Chapter 265: Plan to sell popsicles
As the sun sets, circles of solar halos spread faintly. The sound of wind and the chirping of insects interweave gently, like the time that can’t be retained.
Yi Ke rode his bicycle home in the sunset. The curling smoke twisted like snakes on the roofs of every household, and finally broke free and rose into the sky.
There is a tall and sturdy locust tree in the village, and a group of children who have just finished work are playing there.
When they saw Yi Ke coming back on his bicycle, they all ran after the bicycle, shouting enthusiastically:
"Sister-in-law Yike."
"Sister-in-law Yike."
"Sister-in-law Yike."
"Sister-in-law Yike."
"Sister-in-law Yike."
…
The clear voice of a child echoes in the dusk...
The children were all wearing patched clothes, and their smiling faces were yellow and thin, which made me feel sad.
Yi Ke stopped his bicycle and said to the children, "Children, have you eaten yet?"
"No." The children answered in unison.
A child asked: "Sister Yike, this box is so cold?"
It turned out that the child touched the cardboard box and took it off the bicycle.
"Count them and tell me how many of you there are."
"One, two, three..." The children all rushed to count.
"Sister-in-law Yike, there are twelve."
"Sister-in-law Yike, there are eleven."
"Oh, how are they different? Let me count them, um, twelve. Okay, Huzi counted correctly, here, Popsicle, I'll give you one more. Xiaodouzi, you didn't count yourself, did you know that?"
Xiao Douzi lowered her head shyly, and glanced at the popsicle in Hu Zi's hand with envy.
"Here, this one is for you." Yike took out one and handed it to him.
"Other kids, line up and take one."
The children all lined up and no one fought for the food.
The main thing was that when they were asked to line up when the candies were distributed for the first time, the older ones bullied the younger ones, and all the younger ones were squeezed to line up at the back.
But in the end, only two candies were given to the younger ones, and the older children who were in the queue only got one candy. From then on, they no longer rushed to line up and were very caring in taking care of the younger children.
After a subtle education, the children in the village began to learn to help each other, and fighting became less common.
Yi Ke gave each of them one popsicle and told the children that if anyone had not fought the next day, they could come to his house to get a popsicle. But they were not allowed to lie. If anyone lied, he would not be given any delicious food in the future. The children happily promised not to fight.
"Sister Yike, what is this?" A child was reluctant to eat it, so he held it in his hand and asked.
Yike secretly cursed himself for being stupid. How could these kids have ever eaten popsicles? They might not even have seen one.
"This is a popsicle. You have to eat it right away. It will melt quickly, just like ice in winter. When it gets hot, it will turn into water. So you can't keep it."
"Then I'll go home and give my brother a bite." The children ran home quickly, and Hu Zi ran even faster because he had two in his hand.
Soon, all the children around Yike went home. She felt relieved to see that these children now knew to go home and share the delicious food with their younger brothers and sisters.
The people in this village are generally simple and honest; people like Yang Huaihua are a minority after all.
Yike rode his bike home. Ziyi had already cooked dinner at home. When he heard Yike open the door, he came out and helped Yike put the bike away.
"What is this? Why is it so cold?" Ziyi also asked while holding the box.
"Hey, good stuff, I made the popsicles."
"You can eat in this weather, but not too much."
"I know. It's mainly for children."
During dinner, Yike told Ziyi what she was thinking: "Husband, I want to make popsicles for the kids to sell, so they can earn a little money and help support the family. Do you think it's okay?"
"Why did you think of this?" Ziyi asked in surprise.
"Those children are so pitiful. There is nothing but skin and bones on their bodies. You can't even see any flesh. If they sell popsicles, we can give them eggs to eat. They will at least grow some meat."
"Wife, you are too soft-hearted. If you go out and look at the countryside now, you will see that all the children in the village are like this. But you can ask them to sell popsicles, but you can't ask them to sell them. Instead, you should exchange the popsicles for food. That way they won't be accused of speculation." "Okay, you are right. I also said that I exchanged them from outside and didn't teach them to make them themselves."
"Wife, how are you going to sell it?"
"I don't know about that either. You're the best at business, so how do you sell it? Today, cousin Baoer will charge two cents for one."
"Then sell one for two cents, two for three cents. The weather is hot now, and rural families with better financial conditions can still afford to buy one for their children."
“Is it safe to sell in other villages? I’m afraid I won’t make any money, but it will be troublesome if something goes wrong.”
"That's right, let's go ask the captain."
"Okay, I just happened to not go and check whether their eggs have been turned today, and what the temperature is. I bought a thermometer for each of their families, so I can send it over."
After Ziyi and Yike had discussed it, they had dinner and went to Zhang Xiuying's house with flashlights, then to the women's director's house, and finally to the team leader's house.
"Ziyi, Yike, you are here." The captain's wife came and opened the door.
"Aunt." Ziyi greeted.
"Auntie, have you had dinner?" Yike asked.
"Have eaten. I knew you were coming, so I was waiting for you." The captain's wife invited Ziyi and Yike to sit down.
"Uncle Wang."
"Uncle Wang."
Captain Wang Guoqing was sitting in the main room drinking tea, and Ziyi and Yike both greeted him.
"Sit down. Have you two had dinner?" Team leader Wang Guoqing put down his teacup and invited Ziyi and Yike to sit down.
Ziyi went over and sat down, while Yike said to the captain's wife, "Aunt, I bought you a thermometer. Let's put it in the incubator. You don't have to feel the temperature with your hands anymore."
"Okay, I was just worried that I couldn't feel the temperature accurately and that the eggs would be damaged. Yike, you are really thoughtful."
"No, I just know this, so I know. I'm going to teach you how to recognize it first. I went to Aunt Xiuying and the director first. Ziyi had something to discuss with the captain, and I was afraid it would be too late and they would be asleep, so I went to their house first. I bought one for them, too. This is a gift from me to you, no charge."
"How can that be? You're teaching us, and we need you to pay for it. No, it's obviously very expensive, and we can't let you pay for it."
"It's not that expensive. If you feel bad, just give me two handfuls of vegetables from your garden. Really."
"Well, you are just too kind-hearted. I heard that you gave popsicles to the children, but they cost two cents each. Don't always buy things for those naughty kids and waste money in the future."
“It doesn’t cost much.”
After Yike taught the captain's wife how to use a thermometer and checked the eggs in the incubator, he came out of the main room and found that Ziyi had already discussed the matter of selling popsicles with the captain.
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