Before the rooster crowed, Tian Sangui had already gotten up and dressed, wearing a gray cotton-padded coat today.
She remembered that it was the only piece of good fabric in Zhang's dowry.
Zhang had been reluctant to wear it until last year when she took out the altered clothes and gave them to her as a new outfit for her birthday.
Tian Sangui also cherished it and was reluctant to wear it. Her floral jacket had been ruined by her extortion these past few days, and she had no other clothes to wear, so she had to use this precious garment.
Looking back at the bed, the three brothers were sleeping soundly. Little Wu was probably dreaming of delicious food, as his rosy little mouth smacked several times. Tian Sangui smiled and helped him cover himself with the blanket.
Stepping out of the main room, the kitchen was already ablaze with firelight. Every time I told Zhang Shi not to get up too early, she just wouldn't listen. Perhaps it was a habit formed over many years that was hard to break in a short time.
"Mother, are the steamed buns ready?" Tian Sangui lifted the curtain and saw Zhang Shi heating up the filling.
"It's already been put into buckets. We filled two more buckets this time. We'll use the remaining two to hold the filling. This afternoon, we'll have your dad make a few more wooden buckets for us to use."
“Great! I was just worried that we didn’t have enough wooden buckets. I need to tell Dad to make them bigger so they’ll be easier to use.”
Tian Sangui rolled up his sleeves and began to help.
Seeing that her daughter was willing to wear this gray coat today, Zhang's smile deepened. This coat made Sangui look the cleanest and most neat, like a little peasant girl in charge of the household. In her heart, this was the most beautiful look.
"Do those cabbages still need washing? I'll help you after you leave."
"Yes, wash them. We don't have enough jars. We need to buy a few more today, otherwise we won't be able to use them all."
Zhang didn't know what she wanted it for, but thinking about what Wu had said, San Gui was a thoughtful child. If she said it was useful, then it was useful. She just needed to help.
After finishing their work in the kitchen, Tian Lao Si and Tian Dalao returned from the back of the house as usual. The father and son washed their faces, and Zhang handed them a face towel before setting out breakfast in the yard.
After the four of them finished eating, they each went about their own business.
When they arrived at the construction site entrance, before they even set up their stall, there were already people waiting for them.
"Hey, it's finally here. It's so cold this morning, and I'm starving. Quickly, give me four roujiamo (Chinese hamburgers)."
Old Tian grinned as he placed the small wooden table down, when he heard the clatter of several copper coins.
He quickly picked it up and handed it to Tian Sangui, who then deftly placed the steamed buns and fillings on the table.
Tian Sangui lifted the lid of the wooden bucket, and the steaming hot steam hit his face, carrying the sweet aroma of cooked white flour, instantly whetting his appetite.
As more and more people arrived, Tian Da and Tian Sangui were extremely busy.
Tian Laosi checked the time, then went to report to the leader. Seeing that business was good, he was even considering staying to help.
"Hehe, I made a lot more today, give me two to try!"
The speaker was the student who had spoken to Tian Sangui yesterday.
"Alright, I promised you all, and I will keep my word."
Tian Sangui explained with a smile as he made roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
The student who received the steamed bun swallowed hard, smelling the rich aroma of the meat pie in his hand. He then took a bite, and the spicy flavor filled his mouth, satisfying his taste buds. It was even more delicious than any meat bun he had ever eaten.
"It smells so good, give me two more, I'll save them for lunch."
"Don't you go home for lunch, sir?"
Tian Sangui, with the meat filling in his bag, chatted casually.
"It's too much trouble to go back and forth, and many classmates don't go back. Over time, it becomes a habit."
"I'm leaving, but I'll come back tomorrow!"
"Okay!" Tian Sangui replied politely.
Not going back at noon? If you rent a shop nearby and open a restaurant, the business would surely be good.
Now we'll see if the cabbage performs well.
As dawn broke, the students finally managed to buy roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), satisfying their cravings from yesterday.
Tian Sangui's initial frantic busyness gradually turned into a more leisurely one.
There were still a dozen or so steamed buns left, which were sold to passersby one after another.
"Kid, what are you selling?"
The speaker was a middle-aged or elderly man with a mustache, wearing a small black hat with a square jade stone inlaid in the middle, and a black linen coat. He looked like a businessman.
Tian Sangui continued to enthusiastically introduce his business: "This is called a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), it smells amazing, why don't you have one to try, it's only two coins each!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the man dropped two copper coins on the table, then raised an eyebrow at Tian Sangui without saying a word, and put his hands into his sleeves.
"Okay, it'll be ready for you in a minute!"
Tian Sangui assumed that this diner was naturally aloof and didn't like to talk much.
To her surprise, he watched her every step and every movement carefully and asked why she did it this way, why she couldn't just pick up the filling directly like a bun, wouldn't that be easier?
"That's the characteristic of roujiamo (Chinese hamburger). If it were made into a steamed bun, wouldn't it become a meat bun?"
"Here you go!"
The man held the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) to his nose, smelled it, and found the aroma delicious. Finally, with a smirk and an indifferent expression, he turned and left.
Tian Sangui became curious. Why was this person so strange? He stared at his receding figure for a long time until he stopped in a corner and handed the steamed bun in his hand to a woman peeking out from the corner.
Seemingly sensing that Tian Sangui was watching them, she turned around and gave her a deep look before embracing the woman and disappearing around the corner.
"That's strange. It's just a steamed bun, why would he need to hide to eat it?" Tian Da muttered to himself, looking at the figure in the distance.
"The world is full of wonders. Perhaps it's just that our lifestyles are different. Time to pack up and go home!"
Today's task was successfully completed. All four hundred were sold out, earning a total of eight hundred coins. I'm only two hundred coins short of earning Tian Laosi's monthly wages.
The empty buckets were very easy to clean up; Tian Da tidied them up in no time.
"Brother, let's go to the general store to buy jars first, and then buy ingredients to prepare steamed buns for tomorrow!"
"Okay, whatever you say!"
Tian looked at his younger sister with doting eyes and told her to sit properly in the car.
He pulled her towards the grocery store. Tian Da knew this street as well as his own home, because Tian Lao Si often took him out to work.
The shop assistant greeted Tian Sangui with a smile, as always.
He skillfully brought out four identical large jars, and after bargaining, she paid fifty coins. The waiter was still overjoyed and told her to come back to him if she needed anything, as the price was negotiable.
They went to the blacksmith's shop again and bought a large axe, a tool they would need to make wooden barrels and simple tables and chairs for their home.
With Tian Da around, there was no scene like last time where he was dragged out by the blacksmith. Tian Da, like an adult, carefully selected an axe that caught his eye and spent one hundred coins.
Twenty catties of flour cost 120 coins, leaving 530 coins after the initial 800 coins. Adding the remaining 712 coins as a reward, the total assets on hand are now 1242 coins.
This is too slow. How will we be able to afford a brick house in winter at this rate? We need to plan our kimchi-making project carefully.
After Tian Sangui finished buying the pig intestines, and until their donkey cart was out of sight, a middle-aged couple emerged from the shadows.
"Boss, what did that girl buy from you just now?"
The man spoke very coldly, giving the impression that he was not someone to be trifled with.
The woman also had a cold expression, and her bronze-yellow eyes were full of calculation.
The butcher was shooing away flies when he suddenly heard an unfriendly question in front of him. He looked up and saw a well-dressed man who seemed to be a wealthy person.
A professional smile immediately appeared on his face: "The young lady bought pig offal. Her family isn't well-off, but she wanted to eat some meat, so..."
"Just tell me it's pig offal, nothing else matters. How much did she pay you?"
Men have limited patience; you can tell he's an impatient person.
Before the butcher could finish speaking, he was choked by the retort, and he felt immediately annoyed. However, he wouldn't be foolish enough to directly confront his sugar daddy.
"Not much, fifteen coins, enough for three pigs!"
The butcher had his own ulterior motives.
"What? Fifteen coins for stinking waste?"
Upon hearing this, the woman's narrowed eyes widened in an instant, revealing a fierce expression. If there were any children around, they would surely be terrified and cry.
"It's only three heads' worth, it's like getting it for free, what's the big fuss about!"
The butcher was already adept at dealing with such people; no matter how cunning a woman was, she couldn't outsmart a seasoned butcher.
"She comes every day?"
"Why are you asking so many questions about whether she's coming or not?" Even a butcher has his principles. Guests are guests, and information should be revealed in three parts and kept secret in seven parts. These are old rules passed down from our ancestors.
Seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, the man simply took out twenty coins and threw them onto the blood-stained table.
"From now on, we'll take care of all the pig offal here. We'll give you twenty coins. Pay first, then take the goods. We'll come back tomorrow!"
As long as the money is there, nothing is impossible.
The butcher, seeing the money, was naturally happy to accept it, and in his heart apologized to Tian Sangui: I'm sorry, little girl, someone offered a much higher price than you, I can't let the money go to waste, hahaha.
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