Chapter 59 On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Can beat...
On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Can called to invite Miao Miao to his home, and brought her some spicy rabbit heads, spicy shredded tripe, and other dishes that he had prepared. He also gave her chili sauce, beef sauce, and mushroom sauce.
She didn't go to Happiness City. Now, the Shen and Jiang families are blocking the entrance every day in three shifts, as if they won't give up until they catch her.
It must be so cold outside in this weather, especially inside. You must feel freezing cold inside.
She sent Zhou Bing a large box containing three kinds of chili sauce and hot pot base, which Zhou Bing praised, saying that the beef sauce was delicious with rice and asked Jiang Can to send her more beef sauce.
On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Can returned to school to take his first monthly exam. The former principal and the teachers in the review class advised Jiang Can to stay at the school. The college entrance exam was just around the corner, and what could be more important than the exam? With Jiang Can's grades, if he put in a little more effort, he would definitely be the top liberal arts student in the city! Huada University was a sure thing!
Once you get to university, you can do whatever you want; you'll have plenty of time.
Jiang Can felt that his review progress was going well, and he continued at his own pace without having to stay at school all the time, ensuring that his grades would steadily improve.
The teachers had no choice but to comply with Jiang Can's request, fearing that he might be dissatisfied and change the student's registration.
A student with such talent would be a huge asset to any school, boosting its college entrance exam pass rate! What school wouldn't welcome her?
Jiang Can sent the test papers she collected from other schools in the city to the school. After making copies, she let her classmates do them. She was surrounded by her classmates with questions. She was especially good at Chinese, and her essays were basically all full marks. Her essays were read aloud as example essays.
It's very difficult to get a perfect score in Chinese; she occasionally gets one, at least 148 points.
Language learning relies mainly on accumulation. Her childhood was bleak, lacking family affection and even friendships were scarce. During countless days of working, she relied on textbooks.
Since she didn't have money to buy extracurricular books, she would repeatedly read her textbooks. She would reread her favorite articles over and over again. She had a good memory and could recite almost everything from memory.
When she entered high school, she realized the importance of studying even more. She wanted to change her fate, escape her family of origin, and getting into university was the fastest shortcut. She studied even harder, and could recite all the textbooks by heart, especially Chinese.
The more you memorize, the more naturally you'll learn.
These are difficult to replicate; the only way is to read, memorize, and practice more.
She'll come to school to pick up her exam results after the 15th.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
At the strong invitation of the abbot of Amitabha Temple, Shen Lang, Jiang Can and the others went to Amitabha Temple to visit the temple fair. A stage was set up on a large area behind the temple, and a three-day performance was to be held.
It was incredibly lively.
Jiang Can finally got to eat roasted sugarcane this time. It was roasted hot and especially sweet; he hadn't been able to eat it on New Year's Eve! The group gathered around and ate the sugarcane, and the warmth touched their hearts.
May the new year bring you health, peace, prosperity, and happiness.
They also consulted Master Bai for a fortune telling. Master Bai looked at Jiang Can's palm and said, "Last year there was a great calamity, but after that, it was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, bringing abundant fortune and wealth to both himself and others! A very auspicious destiny."
When it was shown to Shen Lang, he praised it even more: "This person has a noble and domineering destiny. In ancient times, he would be a prince or nobleman. He would definitely become a high-ranking official or general in the future. He is born with a noble destiny."
Shen Lang was speechless: "Just one sentence like 'son of a noble family' is enough to make me turn your house upside down."
My father didn't love me, and my mother didn't care for me. I had to make everything myself.
Master Bai was quite timid towards Shen Lang. He held Shen Lang's hand and looked at it again and again, not thinking that what he said was wrong. However, he didn't dare to argue. This man was really tough. He quickly praised Shen Lang's marriage line: "Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen are a match made in heaven. They will surely live in harmony and grow old together." He used all sorts of auspicious words to praise their marriage. Shen Lang listened with beaming eyes and was very happy. He gave Master Bai a hundred yuan for the divination.
Xu Rao stretched out her hand, "Master Bai, please tell my fortune too."
After examining Xu Rao's palm, the master immediately discerned her general situation and predicted her life over the past two years. Xu Rao was convinced and inquired about her fortune and marriage prospects.
The master said that Xu Rao will have benefactors in her career and will have a life of great wealth and prosperity for the rest of her life.
Xu Rao firmly believes that Jiang Can is her benefactor! Her career and wealth have taken off to a new level, and she will be able to earn even more money in the future.
Master Bai also said that Xu Rao's marriage prospects are not very good, and she should not rush into marriage, otherwise she will easily suffer financial losses, so she must be careful.
Xu Rao: !!!
Everything else is fine, but if it affects her wealth, then that won't do!
She's definitely not in a hurry to get married, and no one can pressure her to do so.
The group had their fortunes told and went to see the stage. The audience was mostly elderly people, each carrying a thermos and teacup. They could listen from morning till night. Jiang Can and his friends listened for a while and then left to eat some snacks.
Jiang Can also chose three lanterns at the temple entrance. They were all red plastic and could hold candles inside. Two of them were pig lanterns and one was a dog lantern. She was very happy carrying the lanterns.
She can now carry lanterns during the Lantern Festival! And she can buy as many as she wants!
They also selected lanterns for Xu Rao and the others, one for each person.
I also bought five packs of red candles.
Xu Rao: "I'm so old, why am I still carrying a lantern?" But she was very happy carrying the lantern. She wasn't married yet, so no matter how old she was, she was still a child.
A little girl next to her begged her grandmother to buy her one too, but her grandmother said, "Only little kids have big lanterns, you're all grown up now!"
But the little girl was only about five or six years old.
The little boy next to her, who was even taller than her, was carrying a lantern shaped like a big tiger. "Grandma, I want to eat fried chicken legs and fried sausages!"
Her face lit up with a big smile: "Hey, let's go buy it now!"
The little girl, tears welling in her eyes, followed behind her grandmother, frequently turning back to look at a rabbit lantern on the lantern stall. She raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears, but more tears flowed out.
Jiang Can bought the rabbit lantern, along with a bag of candles, and handed it to the little girl, saying, "This is for you."
The little girl's eyes lit up. "For me? Really for me?" She couldn't believe her eyes and didn't dare to take the brand-new lantern.
Jiang Can smiled and said, "Yes, this is for you. Study hard, and when you grow up, you can buy any kind of lantern you want."
The little girl took the lantern with both hands, and tears welled up in her eyes again, this time of joy. She bowed to Jiang Can and said, "Thank you, sister!" Carrying the lantern, she happily caught up with her grandmother.
Jiang Can thought that if she could have visited the temple fair when she was a child, and someone had given her a beautiful lantern, she would have been very happy.
In the evening, after eating glutinous rice balls and sweet dumplings, Jiang Can put red candles on all three lanterns, lit two of them, and left the puppy lantern unlit, handing it to Hu Zi as its pet.
The two people and the dog went downstairs together to carry lanterns.
Tiger was incredibly excited, running around busily with the lantern string in its mouth. When it encountered other children carrying lanterns, it raised its head, puffed out its chest, and was extremely proud. It had a lantern too! A really beautiful dog lantern!
A child pointed at Tiger's lantern: "Yours doesn't have a candle lit, it's not pretty."
Tiger ran back to Jiang Can and rubbed against Jiang Can's leg, looking aggrieved.
Jiang Can lit a candle for it. "Tiger, be careful. The candle is flickering and it might burn the lantern, or it might burn your hair."
Tiger ran over to show the child the lantern rope in its mouth. Its lantern was lit, bright red, and looked especially beautiful!
Jiang Can and Shen Lang followed behind, carrying lanterns. They made sure Tiger stayed away from the other children. If Tiger got too excited and tried to get close to the children, Shen Lang would pull it away by its leash.
Because Tiger often comes down for walks, many children recognize it. Now that they see it carrying a lantern, they always want to get closer to it. Some children even want to touch the lantern with Tiger, which terrifies the other parents, who quickly pull their children away.
Tiger was terrified. He quickly hid behind Jiang Can, lantern in his mouth, afraid that his lantern would be set on fire.
Jiang Can, carrying a lantern, bumped into the other child.
The lanterns bumped into each other, the candles flickered, and suddenly shot up, almost setting the lanterns on fire.
The lanterns are all made of plastic, which is very flammable and will catch fire if lit.
The child was startled and quickly checked the lantern. Everything was alright! Feeling quite proud of himself, he chased after Jiang Can's lantern and tried to touch it.
The adults quickly pulled her back, saying, "If your lantern burns out, don't cry. I won't buy you a new one."
Lanterns are lit on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but you can only touch them on the sixteenth. Touching them keeps good luck for the whole year.
Tiger quickly grabbed the lantern and ran away, afraid that the child would touch it again.
Shen Lang extinguished his lantern, put on a red candle again, left the residential area, and reached the roadside. It was crowded with people setting off fireworks and firecrackers.
Zhan Junzhuo brought a tricycle full of fireworks. When he saw Shen Lang and Jiang Can come out, he carried the fireworks onto the road. A group of children excitedly shouted, eagerly waiting to see the fireworks.
The fireworks display lasted for about an hour, and the sky was filled with them, instantly overshadowing all the other fireworks.
Jiang Can covered Hu Zi's ears, afraid of hurting its eardrums, so Shen Lang covered Jiang Can's ears as well.
After the big fireworks display, Jiang Can handed out firecrackers and sparklers to the children, saying, "Whoever can say auspicious words, I'll give them to them first." The children were even happier; before they could only watch, but now they could play with them! They said auspicious words like they were free.
The most common greeting is "Wishing you prosperity!"
Jiang Can was overjoyed, and many children, after receiving theirs, continued to line up to receive more. Some children couldn't keep anything in their pockets, and immediately set off the firecrackers as soon as they received them.
A group of children were playing with whips, creating a very festive atmosphere.
Once the fifteenth day of the first lunar month has passed, the old year is over, and a new year begins.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the old slaughterhouse was packed with people, where more than a dozen death row inmates were to be executed by firing squad.
Jiang Can and Shen Lang arrived early and secured the best location. Around 10 a.m., a truck drove up to them, carrying more than a dozen death row inmates.
They wore wooden plaques around their necks listing the crimes they had committed.
At the front were Shen Boyang, Shen Boxiong, Lin Huixue, Fan Chaoyang, Wen Ming, and Sun Wenfeng. A dozen or so people were escorted off the truck by the troops and forced to kneel on the hillside.
Numerous rotten eggs, rotten vegetable leaves, chicken droppings, and other filthy things were thrown at them, instantly turning their once-clean clothes into filthy grime.
They did so many despicable things, ruining half of so many people's lives, and now they're just shot dead. It's really not satisfying!
How could we let them leave clean and tidy?
At the moment of execution, Lin Huixue, who had always kept her spine straight, bent over. She thought she was not afraid of death, but when the gun was pointed at her, she was still afraid. She stared wide-eyed at Jiang Can a few meters away. She should have killed her back then, killed her at all costs. She was unwilling.
The bullet pierced her skull, ending her life. She fell to the ground, her blood staining the earth red.
Firecrackers went off in several places, one of which was lit by Jiang Can.
Celebrate the death of these demons.
A series of loud cries erupted from the crowd; they were the families of the victims who had been tortured by these demons.
They finally got their revenge!
That night, Jiang Can booked the largest private room in Flaming Mountain to celebrate the deaths of those people. In fact, the matter had long been over, but the deaths of those villains meant that it was all over.
All bad people will be punished; if they haven't been punished yet, it's simply because their time hasn't come.
After eating hot pot, everyone lit lanterns together and chased each other around.
A group of children joined in, and laughter filled the air.
Shen Lang protected Jiang Can, and their lanterns were saved for last. Of course, the lanterns for the sixteenth day were not saved. The two raised their lanterns and bumped them together. With a 'boom,' the candlelight flared up, and both lanterns were lit at the same time.
On the fifteenth of the lunar month, we eat glutinous rice balls; on the sixteenth, we strike lanterns together, leaving behind all the good fortune for the year!
On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, Shen Lang packed his bags and headed to the provincial capital. Despite his reluctance, he had to go back to school. He told Jiang Can to be careful and to think of him every day and call him every day.
Shen Lang bought a mobile phone so he could carry it with him and answer calls anytime. Of course, it was very expensive, costing twelve thousand yuan. He also wanted to buy one for Jiang Can, but Jiang Can absolutely refused, saying it was better to buy gold instead!
Jiang Can: "Didn't you come back on Friday?"
Shen Lang said aggrievedly, "We have to be apart for five days. Aren't you reluctant to part? Don't you love me anymore?"
Jiang Can quickly cupped his face and kissed him twice: "I love you, I love you so much. I'll call you when I wake up in the morning and I'll call you when I go to bed at night."
Shen Lang was satisfied: "Then I'll call you at noon."
Jiang Can really wanted to say that phone calls are expensive! But she didn't say it out loud. She acted very reluctant and said, "Okay." Then she pointed to a big box of snacks and said, "Take these to school and eat with your roommates. Don't leave the braised food and cold dishes; you have to finish them in the next couple of days. You can eat the sauce and dried meat slowly. Send this box to Sister Bingbing."
Shen Lang held Jiang Can tightly, refusing to let go. After he left, Jiang Can breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to relax for two days. When Shen Lang was at home, he was always too tired to sleep, as Shen Lang always seemed to have inexhaustible energy.
Jiang Can rode his bicycle to the jewelry shop and picked up the custom-made hair clip. The hair clip could instantly transform into a sharp awl, which he used when it was inconvenient to draw a knife.
Jiang Can tried it and found that he could easily cut the wooden stick in half; it was extremely sharp!
Then I went to Moling No.1 Middle School to check my grades. I was still first in the whole grade, more than 30 points higher than the second place!
The teachers were overjoyed, hoping that Jiang Can could become the top scorer in the city and bring glory to Moling No. 1 High School. They compiled a lot of materials targeting Jiang Can's weaknesses and asked him to do targeted practice questions at home.
Later, the new principal of Liaoxian No.1 Middle School also called Jiang Can, hoping that she could return to Liaoxian to study. He persuaded her that Liaoxian was her hometown, and she didn't want to watch the school decline.
Jiang Can refused. She didn't feel any sense of belonging to Liao County, and talking about her hometown was useless; it couldn't evoke any longing in her.
The new principal promised Jiang Can that as long as she came to study, the school cafeteria would be contracted to her.
Jiang Can still refused. She was not short of money and did not care about the contract of a cafeteria.
Even though the principal of Liaoxian No. 1 Middle School has been replaced, the teachers have been changed, and all the villains from back then have been executed, and the matter has been completely turned over, Jiang Can still will not return here.
He didn't want his name and photo to appear on the honor wall of Liaoxian No. 1 Middle School.
The new principal sighed and lamented that Liaoxian No. 1 Middle School had a terrible reputation, and many high-achieving students were unwilling to enroll there anymore. Many good junior high students said they wanted to go to Moling No. 1 Middle School.
Without this batch of good students, Liaoxian No. 1 High School will have very poor college entrance examination results in the future, and it is unknown how many years it will take to recover.
But he was helpless; it was all the fault of Shen Boxiong, the fault of the previous principal.
Once a reputation is ruined, it takes many, many, many years to recover.
Jiang Can's life also became busier. The Cancan Food Factory had been renovated and eighteen new workers had been hired. Huang Xiaoling was the accountant, and Sister Peng was in charge of environmental sanitation and food safety. Their wages increased from two hundred to three hundred and eighty.
Jiangji branch was handed over to Peng Jie's son, Cui Boyang, and Jiangji Restaurant hired two more employees. Fang Yuan was busy running between the restaurant and the factory, with no free time at all, and practically treated the factory as his home.
Jiang Can and Xu Rao pulled strings and got all the necessary permits and certificates, including the food license.
On February 17, 1995, in Yikai City, the Cancan Food Factory was officially established.
Xia Wen delivered a batch of beef, pork, and mushroom sauce that day, and the food factory began producing the first batch of beef tallow hot pot base, beef sauce, mushroom sauce, and chili sauce.
Jiang Can and Fang Yuan oversaw the production. The recipes for making these foods could only be controlled by the two of them; otherwise, if someone else obtained the recipes, they could open a factory and sell them.
These foods require very little technical skill!
Xu Rao is mainly responsible for sales.
The first batch of sauces was shipped out after the production date was stamped on them.
One 150g block of beef tallow hot pot base is priced at 3.2 yuan; one 280g bottle of spicy red oil beef sauce is priced at 3.8 yuan; and mushroom sauce and chili sauce are priced at 3.2 yuan each.
In Liaoxian County, supermarkets of all sizes have put beef tallow hot pot base and three kinds of sauces on their shelves. At first, the supermarkets complained that it was too expensive. They thought the purchase price was so high that they should raise the price by at least two yuan. They said that it would definitely not sell if it was so expensive.
When Xu Rao showed the packaging to the supermarket owner, she said, "These are all the same products as those from Flaming Mountain; they're all labeled on them." She then opened a jar of beef sauce and asked the owner to try it.
This flavor has been tested and proven by everyone; no one dislikes it, and people can't live without it. Adding two spoonfuls to stir-fries makes them even more fragrant.
Upon learning that it was the same hot pot restaurant as the one in Flaming Mountain, the supermarket owner was already tempted. He himself loves to eat hot pot in Flaming Mountain and gets more and more addicted to it. However, there are too many people, and you have to make a reservation in advance every time you eat there. If you go to queue, you will have to wait a long time, and it is also very expensive!
The supermarket owner immediately ordered a batch of goods, and Xu Rao promised: "If they can't be sold, they can be returned to Cancan Food Factory."
The supermarket owner thought that Flaming Mountain was the best advertisement, since which young person these days doesn't know about Flaming Mountain?
If you haven't eaten at the Flaming Mountain restaurant, you'd be embarrassed to chat with people.
He inquired in detail about how to use the hot pot base. Xu Rao took a bag of hot pot base and told the owner, "The instructions are on the packaging. With this hot pot base, you can enjoy hot pot at home. Use one bag at a time. If there are more people and you prefer a stronger flavor, you can use two bags. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic to the pot. If you have tea leaves, you can also add some. You can also add two spoonfuls of rice wine to the pot. This is the ratio we use in our shop."
Boss: "Really this ratio? Then everyone can eat hot pot at home, who would still go to the Flaming Mountains!"
Flaming Mountain is very expensive; a large family can spend a hundred or two hundred yuan to eat there.
Xu Rao thought to herself that the various secret-recipe meat slices in restaurants could never be made at home; this was the foundation of their business. Those who wanted to eat at restaurants would still go; the taste and service there were incomparable to what they could get at home.
She laughed and said, "In the future, Cancan Food Factory will also produce beef balls, fish balls, and shrimp balls, so you can eat them at home. There are also beef sauce, mushroom sauce, and chili sauce, all of which are the same as those from Flaming Mountain. The dipping sauces paired with sesame sauce are very fragrant."
The supermarket owner ordered fifty bags of hot pot base and thirty bottles of each of the three types of sauce. He added that he would call to order more if needed later.
The owner set up a hot pot in the shop at noon, sliced beef and mutton, bought a pound of shrimp, and also prepared a bowl of bean products and leafy greens. The sauce was also prepared according to Xu Rao's instructions. The family ate hot pot around the coal stove.
The aroma is so strong it carries far and wide, even overshadowing the smell of the restaurant next door.
The owner's wife cooked some lamb slices in the hot pot, dipped them in the sauce, took a bite, and exclaimed in amazement, "Delicious! It tastes just like the Flaming Mountains!!! This is such a great deal!!!!"
How much does all this food cost?! It'll definitely sell like hotcakes!!!
Many people walked into the supermarket following the aroma. "Boss Wang, what kind of food are you eating? It smells so good, it tastes just like the Flaming Mountains!"
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