Indeed, compared to the bland taste of plain boiled eggs, the fragrant tea eggs had greater market appeal.
Grandma Su was truly skilled at making tea eggs. Not to mention others, even Su Xiaotian, who had seen many delicacies from later generations, had to admit that Grandma Su's tea eggs were indeed exquisite.
People who ate tea eggs would definitely not want to eat plain boiled eggs that lacked flavor.
However, Su Xiaotian had no intention of taking these boiled eggs in the basket back with her.
She firmly believed in the power of human effort. As long as she worked hard enough, these eggs would definitely sell.
With a determined spirit, Su Xiaotian did not give up but earnestly promoted her products.
Although young people were not particularly inclined to eat boiled eggs, after eating train food for several days, their mouths felt practically numb.
Listening to the little girl's incessant chatter as she promoted her goods, he felt that boiled eggs might not be so bad after all.
"Little girl, are boiled eggs really that good?" he couldn't help but ask.
At this moment, Su Xiaotian was almost about to give up. Hearing this, she immediately felt revitalized.
"Yes, big brother! Our family's boiled eggs are made with authentic free-range eggs, and they are highly nutritious!" Su Xiaotian's eyes curved into smiles.
Under Su Xiaotian's strong recommendation, the young man bought five boiled eggs.
"Big brother, boiled eggs are cheap, one yuan and two fen each. You want five, so that's six yuan in total." Su Xiaotian nimbly took out five boiled eggs from the basket and stated the price.
The young man was not ignorant of prices. He knew that even with coupons, eggs cost nine fen each.
One yuan and two fen for a boiled egg was indeed not much. Not needing coupons, he was actually saving money.
He didn't dally and quickly took out several small bills from his pocket, counting out six yuan.
"Little girl, you're good at math? Have you been to school?"
Su Xiaotian smiled sweetly and replied, "I am studying."
Su Xiaotian's statement "I am studying" indicated her current status as a student.
The young man was clearly surprised. In such a remote county town, more boys studied, while most girls only attended school for two years. After becoming literate, they would stop studying.
He hadn't expected that this eloquent little girl in front of him was actually a student.
"That's good, you must study hard!" he encouraged Su Xiaotian with a smile. "Study hard and become a useful person to society in the future."
Su Xiaotian took the money, offered a few auspicious words with a smile, and then walked on.
There were still over a dozen eggs left in the basket, and Su Xiaotian intended to sell all of them before getting off the train.
Chi Yiyuan followed Su Xiaotian with a complex expression. After a long while, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Xiaotian, how do you know so much?"
Chi Yiyuan was truly amazed!
This girl, Xiaotian, kept bringing him surprises.
"Speaking nicely never hurts!" Su Xiaotian naturally couldn't say that this was experience gained from her past life.
Soon, the remaining boiled eggs in the basket were also sold.
Su Xiaotian felt relieved, carrying the empty basket with a sense of satisfaction.
To lessen the burden on her brothers, she had carried nearly half of the items brought today, distributing the other half among her brothers.
With her basket empty, it meant she had achieved half of her goal.
Su Xiaotian felt incredibly happy.
She took Chi Yiyuan's hand and ran towards the train.
When Chi Yiyuan's soft hand held hers, his heart beat a little faster.
At some point, the young man's heart had begun to stir.
However, Su Xiaotian was unaware that from this moment on, she had become different in Chi Yiyuan's heart.
"Slow down, be careful not to bump yourself!" Chi Yiyuan said worriedly.
Su Xiaotian was as cheerful as a little bird, smiling at Chi Yiyuan with her eyebrows raised.
"Let's quickly see if the brothers have sold theirs. If not, let's hurry and bring them over to promote them again."
Her brothers had no experience in business, and Su Xiaotian was very worried they wouldn't know how to promote their goods. What if all the food remained unsold?
When she reached the bottom of the train, she quickly saw her brothers gathered around Grandpa Su.
Their faces were filled with smiles and excitement.
"Xiaotian, what's the situation on your end?" Fourth Brother Su called out excitedly.
"Fourth Brother, what's your situation?" Su Xiaotian looked at her brothers' expressions and felt that things must be going well, having achieved initial success.
"Xiaotian, Fourth Brother is amazing, they're all sold out." Ninth Brother Su looked at Fourth Brother Su with starry eyes.
He had never realized before that Fourth Brother was so capable. He wanted to learn from Fourth Brother and become someone just as capable.
"They're sold out, and we've sold out too. Many people wanted them," Fifth Brother Su and the others also exclaimed with surprise.
They had initially worried that a large portion of the items brought today might have to be taken back. They hadn't expected that in just a few minutes, everything would be sold.
Secretly touching the money in his pocket, Fifth Brother Su was ecstatic.
"Xiaotian, you brought a lot, do you have any left? If you do, give me some!" Fourth Brother Su said excitedly to Su Xiaotian.
He had always regretted bringing so little today. If only he had brought more.
Su Xiaotian showed him her empty basket, indicating she had none left.
Fourth Brother Su felt a bit regretful. Xiaotian had brought so much, how could it all be sold out?
He really enjoyed this feeling of selling goods.
"Brother Yiyuan, did you hear that? We succeeded, everything is sold!"
Su Xiaotian, happy, tugged at Chi Yiyuan's sleeve and smiled.
Chi Yiyuan looked at the little girl's joyful smile, and a hint of a smile also appeared in his eyes.
Grandma Su was anxious at home.
The environment for doing business was much better now, but it was not yet openly permitted.
With the children going out like this, she wondered if they would attract unwanted attention.
What if they were targeted? It could cause trouble.
She also wondered if the old man was smart and quick-witted enough to take care of the children.
Grandma Su, alone at home, had countless thoughts swirling in her mind, but no conclusions were reached.
It wasn't until the gate creaked open and the cheerful voices of Su Xiaotian and the others arrived that Grandma Su stopped her overthinking.
She hurried out and asked, "What's the situation?"
"Grandma, everything is sold, everything is sold."
What?
Grandma Su looked at Su Xiaotian and the others in disbelief, seemingly trying to discern from their faces if they were lying.
"Really?"
"Really, Grandma, why would we lie to you?"
Grandma Su was bewildered. Was doing business this easy?
Could it be that these children didn't know how to do business and had lost money?
The more Grandma Su thought about it, the more she felt her guess might be correct.
"Xiaotian, you didn't sell them at a loss, did you?"
Su Xiaotian was stunned. What was Grandma thinking?
When they went out to sell things, how could they lose money?
"Of course not, Grandma, don't worry, we made money."
Su Xiaotian took Grandma Su's hand and led her into the house, pulling out a stack of small bills from her pocket.
Su Xiaowu and the others also busied themselves taking money from their pockets, and soon, a pile of scattered small bills appeared.
Grandma Su looked at the large pile of money on the table and blinked repeatedly, thinking she must be mistaken.
Although the largest bill was one yuan, the sheer quantity of small bills added up to a considerable sum.
"Why is there so much?" Grandma Su was simply incredulous.
"Today we brought one hundred tea eggs, fifty plain boiled eggs, thirty mixed-grain steamed buns, and twenty leek pockets. I calculated that if sold at the previously set prices, we could earn thirty-six yuan and five jiao. Even with a slight discount for bulk purchases, it should still be around thirty-six yuan."
As Su Xiaotian directed her brothers to count the money, she meticulously began to calculate the accounts, speaking clearly and with great focus.
"Out of this, buying eggs cost fifteen yuan and seven jiao and five fen. Flour and meat cost a total of seven yuan and four jiao, making it twenty-three yuan and one jiao and five fen. We also used leeks, which were from home and didn't cost money. If bought from outside, five jin of leeks would cost two jiao and five fen, making it twenty-three yuan and four jiao."
As Su Xiaotian was calculating, Fourth Brother Su suddenly spoke up, "Eggs are nine fen each. One hundred and fifty eggs should be thirteen yuan and five jiao. Why did you say seventeen yuan and seven jiao and five fen?"
Fourth Brother Su thought his sister had calculated too hastily and made a mistake, so he couldn't help but remind her.
Su Xiaotian replied, "I didn't make a mistake. Uncle Zhu takes a commission from each egg, so that's why the total is this amount."
Fourth Brother Su then remembered, and indeed, that was the case.
He quickly calculated based on the agreed-upon commission, and it turned out to be the correct amount.
Soon, the total amount of money from the brothers was also calculated, amounting to thirty-six yuan and one jiao and five fen.
"Grandma, we made twelve yuan and seven jiao and five fen," Fourth Brother Su exclaimed in surprise.
To earn so much money in one day, how was that possible?
If they earned this much every day, they would soon become rich.
"Xiaotian, we're going to get rich! We can earn over three hundred yuan a month!"
Su Xiaotian looked at the excited Fourth Brother Su but had to temper his enthusiasm.
"Fourth Brother, you're thinking too simply. We can only do this business for a few days at most. After that, it won't be so smooth."
Su Xiaotian didn't understand why.
"Someone will be watching us. Either they'll come to arrest us for speculation and profiteering, or someone else will start doing the same business as us."
Su Xiaotian felt that both scenarios were possible, and she just didn't know which one would happen first.
Fourth Brother Su, who had been very excited, had his spirits dashed by Su Xiaotian's words.
He looked at Su Xiaotian with a hint of resentment, thinking, "Stupid Xiaotian, can't you let me be happy for a little longer?"
Su Xiaotian couldn't help but chuckle.
"Fourth Brother, don't worry, there are ways to deal with this."
"What other ways are there?" Hope flickered in Fourth Brother Su's eyes again.
"We'll seize the opportunity in the first few days to earn more money, and then we'll find a way to open a small food stall."
"We can open our own shop?" Fourth Brother Su thought this was simply wishful thinking.
How was that possible? All restaurants were state- or collectively-owned. How could an individual open a shop?
"There will be a way!" Su Xiaotian said with a confident smile.
In reality, however, Su Xiaotian felt that this matter might still be difficult to handle at the moment.
But Su Xiaotian didn't know this and was happily anticipating it.
"During our holiday, we'll use this method to earn money. When school starts, we'll open a small food stall, and then a small food shop," Su Xiaotian outlined a simple plan.
"Okay!" Grandma Su blindly believed that her granddaughter's words were definitely correct.
Grandpa Su, however, couldn't help but say, "What if we're really arrested for speculation and profiteering?"
Just because nothing happened today didn't mean it wouldn't happen in the future.
Su Xiaotian said with a smile, "Grandpa, it's okay. We're just doing a small business, only for a short while each day. There won't be too many problems."
At this time, smart people were starting to find ways to make money. How many people would be busy arresting speculators and profiteers?
Although Grandpa Su was worried, he reluctantly agreed. He decided he would pay closer attention in the future to ensure that those people wouldn't arrest the children.
Su Xiaotian, unaware of Grandpa Su's thoughts, suddenly took a yuan from the pile of money and placed it in Chi Yiyuan's hand.
"Xiaotian..." The smile on Chi Yiyuan's face quickly disappeared. Looking at the yuan in his hand, his emotions were complex.
"Brother Yiyuan, this is your wages!"
Chi Yiyuan coldly tossed the money back onto the table and said, "I don't want it."
Earning one yuan in a day, or rather, earning one yuan in less than ten minutes, he felt he didn't have the face for it.
Moreover, he hadn't actually done anything on the train.
All the way, he had simply been a companion, accompanying Su Xiaotian, and nothing more.
"Brother Yiyuan, this is what you deserve. Effort should be rewarded." The little girl's face was filled with innocent sincerity.
Effort should be rewarded?
Everyone felt that something was amiss with this statement, but they couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.
While this phrase was perfectly acceptable in later generations, in this era, it clearly presented a problem, and a significant one at that.
"I'm not helping for money!"
The young man's face was cold, but within that coldness, there was a hint of awkwardness and embarrassment.
Su Xiaotian then realized she might have made a mistake.
"Brother Yiyuan, I didn't mean anything else. I just think everyone's labor deserves respect," Su Xiaotian quickly explained.
Grandma Su, seeing Su Xiaotian's reaction, couldn't help but smile.
This child, Xiaotian, was too impulsive. Giving money to Xiao Yuan like that, what would he think?
Su Xiaotian didn't know, but Grandma Su had always noticed that Chi Yiyuan was a very sensitive person.
"Xiao Yuan, don't mind her. Xiaotian is just a child and doesn't think things through."
Chi Yiyuan looked at the little girl in front of him. After a long moment, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.
Yes, why should he argue with a little girl?
She was just a child, how could she understand so much?
She surely just genuinely wanted to share a yuan with him, nothing more!
"Grandma, I just feel that if effort is put in, it should be rewarded. Not just for Brother Yiyuan, but for my brothers and me as well," Su Xiaotian said softly.
Everyone was clearly taken aback by Su Xiaotian's sudden statement.
They all stared blankly at Su Xiaotian.
"Xiaotian, what do you mean by that?"
"It means everyone who helps should also get paid."
Su Xiaotian suddenly felt that her words might not be appropriate at this time.
However, the words had already been spoken, and there was no turning back.
Grandma Su hadn't expected her granddaughter to voice such an opinion.
"Xiaotian, how can you have such an idea? If we make money, shouldn't it go to Grandpa and Grandma?" Fifth Brother Su quickly interjected.
He usually saw his sister as very smart, so why was she being foolish at such a crucial moment?
Su Xiaotian mumbled, unable to speak.
In later generations, many parents gave their children money for helping out...
But she couldn't say that.
"Grandma, I misspoke!" Seeing the disapproving looks from her brothers, Su Xiaotian quickly apologized.
At this moment, Fourth Brother Su spoke up, "I think Xiaotian's words are not wrong. Grandma, when we go back to school, you definitely won't be able to manage alone. Then, you can hire someone to help, and we'll have to pay them."
Seeing that everyone still didn't quite understand, he added, "It's like how people work in factories and get paid."
"But we are family."
"There's a saying, 'Even brothers should keep clear accounts.'"
When Fourth Brother Su said this, he saw Grandma Su's expression turn very displeased.
"Grandma, I'm not trying to keep accounts. I'm just using it as an example. You can consider us your hired workers, paying us two or three jiao a day, or a certain amount per month."
"You little rascal, how dare you talk about clear accounts with your Grandma!" Grandpa Su suddenly became furious.
Grandpa Su had never been so angry before. His face turned red, and he raised his hand as if to strike.
Seeing Grandpa's hand about to fall on Fourth Brother Su, Su Xiaotian quickly rushed over and hugged Grandpa Su's arm.
"Grandpa, it's my fault. I had this thought, and Fourth Brother just went along with me."
It was all her fault. If it weren't for her, Grandpa wouldn't have gotten so angry that he wanted to hit Fourth Brother.
With his granddaughter hugging his arm, Grandpa Su was momentarily at a loss.
If it had been the brat, he would have struck him without hesitation.
However, with his tender granddaughter right there, Grandpa Su really couldn't bring himself to slap anyone.
"Xiaotian, why would you think that?" Grandma Su was the first to regain her composure.
She felt that there must be a reason for her granddaughter to say such a thing.
"Grandma, I just think that this way, everyone will work harder. This is called motivation!"
"Are you saying you won't work hard if your Grandma doesn't pay you?" Grandpa Su clearly disagreed with this notion.
He, an old man, had always considered himself shrewd and capable and believed he could teach his children well. But how had his grandchildren become like this?
Su Xiaotian didn't know how to explain.
For her, this was a habit. But for people of this era, accepting such a concept was indeed difficult.
Everyone fell silent.
After a while, Grandma Su finally spoke, "Old man, think about it carefully. I think what Xiaotian said might have some sense."
Grandpa Su looked at Grandma Su disapprovingly, his expression clearly indicating that he thought she had lost her mind.
Why would their own grandchildren need to be hired?
"Old man, don't glare at me. I just think Xiaotian's words are not without merit."
"How are they not without merit? As their grandfather, and you as their grandmother, can't we order our grandchildren around?" Grandpa Su's tone remained very agitated.
Grandma Su smiled and said, "If you look at it that way, you're not wrong. But old man, think about it from another perspective. If we hire others to do work, we have to pay them wages. So why can't we pay our own children?"
Grandpa Su clearly still couldn't accept it, his goatee twitching.
[Author's Note]
Five thousand words, a big chapter! Babies, don't forget your votes, muah, love you all!