Chapter 55: Reading Makes It Less Bitter, Turns into Eggs, and Opens Up Sales Channels
In the end, seven households, including Jiang Fuzheng, signed a contract with Gong Lisheng, with each household paying a deposit of three hundred cash. After the deposit was paid, Ye Li quickly said that he wanted to buy some firewood.
In fact, the villagers of Yezaopo, besides going up the mountain to cut firewood, also burn some crop stalks on a regular basis.
Corn cobs, for example, couldn't be ground into powder without machines at the moment. It wasn't a famine year when even tree bark had to be eaten, so every household used them for fuel.
In addition, they would occasionally go up the mountain to collect firewood, so everyone had no shortage of firewood.
Upon hearing that he wanted to spend money to buy firewood, Aunt Lü immediately said, "You don't need to pay. It's all grown by ourselves. We still have some cotton stalks from last year that we haven't burned yet. I'll have your brother Dachun bring you some later."
Wang Qiumei also came over to watch the commotion and said upon hearing the commotion, "That's right, I still have quite a few corncobs left at home. The new ones will be ready to be harvested in another month. I'll bring you two baskets later."
Lian Jiangfuzheng also said, "My family has a lot of corn cobs too, let Ji carry a sack back."
The remaining families also offered to send him some.
For the people of Yezaopo, firewood is really not a valuable thing.
Besides, with Ye Li by their side, they'll soon be making a lot of money, so why would they be stingy with such a small thing?
Ye Li quickly waved her hand and explained, "Thank you, uncles and aunts, but I may buy firewood frequently in the future, not just this once, so let's keep the accounts clear."
“If you buy it later, you can pay later. How can you charge me for the first time? When you sell tofu, don’t you give me an extra two ounces the first time?”
Wang Qiumei said.
This statement drew many echoes of agreement.
We're all neighbors, and this is the first time I've bought something so inexpensive; how can I accept payment?
Jiang Fuzheng pointed directly at Jiang Mantang: "Go back and fill a sack, and have that kid Ji carry it back."
Jiang Mantang exclaimed "Ah!" and ran home.
Seeing this, the other families also left to go home and gather firewood to send to Ye Li.
Ye Li was very touched and thanked him repeatedly.
Jiang Mantang quickly carried out a sack of corn cobs. Jiang Ji thanked him, took it, and carried it on his shoulder. He, Ye Li, the two little ones, and Gong Lisheng went home together.
Gong Lisheng came today not only to sign the contract, but also to take away the preserved eggs that Ye Liang sent yesterday.
There were about 1,200, which wasn't a lot. He counted them quickly. During this time, villagers brought firewood one after another. The most common firewood was corn cobs, followed by corn stalks and cotton stalks.
In no time, a huge pile had formed.
After Gong Lisheng finished counting the eggs, he handed the money to Ye Liang. With his business done, it was time for him to take his leave.
He had rented a mule cart again today, and now that the sun was losing its power and was about to set, he thought he would give Jiang Ji a ride.
Jiang Ji shook his head and refused; he would just rush into the city before the gates closed.
He then asked Ye Liang.
Just then, Ye Liang finished frying the tofu puffs, large skewers, and fried dough sticks, so he rode off in his mule cart.
Watching the mule cart drive away, Ye Li turned to Jiang Ji and asked, "Shall we cook?"
"Okay." Jiang Ji nodded.
So the two of them, along with Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, entered the courtyard.
The villagers gave us a lot of firewood, which was piled up under the courtyard wall and could last for about a week.
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya stood in front of the pile of firewood, hands on their hips, looking at it with increasing delight.
For the next few days, all they need to do is mow the lawn!
Ye Liang had just finished frying tofu puffs, and the oil in the pan was still hot. If she poured the puffs into a ceramic bowl at this time, the bowl might explode. So Ye Li first used a small stove to heat up the leftover bone broth from lunch.
We bought eight pork bones today, two for each of us, and we finished them all.
There was still half a bowl of soup left. I put the remaining watermelon rinds from today into it, and then added some salt and other seasonings when it was ready to serve. The taste was also extremely delicious.
Jiang Ji was in charge of starting the fire. After he got the fire going, he saw Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya standing in front of the pile of firewood admiring it endlessly, so he said, "Xiaomai, you two still need to go and collect firewood tomorrow. It's always good to gather more."
"If it rains, then there will be no firewood."
He's not home.
Ye Li still had to call Xiao Mai "Master," so he couldn't properly teach Xiao Mai to read.
Since that's the case, the two of them went to gather firewood. The three brothers all depended on Ye Li for support, so every penny saved was precious.
But Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya's faces fell immediately upon hearing this.
The two girls turned their heads to look at him, both looking somewhat unwilling.
Although they don't like to slack off, they get really annoyed working every day.
They both wanted to run around and play.
Just then, Ye Li came out of the kitchen carrying sliced watermelon rinds. Seeing the two of them, he found it amusing: "Don't pick them up tomorrow, go the day after tomorrow."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya's big eyes immediately lit up.
Oh dear, then we can play again tomorrow afternoon!
Jiang Ya ran towards Ye Li with his short legs. When he got to the stove, he reached out his little hands and hugged Ye Li's waist, saying loudly, "Brother Li is the best."
But Ye Li didn't believe these "sweet words." When Jiang Ji came back before, this little guy had instantly forgotten about him.
At this moment, Jiang Ji said, "Don't spoil them too much. They're all grown up now; they can't just run around playing all day."
“They don’t run around playing all day; they’re both very well-behaved,” Ye Li said with a smile.
He poured the watermelon rind into the small iron pot and was about to return to the kitchen when Jiang Ya tilted her little head and continued loudly, "Brother Li is right, my second brother and I are very well-behaved."
"Brother Li, Brother Li, you're so kind, my second brother and I should thank you."
Upon hearing this, Ye Li raised an eyebrow and looked down at him: "So how are you two going to thank me?"
Jiang Ya's big eyes darted around, and she pointed her little finger at the mill, tentatively asking, "How about my second brother and I make you watermelon iced jasmine?"
Ye Li chuckled, amused by Ye Li's clever scheme.
Today, we only used half a watermelon to make watermelon ice jasmine. When Gong Lisheng came, we wanted to cut the other half for everyone to eat together, but Gong Lisheng was thinking about the preserved eggs and didn't feel like eating watermelon. So, the other half of the watermelon is still sitting on the cutting board.
Ye Li bent down and pinched his little face: "Okay, you can do it now. There's some cooled boiled water left. Use the cooled boiled water to make watermelon juice."
Having received permission, Jiang Ya cheered and shouted "Brother Li is so good!" a few times before rushing into the kitchen.
Jiang Mai also quickly washed her little hands, wanting to do it together.
Ye Li grabbed a handful of tea leaves and put them into a ceramic jar filled with cooled boiled water. Then he let the two of them get busy while he left the kitchen and began packing Jiang Ji's luggage.
Pack the walnut and black sesame powder into a ceramic jar.
The pork floss was placed in a ceramic jar.
And copper coins, such important items, had to be placed at the very bottom of the basket.
After tidying up, he grabbed a palm-leaf fan, moved a small stool, and sat down in front of the stove.
Jiang Ji glanced at the kitchen.
There was no one at the kitchen door, but the two little ones were still busy at the chopping board.
He reached out his large hand and gently shook Ye Li's hand.
Ye Li couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.
But looking at Jiang Ji's handsome face so close to his, he pursed his lips and said seriously, "Studying is mentally taxing, so don't overwork yourself. Take it easy."
"Also, don't feel pressured. I know you're secretly anxious, but don't rush it. Wait until you're thirty."
Jiang Ji laughed upon hearing this: "Okay."
Ye Li never urged him to study hard, but worried that he was working too hard.
bitter?
Compared to farm work and carrying heavy loads, it's not hard at all.
Farm work truly means facing the loess soil with your back to the sky, working under the scorching sun year after year. Every old farmer's face is etched with deep lines, their skin is dark red, and their hands and feet are covered in calluses, just like parched and cracked land.
Carrying heavy loads is no easy task; you have to be obsequious to the foreman and smooth things over.
But all you need to do to read is sit in a bright classroom and use your brain.
It's sheltered from the wind and rain.
Especially now, with better food, he can add a few spoonfuls of walnut and black sesame powder to the thin soup that used to be a mirror.
Walnut and black sesame powder is truly a wonderful food. Just stir it into soup a few times, and the thin soup will become fragrant and thick. When you eat it, you will be filled with the delicate aroma of grains.
Even a dry, hard cornbread can be broken open and a spoonful of meat floss can be added inside.
This is real meat.
He practically eats meat at every meal!
Of course, eggs are a must at every meal.
These conditions are hardly those of a farmer's son; they're almost on par with Bao Beiyuan, the former young master.
He didn't suffer at all.
He is now enjoying happiness every day.
Having enjoyed too much happiness, he did indeed feel some anxiety.
But Ye Li also considered this point.
Such thoughtfulness made it impossible for him not to be captivated and fall deeply in love.
We need to work harder.
Otherwise, beauty will fade and love will wane.
He won't stay eighteen forever.
Jiang Ji made up his mind, and soon the bone broth was ready.
The pancakes were steamed at noon, so there's no need to worry about them getting cold, even in the middle of summer.
Jiang Ji ate two flatbreads with the bone broth, drank half a bowl of watermelon jasmine tea, and then carried his basket out of the house.
There's only one month left before I have to go to the prefectural city.
effort!
After Jiang Ji left, Ye Li continued with her life as usual.
According to his previous habits, once this batch of preserved eggs was finished, the next batch would already be sealed in jars. Therefore, the time he made preserved eggs was just out of sync with the villagers.
Now the villagers are buying eggs like crazy, and the price of eggs has increased by two coins per pound.
But the villagers' enthusiasm didn't diminish. After all, preserved eggs are sold in large quantities, so this price increase is nothing compared to the profits from them.
On the other hand, Gong Lisheng was also under considerable pressure.
He's made so many contracts, he can't sleep if he doesn't hurry up and find a market for the eggs!
He asked someone to send a message to his father in the countryside, asking him to come and help.
After Old Man Gong arrived, Chen Cuihua became the head chef of the shop making preserved eggs. Gong Lisheng rented a wheelbarrow, carrying seasonings and preserved eggs, and pushed the cart around to sell them, just like Bao Beiyuan.
He deliberately ran to a distant place so as not to compete with his own shop for business.
Moreover, he was used to doing business, had a sweet tongue and was quick-witted, and was willing to let people sample his food. He would even round down the price if people bought a lot, so he sold quite a few portions a day.
Combined with the sales from the shop, we can break through the 300 mark.
But that's not enough.
Soon, tens of thousands of eggs will be waiting for him to sell.
He rented another room near the shop and had his second brother come over to take over the place he was already familiar with.
He himself pushed a wheelbarrow to develop new areas; he also had a third brother.
While Gong Lisheng was working hard to find markets for his preserved eggs, on the other side, the villagers who hadn't signed a contract kept urging Jiang Fuzheng to go to restaurants to promote them.
Households like Aunt Lü's have already found buyers, so they are very confident in making preserved eggs and don't have to worry about not getting their money back.
But the remaining families, while boldly buying eggs, were also secretly pounding with anxiety, as if they were being tormented in a frying pan.
Jiang Fuzheng, under pressure, had no choice but to borrow a few mutated eggs from Jiang Tong and Jiang Liu, and then went into the city to find a market for them.
Meanwhile, Jiang Tong led his oxcart, making trip after trip, buying back items such as bricks and timber.
With all the building materials ready, it's time to start construction.
Their old courtyard was demolished, and the family of five built a shed and temporarily moved into it.
Ye Li was also planning to build a house, so he went to check on the progress every day.
It's summer now, a good time to build a house, but he doesn't have enough money.
He could only hope that the villagers would quickly sell the eggs so that he could take a cut.
It rained during this time.
This rain wasn't like a summer rain; it was gentle and continuous, drizzling all day long.
This rain is good; now Ye Liang and Ye Wen don't need to come and help water the corn.
The corn ears are now quite large, and the stalks are taller than the leaves, so there's no need to weed anymore.
Even Jiang Tong's family, who lived in a shed, quite liked the rain.
But Ye Liang was not very happy.
The rain is welcome, but it's affecting his stall!
He and Ye Li had agreed that if it rained, he wouldn't come, but Ye Li's tofu puffs would still have to be fried. Even in the summer, these fried foods wouldn't spoil for two or three days.
But even if it's not bad, you can't really expect diners to eat tofu puffs that were fried three days ago.
Worried that two days' worth of tofu puffs wouldn't sell in one day, the amount of tofu puffs was halved.
Halving the amount would mean losing several tens of dollars in income.
I feel sorry for you.
Days slipped by one by one, and by the time Aunt Lü, Jiang Fuzheng and the other families had finished making their preserved eggs, eight days had passed since Ye Li and Jiang Ji parted ways.
As agreed, Gong Lisheng was to come and buy the preserved eggs.
The preserved eggs he had previously bought from Ye Li, Jiang Tongjiang, Liujiang, and Yuye had already been sold out.
On the busiest day, he, his second brother, and the shop together sold nearly 500 servings of cold preserved egg salad!
Nine hundred coins were earned in just one day!
Therefore, after the preserved eggs ran out of stock, he made a special trip to Yezaopo to check on the progress.
His arrival gave the villagers a much-needed boost.
Originally, the villagers' enthusiasm for buying preserved eggs had already waned; they couldn't really invest all their savings in them, could they?
But with Gong Lisheng's arrival, the villagers regained their enthusiasm and, gritting their teeth, continued to increase their investment.
Ye Li did not stop her from doing so.
Even if things don't go well, there's always Ye Liang's guarantee. If they only sell whole eggs instead of cold dishes, they can still make a decent living.
Before winter arrives, the more preserved eggs we make, the better.
That day, Gong Lisheng arrived at Yezaopo early in the morning in a mule cart.
The first batch of preserved eggs produced by Aunt Lü and her family was actually not many, because at the beginning, everyone was unsure and made very few.
Even if you add up all the households, there are only about three thousand people.
Based on sales figures before the stock ran out, it should have sold out in three days.
It would be another five or six days before the second batch of people recovered. Gong Lisheng was so worried that he kept slapping his thigh. Having money but not being able to earn it was more painful than cutting off his own flesh.
When he returned to the city, Ye Li packed walnut and black sesame powder, pork floss, and a large jar of braised pork rice. He then took Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya with him in his mule cart into the city.
They arrived in town early, and since it was still some time before noon, they went to the cold noodle shop first.
After unloading the preserved eggs, Gong Lisheng made four servings of stir-fried mung bean jelly for them, and then took them to the private school in a mule cart.
The family of four squatted under the shade of the jujube tree in the private school and ate stir-fried mung bean jelly and braised pork together. Ye Li specially used a large jar to serve the braised pork so that the four of them could eat together.
The two little ones were very happy to have such a rare experience.
After finishing their meal, just like last time, the two of them ran around and played around the private school.
Jiang Ji glanced at the two of them and asked Ye Li, who was clearing the dishes, "Didn't you say you wouldn't take Xiaomai and Ya Ge'er on a long trip alone?"
"With Brother Sheng here," Ye Li said without looking up.
"What will we do when we get back?" Jiang Ji asked.
Upon hearing this, Ye Li smiled smugly: "My eldest brother is coming to meet the three of us. I told him yesterday to come later today and find me at the private school at noon."
Jiang Ji: "...Thank you for going to so much trouble. Actually, you don't need to do this. Xiaomai trusts you a lot."
"It's nothing, it's nothing."
Ye Li didn't care.
He only talks the talk; he's the one causing trouble for others.
It's all because the original owner of this body left Jiang Mai with psychological trauma.
This little guy is already very pitiful.
Since it's a rare opportunity to go out, all you need to do is have fun and not worry about anything else.
Seeing Jiang Ji's emotion, he urged Jiang Ji to return to the private school for a midday rest.
Jiang Ji didn't insist and took the two pottery jars back to the private school.
When Ye Li returned to the private school with two pottery jars and two little ones, another [number] days had passed.
The family of four squatted under the shade of a tree to eat again. This time, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya were obviously more excited than last time, and they couldn't stop smiling.
Because Ye Li gave them both a reward last night—a full one hundred coins!
The reason for the reward is that Ye Li has become rich.
Ye Li received her share of the spoils from the preserved egg.
The families of Aunt Lü and her relatives have settled their accounts with Gong Lisheng twice already.
Since the first payment was too small, there was no settlement with Ye Li.
The second payment was received five days ago.
However, because the second batch of preserved eggs was too large, Gong Lisheng couldn't transport them all in one day, so he split them into several batches, and they were finally all bought yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon, Aunt Lü, Jiang Fuzheng, and several other households went to the Jiang family and Ye Li to settle their commission.
Ye Li was so happy with his earnings that he found an excuse to reward the two little ones with one hundred coins each!
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