When they got home, Huang's mother pulled Xu Mengyao over and whispered to her, "We sold all our steamed buns this morning. Xiaofeng's steamed bread was sold, but the steamed buns didn't sell much."
Xu Mengyao smiled slightly after hearing this, as if everything was within her expectations:
"Mom, have you forgotten why we chose to sell flower rolls? The children are all tired of steamed buns, and no one has tried her steamed bread yet. I guess even fewer people will buy it tomorrow. She saw that flower rolls are selling well, so maybe she will follow our example."
Huang's mother was a little angry after hearing this: "What? I gave her the steamed bread to make, how can she still sell the same one as me?"
Xu Mengyao comforted her, "Mom, money can move people's hearts. Since she has one idea, she might have another. But it doesn't matter. We can just try selling it in a different way."
She thought for a moment and then said, "You can start selling the vegetable boxes this afternoon. My classmate ordered one from me at noon because his family is away and he has no food. You can beat him two eggs and I'll give him two steamed buns. I'll charge him thirty cents."
Xu Mengyao knew that Chen Chen had no money, but she didn't want to let Huang's mother pay for it out of kindness, so she decided to use her own small treasury to pay for it.
Huang's mother nodded and said, "Okay, I'll make it after dinner. How much do you charge for a vegetable box of eggs?"
Xu Mengyao calculated in her mind and replied, "Just sell it for 20 cents."
After dinner, Huang's mother started busy making vegetable boxes. Xu Mengyao helped by asking her mother to add some soaked vermicelli to the filling to make it richer and more delicious.
After making a vegetable box, she put it into an aluminum lunch box and headed to school. She thought she would have to wait a while before seeing Chen Chen, but she didn't expect him to be in the classroom early.
"Didn't you go home?" Xu Mengyao asked curiously.
Chen Chen nodded: "It doesn't matter whether I go back or not."
He was silent for a moment and then continued, "Huang Wenjuan, I thought about it for a long time at noon. I can't eat your food for free. But I really don't have any money now. Can I keep an account? I will definitely pay you double in the future!"
After saying that, he handed Xu Mengyao a notebook with the words "I owe Huang Wenjuan a roasted sweet potato" neatly written on it.
Xu Mengyao smiled and closed the notebook. "Alright, alright. I'll wait for you to pay me back double. But not now. Wait until you go to college and have the ability to pay me back. Even if you pay me back three times, I'll take it!"
Chen Chen was stunned for a moment, then nodded firmly: "Okay!"
"Come and try the lunch box my mom made!" The moment Xu Mengyao opened the lunch box, the aroma filled the entire classroom. As she spoke, she handed the lunch box to Chen Chen:
"I'm telling you, this is really delicious! And take these two steamed buns home to eat tonight. Don't go hungry for any of the three meals a day."
Chen Chen's eyes were slightly red as he ate the warm food box. Not only his stomach was filled, but his heart was also warmed.
From then on, Xu Mengyao insisted on bringing Chen Chen two meals a day. The account book was filled with more and more words as Chen Chen wrote.
That afternoon, Chen Chen had just finished his meal when Zhao Huihui suddenly burst into the classroom. She sniffed the air and said in surprise:
"I was wondering why the classroom smells like rice every day. It turns out you were secretly eating delicious food in the classroom!"
Her sudden appearance startled both Chen Chen and Xu Mengyao. Xu Mengyao smiled and asked Zhao Huihui, "Why are you here so early today?"
Zhao Huihui shrugged and replied, "Aren't you two here earlier than me? We have to do the general cleaning this afternoon, and as the gym committee member, of course I have to take the lead. But then again, Chen Chen, what are you eating that smells so good?" After she said that, she deliberately leaned closer to sniff.
Chen Chen smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. Seeing this, Xu Mengyao took the initiative to help out:
"This is the food my family sells. Chen Chen has no one to cook at home these past few days, so he asked me to sell it to him. If you want to eat it, you can buy some to try."
When Zhao Huihui heard this, she immediately said excitedly: "I want it, I want it! Just bring me one tomorrow morning, and I'll give you the price right now." After that, she started to take out the money from her schoolbag.
Ever since Zhao Huihui started ordering breakfast, the class has flocked to the scene. Every day, more and more people come to Xu Mengyao to order breakfast. While their backpacks are filled with books, hers is filled with lunch boxes and account books. Sometimes, she even has to requisition Huang Wenrong's backpack to carry her lunch boxes.
Huang's mother's vegetable boxes became popular as soon as they were launched, and the business was very good. Parents in the village had their children line up to buy them every day. In comparison, Aunt Feng's steamed bread business was extremely bleak.
Xu Mengyao looked at Huang's mother's busy figure, and her heart was filled with ripples. She knew very well that traditional cookware was time-consuming and labor-intensive to make vegetable boxes, and was far from efficient enough.
So, she had an idea and asked Huang's father to customize a special frying pan. This pan had no rim, but handles on both sides and a base that could be placed directly on the coal stove. This design allowed the low flame, even with the stove door closed, to provide a steady supply of heat, making Huang's mother's cooking more labor-saving and efficient.
With the popularity of Huangmu's vegetable boxes, Xu Mengyao's heart is filled with pride and satisfaction. But at the same time, she also sees that Huangmu has to get up at four o'clock every morning to take care of the family and run the business.
Working so hard from dawn to dusk was too tiring. Without enough rest for a long time, her health would definitely suffer. So, she began to think about how to reduce the burden on Huang's mother.
One night, Xu Mengyao tossed and turned in bed, her mind racing with ideas. Finally, she found a solution: rent a house near the school and open a snack stand.
This way, Huang's mother only needs to be busy in the morning and after school, and can rest well the rest of the time. During the winter and summer vacations, she can also avoid the bad weather. Moreover, with a large flow of people at the school gate, business will definitely be more prosperous.
She thought about it, thinking that they hadn't been to the city since arriving at the mining area. She had to give Huang's mother some time to rest. During the holidays, Huang's mother could go back to her hometown to visit relatives and reunite with her grandfather and the others. The more she thought about it, the more she thought this was a good idea. However, she had to plan carefully how to convince her father to rent another house.
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