freenovelworld Chapter 66 Setting up a stall to sell roasted sweet potatoes
Chapter 66 Setting up a stall to sell roasted sweet potatoes
Shen Xiaotang and her sister heard the sound of hooves in the yard, accompanied by barking, and immediately ran out to see what was going on.
There she saw her father leading a mule to the pigpen.
The half-grown mule looked rather immature, and its fur, whether it hadn't fully grown back or was shedding, looked like it had a skin condition.
They actually bought a mule?
She looked surprised and immediately asked, "Dad, didn't you go out to buy a cow? Why did you bring back a mule?"
Shen Qingchuan scratched his head and said, "Dad couldn't find any half-grown oxen, so he bought a half-grown mule. Don't underestimate a mule just because it's smaller than an ox. It's quite strong. We can use it to pull plows in the fields and also help pull carts to town. Plus, it's cheaper than an ox."
What Dad said... seems to make sense!
Mules can do the same work as cows, but they can't reproduce and aren't as strong or powerful as cows.
Anyway, she didn't buy it to become a large-scale livestock breeder, so a mule is fine!
“Okay, Dad is right. Mules work just as well, and we don’t have to worry about our relatives borrowing our oxen to plow the fields. How can we ask them for money when they come to borrow our oxen?”
Shen Qingchuan suddenly realized, "Father hadn't thought about these things, but if we really buy a cow, your grandfather will definitely come to lead it. He's my own father, and I can't bring myself to refuse."
Shen Xiaotang pouted and said, "Given his and his stepmother's personalities, not only will they be doing nothing, but they'll also have to prioritize their family's farmland cultivation."
Just thinking about that family gives me a headache!
Xiaoyu was young and everything seemed strange to her. When she saw that there was suddenly a mule in the house, she was so happy that she looked around the mule.
"Father, elder sister, this...this is the mule you were talking about? Why does it look like this?"
Mrs. Liu walked out of the small kitchen with a bowl in her hand and a smile on her face.
"That's what mules look like. Stop looking at them, wash your hands and eat."
……
Planting after the autumn harvest means waiting through another year, and then harvesting again the following spring, so everyone is planting a bit late this season.
In the past few days, villagers have begun to work in the fields.
Shen Qingchuan and Liu Shi led mules and plows into the fields for two days before they finished plowing.
"Fengniang, I wonder if Shuisheng's wound has healed yet. It's quite difficult for him to do it all by himself. Shall we help him with the plowing?"
"Alright, he got injured while helping you and Tang'er, so it's no big deal for us to help him with some chores!"
When Shuisheng carried his farm tools to the field, he was stunned to see the couple helping him plow the field. He dropped his tools and ran over.
"Brother Qingchuan, sister-in-law, this is too much... this is too much. You've already helped me so much by giving me turmeric seeds. How can I let you plow my fields again?"
“It’s just a small job, something your sister-in-law and I can do easily. We just bought a mule, so it won’t take much effort on us. Please don’t refuse.”
Shui Sheng blushed, feeling very embarrassed.
"Brother Qingchuan, I only suffered a minor injury, but you paid for the doctor's visit. You and your wife also brought me eggs and helped me plow the fields. I'm so embarrassed."
"Hey kid, we're brothers, why are you being so polite with me?"
Shui Sheng grinned. He felt lucky to have met Qingchuan and his wife; they were kind people.
After plowing the fields, the two families planted turmeric together.
The neighboring families grow rice, and seeing that they grow it differently, they were all very curious and kept asking questions, afraid that they would get rich without being included.
Shen Qingchuan and Shui Sheng agreed to keep their story, saying they bought it in town, that it was from out of town, and that they didn't know if it would work, but they would give it a try first.
After hearing this, everyone looked at him with complicated expressions, as if they were looking at a fool.
Lin Xingwang looked at him with amusement, "Alright, you can start planting this year. If it really works next year, we'll plant it too!"
After everyone discussed it for a while, the matter was dropped.
Shen Xiaotang waited day and night, and finally her body recovered.
After the work in the fields was finished, her father made a stove and a mule cart for roasting sweet potatoes, based on the drawings she had made.
The mule cart has a canopy!
A simple roof was built using reed mats, with minimal covering on the sides, to prevent a mule from being unable to pull it; it was made very lightly.
"Tang'er's drawings are really good. This mule cart is very light and easy to use. We won't have to worry about going to town anymore."
"Dad, find two pieces of iron, let's grind them down and carry them for self-defense!"
"Alright, Father will prepare two right away!"
She found a piece of wood and wrote a few large characters on it with soot from the bottom of a pot.
Once everything was ready, the father and daughter got up early, took a stove and sweet potatoes, packed some firewood, and headed to town.
Shen Xiaotang rode in a mule cart, while her father led the mule.
Why is this happening?
Because her father was afraid that the mule wasn't old enough to handle the load!
Once we arrived in town, the sun came out, and everyone was busy setting up stalls along the roadside. More and more people were coming and going, and the town gradually became lively.
Shen Xiaotang spotted an empty spot under a big tree and her eyes lit up.
"Dad, quickly unload the mule cart, tie the mule to the tree, and put the mule cart in front as a mobile stall."
"Alright, I'll do as Tang'er says."
Shen Qingchuan worked quickly and efficiently, lighting the stove and taking out a few sweet potatoes from the sack, putting them into the sliding stove box.
Shen Xiaotang took out the wooden sign she had written and hung it on the roof of the mule cart.
"Roasted sweet potatoes, one coin each, or your money back if they're not sweet!"
A passerby saw the sign she had written, read it aloud without thinking, and then began to laugh at her.
"Hey, this is really something else today. I've seen people selling meat, eggs, vegetables, sesame cakes, rice cakes, and sugar cakes in town, but you're the first one selling roasted sweet potatoes!"
Most of the people coming and going in the town were illiterate. When they heard people talking about selling roasted sweet potatoes, they started to gather around to watch the excitement.
"Tsk tsk tsk, these sweet potatoes, ground into flour and steamed into buns, are so sticky they're impossible to pick up. A few years ago, when we couldn't afford brown rice, we were sick of eating sweet potato flour. Now, some people grow them to feed livestock, but some people are actually roasting them and selling them. It's hilarious!"
"Who says otherwise? We've had enough of steaming, boiling, roasting, and even grinding sweet potatoes into flour for steamed buns. How dare you bring these sweet potatoes to town to sell? Are you just desperate to make money?"
"Hahaha……"
The onlookers burst into laughter, creating a noisy and lively atmosphere.
Shen Qingchuan was thin-skinned, and after being ridiculed by everyone, his face turned bright red, red enough to be used as a roasted sweet potato.
He immediately pulled his daughter aside, his face full of insecurity, and said, "Tang'er, how about... how about we take her home and eat slowly?"
Shen Xiaotang's lips twitched.
Even before it started, her father began to back down. Let people talk, what's there to be afraid of?
The more people around, the better, so she doesn't have to yell at the top of her lungs to sell!
"Dad, we're already here, don't worry, I have a plan!"
She smiled faintly, revealing two dimples, and looked confident.
"Fellow villagers, don't miss out! The roasted sweet potatoes we're selling today are different from what you've eaten before. These red-fleshed sweet potatoes, roasted in our special oven, have a bright red color, a fragrant aroma, and are both sweet and sticky."
"The ones you're eating are all white-core, dry and tough, and the taste is just so-so. If you don't believe me, buy one and try it. If it's not as sweet as I described, you don't have to pay!"