Chapter 26 Chapter 26 New Attempt
Jiang Xi met Wu Youli carrying a lot of bags. The chickens were clucking inside the fertilizer bags, attracting Wu Youli's attention.
Wu Youli didn't think about it from a business perspective, he just felt that Jiang Xi deserved to eat more delicious food since he made money.
Jiang Xi and Wu Yaqin, mother and daughter, are both too thin and have suffered too much in the past few years. Fortunately, Jiang Xi is now sensible and can make money, so his elder sister will be able to live a good life in the future.
Wu Youli put all the things on the cart, but Jiang Xi did not put the chickens on the cart because chickens love to flutter around, and if they broke the jars, he would not be able to do business.
Wu Youli pushed the cart, and Jiang Xi carried the chicken back home.
As usual, Wu Yaqin was waiting at the door. When she saw the two people coming back, she hurried forward to greet them. Wu Yaqin didn't say anything when she saw Jiang Xi buying a chicken. Although she was very frugal, she had one advantage. Once she promised Jiang Xi something, she would never regret it. Although a chicken was expensive, it could be eaten for a long time. The only chicken in their family was eaten up in the last dinner party, so it was just right to buy another one.
"I guess you must be tired from the journey. The meal is ready. Let's go and have something to eat." Wu Yaqin greeted Wu Youli.
Wu Youli shook his head: "Sister, I'm going back first. Niu'er and Mom are still waiting for me at home for dinner."
No one is well off these days, and he can't eat at his eldest sister's house every day.
Jiang Xi knew that Wu Youli would not eat at her house, so she did not try to keep him there. She rummaged through her bags, took out a bag of brown sugar, and handed it to Wu Youli.
"Uncle, this is for the girl, please take it back to her."
Brown sugar is not cheap. This bag weighs about two kilograms. Wu Youli refused to take it: "I don't want it. You take it back and drink it. I'll buy it for Niu'er."
Jiang Xi stuffed the brown sugar into Wu Youli's hand without saying anything: "Uncle, this is for Niu'er. You can't refuse it on her behalf. Remember to come early tomorrow."
Wu Lili accepted the brown sugar because he couldn't refuse. He knew in his heart that Jiang Xi was taking care of him. Jiang Xi was so good to him and to Niu'er. He would do his best to help Jiang Xi.
Wu Youli said with gratitude: "Thank you. I will come early tomorrow. You two don't have to move the jars. Let me do it."
After Wu Youli left, the mother and daughter sat at the table and started eating. Wu Yaqin specially steamed two eggs today.
"Eat more. You must be exhausted these past two days. I see you've lost weight."
Jiang Xi found it funny. Wu Yaqin was exaggerating. How could she have lost weight in just two days? Wu Yaqin didn't think so. The mountain roads were difficult to walk on and the car was difficult to push. Even with Wu Youli's help, Jiang Xi still had a hard time, especially selling things. He had to stand and sell to others all the time. Wu Yaqin couldn't imagine how tired he must be at the end of the day.
Jiang Xi couldn't stand Wu Yaqin's sentimentality again, so he had to change the subject.
Jiang Xi put the bag he got back on the table and started taking money out of his pocket.
Wu Yaqin suddenly stopped being sentimental and instead glanced at the bag on the table from time to time. She wanted to speak but didn't know how, so she could only wipe the table and walk around the room.
Jiang Xi... Although she and Wu Yaqin are mother and daughter, sometimes she really can't understand Wu Yaqin's train of thought. Wu Yaqin is always used to listening to others, and she herself will not make any requests, even on such a simple matter, she will not take the initiative to ask.
Jiang Xi sighed inwardly and thought, take it slow. It is impossible to expect a person who is used to sacrifice and dedication to change in an instant.
"Mom, are you curious about how much it sold today?"
Wu Yaqin sat next to Jiang Xi and hummed, "How much did you sell today?"
Jiang Xi took out some money from the cloth bag she carried with her and scattered it all over the table. However, the mother and daughter didn't think it was messy at all. Instead, they liked it more and more the more they looked at it.
They carefully flattened each bill and calculated the total. Wu Yaqin was shocked again. It was more than thirty yuan more than yesterday.
Jiang Xi wasn't surprised: "I brought more today than yesterday, plus lotus root, so it's only natural that I made more money."
Wu Yaqin was a little confused. Is it so easy to make money? This sentence popped up in her mind again. In two days, she made a net profit of more than 50 yuan. If she worked for a month, wouldn’t she make hundreds of yuan?
Wu Yaqin was shocked by her own thoughts. In this era when flour cost less than 25 cents per pound and fried dough sticks cost three cents each, a few hundred yuan was a huge sum of money.
The first thing Wu Yaqin thought of was that Jiang Xi would have a dowry when she got married in the future. She would never let her daughter suffer any grievances. She would save all the money so that she could marry in style and never have to suffer these hardships again.
"Xixi, you said before that you should use the money you earn to eat well and go to the hospital. I will listen to you on all these, but don't spend it on other unnecessary things. You should save the money and use it as a dowry for you in the future." Wu Yaqin thought of this and said what was in her heart.
Jiang Xi was very upset. Marriage was something she had never considered. She only made money to give herself and her mother a better life, not to get married.
Jiang Xi had always known that she and Wu Yaqin had conflicting ideas. The reason she hadn't had a formal discussion with her before was because she had been delayed by other things. Now that Wu Yaqin mentioned this matter, Jiang Xi had no need to remain silent.
"Mom, I'm not thinking about getting married right now. I just want to make good money and live a good life. Maybe I'll meet someone I like in the future, but I won't be like you, just staying at home to take care of your husband and children. I will still pursue my own career."
Wu Yaqin didn't quite understand: "But don't all women have to get married? Once married, they have to stay at home to take care of the children and manage the household. How can they have time to pursue a career?"
Jiang Xi said firmly, "Mom, who says a woman has to stay at home once she gets married? A woman can have many identities. She can be a mother, a daughter, or even a boss. No matter how much I like someone, I will never give up my beloved career because of him. I want to make my own decision on this matter."
Wu Yaqin was silent. She didn't understand her daughter's thoughts, but when she thought about her own failed marriage, she vaguely felt that her daughter might be right. She had chosen the path of taking care of her husband and children, but in the end she got nothing.
"I won't force you on this matter, because my own marriage is a mess, and I'm not qualified to give you any advice from someone who has experienced it, but I really want my daughter to be happy."
Wu Yaqin spoke in a low voice. She was afraid that it was because of her that Jiang Xi was afraid of marriage.
Jiang Xi nodded heavily: "Mom, don't worry, I know what's going on."
Wu Yaqin looked at Jiang Xi with relief. Her daughter had really grown up and had become a person she was not familiar with. It seemed that she had nothing to teach her. Instead, it was her daughter who began to support the family.
Wu Yaqin suddenly felt sad when she thought of this. Jiang Xi had already moved on from the matter and mentioned product upgrades.
"Mom, the chicken feet I brought today aren't very popular. Many workers don't like them."
Wu Yaqin's expression changed, and she no longer cared about the sadness she had just felt. "Did I do something bad? Why don't they like it?"
Jiang Xi knew Wu Yaqin was mistaking her for a chicken. She explained, "It's not that chicken feet are bad, but the workers like to eat meat directly. They find chicken feet difficult to eat. Although the workers don't like them, many women like them."
Wu Yaqin's expression eased a little, but she couldn't help but worry: "What should I do then?" Wu Yaqin had already regarded Jiang Xi as her backbone.
Jiang Xi already had some plans in mind: "I wonder if we can develop some new varieties, such as braised chicken, which has more meat and less bones, and is more in line with the preferences of steel plant workers."
Wu Yaqin was a little embarrassed for a moment. Her family used to live in poor conditions and occasionally made braised chicken, which was to braise some offal or ingredients with bones. Chicken was a precious thing, so Wu Yaqin usually air-dried it and only put a few pieces in each meal. One chicken could be eaten for a long time, so she didn't have the luxury of braising the chicken directly.
Jiang Xi said, "Mom, you can try. If it doesn't work, I'll think of other ways."
Wu Yaqin nodded: "Then I'll try." She also wanted to help Jiang Xi.
The two of them got to work right away. Jiang Xi was responsible for boiling water, while Wu Yaqin was sharpening the knife.
After the water was boiled, Wu Yaqin cut the chicken with a knife to let the blood out, and Jiang Xi and Wu Yaqin plucked the chicken feathers together.
After processing the chicken, Wu Yaqin chopped it in half, then thought about it and chopped it in half again.
"Let's try this first. If it doesn't work, you can rub salt on the chicken and air-dry it. That way it won't be wasted."
Jiang Xi had no objection. She was not proficient in cooking and could only provide some suggestions. The specific operations still depended on Wu Yaqin.
Wu Yaqin soaked the chicken in water to remove the blood, then added onions, ginger and cooking wine to remove the fishy smell. Finally, she cut the chicken into bone-in pieces and put them into a ceramic pot.
While waiting, Wu Yaqin was very nervous. She walked around the clay pot. This was her first time to braise chicken and she was not completely sure.
Jiang Xi was also very nervous, but not afraid. Even if they failed, it was just a new attempt for them. At worst, they could just change the ingredients, and they would always succeed in the end.
Finally, after a few hours, the braised chicken was ready.
Wu Yaqin carefully took the chicken out of the jar. The chicken still retained its original color, the meat looked very tender, and exuded the aroma of wine lees.
Jiang Xi picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The meat was more tender than she had imagined, without a trace of fishy smell. Even the skin was not greasy, but very elastic.
Jiang Xi's eyes lit up: "Mom, the braised chicken is delicious, I'm sure everyone will like it!"
Wu Yaqin also took a piece and put it into her mouth. She felt relieved for a moment: "Not bad, but it can be improved."
Wu Yaqin then prepared the brine and the ratio of marinade, and processed the remaining chicken in different ways, waiting to choose the one that tasted best.
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