Hmm, can’t give them away for free, still have to charge them—it’s packaging after all,
Bai Zhi got up and realized that her grandfather had already left the house at some point and wasn’t home,
He might be in the fields or he might have gone to chop bamboo—by now, the sun was already high in the sky,
Bai Zhi slapped her own head, why had she woken up so late? She went to the kitchen to see a bowl of fried rice with egg left in the pot, and looking at the eggs next to it, needless to say, there was definitely only one left; her grandfather really gave her all the good stuff,
Bai Zhi felt a sweet warmth in her heart, she took out the fried rice and, along with the cold fish mint salad, started to eat— the fried rice was very fragrant, one bite after another, and it wasn’t long before she gobbled it all up.
Bai Zhi began preparing to make Green Bean Cake with the soaked green beans and red beans she had taken out.
The green beans had been soaking for several hours; when it was still dark, Bai Zhi had started soaking them. Adding just a bit of water, barely covering the beans, it was time to start cooking. She simmered them on a low heat on the stove, keeping an eye on them and occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon.
Once the green beans were cooked soft, they were ready to be strained through a fine sieve, a particularly fine one bought for this purpose.
After sieving, some peppermint juice and white sugar were added to prepare the red bean paste, using the same process.
At last, the green bean paste wrapped around the red bean filling with a little less flour added to the green bean paste—just a bit—along with oil, and then steamed directly in the pot.
The freshly steamed Green Bean Cakes were very hot and needed to cool down before they could be handled.
Bai Zhi finished steaming it all, roughly seven to eight pounds of Green Bean Cake, planning to sell it for 5 yuan per pound.
Any more expensive and no one would buy it,
Once all sold, the profit would likely be around 30 yuan; you have to realize, that’s quite a lot for 1996, when most people’s wages were only two to three hundred yuan a month—30 yuan was quite good.
Bai Zhi was very satisfied; no matter what you do, you have to take it slow and steady, isn’t that right?
It was about time to make lunch. Bai Zhi took out the eggplants and cowpeas, planning to stir-fry the eggplant, cook the cowpeas, and eat the leftover stir-fried pork from yesterday.
Suddenly, her gaze landed on a big bag of potatoes,
Keep in mind, her favorite thing to eat was, of course, French fries and mashed potatoes—shouldn’t all kids love them? What if she made some fries to sell?
Since she had already planned to sell Green Bean Cakes, she had prepared a lot of waxed paper, so if she really made fries, she wouldn’t worry about having nothing to pack them in—just do it.
She began boiling the cowpeas and then started peeling potatoes; currently, in the places where markets were held, nobody was selling fries, so hers were sure to be a hit.
She wasn’t worried about no customers at all, for who could resist the temptation of fries!
The happier she thought about it, Bai Dan returned with bamboo just to find that Bai Zhi had already prepared the meal, and there was a portion of fried potatoes; hold on, potatoes are generally fried in chunks, but these were in strips, and particularly dry?
“Grandpa, you’re back, come and try the Green Bean Cake and these fries to see if they’re good?”
Bai Zhi brought out a plate of Green Bean Cakes and a plate of fries, not daring to make too much since they’d go soft and not taste good if left out for too long; she planned to get up early the next morning to fry them, as she only needed to prep the potatoes tonight.
Seeing the Green Bean Cake, Bai Dan was a bit puzzled—where had this come from?
“Xingxing, where did this Green Bean Cake come from?”
It looked pretty, and the aroma of green beans was strong—it seemed like it would be delicious.
“I made it, Grandpa. Remember when I bought some green beans earlier? It was for making Green Bean Cake. Could you try it and tell me what you think? I want to sell them.”
The most crucial part of making Green Bean Cake was the heat control, it wasn’t difficult, and the same went for fries—though they use a lot of oil, they’re simple, perfect for her current situation with no money, this was the simplest thing.
Eventually, when she had money, she’d make other things, but now is a good time; they’re greatly encouraging commerce,
So, she felt there couldn’t be a better time than now.
As long as she worked hard, she would certainly be able to have a good life with Grandpa.
Of course, she had to stay far away from the female lead to avoid becoming collateral damage.
Bai Dan was shocked, not expecting that Xingxing could actually make Green Bean Cake. He took a piece and tried it,
the aroma of both green and red beans spreading in his mouth, it was incredibly delicious,
soft and delicate, not like the bought ones that were called Green Bean Cake with just a hint of green beans. Xingxing must have added plenty of beans.
“It’s delicious. Xingxing, you’re amazing. But as for earning money, Grandpa is here, so you don’t need to worry. Eat the Green Bean Cake yourself, okay?”
There was a slight sourness in Bai Dan’s heart. Xingxing was so sensible, but wasn’t it because she wanted to share some of the burden?
He pulled Bai Zhi’s little hand, looking at her earnestly.
“Xingxing, Grandpa has money, so you don’t need to worry. You just need to go to school happily and bring Grandpa an award certificate, okay?”
He didn’t need Xingxing to think about these things. He could support her.
Bai Zhi smiled and placed another Green Bean Cake in Bai Dan’s hand,
“Grandpa, I’m not saying you can’t support me, but I really like to cook, and I like selling things with you. Let’s work hard together, and in the future, you can go to school with me in the county, Grandpa. Would that be nice?”
Bai Zhi knew that if she didn’t put it this way, Grandpa would definitely not allow her to continue. But she really wanted to work hard and earn money!
Property prices weren’t high now, but they would certainly appreciate in the future. You know, many years later, perhaps the money for a house now wouldn’t even buy a toilet.
So, keep it up.
Bai Zhi was still filled with hope for the future, the days of working hard with Grandpa.
“Okay, wherever you go, Grandpa will be with you.”
Bai Dan stretched out his hand and tapped Bai Zhi’s forehead, smiling. Listening to Xingxing’s words, he too was beginning to look forward to it.
The Green Bean Cake in his hand tasted even better.
…
After resting for a while, Bai Da was called to eat by Bai Yu. He was truly tired, already dozing off. Recently, he had been working overtime for the children’s tuition, in addition to his regular job, he carried cement, earning eight mao per bag.
Carrying twenty bags a day, that was sixteen yuan. After half a month, it added up, and Xixi’s tuition was covered.
When he came out, he saw several dishes on the table, stir-fried pork, also a dish of fried potatoes, and a plate of cold dressed fish mint. However, it looked like the potatoes and meat were a bit burnt.
Xixi awkwardly touched the table, not daring to look at Bai Da,
“Dad, I don’t know how to cook, I’m sorry.”
She initially wanted to make a delicious meal for her dad, but she hadn’t expected that thinking about it and actually cooking were two different things. Before, she had asked Bai Zhi to cook, and it turned out delicious, but when she tried, it got burnt.
“Dad, don’t blame my sister. I made the fire too big.”
Bai Yu was afraid Bai Da would blame Xixi and quickly spoke up, saying it was his fault.
“Dad, look, this is the fish mint we dug up today. Give it a try.”
Bai Ye, on the other hand, didn’t speak, just served up the rice and urged Bai Da to eat quickly.