The person who was drinking soup helped the man to sit down against the wall and said, "Why are you doing this? You know these beans are worthless, so why are you bothering with them? Your body can't take it."
"Although we can't eat everyone, we can still make a little beef and a little sorghum, saving every penny we can." The man sighed twice.
Su Yun'er understood. The bag contained soybeans. Because of the severe famine in this area this year, the soybeans grown were of poor quality, tasted bad, and could not be sold. As a result, people couldn't make money from them, and some people stopped caring about the soybeans.
But this family was too poor, so they brought back some soybeans.
"Brother, don't carry these soybeans around like that. Just give them to me, and I'll trade you a bowl of meat for them. Is that alright?" Su Yun'er said to the man.
I was previously considering the issue of sourcing raw materials if I were to start a new business, and this solves that problem.
"Really? You can't even eat these soybeans, and you actually want to trade them for meat?" The skinny man clearly couldn't believe it.
"Of course, I'm not lying to you. I have a way of making it delicious. Just tell me, do you want to switch?" Su Yun'er's lips curved into a smile.
"Swap, of course I'll swap! If this is such a good thing, I'll definitely swap. I'll leave these soybeans with you for now, and I'll go home and get a bowl." The thin man was overjoyed, and his fatigue seemed to have lessened.
"Hey? Shanhe's wife, you want these worthless soybeans that nobody wants? And you're trading them for meat? I have some of these at home, can I trade for them too?" the man drinking soup asked.
"Yes, bring it here. I'll trade you a bowl of meat in return," Su Yun'er said decisively.
"Okay, wait for me, I'll go home and get it right away," the man said, finishing the soup in one gulp and heading home with a big smile.
Hearing this, people around started going home to get soybeans, hoping to come back and exchange them for a bowl of meat.
In the end, almost everyone in the village brought their soybeans, and each household received an extra bowl of meat before happily going home.
After giving each of Aunt Song and He Liu, who came to help, a piece of fine pork belly, the Chen family courtyard returned to quiet.
There was a shed next to the kitchen, piled high with soybeans.
Looking at the mountain of soybeans, Old Mrs. Chen asked Su Yun'er, "Little Tree's mother, what are you planning to do with all these soybeans?"
"Mother, didn't we plan to find a new business? I've already made up my mind. I'm going to make the tofu pudding we made last time and sell it."
“Although you can still make a little money selling candied hawthorns at the village entrance, it’s all small change. And candied hawthorns are a seasonal product. When it gets colder, there won’t be any fruit left, and when it gets hot, the sugar will melt, and it won’t have that sweet, crisp, and cool taste anymore. It’s not a long-term business,” Su Yun’er explained to Old Lady Chen.
“Now the saplings and grass are getting bigger and bigger. I’ve already made plans. I’ll send them to school in the future. Schooling requires money, so I’ll start saving money now.” Su Yun’er planned the future for Grandma Chen. “Mom, when we have money in the future, we’ll move to the city and buy you a two-courtyard house. We’ll also buy you two little girls, so you won’t have to do any work yourself.”
Grandma Chen was amused by Su Yun'er's "blueprint for the future." She was very tempted by such a life, but dared not hope for it.
"I don't care about big houses or young maids. I just hope our family can live peacefully, with enough to eat, drink, and live in. That's enough for me. As for what business to start, you decide. Just tell me what I can do. This old body of mine can still do a little bit." Old Mrs. Chen smiled and patted Su Yun'er's hand.
Although Su Yun'er had decided to sell tofu pudding, she still needed to carefully consider where to sell it.
So on this day, Su Yun'er invited He Liu to go for a walk in the neighborhood.
Based on He Liu's familiarity with the nearby villages and towns, the two strolled around for a morning, but Su Yun'er rejected all the places that seemed to be intersections of roads between several villages or tea stalls along village roads.
Although people pass through these places every day, the foot traffic cannot be guaranteed.
The two were tired from walking, so Su Yun'er invited her to rest and have some tea at the tea stall.
Then Su Yun'er saw several people dressed like laborers passing by from afar.
"Hey, Auntie, are there any construction sites nearby? Why are there so many laborers?" Su Yun'er asked.
"Oh, over there? There's a dock over there." He Liu said dismissively.
"pier?"
The dock is a great place. Every day, ships come and go, along with merchants and laborers carrying heavy loads. The total number of people is quite large.
But isn't Qingshui County an inland city? Could it be an inland river port?
Thinking Su Yun'er was simply curious about what a dock was, He Liu explained, "Yes, my husband told me it's an inland river dock, and also a very important dock for transporting goods out of our area. Eh? You didn't know that?"
Su Yun'er cleared her throat calmly, thinking to herself, "It's not that I don't know, it's that I haven't looked for these kinds of memories."
"Auntie, come with me to that dock later," Su Yun'er said.
"Sure, that's easy."
Su Yun'er treated He Liu to a bowl of meat soup noodles, which warmed them up, and the two strolled towards the pier together.
Logically, Qingshui County should have had a wharf, which should have boosted local commerce. However, the county government next to Qingshui County had a large military camp stationed there, so the court abandoned its plans for development in order to maintain stability.
Therefore, these docks were basically used to transport supplies needed by the imperial court, with very few merchant ships.
However, for some reason, there are no businesses operating around the dock.
Logically speaking, restaurant owners should all understand that higher foot traffic makes business easier.
"Auntie, why is the area around the dock so deserted? There isn't even a single food vendor in sight?"
"Didn't someone say that the feng shui here is bad?" After He Liu talked for a long time, Su Yun'er finally understood.
It turns out that a few years ago, there used to be a circle of businesses around the dock, selling tea and steamed buns, and it was quite lively every day.
But one day a crazy old monk came and said that this place was near water and was not suitable for doing business, as it would shorten one's lifespan.
At first, everyone was skeptical, after all, it had been going on for several years without any problems. But less than half a month after the mad monk left, a bolt of lightning struck an old man.
"That day was truly terrifying, because that old man was the first person to set up a tea stall here!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
