Proofread by Claire.KK
Actually Li Hongmei longed to wear some new clothes. It had been a long time since she wore some new outfit. What she put on everyday were old and worn-out ones with patches all over them. What her children wore were also secondhand outfits; what was more, due to their physical growth, they had long outgrown those clothes.
Xiao Baozhu was a girl and girls like to be dolled up. Once she heard that they couldn’t buy new clothes, she said sulkily, “I don’t agree. Baocheng and others have new clothes every year but why don’t we?”
“Well…” Li Hongmei was indeed good at arguing, but she has been bullied for all these years so she would rather wear old clothes than cause new troubles.
At last, Xiao Baoshan stepped forward and said, “Ma, though we shouldn’t show off our money, we don’t have to deny ourselves all pleasure. You have earned these money with your own two hands so just spend some when you feel like, or what’s the meaning of making money? We don’t have to mind what elder and third aunties would say as long as we pay off the filial piety tribute to grandpa. We have done anything for them these years and we don’t owe them anything.”
Ye Xiaoxian then said, “Yes, Ma. Baoshan is right. We surely have to keep it low but we should not deny ourselves any pleasure. Money is meant to be spend.”
After Ye Xiaoxian finished speaking, Xiao Baoshan turned around and looked at her, feeling supported.
But Ye Xiaoxian didn’t requite his gaze at all but only looked at Li Hongmei.
Li Hongmei pondered over and over and finally said, “Fine, since you all agree, I’d rather listen to you. As I was fighting all alone within these years, Baozhu and Baofeng were little, but now Baoshan has come home and little Ye is able to deal with things alone, what else am I afraid of? Then let’s try our best to make money and spend our money generously!”
Like this, the whole family began to cheer up.
…
The next day, Ye Xiaoxian got up early and made cold jelly as usual.
Baozhu and Baoshan used to pick Chinese mesona in the mountain to make cold jelly, but now since Baofeng was going to private school, Ye Xiaoxian couldn’t let Baozhu go up to the mountains alone but asked Baozhu to learn how to make cold jelly after her.
“Baozhu, look. This is the rice juice I blended and the thickness is just right. It won’t do if it’s too thick or too watery.”
“Baozhu, you have to control your strength when rubbing the mesona. If you rub it too hard, the cold jelly will become hard too.”
“So does the sugar water. If you make it too thick, it’ll be too sweet and a waste of money but if you make it too watery, it won’t be sweet enough.”
“…”
Ye Xiaoxian unreservedly taught Xiao Baozhu her “secret recipe” for making cold jelly.
Xiao Baozhu somehow found Ye Xiaoxian a bit odd. She thought that would it be that Ye Xiaoxian treat her as a maid and after she learnt everything, Ye Xiaoxian would just sit back and do nothing?
But Xiao Baozhu was just happy to learn anyway because she knew that they made money out of this, besides, she could go to town. She hadn’t gone to town much in her whole life.
Xiao Baozhu didn’t expect that their cold jelly was that popular until they arrived in town. Especially after the incident with the bridgehead old man that day, the Xiao’s Cold Jelly were brought to the front. There were even some people around their stall waiting for their cold jelly before they came.
Xiao Baozhu was a bit at a loss at the beginning but when she saw that her ma and little Ye were perfectly at ease of giving the cold jelly to the customers as well as taking the money, she then followed suit and started to get herself busy.
Just before noon, the housekeeper of a wealthy and influential family who bought half the bucket cold jelly last time came around again and once more bought half the bucket.
So they sold out everything before noon.
Ye Xiaoxian put the empty bucket, bowl and spoon near the chubby shopkeeper’s stall and asked him to look after them. Then she suggested to Li Hongmei, “Ma, Baozhu, it’s still early. Let’s go around and have a look in town. And I want to buy some ingredients for making pancakes. If they turn up to be delicious, we can sell pancakes with the cold jelly tomorrow.”
“Little Ye, you want to sell pancakes as well?” asked Li Hongmei in surprise.