He Tiantian walked quite a distance further and saw that there were so many mulberry trees on the mountain. It was the season when mulberries were ripe, and every tree was laden with fruit.
Suddenly, an idea to make money came to her mind. "Sister Yulan, this fruit is edible, you should try it."
He Tiantian stuffed a few more into Sister Yulan's hand. Sister Yulan hesitated for a moment before putting them to her lips and pursing them.
The mulberry juice is sweet and quite delicious...
Sister Yulan's eyes lit up, "Is this really edible? It tastes pretty good..."
He Tiantian nodded, "Of course, I used to pick and eat this fruit all the time when I was little. It's nothing serious."
Sister-in-law Yulan had no doubts, because she knew that Wanzi's mother was from Peach Blossom Village, a village that was very, very far away.
"Sister-in-law, it's such a waste to leave so many fruits here uneaten. Why don't we pick some and try selling them in the city tomorrow?" He Tiantian suddenly thought of this business opportunity, since mulberries are so popular in modern metropolises.
Moreover, this was in ancient times when resources were scarce. Every time she went to the county town to buy some fruit, she could hardly find a fruit shop.
Ordinary people simply couldn't afford fruit, while wealthy merchants could afford apples, oranges, pears, and the like. These were all transported from far away, so naturally they were much more expensive.
Sister-in-law Yulan was startled by He Tiantian's words, "These can still be sold? So many of them are worthless, will anyone buy them?"
"How will we know if we don't try? How about we sell it cheaper, five copper coins a pound?" He Tiantian thought for a moment, and realized that the ordinary people in the county still had that much purchasing power.
"Okay, let's give it a try." Sister Yulan didn't hesitate any longer and hurriedly went back to get the basket as well.
He Tiantian said that if you're going to sell them, you have to pay attention to their appearance. The fruit can't be damaged, and ripe fruit and nearly ripe fruit should be separated.
Because fully ripe mulberries are soft and very sweet, they can't be stored. If we can't sell them all tomorrow, we'll eat them ourselves. The mulberries that are almost ripe are still a bit firm, and they taste sweet and sour. Customers can keep them for a few days if they can't finish them.
Sister-in-law Yulan exclaimed that Wanzi's mother was very thoughtful and believed that the fruit would definitely sell.
The two of them worked for most of the day and picked two large baskets full, which were still quite heavy.
Liu Yonghe had worked with the children all morning and should go home to rest. He could come back to work when it was cooler in the evening to avoid heatstroke.
The group packed up and headed back. No one was curious about what Sister Yulan and He Tiantian had been busy at the foot of the mountain for most of the day, or what was in their baskets.
Even the children didn't ask any more questions.
It's probably wild vegetables or something similar that they dug up. There are plenty of wild vegetables at this time of year, and every household in the village digs up wild vegetables to eat every day.
Upon reaching the village entrance, the group said they needed to go back to wash up and cool down. Before leaving, He Tiantian repeatedly reminded Wang Dazhuang and the others to come to her house for dinner later, and to bring their own bowls and chopsticks.
Sister-in-law Yulan and He Tiantian led the children into the house. He Tiantian washed the mulberries she had picked three times with well water she had drawn. Only after she felt they were clean did she give a handful to each of the four children.
"The children have worked hard, have some of this fruit."
This time, the children had no doubts and started eating them without hesitation. After He Tiantian gave them the berries of the black nightshade last time, they knew that they were edible.
Anyway, these fruits grow everywhere in the fields and along the riverbank, and the children pick them to eat whenever they have free time.
When the other children in the village saw how much they enjoyed their food, they started eating too.
Although some adults say this stuff is poisonous, who cares if it's poisonous when it's so delicious? Besides, I didn't die from eating it.
"Mother, what's this called?" Zhao Denglong asked, picking up a mulberry. The fruit was almost as big as her little finger.
“They’re mulberries, from mulberry trees. There are lots of them on that hillside right next to our land,” He Tiantian replied.
The children's eyes lit up when they heard this.
Great! They can go pick fruit to eat again.
For the children, this was the first time in their lives they'd ever been able to eat their fill of fruit. They were so happy they could laugh in their sleep.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, He Tiantian and her sister-in-law Yulan got up. The four children still had to go to work in the fields that day, but there was no one at home to cook.
So the night before, He Tiantian asked Liu to help cook, using their own firewood, rice, oil, and salt. It just so happened that Zhao Tingzhang was supervising the work next door, so she invited him over to eat with them as well.
He Tiantian and Sister-in-law Yulan each carried a basket of mulberries, covered with clean cloths to prevent them from being exposed to the sun on the road. The mulberries, picked the day before, looked very fresh.
The oxcart slowly arrived in Changning County. It was Yulan's first time doing business in the city, and she was a little confused.
She followed closely behind He Tiantian, looking at the pedestrians and vendors on the street, and asked in a low voice, "Wanzi's mom, where should we set up our stall?"
He Tiantian already had a plan in mind: "Let's not sell on the street, let's go to the academy."
"Huh? Why is the academy selling things?" Sister-in-law Yulan continued walking, puzzled.
Following the route Zhao Yanniang had taken her the time before, He Tiantian arrived at the entrance of Bailu Academy without any problems.
Soon it will be lunchtime for the students to leave the academy, and by then, people will already be setting up stalls at the academy gate. Some are selling writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, while others are selling snacks and food.
He Tiantian found a small stall selling fried dough sticks next door and sat down on a stone in an empty space.
After waiting for a while, students began to emerge one after another from the college gate.
It was lunchtime, and students gathered in twos and threes, chatting and laughing as they went out to buy lunch.
The aunt next door's pancake stall is doing quite well. He Tiantian counted, and she sold thirty or forty pancakes in just this one time.
They cost two coins each, and the boys were all young men, so eating three in one go was no problem.
"Selling fruit! Fruit that guarantees success in exams! Eat my fruit and you'll pass every exam!" He Tiantian shouted loudly.
The students were quite intrigued by the "fruit that guarantees passing every exam," and initially two or three people gathered around, but more and more people joined in.
"Auntie, what kind of fruit is this that guarantees passing every exam? Is it really that magical?" a student dressed in blue and white asked.
"Of course! After eating my fruit, you'll be blessed by the God of Exams. Your monthly tests will be absolutely no problem," He Tiantian said with a smile.
In truth, everyone knows that this is just an ordinary fruit, and the wish for passing every exam is merely a nice blessing.
But everyone still wants to buy them; they don't want to miss out on such a lucky fruit.
Besides, the fruit isn't expensive. The sign clearly states: five coins per pound, ten coins for three pounds.
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