The next day.
After breakfast, the whole family set out together.
In less than half an hour, they filled the two urea burlap bags they brought with them with crayfish, each one weighing at least 50 grams.
Xu Qing's mom hurried home to process the crayfish, skipping lunch, and the family of three rushed back.
They came empty-handed and left with their hands full.
The back seat of the motorcycle was secured with a wooden stick by Xu Qing's dad, with the two burlap bags of crayfish and a pile of fresh fruits and vegetables stacked on top like a mountain.
With no space left at the back, Xu Qingfan had to sit on the metal fuel tank at the front of the motorcycle.
After a bumpy ride, the family finally returned safely to Lianhua Courtyard.
On the way back, he kept feeling like he had forgotten something but couldn't remember what it was.
Since it wasn't something important, Xu Qingfan didn't dwell on it. As soon as he got off the motorcycle, he ran up to the third floor.
"Aunt Lin!" he shouted towards the door, and Xia Xiaoxiao's head peeked out from the room in response.
"My parents went out. Come in for a bit."
"What's up?" Xu Qingfan asked, kicking off his fabric shoes and slipping into a pair of slippers as he entered Xia Xiaoxiao's room.
"Take a look at this problem. I've been thinking about it for a long time and still can't figure it out." Xia Xiaoxiao handed the test paper from her desk to Xu Qingfan.
"Let me see."
Xu Qingfan took a glance at it. The problem was somewhat like a high school math question involving summations: (1+3+5+....+99) - (2+4+6+....+98) = ?
He suddenly felt a bit puzzled. Xia Xiaoxiao took this exam so seriously, but in his past life, she clearly passed it, yet she ended up attending public school with him.
"This problem is actually about finding a pattern. 3-2=1, 5-4=1, so all the subtractions result in 1, right? You just need to know how many ones there are, then add them up, and that's your answer!"
"Oh, you're right! So that's how it works!" Xia Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up with understanding.
She counted on her fingers a few times and finally wrote "50" on the line.
This problem had two difficult points and one common mistake point. Xu Qingfan was quite surprised that Xia Xiaoxiao got the correct answer so quickly.
"How did you know it's 50?" Xu Qingfan asked.
Seeing the surprised look on Xu Qingfan's face, Xia Xiaoxiao felt proud, "It's not that hard. First, hide the 1. Out of the numbers from 2 to 99, minus 1 and 100, there are 98 numbers. Half of that is 49, so the answer is 49+1!"
[As expected from a computer science genius studying at MIT!] Xu Qingfan silently gave her a thumbs up.
"Stop studying. I'll take you to do something fun!"
"What are we going to do?"
"You'll see when you get there!"
...
Half an hour later.
"My hands are so sore. This isn't fun at all. I want to go home!" Xia Xiaoxiao said with a dejected look.
"Almost done, almost done. It's really delicious, just hold on a bit longer," Xu Qingfan comforted her.
"If Xiaoxiao's hands are sore, go watch some TV. I'll call you when the food is ready," Xu Qing's mom said as she put down the crayfish, giving her son a playful knock on the head.
"It's okay, Auntie. There's just a little bit left. Xu Qingfan and I can finish it quickly," Xia Xiaoxiao said skillfully, removing a whole crayfish line and throwing the processed crayfish into the iron basin.
With thousands of crayfish to process, if he had to do it one by one, how long would it take?
[Not taking advantage of free labor would be foolish!]
"Mom, how much are you planning to sell the crayfish for?" Xu Qingfan asked, worried that his mom might ruin the market price and intending to give some advice.
"This thing isn't worth much, maybe one yuan."
"One yuan each?" Xu Qingfan asked excitedly, not expecting his mom to have a knack for business.
"What are you dreaming about? One yuan per jin. You dare to say one yuan each? Aren't you afraid of being scolded?"
Xu Qingfan felt like crying, "Mom, how much is lean meat per jin?"
"That depends on whether you want fresh or not. Fresh is three yuan; not fresh is one yuan."
"Mom, this is crayfish! Do you know how much it sells for in the Beautiful Country? And you're selling it for one yuan, cheaper than pork?"
"Why? Do you know?" Xu Qing's mom glanced at her son, who only had money on his mind.
"Of course, I know. In the Beautiful Country, crayfish are more expensive than beef. How can you sell it for just one yuan!"
"The Beautiful Country is the Beautiful Country. Huaxia is Huaxia. How can it be the same?"
Feeling exhausted.
"Mom, if you sell it for one yuan, you work yourself to death all day. How much can you earn?"
Yao Jiping stared at her son in puzzlement, "Why are you concerned with adult matters?"
"Why can't I be concerned? I need money for school, and grandma's house needs money for repairs. Everything needs money! Mom, you won't make money selling like this!"
Xu Qing's mom chuckled, "Then how much do you think we should sell it for to make money?"
"At least six yuan!"
Xu Qing's mom shook her head with a smile, clearly not wanting to deal with her somewhat foolish son.
Xu Qingfan felt a bit powerless. This was a common problem among parents in China. They were willing to believe their children were the smartest in the world but were reluctant to admit they were the smartest in the family.
[Forget it, we have the lottery prize of a million yuan as a fallback. They can do whatever they want.] Suddenly, he felt like giving up.
After cleaning the crayfish, Xu Qing's mom, under his guidance, made two small portions to try first.
One was spicy, and the other was garlic-flavored.
With years of experience in cooking field snails, Yao Jiping knew that once you grasp one method of cooking, you could master many. This time, the crayfish she made were even more delicious than the ones from last night.
"How is it, delicious right?" With the food in front of him, Xu Qingfan quickly put aside his earlier unhappiness and boasted to Xia Xiaoxiao after peeling a plate of crayfish for her.
[Wait, why am I peeling crayfish for Xia Xiaoxiao?]
If it weren't for his hands being covered in oil, he would have slapped himself. Had he become so used to being a lapdog that it triggered his muscle memory?
Xia Xiaoxiao happily ate the crayfish peeled by Xu Qingfan, feeling sweet inside.
"Yes, it's delicious!"
"Just now I helped you peel them, it's now your turn to help me. Good friends should have mutual exchanges!"
"We're not just good friends; I'm your sister. Hurry and peel them for me, or I'll tell Auntie you bullied me!" Xia Xiaoxiao said with a sly smile.
Xu Qingfan: ...
[Little Wanning is still the cutest and most well-behaved. Xia Xiaoxiao, you're not my childhood sweetheart anymore!] Xu Qingfan silently complained in his heart.