A single goose egg could sell for five thousand yuan (equivalent to five mao in the second set of currency), so while ensuring a sufficient supply for the family, the goose eggs were stored at a rate of two, three, or four per day.
The amount of bran, wheat bran, and vegetables consumed daily by raising these poultry is measured in kilograms; less is not acceptable. Therefore, adults try to avoid eating them if possible, so that the saved food can be sold for a good price.
In situations of scarcity, the price of eggs fluctuates with the price of grain; scarcity drives up prices.
Geese are precious creatures; they not only lay eggs but also guard the house. Xiao Jiu loves going to the backyard, but every time she tries to get down, her older sister threatens her.
"You can't go down there, or they'll nag you."
She noticed that whenever her older sister went to the backyard to collect eggs, she wouldn't collect all the eggs from the chicken coop, duck coop, and goose coop. However, she couldn't bring herself to ask, but later her younger brother couldn't hold back and asked her. She remembered that her older sister said this.
“They are very smart. If they find that their eggs have been stolen, they will not lay them there next time. So I always leave half of them and can’t take them all. This habit applies to chickens, ducks and geese.”
So that's how it is. No wonder Grandma only takes out a small amount of food each time, leaving the rest in the nest untouched.
After the eldest sister came to the Tao family, Grandma basically stopped going into the kitchen, as the capable eldest sister took over all the kitchen work.
In winter, there's plenty of firewood to burn. After the winter vacation started, my brothers would carry bamboo baskets to the woods every day to collect firewood and dig for wild vegetables. The mugwort in the first month of the lunar calendar is quite small, but if you don't dig it, someone else will. They won't wait for it to grow bigger before digging it, so even if it's difficult to dig, you still have to go.
The shepherd's purse is too small to be dug up at this time of year, so digging it up in February or March is just right.
Starting from the first month of the lunar calendar, almost every month has a corresponding wild vegetable emerging from the ground: wild garlic in February, bitter lettuce after the Awakening of Insects, shepherd's purse around the Spring Equinox, mugwort around the Qingming Festival, sow thistle after Grain Rain, dandelion after the Beginning of Summer, purslane after Grain in Ear, and so on. In addition, there are wild amaranth, lamb's quarters, sow thistle, noodle vegetable, Sichuan pepper leaves, toon sprouts, elm seeds, paper mulberry spikes, locust flowers, willow leaves and buds, bamboo tips and shoots, broom seedlings...
These can all be steamed or made into cold dishes as wild vegetables. No matter how they are prepared or eaten, they all have their own unique flavor. Moreover, almost all of these wild vegetables are Chinese medicinal herbs. As long as they are consumed in moderation, they are only beneficial to the body and have no harmful effects.
When food supplies are still adequate, wild vegetables are only served as supplementary vegetables during special periods. However, during famines, people eat all kinds of vegetables, regardless of whether they are edible or not. As long as they can fill their stomachs, they are dug up and their roots are cut off. In such situations, many vegetables are poisonous, and many people are eventually poisoned to death.
The wild vegetables mentioned earlier are considered the aristocrats among wild vegetables. There are also many others whose names I don't know. Xiaojiu's warehouse has quite a few wild vegetables, which are of even better quality and can be said to be specially cultivated pollution-free wild vegetables.
While other families are incredibly busy during the Spring Festival, visiting relatives and friends to exchange New Year's greetings, the Tao family's home is quiet from the second day onwards, except for the first day of the Lunar New Year when some people come to make it lively. However, the elderly and children are not idle; they go to dig wild vegetables and gather firewood, working with great enthusiasm.
The three sisters took on all the housework, as well as the daily chores, including drinking and other necessities. Tao Changyi and his wife hadn't given up yet, and taking advantage of the city's bustling atmosphere these past few days, they went out early and returned late every day to look for a way out.
“Mom and Dad, we can’t sell this wine, and it’s not the busy season for farming. We don’t want to stay at home all the time. What do you think about us going to the village to collect eggs from house to house and then reselling them in the city? We’ve looked around near the train station in the city. They sell pancakes, eggs, and all sorts of things, but we have to rent a house nearby. It’s so far away, and it won’t last long. So we’re thinking of simply going to the outskirts of the county to collect eggs and then selling them in the city.”
"Uncle, Aunt, now is not a good time because everyone is idle. Even if we collect the eggs and resell them, we won't make much money. Plus, eggs spoil very easily, so it's not worth it! It's better during the busy farming season because no one has time to go to the city to sell them."
Cuihua, being from the countryside, immediately grasped the key point, and the old man and woman nodded in agreement.
“Cuihua is right. The real problem is transporting the eggs. Instead of this, you might as well set up a food stall near the bus station and hospital. Food is the most important thing for people. Selling food is much more profitable than going door to door. You won’t have to come back every day. Just rent a place and buy some vegetables from the village when they are available. That way, you can cover your costs.”
Tao Changyi couldn't help but ask the crucial question: "Selling food is fine, but what should we sell? We don't know how to cook it!"
“Your wife’s wontons will do, didn’t you say they were delicious? Boil the eggs in the braising liquid, they’ll be piping hot, and people will definitely want them. We can also make steamed buns and sell vegetable pancakes—aren’t these all ways to make a living? Let’s try making them at home these next few days and see how to make them taste good.”
So the family spent four or five days trying to make it happen, and finally decided to sell wontons, steamed buns, and braised eggs, and also braise some dried tofu as a side dish.
The other candidates were also chosen: Zhao Lingli and Tang Cuihua were in charge of production and sales, while Tao Changyi was responsible for physical labor and running around to buy eggs, meat, vegetables, and other supplies. The two of them lived in the rented house, and he rode a bicycle to run around to buy raw materials.
Back home, there are Zhaodi and Pandi to take care of things. Although they are younger, they are just as capable as the younger ones. They are all just trying to make a living, and they have to find a way to make a living.
Moreover, the house in front of theirs has also been rented out for 50,000 yuan a month (5 yuan for a second set of currency).
Although a large number of people means higher expenses, if you switch your mindset, you can generate a lot of labor power, and with labor power, you can directly create value.
After that, they went to the county town to rent a house. They eventually rented a storefront of about 20 or 30 square meters with a kitchen, and the monthly rent was exactly 50,000 yuan.
Keep in mind that his rent of 50,000 yuan covers a full 300 square meters, while this is only 30 square meters. The difference between a county town and a small town is immediately apparent.
However, this small storefront has water and electricity, and at night you can just put up a wooden plank and use it as a bed. As the weather gets hotter, I'll just make do with what I have and wait until business picks up before considering the environment.
We already had tables and chairs when my family ran a pub, so we can just move them over there and use them now.
The storefronts and workshops needed coal to burn, and they had to buy it. Fortunately, there were no restrictions on ration coupons in those days, so as long as you had money, you could buy it. Their area wasn't a coal-scarce region; there were coal mines in the next county, so buying coal was quite convenient.
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