Cheng Yue smiled and said, "Then it's settled!"
Everyone nodded, their eyes full of anticipation, wishing they could go up the mountain right now, as if the mountain full of goji berries was beckoning to them.
Madam Wu reminded them, "Don't tell anyone about this. There are too many people in our village who can't stand seeing others do well. Otherwise, they might get jealous and cause trouble."
The villagers don't associate with the Wu family much, and they say things like they kill animals. They don't bother with people who treat them badly, and they just want to make a fortune in silence.
Auntie said, "Don't worry, we're not stupid, we definitely won't tell anyone!"
They often go to town to sell wild game; it's perfectly normal for them to come and go, and no one would think much of it.
Even if they had money, they could only sneak around to eat better; they were so far from the village that the aroma of meat couldn't reach them.
If anyone asks, they just say they earned it by hunting. If they're so capable, they can go hunt too!
Mrs. Wu nodded: "That's good. Now that we've finished talking, let's go home."
As she spoke, she stood up. The road was long and difficult to walk. Her daughter had to return to Houshui Village after dropping them off, and she was always worried about her daughter as it got dark.
Wu's uncle and aunt understood, so they didn't try to stop them. Instead, they picked up all the wild rabbits and pheasants tied up nearby, saying, "Don't forget these. Take them back and eat them. The meat is chewy and delicious!"
They say that, but they themselves have never eaten meat more than twice. All the prey they hunt in a year is sold for money. They barely have enough to eat and drink, so how could they bear to eat meat?
"Thank you, uncles and aunts. We'll accept it!"
The aunts kept stuffing herbs into Cheng Yue and Chen An's hands. Unable to refuse their hospitality, the two had no choice but to accept them. At least they would be able to gather medicinal herbs soon, and their uncles' family's life would surely improve.
She'll then get them involved in planting together, and the hard times will eventually pass.
"You silly child, don't be so polite! We should be thanking you! It's just a few pheasants and rabbits. Once your uncle and aunt have made some money, they'll buy you even better food!"
Cheng Yue laughed and said, "Okay! Then I'll wait!"
The family burst into laughter. If this had been said before, it would have been considered empty talk, but now it's different; it's definitely something that can be achieved!
As they chatted and laughed, they walked out. Uncle Wu quickly hoisted the cart up and said, "Let's go! I'll tie the cart up for you!"
Cheng Yue shook her head and chuckled. Her third uncle had so much strength that he had nowhere to put it, so he carried the cart back and forth once.
After Cheng Yue and her group had gone far away, Wu's uncles and aunts returned home. As soon as they entered the courtyard, the eldest aunt exclaimed, "Oh dear, we forgot to put all the things they sent back!"
Uncle Wu also sighed and said, "My little sister said this was a gift from Yueya to us, so I brought it back. I was so focused on listening to the herb gathering that I forgot about it!"
Uncle Wu said, "I was the one who brought the cloth back, I forgot..."
My second aunt scolded me, "Look at your brain!"
From the other end came the voices of my third uncle and aunt, "Goodness, these are fine noodles! How can there be such white fine noodles!"
"This bag is made of fine rice, it's so shiny and translucent, how much silver must it cost?"
The family became increasingly alarmed as they looked at the medicine. "We'll keep it safe. Next time we buy medicinal herbs, we'll send them back to Yueya. Didn't she say that the braised food shop is in the county town? We'll send it there!"
Yueya thought that we, as her uncle and aunt, had already done enough; we couldn't take advantage of the child any further!
They should be the elders taking care of the children, how can it be the other way around?
It's also their fault for having nothing before; now they're finally able to offer something!
"Okay, we have to go back! Let's hang the things up so they don't get ruined by the rats."
The three brothers immediately found ropes and hung all the rice and flour high up.
Their house was so poor that rats frequented it. Now that they suddenly had refined rice and flour, the rats, with their keener noses, probably already had their eyes on it.
Uncle Wu pointed to the last piece of meat and said, "This piece of meat can't be left, it'll spoil..."
The family looked at each other, and finally Uncle Wu made the final decision, "Let's cook it tonight! It's a token of our appreciation from my younger sister and her family, and it would be a shame to let it go bad."
Everyone swallowed hard; they were really craving meat, having gone without any for almost half a year…
"Hang up the meat too, let's go up the mountain first, and cook it when we get back tonight!"
Don't rush to eat the meat, rush to make the money!
The family, with baskets on their backs, hurried up the mountain. They had never been so excited in their lives!
Wu's three uncles were used to hunting and were quick and heavy-handed, but now they were very careful when picking goji berries, afraid of accidentally breaking them.
Not only that, they also lined the baskets with a thick layer of straw, just in case.
My niece said that these ripe fruits are soft and need to be handled carefully, otherwise they won't sell for money.
The way they handled the items made the three aunts laugh for quite a while.
They had never been so careful when holding their child since birth, but they were finally subdued by the tiny goji berries.
No, it's bowing down to money!
...
On the other side, as they walked along the road, Wu felt increasingly uneasy and nudged Cheng's father's arm, saying, "Why don't we go and gather some medicinal herbs too!"
Gathering medicinal herbs is more profitable than selling pork. They only make a profit of three or four coins per pound of pork. If business is good, they can earn eighty coins a day, but if business is bad, they are lucky to earn twenty coins a day.
Medicinal herbs are different. They also take time and effort, but it's pure profit with almost no cost.
Mr. Cheng didn't react immediately, "What? What about the pork shop?"
That old woman is impulsive; she must be itching to make money from seeing others!
Wu punched him, saying, "We can just sell less meat, only for the morning, and go gather herbs in the afternoon!"
Mr. Cheng rubbed his arm and sighed, "This arm has suffered terribly since it came with me. It's either been hit or pinched."
Cheng Yue and Chen An chuckled and started bickering again!
Mrs. Wu glared at Mr. Cheng, "I'm too lazy to argue with you!"
Then he pulled Cheng Yue aside and asked, "Girl, do you think it's okay?"
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "If you think it's okay, then it's okay. You don't need to ask me. Actually, I was thinking that I wouldn't let you set up a stall."
Selling pork is hard work; you get covered in grease, and you don't earn much money. I didn't tell you before because I was afraid you wouldn't want to give it up.
"Once the shops at the dock are built, my brother and sister-in-law will definitely be too busy. You two might as well go and help them."
She didn't want her parents to work too hard and wanted them to stay home, grow vegetables, raise chickens, and enjoy their retirement. But she knew they were people who felt uncomfortable if they didn't earn money for a day, so they definitely wouldn't stay at home.
She did have a plan in mind, but she hadn't had a suitable opportunity to say it. She was also afraid that Ms. Wu wouldn't be able to give up the pork stall, after all, she had been doing it for more than 20 years.
This is a good opportunity to test the waters. If they are unwilling to go to my brother and sister-in-law's place, then I will tell them my plans.
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