Chapter 13
Fu Le counted his change, feeling utterly depressed. This money really didn't last long.
"Hey, Fu Le, what are you doing?" someone suddenly spoke, startling Fu Le.
"Huang Ting, are you trying to kill me?! You scared the hell out of me." Huang Ting, the sports committee member, was someone the two got along with fairly well, but they weren't exactly best friends who could talk about anything; they were definitely just buddies who were best buddies who were also friends with a dog.
Standing next to Huang Ting was a chatterbox named Xiang Haixia. This brainless idiot was just as foul-mouthed as Xiao Sen, and Fu Le found her annoying.
Fu Le turned his head away from Xiang Haixia's smiling face, pretending not to see her.
"Fu Le, you haven't told me yet, what are you doing here?" Huang Ting squeezed next to Fu Le and said with a grin.
"Take a stroll through the bookstore."
"Rent a book? Let me take a look."
"I didn't rent it, it's just..." The two of them had endless topics to discuss when they talked about books, which was why they got along so well. As for Xiang Haixia, she was forgotten. By the time Huang Ting came to her senses, Xiang Haixia had already stormed off in a huff.
"Hey? Where's Xiang Haixia?"
“Over there, at the ice rink.” Fu Le had already spotted it. “You go ahead and play, I have to go back. I have to go to the market today, I need to go back now.”
Fu Le carried several large buckets to her shop on West Street before heading to the market. She planned to sell braised meat today. She had saved the braising liquid from the night before last and had braised about 200 jin (100 kg). Raw meat was five yuan per jin, but she planned to sell this cooked meat for twenty-five yuan per jin, five yuan more expensive than the market price.
When Fu Le arrived at the market at ten o'clock, it was a busy time. Fu Le found a spot on the edge of the fish market, squatted down, and put down a half-meter-high plastic bucket, which attracted the attention of the people around him.
"Girl, what are you doing?" The fishmonger next to her looked curiously at the red bucket at Fu Le's feet.
Others looked over too. "Uncle, I sell braised meat. My mom makes it, it smells amazing, want some?"
"Oh, the one selling braised meat." The fishmonger scoffed and stopped paying attention. The other aunties and grandmas around him also shifted their attention and started shouting their wares enthusiastically.
Fu Le pulled out his megaphone and shouted, "Come on over and take a look! Tender and juicy braised pork, you won't regret buying it! You can try it, and if you don't like it, you don't have to pay!" After the recording ended, the megaphone kept playing, attracting another wave of attention. Fu Le pretended not to see it.
Since there were no braised meat vendors nearby, the locals, though annoyed by the noise, didn't stop them; in fact, it might even bring them a surge of customers.
"Hey, classmate, I remember you. You're the girl who fainted at the toilet door last time. Hey, do you remember me? I'm Fang Ge. You know Fang Ge, right? He's the school heartthrob in our class, the one who's good-looking and studies well." Wang Jin originally went to buy some apples, but when he heard that there was braised meat here, he came over to take a look since he likes braised food. If he liked it, he would buy some.
Who knew that the seller was actually an acquaintance? Although they had only met once, he had a great memory!
Fu Le: ...
"Want to buy some? My family's braised meat tastes great, it's 25 yuan a pound." He quickly changed the subject.
Having experienced three years of frustration with a high school 'scandal' in her past life, she's angry to be back in the same situation. But when it comes to making money, her brother is her only enemy.
"Hey, you really don't remember me? Well, I guess that makes sense, since Fang Ge was at the very front, and he was so good-looking. Hey, what kind of meat is this? Pork? 25 yuan a pound? Most people only pay 20, some even 18. Your 25 is way too expensive!"
"Fatty, you get what you pay for. Try it and you'll see why I sell it for so much." Fu Le picked up a piece of meat about the size of his thumb with a toothpick and handed it over.
Wang Jin took it and popped it into his mouth. "It tastes really good, very fragrant and not tough. Hey, I'm not called Fatty, I'm called Wang Jin. What's your name, classmate?"
"Fu Le, do you want some braised meat? I'll only be making this much, I'll leave once it's sold out."
"The food is quite delicious, but the price is..."
"Hey little girl, is your braised pork 25 yuan a pound? Can I try some?"
"Yes, Auntie, you should try it. This meat is all from the front leg, it's very tender. My mom braised it herself. My family also has a pork shop, and we get our supplies first thing every morning, so it's absolutely fresh and healthy." Fu Le was too lazy to pay attention to the rambling fat man and went to greet others.
Hearing that it was her own meat, the woman's expression softened a bit. The tender and juicy texture of the meat immediately made her let her guard down. "Give me two pounds. My husband loves this. It's great as a snack with drinks."
"Okay, Auntie, I'll cut it for you right away."
Fu Le clumsily made a few cuts, put it in a plastic bag, and placed it on the side. It weighed 2.1 jin. "Auntie, this 1.1 jin is free. You are my first customer. Come again after you've eaten."
"Okay, young lady, you're quite good at business, haha." The lady handed over fifty yuan, told him to keep the change, and took the meat away. Soon, other people came up to try it. Seeing that Fu Le was about to get busy, Wang Jin didn't dare to delay any longer, lest they sell out. "Hey, Fu Le, I came first, give me two jin, then go and do other things."
Fu Le smiled and cut the meat for Wang Jin. This time it was the right weight, but not an ounce more. However, Wang Jin didn't say anything, picked up the meat and said, "If it's good, I'll come again," and left.
Soon, the price reached 100 yuan, and Fu Le's business suddenly improved. He sold one jin, half a jin, and even five jin right away. He also boosted the business of the surrounding area, and the people around him became more friendly.
When the market closed at 2 PM, Fu Le had sold 125 jin of braised meat, and even the leftover scraps were picked up by others.
"Girl, your business is really good! I saw a woman buy a few pounds and then come back a little while later. It's obvious the fish tastes really good." The fishmonger was also having a good day and was in a good mood as he chatted with Fu Le.
"Uncle, the meat in my shop is all from the tenderest parts, not the dry and tough meat you find in the market. It tastes great, you get what you pay for, and customers aren't stupid." Fu Le put the tray of scales into the bucket, stood up, and realized she had things to do back home.
As soon as Fu Le got home, she started cooking. She used vegetables and meat from the giants, which tasted good. She wanted to make sure her family was healthy and lived to be a hundred years old.
When Aunt Fu arrived home by bike, she smelled the aroma of food even before entering the gate, and couldn't help but smile. Her son Lele had really grown up and knew how to care for his mother.
After the mother and daughter finished their meal, Fu Le slapped all 3,125 yuan she had earned from selling meat that day onto the table.
Aunt Fu: !!!
"Where did you get so much money?" The questioner exclaimed in astonishment, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
"Of course it's from selling braised meat today! There was a market day in town today, didn't you remember?"
When did you buy the meat?
"I went out to buy this this morning, using the braising liquid from the day before yesterday. Mom, you have no idea how popular I am! One aunt bought it twice; her whole family loves my meat. Hehe, I can't give this braised meat recipe to anyone else. From now on, if I happen to be at the market on weekends or during winter or summer vacations, I'll braise meat and sell it. It's so profitable! Look, the cost was only a little over six hundred, and I made five times that amount. Mom, let me tell you, doing business is the only way to make money. Your job, you'd work yourself to death and still not earn much; it's all going to others." Fu Le brainwashed his mother again.
Once again, Qi Hua was spurred on by his daughter's earnings and the promises she made. He was truly shaken. After finishing the dishes, he went to make a phone call.
Fu Le quietly peeked through the window of the back door and, sure enough, her mother was resigning from her job with her aunt.
I don't know what they said on the other end, but her mother said that she would quit in a week at most, and then she hung up the phone.
"Fu Le, give me the money!"
Fu Le: ...
Okay, I handed it over. But this is what she wanted. This money was originally meant to supplement the family's household expenses. "Mom, Dad is playing cards, so you can't give him any more money. Otherwise, I'll keep all the money I make from selling meat. I'll keep this 125 yuan change myself. Here's three thousand yuan for you. You have to save it. Our kitchen is leaking like this. I need to save money to build a house!"
“You want to build a house? A two-story house would cost at least 100,000 yuan. How long would it take us to save up? Sigh, this kind of money can’t be earned in a few days or months.” After saying that, Fu’s mother was about to leave when Fu Le stopped her.
"Mom, come here, let me do the math for you. I've checked the market price; the cost of meat is three yuan and fifty cents. Since we own the shop, there are no expenses. Water and electricity are negligible, so the profit margin is 30%. That means if you buy two thousand yuan worth of meat, you can make a profit of six hundred yuan. Our shop on West Street has such a high foot traffic. If you're enthusiastic and give each customer a small, inexpensive gift, I don't believe you won't make two or three thousand a month. Three thousand a month, that's thirty-six thousand a year. I'll also sell braised meat during holidays. If our whole family works together, we can easily make fifty or sixty thousand a year. In two years at most, we'll have enough money to build our two-story house!"
Qi Hua was stunned by his daughter's words, and in his daze, a thought suddenly occurred to him: "Is it really that profitable?"
"Mom, if you don't dare to take this step, you'll be poor forever."
Qi Hua: ...
"Lele, after Mom finishes delivering the goods tomorrow, should I inquire about where to source the products?"
"Sure! Mom, you're such a doer, I give you a thumbs up!" Fu Le was overjoyed. With her mother taking this first step towards change, their family's financial situation would never be bad again. As for Old Fu, just wait, she'd definitely teach him a lesson.
What does "like" mean?
"Thumbs up, that's a popular slang term among us students, you wouldn't understand."
Qi Hua: You brat.
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