eurekapd Chapter 136 Is this melon edible?
Chapter 136 Is this melon edible?
Lin Xi's lips twitched slightly, and she forced a smile. "Da Niu, you have a good business sense, but isn't 350 coins a bit low?"
Towards the end, some of them were gritting their teeth.
This child is no longer safe; whoever wants him can take him!
Gao Mengli, standing to the side, covered her mouth and chuckled, then patted Lin Xi on the shoulder.
He turned and gave Da Niu an appreciative look. "350 coins is actually not low! Because if you go to other places to sell, there is a risk of encountering bandits."
If the quantity is small, it's easier to escort, but if the quantity is large, it's necessary to ask a security escort agency for help.
In this way, the pharmacy's costs will be higher, and with everyone compromising, everyone can still profit.
After Gao Mengli explained it this way, Lin Xi suddenly understood.
They said their dead child was actually getting a price reduction.
But his face darkened further.
Ultimately, they couldn't escape the fate of "working for others"...
Da Niu blinked, looking innocent: "Dad, Mom, I only came up with a preliminary price after considering everything. I haven't told Sang Shang yet. It can be changed!"
Gao Mengli patted Da Niu's head. "Da Niu, do you know how much it costs for a security escort agency to transport goods?"
Da Niu nodded. "Mother, Sang Shang said that the Pingding County Escort Agency charges 3 taels of silver for each shipment of goods weighing 100 jin or less, and the price increases with the amount of goods transported."
In other words, a jar of loquat syrup weighing half a pound earns the pharmacy 150 coins.
200 cans earn 30 taels, a profit of 27 taels. But you still have to factor in labor costs and shop costs, so the profit is roughly 20 taels.
It takes half a month to travel from Pingyao to the prefectural city and back.
Their family bought loquat leaves from all over the place, along with brown sugar at 68 wen per catty, fritillaria at 26 wen per tael, and firewood. After deducting expenses, they earned about 50 taels.
The price of 350 coins is reasonable.
With four stoves, 100 jin (50 kg) can be finished in two days, so it doesn't take much time.
Gao Mengli immediately made the decision and pinched Da Niu's cheek. "Okay, then go back and tell your classmates that our family will take this business!"
"Go sit down over there, I'll bring you some rice tofu. Eat it and then go home!"
Da Niu jumped for joy: "Great, Mom! I knew you'd agree!"
After saying that, he obediently ran to the side and sat down.
Lin Xi glanced at Da Niu, a smirk playing on her lips, and added two extra spoonfuls of chili while mixing the rice tofu.
Then she plated it, and with a wolf-grandmother smile on her face, she placed the rice tofu on Da Niu's table.
Da Niu smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Dad!"
"Hmph, don't be shy! Eat up!"
After Lin Xi finished speaking, he was in a great mood and turned around to continue making his dumplings.
Da Niu was completely unaware. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. After just one bite, his face turned bright red from the spiciness, and tears and snot streamed down his face.
He looked up, about to call out to his mother, when he noticed a cold gaze upon him.
He followed the gaze and saw his father give him a warning look.
Da Niu felt a shiver run down his spine and swallowed the shout that was about to come out.
He could only suppress the spiciness and sob as he whispered a compliment to his father: "Dad, your rice tofu... is really delicious."
Lin Xi nodded in satisfaction: "If you like it, eat more, don't leave any!"
Sitting on the back of the ox, Nan Chang'an looked at the ox with sympathy, then sat down next to it with a glass of water.
She pushed the bowl of water in front of her toward him, saying, "Drink it."
Even if the father wants to "kill" his son, he can't interfere too much!
They could only do what they could, looking at Da Niu with a mixture of sympathy and envy.
After all, one may wish to care for one's parents, but they may no longer be there.
His parents died early, and he and his sister depended on each other for survival since childhood.
He envied Da Niu because his parents were alive, and that was home.
Da Niu looked at the clear water in front of him and secretly glanced at Lin Xi.
Seeing that he wasn't paying much attention to them, she quickly gave Nan Chang'an a grateful look. "Thank you! My name is Lin Daniu, what's your name, brother?"
After saying that, he gulped down several mouthfuls of water, and only then did he feel the burning sensation in his mouth subside a bit.
“My name is Nan Chang’an! Your father is a very good person, don’t hold a grudge against him.” Nan Chang’an comforted Da Niu, looking on with envy.
After all, he's only a 15-year-old boy with no parents.
Da Niu grinned, revealing his bright red lips, and sniffed. "Brother Chang'an, I know! My father loves me, but he loves me in a different way than others. Don't misunderstand!!"
How could he hold a grudge against his father? His father treated him so well!
Otherwise, why would I have sent him so much loquat syrup!
His father isn't good at expressing himself, so he added chili to his rice tofu, probably to tell him that his fatherly love is fiery!
He understands! He understands everything!
I'll definitely give it to his dad from now on, so I can get more business and make his dad happy!
Thinking of this, Da Niu grinned happily!
Looking at Da Niu's carefree attitude, Nan Chang'an felt that it was very much to his liking!
He quickly took out three yellowish-green "melons" from his bag and gave them to Da Niu, saying, "Da Niu, these are for you!"
Da Niu's eyes lit up. He stopped eating, picked up the yellowish-green melon, and examined it closely, his face full of curiosity: "Brother Chang'an, what is this?"
Nan Chang'an explained with a smile, "We bought this from vendors in other counties. It's said that this melon is the Buddha, and offering it as a sacrifice can protect the family and bring good luck, so it's called the Buddha's Hand Melon!"
The reason he and his sister bought it was because they had been looking for his brother-in-law for a year but hadn't been able to find him, and they were afraid he might be hiding somewhere.
That's why he bought the chayote and carried it with him all the way, praying to the melon every day to protect his brother-in-law from dying and to keep him alive.
"Buddha's hand melon? Can you eat this?" Da Niu asked curiously.
Nan Chang'an was stumped by Da Niu's question.
The melons were shaped like Buddha's hand citrons, and they always carried them with them, never thinking of eating them.
The original intention was to give the melon to Da Niu, hoping it would bring him good luck!
I never expected that Da Niu would want to eat it?
Nan Chang'an scratched his head, somewhat uncertain: "Uh... I'm not really sure if I can eat it..."
When Da Niu heard that he couldn't eat it, he instantly lost most of his interest.
However, she still excitedly thanked Nan Chang'an, "Thank you, Brother Chang'an!"
Nan Chang'an waved his hand, "Brother Da Niu, don't be so polite!"
Suddenly remembering something, Nan Chang'an asked Da Niu in a low voice, "Brother Da Niu, doesn't your Pingyao County have any escort agencies?"
Upon hearing Nan Chang'an's question, Da Niu pursed his lips and sighed helplessly: "Alas, Brother Chang'an, our Pingyao County is poor, there are no escort agencies here."
People are barely able to afford food these days, so who has the spare money to hire a security escort agency?
Besides, even if there were escort agencies, there wouldn't be anything valuable to transport. At most, they'd just transport some cabbages and radishes they grew themselves..."
They were poor and unknown in the deep mountains.
Everyone was poor, but there were no wealthy relatives from other places who wanted to visit.
Even if they did, no one would visit their poor relatives in Pingyao County.
Nan Chang'an frowned. "I see..."
Da Niu took a bite of rice tofu and was sweating profusely from the spiciness. "What's wrong, Brother Chang'an?"
Nan Chang'an sighed, "Sigh, my family runs a security escort agency, and we were even saying we'd go back to our old ways after finding my brother-in-law..."
Da Niu's eyes lit up. "A security escort agency?!"