"You really only charge five coins a jar for this?" Many bargain-hunting women came over to ask.
Although farmers may make some pickled vegetables at home, it's almost Chinese New Year, and everyone wants to stock up on New Year's goods. They will drink Laba porridge for a long time before the New Year.
“It’s five coins,” Chen said.
A basket of pickled vegetables sold out in no time.
“Selling pickled vegetables is indeed very profitable,” Chen said, counting the copper coins in her hand. She had only made six jars of vegetables and had already earned thirty coins. If only she and her two daughters-in-law could make more vegetables!
Coarse salt costs two coins per pound, and a jar of pickled vegetables doesn't even need a pound of salt. Soy sauce costs five coins per liter, and a jar of pickled vegetables doesn't even need a liter of soy sauce. A liter of soy sauce can make about a dozen jars of pickled vegetables.
Even if it sells for five coins a jar, we still only make a profit of three coins.
Although the Chen family wasn't so lazy as to not cultivate a single plot of land, they weren't exactly diligent people either; they used all eight rows of land to make pickled vegetables.
Looking at the rotten vegetable leaves that her two daughters-in-law had thrown away, Chen felt it was a pity, so she picked them out one by one, saying, "These can also be used to make pickled vegetables!"
Looking at the withered, yellowed vegetable leaves, Guo asked, "Mother, is this edible?"
“Why can’t we eat it? The pickled cabbage we usually eat is made from these rotten cabbage leaves.” Chen said.
However, what we usually eat at home are the old leaves, not the rotten ones. And what we sell to customers is ultimately different from what we eat at home. We eat the old leaves at home because we don't have to pay for them.
Guo didn't tell her mother-in-law this, because she could never win an argument with her mother-in-law, and her mother-in-law didn't like her either.
Chen's third daughter-in-law, Xiao Chen, spoke in the same tone as Chen. Both of them had their own distinct mannerisms, and both were sweet-talking but bitter-hearted.
Xiao Chenshi is Chen's niece from her maternal family; they are cousins who married into the family.
"Our mother is so clever, sister-in-law, you should learn from her."
Guo ignored her.
“This time, we’ll make about twenty jars,” Chen said.
Little Chen asked, "But where did we get our jars from?"
"Just buy a few cow baits!" Chen said.
“But Mother, even a small ceramic jar costs two coins,” said Little Chen. “Mother, the Niu family’s pickled vegetables sell for several tens of coins a jar. Even if we want to sell them cheaper than them, we can’t sell them this cheap. I think since some people like our pickled vegetables, we should sell them for ten coins a jar.”
After thinking for a moment, Chen felt the price was too low. "In a few days, we'll sell them for ten coins a jar and sell them elsewhere. Guo, you go to Heishan Village; Lao San's family, you go to Haijia Village; and I'll go to Zhaojia Village." "We'll also buy a large jar; if anyone has one, we'll sell it for eight coins a jar."
Heishan Village is more than 20 kilometers away from Niushan Village. Just walking there would make Guo's legs limp, so Chen entrusted the job of selling pickled vegetables in Heishan Village to Guo.
The mother-in-law and her daughters-in-law would mix rotten vegetable leaves they had picked from the fields and other people's homes with coarse salt, make a sauce, and then take it out to sell.
The Niu family sold a small jar of pickled vegetables for thirty coins, even though they didn't use much salt. These pickled vegetables, which cost ten coins a jar, did indeed make the Chen family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quite a bit of money at first.
"Mom, can you really make money doing these things?" Chen's eldest son, Niu Wanli, asked.
“We can really make money! We sold over two hundred coins today! If we rent a shop and get the business going, wouldn’t all sorts of people come to us, both white and yellow?” Chen said.
"More than two hundred coins? No wonder the Niu family made their fortune so quickly. They can earn so much from just this one business! My goodness! Mom, let's go to the market, pick up all those rotten vegetable leaves, make hundreds of jars, and then next spring, I'll take them to town and rent a shop to sell!"
"good!"
What Chen and Niu Yuanshan didn't know was that coarse salt tasted bitter, and when mixed with rotten vegetable leaves, it tasted even more bitter. They were used to eating coarse salt and couldn't taste the difference.
Those who have bought Niu Dajia's pickled cabbage and preserved vegetables have become so accustomed to Niu Dajia's cuisine that they can taste the difference immediately.
However, since the pickled vegetables sold by Niu Yuanshan's family were cheap, people didn't dare to go to his house to make a scene.
Before the Lunar New Year, Niu Yuanshan's family did make a small fortune.
It is customary to drink Laba porridge on Laba Festival.
After Laba Festival comes the eve of the Lunar New Year.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the outside was freezing cold, covered in silver and white, making it exceptionally beautiful.
Xiao Fubao and her sisters were having a snowball fight outside. Because it was almost Chinese New Year, everyone was wearing new jackets. Xiao Fubao was wearing a light green satin skirt with gold-embroidered butterflies and clouds, and a pipa-style top.
It looks playful and cute.
Xiao Heng stood in the snow watching them play, while Ji Duo went over and said, "Xiao Heng, why don't you play with them?"
"Things for little kids to play with," Xiao Heng was only twelve after the New Year, so he was actually a child, but he was a person who had lived two lives.
Just then, a clump of snow hit Xiao Heng in the face.
Xiao Heng's originally serious face gradually cracked. It was the little guy who threw it. Xiao Fubao laughed heartily, ran over and pulled Xiao Heng into the snow, "Big brother, come play with us! Look, even Uncle is playing with us!"
Niu Yong will be eighteen after the New Year.
Xiao Heng felt a warm feeling in his heart, as if he had returned to his previous life. He was nine years older than her, and when he met her at the age of twenty-five, she was sixteen.
She rarely smiles.
Only when it snows will she stand on the corridor, reach out to catch the snowflakes, and then, with a slight smile, talk about her family.
The richer one is, the more envy one will attract. In his previous life, the Niu family was wiped out when they were monopolizing river transport and being selected as imperial merchants. However, unlike his previous life, Ji Ninghai did not marry into the Niu family or adopt a daughter in his previous life.
It will be another ten years before their family is selected as a royal merchant.
When she throws a tantrum, he wants to play along.
Looking at the group of people playing around, Ji Duo sighed a few times in a serious and old-fashioned manner: "Alas! Alas! Alas! Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman!"
His sigh drew a sidelong glance from Niu Meihua, who sneered, "At such a young age, you already know what it means for a hero to be unable to resist the charms of a beautiful woman?"
Ji Duo is eight years old this year, and Niu Meihua is one year older than him.
"Don't play too wildly, be careful not to catch a cold!" Chen Yu said with a smile. "Your father will be back soon today, keep an eye on him when he goes to the village entrance!"
"Okay, Mom!" the children said in unison.
The whole village is full of children.
"Did you find a martial arts master for us after Dad spent a month and a half looking for one?" Niu Baozhu asked Xiao Fubao.
"This baby doesn't know! But even if we find him, he won't be able to become an apprentice until next year!" Little Fu Bao said.
Niu Baozhu threw a snowball at him: "Got it, got it! Little Fu Bao, I told you you can't do two things at once! Hahaha!"
"You cheated!" Little Fu Bao said angrily, "I'm not playing with you anymore!"
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