On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, just as dawn was breaking, seven or eight people stood in front of the tofu shop in Beian Village. Qian Sheng was also unusually present. Looking at the group of young men standing there, he said, "Today, the four of us team leaders are out here on behalf of Beian Village. We're going to sell goods in the dark alley, hoping to get a bigger share of the annual pension for our village. I hope everyone will keep quiet."
A squad leader said, "Captain, hehe, will we be able to sell them all?"
Qian Sheng said, "That depends on you. Our tofu is 18 cents a pound, and you can use two pounds of soybeans to pay for one pound of tofu. Our village's spiced dried tofu is 25 cents a pound, and you can use four pounds of soybeans to pay for one pound of dried tofu. You absolutely cannot bargain with them. Of course, if you want a lot at once, you can be a little more lenient."
The second team leader said, "Okay, we understand, Captain."
Qian Sheng nodded and said, "This time, this important task is entrusted to you."
The squad leader laughed and said, "Captain, you can hold it up!"
Qian Sheng laughed and waved his hand: "Let's go!"
The group immediately boarded the oxcart.
Qian Sheng and Zhang the tofu maker stood together, watching the oxcart drive away. Zhang the tofu maker said, "Captain, will this work?"
Qian Sheng said, "Whether it works or not depends on these kids!" Qian Xiang had gone with them before. He had been to the black market with his wife and knew how Duoduo sold goods there. He hoped he could pass on some experience to these kids!
Qian Xiang did not disappoint Qian Sheng's expectations. On the way, he shared Qian Duoduo's experience in selling goods on the black market with them. This was based on practical experience. After all, Qian Duoduo started selling red berries when she was just a few years old. She had honed her skills little by little. After so many years, Qian Duoduo still had a few fans in the black market, which was why she was able to buy so many things.
However, Qian Xiang didn't mention any of this. When he shared with the squad leaders, he said that Qian Duoduo had obtained orders from state-run restaurants by offering free samples. This amazed the honest and simple squad leaders, and they all decided to follow suit.
Qian Duoduo had no idea that she had become a role model for others. She was at home helping Jin Jinxiu prepare for today's banquet. Chen Runan wasn't very good at cooking, so she got a very good job: taking care of the children.
The two little ones were crawling around, grabbing this and running off to that. In just a short while, she was covered in sweat. Wow, she's not so good at watching kids!
Qian Duoduo asked Qian Rao to chop up the chicken, and said, "Mom, let's stew these chickens with mushrooms!"
Jin Jinxiu nodded: "That's a must, our chicken is just stewed with mushrooms!" She turned around and said: "Yu Gui, slice this piece of meat, and stir-fry some vegetables later."
Wen Yugui agreed and turned to work. Wen Yuzhu was also washing vegetables. Qian Duoduo looked at everyone and saw that they were all busy. Just as she was about to speak, she saw He Ying coming over with her three daughters-in-law.
Qian Duoduo immediately took over the work from Jin Jinxiu and said, "Mom, Auntie and the others are here."
Jin Jinxiu wiped her hands on her apron and walked out of the kitchen. He Ying saw her and said, "Is there anything else you're busy with?"
When Jin Jinxiu saw Qian Yin's wife, Wu Qiaoling, who was heavily pregnant, she said, "Oh my, the second son's wife is pregnant and she's already here?"
"You'd better stop getting involved here and go chat with Qian Yu's wife in the next yard. But don't forget to stay near the kids, or they might bump into you!"
Wu Qiaoling glanced at her mother-in-law, and seeing her nod, she smiled and said, "Okay, then, Second Aunt, I'll help Second Sister-in-law look after the child!"
Seeing that Wu Qiaoling was about to leave, Zhen Qiao said, "Second sister-in-law, the road is slippery, let me help you across!"
Wu Qiaoling naturally knew what she was thinking, but before she could speak, she heard He Ying say, "Nizi, go and take the second son's wife to the next house. Third son's wife, you help Qian Rao's wife with the chores!"
Zhen Qiao felt frustrated. They wouldn't even let her do something so easy, just taking advantage of the fact that she didn't have children!
Jin Jinxiu noticed that her sister-in-law's expression wasn't very good, but she didn't ask what it was. Instead, she said, "Sister-in-law, I have something to take care of here. Could you help me out?"
He Ying nodded and left, saying before she left, "Third brother's wife, hurry up and get busy!"
When Qian Xiang returned, the oxcart still carried the few people who had left, but everyone had a happy look on their faces. Everyone tacitly refrained from chatting on the way, and the quiet atmosphere lasted until they reached the brigade headquarters to hand over the money. While counting the money, everyone chatted and recounted their funny stories about selling tofu on the black market. Some of them even secretly compared their earnings to see who made the most money, only to find that everyone's earnings were actually the same.
The team leader laughed and said, "I thought I had the most."
Li Dafa laughed and said, "You all have the same amount of stuff, and the prices are all set by the brigade leader. If you sell everything, the amount of money will definitely be the same, unless someone brings back tofu!"
Everyone shook their heads in unison: "We've all sold them."
Seeing that Li Dafa had kept the accounts, the old Party Secretary nodded and said, "Not bad. We'll have a feast at the brigade leader's house later, and we'll continue tomorrow!"
The squad leaders immediately agreed and then left the brigade headquarters, heading towards Qian Sheng's house. As soon as they got close to Qian Sheng's house, one of the squad leaders sniffed and said, "Aunt Qian's cooking is really amazing! You can smell it from this far away. Living near the brigade leader's house is really both good and bad!"
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