Chapter 8 Selling Straw Sandals
Qin Yao made boiled taro for dinner.
Even though she brought back two full bags of taro, there were five mouths to feed in the family and they were all starving. After two meals, only half of the fifty kilograms of taro was left.
This was because Qin Yao restrained herself and didn't dare to eat more. Otherwise, if she was only 80% full, she probably wouldn't have had half of the food left.
After Liu Dalang and his companions had eaten their fill, they realized that there was only a little food left and they felt a little regretful that they had not restrained themselves.
Qin Yao didn't think too much about it. There were still a lot of taro in the mountains. If she dug them all up, they should be enough to eat for a month.
In the short term, she doesn't have to worry about starving to death.
That is, taro cannot be stored under the current temperature and humidity conditions, and can only be dug when it is needed to be eaten.
Qin Yao was glad that no one here ate it, otherwise the free food would have been wasted.
At night, Qin Yao, who had eaten and drunk her fill, began to weave straw sandals in front of the torch.
I felt a little unfamiliar at first, but after I became proficient, my hand speed became very fast.
The twin brother and sister yawned continuously. Qin Yao asked them to go to bed, but they refused. They stared at the straw sandals in her hand, waiting to put on new shoes.
Qin Yao felt both distressed and helpless, so she just let them go.
The villagers here have no nightlife at all. In order to save on lighting costs, they go to bed when it gets dark.
Liu Ji's home was in a remote area, and it was quiet all around. Only the occasional howling of wild animals in the mountains could be heard.
It might be because of this atmosphere that Dalang and Erlang suddenly remembered their bastard father who was carried away. They glanced at Qin Yao weakly, wanting to say something but stopping themselves.
Finally, Dalang couldn't help it. When he was about to ask Qin Yao when she would go to redeem his father, Qin Yao finished the first pair of straw sandals and handed them to him.
"Advances in order, this pair should be given to Dalang first." Qin Yao said, then picked up the straw rope and continued to weave the second pair.
She was very tired that day, so after knitting one more pair for herself, she was ready to rest.
Dalang was about to ask, but he held it back.
However, seeing the pair of tightly woven straw sandals that looked sturdy and comfortable to wear, the young boy took them off the table in surprise, and put them at his feet to show them off under the envious gazes of his younger brothers and sisters.
I don't know whether Qin Yao did it intentionally or unintentionally, the size is just right.
This is a pair of straw sandals. Although they are far inferior to cloth shoes, they are the best for Dalang who has almost no shoes to wear.
He picked up the straw sandals, looked at them again and again, and finally held them in his arms cherishing them, planning to wash his feet and wear them again tomorrow.
Although Erlang and the other two were envious, they knew they all had a share, so they waited patiently.
Unfortunately, Qin Yao only made two pairs tonight.
The three siblings could only go back to their room to sleep with regret, looking forward to tomorrow.
The next morning, Qin Yao put on new straw sandals, ate two taro left over from yesterday's cooking, and went out carrying her hoe.
Liu Dalang was awakened by the noise she made when she got up and wanted to go with her, but Qin Yao refused.
It would be faster for her to go alone, but if Liu Dalang went with her, she would have to spare some energy to take care of him.
Qin Yao went early and came back early, digging two bags of taro.
Her goal at this stage is to get better as soon as possible and let the wild beasts in the mountains go for now, waiting for her to recover and get all the equipment before coming back.
So after digging three days' worth of taro, we decided to go down the mountain.
After all, the body is the capital of revolution, and we cannot treat it too badly now.
The children at home had already prepared breakfast and would not eat until she came back.
This was beyond Qin Yao's expectations. She didn't expect that the four brothers and sisters would prepare dinner for her.
Maybe it was because she brought the food back, so she was assumed to have the right to distribute it.
Half of the taro left over from yesterday was cooked, weighing about eight or nine pounds. Qin Yao took the bulk, and the four children divided it according to their appetite.
Si Niang stayed close to A Niang and fed her from time to time.
Qin Yao took a small bite, and the little girl smiled with her eyes curved. She leaned her little head against her back and happily ate the sweet and sticky taro in small bites.
After finishing breakfast, Qin Yao picked up the straw rope and started the day's craft work under the expectant looks of Erlang and his three children.
This time I had more time, so I finished making three small straw sandals in one day, and also made an extra pair in adult size.
Several children washed their feet very carefully, put on new shoes, and walked around the yard with contented looks on their faces.
There was an unconscious hint of closeness in the look they gave their stepmother Qin Yao that they themselves did not even notice.
Erlang walked over wearing new shoes, looked at the extra pair of straw sandals, and asked tentatively:
"Auntie, can I take these shoes to the village to sell?"
Qin Yao's first reaction was surprise, "Can this be sold?"
Erlang was not sure, but he wanted to give it a try. "Even if I can't sell it for money, it's good to be able to exchange it for some vegetables for my family."
Qin Yao didn't expect that this boy had such a business acumen. It might be that poverty forced them to learn how to survive early on.
Qin Yao nodded and agreed.
Erlang greeted his eldest brother and the twins with surprise. The four siblings carefully held the pair of straw sandals and walked towards the busiest well in the village.
The water tank at home was empty again. Qin Yao picked up the lonely bucket in the corner, locked the door, followed the four brothers and sisters, and fetched a bucket of water.
She did not expect the four siblings to be able to sell the straw sandals, but she did not interfere and just watched secretly.
Unexpectedly, after Erlang shouted for a while, some people actually came to look at the straw sandals, and after some bargaining, they exchanged them for a bunch of green vegetables and a loofah.
The four siblings were delighted and ran to Qin Yao with the vegetables they had exchanged to claim credit.
Qin Yao smiled and raised her thumbs to the four people. Looking at the back of the woman who changed her straw sandals, an idea came to her mind.
Perhaps, she could make a few more pairs of straw sandals and exchange them with the villagers for some daily necessities.
They may have extra necessities such as oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, pots, pans, and seasonal vegetables grown by farmers themselves, but she has an urgent need for these things.
Qin Yao had already complained enough about Liu Ji's family's poverty yesterday.
There were not even five complete pairs of bowls and chopsticks in the whole house, and there was only one bucket for fetching water. The water tank was extremely small, so she had to fetch water four or five times a day to get enough water, which was a complete waste of time.
"Let's set a small goal first, and return with a wooden barrel and a shoulder pole."
Early in the morning, Qin Yao stood in front of the four brothers and sisters with her hands behind her back and gave a serious speech, just like a military training instructor.
Dalang and Erlang nodded seriously, full of enthusiasm.
The twin brother and sister were still young, and they nodded their heads confusedly, looking ready for battle.
Qin Yao smiled and looked at Dalang and Erlang, "Let's go to your grandfather's field to borrow some straw first, and then pay him back when we make money. What do you think?"
The two brothers looked at each other, and without any hesitation, turned around and ran towards Old Man Liu's fields.
There are five people in the family, and the division of labor is strict.
Dalang and Erlang were responsible for transporting the raw materials, Sanlang and Siniang were responsible for pre-processing, and Qin Yao was responsible for twisting straw ropes.
In less than a day, a large roll of straw rope was piled up in front of the door, enough to make at least ten pairs of straw sandals.
When the sun set, Dalang and Erlang ran back breathlessly and empty-handed to report: "Auntie, all the straw in the field has been moved!"
Qin Yao looked at the large roll of straw rope beside her, then at the pile of straw in the house, nodded, relieved them of the carrying task, and turned to the rope-twisting guidance group, striving to get the first batch of straw sandals out early tomorrow morning!
(End of this chapter)