Aunt Shen continued with a few more words of advice:
“Tell your family that it’s normal not to earn much silver when you first start. This kind of business requires patience and persistence.”
“But as long as you have the skills, you won’t lack customers…”
Su Li knew these were heartfelt words from the older woman and didn’t mind the lengthy advice. She sincerely expressed her thanks and offered a small handful of wild jujubes she had been carrying with her.
Aunt Shen initially refused the gift, leading to the customary back-and-forth of polite refusal before finally accepting.
Only then did Su Li leave with Su Tao and Li Chunhua.
“Fifth Sister, why were you asking that auntie all those questions?” Su Tao asked suddenly on their way back, having remained silent for a long while without knowing what to say.
She had been listening to Su Li’s conversation with the older woman, and it seemed to be all about selling some kind of food at Ma Tou. But when had their family ever planned to sell food?
True to her straightforward nature, Su Tao asked exactly what she was thinking.
Hearing this, Su Li patiently replied, “I was thinking with so many people here, we could also make some food to sell. If we could earn some silver every day, it could help with household expenses.”
Although Su Li was confident in her cooking skills, she deliberately kept her explanation conservative.
Su Tao was stunned upon hearing this. Fifth Sister wanted to make and sell food herself?
This… this couldn’t be possible! Su Tao instinctively felt it was impossible. There was no particular reason – she just felt it wouldn’t work. Even though she thought Fifth Sister’s cooking was delicious, eating at home and selling to others were completely different matters.
Su Tao was still trapped in conservative, traditional thinking, and her upbringing made her instinctively reject such ideas.
Su Li didn’t blame her. On the contrary, she could imagine that if she told their mother Chen Shi or their grandparents about this idea, they would likely react the same way.
But she still said, “Why is it impossible? Fourth Sister, didn’t we just sell our fruits? And we earned quite a bit of silver.”
“That’s different…”Su Tao retorted.”
“Does Fourth Sister think my cooking isn’t good enough?”Su Li didn’t give Su Tao a chance to refute, pressing further.”
How could that be!! Su Tao had never tasted better food than what Fifth Sister Su Li cooked.
Seeing Su Tao fall silent, Su Li continued:
“In that case, why wouldn’t it work?”
Yes, in that case, why wouldn’t it work?
Su Tao was somewhat persuaded and couldn’t help but start considering the feasibility of the idea.
Li Chunhua, who had been quiet beside them, suddenly spoke up, “Sister A Li’s cooking is so delicious, it would definitely sell well.”
Su Tao didn’t know what to say to that.
After another moment passed,
“Fourth Sister, Sister Chunhua, let’s divide the silver,” Su Li suggested, noticing there was no one around and they were on a relatively secluded path.
They had agreed earlier that since the two baskets and backpack were of similar value, Li Chunhua would receive nine fewer coins – meaning Li Chunhua would get 57 coins, while Su Li and Su Tao would each get 66 coins, with two coins remaining.
However, among them, only Su Li knew how to count. Neither Li Chunhua nor Su Tao had this skill.
“There are two extra coins – let’s each take one,” Su Li said, counting the copper coins she had placed on the ground. Su Tao agreed. Among good friends, one coin more or less didn’t matter much.
She handed the string of copper coins to Li Chunhua.
Li Chunhua took the copper coins, momentarily dazed—was all this silver truly hers?
One had to understand that a single egg cost only one wen. Her mother had scrimped and saved, managing at most to earn thirty wen from sales. Yet she, merely by gathering some wild fruits to sell, had earned so much?
Similarly, Su Tao gripped the string of copper coins in her hand, thinking the same thoughts. One wen could buy a steamed bun, two wen could buy a meat-filled bun.
How long could that last? Su Tao felt dizzy, utterly unable to calculate it clearly.
In the past, the most she’d ever held was the two wen her father gave her during the New Year. Never had she imagined that selling some fruits today could earn her this much money.
When she told her grandmother about it later, she’d surely be overjoyed.
Seeing that both of them thought the money had come too easily, Su Li spoke up to prevent future disappointment: “Today, we were fortunate to have a generous customer, which is why we earned this much. It’ll likely be much harder from now on.”
Su Li had just learned from Aunt Shen that sour jujubes in the county town sold for at most five wen per jin at their peak. The high price they’d managed to fetch was purely because Su Li hadn’t known the market rate, and the buyer hadn’t bothered to haggle.
Su Li still vividly recalled the speechlessness she’d felt upon learning this—so she’d unwittingly played the part of a profiteer, hadn’t she?
Hearing Su Li’s words, Su Tao and Li Chunhua were completely convinced.
“Shall we come again tomorrow?” Li Chunhua asked softly. Su Tao also looked to their current leader.
“Yes!”
And so, the three agreed on a time for the next day before heading home.
Meanwhile, back at the Su Family:
“Mother, please let’s go see a doctor,” Chen Shi pleaded as she massaged Wu Pozi’s foot. While cutting bamboo in the grove earlier, Wu Pozi had twisted her ankle, and within moments, it had swollen into a frightening shade of blue and purple.
“Hiss—what’s there to see? Why waste the money? It’ll heal on its own in a couple of days,” Wu Pozi snapped without a second thought, trying to wave it off. Yet despite her efforts to endure, she couldn’t help but gasp in pain intermittently.
Seeing Wu Pozi stubbornly refuse, Chen Shi was at a loss.
“Go fetch me a couple handfuls of sour grass—applying that works better than anything,” Wu Pozi insisted, forcing a smile to reassure her.
But her words carried little conviction, especially paired with the alarming sight of her injured foot.
“I’ll go get Father!”
To Chen Shi, the injury looked anything but minor. A sprain was one thing, but if the bone was damaged, it could affect her for life.
“Don’t—” Before Wu Pozi could stop her, Chen Shi had already dashed off.
When Su Laotou rushed back in a panic, Wu Pozi remained as stubborn as ever, refusing to go to the Yiguan.
“Let’s just go to the Yiguan and have it checked!”
“It’s fine…”
“I told you… it’s nothing… why are you all making such a fuss?”
If not for the cold sweat drenching her forehead and her tightly clenched jaw, Su Laotou might have believed her.
“Qingshan’s mother, go measure ten dou of rice. I’ll ask the Village Chief to borrow the mule cart…” With no silver at home, measuring rice was necessary to sell for cash. At a time like this, there was no other choice.
“Right away, Father!” Chen Shi replied, rising to head inside, while Su Laotou stood up to seek out the Village Chief.
Watching them ignore her and walk away, Wu Pozi could no longer contain herself and shouted angrily,
“How dare you! Don’t go, do you hear me? How dare you…”
After speaking, Wu Pozi endured the pain and stood up, chasing in the direction the two had left. However, due to her foot injury, she fell to the ground with a thud the moment she stood up.
Chen Shi and Su Laotou heard the sound and hurriedly turned back.
“Mother…”
“Old woman…”
“Didn’t I tell you not to? Can’t you hear me? Do I have to die for you to finally listen to me?”