“I was thinking that in this cold weather, the workers in the workshop and the surrounding villages eat the food they bring from home every day. By noon, it should be cold. It’s so hard to eat cold food in this cold weather. I might as well cook some home-cooked food and sell it at the workshop entrance. No matter how good it is, at least it will be hot.”
"At first, I was worried that they would be reluctant to eat because they would be stingy with the money, but I didn't expect that someone would ask me that day if I was going again the next day. If I was going, she wouldn't bring food from home." After saying this, Li Yunxiang laughed happily.
After listening to what Li Yunxiang said, Meng Zhao also felt that she hadn't thought things through. If they recruited people from other villages, there should be corresponding systems in place. After all, during the same rest time, people from the village could go home for a meal and rest for a while, while people from other villages had to run back and forth, which was not only tiring but also left them with no time to rest.
However, the workshop doesn't have many workers from other villages, and it's not cost-effective to install stoves and set up a kitchen for just a few people. Now, Li Yunxiang's solution has solved a problem for her. Thinking of this, Meng Zhao smiled approvingly.
"Yunxiang, not bad, you did a great job. The workers in this workshop don't eat or rest well at noon, so they don't have the energy to work in the afternoon. Although you didn't go into the workshop, you still solved a big problem for them."
Li Yunxiang hadn't expected Meng Zhao to praise her like that, and she rubbed her hands together somewhat shyly.
"Hehe, I wasn't sure at first either, but I didn't expect it to actually work out."
Now she and Er Ya live in a small courtyard. Although the house is dilapidated, the mother and daughter keep the yard clean. Every morning, she hears the crowing of the chickens next door, no longer the sharp and mean curses of Granny Fang. This makes her feel more energetic when she does her work.
Seeing Li Yunxiang's satisfied smile, Meng Zhao was genuinely happy for her. However, as he was about to leave, his gaze inadvertently swept over Li Yunxiang's neck, where a red and swollen scar stood out starkly.
He frowned deeply. "Have those people from the Li family come looking for trouble with you again?"
When Li Yunxiang saw that Meng Zhao had discovered her injuries, she immediately shook her head and explained, "No, no, everyone knows exactly how much money my little stall can make. It's probably because I don't make much that the Li family has never bothered me."
After saying that, she sighed slightly, "It was those debt collectors. Every time they came before, the village head would bring people to protect me and Er Ya. But one time the village head happened to be away, and they started smashing things. I panicked and accidentally bumped into something."
After hearing this, Meng Zhao remained silent for a moment, thinking to himself that he had originally planned to postpone it until after the New Year, but it seemed that was no longer possible. "When I get back, I will have Xiao Yun bring back the money you left with me. You should return the money as soon as possible."
Li Yunxiang frowned with some concern, "If we pay it back so soon, won't others find out?"
Meng Zhao waved her hand gently, "It's alright. So much time has passed, no one should suspect anything. Besides, it's almost the end of the year, you and Er Ya should have a peaceful year."
After listening to Meng Zhao's words, Li Yunxiang nodded. At this moment, she no longer had the fear she once had of the Li family. Moreover, the village head had already given her the land deed for the new household registration, and the Li family had long since signed a letter of severance. Now, she and Er Ya had nothing to do with the Li family anymore. She was just afraid of implicating Meng Zhao.
As for Meng Zhao herself, she was still confident because she had money. At this point, her mindset had changed, and she was no longer so worried about being discovered by the Li family.
The workshop is currently operating normally. Meng Zhao came mainly to check the quality of the starch. After all, the monthly delivery volume has increased a lot. If the workshop makes any mistakes in order to meet the deadline, the problem will be huge. Fortunately, after checking, he did not find any problems. Seeing that it was almost time, he prepared to return to the county.
As soon as the results came out, Li Yunxiang handed over two hot pancakes.
Meng Zhao asked curiously, "There aren't many people willing to buy your stuff right now. You must be making them by counting the number of people. If you give me two, will you have enough left to sell?"
Li Yunxiang nodded. "There are enough to sell. I make two extra pancakes every day. If no one buys them in the end, Er Ya and I will save them for dinner. I just happened to run into you today, so I thought I'd give them to you to try. It's a small token of my appreciation."
Hearing her say that, Meng Zhao didn't stand on ceremony and took a bite. It was a radish pancake, with a thin layer of pancake skin that was fried until slightly golden brown. The radish shreds inside were fragrant and soft, and still retained the original fragrance of the radish. If you looked closely, you could also see a few scattered pieces of egg.
Meng Zhao swallowed the food in his mouth, looked up and said, "There are eggs in here too, Yunxiang, your costs must be quite high."
"I made eleven pancakes today, with only two eggs in them. I sell a bowl of dumpling soup for one coin and a pancake for one coin. Most people can get full by drinking a bowl of soup and eating a pancake, but some people don't want to spend more money, so they just buy a bowl of dumpling soup and bring a cornbread from home to soak and eat. In a day, I can earn eight or nine coins, which is enough for my and Er Ya's rent and living expenses."
Listening to Li Yunxiang's story, Meng Zhao pondered to himself that as the workshop developed, more and more people from other villages would inevitably be recruited. These workers worked hard in the workshop and could earn several dozen coins a day. For them, spending one or two coins to eat a hot meal could fill their stomachs and ward off the cold, so most people were willing to do so.
The real concern is that as this business becomes more profitable, others will inevitably take notice. The money is enough for one person to make a living, but if another person enters the competition, it might cause everyone to lose money.
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