actually very low. Red beans and mung beans together cost only 45 coins. Although white sugar is more expensive, at 50 coins per pound, we only used one pound today.
As for well water and firewood, those are free. The biggest expense is saltpeter, but saltpeter bought for three taels of silver can be reused repeatedly, so it's a bargain no matter how you look at it!
Hehe, at this rate, I'll break even in just a few days! Ganli was so happy her eyes narrowed into slits.
She took Gan Tian and Gan Mingyi to the grain store again, where they bought five catties of white sugar, twenty catties each of red and green beans, and two large earthenware jars from the general store, spending a total of four qian of silver.
After buying the goods, Gan Li planned to go back. Since they didn't know when they would return today, they didn't keep Gan Qishan waiting and had to find a way to get back to the village on their own.
As they passed through the market, Gan Li rented an oxcart for twenty coins and had him drive it to the dock to pick up the people. Passing a meat bun stall, Gan Li noticed Gan Tian and Gan Mingyi unconsciously swallowing their saliva, and with a wave of his hand, bought twenty more meat buns.
Five coins each, a total of one hundred coins, which is one qian.
In the blink of an eye, more than five coins had been spent. Gan Tian, who had come to town with Gan Li several times, was already used to this way of spending money, but it made Gan Mingyi gasp in shock.
But then he thought, his little sister can earn two taels and four mace in an hour, is it too much to spend a few mace of silver?
Not at all excessive, spend money!
The three of them rode in an oxcart back to the dock and met up with the eldest brother, Gan Mingli, before loading all their belongings onto the oxcart.
They had far too much stuff, and the oxcart could barely hold it all, let alone so many people. Gan Li wanted to hire another oxcart, but the two Gan brothers refused, saying that their sister and niece should ride in it and they would follow behind.
In short, he refused to spend a penny to hire a carriage.
Gan Li couldn't persuade them otherwise, so she had to give up. Fortunately, the oxcart wasn't moving fast, and the Gan brothers followed closely beside it, which put her at ease.
...
In Yuxi Village, in front of Gan Li's small, dilapidated courtyard, Old Man Gan and Old Woman Gan stood anxiously waiting at the door.
Although they had already tasted the popsicles and thought that something so delicious and cheap should sell well, when the time came, they became very anxious and couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they couldn't sell them.
Just as they were getting anxious, they saw an oxcart coming from afar and immediately went to meet it. When they saw that all the things they had brought had returned empty, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
After helping to unload the things and seeing the driver off, the family returned to the main room and closed the door. Only then did Old Man Gan dare to ask about the day's events.
Grandma Gan couldn't help but ask, even though she knew everything was sold out, "How was it? How was business today?"
Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, Gan Li chuckled and pulled a money pouch from her bosom, dumping it on the table. With two clattering sounds, two gleaming pieces of silver rolled out.
"This is the money I earned selling popsicles today."
Grandma Gan's eyes widened. She grabbed the silver, weighed it in her hand, and estimated that there must be two or three different kinds. She was both surprised and delighted, and her face beamed with joy.
"My goodness! This...this is way too much! You can make this much just from selling popsicles?"
Ganli proudly raised her chin, but then her face fell, and she said pitifully, "I'm starving! Mom, have you cooked anything?"
Upon hearing her daughter cry out that she was hungry, Old Lady Gan forgot all about the money and quickly put it on the table, saying with heartache:
"Yes, yes, yes! I cooked some porridge, and it's keeping it warm on the stove. Since I didn't know when you'd be back, I didn't cook any dishes... I'll go cook some right away!"
"No need, Mother, I bought some meat buns on my way back."
As Ganli spoke, she took out a paper package from the basket, opened it, and found it full of meat buns, with a wonderful aroma.
“It’s perfect to have some porridge. We can each have some, and take the rest home for my sister-in-law and the kids to try.”
"Why did you buy so many meat buns? You can just eat a few yourself. This is such a waste of money!" Old Mrs. Gan was heartbroken.
Gan Li gently held Old Lady Gan's hand, her tone gentle yet firm: "Mother, I was ignorant before, causing trouble for the family and making everyone suffer with me."
Now that I'm older and can earn money, I want everyone to experience what it's like to earn money. We're family, so please don't refuse.
Upon hearing her daughter's words, Grandma Gan looked up in surprise, something seeming to well up in her eyes.
She never expected that the little girl who used to give the whole family a headache would become so sensible in such a short time.
She was both happy and heartbroken, feeling that her daughter must have suffered greatly in the Chen family to have undergone such a complete change.
However, since everyone was so happy, Grandma Gan didn't want to spoil the mood. She quickly wiped away her tears, grabbed the steamed buns, and hurried to the kitchen.
Seeing this, Gan Tian quickly followed to help.
During the meal, Old Man Gan finally recovered from his shock and asked his daughter, "Ali, is this popsicle the secret recipe you mentioned that you were going to give to the master?"
Ganli, munching on a steamed bun, shook her head vigorously like a rattle-drum upon hearing this: "Of course not!"
She's not stupid; the most important thing in making popsicles is the ice-making technique! This is much more valuable than any secret recipe for braised lion's head meatballs.
She doesn't like to let others suffer losses, but that doesn't mean she likes to be taken advantage of or do such unequal business!
Old Man Gan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He wasn't stupid; he could tell that his daughter's popsicles were far more valuable than Baifulai's braised lion's head recipe. If he really gave the recipe to the owner, he would be making a huge loss.
But if it's not the secret recipe for popsicles, then what is it?
Ganli winked mischievously, then kept everyone in suspense: "You'll find out later."
...
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