eurekapd Chapter 58: Crying and Laughing
Chapter 58: Crying and Laughing
Gao Mengli pressed her hand down, and the noisy, boiling crowd of onlookers instantly quieted down.
Looking at the dense crowd, she thought to herself, "Damn, this scene feels like a leader is about to give a speech."
She composed herself and cleared her throat. "Everyone, thank you for your kindness lately. My family will be making sauerkraut dumplings for you all tomorrow, but please bring your own bowls and chopsticks."
With so many people, her family doesn't have enough bowls and chopsticks.
Most importantly, after providing bowls and chopsticks, you also have to wash the dishes...
Upon hearing that they needed to bring their own bowls and chopsticks, everyone agreed immediately, thinking it was no big deal.
Let alone bowls and chopsticks, they wouldn't even blink if the boss asked them to bring pots, pans, and other kitchen utensils!
An older man shouted back, "Young lady, it's just bowls and chopsticks, no big deal! You haven't even eaten your dumplings yet... *slurp*"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt as if his mouth had turned into a showerhead, and his saliva was about to cascade down seven feet into the ground!
"Hahaha……"
The crowd burst into laughter at the sight of this man. It wasn't just him who was greedy; they were all the same!
The eldest brother doesn't laugh at the second brother; we're all pretty much the same!
Everyone nodded in agreement, and Gao Mengli and Lin Xi went to the city to buy what they needed for tomorrow.
I bought a lot of soybeans again this time, and I plan to continue making soy sauce. After all, it will take a month, and I need to buy some in different batches.
Da Niu, as he wished, went to deliver "fertilizer" to his uncle Zhang Dongcai and bought two large vats.
Many people not only have great strength, but they can also move quickly.
Gao Mengli and Lin Xi came out of the city with their purchases and stood there dumbfounded in front of the stove that the diners had built for them.
The simple shed was well-built, with a thick layer of weeds cut from the roadside near the city gate covering the roof.
However, the rectangular stove had two large fire holes side by side on the left and six small fire holes side by side on the right.
No, are we playing whack-a-mole here?!
It seems I'll have to cover the extra small fire holes with a stone slab when I use them tomorrow.
After returning home, Lin Xi pondered in her heart that cabbage sold for one coin for two catties in Baicai Village.
If it's made into pickled cabbage, then it'll cost one cent per pound.
He immediately took out 10 copper coins and handed them to Da Niu, saying, "Da Niu, go to the old house next door and buy ten catties of pickled cabbage!"
Da Niu's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the copper coin from his father's hand. Just as he was about to run to the old house, Lin Xi called him back.
Lin Xi counted out another 60 coins from her purse and handed them to Da Niu, saying, "Have your grandfather make a simple table for us to use when we make dumplings and roll out the dough tomorrow."
Da Niu took the money, responded happily, and ran out like a gust of wind.
"Grandpa, Grandma!"
Before they even entered the yard, Da Niu's voice rang out from outside the door.
For Jiang and Lin Yong, Da Niu's voice was heavenly music!
After all, with the arrival of a big shot, wealth will flow in in droves!
He's a perfect example of a money-bringing boy!
His status and position in the old house rose steadily.
Jiang rushed out of the house, and sure enough, her eldest grandson was stuffing copper coins into her hand again!
She immediately grinned, her face crinkling with laughter, "Da Niu, what do your parents want?!"
Even if those two wanted to eat dragon meat, she would find a way to get it back for the sake of the money!
“Grandma, ten coins here are for buying pickled cabbage. The rest of the money is for Grandpa to buy a wooden table. Dad said he wants a simple table.”
As soon as Da Niu finished speaking, Lin Yong picked up the plane and began to plank the wood. He hesitated for even a second, which would be disrespectful to the 60 coins!
We'll work overtime and get it done tonight!
As soon as Da Niu left, Jiang Shi, along with her third daughter-in-law Yang Qing, found all the spare jars in the house and took them to the river to wash them.
Yang Qing was a little curious about what her mother-in-law was washing all those jars for today. "Mom, why are you washing so many jars?"
Jiang was washing the jars with quick hands and feet, beaming with joy. "I heard from Da Niu that your elder brother and sister-in-law are going to treat the diners who help with the cooking at the city gate to pickled cabbage dumplings tomorrow! So I washed the jars so we can make more pickled cabbage, one coin per pound!"
"Huh? Then you'll have to ask for tomorrow? Are you going to ask for it every day?"
Jiang's words left Yang Qing even more confused, his face full of bewilderment.
Jiang put down the bamboo brush in her hand and glared at Yang Qing, feigning anger. "How can we invite them every day? Think about it, your elder brother and sister-in-law are such good cooks, their sauerkraut dumplings might be in high demand. They'll definitely be selling dumplings, but where will they find sauerkraut to sell dumplings?"
After saying that, he chuckled and patted the jar in front of him.
"Oh! Mother means we should start making them first, and then when my eldest brother and sister-in-law run this business, our family can supply sauerkraut and make money!"
Yang Qing suddenly realized, her eyes lighting up instantly. She excitedly and diligently washed the clothes, exclaiming, "Mom, you even thought of this! You're the one!"
Yang Qing gave Jiang a thumbs up!
After all, the eldest brother and sister-in-law are very skilled at making things. As long as they follow along and seize the opportunity, they can also make money!
Even if the village harvests cabbage to make sauerkraut, they can still earn half of it!
The more I think about it, the happier and more excited I get! When that time comes, her husband and the couple from her second wife won't have to go to the town's dock every day to carry heavy loads!
Surprisingly, while the "spendthrift" duo next door were eating meat, these girls were actually able to drink some soup!
In the past, she would rather believe that a sow could climb a tree than believe that the two men had that ability.
After falling into the water, everything seemed to change!
If those two ever have another episode of their "crazy" behavior, she'll be the first to rush up and drown them both in the river again!
Falling into the water is great, falling into the water is wonderful! Hehehe!
"dong dong dong~"
There was a knock on the courtyard gate. Gao Mengli opened the door and saw a strange woman. She had a slender figure, a delicate face, and stood awkwardly at the door carrying banana leaves.
She frowned. Who is this? She doesn't recognize him.
When Dajun's wife saw Gao Mengli open the door with a sizzle, she was startled, but no matter how much she pleaded, her husband wouldn't come over.
She had to bite the bullet and do it in order to earn a few coins.
"Meng... Mengli, I've come to deliver banana leaves." After saying this, Dajun's wife placed the banana leaves at the door.
"oh oh."
Upon hearing this, Gao Mengli thought of her "ugly" neighbor. She looked around but couldn't find him.
The woman in front of him must be his wife. This guy is not only ugly, but also lazy. He actually makes his wife do chores like delivering banana leaves.
Gao Mengli clicked her tongue twice in her mind, took out six copper coins and handed them to Dajun's wife, "By the way, do you have any ginger and scallions at home?"
Her family only had a small plot of land in the backyard. What they grew was enough to fill their own teeth, but to stuff a gluttonous beast at the city gate was like trying to stuff a hair down a nostril—it simply wouldn't work.
"Ginger and scallions? Yes, do you... want them?" Dajun's wife looked nervous.
Oh no, all the ginger and scallions in the house are doomed...
"Oh, send me five catties of scallions and two catties of ginger." Gao Mengli calculated in her mind that it should be enough to make dumplings tomorrow.
Dajun's wife's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a pang of sadness welling up inside.
Sure enough, it was given away for free...
"Oh, by the way, I'll charge you 8 coins per pound for scallions, and 5 coins per pound for ginger, is that alright?"
Mengli wasn't quite sure about the high prices of this era, but one copper coin was equivalent to one yuan in later times, so the price should be acceptable.
Upon hearing this, Dajun's wife's eyes widened instantly, and her previously tearful expression immediately turned into a beaming smile. "Y-yes, yes, that's great! Absolutely!"
After saying that, he ran all the way home to prepare!
Gao Mengli was speechless. Wow, she ran really fast.