Chapter 10

Early the next morning, Ye Xiaoxiao and Ye Changsheng went to their neighbors to ask if they had any sunflower seeds to sell.

Miao Fengshan pointed them to neighbors they knew well, people who were definitely not difficult to deal with or prone to taking advantage of others.

The first house they went to was Aunt Shun’s. Aunt Shun lived with her granddaughter. When they came to buy sunflower seeds, she quickly brought out the seeds from home.

“I have two bags left. They’re the best seeds I kept. See if they’re good enough for you.”

Aunt Shun was about sixty years old and looked very old. Her face and hands showed signs of hard work.

Ye Xiaoxiao looked through the seeds in the bag. They were indeed very plump.

“Grandma, how much are you planning to sell these two bags for?”

“I don’t know. I’ll sell them for whatever you pay.”

Ye Xiaoxiao, “These two bags are heavy, and the seeds are good. I’ll give you five yuan.”

“Are you sure you can afford it, child? These seeds aren’t anything special. Don’t regret it.” Aunt Shun was afraid that the children would regret it after buying them and cause trouble. It was better to be clear from the start.

“Don’t worry, Grandma. We’ll exchange money for goods.”

Ye Xiaoxiao counted out five yuan for her.

They didn’t buy many seeds back the first day. Besides Aunt Shun’s, they picked up two sacks from two other families and went home.

“We should buy fewer seeds. This business isn’t a long-term plan. If it goes on for a long time, others will surely learn. We just need to seize the opportunity and make enough money.”

Ye Xiaoxiao explained to her two brothers.

Roasting seeds and popping popcorn didn’t require any skills. If others found out it was profitable, they would naturally imitate them.

“Xiaoxiao makes a good point.”

Ye Changsheng agreed. Besides, they wouldn’t be able to do business after they went back to school.

Ye Changyuan was very disappointed. He wasn’t good at studying and didn’t like it. He thought this was a real business opportunity, but it turned out to be a temporary job.

But they could make as much as they could. He wanted to buy some things for his family for the New Year. That was what truly made him happy.

Back home, Ye Xiaoxiao and her grandfather roasted seeds again, while Ye Changsheng and Ye Changyuan went to find the popcorn maker.

They worked until three in the afternoon, and the three of them decided to take the seeds and popcorn to the neighboring village of Daliushu.

They were carrying a lot of things, and Miao Fengshan was quite worried about the children.

But his legs were bad, and he walked slowly, so he couldn’t help much.

Miao Fengshan, “Let me ask your Uncle Li He. He has a mule cart. See if he can take you there.”

Ye Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. She didn’t expect that there was a mule cart. “Grandpa, can you ask Uncle Li He if he can take us every month? We’ll pay him.”

That would be much more convenient than walking.

Miao Fengshan, “He’s not farming now, so the cart is idle. Grandpa will ask him for you.”

Uncle Li He was quite easy to talk to. Ye Xiaoxiao negotiated with him. It would cost fifty cents per trip. If they could do this business for a month, Uncle Li He would get fifteen yuan.

After everything was settled, the business was in full swing.

Because this sales method was novel and unique, the business was very good at the beginning. They could sell all the goods they brought out every day.

In the first half of the month, their highest daily profit reached about thirty-five yuan. But as Ye Xiaoxiao had guessed, others started imitating their business model, and their profits naturally declined.

But thanks to their operation, they still had a daily income of over ten yuan.

The three of them worked diligently for a month. Ye Changyuan went home once to report that he was safe, but the rest of the time, they followed the projectionist around.

It was time for the second round of movie screenings in Daliushu Village.

Before setting off that afternoon, Uncle Li He suddenly came over and said hesitantly, “Xiaoxiao, I have something urgent to do today. I can’t take you to the next village.”

Ye Changyuan, “Uncle Li He, why so suddenly?”

Li He, “Something urgent happened at home.”

“Uncle Li He, go ahead and take care of it. We’re fine. We were thinking about stopping selling seeds anyway. This is our last time. Now that you have something to do, we won’t go and cause trouble.”

Ye Xiaoxiao was very understanding and took the initiative to say, “I’ll settle your payment for this month. It’s sixteen yuan and fifty cents.”

Hearing this, Li He’s expression became a little unnatural, “Xiaoxiao, why are you stopping such a good business?”

“It’s almost the New Year, and my parents are anxious for us to go home.”

Ye Xiaoxiao casually made up an excuse.

“Okay, I’ll take the money. If you need the cart next time, ask Uncle Fengshan to call me.”

Li He took the money with an uneasy expression. He left in a hurry.

“Xiaoxiao, aren’t we going home?” Ye Changyuan scratched his head, puzzled.

He had gone back to the village to avoid worrying his family. He didn’t tell them what they were doing. He just said that Grandpa Miao’s leg was hurting, and they stayed to help him with some work.

They had all agreed that they would buy New Year’s goods after making money at the end of the year, then go back to Baishi Village together for the New Year.

“You’re dumb… Can’t you see? Uncle Li He didn’t have something urgent at home. He probably found someone else to take over selling seeds.”

Ye Changsheng looked like he had figured it out.

Ye Changyuan, “What!”

Ye Changsheng, “Also, there have been more and more people selling seeds and popcorn near the movie screenings these past few days. We had a lot left over yesterday.”

“That’s right. So, this business is pretty much over.” Ye Xiaoxiao nodded.

“Are we still going to sell those seeds and popcorn today?”

Ye Changyuan looked at the things they had prepared. It wasn’t too much, but the seeds could be stored. The popcorn, however, would get damp and couldn’t be eaten after a few days.

Ye Xiaoxiao asked, “Isn’t there a big market in town tomorrow?”

Ye Changyuan, “Yes.”

“We’ll keep the seeds to eat. Tomorrow, we’ll take these two bags of popcorn to the market.”

Ye Xiaoxiao guessed that the reason Li He refused them today was either because someone offered him a higher price to hire him, or because his family was going to start this business too.

When even the shoe-shiners in the square know about buying that stock, it’s time to sell it.

So, it was clearly not feasible to continue selling seeds.

“It’s over. We definitely won’t sell anything tomorrow.”

Ye Changyuan shook his head and sighed.

There were so many popcorn makers at the market.

“Let’s go back. Let’s see our earnings for this month.” Ye Xiaoxiao called out.

Ye Changyuan, “Coming!”

He changed his expression quickly. Where was his worry now?

Ye Xiaoxiao opened her grandfather’s money box. It contained their earnings for the month.

Ye Changyuan was very nervous, “Should we lock the door?”

Miao Fengshan shook his head, “You guys count. Grandpa will watch over you at the door.”

“Grandpa, count with us.”

Ye Xiaoxiao poured out all the money. The inflated coins poured out of the box, covering the kang. Although they were all small denominations, they were exciting to see.