Chapter 11 Setting up a stall
The two brothers, whose pride had been pierced, were still unaware that there were many more broken branches under the woods ahead, and they ran over to pick them up in delight.Qin Yao stopped the two men and asked them to come back and go up the mountain with her.
There are only a few small animals in the small forest where the villagers chop firewood. As long as the adults keep an eye on them, it is safe.
Dalang and Erlang were a little confused, but still followed her up the mountain.
When they reached the middle of the slope, Qin Yao chose a place with dense trees, threw the rope, asked his brothers to wait in this relatively flat open space, and picked up the hatchet and went into the bushes.
Qin Yao first cut two branches to make a tripod for Dalang, and then went deeper into the forest to chop wood with a knife.
She was very fast, throwing firewood as thick as a child's arm one after another from the grass, and soon she had accumulated a pile.
Dalang and Erlang looked at each other in surprise. It was a lot of firewood!
But soon, they realized that it was too much.
Well, the stepmother must be planning to cut more and then carry them back home slowly.
Unexpectedly, Qin Yao tied up all the firewood that these strong men had to carry twice, tied it into two bundles, selected the thickest one to make a shoulder pole, and carried it up directly.
She took two steps on the spot and felt that the weight was still not enough, so she picked a few pieces of firewood from Dalang's firewood rack and stuffed them in. When she felt it was just right, she signaled the two brothers to carry their firewood racks and backpacks and go home.
Dalang had never seen a three-legged firewood rack. The villagers tied the firewood together and carried it around. Those who were strong would carry it on their shoulders. He had never seen a fork like this used.
Qin Yao had no choice but to put down the load, pick up the firewood rack and place it on Dalang's small shoulders, letting him hold her feet on both sides.
The firewood weighing more than ten pounds was dispersed by the firewood rack, from a single point to the entire shoulder. Dalang was surprised to find that it was much easier to carry.
The backpack was filled with fine firewood that Qin Yao had chopped in advance. It was useful for starting a fire. Although the backpack looked full, it was actually not heavy, only about eight or nine pounds.
It's totally possible for Erlang to carry it on his back.
"Can we go now?" Qin Yao asked.
The two brothers nodded, feeling the joy of harvest.
Especially when he saw the two large bundles of firewood on Qin Yao's shoulder pole, he was both surprised and impressed.
They have never seen anyone who bears more responsibilities than their stepmother!
The mother and her two sons came down from the mountain and had to pass through the village fields to get home.
The villagers first noticed the firewood across Dalang's shoulders. When they got closer, they found that there was a fork on the firewood. Dalang was holding his two extended legs and carrying them on his shoulders so that he could walk easily.
But the firewood was more than what could be tied up and carried.
Why didn't they think of making a firewood rack before? It doesn't look difficult, just a piece of wood across two branches. It saves effort on the shoulders.
Then, his attention was unconsciously drawn to two large bundles of firewood that were moving by themselves.
That bundle of firewood was equivalent to two bundles of others, weighing at least two hundred and fifty to two hundred and sixty kilograms in total.
"Oh, isn't that the new young lady from Liu Laosan's family?"
The villagers discovered that there was another person in the two mobile firewood rooms, but because of his thin body, he was blocked by the firewood.
What surprised them even more was that this person turned out to be Qin Niangzi from Liu Laosan's family.
"How can she be so strong?"
The villagers in the field stared blankly as the mother and her two children walked past them. Only when they disappeared from view did they slowly drop their jaws in surprise.
Later, the news that Liu Laosan had married a strong woman spread throughout the village.
In the evening, when Qin Yao led the four brothers and sisters to set up a stall near the village well with the straw sandals they had made, she had already become the "powerful female demon" in the villagers' mouths!
At this time, everyone had finished their farm work in the fields, and there was still some time before dinner, so they all liked to gather at the village well to rest for a while, and there were quite a lot of people.
Some children were playing under a big tree near the well. When they saw Qin Yao appear, they screamed "Ah!" and ran away in all directions. They hid behind their parents and grandparents, looking at her with fear and curiosity.
Qin Yao raised her eyebrows. What a coincidence, this was a good spot for her to set up a stall.
"Put it up." Qin Yao raised her chin towards the four WIFF signalmen standing in a row in front of her.
Sanlang and Si Niang spread the tattered straw mat they had brought from home under the tree.
Dalang and Erlang took off the ten pairs of straw sandals strung in their arms and spread them out.
Qin Yao tidied it up again, put a wooden sign on the ground, and wrote a few words in black charcoal: Straw sandals are three cents a pair!
Clap your hands, and you're done.
Although they were afraid of the 'powerful female demon', the villagers couldn't help but gather around out of curiosity to see what the mother and her five children were doing.
However, the only characters that can be recognized are three and one, and not everyone knows them, only a few people know them.
Qin Yao patted Erlang on the shoulder. After observing him for the past few days, she found that Erlang was the most shameless and the most outspoken boy.
Erlang took a big step forward, took a deep breath, and started to sell: "I'm selling straw sandals. Three cents a pair. Three cents a pair. For only three cents, you can take these finely woven sandals home!"
The sudden roar startled the onlookers at first, but then they realized that the man was selling straw sandals.
Erlang continued to shout at the top of his voice: "Three cents, you won't suffer any loss, you won't be cheated, just three cents, just three cents can take away the comfortable and durable finely woven straw sandals!"
"If you don't have money, you can exchange it for something else!"
Three wen for a pair. Qin Yao calculated this price after studying the villagers' consumption level and the value of the loofahs and green vegetables she exchanged yesterday.
Sure enough, everyone was tempted by the price and even more so by the idea of bartering.
Although I was just talking about Qin Yao the female demon, that was just a joke and gossip after all. The price is affordable, so I am not afraid of that.
Straw sandals are needed by every household. Seeing Erlang calling so hard, a couple of women squatted down in front of the stall.
Si Niang immediately picked up the shoes and handed them to them, "Aunt Zhou, the shoes my mother made are very good, you should buy a pair."
Qin Yao was a little surprised. She thought Si Niang was timid and clingy, but she didn't expect her to actively promote her products.
The children were working so hard that Qin Yao, an adult, felt embarrassed to just stand there and do nothing. She forced a smile and took the initiative to explain how sturdy her shoes were and how it took her a lot of effort to make a pair.
The woman called Aunt Zhou by Si Niang looked at the shoes over and over again. The shoes were indeed sturdy and the size was suitable for her man's feet. The man in the family had been working in the fields recently and his straw sandals had worn out, so she wanted to buy new ones.
"Madam Qin, I want two pairs. Can you give me a discount?" Mrs. Zhou asked tentatively.
Qin Yao was also straightforward, "Okay, for the first order, I'll give you two pairs for five cents."
Having gotten a good deal, Mrs. Zhou was happy. She took out the selected straw sandals and put them aside, motioning Qin Yao to wait for her while she went home to get the copper coins.
He quickly trotted back, counted the five cents three times before handing it to Qin Yao, and happily took the two pairs of straw sandals.
The business was done with one order, or two pairs of goods, and all four Liu brothers and sisters laughed.
Erlang shouted even harder, and Si Niang, relying on her small size, took the shoes and took the initiative to find people to sell them, acting cute and pitiful.
She specifically looked for those aunts because she found that only the aunts had money in their pockets.
Seeing his sister was so brave, Sanlang plucked up his courage and followed her. He asked in a low voice: "Do you want to buy shoes? Buy a pair."
The brother and sister worked together and sold another pair. They looked at Qin Yao with surprise and wanted praise.
Although the brother and sister were dressed in rags, their little faces were wiped clean and their hair was tied neatly, making them look very cute.
The straw sandals sold better and better. Someone even brought unused bowls from home to exchange for them. Five coarse porcelain bowls with some cracks on them were traded for a pair of shoes.
Another grandma brought three eggs and exchanged them for a pair.
Before they knew it, it was dark and everyone went home to eat. In the end, only Qin Yao and her son and four others were left, excitedly counting the day's harvest under the tree.
(End of this chapter)