Chapter 53: Chapter 53 Buying Soybeans
Translator: 549690339
Qiao Changsun saw the two pieces of silk fabric and immediately felt a little heartache, “Why did you buy these?”
“Of course they are for wearing.” Qiao Xiaomai put the groceries in the kitchen and carried the two pieces of silk fabric back to her room. “Linen clothes chafe the skin, and the silk fabric is for wearing inside. Dad, stop worrying about money, our family now makes money every day.”
“It’s noon now, time to prepare lunch. If you have nothing to do, you can start the fire.”
Qiao Changsun sighed and ceased persuading Qiao Xiaomai.
Lately, Qiao Xiaomai had been changing rapidly, coming up with all sorts of ideas, and she was earning all the money.
“Let Dami start the fire. I’ll go cut some fresh grass to feed the donkey.” Their home was on the west side, close to Rooster Mountain. It was springtime and wild grass was all over the place.
“Go ahead, go ahead.” Qiao Xiaomai waved her hand.
She was just worried that the donkey might be sick, but now she had started showing concern for it. Farmers indeed care deeply about their livestock.
Qiao Xiaomai put things away and went into the kitchen to make lunch.
She made a big bone soup and stir-fried tofu. She reheated the steamed buns from the morning and lunch was ready.
Simple yet delicious.
After lunch, Qiao Changsun fed the donkey and then tidied up the cluttered storage shed at home. The millstone was too heavy. He went next door to ask Aunt Guilan for help.
Aunt Guilan’s real name is Yang Guilan. Her husband, Lin Dacheng, was a genuine and honest man. When he saw the donkey and the millstone, his eyes lit up and he eagerly inquired about what had happened.
After hearing Qiao Changsun’s explanation, he patted Qiao Changsun on the shoulder and said, “Changsun, work hard, your family’s good days are coming.”
Yang Guilan joined the conversation, “Isn’t that the truth? With Xiaomai’s diligence, it won’t be long before your family becomes one of the richest in the village.”
Among the over five thousand people in Anping Village, only the Tong Family who sold vinegar and the Jiang Family who sold pork did business. Now Qiao Xiaomai’s family became the third one to start a business, and they were selling tofu, a fresh food product.
Their wealth would gradually increase!
Qiao Xiaomai smiled and nodded, not responding to Aunt Guilan’s words. Instead, she asked, “Aunt, making tofu needs soybeans. How many soybeans do you have left? I want to buy.”
“There are still about thirty to forty kilograms left.” Yang Guilan replied.
The taxes only required Xiaomi and wheat, not soybeans. So, the villagers did not plant too many, with each family growing several tens of kilograms for cooking or making soybean paste.
“Since you want to buy, I will sell all to you. After the wheat is harvested, we can continue to plant soybeans. We don’t need them for now.” Yang Guilan said.
“Good!” Qiao Xiaomai nodded with a smile.
Qiao Xiaomai bought all thirty-eight kilograms of soybeans from Yang Guilan’s family at a price of three pennies per kilogram. She had Qiao Changsun clear up the shed and tried to use the donkey to pull the millstone.
She then went up the mountain to gather firewood.
This time she brought a hemp rope with the plan to gather more. Without natural gas or electricity, cooking and boiling water had to rely on firewood. Because they needed to make tofu at home, they needed to collect more firewood.
Rooster Mountain wasn’t tall, only over three hundred meters high. Qiao Xiaomai climbed up along the path, scanning her surroundings in search of dry branches.
She also had a basket on her back, picking up wood ear mushrooms whenever she encountered them.
Of course, she also saw pheasants and rabbits. Although Rooster Mountain wasn’t high, it was home to quite a few wild animals.
However, these little creatures were very alert. Any slight disturbances from Qiao Xiaomai would startle them, and she could only see their retreating backs.
This caused Qiao Xiaomai a bit of regret.
After almost two hours on the mountain, the sun was about to set. She tied up the collected firewood with the hemp rope, then with one hand dragging them, she leisurely made her way down the mountain..