“An unexpected development?” Yuan Ni remained very calm. If she could come up with the idea of trading sundries for eggs, she still had backup plans.
If the Gongxiaoshe wouldn’t take the eggs, she could simply activate her backup method earlier.
“It’s like this…”
Chen Wenqi pulled Yuan Ni aside and explained. Although she was the director of the Gongxiaoshe, she wasn’t the one who had the final say there.
Ever since Yuan Ni had first come to sell eggs, someone had set their sights on this money-making method.
“In the past, we bought eggs in small, scattered amounts, randomly purchasing from our peasant brothers. When you sold over a thousand eggs at once, some people grew envious.
They spoke to the Gongshe leaders, and someone up top put in a word, saying that from now on there would be a dedicated supplier, and I was told not to accept eggs from private sellers anymore.”
Those of higher rank crush those below them. Chen Wenqi felt utterly helpless.
Yuan Ni smiled. This was well within her expectations.
It was Yuan Ni’s Mother who turned pale with anxiety. “How can they do this?”
Yuan Ni tugged at her mother’s clothes to stop her from speaking further. “I’ve brought another fifteen hundred eggs today. Can you still take these?”
“These were all agreed upon beforehand. Even under pressure, I have to get this done for you.”
“Good, that’s all I needed to hear.”
The fifteen hundred eggs sold for a total of one hundred and twenty yuan.
There were actually a few extra, but after counting out fifteen hundred, Yuan Ni stopped them from counting more. “We agreed on fifteen hundred, so let’s just go by that number.”
Chen Wenqi didn’t understand. “It wouldn’t hurt to take the extra few.”
Yuan Ni packed away the remaining eggs. If the Gongxiaoshe didn’t want them, she still had important uses for them.
After collecting the money, Yuan Ni still wanted to buy goods. “Director Chen, since I won’t be delivering eggs anymore, can I still buy things at wholesale prices?”
Chen Wenqi was even more puzzled. Yuan Ni bought those needles, threads, and daily sundries to trade for eggs in the countryside. If the Gongxiaoshe was no longer buying Yuan Ni’s eggs, what did she need the sundries for?
Was she taking them home for personal use?
“Of course you can. As long as you buy in bulk, I can give you wholesale prices.” Though she couldn’t figure it out, Chen Wenqi still answered with a smile.
“Good, then I’d like to buy these things.” Yuan Ni handed over a list she had prepared in advance.
The list included salt, sugar, needles and thread—much the same as her last stocking list.
Chen Wenqi felt she should offer a word of caution. “Yuan Ni, you can buy these things for your own use, but you mustn’t resell them.”
Yuan Ni nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to hurt myself.”
This time, Yuan Ni bought over forty yuan worth of sundries. With the remaining eggs added on top, the cart was loaded full again.
After bidding farewell to Chen Wenqi, Yuan Ni had her mother watch the cart while she went to the savings office to deposit money.
Ever since she heard that the Gongxiaoshe wouldn’t be buying eggs anymore, Yuan Ni’s Mother had been deeply shaken, wilting like a shriveled eggplant. She did whatever Yuan Ni told her to do.
Yuan Ni didn’t have time to explain to her mother. She had brought all the remaining money from home, and combined with what the Gongxiaoshe had paid, it came to two hundred and twenty yuan in total—which needed to be converted into a passbook.
“Fixed deposits have higher interest rates. A hundred yuan earns eight yuan in interest per year. You should go with a fixed deposit.” The savings office clerk assumed Yuan Ni didn’t know any better and started to process a fixed deposit for her.
“No, I want a demand deposit.”
Money makes money faster—Yuan Ni had already calculated this long ago.
The thick stack of bills quickly turned into a thin passbook. Yuan Ni walked out of the savings office feeling light and carefree.
Yuan Ni’s mother was staring blankly at a cart full of miscellaneous goods, looking rather pitiful.
“If the Gongxiaoshe won’t take eggs anymore, what are we going to do next?”
“Gu Qianbu already helped us get in touch with the Gongshe cafeteria. We can earn whatever we can. Besides, we’ve already saved up enough money to build the house. There’s no need to cling to the Gongxiaoshe.”
Yuan Ni found it a bit amusing. Money was a good thing, but her mother had become addicted to earning it.
“That’s true…”
With Yuan Ni’s reassurance, Yuan Ni’s mother finally came around.
Yuan Ni didn’t dare tell her mother exactly how much money she had deposited in the savings office, afraid that her mother might start getting other ideas.
But in the end, they were making money. Looking at Yuan Ni’s thin shoulders, her mother made a firm decision. “Still saving money? How about we go get some big meat buns?”
Yuan Ni had been waiting for her mother to say exactly that.
The two of them went to the state-run restaurant, ordered ten big meat buns, paired them with seaweed and egg drop soup, and enjoyed a hearty meal.
“No wonder everyone wants to move to the city. These buns are delicious. Ni, how about we find a way to buy you a job?” Yuan Ni’s mother wiped her mouth. The flavor of the meat buns lingered, and her mind had become much more active.
“Why buy a job? Isn’t trading goods working out fine?”
“But the egg trading gig was taken over by someone else, wasn’t it? Who knows how long the Gongshe cafeteria arrangement will last? A proper job would be more secure.”
“Mother, listen to me. We’re going to keep trading goods. We’ll collect eggs and take them into the city to exchange for scrap.
For example, old iron pots, waste newspapers, toothpaste tubes, and things like that. The scrap recycling station takes all of those, and they buy them by weight at set prices.
We sell the scrap we collect, and we can still make money.” Yuan Ni spoke with confidence, laying out her backup plan.
Her mother was stunned. “That works?”
“Why wouldn’t it? It’s within the rules and it makes money. Isn’t that better than having a job?”
Her mother patted her head and mulled it over, finding herself unable to argue.
In truth, collecting scrap and exchanging it for money was the sustainable long-term plan.
Whether supplying the Gongxiaoshe or the Gongshe cafeteria, it drew too much envy. Without backing from someone influential, it was hard to sustain such business for long.
Yuan Ni had her special ability, making her perfectly suited to carrying eggs through the streets and alleys to trade for scrap.
Those dust-covered antiques, treasures hidden in the river of time, were right there in the midst of everyday life.
They might be an unremarkable pickle jar, or a clay pot half-buried in the ground.
People couldn’t recognize the true value of treasures. To pick up bargains and get rich, one needed sharp eyes—and Yuan Ni just happened to have them.
After hearing Yuan Ni explain the scrap trading approach, her mother thought it could work. “Since we’ve come all the way to the Gongshe, let’s give it a try today and see what we can collect.”
Action speaks louder than words. Yuan Ni wiped her mouth, pushed the cart, and headed out.
The idea of trading for scrap sounded nice, but putting it into practice wasn’t so easy.
These days, the workers had the most money. Yuan Ni had planned to check out the cement factory’s family compound, but just as she reached the gate, the old gatekeeper stopped her.
“You’re not from this factory, are you? Scrap collectors aren’t allowed in.”
Yuan Ni smiled, picked up two eggs, and placed them on the old man’s desk. “How can I collect scrap without going in? Master, can you do us a favor?”
The gatekeeper slid the eggs into his drawer. “Fine, but don’t touch anything by people’s doorsteps.”
Yuan Ni promised she absolutely wouldn’t touch anyone’s belongings, and only then was she allowed in.
In the countryside, every household had a large courtyard, where both useful and useless items could be stored.
In the city, space wasn’t so spacious—coal bricks and cabbages were all stacked by the doorways.
If a junk collector had light fingers, they could easily swipe quite a few things as they passed by.
Yuan Ni’s Mother walked along, taking in the sights, completely unaware that someone was approaching from the opposite direction.
“Ouch…”
Before she knew it, her mother collided head-on with the person, and the items in that person’s hands nearly tumbled to the ground.
Yuan Ni quickly freed a hand to catch them, and the moment the object touched her palm, a searing heat swept through her…