Chapter 50: Preparing to Open for Business

Early in the morning, Cao Gang went to town to bring back the small stone mill that they had ordered. The stone mill was carried into the yard and settled down. Everyone looked at the stone mill being brought back, their faces smiling. The children shouted and jumped happily at their feet, very cheerful.

After cleaning the stone mill, they began to grind the rice. Milky white rice slurry rolled down from the stone mill and fell into the bucket with a splash. Cao Xiangnan demonstrated once, and Qi Wanfeng and Sun Bailian learned and started to work. After that, they didn’t need him anymore.

Cao Xiangnan carefully taught every process to Qi Wanfeng and Sun Bailian. Cao Gang, who was on the side, was also carefully learning. He wasn’t worried that Sun Bailian and Cao Gang would learn and start their own business. At least for now, none of them could leave each other. If one day someone went out to do it alone, it would be their ability.

His goal wasn’t just here. For him now, it was just a beginning. A good start foreshadowed a good beginning, and everything would be smoother in the future.

For dinner, they ate the first serving of river noodles they made together. Adults and children, each a large bowl of pig offal river noodles, tasted delicious, and everyone ate their fill.

“Go back and sleep early.”

“Okay, you rest early too.”

Qi Wanfeng saw Sun Bailian’s family off, and the two agreed to meet tomorrow morning.

As soon as it got dark, they took a bath and went to bed. Cao Xiangnan’s spirits had been high all day, and this excitement continued until he lay in bed at night. His entire brain was still abnormally active, full of thoughts about tomorrow.

Qi Wanfeng lulled the child to sleep, then turned to look at his husband, who was also not asleep. He knew that his husband was happy, and he himself was also very happy. The two of them lay facing each other, looking at each other like this. Qi Wanfeng’s eyes were smiling gently, and he said, “Husband, go to sleep, we have to get up very early tomorrow.”

Making snacks was about earning money by getting up early and working late, but for the sake of life, all they could do was work harder.

Cao Xiangnan reached out and took Qi Wanfeng’s hand, saying, “When we make money, we’ll build a big courtyard, what do you say?”

“Okay,” Qi Wanfeng responded with a smile.

Whatever his husband said, he thought it was good.

Before the next winter came, Cao Xiangnan wanted to build a big house with blue bricks and tiles, otherwise, when winter came, it would be very cold if they were still living in this dilapidated house. The child in Wanfeng’s belly would also be born around that time, and Cao Xiangnan thought that they had to be prepared to welcome the arrival of the child, so now the only thing they could do was to work hard to create a better life.

The voices in the room gradually disappeared, and the two people on the bed fell asleep in each other’s arms.

“Knock, knock—” The door of their small courtyard was knocked on. Qi Wanfeng, who was grinding rice in the yard, went to open the door. Standing outside the door was Sun Bailian’s family of four, and the young son in his arms was still sleeping.

“An’an is also still sleeping in the house. You can take the child over and sleep together,” Qi Wanfeng said, seeing that the child in Sun Bailian’s arms was still sleeping, and quickly asked him to take the child into the house to sleep. He didn’t call the child to wake up when he got up. It was still early, so he let the child sleep a little longer.

“Mm, I’ll take the Second Son inside to sleep now,” Sun Bailian said, carrying the child into the house without standing on ceremony.

Seeing Kang Kang, who was following beside his A-die, Qi Wanfeng asked, “Kang Kang, do you want to sleep with your brothers for a while?”

“Kang Kang doesn’t want to sleep, Kang Kang wants to help with work,” Cao Yi Kang said, standing beside his A-die, pursing his little mouth and looking just like his A-die.

Qi Wanfeng laughed when he heard this and said, “Okay.”

Cao Gang reached out and patted his son’s head. Cao Yi Kang looked up at his A-die, and the father and son communicated with this familiar gesture.

A small oil lamp was lit in the kitchen, and they started to work.

Sheets of river noodles were peeled from the sieves, white, plump, and warm, then cut into thin strips, put into a pot. Soon the pot was full of river noodles, and they switched to another pot.

They hadn’t prepared to make too many river noodles on the first day of business. Qi Wanfeng and the others were worried that they wouldn’t be able to sell them all. But Cao Xiangnan had his own strategy. He wasn’t worried about not being able to sell them all, but he wanted them to be not enough to sell.

The soup in the pot was also cooked, and the pig offal simmered with spices was fragrant.

The two children in the house were still sleeping, and there was no way to take care of them if they were taken there, and there were four adults, so after discussing it, Qi Wanfeng agreed to stay at home to take care of the three children and didn’t go with them. In the future, everyone would take turns having one person stay at home to take care of the children.

“A-mu, don’t worry, Kang Kang will help take care of my brothers,” Kang Kang said, sensibly not making a fuss about going with them. He listened to his A-mu and stayed to take care of his brothers, his little face solemnly guaranteeing.

The sky outside was still dimly lit when they boarded the ox cart going to Fen Shui Town and slowly set off.