Chen Qingqing had been to Qingshui Town several times, but had never been to the dock. Today, she had a rare opportunity and was determined to visit this waterway hub for north-south transportation.
Although Lin had come to town before, she either washed clothes or did odd jobs.
I've never strolled around the streets so leisurely as I have today; everything feels new and exciting.
As she walked and looked around, she couldn't help but ask Chen Qingqing, "Qing'er, where are we going?"
"Mom, let's go to the dock and see. If Dad isn't working, we'll go home together."
Lin nodded.
The two soon arrived at the dock.
Chen Qingqing looked around. The dock was bustling with people, and the roadside was lined with a dazzling array of small commodities.
Many merchant ships were moored on the river not far away.
Some were busy unloading goods, while others were busy making transactions...
Chen Qingqing searched for Chen Zhanshan's figure in the crowd.
Suddenly, my eyes lit up as I spotted that familiar figure from behind.
"Mother, my father is over there." Chen Qingqing took Lin's hand and walked quickly towards Chen Zhanshan.
Chen Zhanshan was carrying a bag of goods, preparing to load it onto the ship, with large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Father!" Chen Qingqing called out.
Hearing the sound, Chen Zhanshan put down the goods on his shoulder, turned around, and was initially taken aback, then a simple and honest smile appeared on his face.
"Why are you here?" he asked, wiping his sweat.
"Dad, we've come to see you. If you've finished your work, we'll go home together."
"It'll be ready soon. You and your mother wait for me for a while."
"good."
Chen Qingqing agreed and led Lin to a shady spot.
******
Suddenly, she noticed a group of people standing not far away, and a man's voice came from nearby.
"...Please, everyone, I've been stuck here for three days. I don't have much money with me, and I haven't eaten anything all day since yesterday. Please help me out. I don't need to buy a whole ship's worth of goods, just buy a pound so I can have enough to eat. That would be enough for me."
The people around shook their heads. "It's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that we've never seen anything like this before. What if you get sick from eating it?"
"Exactly, this thing isn't quite a radish, but it looks similar. We don't know how to eat it. How can we help you?"
"That's right, we've never even seen one before. Besides, this stuff is too expensive, three coins a pound. We can't afford it."
The middle-aged man quickly said, "This is delicious. It tastes extremely sweet when cooked. Not only can you eat it, but it can also be used as a dye. This stuff is very popular where I'm from. You can try it if you don't believe me."
Everyone frowned as they listened.
"Come on, if it's edible, how can you use it as dye? What if you dye someone? They'd become monsters!"
"We're not trying to criticize you, but you've been too reckless in your business dealings. You should have checked the market price for these kinds of novel vegetables first, otherwise you wouldn't be in this predicament now."
"Yeah, even if you leave these things for another month, I doubt anyone will want them. If you ask me, you should take them back as soon as possible!"
Hearing these comments, Chen Qingqing became even more curious. What exactly was this person selling that no one recognized?
I was thinking about squeezing into the crowd.
The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, then said, "It's not that I don't want to go back, but I don't have any money for a boat ride. Even if I give up this whole boatload of beets, I still can't get home!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingqing was stunned. Beetroot?
Beetroot, also known as red beet, sweet root vegetable, and purple radish, is a major raw material for sugar production.
Do people of this era not know its uses?
To confirm his suspicions, he quickly asked the middle-aged man, "Are you selling beets?"
"Yes, because it tastes a bit sweet, we call this 'sweet vegetable' where we're from." He said, taking out a purplish-red one from the bamboo basket beside him, which looked a bit like a radish. "This is easy to store, and it tastes sweet, much sweeter and crisper than the radishes we have here."
Chen Qingqing took it casually and examined it carefully. She could now confirm that this was the main raw material for modern sugar production.
It's a real shame that people at this time didn't know its uses.
Thinking of this, a thought suddenly struck her.
As the saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
Although I am now capable of earning money to support my family, I would rather find some work for my parents.
Only money earned through hard work can bring peace of mind when spent.
Besides, Dad's manual labor isn't easy either; it would be better to buy all these beets and make brown sugar at home.
Selling them in town later will bring in a considerable income.
Having made up her mind, she asked with a smile, "Sir, how much are your beets?"
The middle-aged man said, "Three coins a pound."
"Three copper coins a pound..." Chen Qingqing muttered to herself, her mind racing.
One pound of beets can yield 200 grams of brown sugar, so five pounds can produce one pound of brown sugar. The cost is fifteen coins.
Brown sugar on the market costs 100 coins per pound, with a net profit of 85 coins.
If you boil 100 catties of sugar beets a day, that's 20 catties of brown sugar, which can be sold for two taels of silver.
After deducting labor and other costs, the income was nearly one or two taels of silver...
This is a very profitable business.
If the business grows bigger in the future, it's possible to make a fortune every day.
Just as she was pondering, she heard a familiar voice say, "Qing'er, Dad's done with his work, let's go home!"
Chen Qingqing snapped out of her daze and saw that Chen Zhanshan had squeezed into the crowd at some point. She quickly smiled and said, "Dad, don't rush, I still have some things to do."
At this moment, Madam Lin caught up from behind. Seeing that Chen Zhanshan had finished his work, she quickly tugged at Chen Qingqing's arm, "Qing'er, let's go!"
"Mom, wait a moment, I want to buy these beets."
......
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
