Chapter 36 Walking out of the mountains
After delivering the strawberry express, Xia Wu took his brother to fulfill his promise to get up early, and each of them enjoyed a chicken burger at a no-name burger restaurant opposite the town school. Yang Hongwen loved double skin milk, so the two of them squatted on the roadside in the sun and finished their double skin milk and ice cream.
The sun is shining brightly today, and Mr. Yang is out to see patients again. When the weather gets cold, diseases are more common, either fever or cold. He is so busy all day that he can't take care of his family.
Qiu Lan came to the house and asked Xia Wu and the others if they wanted to go to the foot of the mountain to dig winter bamboo shoots. Yang Guojun took his tools and took the two children with him. There was a dense bamboo forest at the foot of Zimu Mountain, and a river more than ten meters wide passed through it. It was blocked by a reservoir in front, so the river was not so deep near the bamboo forest. When the water level was shallow, you could still see the stones and fish at the bottom of the river.
In the past, there were many children and young people in the village. In the summer, countless people came here to catch fish and snails, and some even swam in the reservoir downstream.
Zimu Mountain is like a mother, watching the people living here enjoy their leisure time peacefully in her arms.
However, as villagers went out to work, only the elderly, the weak and the sick were left in the village, and many people did not have the energy or leisure to come here to dig winter bamboo shoots.
Yang Guojun and Qiu Lan were both experts at finding bamboo shoots. Xia Wu saw the land covered in dead leaves, with no trace of winter bamboo shoots. Her father turned the hoe over, dug through the fallen leaves, and said confidently, "There's a big one here."
As he spoke, the tip of a bamboo shoot really appeared from under the dead leaves.
Winter bamboo shoots are not easy to dig. You need extremely sharp eyes to find them and patience to dig them. Be sure not to dig them apart, as damaged bamboo shoots will not taste good.
The bamboo shoots that Qiu Lan dug were to be sold for money. She worked more carefully than anyone else and only picked the best ones. The bamboo forest was quite large, and the two groups separated while digging.
Yang Guojun was responsible for digging bamboo shoots, while Xia Wu and his brother were responsible for packing them into bags. They dug for an entire afternoon and only filled half a bag.
Yang Guojun wiped the sweat off his face, straightened up and called out to Qiu Lan, "Ping'an mother, how much have you dug?"
"It should be several dozen kilograms," Qiu Lan lifted the snakeskin bag beside him, "Why don't you go back first and I'll dig for a while."
"That's enough. It will be dark soon and it will be difficult for you to walk alone. Let's go. It will be the same if we dig again tomorrow."
It gets dark early in the mountains, and the sun is about to set.
Qiu Lan had no choice but to come over with the bag, and the group returned to the tricycle and went home.
Arriving at the Yang family's house, Yang Guojun found a scale and weighed the bamboo shoots that Qiu Lan had dug. "Seventy-three pounds, not bad."
Qiu Lan's tired face showed a relieved smile: "I'll pick them out later. It's not easy for people to buy our products. I'll send the good ones and take the broken and small ones home."
"Okay, Sister Lan, how much do you plan to sell these winter bamboo shoots for per pound?"
"I don't understand this either. Xiao Wu, you know a lot. Give me some advice. We'll sell it at whatever price you say."
The price of winter bamboo shoots varies from place to place. For example, in Donghua Town, Qiu Lan picked these winter bamboo shoots and sold them at the market, but few people bought them at ten yuan each.
Because there are so many winter bamboo shoots here, her family is not the only one selling them. Some people in the town will even go to their relatives' homes in the village to dig them themselves, and it doesn't cost much.
But outside, the situation was different. Qiu Lan was undoubtedly smart to leave the pricing to Xia Wu.
Xia Wu thought for a moment and said, "Yesterday someone in the group said that the winter bamboo shoots in the supermarket are 25 yuan per catty, and they're not even shelled. How about we sell them for 20 yuan per catty, including the shipping fee? If we get repeat customers, we can make more money for a while. What do you think?"
Twenty-one pounds!
Qiu Lan was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. Wouldn't the more than 70 kilograms of bamboo shoots she dug be able to sell for more than 1,000 yuan?
"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. Winter bamboo shoots are grown and raised in the mountains, so we can't be too greedy. Isn't twenty-one pounds too expensive? Anyone want to buy it?"
"Don't worry about that, I'll help you sell it."
"Okay, then I have to give you some money. Please don't refuse it, otherwise I will be embarrassed."
After spending some time together, Xia Wu also saw what kind of person Qiu Lan was. In order to support her family, she was very frugal with herself and her two children. She would not spend money unless it was necessary. Liu Guizhen said that she was also the same when she went to the town to sell vegetables. Sometimes she would be very careful about even a few cents or dollars.
I didn't expect that she would actually offer to give Xia Wu some money.
Xia Wu joked, "How much do you plan to give me?"
Qiu Lan chuckled and said, "You sell bamboo shoots to others for 20 yuan per catty, so just give me 15 yuan. I'll give you the other five yuan. I don't want it."
"Don't you feel bad?"
"Why should I feel bad about it? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be able to earn this much money."
Qiu Lan is stingy, but she is not stupid. Forget about Guihua's mother, Shi Hongniang's family is also in a difficult situation. But Xia Wu just asked her to come and earn this money. This is a favor, and she cannot help but appreciate it.
Xia Wu nodded. "I don't need that much from you. Just give me three points. I'll go deliver the strawberries tomorrow and send them to you at the same time."
Qiu Lan processed the winter bamboo shoots at Yang's house. She removed several layers of the muddy outer shells, revealing the relatively clean bamboo shoot skins. She picked out the large and undamaged ones and reweighed them. At 25 yuan per pound, including shipping, she prepared more than 40 pounds of winter bamboo shoots.
The peeled bamboo shoots were used in strawberry compost, and Qiu Lan carried the remaining dozens of kilograms of bamboo shoots back home herself, intending to dry them into dried bamboo shoots and keep them for later consumption.
After preparing the winter bamboo shoots, Xia Wu contacted Bai Ge on WeChat and told him that he had asked villagers to dig them. The price and shipping fee were also negotiated, and they agreed to ship the goods tomorrow.
Xia Wu only did a winter bamboo shoot deal once, but Qiu Lan remembered it. Every day when she came to work, she would ask about the progress of the express delivery, whether the buyer had received the goods, and whether he liked to eat winter bamboo shoots.
Three days later, Xia Wu received news from Bai Ge that she had received the winter bamboo shoots.
Bai Ge is a painter. She has outstanding looks and comes from a well-off family. She studied art in high school and was admitted to the best school in H City. After graduation, she met her current husband. They have been married for five years and have a son and a daughter. The older boy is five years old and the younger one is three years old. In the eyes of outsiders, Bai Ge's life can definitely be described as smooth sailing.
She has never worked outside since her marriage. Her husband Zhao Ming is very good at making money, easily earning several million a year. They bought a detached villa in H City. Bai Ge paints at home and takes care of the two children. As for their daily life, they also have nannies and childcare workers.
Despite such a smooth life, Bai Ge's condition was still not good. She suffered from depression on and off since giving birth, and she had seen many psychologists but to no avail.
Her husband is considerate, loyal and caring towards her, her two children are as cute and well-behaved as angels, and her life is rich and abundant, but Bai Ge always feels that her life is covered with a layer of transparent plastic film, and her perception of the world is so unreal.
Only in painting can Bai Ge find a little spiritual comfort.
Her interest in Xia Xia stems from her appreciation for the composition of Xia Xia's videos. She can feel the photographer's peace of mind, and that feeling is conveyed through the lens, allowing people who watch the video to enjoy it as if they were there.
From then on, she would watch every video of Xia Xia over and over again, and drew many scenes in the videos. Later, Xia Xia sold strawberries grown by herself, and Bai Ge bought some once to express her support.
Bai Ge is a homebody who is out of touch with the world. She basically doesn't shop online, doesn't dress up, and lives in her own world in a depressed mood. Zhao Ming happened to see her when she bought a courier that time, and he was surprised that Bai Ge would actually buy something online.
Zhao Ming personally opened the express delivery, washed the strawberries, and enjoyed them with Bai Ge and their two children.
The strawberries tasted delicious. Bai Ge also told Zhao Ming about Xia Xia’s video, which she liked very much.
The couple hadn't had such a heart-to-heart talk in a long time. Zhao Ming was so happy that he didn't mean to discourage his wife. Instead, he encouraged her: "When I have a vacation, we can take the children there to play, and you can paint there."
Bai Ge smiled for the first time in a long time.
Bai Ge bought the winter bamboo shoots this time out of curiosity. She grew up in the city and had never seen real winter bamboo shoots. After buying them, some of the bamboo shoots still had fresh soil stuck on them.
The nanny took over the task of processing the winter bamboo shoots, but Bai Ge also wanted to join in, and then the two children followed suit to peel the bamboo shoots.
Peeling bamboo shoots is very relaxing. Layer by layer, listening to the crackling sound, the two children laughed and called for their mother. Bai Ge showed a faint smile on his face and also found it very interesting.
"I'm back," Zhao Ming said as he returned home and changed his shoes at the entrance. He saw bamboo shoot shells scattered throughout the bright villa hall. The three people he loved most in his life were sitting on the floor playing and laughing. "Have the winter bamboo shoots arrived?" he asked with a smile.
Bai Ge smiled and nodded, "You're back. Come peel bamboo shoots with us. It's really fun."
Zhao Ming took off his coat and sat cross-legged next to Bai Ge. Fortunately, there was floor heating at home, so he was not afraid of getting cold.
"Xia Xia's delivery is pretty fast. Didn't you buy strawberries this time?"
Bai Ge likes to eat the strawberries grown by Xia Xia, and there is almost always an abundance of strawberries at home.
"There's still some in the refrigerator. I'll buy more in a couple of days."
"Auntie Wang, do you know how to cook winter bamboo shoots?"
"Sir, my wife told me about making winter bamboo shoots two days ago. I've already prepared the ingredients. I'll make some pickled pork with preserved vegetables today for you to try!"
The villa, which usually seemed empty and deserted because of Bai Ge's absence, became warm with the arrival of some winter bamboo shoots. Wang Ma's cooking skills were worthy of her monthly salary of 20,000 yuan. The pickled pork with preserved vegetables she made in the evening tasted excellent. Bai Ge, who didn't like to eat much, drank two bowls of soup.
Not to mention Zhao Ming, who was so full that he had to unbuckle his belt and asked Bai Ge to buy some more online.
"I'm planning to host a banquet for some clients, and I'm worried about how to please them. I guess they haven't tasted the delicious food grown in the mountains. How about you buy some more?"
Regarding winter bamboo shoots, Bai Ge gave Xia Wu very good feedback, saying that everyone in the family liked to eat them, and then she wanted to buy another thousand yuan worth of winter bamboo shoots.
Xia Wu blushed and reminded her, "Although winter bamboo shoots can be kept for a while, it's best to eat them immediately, or blanch them and dry them in the sun, otherwise the flavor will be lost."
"Okay, thank you for reminding me, can you still ship it?"
"Yes, as long as you like it."
It would be foolish not to make money when you have the chance. After Xia Wu fulfilled her responsibility of reminding the other party, if he still wanted to buy, then she would just sell it.
If they can earn this a few more times, Qiulan's family will be able to have a good New Year this year.
Seeing that the feedback on winter bamboo shoots was pretty good, Xia Wu decided to expand his customer base so that others could also make some money. So he asked Bai Ge for the winter bamboo shoots feedback picture and sent it to the group.
[Xia Xia]: Winter bamboo shoots dug from the mountains are authentic, 25 yuan per pound with free shipping, and taste delicious. I have posted a link on WeChat store, and friends in need can try to buy it.
Xia Wu only posts links on WeChat store to avoid being overwhelmed by too many orders.
She sent pictures of Bai Ge's homemade pickled pork with preserved vegetables and other winter bamboo shoot delicacies to the group. People in the group started clamoring again, and the number of orders for winter bamboo shoots in the WeChat store also increased rapidly.
Xia Wu made the decision to recruit a few more people in the village so that his family could earn the money!
Xia Wu quickly told the good news to the workers picking strawberries at home, and said happily, "Master Yang Si, if you have some free time, why don't you go dig winter bamboo shoots to earn some money?"
Qiu Lan was wrapping strawberries. She sat up straight and asked, "Did the buyer give a good review?"
A few days ago, Xia Wu was anxiously asked by her, so she said that the buyer bought her winter bamboo shoots, and if they liked to eat them, it might encourage more people to buy winter bamboo shoots, so Qiu Lan kept it in mind.
"Yes, the customer is quite satisfied. Sister Lan, go dig some more bamboo shoots today. Don't peel off the shells too much this time. The customer said she likes to peel them. Besides her, there are other people who want to buy bamboo shoots too. We already have 60 or 70 orders."
Now that Xia Wu's strawberry order volume is stable and there are more orders for winter bamboo shoots, she plans to negotiate the express price with the Chengfeng Express Company in the town to see if it can be made cheaper.
The minimum purchase of winter bamboo shoots on the shelves this time is three pounds, otherwise they won’t be enough to stir-fry a dish.
Shi Hongniang slapped her thigh and said, "Can winter bamboo shoots from the mountains be sold online?"
"Of course, of course. As long as there are people selling, there will be people buying."
"There's such a good thing. I'll go dig some winter bamboo shoots after I finish my work. How much is one pound?"
"Xiao Wu said we'll give them 25 yuan per pound, free shipping, and sell it at the same price as the supermarkets in the city. Then we'll give Xiao Wu a 3% commission. We can't let someone find ways to make money for us for free, right?"
Qiu Lan took the initiative to explain the situation so that Xia Wu wouldn't have to speak up.
"That's great! 25 per pound, even after deducting the postage, I can still make a lot of money!"
None of them had ever heard of such a novel idea as selling products from the mountains online. Even Mr. Yang, who had plenty of money to spend, was willing to join in the fun and went to dig bamboo shoots with everyone in the afternoon.
When delivering the strawberries, Xia Wu talked to the courier company. She now delivers hundreds of packages every day and is one of the few big customers in the town. She almost supports half of the couriers in the area. Finally, they negotiated the freight price and decided to change the original 20% discount to 40%. In this way, the postage required for Xia Wu to deliver the packages was a little less.
The villagers' enthusiasm for making money should not be underestimated. Several of them are over 200 years old in total. They spent an entire afternoon digging winter bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest at the foot of the mountain and finally met at Yang's house.
Xia Wu moved the computer into the aisle. Several people put their hands behind their backs, tilted their heads, and looked at it. As they looked at it, they asked Xia Wu, "How many pounds does it cost?"
As of six o'clock in the evening, the WeChat store had a total of 78 orders, most of which were for buying three or five kilograms of winter bamboo shoots.
While printing the order slip, Xia Wu reported the order to Mr. Yang Si and the others, asking them to peel the fish freshly according to the number of kilograms they wanted, and pick the best ones.
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