Zhou Mo spent her Saturday afternoon following the address given by her teacher and bought a bunch of bananas to visit. Upon seeing the item she brought, Master and his wife both said she was wasting money, but she felt it was the least she could do as a courtesy. Even if she were poorer, this was not an expense she could skip.
Zheng Yun, the teacher, was the principal of City First High School and had retired. Therefore, he lived in the staff housing complex. The house was old, but the elderly couple kept it very clean.
The Master’s wife was very warm to her, probably aware of her background and felt great pity for her. She even sorted out a bag of clothes from her granddaughter and great-granddaughter to give to her.
Zhou Mo was deeply touched. The clothes, given by the city folks, looked so much better compared to what she wore. Seeing that her shoes were peeling but still worn, the Master’s wife found several pairs of proper-fitting sneakers for her.
They spent the entire afternoon in the study. Mr. Zheng looked at her calligraphy and gave her detailed guidance. Although she had been taught by teachers in ancient tis, those thods were after all ancient and differed from modern tis. Yet, she recounted the thods taught by her previous teachers, which surprised Mr. Zheng.
"How did you know this?"
"I read it in books from the library,"
Mr. Zheng was very pleased, "You are not just talking the talk; you truly love this craft. Indeed, without hard work, how could you produce such quality writing? Taking you as my disciple, I’m indeed in luck. You are very wise; a little guidance and you achieve twice the result with half the effort. Good child, practice well. There’s a month left until the competition. Practice for another week and see. If we are both satisfied, we’ll send it off for you to compete."
Leaving Mr. Zheng’s house, she did not only carry back two bags full of clothes but also received calligraphy examples, as well as brushes, ink, paper, and ink stone from the teacher. She said she had her own, but he insisted she keep them.
Such kind elderly people, if not for treasuring talent or pitying her plight, would not go to such lengths. Therefore, she was determined to make them proud and repay them in the future.
The clothes given by the Master’s wife were suitable for spring and autumn, with a few sumr dresses mixed in. Two pairs of sneakers and a pair of sandals were of decent quality too, enough to last her through the sumr. This way, she could save even more money.
When it ca to making money, Zhou Mo had finished her school howork that Saturday afternoon. In the evening, when the market was about to close, she bought scallions, cabbage, radishes, salt, kelp, chili, garlic, glutinous rice flour, pickling jars, food storage containers, plastic bags, various seasonings, and so on. She made several trips to move them to her own space and also picked up several loads of discounted vegetables that were a bit rotten or imperfect—basically half sold, half given away. She bought around ten to twenty jin, spending no more than five yuan.
Then, she spent Saturday night sorting through the vegetables. By Sunday morning, she began making Korean-style scallion kimchi, radish kimchi, and spicy cabbage, making the radish spicy and also sweet-and-spicy (Yellow Turnip). She also made their usual mustard greens and Sour and Spicy Seaweed Strips.
This was the only way to make money that she could think of for now.
Other thods required buying a vehicle or equipnt, which were too big an investnt for her capabilities at the mont.
Kimchi might not bring in much profit, but a small margin with high turnover, right? This ti, she pickled six large jars, amounting to thirty to forty jin. She wasn’t sure if she could sell them, but it was worth a try. As long as there were buyers, she could sell them. One round of sales should cover at least her living expenses for a week.
If this thod worked and secured her living expenses, she would not be afraid. Moreover, she had the winter and sumr vacations when she could think of other ways to make money.
So, she spent this busy weekend fully engaged.
In the blink of an eye, another week passed. The pickled vegetables she made previously were almost ready to eat. On Saturday afternoon, after finishing her howork, she took two large food storage containers of pickled vegetables, along with plastic bags and disposable chopsticks, to the entrance of the vegetable market. It was the peak ti for people getting off work. With her experience from past lives, she was much bolder.
"Co on, co on, free tasting, homade Korean-style Yellow Turnip and Spicy Radish, try before you buy, no charge if it doesn’t taste good, 50 cents a bowl."
To ensure cleanliness, she even put a plastic bag over her hand and greeted the passersby, inviting them to taste.
Perhaps it was because the yellow-colored dried radish and the red diced radish pieces were rather enticing, they really caught everyone’s attention.
A few curious elderly ladies ca over: "Girl, what’s this yellow one?"
"Grandma, this is a sweet and sour radish, pickled with dicinal materials, no special flavors, would you like to try a piece?"
The service of handing it directly to their mouths made it hard for the grandmas to refuse, especially this color of radish, it was simply too pretty.
And after trying, the grandmas nodded in approval: "This tastes quite good, let try the spicy one."
This ti, Zhou Yiyi stuck a piece with a toothpick and handed it over, and after trying, the grandma was quite satisfied: "Not bad, give so of each."
"Grandma, 50 cents for a small bowl, would two bowls be alright?"
"Sure, sure, that’s fine."
Zhou Yiyi covered a bowl with a plastic bag, grabbed so radishes, and once she had enough, she lifted it up and handed it to the grandma, who happily handed her one yuan.
After the first custor, more people ca over to buy. She had only brought two containers of dried radish, and within less than an hour, she had sold everything, earning eighteen yuan.
Later, seeing that it was still early, she found a quiet spot and took out kelp strips and spicy cabbage from her space, and after a similar tasting, she made another twenty yuan.
It wasn’t until eight in the evening, as the crowd thinned out, that she was content to pack up the empty boxes and ride her bike ho.
Radishes and cabbage were not expensive, and kelp was especially popular, she sold thirty-eight yuan worth today and could make at least half as profit.
It might seem a bit expensive at 50 cents a bowl, but it would last at least a week if eaten. She also told them to take it ho in airtight containers and keep it in the fridge, which would make it last longer. She chose to use smaller bowls for fear that so people would not store them properly and they would spoil.
The next morning at six, she returned to the market. This ti she brought two containers as well, but this ti it was mustard strips and Chili Sauce, mustard strips for 50 cents and Chili Sauce for one yuan a bowl because it was made with pure chili.
So grandparents who had bought from her the day before and thought it was good saw that she was selling vegetables again, different varieties this ti. They each bought a small bowl, showing her extra support, which moved her greatly.
"Why are you out selling everyday? Where are your parents?"
Every ti soone asked her this question, she would lower her head in sadness and silently answer this difficult question. She did not want to tell the truth because if she did, people might think she was soliciting pity. She did not want them to think that, so at tis like these, silence was more eloquent than words.
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