The next day, at the crack of dawn, Qiao Mei woke Li Gui up and took her to the storeroom for a discussion. She originally had hundreds of baskets of beans but after the agreement between the village and the supply and marketing cooperative was made, she had sold most of those beans to the villagers at a low price. Therefore, there were only about 10 baskets of beans left in the storeroom. In the corner, there were also a few baskets of shriveled bean sprouts. Qiao Mei had taken back some of the energy from the bean sprouts early in the morning so as to make them look more realistic.
“These few baskets of bean sprouts are not up to standard. If you have time, you can go to the black market to sell them. It’s not so convenient for me to go now but it’s a pity to throw them away.” Qiao Mei looked at these bean sprouts regretfully.
Li Gui squatted down and looked at the bean sprouts carefully, the quality was indeed not at the level required by the supply and marketing cooperative. She said confidently, “Don’t worry, I will definitely be able to sell it.”
She had been going to the black market since she was young, so she knew very well where to find the most suitable spot to sell these bean sprouts, and it should not take her too long to sell everything. It was just that these few baskets of bean sprouts already weighed around 80 pounds. Fortunately, Li Gui had been doing manual labor in the factory previously, and there was also the bicycle available for use, so she did not have to worry about not being able to carry it.
“Oh right, I still have a few pumpkins and some fruits here. Help me sell them and I’ll give you half of the earnings.” Qiao Mei handed the basket beside her to Li Gui.
Li Gui took it and slung it over her shoulder. “No, no need. Take it as I’m helping you run an errand or something. You don’t have to give me money.” Li Gui looked at the color of the sky outside and said, “I’ll go now or the market will close soon.”
It turned out that it was not that strenuous to carry the four big baskets, so Li Gui rode the bicycle and made her way to the black market. Although the rules and regulations did not allow people to buy and sell items in private now, due to the lack of supplies, everyone came together in an unplanned manner to put things up for sale in an inconspicuous place. Over time, this place became known as the black market.
As soon as Li Gui arrived at the black market, she found a place near the exit and set up a stall. The bean sprouts sold at the supply and marketing cooperative went for 30 cents a catty. She priced her stock at 10 cents a catty and was naturally able to sell them quickly. A few people grabbed a handful of bean sprouts to try and agreed that it indeed tasted similar to the ones sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. They then generously bought more than 10 catties of bean sprouts and it did not take long for the bean sprouts to be sold out.
Li Gui held the empty baskets and grinned from ear to ear. She did a quick count and noted that there were 13 dollars and 30 cents in her hands. This was more profitable than working in the factory. She had never made so much money in a day.
After Li Gui left, Qiao Mei cooked some pumpkin porridge and stewed some pork with cabbage for the two children. When the food was served, Zhang Qin and Zhang Miao still only focused on eating the porridge in their bowls and did not dare to take any of the meat and vegetables. Qiao Mei had to pick out the meat piece by piece for them.
As Zhang Qin scooped the rice porridge from her bowl, she muttered softly, “Thank you, elder sister…”
Qiao Mei smiled when she heard that. This was still a good child after all and not an ungrateful ingrate. It was good to know that the child knew how to feel thankful. Qiao Mei looked at Zhang Qin and Zhang Miao and said, “Is elder sister a nice person?”
Zhang Miao looked up excitedly and said, “Yes! Elder sister is great!”
Qiao Mei touched Zhang Miao’s head and asked, “Then do you think mom is a nice person?”
Zhang Qin lowered her head and shook it silently while Zhang Miao also kept quiet. Seeing this, Qiao Mei brought them to the grapevine and took a bunch of grapes for the two children. She sat on a stool and said, “Actually, mom is very good to you, but mom doesn’t have the ability to give you a lot. Look, elder sister has all these fruits and vegetables. I can give them to you, but if mom has vegetables, she has to give them to your grandmother, am I right.”
Zhang Miao was young, but she was starting to remember things. Zhang Qin was a little older and was six years old this year and there were things that she could remember. Zhang Qin thought for a moment and nodded. It was true that if there was any food, she had to give them to her brother and father first, and she had to give everything that was nice to her grandparents.
Qiao Mei looked at the two children’s reactions and continued, “Mom has to hand over her salary to your grandmother every month and your father has to hand over his salary to her as well. She gets more than 80 dollars a month and can totally support you four siblings. Why is it that you still don’t have enough to eat.”
Zhang Miao thought for a moment and said, “Because Grandma said that she wants to feed the boys first!”
Qiao Mei waved her hands and said, “That’s not right. Both boys and girls should have food. Your grandmother took everything away from mom, so mom has nothing to give you. Actually, mom wants to treat you well. Your grandmother has so much money but why didn’t she spend any money on you, the clothes you’re wearing are from a long time ago.”
Zhang Qin suddenly remembered and said, “Grandma said that she wanted to save money for big brother to get married…”