Chapter 75 Making Money!
Wu Yaoxuan's action shocked the children around him.
Song Yu peeked over and his eyes widened in disbelief. His childish voice was filled with disbelief: "One, one hundred yuan?!"
The most money he ever had was a hundred-yuan note; the largest denomination he ever had was fifty.
One hundred dollars! That's a lot of money. Kids are happy with just a few cents of pocket money.
Song Yu's hand, which was tucked into his pocket, trembled slightly. He was afraid that a sudden gust of wind would blow the hundred yuan away, and Wu Yaoxuan would definitely get a beating when he got home.
Before he could tell Wu Yaoxuan to put the money in his pocket, Yuanyuan, upon hearing that it was a hundred yuan, squeezed over. She was agile and strong, and pushed Song Yu aside in one go.
Yuanyuan stared wide-eyed at the hundred yuan on the table, then looked at Wu Yaoxuan.
Wu Yaoxuan crossed his arms, raised his chin, and let out a soft hum, feeling incredibly pleased with himself!
See? Take a closer look. Nobody else has a hundred dollars, only he does!
The little devil in Wu Yaoxuan's mind was laughing so hard he was bent over and rolling around on the ground, looking extremely happy.
Wow, today is such a great day! I'm so happy!
Her round little hand swiftly slapped onto the table and picked up a hundred yuan.
Wu Yaoxuan quickly said, "That's my money!"
Yuanyuan gave him a disdainful look: "I don't want to!"
As she spoke, she held the banknotes high in both hands, tilted her head back and forth, left and right, up and down, and even flicked the banknotes. She quickly put them to her ears to listen to the sound, blew on them, and continued to listen to the sound.
The other children were so shocked by Yuanyuan's actions that they froze, not knowing what she was going to do.
Song Xinran frowned slightly. Why did Yuanyuan's action seem so familiar? Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her. Wasn't that action of flicking, blowing, and listening to the sound exactly the same as the action of testing silver coins to see if they were real in Republican-era dramas?
Thinking about it this way, Yuanyuan's previous actions were to verify whether the banknotes were genuine...
Song Xinran was filled with mixed feelings. Yuanyuan, how could a four or five-year-old girl tell the difference between real and fake banknotes?
The next moment, Yuanyuan said crisply, "It's fake!"
The surrounding children's eyes widened immediately, and they echoed like crows, "Fake?"
Ge Xia, unfamiliar with these children, was astonished upon hearing this. This whole affair was more dramatic than a detective drama. First, there was the domineering child slapping a hundred-yuan note, displaying an air of extravagance. Then there was the four- or five-year-old girl who could recognize real banknotes—even Ge Xia herself wasn't quite sure! And finally, how did this child even have banknotes in her hand?!
Wu Yaoxuan's eyes widened: "It's not fake, my grandma gave it to me!"
He was furious: "Nothing my grandma gave me would be fake! You're talking nonsense!"
Her round eyes darted around, a hint of uncertainty in her voice: "It didn't even make a sound..."
Several children started a lively discussion: "Really? Wu Yaoxuan has the most pocket money!"
"It can't be real, how could a kid have so much money?"
Do they even know they're kids? The things they say are absolutely hilarious.
However, Ge Xia also learned that the little girl didn't recognize banknotes.
Is Wu Yaoxuan's grandmother really that generous? She actually gave him 100 yuan.
Ge Xia recalled that when she was a child, she often didn't have any pocket money, and she would be very happy if she had a penny or two.
Although times are changing, the progress hasn't been this fast, has it?
Seeing that his friends were about to start arguing, Song Yu quickly said, "Stop talking!"
Several children stopped, and two others were arguing about whether the money was real or fake.
Song Yu frowned, her childish voice filled with anger: "I'll get angry if you say that again."
The last two children promptly shut up.
Song Yu has a very good temper in class, otherwise they wouldn't have begged him to take them to buy food today, and he would have agreed.
They haven't seen Song Yu angry yet, but his way of speaking is somewhat similar to Teacher An's.
Song Yu picked up the money and handed it to Song Xinran: "Mom, can you help us check if this is real or fake?"
Wu Yaoxuan was very nervous. Everything his grandma gave him was genuine. Today, knowing that he was going to eat at his best friend's shop, she generously gave him 100 yuan and told him to buy expensive things and things that others didn't want, and to buy more so that Xiao Yu's mother wouldn't have anything left over.
Although Wu Yaoxuan didn't quite understand the deeper meaning behind his grandmother's words, he would do as she said.
But Yuanyuan was too awful. He glared at her and decided that he would buy the spicy hot pot himself and not let Yuanyuan eat it.
Song Xinran looked her over and said, "Really."
Wu Yaoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and became as proud as a rooster again: "The money my grandma gave me can't be fake."
Yuanyuan was somewhat flustered and at a loss, her hands unconsciously twisting together.
Song Xinran wanted to comfort the little girl, so Song Yu handed the money to Wu Yaoxuan and walked to Yuanyuan's side: "Yuanyuan, it's hard to recognize money, but once you can, you won't have to worry about being cheated. I'll learn with you from now on."
Yuanyuan was comforted and nodded.
Song Yu then looked at Wu Yaoxuan, who gave a smug snort and waved the money, saying, "I'm going to spend it all!"
Song Yu said, "You can't. My mom's spicy hot pot is very cheap. If you spend it all, everyone will think it's too expensive and won't come to buy it anymore."
Wu Yaoxuan was taken aback by these words: "Then what should we do?"
Song Yu said seriously, "One hundred yuan is too much. You can't use one hundred yuan because you are a child. You can only use it when you grow up and are as old as my mother and aunt."
Wu Yaoxuan glanced at Song Xinran, but he felt that it would be many, many years before he grew up like that: "Song Yu, can't you lower your expectations a little?"
Song Yu thought for a moment and shook his head: "No, because you are too young and don't understand things yet. You are prone to spending money recklessly."
Ge Xia couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. How could she hear such words of education for other children coming from a child, and yet it made so much sense?
How does Sister Xinran educate her children? It's so interesting.
Wu Yaoxuan immediately deflated: "But I only have one hundred yuan on me."
At this moment, the hundred yuan seemed like a burden, and Yuanyuan cheered up again, taking out her own money from her pocket: "I have ten yuan, I can use it!"
Hearing this, the other children also showed off the money in their pockets, five, six, or seven yuan.
Ge Xia was so surprised by this scene that she opened her mouth slightly. Wait, she was in Lingde Town, right? How come all these children are so rich?
In Shiyan Village, children of this age generally only have a few cents of pocket money; five cents is considered a lot.
Wu Yaoxuan was deeply frustrated this time. He never thought that 100 yuan could become a burden. What should he do? Could he stop eating spicy hot pot?
Today at kindergarten, he noticed that Song Yu was a little distracted while playing games. After pressing her for details, he found out that Aunt Song's shop was opening today, and the other children accidentally found out about it, so everyone was clamoring to come.
On the one hand, they were all Song Yu's friends and wanted to visit his home or shop to join in the fun.
On the one hand, I've tasted the delicious food made by Song Yu's mother, and it's so good that I could swallow my tongue.
Wu Yaoxuan had also eaten there and had been craving it ever since. He was determined to go today since he finally had the chance.
Finally, after much persuasion, Song Yu agreed, and everyone went home to ask their parents for money before coming together.
Wu Yaoxuan was smugly pleased with himself for being able to buy the most things, but now he's been hit with a bolt from the blue because he's a child and can't use 100 dollars.
Song Yu whispered in Wu Yaoxuan's ear, "I can treat you to dinner today."
Wu Yaoxuan's eyes lit up instantly, and he said without any politeness, "It's like two car headlights suddenly turning on in the dark: Really?"
Song Yu nodded.
Yuanyuan overheard their whispered conversation, pursed her lips, and said with a hint of displeasure, "Song Yu, don't invite him to eat."
Wu Yaoxuan thought to himself that Yuanyuan was really annoying and meddling too much.
Yuanyuan said, "I'll treat him to a meal."
Wu Yaoxuan: ?
His mouth gaped open in astonishment, almost thinking he had misheard.
What? Xu Shuyuan is going to treat him to something? Good heavens, has the sun risen in the west?
Wu Yaoxuan quickly ran outside to check the sun, but unfortunately it was cloudy and there was no sun.
He quickly ran back, still unable to calm down.
He fell silent, thinking that since Yuanyuan had offered to treat him to a meal, it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse.
Yuanyuan said, "Song Yu, this is your mother's shop. If you won't invite me, I will. I have money, and my mother gave me money too."
Yuanyuan walked up to Song Xinran and said, "Aunt Song, I'd like to order some food."
Looking at her obedient appearance, Song Xinran smiled and said, "Yuanyuan, what would you like to order? Auntie will treat you."
They were all her child's good friends, four or five-year-old kids, how could Song Xinran let them give her money?
But Zhang Xiaolang said, "Aunt Song, you can't do that."
He tilted his head, thought carefully about what his mother had said, and then repeated it in the same way: "Aunt Song runs a business. If she doesn't charge money, she will close down. We have to pay for the food we eat."
Zhang Xiaolang always spoke in a proper and orderly manner, and was more mature and steady than his younger brother Zhang Xiaoda.
Just now, Zhang Xiaoda was itching to grab some food, but when he heard Zhang Xiaolang's words, it was as if a valve had been opened in his head. He immediately nodded and said, "If Auntie doesn't want money, we won't eat."
The other children, who had clearly been disciplined at home, nodded in unison and said, "Yes, yes!"
As Ge Xia listened, she was filled with emotion. The small shop at the entrance of their village was run by an elderly man in his sixties, who had a son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and granddaughter.
Ge Xia had heard her parents say that the grandson and son of that family would secretly take things from the old man's convenience store without paying, and even take pride in it.
These kids could have been treated to a meal, but they preferred to pay rather than eat. That's the difference in family education.
When Ge Xia was in school, her teacher often said, "Birds of a feather flock together." She didn't believe it then, but now she seems to understand it a little. Song Yu's friends are all pretty much the same.
Song Xinran smiled gently, her lips curving into a tender smile: "Alright, since Xiaoyu's good friends say so, let's go with the prices in the store. Whatever you want to eat, Auntie will get it for you."
Wu Yaoxuan then remembered what his grandmother had said: "I want to eat expensive food..."
But as he spoke, his voice trailed off because he couldn't use his own money. He felt a little awkward spending a child's money on expensive food.
Yuanyuan's voice was particularly loud: "Auntie, I want to eat meat, really delicious meat, very expensive meat!"
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Okay, then give me some chicken drumsticks and sliced fresh meat."
According to the children's preferences, Song Xinran picked some of everything and then turned on the stove to cook the vegetables.
Because it's for children, the spiciness needs to be adjusted. The spiciness of the broth is fixed. When seasoning, Song Xinran directly ladled in a spoonful of original chicken broth, and added some soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings to ensure it wasn't bland.
However, this is not the spicy version of mala tang, but the clear broth version.
A large bowl of food was brought to the table, and seven children sat around it, all picking up their chopsticks and taking food from the bowl.
"Oh my god, Aunt Song, your cold salad is so delicious! Waaah, it's so good!"
"Ah, my meat, my meat! Delicious meat!"
"Song Yu, your mom is so wonderful! I love your mom so much!"
Song Yu immediately became alert: "Every child has a mother, and my mother is just my mother."
"Okay, I know, my mom is great too."
It's always lively when kids eat together, but Zhang Xiaoda, who's usually very talkative, is silent. If you look closely, you'll see he's too busy eating to talk.
The kindergarten children's strong competitive spirit was fully demonstrated at this moment. Everyone started picking up food and eating heartily, and suddenly the only sound on the table was the sound of eating.
Wu Yaoxuan is usually a picky eater at home and sometimes needs to be fed by adults, but that doesn’t mean he can’t eat on his own. In fact, he eats very well.
Song Xinran watched helplessly as seven children finished a pot of spicy hot pot, and even Song Yu ate two bowls of rice, exceeding his usual amount.
"Aunt Song, how much?" Yuanyuan asked.
Song Xinran calculated: "Twenty-five yuan and fifty cents."
Yuanyuan only had ten yuan, but that was okay. Every child had brought money, and they pooled their money together. Each child contributed a little over three yuan, and even Song Yu took out his pocket money and handed it in.
Even if you eat at your own home, you have to pay, because it's a restaurant, not your home.
Yuanyuan kept her word and paid for Wu Yaoxuan's money.
In the end, there wasn't much food left in the pot. Yuanyuan looked at the three yuan in her hand, thought for a moment, and gave it all to Song Xinran: "Aunt Song, I want to pack three yuan's worth of spicy hot pot to take home for my parents."
She often packs food to take home when she comes to Aunt Song's house for dinner. Although her parents say it's not good, they were very sad when Yuanyuan didn't bring anything home one time.
Yuanyuan sighed heavily, thinking that she wouldn't know how to comfort her parents if they cried, since only her parents could comfort her.
She can just buy the things and pack them up today.
Yuanyuan's words seemed to inspire the other children, who all took out their spare change to buy the leftovers. Only Wu Yaoxuan puffed out his cheeks, looking rather unhappy.
He can't pack the food anymore, but he can use his pocket money to treat his grandparents to a meal!
This is a good idea. Wu Yaoxuan decided to go home and check how much pocket money he had left.
After eating the spicy hot pot, the children wanted to play a little longer, but they knew it would be cold to play while carrying things, so they restrained themselves and went home as soon as possible.
Each child went home, and when their parents saw them, they were surprised to find that the children hadn't played with their friends and had gone straight home after eating.
Upon hearing the reason, I was deeply moved: "My child has grown up!"
*
The kindergarten children had just left when the children from the central primary school arrived. Ding Sisi led her best friend into the store, and as soon as they entered, they exclaimed, "Wow! Aunt Song, your store is so big! And there are so many tables!"
As she spoke, she sat down nearby, her eyes darting around, looking around. She felt that in all the years she had lived in the town, she had never seen a food stall cleaner than this one.
Upon entering the store, Yao Xu immediately rushed to the refrigerated display case and exclaimed in surprise, "So many dishes! There are even more varieties than in Bo Bo Chicken!"
Speaking of Bo Bo Chicken, Yao Xu turned to Song Xinran and asked, "Aunt Song, the temperature has been rising lately, when are you going to make Bo Bo Chicken?"
Song Xinran thought that Yao Xu really loved Bo Bo Chicken, and she smiled and said, "How about trying some Mala Tang first? It's similar to Bo Bo Chicken."
Before he could finish speaking, Ding Sisi exclaimed "Wow!" as if she had caught him red-handed: "You were daydreaming in class! I'm going to tell the teacher!"
Yao Xu, not to be outdone, retorted, "If you tell the teacher, I'll say that you deliberately used Aunt Song's spicy hot pot to tempt me. Anyway, if I get scolded, you won't escape either."
Ding Sisi said incredulously, "Yao Xu, you're so cunning!"
The two were good friends in class and often bickered. Their classmates who came with them were used to it. When they saw Yao Xu choose the dishes, they also quickly added some of their favorites to cook together.
Before Ding Sisi and Yao Xu had finished arguing, Song Xinran brought the spicy hot pot to the students' table: "The spicy hot pot is ready, let's eat."
Ding Sisi's nose caught the aroma in an instant. Forgetting about her mouth, she quickly sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating. After tasting the food, she exclaimed, "Oh my god, it's so delicious! Aunt Song, I swear this is the best mala tang I've ever had!"
Yao Xu also picked up a piece with his chopsticks, and as soon as he tasted it, he exclaimed in surprise: "Hot version of Bo Bo Chicken! Aunt Song, this looks just like Bo Bo Chicken!"
In fact, the snacks that Song Xinran makes are all similar in some ways, but the taste of Bo Bo Chicken and Mala Tang are completely different. Mala Tang is more fragrant and rich, while Bo Bo Chicken is more refreshing. The reason why Yao Xu said this is probably because both of them use the same cooking method.
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Eat more if you like it."
While stuffing food into his mouth, Yao Xu said, "I'm eating! I'm eating like crazy! Aunt Song, how come all the food you make can so perfectly capture my heart!"
Upon hearing this, Ding Sisi made a vomiting gesture: "Take your heart and get out of here, nobody wants it."
She just couldn't understand how Yao Xu could say such disgusting things while eating such delicious food; it was truly an appetite-ruining act.
However, the appetite ruined by Yao Xu was completely made up for by the fresh and spicy flavor of the mala tang, even doubled the compensation.
Ding Sisi's favorite food is sweet potato noodles in mala tang (a type of spicy hot pot). They are cooked to be incredibly chewy and bouncy, and soaked in the spicy broth. Taking a slurp of them makes you feel like your soul is ascending to heaven. They are absolutely delicious whether eaten alone or with rice.
But today, Ding Sisi searched the entire basin and couldn't find it: "Didn't you add fine sweet potato starch?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Xu burst into laughter twice, unable to shut him up even while eating: "I didn't take it! I deliberately didn't take it! Haha, so you could scold me, I made sure I didn't take the sweet potato noodles!"
He knew Ding Sisi liked it, so he deliberately skipped that dish when choosing. The other classmates obviously only chose what they liked as well.
Ding Sisi looked at Yao Xu in disbelief: "You didn't add any sweet potato starch?"
She said with exasperation, "You're killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own! You have no idea how delicious sweet potato starch is!"
Ding Sisi described the taste in detail, saying it was a hundred times better than any instant noodles, rice noodles, or vermicelli. Oh no, these fast foods simply cannot compare to sweet potato starch.
After hearing her description, the students who were still eating were all craving food.
Listening from the side, Song Xinran felt that Ding Sisi had the talent to be a food critic, just like those mukbang streamers who describe the taste while eating, making ordinary flavors sound mouthwatering, and making people wish they could jump into the phone to taste them themselves.
Of course, Song Xinran also felt that her family's sweet potato noodles were worth it. This was a food that Lei Hong recommended to her. She bought it from a sweet potato processing plant in a rural town. The sweet potato noodles there were made from 100% sweet potatoes, which were very authentic and would not fall apart no matter how long they were cooked.
Seeing the five students at the table looking on with longing eyes, Song Xinran offered, "If you want to eat sweet potato noodles, I'll cook you a bowl."
"Yay! Thank you, Auntie!" the students exclaimed in unison.
Before long, a bowl of individually served sweet potato noodles was brought to the table. The flavor was extremely bold and overpowering. The translucent sweet potato noodles were topped with a layer of scallions, and underneath was a layer of oily, bright red color.
Ding Sisi couldn't help but swallow hard, quickly picked up a chopstick and put it in her bowl, then slurped it up in a huge mouthful, instantly feeling that her day hadn't been wasted.
Yao Xu quickly took a bite and immediately regretted it deeply. How could he have not added sweet potato starch in the first place because he didn't want to give it to Ding Sisi? He was ten minutes late in tasting this delicious food!
"Aunt Song, even if you just sold the spicy noodles, you'd still have tons of customers!" It's not from a specialty noodle shop, but it tastes a hundred times better than what you get at a professional noodle shop.
The other students, after tasting it, exclaimed, "Ding Sisi has such a great palate! How did she know that sweet potato noodles and spicy hot pot go so well together!"
Ding Sisi made no attempt to hide her pride, saying, "Before the store even opened, Aunt Song invited me to eat mala tang (spicy hot pot), and asked me if it was good and for my suggestions."
Yao Xu was so angry upon hearing this that he almost ground his teeth to powder. He turned to Song and asked, "Aunt Song, when can I get a beta test qualification? I'm a big fan of yours!"
Song Xinran waved her hand: "I may not have the chance until you graduate. I don't currently have any plans to open a shop to sell other food."
The main problem was a lack of money; all the money she earned had been invested in the mala tang shop, and she still owed Song Xinwen money. However, Song Xinran felt that she could pay it back by the end of the day, and business was exceptionally good on the first day of opening.
Yao Xu let out a wail: "I have no chance!"
The students ate a total of over thirty yuan, and their bellies were bulging. They said they would come again next time!
Before Ding Sisi and the others left, students from No. 3 Middle School arrived. From them, Song Xinran learned that the business had been brought here by oden. Song Xinwen and Chen Jingfang had specifically told the students this news when they were selling oden, and the students who liked it quickly came over, filling the tables in the shop in no time.
Some adults in town missed out on having mala tang at noon because of the crowds, but were attracted by the aroma and decided to come back in the afternoon. It was only 5:40 pm, not even dinner time yet, and the mala tang shop was already packed with people.
The customer rubbed his eyes in disbelief, almost wondering if he was hallucinating. This mala tang restaurant had only been open for one day, how could business be so good?
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the room was filled with middle school students.
The first reaction of the customers was, "Is the food here really that cheap? It must be expensive if even students can afford it."
After hesitating for a moment, the customer still pushed open the shop door, selected her dishes, and was seated at the same table as the students. The customer was a little embarrassed, as she was over twenty years old and was still competing with the students for food.
However, once the hot pot is served and the customer tastes it, their opinion changes instantly.
No wonder so many students are eating it, it tastes so good!
...
Song Xinran and Ge Xia were busy at the mala tang restaurant until after 7 p.m. before they closed. The temperature was still quite low at that time, and people in the town generally went to bed early. By 8 or 9 p.m., there were hardly any people on the streets, except for the group of students from No. 3 Middle School who were leaving their evening self-study session.
But it would take too long to wait, not to mention that oden is sold after evening self-study.
The two of them cleaned up the shop together. There were fewer customers in the afternoon, and they had already washed the dishes and utensils from lunch and replenished some ingredients, making the evening's work easier. They closed the shop and left at 8:30 p.m.
Walking along the street, the night breeze was slightly chilly, but Ge Xia's voice was cheerful: "Sister Xinran, today is really nice."
Song Xinran asked curiously, "Xiaoxia, don't you feel tired?"
When there were no customers in the afternoon, Ge Xia cleaned the shop again. Song Xinran was surprised to see her so energetic.
Ge Xia said, "It's not as tiring as studying, and I like this kind of life."
It seems like all the adults around me say that studying is the easiest thing to do. If you can't even study, what will you be able to do in the future?
But Ge Xia has experienced it firsthand, and she prefers her current life. Although it's a bit tiring, it makes her feel that she's not worthless and that she has value.
"Sister Xinran, should I come at the same time tomorrow?" Ge Xia asked.
Song Xinran originally wanted Ge Xia to come a little later and sleep in at home, but suddenly thought that she should let Ge Xia experience the busyness of the shop in the next two weeks. She couldn't let Ge Xia feel relaxed at the beginning, because if something happened later, Ge Xia would have a very strong sense of disappointment.
So she nodded: "Okay."
Ge Xia was delighted: "I hope business will be just as good tomorrow!"
When Song Xinwen arrived home, he hadn't returned yet, so Song Xinran went to pick him up and helped them find a car to go back. Everyone had worked hard for the opening day, so it was only right that she, as the boss, should reimburse their travel expenses.
After selling out of oden, Song Xinran returned home and lay on her bed, feeling too tired to move.
Business was good on the first day of opening. It was also their first time having a shop to serve customers, so they were still a little unfamiliar with some details. They should be more familiar with things by tomorrow.
However, Song Xinran felt that there were not enough people at the moment. Based on the current foot traffic in the store, at least three employees would be needed to make things easier, while two people would be enough for setting up a stall.
However, we'll discuss this once the shop is on track.
Seeing her like this, Song Yu felt a pang of heartache. She quietly walked to her side, climbed onto the bed, and gently squeezed her shoulders with her little hands, saying, "Mom, you've worked so hard."
Upon hearing his childish voice, Song Xinran's lips curled up almost imperceptibly as she turned to look at him.
Song Yu slightly opened her eyes wide: "Mom."
Song Xinran said, "I'm just a little tired. Xiao Yu has helped me a lot. Today, she even brought her classmates to support the business."
Song Yu was a little shy because his mother had seen through his thoughts.
Actually, at kindergarten today, several children in the class were very excited when they learned that Song Yu's mother had opened a shop. They surrounded Song Yu and said they wanted to go play there.
At first, Song Yu didn't want to take them. His mother was already very busy on the first day of opening the store, and he felt that the children from his class would cause trouble. Teacher An often described them as a bunch of little devils who were always a worry.
However, Zhang Xiaoda said, "Song Yu, let us go. I also want to buy your mother's spicy hot pot. I've never had it before."
Song Yu remembered that her aunt had said something similar when she was at home, worrying that there would be no one at the beginning of the business.
Song Yu often helps his mother with the stall and is quite savvy in business, understanding the meaning of the phrase. Therefore, after the other children begged him for a long time, he finally agreed to go and play together, and also to buy some snacks.
Song Yu said, "They really like the spicy hot pot that my mom makes."
When the children left together, Song Yu became the center of attention. Everyone said, "Song Yu, your mother is amazing! Her cooking is so delicious!"
"I'll be coming again tomorrow!"
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Xiao Yu's friends are also very polite."
Song Yu pursed his lips, feeling a little happy. He thought his mother was praising him. He slid off the bed with his hands on the side, ran to the side, picked up the familiar black handbag and placed it in front of Song Xinran. His round eyes were full of expectation: "Mom, let's count the money together."
Song Xinran couldn't help but laugh. When she first started her stall, Song Yu hadn't gone to kindergarten yet. Every night at home, the mother and son would count money and calculate how much they had earned that day.
Song Yu really enjoys this activity, and even though she's busy with school, she still remembers to participate from time to time.
“Not this bag.” Song Xinran picked up another brown bag from the bedside table. “All the money the store made today is here.”
Song Yu stood on tiptoe, craned her neck, and peeked inside. Her eyes widened in surprise: "So much money, Mom!"
The pocket was full, much more money than in the black shoulder bag!
Song Yu felt a great sense of pride and satisfaction.
Song Xinran poured out the money, and Song Yu immediately picked up the same bills one by one and began counting them.
After working for more than twenty minutes, the two finally counted the money, earning a total of 1486.5 yuan.
Song Yu was stunned when he heard the number. He thought the hundred yuan Wu Yaoxuan took out today was a lot, but he didn't expect his mother to have even more!
"Mommy is so great!" he exclaimed sincerely in his childish voice.
Song Xinran smiled again, took out ten yuan and handed it to him: "This is pocket money for Xiao Yu."
Song Yu frowned slightly, seemingly conflicted, then slowly shook her head: "Too many."
Song Xinran then counted out five one-yuan bills, two two-yuan bills, and two fifty-cent bills for him: "There aren't many left now."
Although Song Yu can do calculations, he can only do physical addition and subtraction, such as how much is left if you take one out of three apples, or how to count two one-yuan bills to get two yuan. If it were mental arithmetic, he would have to think for a very long time. Moreover, Song Xinran has given him 50 cents, which makes it even more complicated.
When Song Yu saw the money, it was all small change, and she had no idea how much it was, but she happily accepted it: "Thank you, Mom!"
Song Xinran smiled, her eyes crinkling, and patted his head: "You're welcome."
Song Yu hugged his money tightly and happily put it into the piggy bank.
Song Xinran took out her notebook to calculate costs and profits. She didn't calculate the seasonings for now. She had prepared nearly 500 ingredients for today. She calculated the cost based on three workers. Each worker would earn 20 per day, so the wages would be 60. She would also calculate the water and electricity costs and consumables at 15. So today's profit would be 920!
This number doesn't seem impressive, considering that Song Xinran's highest daily profit during the Chinese New Year period exceeded one thousand yuan, even though she only sells braised meat.
But that was due to the special timing, coupled with the fact that meat, especially her braised chicken feet and other similar products, was particularly profitable, which is why she was able to achieve such success.
However, this is difficult to replicate.
Moreover, Song Xinran knew that in the future, the price of braised chicken feet and other braised products would not be calculated per piece, but would be sold by weight.
In her past life, she had also bought braised duck feet and chicken wings. In that era of inflation, duck feet only cost ten yuan for three and duck wings for ten yuan for two in a small county town. Compared with the current prices and profits, she was getting a great deal now.
Therefore, it is important to develop various industries and distribute the eggs in different baskets.
Song Xinran calculated the profit of oden again today. The profit of the snack stall is now very stable, about two hundred yuan a day.
She counted out a thousand yuan and said she would pay it back tomorrow.
The next day, when Song Xinran returned the money to Song Xinwen, Song Xinwen kept making excuses: "Xinran, your shop has just opened and you need money for many things. I'm not in a hurry to use the money."
Song Xinran smiled and said, "Sister, the shop is fully stocked since it opened yesterday, and it's gradually getting on track. You can keep this money in the bank and earn some interest. If I need more money in the future, I can borrow from you."
Song Xinwen accepted the money, but she was very emotional as she took it. She had only lent the money to Song Xinran for half a month, and Xinran had spent a lot of money during that time.
As Song Xinran's older sister, Song Xinwen knew that Song Xinran had invested all the income from her stall over the past two weeks into the renovation, and had no money left over.
They've only been open for one day, and they've already paid her back. How much must they have earned!
Then think about farming in the countryside. It takes at least a year and a half for one person to earn enough through hard work and toil.
As expected, you can't make money by farming; you have to go out and find work. She's been going to town recently, and at first, Cai Yongde had some objections, thinking that the family's fields were being abandoned.
However, upon hearing that Song Xinran was still paying her a salary, and that the salary was not low, Cai Yongde shut up.
After the New Year, there was less work at the brickyard, and Cai Yongde's salary also decreased, not even as high as Song Xinwen's. So Cai Yongde took on more household chores.
Song Xinwen finally understood a principle: in a family, whoever earns the money has the right to speak.
The next day, Song Xinran was still busy with the mala tang shop. Before opening, she asked Ge Xia to cook a chicken soup version of oden for them, mainly to train Ge Xia's skills in cooking vegetables.
Chen Jingfang felt a little embarrassed. She was supposed to be there to work, but these days she had been eating and drinking at the boss's house all the time, which was practically like being provided with meals.
However, Ge Xia was very happy and excited every time she took the lead in cooking, wishing she could cook more.
"Xiaoxia's cooking is getting better and better. I never thought that mala tang could be made in a clear broth version," said Song Xinwen.
Ge Xia said, "I learned it from Sister Xinran. Yesterday, Sister Xinran fed Xiao Yu's classmates the same thing. It's good to eat something light this morning."
Chen Jingfang said, "Xiaoxia is really serious and hardworking, and her cooking skills are also good."
After eating it, Song Xinran also felt that at this rate, Ge Xia might be able to graduate in a few days and work independently in the mala tang restaurant.
Today wasn't market day, so business was slightly slower than yesterday, but there were still quite a few customers, and the table turnover rate remained high.
In the afternoon, the kindergarten children came again. Wu Yaoxuan ran in first, his face adorned with a reserved smile. He wasn't as arrogant and domineering as he had been yesterday, and he didn't just slap the money on the ground.
Instead, he took out a lot of ten-yuan bills and said to Song Xinran, "Aunt Song, I want the most expensive thing. I have money. My grandma told me to treat my classmates to a meal."
As he spoke, he looked at Song Yu, showed him his money, and emphasized, "I don't have a hundred yuan left. Ten yuan is money a child can spend."
Song Yu looked at it carefully, and finally nodded, saying in a childish but serious voice, "Then you can spend the money."
This sentence seemed to be a signal. Wu Yaoxuan exclaimed "Yay!" and looked at Song Xinran, saying with a reserved yet proud tone, "Auntie, fill it up!"
Song Xinran glanced at the money in Wu Yaoxuan's hand; it was all ten-yuan notes, but there were quite a few, almost a hundred yuan.
She was silent for two seconds, feeling that this operation seemed so familiar...
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