0p0 Chapter 823 60 Yaozu's Sister (Control Group)
Chapter 823 60 Yaozu's Sister (Control Group)
Huandi's house was bought from the brigade back then, and Huandi's household registration was not transferred, so it still belonged to them. Before the family came back, Xiao's mother and father had cleaned it up for them, and the kang (a heated brick bed) was heated several times, so the house was dry.
They often go over to check on things and help maintain the house. In the backyard, there are vegetables and sorghum stalks, as well as a cherry tree left by the previous owner. The fruit it bears is small but delicious, and Xiao Yun and the others come to pick some to eat every year.
After lunch, the children went over there to pick cherries and cut sweet stalks.
The elderly wanted to take a midday rest, so Hu Xuan and Qin Yuanfeng took Jia Duo Bao to the mountain. Now that things on the mountain were no longer collectively owned, they were open to the public. Taking advantage of the fact that no one had contracted out the land yet and that guns were not banned, they went hunting and had a good time.
Xiao Yun and Huan Di went to their room to talk. Xiao Yun asked, "I just heard you say you were planning to open a shop and do business, but there were too many people, so I didn't ask in detail. Now tell me, what's the plan, and what are you planning to do?"
Huandi leaned against the pile of quilts and sat there talking all morning. She had also helped make lunch and tidy up, so she was already exhausted.
Hearing his third sister's question, he didn't get up. Anyway, they were used to being casual with each other, so he just replied, "I'm planning to sell steamed buns at the gate of Guangyuan's school. You have no idea how many people there are at that school!"
School starts early, at 6:30 am, and ends around 8 or 9 pm, which means we miss dinner time.
There were noodle vendors at the entrance, but they weren't convenient to take away; you could only eat them there. Many students were in a hurry and would simply go hungry if they didn't have time. I thought I should buy steamed buns so they could just grab them and go—how convenient!
I tried making it before, and my in-laws both loved it. I also sent a lot to his sister's family, and they all said it was good, so I think it should work.
Xiao Yun nodded. This business was indeed viable. Eating was more profitable and stable than other things, since you have to eat every day, unlike clothes, which you can wear for years.
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yun asked, "Is flour easy to buy over there? Is it expensive? We don't want the costs to be too high and we not make any profit."
Huandi nodded, "Yes, the price of flour is about the same as here. Guangyuan said that Hubei Province is next to Henan Province, where wheat is grown. Transportation is also more convenient than here, so it's not expensive."
Their food is quite convenient; they can produce rice two or three times a year. Although it's not as tasty as ours—it's sticky and not oily—it's enough to fill you up.
There's one thing I'm not used to: it's incredibly damp there. When I sleep, I'm always covered in moisture, and I think I'm sweating from the cold. There's no heated brick bed or heated wall in the house; the walls are thin and the windows let in drafts. In winter, it's colder inside than outside, damp and chilly. Sometimes, after staying inside for a while, I have to go outside to warm up…”
Xiao Yun had been there before, but he had never lived there; he had only visited as a tourist later on. So he really didn't know what it was like there in this era, which is why he found Huan Di's story quite interesting.
"Why don't you build your own kang (heated brick bed)? When you were building your kang in your room, Guangyuan was watching. He should know how."
Huandi paused for a moment, then slapped her thigh. "That's right! How come I didn't think of that! I was just thinking that since things are like that over there, why would I bother with a whole stove and a simple heated brick bed? Ugh, my brain is like a block of wood, it really doesn't work!"
Actually, Qin Yuanfeng and his family rented a house near the school when they went to university. They couldn't just make changes to someone else's house, so they had to make do with what they had.
Things are different now. The house belongs to them, so they can't just change it however they want.
Xiao Yun also gave her some advice: she could sell porridge and soup together, since a little bit of those ingredients could be added to a whole pot of water, making more money than steamed buns.
Even if the students couldn't easily take the food away, they could eat it in the shop, or the neighbors could set up a few tables and sell it as breakfast.
Huandi thought it was feasible. Porridge was a bit troublesome, but soup would be much easier. She could just make an egg drop soup or something, as long as the water boiled. She could just sell it for a lower price.
The two became more and more excited as they talked in the room. Huan Di, who was originally a little sleepy, was energized by her words and even asked her for paper to write it down so she wouldn't forget it later.
Now both sisters can read and write. It's normal to learn these things by following a cultured man. Of course, Xiao Yun is fake, but Huan Di is real. She was truly taught by Qin Yuanfeng little by little.
When Hu Xuan and his companion returned before dark, they had taken a few pheasants and mushrooms. Just when everyone thought they had only gone for a stroll in the mountains and hadn't ventured deep into the mountains, they saw that they had also taken Xiao's father, Jia Bao, and his brother-in-law who had just returned, along with the family's cart.
Only then did everyone realize that the two men had fought quite a few, but they hadn't been able to get them back. When they returned pushing a cart full of things, everyone was astonished.
Fortunately, all the neighbors were eating inside, otherwise they would have all come over to watch.
Xiao Yun strolled over to take a look, and wow! There was a roe deer, a wild goat, and a deer! A male deer with antlers.
Several men gathered around the deer. The deer antlers and blood were considered good stuff, especially for men, as they were believed to have aphrodisiac properties.
Upon seeing these items, Xiao Yun's eyes lit up and he said, "Why don't we have a barbecue tonight? We seem to have quite a bit of charcoal at home, and I just happened to buy some seasonings and brought them back with me."
We do have charcoal at home. Now we don't need to use a stove or fireplace. After cooking, we just put out the half-burned wood, and then we've accumulated quite a bit of charcoal. It burns with less smoke and lasts a long time, so we can use it to heat water pipes in winter.
The barbecue seasoning was freshly taken from the space; it's not sold here.
The main dishes were prepared beforehand, and we were just waiting for Hu Xuan and the others to come back so we could decide what other dishes to make, so nothing was wasted.
With many hands making light work, the group quickly processed the prey. Xiao Yun and her team also set up a makeshift barbecue grill with bricks. Since they didn't have a grill, they used a griddle for making flatbread, essentially grilling on a teppanyaki grill.
The sheep and deer were disassembled, with the legs grilled separately, and the pheasant's legs, wings, and necks also grilled. Everyone knows how to grill meat, but the key is the seasoning. Her barbecue seasoning was homemade, made with high-quality ingredients produced in her space.
She had been craving this for a long time, but she hadn't dared to eat it outside before because the aroma of the barbecue was too strong. She and Hu Xuan would sneak out into their space to satisfy their cravings.
Now things are much better. Things have changed and things have been reformed. There aren't so many problems anymore, and everyone can finally enjoy the food.
They grilled it right in the yard, and the aroma was so irresistible that it lured out all the neighbors who had already finished eating.
From the yard on the left, Aunt Liu exclaimed, "Oh my god! What's that smell? It smells so good! It's making me hungry again!"
On the right, Aunt Chen and her husband, along with their child, climbed onto the wall and said to this side, "I told you it drifted over from your side! What are you doing? Making such a fragrant noise so late at night."
Aunt Xiao and Aunt Chen were close, so when they heard her voice, Aunt Xiao stood up and replied, "Hey, the kids are just messing around. They insist on having barbecue so late at night, and now they've started making a ruckus. Just wait, I'll get you some when it's done."
There are many people at home today, so I didn't invite her over; otherwise, I would definitely have let her have her way.
The Xiao family was never stingy. After the lamb and deer legs were roasted, they cut out two plates and gave one plate to each side.
After that, everyone started eating. Xiao Yun ate while putting vegetables on the griddle. She picked these vegetables while everyone was grilling meat because eating only meat was too greasy, so she ate some vegetables to change the flavor.
She prepared chives, eggplants, peppers, potatoes, and washed mushrooms. Basically, she grilled everything that could be grilled. After the eggplants were grilled until soft, she instructed Huandi to add minced garlic and barbecue seasoning. The taste was much better than the garlic eggplant she usually made.
After the children finished eating the meat, they ran over and looked at the colorful vegetables on the hot plate, curious about their taste.
Xiao Yun used chopsticks to put some food into each of their small bowls before inviting the adults to come and try it too.
Then she heard her older sister say to her, "Hey, third sister, what do you think about me setting up a barbecue stall in our town? I think I could definitely make a lot of money."
The others nodded in agreement; the aroma alone was enough to tempt anyone passing by to try it.
Xiao Yun looked at her older sister with some curiosity, "Don't you have a job? Don't you want to do it anymore?"
Xiao Zhaodi nodded. Although she works in a furniture factory, her monthly salary is only so-so. She has three children, and her eldest child is almost ready to find a partner, so she needs to earn more money.
“The fruit vendor at the entrance of our furniture factory can earn more than ten yuan a day, which adds up to several hundred yuan a month. He earns more than your brother-in-law.”
My eldest son is getting married soon, and I need to earn money for the kids' weddings. This fixed salary won't do.
Before, I didn't know what to do, but now that I've tried your food, I'm thinking of setting up a barbecue stall in town.
Xiao Yun nodded, agreeing that it was indeed a good idea, but she didn't recommend selling venison or similar meats, as the cost would be too high; they couldn't very well go up the mountain to hunt them themselves.
"I think we should just sell roasted beef, lamb, and chicken. Let's skip venison, it's hard to guarantee the supply. As for vegetables, we can only sell them in the summer, and in the winter we'll only have potatoes left."
There's a slaughterhouse right in town—no, it's been converted into a meat processing plant now—with a sales window where you can buy directly from the meat; it's convenient and cheap.
These vegetables are a bit more troublesome. It's okay in the summer; you can grow some at home or harvest some in the village. But it's not possible in the winter.
Huandi, who was listening from the side, also felt that she needed to change her previous plan. She couldn't just sell steamed buns. Steamed buns might sell well in the morning, but they might not sell well in the evening. It would be better to sell barbecue.
The courtyard where they live now is right across from the school's main gate, right by the road. All they need to do is open a door in the wall facing the main road to use it as a storefront. There's also an open space in front of the door, where they can put some tables and chairs.