Chapter 26

When there was money to be made, Feng Zhenchang and Mei Qiuping moved quickly. That evening, they bought a pot and a steamer, and the next morning, the couple spent their first money on breakfast, a total of only three yuan. However, they visited seven places, and by that evening, they had decided to make baozi (steamed buns).

But the baozi they planned to make would be larger, about the size of an adult's fist, with plenty of filling. They would sell each for four mao, making them a great value. This way, without counting labor costs, selling one baozi would earn them more than one mao. If they could sell fifty in the morning, they would make nearly ten yuan.

On the first morning, because they were unsure, they only made thirty. They arrived early at their usual spot, but no one came to buy. Later, the owner of a nearby convenience store, who was also an acquaintance, bought two, which finally broke the ice.

Then, just before school started, a teacher rushed to school on a bike, saw their steaming baozi, and bought one with meat filling and one with vermicelli filling. At lunchtime, a few sanitation workers bought some, and with what they ate themselves, half of the baozi from the first day were left.

The next day, they naturally made more. They had expected the first day to be slow, just like when they first started selling sugar-coated chestnuts. In the beginning, few people came, but later, with repeat customers and word-of-mouth, business gradually picked up.

Of course, they wouldn't sell the leftover baozi from the first day; they kept them for themselves. They couldn't be greedy for small gains, a concept that had changed in them without them realizing it. Over these days, they learned that in such a small business, reputation was crucial. Their main customers were regulars, and one dissatisfied customer could affect many others.

Surprisingly, the second morning went well. First, people from several nearby shops came to buy, then a group of teachers and students from the school arrived, probably because of the free advertisement from the teacher the day before. The thirty baozi were sold out in no time, not a single one left!

Fortunately, Mei Qiuping had thought ahead. She had brought a few of the leftover baozi from the previous day, just in case. Otherwise, they would have had to spend money on lunch.

Starting from the third day, they made about eighty baozi each day, earning an extra ten yuan daily. However, earning this extra money wasn't easy. They had to knead more dough and chop more filling. Even though they were used to hard work in the village, the first few days left their hands and backs sore.

In the second week, because many people asked, they added another item: in the morning, they also sold soy milk. So, they had another task in the evening: grinding beans with a small stone mill.

They could have bought a small soy milk machine, but it was expensive and required an electric motor, which was also costly and used electricity, which they had to pay for.

Since they only made soy milk, and the amount of beans they needed to grind each day was small, they decided to do it manually.

Thirteen bus stops away from where Feng Zhenchang and his family lived, there was an old street. Behind the old street were some old buildings from the Republic of China era, and across the road was the Yangtze River.

The old street had once been prosperous, with all sorts of shops, including grocery stores, small restaurants, barbershops, repair shops, gas stations, and health clinics, making life convenient for the residents.

Now, the old street had lost its former glory. The shops on both sides had wooden doors and windows, unpainted and weathered black, some even rotten. The concrete road was cracked in many places, and the pavement in front of many shops was black, probably from the wastewater that was carelessly dumped there. The tiles in front of the shops were uneven and loose, and stepping on them could cause wastewater to splash up.

Above the old street, there were crisscrossing wires, densely packed. Each utility pole was covered with various colored flyers and small ads, and occasionally, there was an old plane tree with various things hanging from it.

At the end of the old street was a courtyard. The entrance had recently been filled with cement, making it very flat. The courtyard was spacious, with sheds on both sides, tall and covered with asbestos tiles. Behind the courtyard was a three-story building, which looked old, with a weathered exterior and peeling green paint on the window frames.

At this moment, the screeching sound of the electric saw stopped, followed by the cessation of other various noises. The courtyard became unusually quiet.

Mei Yiliang, wearing a blue work uniform and a tilted cap, was taking off his gloves as he walked. He entered the office on the first floor and said to the old man behind the desk, who was smoking and keeping accounts, "Master, I'm going to my sister's place. I won't be having dinner at the factory tonight."

Cai Dexiang looked up over his reading glasses, took a cigarette from the pack on the desk, and threw it to him, "You haven't been there for a few days. How are they doing now?"

Mei Yiliang said, "They're doing okay. It's tough, but the income is good, much better than farming back home."

Cai Dexiang extinguished the remaining cigarette, "People from the countryside aren't afraid of hard work. Besides, as long as you can earn money, a little hardship is nothing. You should learn from your sister and brother-in-law. You're not young anymore, and you still haven't settled down."

Mei Yiliang protested, "I've already changed, Master. Look, am I the best at my craft in the factory now? And I can even fix the machines. I just fixed an electric drill this afternoon."

Cai Dexiang continued to keep accounts without looking up, just waving his hand, "I know, go ahead. Ride slowly."

As Mei Yiliang was about to leave, someone shouted, "Mei Yiliang, where are you off to again?"

He stopped his bike and saw Cai Hong, still in her work uniform, brushing off the wood chips from her body and walking toward him.

"Where else? I'm going to see my sister."

"Really? Then I'll come with you." Cai Hong jumped onto the back seat.

"Sure, but at least change your clothes!"

"Oh, right. Then wait for me here, don't run off!"

"Okay, hurry up!" Mei Yiliang parked his bike and lit a cigarette, waiting.

Fortunately, girls at that time hadn't developed the habit of spending at least half an hour on makeup before going out. In less than ten minutes, Cai Hong came out in a thin sweater and jeans, looking fresh, and probably washed her face.

Cai Hong sat on the back seat, casually wrapping her arms around Mei Yiliang's waist and greeting people in the nearby shops. She had grown up in this area and was very familiar with everyone, while Mei Yiliang felt a bit awkward and pedaled hard with his head down.

Cai Hong patted Mei Yiliang's shoulder a few times, "There are so many potholes on the ground, and you're riding so fast. Are you trying to cause trouble?"

They circled around the university area and finally found Mei Qiuping and her husband at the entrance of the affiliated high school of the Normal University. Most of the students had already left, and they were about to return to the university entrance.

Seeing her brother with a city girl, Mei Qiuping was a bit surprised. Cai Hong greeted her warmly, and Mei Yiliang introduced her, "Sister, brother-in-law, this is my master's daughter, Cai Hong."

"Oh, these are our homemade chestnuts, very clean and fragrant. Miss, try some!" Feng Zhenchang handed Cai Hong a paper bag.

Cai Hong didn't hesitate, took one, and peeled it, "Mm, really delicious, very fragrant and a bit sweet. The taste is great."

Mei Qiuping said, "Yiliang, you really should have given us a heads-up. Now we can't even treat you properly."

Cai Hong said, "It's fine, you're busy. I just came with Yiliang to take a look."

Mei Yiliang noticed another pot and steamer on the tricycle and asked, "What are you selling now? Baozi?"

Feng Zhenchang handed him a cigarette, "Yes, in the morning, we didn't have much business, so we started making baozi and soy milk. We can sell dozens of baozi and soy milk in the morning."

"Oh, that's great. Brother, your income is much higher than mine."

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