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But don’t underestimate these one or two drops of divine spring water. They can elevate the flavor of the food to a whole new level.
“Alright, it’s settled then. I’ll make a batch today.” Lu Hongliang happily accepted Su Niannian’s seasoning and sauce.
After finalizing the plan for the braised pig offals, Su Niannian also asked Lu Hongliang if anyone was buying vegetables or grains.
Su Niannian wasn’t planning to personally sell them on the black market. First, it would take up too much time, and second, the quantity she could sell on her own would be too small.
It would be better to find someone who can take them in bulk. Although this might result in earning a little less, it would definitely save time and effort.
“You’re quite something, little girl. Not only are you skilled at making braised meat, but you also have a source for vegetables and grains?”
“What are the prices? How much do you have? I actually have a connection for that.”
Lu Hongliang truly felt that his son was too young. If only his son were a few years older… Never mind, this little girl is so impressive. Even if she were the same age as his son, she probably wouldn’t even look at him.
“We’ve got rice, wheat, sorghum, and corn. None of them have been threshed, and each one has about a five kilograms.”
“For vegetables, there are green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Each kind has over a fifty kilograms.”
After hearing Su Niannian’s words, Lu Hongliang couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.
He really didn’t expect this little girl to have so much stock on hand.
“If the quality is really that good, it’s fine if the price is a bit higher.”
“I can help you contact some people, but they’ll need to see the goods first.”
On the black market, there were indeed merchants who dealt in large quantities of vegetables and grains, but due to sourcing issues, the competition was actually quite fierce.
If Su Niannian’s goods were good, then Lu Hongliang would be helping his friend solve the sourcing problem.
“How about tomorrow?” Su Niannian planned to find a more secluded place and rent a warehouse soon.
That way, they could inspect the goods and handle the transactions there.
It was still early today, just past ten o’clock, and Lu Hongliang couldn’t wait to start sourcing the goods, especially the braised pig offals.
They agreed to meet at the same time tomorrow at the black market. After that, Lu Hongliang left with Su Niannian’s seasonings and sauce.
Su Niannian took a couple of turns down alleys and stored the meat and pig offals in her space.
Then, she went off to find a warehouse.
At this time, warehouses were not so easy to find. Most of them were owned by state-owned factories, and private individuals rarely owned them.
However, Su Niannian did manage to find a courtyard house that was available for rent.
Thinking that she might have to settle for second best, Su Niannian considered that even without a warehouse, a courtyard house would do just fine.
Especially since the area was sparsely populated, the location was quite secluded, and it was very quiet.
The courtyard house was fairly large, with many rooms, and it was clean and tidy.
After inquiring, she found out that the rent was ten yuan a month.
Given the size and the price, it was actually quite reasonable. The only issue was that the location was somewhat remote, and the house had been vacant for quite a while.
It seemed that it wasn’t in high demand for renting.
Su Niannian had only about 130 yuan left on her, and after spending over 50 yuan in the morning for the meat and pig offals, 17 yuan at the medicine shop, and about 10 yuan on seasonings, she was left with just over 50 yuan.
“I’ll pay for six months upfront, eight yuan per month. How does that sound, Uncle?”
The landlord thought it over for a moment before finally agreeing.
This place was indeed too remote. Back then, his elderly father had wanted peace and quiet, which was why they had rebuilt it.
Now, the house had been vacant for quite some time, and selling it? That would be even harder.
Even though house sales were now allowed, this place was difficult to sell, not to mention that private transactions weren’t allowed at the moment.
Eight yuan per month wasn’t a small amount, and paying for six months upfront made it even more appealing. The more the landlord thought about it, the more he felt like he was getting lucky.
“Alright,” he finally agreed.
Su Niannian paid 48 yuan and signed a simple rental agreement. The landlord handed her the keys.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Su Niannian cleaned up and emptied two of the main rooms. She didn’t take out the food and vegetables from her space yet. While the location was remote, which had its advantages, it also meant that she wasn’t entirely comfortable leaving her supplies here just yet.
After locking the door, Su Niannian left the place.
She planned to change the door lock when she came over tomorrow.
By the time she finished these tasks, it was already past noon.
Su Niannian had a quick bite to eat and then headed back to the gathering point for the ox carts.
At this moment, Old Master Jiang was feeding the oxen some fodder.
After waiting for a while, the people returning to the village gradually began to arrive.
It was already two o’clock in the afternoon.
The ox cart to the county town was like that. Under normal circumstances, it would depart around six in the morning and return in the afternoon, around two o’clock.
Sitting on the ox cart, Su Niannian chatted casually with the aunties and older women.
She even shared some fruit-flavored candies, which made the aunties and older women quite happy.
Some of them immediately unwrapped the candy and ate it, while others tucked it into their pockets to take home and give to their younger family members.
Among them, there was a woman in her thirties who occasionally glanced at Su Niannian in a subtle way. Su Niannian didn’t have much of an impression of her, so she didn’t pay much attention.
As long as no one actively caused trouble for Su Niannian, she didn’t mind at all.
After Su Niannian returned to Kaoshan Village, she didn’t go back to the Educated Youth camp. Instead, she went straight up the mountain.
The little one was still wandering on the mountain, and Su Niannian had to go retrieve it.
Carrying a basket on her back, Su Niannian reached the foot of the mountain, where she happened to encounter some children who were cutting pigweed.
“Baobei, look, that’s the Educated Youth who embarrassed you,” one of the little boys immediately spotted Su Niannian and pointed in her direction, saying to Baobei beside him.
“Mom said that she saved me last time and told me not to make things difficult for her,” Baobei held a few wild fruits in his hand, eating as he spoke.
“You actually listen to your mom? You’ve really changed.”
“Yeah, Baobei is being obedient now.”
“Baobei has really turned a new leaf, becoming well-behaved now.”
A few little boys, about the same age as Baobei, deliberately teased him. Baobei’s face turned red, feeling embarrassed.
“Which one of you little rascals can’t tell who’s in charge? Now you dare speak to me like this?”
“I think it’s been a few days since I taught you a lesson, and now you’re getting cheeky!”
Baobei was still the same Baobei. Even though his mother told him not to trouble Su Niannian, he didn’t take these little kids seriously at all.
Without warning, the two groups started to brawl.