"You mean…" Guan Rong exclaimed in surprise, her mouth agape, "Xiaomai, you want to go into the business of selling preserved bamboo shoots?"
"Not exactly going into business," Hua Xiaomai smiled a bit, "I just thought the winter bamboo shoots you bought looked really good and figured it must be the season for them. I planned to make some money while everyone has extra cash around the New Year. You mentioned that preserved bamboo shoots aren't popular around here; I was thinking that since they don't have a strange flavor but are quite fresh and sweet, most people probably won't dislike them. Selling them to restaurants could add a few options to the menu and even ordinary folks could enjoy something different at home."
"But what if nobody buys them?"
Guan Rong had always been frail since childhood, and her parents had taken great care of her, sparing her from worrying about daily necessities. She really had no concept of doing business. Upon hearing Hua Xiaomai suggest that selling preserved bamboo shoots might be profitable, she instinctively felt tempted, but she had never done such a thing before and felt completely clueless.
Hua Xiaomai quickly calculated in her mind and spoke clearly, "Indeed, no one wants to lose money in business, Rong. How about we do it this way? For this first time, we make a small batch and take it to the county to try selling it. If nobody is interested, we just split what's left between our two families. After all, as long as preserved bamboo shoots are stored properly, they can still be eaten until next summer. But if the pubs and people in the county really welcome them, then next time we can make more, and split the money we earn in half."
"No, no, that won't do!" Guan Rong nodded continuously at first but started shaking her head vigorously when she heard about splitting the profits, "I had never even heard of making preserved bamboo shoots before I met you. You have the cooking skills, and when the time comes, you will inevitably handle everything, while at best I can only help you a bit. How can I accept…"
"Rong, don't say any more!" Hua Xiaomai laughed and shook her arm, "If it weren't for you, how would I know that there's no tradition of eating preserved bamboo shoots near Fire Knife Village? You're more familiar with the county than I am; we can't do this business without you. Let's just think of it as making some extra pocket money. If we start splitting hairs like a real shop in the city, we'd make a laughing stock of ourselves! Didn't you say that since I came to Fire Knife Village, I'm one of your own? Why be so polite with family?"
Guan Rong did not speak for a long while.
She had been raised on medicine her entire life. Her family was not wealthy, even quite poor; they had spent so much on her medical treatments over the years. If the preserved bamboo shoot business could really make some money, it could at least lighten the family's burden somewhat!
"Alright then, I'll go into business with you. I'm just a bit clumsy, so you can't complain if I end up making things harder," she pondered for a long time before finally deciding, "Also, the person who sold me the winter bamboo shoots a few days ago isn't from Fire Knife Village. He lives in the nearby mountains and occasionally brings goods down to the village, though I'm not sure how often. I'll keep an eye out for him in the next few days. If I see him, I'll ask him to bring more bamboo shoots…"
"No need," Hua Xiaomai had already planned everything and smiled mischievously, blinking, "We won't buy his shoots; we'll dig our own."
...
Hua Xiaomai didn't want to hide anything from Jing Taihe, so the same evening when he returned from the blacksmith shop, she mentioned the plan to sell preserved bamboo shoots with Guan Rong for money at the dinner table.
She suspected that Jing Taihe might oppose to the idea and thus had prepared a whole set of arguments in advance, ready to pout, or nag, or whatever it took to get her elder sister's approval. However, to her surprise, Jing immediately supported the idea without any objection.
Since his wife agreed, Jing could hardly say no. He even suggested setting up a cooking spot behind their house for Hua Xiaomai to work, saving her the trouble and fatigue of running back and forth to Guan Rong's home.
Hua Xiaomai couldn't care less what made Jing Taihe so agreeable. She mulled over the details in her mind all night, revising them three times before she could finally sleep. The next morning, she didn't wait for Jing's invitation; she sprang out of bed, strapped on a bamboo basket nearly as tall as herself, grabbed a couple of wheat cakes, and stepped out the door.
Just outside the southern side of Fire Knife Village, and only three miles away, there was a large bamboo forest. Hua Xiaomai had previously visited it when she had some free time. The bamboo thrived abundantly, and the tender shoots buried in the soil were particularly promising. However, since winter bamboo shoots were not highly valued, few villagers were willing to put in the effort to dig them up. If families wanted to eat some, they would rather spend a little money to buy them, which resulted in the bamboo shoots in the forest remaining untouched. Anyone could turn over a spade and uncover quite a few.
Guan Rong had asthma from a young age and couldn't travel far or do any physical labor. Even cooking smoke at home was too much for her, so she had to stay far away, which prevented her from accompanying Hua Xiaomai. Thus, Hua Xiaomai went to the bamboo forest alone, unequivocally determined. She set down her bamboo basket, immediately got busy, and worked relentlessly.
She was truly strenuous this time, filled with the joy of making money and didn't feel tired at all, choosing only the biggest and fullest shoots to throw into her basket. She dug all day long, her hands were covered in mud, and she didn't even care to eat the flatbreads she brought. By the time the sun was setting, her bamboo basket was stuffed so full there wasn't a gap to be seen. Only then did she contently return to the village. When she got home and borrowed the scales from Old Pan's house to weigh her harvest, it turned out to be fifty-six pounds.
Hua Erniang was astonished; she couldn't understand how her thin, small, seemingly malnourished sister could carry such a huge basket of bamboo shoots back home. In the evening, when Hua Xiaomai went to the bathhouse, Hua Erniang insisted on squeezing in, hugging her arms and undoubtedly said, "Hurry up, take off your clothes, let me see."
"What are you doing, Second Sister?" Hua Xiaomai startled and instinctively hugged her chest, stepping back three large steps.
"Just take them off quickly, why waste words?" Hua Erniang rolled her eyes, "I used to change your diapers when you were little, what's there to be embarrassed about? Hurry up!"
Unable to argue with her, Hua Xiaomai reluctantly undressed. Hua Erniang rushed over and grabbed her shoulders to look, immediately gasping in shock.
The shoulders, nothing but skin and bones, had two bloody marks from the rough ropes of the bamboo basket that had dug deeply, creating two swollen, red, and painful-looking mounds at the edges.
Hua Erniang nearly shed tears of heartache, hurriedly got a clean cloth, dipped it in warm water, and gently wiped her sister's shoulders, whispering softly, "I let you go dig shoots alone today without accompanying you, you aren't holding it against me, are you?"
"What are you talking about, confused?" Hua Xiaomai seemed unconcerned, turning back and reassuringly smiled at her.
To make money, naturally, one must minimize costs; how could it be done without some hardship? These little injuries were merely part of the experience.
"You don't understand my thoughts," Hua Erniang said gloomily, glancing at her suddenly raising her voice, "I just want everyone in Fire Knife Village, young and old, to see that my sister is not just a good helper at home and outside; she can endure any hardship, can do any job, and is a capable girl who can support a family on her own, hard to find even with a lantern!"
"I don't care how they see me," Hua Xiaomai shook her head, "We just need to live our lives well, why bother about them?"
"No!" Hua Erniang, a bit anxious, stamped her foot, "You have already turned fifteen. At your age, other girls are all engaged, some perhaps even already married. Since you came to me, I must find you a marriage that you like. Whether the other party is wealthy or not is another matter, but it's crucial that the in-laws are kind and won't mistreat you. I want them to know, my little sister is one in a thousand, and whoever marries her will only profit, never lose!"
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