"Da Ni and Er Ni, from now on we're friends. I'll come visit you often. If anyone bullies you in the village, tell me, and I'll stand up for you," Zhao Xiaopang said as they parted. Li Rou Niang's pastries had won him over.
"Who asked you to stand up for me? I'm capable enough on my own, and no one dares to bully me. But I might as well be friends with you," Zhao Erni said haughtily. She, Zhao Erni, didn't need anyone's protection!
Zhao Youtian and his wife dragged Zhao Xiaopang away, while Old Man Mo was also dizzy. Mo Bei carried Xiaoshan, and the three of them left as well.
After tidying up briefly, Li Rouniang coaxed the three children to sleep on the kang (a heated brick bed), but she couldn't fall asleep. The day felt like she was walking on clouds, almost unreal.
Is she really free? Just like that? From now on, no one can restrain her, discipline her, or even threaten to hit or scold her. This kind of life is wonderful!
Even if the future is difficult, she will strive to survive with her own hands, for her three children and for herself.
The moonlight was hazy, gently embracing the woman. Li Rou Niang, accompanied by the soft breathing of her three children, drifted off to sleep, into a sweet dream.
The next day, the mother and her two daughters all woke up late. When Li Rouniang woke up, Erni and Dani were still asleep, but Sanni was awake. She opened her big, dark eyes and looked at her mother, stretching out her little feet and playing without crying.
Li Rouniang was instantly charmed, picked up Sanni, and gave her a kiss.
After feeding Sanni, Li Rouniang got up and quickly tidied up to make breakfast. The two children were still fast asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed), and Li Rouniang didn't want to wake them up so early, as they had stayed up too late last night.
Also, at home, she wants her children to be free and comfortable, to sleep however they want, since they had indeed had a very hard time in the past few years.
Old Granny Zhao was quite old and needed little sleep. Every day, she would wake up at the crack of dawn and drag the girls out of bed, forcing them to get up and do chores.
Then, when she finished cooking and went to find Granny Zhao, she didn't expect that Granny Zhao had already gone back to bed and was sleeping soundly again.
Li Rouniang shook her head, no longer thinking about the past. Let bygones be bygones, live in the present, the present is the best.
I quickly prepared a simple breakfast, woke up the three children, and after they ate, I took them to the Mo family's house.
After feeding Xiaoshan, I played with Xiaoshan and Sanni for a while. At this time, Xiaoshan and Sanni could roll over and needed someone to watch them. Dani was very well-behaved and liked to watch her younger brother and sister.
Old Man Mo would often look after the two children, which freed up a lot of time for Li Rou Niang. So she discussed with Old Man Mo whether she could go home and make some pastries to take to town and try.
Old Man Mo naturally agreed; he genuinely hoped that Li Rou Niang could make a name for herself.
So Li Rou Niang went home and made some pastries. She took them to the small market in town, stood there with her basket, feeling somewhat lost and shy. After all, in both her past and present lives, she had never shouted out her wares or sold anything like a street vendor. She was a little embarrassed.
I tried several times, but I just couldn't open my mouth.
Even the vegetable vendor next to her couldn't stand it anymore and advised, "Hey young lady, are you trying to sell something? I've been watching you for ages. If you want to sell something, shout it out loud, otherwise how will anyone know you're trying to sell something?"
"Thank you, Auntie. This is my first time selling something, so I'm a little hesitant to speak."
"What's the big deal? Shout it out loud. If all else fails, think about your children at home. You can use the money from selling your stuff to buy them nice treats."
These words truly encouraged Li Rouniang. Thinking of her three children, she knew she had to continue down this path. Otherwise, with no skills, how would she support her three children in the future?
So she mustered her courage and shouted loudly, "Snacks for sale! Snacks for sale!"
"How much are your snacks?" a woman asked as she walked over with a child.
Li Rou Niang quickly took out the pastries from her basket and said, "Five coins each. Absolutely the best quality."
"You're charging too much. The one next door is only three cents. Can you make it cheaper?"
"Then I'll take three coins," Li Rouniang said silently, calculating in her mind that three coins wasn't a bad deal. The woman nodded, took three coins, bought a pastry for her child, and left.
Opening the shop seemed to encourage Li Rouniang, and she started shouting loudly again, but there were still relatively few customers. After all, pastries are both expensive and wasteful of money.
These days, everyone is struggling financially, so they naturally have to be very careful with their money, and therefore very few people came to buy.
Li Rouniang stood there for most of the day, but only sold a few pieces, which left her somewhat disappointed.
"Hey, little sister. Don't be too disappointed. It's good that you can make some pocket money."
The vegetable vendor had already sold out and was packing up her stall, smiling and comforting Li Rouniang.
Li Rou Niang wrapped a pastry for the aunt, but the aunt quickly waved her hand and said, "I don't want it. You should take this precious thing home for your children."
"Auntie, please accept this. I still want to thank you for encouraging me today." Li Rouniang smiled as she put down the pastries, picked up the basket, and continued walking towards the town.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at Ruyi Teahouse. "Rou Niang, it's you! Come in quickly."
Seeing Li Liunian's warm greeting, Hua Ruyi followed Li Rouniang into the teahouse.
The two sat down, and Li Rouniang asked, "It's been a long time, Sister Hua. How's your business?"
"Hey, how are you doing? We don't get many customers in this small town. We're just barely making ends meet. What about you? Why did you come here alone? Where are Erni and the others?"
"They're at the Mo family's house. Oh, right, Sister Hua, come and try some of my pastries."
Li Rouniang took out some pastries from the basket. Hua Ruyi took a bite and sincerely praised, "They're delicious! Your skills are comparable to those of the chefs in restaurants."
"Really? Sister Hua, but not many people bought it when I put it out to sell today," Li Rouniang said somewhat disappointedly.
"Hey, if you go to the market to sell them, you won't get many buyers. People there are very frugal. These snacks are better sold in restaurants."
Hua Ruyi's words were like a wake-up call, and Li Rouniang's confidence was rekindled.
"How can I sell it in a restaurant?"
"What a coincidence," Hua Ruyi suggested, "my teahouse also needs someone to supply dim sum. Why don't you try your hand here first? You can pay for the dim sum later."
“That won’t do. As the saying goes, even brothers should keep clear accounts. How about we split the profits 50/50?” Li Rouniang said.
"50/50 won't do. I can't take advantage of you. I'll give you 20% and you give me 80%."
“If it’s any lower than 46, I won’t do it,” Li Rouniang said.
"Deal!" Hua Ruyi nodded readily.
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