Chapter 74 - Buying Potatoes in Two Combinations (Price Adjustment...)
As they spoke, Lin Chuntao helped carry the firewood down from her back. The firewood was cut to neat lengths, and Lin Chuntao laughed, "We're burning it ourselves, no need to be so neat, isn't that a waste of effort?"
"I found Meng Yun's method quite pleasing to the eye, so I followed suit."
Lin Chuntao put her arm around her shoulder and asked, "Did you go out for breakfast?"
"I ate mooncakes."
"It probably won't taste as good as it did a couple of days ago," Lin Chuntao said.
Lin Chunhe smiled and said, "No, it's still very delicious. The rose petal filling is the best."
"If you like it, I'll go check again tomorrow or the day after. If I can buy flower petals, I'll make some more."
Lin Chuntao had a full night's sleep but still had no appetite. It was still early, so Lin Chuntao thought about buying potatoes. After Lin Chunhe rested for a while, she called her over and took the money to her great-grandmother's house.
In the past two days, everyone has almost finished digging up their potatoes. Everyone is picking up potatoes at home, keeping some for eating and some for the seeds, and separating them.
Some of them were broken open, but before they spoiled, you can pick them out now, peel them, wash them, and stir-fry or boil them to eat.
There were only one or two people left in the field, wandering around with baskets on their backs, mainly picking up any potatoes that had been missed.
When Lin Chuntao arrived, Sun Shi and her sisters-in-law, including Chen Dongniang, were picking things up. The old lady was a little surprised to see the two sisters. "Chuntao, didn't you go to the county town today?"
"Chunxing and Duo'er went, but Chunhe and I didn't."
Lin Chuntao replied, looking at the pile of potatoes, most of which had already been picked, and marveled at how fast they were.
Chen Dongniang laughed and said, "With so many people, each person can only pick up a little bit, and then it's all gone."
Lin Chuntao then explained her purpose. She had also brought a sack, which Sun Shi and Chen Dongniang put directly into the sack. After weighing it, they carried it home.
The old lady and the others picked them up, and Lin Chuntao said to the old lady, "Grandma, please help me pick them up. I'm going to check on Qingqing's house."
Mrs. Sun responded and then instructed her, "Go ahead and do your job. Come back after you've finished picking them up."
When Lin Chuntao arrived, Lin Qingqing and the others weren't there; her mother and grandmother were at home picking potatoes.
Lin Chuntao greeted Wang Shi and then looked at the old lady.
"Third Grandma, do you sell your potatoes? If so, give me three sacks."
Wang had already told Lin Chuntao about buying potatoes, so when she saw her come to ask, she just smiled and replied, "I heard from your second aunt that you wanted to buy some, so I specially saved some for you. Bring a bag and you can pick them out."
Lin Chuntao gave the bags to the old lady, and Wang Shi, Lin Qingqing, and her third aunt picked them up together. The three sacks were picked up in no time.
The weight was 358 jin. Lin Chuntao asked the old lady to calculate the price, but the old lady smiled and said, "We haven't been to the market for a long time, so we don't know the price. Chuntao, you can calculate it."
Lin Chuntao, also thinking about the prices at the market, said frankly, "Yesterday I saw potatoes being sold for 12.5 wen for 10 jin at the market. Can we calculate it at that price?"
The old lady beamed with joy, "Yes, yes."
The total came to 447.5 coins, but Lin Chuntao gave her 448 coins.
Just then, Lin Changhua returned, so Wang asked him to help her carry Lin Chuntao over.
Lin Chuntao gave the key to Lin Chunhe and took Wang Shi and the others there first, as she still had to go to her great-grandfather's house.
Lin Chunhe asked, "Sister, where should we put these bags of potatoes?"
Lin Chuntao said, "Bring the bamboo rack outside where you put winnowing baskets into the house. Put these three bags on that bamboo rack, on the bottom shelf."
After explaining to Lin Chunhe, Lin Chuntao smiled at Wang Shi and Lin Changhua: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Second Uncle and Second Aunt. Thank you."
Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Don't be so polite with us, we'll take it to you first."
Lin Chuntao nodded, and they carried the potatoes on their backs before heading out together.
When Lin Chuntao arrived, Sun and the others had already finished picking and were tying up the bags.
Seeing Lin Chuntao return, Chen Dongniang went to get the scale and weighed it in front of Lin Chuntao. The three sacks weighed 364 jin.
Sun calculated the price for Lin Chuntao, at one coin per pound.
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Grandma, you've miscalculated the money, haven't you? Why is it only one coin per pound?"
Sun said, "Yesterday, people from the city came to the village shouting that they were buying grain. Big potatoes were only one coin a pound, and smaller ones were even cheaper. I picked out some big ones for you, and I'll only charge you one coin a pound."
Lin Chuntao was somewhat surprised, "You've come to collect the grain so early?"
Chen Dongniang chimed in with a smile, "Maybe it's because the potatoes in the surrounding area are all quite good this year, so the higher-ups came to collect them. They were calling out in the village for quite a while before leaving."
Lin Chuntao smiled as she recalled what her neighbor, Third Grandma, had said earlier. Then, looking at Sun Shi and Chen Dongniang in front of her, she said, "I saw an old man selling potatoes at the market yesterday. He was selling ten catties for twelve and a half coins. Let's go with that price."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Sun hurriedly refused: "No, no, the market is the market, but we're selling at home. People at the market need to make money, but how can we make money off you at home?"
Lin Chuntao said, "If I buy it at the market, I'll have to carry it back myself. I'll also need to trouble my aunt and uncle to deliver it for me later. I'll just charge you the market price."
Lin Chuntao calculated that it was 455 coins and handed the copper coins directly to the old lady.
The old lady refused to accept it, and Lin Chuntao and Lin Chuntao pushed it back and forth for a long time before she finally accepted it.
Not to mention that they live in the same village, Sun and the others have helped her a lot. She will definitely pay them the market price, no matter how much they sell for, so that they won't lose money.
Even if it's just a couple of copper coins for every ten pounds, three hundred pounds would be dozens more copper coins.
The old lady accepted the money, and Chen Dongniang and her sisters-in-law were all beaming with joy.
Several people helped carry the potatoes over. Lin Chuntao felt that about 700 pounds of potatoes would be enough to last for a while. She said to Chen Dongniang, "Auntie, when you dig sweet potatoes, please leave some for me too. I don't need many, just a sack will be enough."
Chen Dongniang smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll save some for you then."
Wang and Chen Dongniang left together. It was their first time visiting Lin Chuntao's house. The courtyard was clean and tidy, and the house had many things, including jars, earthenware pots, steamers, and baskets, but everything was very well organized, which surprised them.
She laughed and said, "We're all about the same age, and we just leave our shoes lying around after wearing them."
Chen Dongniang said, "That's because we adults spoil her. Chun Tao is sensible from a young age. She manages the household well and is already a little adult."
Wang nodded. She had a selfish motive, but Chen Dongniang and the others were closer to Lin Chuntao, so she tentatively asked, "I wonder if Chuntao has any plans to arrange a marriage for Chunxing?"
Wang asked this question because she probably wanted to introduce Chunxing to her nephew or something. Chen Dongniang was a little surprised by this. Before this, which family in the village would want to introduce Chuntao and Chunxing to their own nephews or nieces?
"I haven't heard Chun Tao mention this before, I'll have to ask Chun Tao."
Chen Dongniang's words seemed to have nothing more to say, and Wang Shi also left it at that, without adding anything further.
When she got home, Lin Qingqing and the others were back. She was going to the vegetable garden, so she called Lin Qingqing over. The mother and daughter could talk about anything.
"Qingqing, have you heard Chunxing talk about how her marriage is being arranged?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing glanced at her own mother. She knew that the two girls must have talked about it.
"Why did you ask, Mother?"
Seeing the scrutinizing look in her daughter's eyes, Wang said, "Don't ask yet, did you say it?"
"I did say that."
"What did they say?" Wang asked.
Lin Qingqing whispered, "Chunxing said that Sister Chuntao said the three of them should consider getting married after they turn nineteen."
Wang hissed coldly, her brows furrowed.
"Nineteen years old, already considered an old maid."
Lin Qingqing said, "I said the same thing, but Sister Chuntao told them that getting married early means suffering early, and that if they wanted to serve others, they should stay home and serve her for a few more years, and she would support them."
Lin Chuntao did talk to her three younger sisters about getting married when they were older, but she didn't say anything about how getting married early was wrong.
This was something Lin Duo'er and her friends came up with themselves.
However, if Lin Chuntao heard this, she would probably laugh out loud.
Looking at Lin Qingqing, Wang knew she was almost fifteen, and at the latest, she should be getting married by sixteen or seventeen.
Lin Chuntao didn't seem to care much, but what she said left her speechless. She got married at sixteen or seventeen, with a mother-in-law above her and a young child below. If her mother-in-law was kind, life was a little better. But if she had a bad-hearted mother-in-law, she could only swallow her bitterness and endure it year after year. Who could escape that?
"Did you tell Chunxing that it's getting harder to find a marriage partner now that she's getting older?"
“I already told them,” Lin Qingqing replied. “It’s even more fun to tell you this. Sister Chuntao told Chunxing that when we’re fifteen or sixteen, we can do laundry and cook. Some boys, on the other hand, only know how to steal bird eggs all day long. Marrying someone like that would only make you suffer. It’s better to wait a bit, take your time to choose someone who can take good care of you and your own family before getting married.”
Does Chunxing agree with her sister?
Lin Qingqing nodded, "I agree. Besides, Chunxing only wants to make money right now and doesn't want to get married at all. I think that's great. I'm the only one who doesn't know how to do it, otherwise I would also make money."
Wang said, "You should give up on that idea. You have to get up before dawn every day and walk to the county town. It's dark and not safe. Besides, it's too much work for a girl to do business."
Lin Qingqing said, "If one person can't do it, why not call an older brother or younger brother to come along?"
"Unfortunately, I don't have any cooking skills."
Lin Qingqing sighed.
Looking at Lin Qingqing in front of her, Wang thought carefully about what Lin Qingqing had just said, as if she, as the mother, was not as good as Lin Chuntao, the older sister.
But she had no choice; she had a son and couldn't wait until her daughter was nineteen to get married.
Otherwise, when it comes time to find a wife for your son, people won't be happy if they know you still have an old maid in the family.
Lin Qingqing was unaware of her mother's thoughts and had not yet considered marriage. She was only worried about how she could earn money in the county town like Lin Chunxing.
With the news of her daughter's arrival, Wang had a better understanding of the situation. No matter what, she was going to get married eventually, so delaying the marriage wouldn't affect the engagement now, right?
She would sound out Lin Chuntao another day and then talk to her sister-in-law at home about it.
After Wang finished picking the vegetables, Lin Qingqing belatedly asked Wang, "Mother, why are you asking about Chunxing's marriage?"
Looking at her bewildered daughter, Wang slowly smiled.
"I wonder if we're destined to be each other's sister-in-law."
As soon as Wang finished speaking, Lin Qingqing's eyes widened. "Which cousin-in-law?"
"Your eldest cousin is from your maternal uncle's family. How many older cousins do you have?"
As soon as Wang finished speaking, Lin Qingqing's mouth gaped open, and she looked at Wang with a complicated expression.
What kind of look is that?
Wang noticed her displeasure.
Lin Qingqing said, "You absolutely mustn't tell anyone, or I'll never be able to face Chunxing again!"
Wang's expression changed slightly, and she scolded in a deep voice, "You ungrateful little brat, which side are you on? Are your uncles treating you badly? Or is it your cousin who's treating you badly?"
"What does this have to do with whether he's good or bad? My older cousin is an idiot and so fat! How could he be worthy of Chunxing?"
Lin Qingqing's words displeased Wang Shi. Her eldest nephew was a little slow-witted, but he was honest and obedient. If he found a capable and competent wife, the old man could rest assured in the future.
"You brat, other people can't even get enough to eat if they want to. Besides, your older cousin is honest, and you're talking about how stupid he is behind his back? You've been so good to you for nothing, you little ingrate."
"Also, Chunxing and the others have no parents, how do you know what kind of husbands they want? Don't go and spout nonsense in front of them!"
Seeing that her mother was serious, Lin Qingqing was also unhappy and pouted.
"You're the one who shouldn't say that!" She really felt embarrassed. What if Chunxing was unhappy and misunderstood that she had helped? She would be in a real mess and wouldn't be able to clear her name no matter what.
Wang responded irritably and pushed her forward.
After Chen Dongniang returned home, she told Sun Shi, "Mother, Wang Chunlan just asked me about Chunxing's marriage."
Upon hearing this, Madam Sun paused in her work, raised an eyebrow slightly, and after a long while asked, "And then?"
"I said I didn't know? I told her to ask Chuntao."
Madam Sun smiled. "Is this something she asked for her nephew?"
Chen Dongniang said, "It should be. I remember her chubby nephew is still unmarried."
Madam Sun sighed and said softly, "Back then, Chun Tao was nineteen and no one wanted to propose marriage. But now it's different. Even fourteen-year-old Chun Xing has someone interested in her."
Chen Dongniang pursed her lips. Which family doesn't have a few nephews and nieces? They're all around the same age.
Chen Dongniang did not agree with her mother-in-law's words.
People change too. The Chun Tao sisters were nothing like they are now. That family was a mess, and the sisters were skin and bones. They only knew how to work all day long. In addition, that family wanted to sell them and eat them. Ordinary families like theirs couldn't afford such a large dowry, and no one would go out of their way to cause trouble for themselves.
Now that life is going smoothly, not to mention Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, even Lin Chunxing is able to stand on her own and set up a stall in the county town to do business. Those who are interested will definitely think about it.
That is to say, even though Wang asked directly, there were probably still many things she was thinking about in her heart.
Seeing that Chen Dongniang didn't respond, Madam Sun said bluntly, "No chance."
"You'll see, anyone who asks Chun Tao will have no chance."
Looking at the old lady's confident demeanor, Chen Dongniang raised an eyebrow slightly, "If you don't like one, there's always another one."
Sun smiled at Chen Dongniang, thinking to herself, "You're just as tempted as Wang." But considering her daughter-in-law's feelings, she didn't say anything.
"This isn't about whether you like her or not. You've spent so much time with Chun Tao, and you still can't figure out even a little bit of what she's thinking?"
Chen Dongniang was a little confused. Sun said, "That Zhang Bao earlier, Chun Tao made Chun Xing pretend to be sick. This is no small matter. If she wanted her younger sisters to get married early, she would not have come up with such an idea. The fact that she came up with such an idea shows that she would rather raise these younger sisters than let them get married easily."
Chen Dongniang hissed coldly: "She'll have to get married sooner or later. And if we keep supporting her, won't Xiao Pei have any objections?"
Madam Sun frowned slightly and said bluntly, "What's blinding you today?"
"Chuntao never said she would support her indefinitely. Didn't she send Chunxing to do business? Now that she's earning money, who will support her? That will be her own livelihood from now on!"
Chen Dongniang suddenly realized what was going on and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Chun Tao...is thinking that far ahead?"
Madam Sun shook her head slightly. Whether she was thinking too far ahead was unknown, but the facts were undeniable. Whether they would live together, separate, or something else entirely was a matter for the sisters and had nothing to do with outsiders.
Lin Chunhe looked at the six sacks of potatoes and was in a particularly good mood.
"Sis, should we pour this potato out?"
Lin Chuntao replied, "Let's not dump it yet. Just put it on the shelf. We'll try to find someone to build the house by the end of this month. Once the house is built, we'll have to move all our things there. If we dump it out, we'll have to pick everything up again."
After Lin Chuntao said such a long sentence, she heard that the house would be built before the end of the month.
"So fast? How long will it take to build the house?"
"It's not that fast, is it? We didn't have enough money before, otherwise I would have started building it a long time ago. As for how long it will take to build, that depends on the craftsmen."
Lin Chunhe was extremely excited.
The two sisters tidied up the house and, estimating that Lin Chunxing and the others would be back soon, steamed the rice and washed and chopped the vegetables, so they could cook and eat as soon as they arrived home.
Lin Chuntao was sprinkling water on the rice and peeling potatoes when Lin Chunhe suddenly asked, "Sister, can you make us a big bed later?"
Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "How big do you want?"
Lin Chunhe stood up and opened her arms, "A little wider than mine."
Lin Chuntao smiled, thinking she wanted a larger size.
"Don't worry, it'll definitely be wider than this."
Lin Chunhe's eyes lit up, and she asked somewhat uncertainly, "Really?"
Lin Chuntao said, "It's definitely true."
"When we build the house, we'll make the sleeping room more spacious so we can make the bed bigger and also build a wardrobe for clothes."
Lin Chunhe was so excited when she heard this that she rushed over and hugged her, saying sweetly, "Sister, you're so kind!"
Lin Chuntao shivered; she felt uncomfortable all over.
"Ugh~ I can't take it. I just gave you a glimpse of the future and you say I'm doing well, but it turns out I haven't been doing well at all these days?"
"No, no, I'm just too happy. I want to sleep by myself. Duo'er is too clingy. She always squeezes next to me when she sleeps, and it's so hot!"
Lin Chuntao understood everything she said, and smiled helplessly, "I know, you'll live in your own room from now on. Go peel the potatoes."
After receiving the message, she ran back to continue peeling potatoes, while Lin Chuntao scooped the rice from the winnowing basket back into the steamer.
After a long pause, Lin Chunhe, whose reaction time was a bit slow, slowly looked up and asked Lin Chuntao, "Sister, what did you mean by 'drawing a pie in the sky' earlier?"
Lin Chuntao almost burst out laughing, but looking at her silly sister, she explained, "It's just telling you a bunch of things you really want, but I haven't done anything about them yet. That's called making empty promises."
Lin Chunhe was stunned. "Huh? Sister, are you kidding me?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "No, I really do want to do it, and I can make it happen for you very soon."
Lin Chunhe patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, that's good."
Lin Chuntao put all the rice back into the steamer and prepared to take the winnowing basket to put it away. As she walked, she asked Lin Chunhe, "Do you want to know how to tell if the other party's promise is real or fake?"
Lin Chunhe pondered for a while before nodding. Lin Chuntao asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
Lin Chunhe said, "I was thinking that before, my aunt and grandma always said that we should cut pig feed and feed the pigs properly, and that they would give us meat to eat after they slaughtered the pigs. Was that just empty talk?"
Lin Chuntao's gaze darkened slightly, and then she nodded.
"Um."
"So when you hear others talking about what you want, you should carefully discern whether what they are saying at this moment is combined with what they usually do."
Lin Chunhe nodded solemnly, "I understand, sister."
Lin Chuntao patted her head and smiled, "If a stranger makes empty promises to you and you can't tell the difference, you can come and tell me, and I'll show you."
"Okay, I've got it."
Not long after they finished preparing the dishes, Lin Chunxing and the others returned.
Lin Duo'er rushed into the courtyard first, her little face flushed red. Lin Chuntao had already prepared honey water for them.
"There's honey water in the room, one bowl for each person. Come in and have some."
As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Duo'er happily slipped into the house, followed closely by Lin Chunxing. Seeing that she was in a good mood, Lin Chuntao asked with a smile, "How is it?"
Lin Chunxing laughed and said, "They're all sold out. There aren't enough eggs to go around, and lots of kids are coming to buy them." As she spoke, Lin Chuntao went over and took her basket off her back. After putting the basket down, Lin Chunxing said, "Let's make some bamboo skewers. If the kids buy them and then have nothing to put them in, they can just carry them by hand."
"Okay, I'll get some bamboo later. Go inside and have some water."
Lin Chunxing entered the house, and Pei Ying put down his basket and handed her something.
Lin Chuntao took it and saw that it was a wooden box. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "What is this?"
"You can try the face cream and lip balm when you have time."
Pei Ying's voice was low, and Lin Chuntao pursed her lips, "Why did you suddenly decide to buy this for me?"
Upon hearing her question, Pei Ying glanced at her and blushed from her cheeks to her earlobes.
In Lin Chuntao's eyes, face cream and lip balm were just daily necessities. She didn't have much time to put on makeup while working every day. It was summer, the air humidity was high, and her skin was in good condition, so she didn't think about getting any face creams or similar products.
But Pei Ying blushed even when given lip rouge; her mind must be full of lewd thoughts.
She smiled and took it into the house. As soon as she entered, Pei Ying washed his hands and followed her in.
The first thing this person does when he gets home is change his clothes. Although the two of them live together, they haven't reached the point where they change clothes face to face yet. Lin Chuntao quickly put down her things and said, "I'm going to cook. Change your clothes and go wash them after you finish eating."
Pei Ying gave a muffled "hmm," and Lin Chuntao had already left.
The lunch was simple. There was some chicken left over from last night, so Lin Chuntao heated it up and made twice-cooked pork, stir-fried eggs with chives, and shredded potatoes with green peppers.
After drinking water and resting for a while, Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunxing finally noticed something different about the room.
"Wow, sis, you bought so many potatoes!"
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