Chapter 34

“What does it have to do with you whether it smells good or not?” Song Ruan retorted without hesitation.

Zhang Caihong took her hand back awkwardly: “I just want to see what we are going to eat tonight. My dear sister, your cooking skills are really good. The red date cake you made is really delicious. I am in for a treat tonight, haha.”

Song Ruan closed the lid and said calmly, “The red date cake is not for you to eat.”

“What did you say?” Zhang Caihong was shocked. People always said that she didn’t give others face when she spoke or did things. She really wanted to let those who gossiped about her see who was the real one who didn’t give others face.

Ye Hongmei also didn’t like Zhang Caihong’s behavior of going to other people’s homes and lifting the lid of their pots.

Therefore, his attitude towards her also became cold: “You should go out first, and prepare for dinner.”

“Oh, okay.” Zhang Caihong didn’t notice that Song’s mother was unhappy, and she went out and sat down, waiting for dinner to be served.

When it comes to a meal, everyone has different thoughts when eating.

After they finished their meal and left, Song Wu rushed back from the town.

Song Ruan took out the food left for him, put a plate of red date cakes on it, made a pot of tea, and brought them all to the dining table.

“Boss, what do you think of Zhang Caihong whom I met today?”

The family sat together, eating snacks, drinking tea and chatting. Ye Hongmei was the first to ask about the main topic of the day.

Song Ruan quickly pricked up her ears to listen.

“Not so good.” Song Wen took a sip of tea and put down the cup in his hand. “I don’t like her.”

Song Ruan was surprised: “Really?”

Seeing her overjoyed expression, Song Wen couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes, it’s true.” Song Wen touched his sister’s hair lovingly, “We are both girls, but she actually hinted that we should let my sister change the betrothal gift. It shows that she is not a good person.”

“Yeah, yes, she is just not good.” Song Ruan nodded quickly. It was great that her elder brother didn’t like Zhang Caihong.

“I also think that girl is not very nice and doesn’t seem easy to get along with.” Ye Hongmei sighed, “What a pity. Zhang Caihong’s father is a tinker. This skill can really help the family.”

Song Ruan curled her lips and said, “Mom, there are so many ways to make money. My eldest brother doesn’t want to learn this craft. He was such a good student before, he will definitely have a bright future.”

Seeing that they were chatting excitedly, Song Wu raised his head from his bowl and asked, “What girl?”

Speaking of making money, Ye Hongmei quickly asked, “Second brother, tell me what happened to the red date cakes you and your younger sister sold? Did you sell them on the black market?”

Hearing this, he raised his head from his rice bowl and said, “Yes, it was sold on the black market. How did you know, mother?”

Didn’t my sister say to keep it a secret?

Song Ruan rubbed her forehead weakly. Her second brother had no defense against family members at all. He confessed everything after just one trick.

Ye Hongmei slapped him and said, “You are so bold, you dare to take your sister to the black market. If you are caught, you will be criticized as a capitalist.”

Song Ruan rubbed his second brother’s head distressedly: “Mom, don’t call second brother, I took him there.”

Song Wu was not angry when his mother scolded him: “Don’t worry, mom, the black market is very safe now. There are people watching on both sides of the alley.”

“Also, when I came back today, I saw two people secretly doing a deal on the street corner. A man with a red armband saw it but didn’t go over to catch them.”

Hearing this, the eldest brother Song Wen’s face was somewhat moved: “If it is really like what Song Wu said, then trading on the black market is a good way. Normally, the prices of things sold at the supply and marketing cooperatives are too low. The supply and marketing cooperatives buy things at low prices, but sell them at high prices, which in itself has a profit difference.”

The family is very short of money now. As the eldest son, Song Wen really wants to make money to subsidize the family.

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“How much money can you make selling things on the black market?” Song Wen asked.

Song Wu thought for a moment and said, “You should ask my younger sister. She gives me a few dollars a day. Without today’s money, I have a total of 13.2 yuan now.”

“So many? Didn’t you two just get together to do business for a few days?”

Everyone was surprised.

Song Wu chuckled and said, “Yes, you can ask me how much I can earn in a day.”

Seeing everyone looking at her, she had no choice but to explain: “I can make about 15 yuan from a basket of red date cakes after deducting the cost. These days I also added braised pork to sell, so I can make 18 yuan a day. I give 20% of the money I make to my second brother, and I save the rest. I have 112.6 yuan saved now.”

As soon as these words came out, the table fell silent, everyone stared blankly, as if they couldn’t believe it. Only the sound of Song Wu smacking his food could be heard.

Ye Hongmei was shocked. She had been frugal for many years and had only saved 200 yuan. And the two of them easily earned more than a hundred yuan by selling something?

This completely subverted her honest peasant thinking.

Even Song Cai, who had been very quiet, was jealous: “Little sister, why did you take my second brother with you and not me for such an amazing event?”

Hearing this, Song Wu raised his head from his bowl again: “No, you have to take me with you. My little sister said I’m good at selling things.”

These days, he sleeps with money on his chest. He is happy and proud that he can earn money through his own ability.

When he was studying, he was the worst student in the family, while his older brother and younger brother were very good at studying. No matter how hard he tried, he could not catch up with them, so he suffered a lot from it since he was young.

Now there was finally something that made him proud, how could he let his younger brother snatch it away?

Song Ruan nodded: “Second brother is indeed very talented in this area. This red date cake was originally going to be sold for 10 cents, but after second brother explored the surrounding situation, he decided to sell it for 20 cents. And second brother is very eloquent, he can always make people willing to buy, and willing to buy more.”

Hearing his little sister praising him, Song Wu wanted to be more reserved, but couldn’t help but giggle.

Everyone was also brought back to their senses by his silly laughter.

Song Wen turned to look at his father and said, “Dad, how about everyone help my little sister with the work, and then Song Wu and I will go to the town to sell cakes? I also want to make money for the family, instead of just enjoying the efforts of my sister and brother.”

Song’s father, Song Baoguo, picked up the hookah beside the stool, lit the tobacco, took a puff, and exhaled, then slowly said: “I also heard something vaguely. Recently, more and more people have gone to the black market. But it is not 100% safe. If I decide to sell it, I can only sell it myself.”

“No.” Song Wen refused. “Song Wu and I are the most suitable to go. We can run fast if anything happens.”

“no……”

Song Ruan was overjoyed to hear that her family actually agreed.

She quickly interrupted their argument: “Okay, okay, you can take turns going. Let the eldest and second brothers go first. The second brother can ride a bicycle now.”

“As long as I have the materials, I still have a lot of cakes and canned goods I want to make, and I can sell them all.”

In this way, Ye Hongmei no longer went to sew shoe soles on weekdays, Song’s father no longer went to work on his private plot, and Song Wen and Song Cai no longer went to listen to the stories told by the sent-down intellectuals or learn to paint.

Song’s father and Song Cai were responsible for picking red dates and hawthorns in the mountains; Song’s mother and Song Ruan were responsible for making red date cakes, hawthorn cakes and braised pork at home; Song Wen and Song Wu were responsible for selling them on the black market.

Because they have brothers and sisters, they can now make two bamboo baskets of cakes to sell every day, and the whole family works hard with great enthusiasm.

Money represents people’s courage, and this transaction also laid the foundation for their family to later dare to contract the mountain and start a business and open a factory.

However, on the last day of the slack season, bad news came.