Qili Village is only seven or eight miles from Xingcheng.

According to Shen Qing’s classification, this is considered a suburban area, very close, and it will be convenient to enter the city for business transactions in the future.

After paying two wen per person for the city entrance fee, Shen Qing and Jiang Xiangnan successfully entered the city.

Jiang Xiangnan watched as four wen were handed to the city gate guard, and the distress in his eyes was hard to hide.

Shen Qing, however, was fine. Although money was tight, she wasn’t too bothered by these necessary expenses.

“Mom, where are we going first?” Jiang Xiangnan asked, feeling a bit awkward, looking at the bustling street.

Back in the village, he wasn’t afraid to run around anywhere, even in the desolate outskirts, but for some reason, being surrounded by so many people now made him anxious, unsure where to put his hands and feet.

Shen Qing replied, “Let’s find a big restaurant first and sell the fish and yellow eel while they’re fresh. That way, you can feel more at ease.” Getting the money in hand was always reassuring.

Jiang Xiangnan nodded obediently, following his mother with the large water buckets, not offering any objections.

Luckily, his mother was leading the way.

If he had come alone, he’d be completely lost.

Thinking about it, he was really impressed with Bei, who could sell things!

Shen Qing soon found a large restaurant and went around to the back kitchen.

She asked Jiang Xiangnan to wait at the alley entrance while she knocked on the courtyard door.

Jiang Xiangnan saw a manager come out, nodding at the large fish in one of the water buckets.

When he saw the yellow eel in the other bucket, his furrowed brow relaxed a bit.

Soon, the manager came back with a pouch of coins.

As Shen Qing stepped aside to block the buckets, Jiang Xiangnan couldn’t see the contents clearly.

But he was sure the manager was pleased with both the fish and the yellow eel, which meant they must have sold!

His mother was truly amazing!

Shen Qing waited until the courtyard door was closed and, confirming that no one was around, quickly tapped “yes” on her phone.

In an instant, the yellow eel disappeared from the bucket, and her balance increased by 989 yuan!

With yesterday’s earnings, her balance surged past 1,000 yuan.

Seeing the more than 1,300 yuan in her account, she sighed in relief.

She could have made 1,026 yuan, but since the restaurant’s kitchen had been reluctant to buy, she had added a yellow eel for free to sweeten the deal.

The buyers were pleased with both the fish and the eel, and though she lost one yellow eel, she was still satisfied with the 989 yuan.

It was worth it for the time saved, and it gave her a good excuse for future eel sales.

---

Carrying two empty buckets, Jiang Xiangnan’s steps were noticeably lighter.

He grinned and asked, “Mom, where are we going next?”

His stomach was full, the fish and eel were sold, and he had the money in hand.

Why did he feel so happy?

It was the same as before—his mother hadn’t given him any money yet, but he was sure she would!

Shen Qing had already planned what to do next, “Let’s go to the pork stall.”

When Jiang Xiangnan heard they were going to the pork stall, if he wasn’t carrying two large water buckets, he might have jumped up in excitement!

Even so, he couldn’t help but ask eagerly, “Mom, are you buying pork?”

He thought, selling fish and eel and then buying pork?

The money hadn’t even warmed up yet!

But then, his mind quickly came to the conclusion: Yes, it’s great! The point of making money is to feed this mouth!

He was beaming with joy, almost bouncing with excitement.

“We might not buy pork, but maybe some pork offal,” Shen Qing said, trying not to dampen his enthusiasm, but she had to tell him the truth or else he might be disappointed later.

When Jiang Xiangnan heard “pork offal,” he wasn’t at all disappointed, and his voice was still full of excitement: “Pork offal is great! It’s cheap, and with the money for a pound of pork, we can buy a whole lot of pork offal.

Our family is big, everyone will get a large portion, but if we buy pork, maybe each person will only get a small piece.

When we get home, I’ll clean it up. I’ll make sure it’s so clean that no one will even smell the stink!”

Shen Qing, however, wasn’t as excited.

She wasn’t buying the pork offal for their own consumption but rather for her plan to start a marinated meat business.

After all, who hasn’t made marinated food at home? Selling marinated food could make more money than selling salted duck eggs.

“By the way, Mom, we should hurry. If we get there late, we might miss out.”

Shen Qing’s heart sank.

If the pork offal was something they had to fight for, her marinated meat business would likely fail.

But she thought about it and realized: ancient people weren’t fools. If something was edible, no matter how bad, they would find a way to eat it. Pork offal was nothing special, so of course, it would be popular.

When they arrived at the pork stall, as Jiang Xiangnan had said, they had to fight for it, as the pork offal was already sold out.

Shen Qing then asked about the prices for other cuts.

“Fatty pork is 39 wen per jin, lean pork is 28 per jin, pig trotters are 20 wen per pair, and the pig’s head—today’s pig’s head isn’t very big, but I’ll sell it to you for 40 wen! How about it? Want to buy the pig’s head? Normally, it would cost 50 wen.”

Shen Qing glanced at the pig’s head.

It probably weighed about ten jin, but the bones took up most of the weight, leaving only about three to four jin of meat.

In Huaguo, this meat would be highly valued. Pig ears are rich in collagen and have a crisp texture, making them delicious whether boiled or stir-fried.

They sold for a lot of money. Pig tongues were similar, and the lean meat near the bones was fragrant but not greasy.

But in Xingcheng, which lacked enough oil and fat, these parts were much less popular compared to fatty pork, even the lowest quality.

Sure enough, Jiang Xiangnan’s voice came from behind: “No way, this pig’s head has no fat, just bones. There’s hardly any meat that can be eaten, and it won’t even add much oil. The price is too high.”

Shen Qing understood that Jiang Xiangnan was actually trying to haggle.

“At least 35 wen, no lower!”

“Alright, I’ll throw in a big bone.”

“No, no, a big bone can be sold for three to four wen! I’d be losing out!”

“How could that be? The bone has no meat at all. People who don’t know better might buy it for three or four wen, but if they knew, they’d rather spend that money on eggs. Would you rather have a bone with no meat, or five or six eggs?”

The pork stall owner was stumped.

After a while, he said, “You may not know, but this big bone is great for making soup, especially for people with broken legs, leg pain, or growing children. It’s really effective. I can’t just give it away, but I’ll throw in some pig hair!”

“Pigs’ hair can’t be eaten. What would I want that for?”

“I see you’re from a village and have land, right? Let me tell you, pig hair is great for making fertilizer. Next year’s harvest will be bigger, and you’ll make a profit.”

Jiang Xiangnan had initially rejected the bone, but when he heard it could be used for the growing flowers at home, he changed his mind and thought it would be useful.

Shen Qing saw him about to continue bargaining and gently said, “We’ll take the pig’s head and the pig hair. How much is the pig lard?”

Jiang Xiangnan didn’t know, but Shen Qing did. She knew the soup from the big bone wouldn’t have much of an effect. It was the meat that had nutritional value. The pig’s head would be enough for their needs.

The stall owner had already quoted several prices, but hadn’t mentioned pig lard. Was that intentional or just overlooked?