After getting home and setting down their burdens, Dad Chen and his son couldn’t wait to dump the copper coins from the box, stacking them like a small mountain, heavy and pressing in their hands.

“There are over five hundred wen!” Dad Chen said, his face full of surprise. “We set up the stall for just a short while and managed to earn so much money.”

“If we prepared enough pig’s trotters, we can earn even more,” Ping ger thought, feeling very satisfied as he listened to the sound of the coins, his eyes narrowing into crescents with a smile.

With over five hundred wen, the cost of the trotters is higher, so the pure profit should be calculated at half. The shrimp paste buns are one wen each, although the price doesn’t seem high, the profit margin is greater than that of the pig’s trotters, as they were all made from their own supplies.

After calculating the cost of the trotters, they accounted for the spices, Sichuan pepper, star anise, and cinnamon, leaving nearly three hundred wen as pure profit. They didn’t bother to account for minor expenses like firewood, oil, and salt.

Dad Chen, feeling delighted, pushed the money towards his third son: “You take this money.”

“Dad, what’s this for?” Ping ger frowned. “You don’t need to give me so much.” He counted out one hundred and twenty wen. “Dad, this is mine, you keep the rest.” After a pause, he added, “The shrimp was caught by my younger brother, so he should get a share, as well as my second brother’s family.”

“That’s fine,” Dad Chen said without further ado. “Ping ger has grown up and can earn money now. On the next market day, we should prepare more pig trotters and buns. I was thinking we could make one and a half times the usual amount, what do you think?”

“You’re right, Dad. Maybe I can think of other foods to make as well.”

Dad Chen smiled kindly and couldn’t help but ruffle his son’s hair: “I believe in you.”

Before they even entered the house, they smelled the delicious aroma of food. Chen Yuanqiu rushed in excitedly: “Dad, Third Brother, you’re back! Was the business good? Did you sell out quickly? I knew Third Brother’s food would sell out!”

“We sold out quickly, we were back before noon. This time we should listen to Yuanqiu and prepare more for next time.”

Dad Chen added, “Selling out is good. With this experience, we should prepare more for the next market day. We’re not after making a lot of money, we’ll take it steady.”

“Third Brother, how much did we earn?” Chen Yuanqiu asked curiously, his eyes bright.

“Over five hundred wen. After deducting the costs, we still have nearly three hundred wen.”

Dad Chen took out twenty wen that he had prepared earlier: “Ping ger said the shrimp was caught by you, so the shrimp paste buns should earn you some money. Take this, and your second brother gets a share too.”

“But I have my own money,” Chen Yuanqiu said in surprise, momentarily dazed. He then reached out to take the money: “Third Brother, you really are my dear Third Brother!” He smiled widely.

Old Chen puffed on his dry tobacco, glancing at his silly youngest son and then at his busy third son, feeling extremely happy.

In the afternoon, Ping ger and Dad Chen visited his second brother’s house.

Dad Chen gave the money to his sister-in-law, while Ping ger played with Qiao Niu, who was smiling and energetically moving her little arms and legs.

“Why are you giving this money back to me?” Liu Guixiang didn’t want to accept it, she felt guilty. “I didn’t do anything.”

“This is this. That is that. Brotherly affection is brotherly affection, business must be clear. You should take it.” Seeing her silent, Dad Chen continued, “Usually, for small matters like this, we shouldn’t split things so clearly, but this time is different. It’s business, a way to make money, and it’s not the same as everyday social exchanges.”

Ping ger added, “Sister-in-law, you should take it. I’ll talk to Second Brother about it. This isn’t a one-time thing, if we sell well, we’ll set up stalls every market day. Money is money, and if you don’t accept it, I won’t feel at ease.”

His words were clear, and Liu Guixiang eventually accepted the money, feeling warm inside.

The Chen family was poor, but each person was kind-hearted and honest.

After earning some money, Ping ger felt a bit giddy.

The next morning, he got up early and went to his Third Uncle’s house to buy four pounds of pork belly. He wanted to make authentic braised pork for his family to taste.

Seeing the meat he brought back, Dad Chen felt a bit angry: “Why are you spending money like this?”

He didn’t know that his son had secretly spent two hundred wen on spices, which Ping ger kept hidden in his room, only taking a bit when needed.

“What do you mean by wasting money, Dad? We earned some money yesterday, so we should celebrate a bit with something good to eat and make everyone happy,” Ping ger explained. Seeing his father still frowning, he added, “Just this once, I thought I’d try making braised pork. If it turns out well, we might sell it at the stall.”

“Well, since you’ve already bought it, there’s no helping it,” Dad Chen finally said. “But next time, don’t do this. Save your money, if you want something, just tell me and I’ll go buy it.”

Ping ger readily agreed.

Compared to the pig trotters, this braised pork had its own unique flavor, with an incredibly rich aroma that could captivate anyone.

Yesterday, someone from the village had bought pig trotters. The moment they caught a whiff of the braised pork, they couldn’t help but follow the scent, and before they knew it, they were standing at Chen’s door, asking, “Are you selling pig trotters today? It seems even more fragrant!”

Dad Chen wasn’t home, as he was out in the fields helping. Lunch was being organized by his third son.

“It’s not pig trotters, it’s braised pork. Would you like to buy it for two wen a piece?” Ping ger said, carefully picking up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks and placing it into a bowl. “Do you want any?”

Two wen a piece was indeed expensive, and the portion wasn’t small, one bite might not be enough.

As the braised pork was brought closer, the rich meat aroma wafted through the air, and the steam made people a bit dazed. Two wen a piece was costly! It was a tough decision, but unable to resist, he dug into his pocket, saying, “Alright, I’ll take three pieces.”

For six wen, Ping ger handed over the bowl, asking him to return it after finishing, or he wouldn’t sell to him next time.

They lived in the same village, always seeing each other, so they were very familiar.

The man spent six wen to buy three pieces of braised pork and walked home, carrying the bowl through half the village.

Along the way, many villagers turned to look at him, surrounding him with questions, their eyes glued to the braised pork, not wanting to blink.

Two wen a piece for meat was truly expensive, too expensive.

Many couldn’t afford it, and despite their cravings, if they didn’t have money, they could only desperately inhale the scent as if doing so would somehow benefit them.

A few, however, were relatively well-off and had some spare change.

They were so eager to eat that they hurried toward Chen’s house.

One by one, they arrived with money to buy—two wen a piece, what a profit! Not making money when you can is foolish, so Ping ger sold out! He only kept six pieces in the cabinet for his family to taste, everything else was sold. There were still people wanting to buy but arrived too late, so he took orders for the next day.

When Dad Chen and his two sons returned home and heard about this, they were dumbfounded, as if they had found money from the sky. They couldn’t believe it! But the money was real, jingling loudly.

Braised pork for two wen a piece—people really bought it! Pork belly was only twelve wen a pound! Having lived in the village for so many years, they never knew there were such well-off families around. Only Chen Yuanqiu, who had tasted the food, understood the hearts of food lovers—so delicious! He was willing to spend two wen, compared to the deliciousness, money didn’t matter at all. But he didn’t dare say it out loud, fearing he’d get beaten. Luckily, his third brother was family, so he could enjoy the tasty braised pork without spending any money.

At that moment, he felt a happiness he had never known before. He was the happiest younger brother in the whole village, without a doubt.