Li Yan then led the women to a pile of charcoal, picked up a large piece of charcoal with a uniform color and a hard texture, and said to the aunts, "Charcoal like this is top-quality charcoal. You can put it in a bamboo basket!"
He picked up a smaller piece of charcoal with cracks in it and said to the aunts, "This kind of charcoal is of lower quality, not as good as the one just now. Aunts, you can put it in another bamboo basket!"
Then he picked up a small, loose piece of charcoal and said, "This is the worst kind of charcoal. Aunts, remember to put it together!"
It turned out to be that simple. The women immediately brought bamboo baskets and started working quickly!
Chief Li walked to Li Yan's side with satisfaction and said, "I see there are probably several hundred kilograms of charcoal here today. These uncles of yours are all very honest men. Since you are familiar with the city, how about you take the trouble to lead them for a day?"
"Grandpa clan leader, this is not a big deal. Then who should I take to the city to sell it?" Li Yan asked.
Clan leader Li thought for a moment and replied, "Your uncle followed you around last time selling candied haws. I think he has some experience, so let's count him in as one. The other one will be my nephew Li Wenshan. What do you think?"
The women quickly sorted the charcoal, and Li Yan counted it—seven baskets! Clan leader Li ordered his grandson's family to fetch a scale, and they weighed each basket one by one. After the last basket, Li Yan calculated that the best quality weighed 300 kilograms, the second-best 430 kilograms, and the worst 100 kilograms, for a total of over 830 kilograms of charcoal.
Chief Li called Li Dalang and Li Wenshan and asked them to go to the city to sell charcoal.
The two were both nervous and excited when they heard this. Li Wenshan approached the Li clan leader and scratched his head: "Uncle, I've never sold charcoal before. How do you decide the price?"
Patriarch Li looked at Li Yan who was standing beside him, and signaled her with his eyes to explain to the two of them.
Li Yan pointed to the largest piece of charcoal on the left and said to the two men, "This large, best quality piece is sold for three cents, the lower quality one in the middle is sold for two cents, and the smallest one on the right is sold for one cent! Uncle, do you remember this?"
Li Wenshan nodded immediately after hearing this: "I've got it, I've got it!"
Li Yan immediately asked her uncle to go home and pull the mule cart. The villagers helped load the charcoal onto the mule cart, and the three of them immediately set off for the city.
The biting cold wind blew through the thick cotton coat, making Li Yan's scalp numb.
Li Wenshan couldn't help but mutter, "This damn weather is getting colder and colder!" He waved his whip and quickened his pace to get to the city.
The group quickly entered Rongcheng. Seeing the streets now much emptier than usual, Li Yan said to her uncle, "Today isn't a market day. Uncle, please take the mule cart to the cloth shop first!"
If the people coming out of the cloth shop see this charcoal, those who have spare money will definitely weigh some charcoal to take back!
Li Dalang drove a mule cart to a garment shop. As Li Yan expected, the people coming out of the garment shop saw the charcoal on the mule cart and couldn't help but stop to ask about the price of the charcoal.
The few people stayed at the clothing shop for only an incense stick of time and sold out 100 kilograms of inferior charcoal and 200 kilograms of medium-quality charcoal.
Li Wenshan asked anxiously, "It's been half a day, why hasn't anyone bought this high-quality charcoal?"
Li Yan couldn't help but sigh in her heart, "People still don't have money, and they can't afford such expensive coal!"
Li Dalang put away the silver he earned from selling charcoal and said with emotion, "This pound of high-quality charcoal costs three cents. How can ordinary people afford it? If it were the inferior charcoal that costs only one cent, I wouldn't even be willing to buy it!"
Li Wenshan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. "Big brother is right. Not to mention one penny per catty, even if it's ten catties for one penny, I can't afford it!"
Li Yan couldn't help feeling sad when she heard what the two said. If the people in the city were like this, she wondered what kind of life those people in the remote areas were living!
A few people enjoyed the cool breeze outside the clothing shop for another cup of tea and sold another 30 kilograms of medium-quality charcoal.
Li Yan stamped her numb feet and said to the two of them, "Let's not wait here anymore. Let's go to another place!"
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