Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 19: Earning 300 yuan a month

The next morning, before the roosters crowed and most people were still fast asleep, Wang Xiujia got dressed and hurried toward Jiang Man's house.

When they arrived at Jiang Man's courtyard, Wang Xiu gently knocked on the door. After a moment, Jiang Man's somewhat groggy voice came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Sister-in-law, it's me, Xiuer."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Man quickly responded, slipped on his shoes, and opened the door. Seeing Wang Xiu, he was both surprised and delighted: "Xiu'er? It's still dark outside, why are you here so early?"

As Wang Xiu entered, she said with a smile, "I knew you'd have to get up early, so I came early to lend a hand. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go to the city to sell."

The two entered the kitchen, where all the ingredients for making steamed buns had already been prepared: flour, yeast, fillings, eggs, tea leaves, spices, and so on for boiling tea eggs.

Wang Xiu washed her hands, looked at the pile of materials, and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you've done a great job preparing. Let's make some steamed buns first. I'm very good at rolling out the dough."

Wang Xiu first lit the fire in the stove, the red flames licking the bottom of the pot and illuminating her earnest and enthusiastic face. Then, she wiped the cutting board clean, sprinkled some flour, and prepared to roll out the dough.

Once the dough had risen, Jiang Man pinched off small dough balls and handed them to Wang Xiu. Wang Xiu took them and quickly rolled out round dough sheets, thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges, which were then neatly arranged on the work surface.

Jiang Man quickly started wrapping the filling. Her hands seemed to have magic. She placed a spoonful of filling in the middle of the dough, and with a gentle pinch and fold of her fingers, a beautiful bun was formed. The pleats were even and pretty. Before long, the steamer was filled with plump white buns.

While the steamed buns were steaming in the steamer, the two started making tea eggs. Jiang Man carefully washed each egg, while Wang Xiu added water, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and other spices to the pot, along with a suitable amount of salt. Once the water boiled, they gently placed the eggs in. Watching the boiling water and eggs in the pot, the two smiled at each other, as if they could already see the scene of their business thriving today.

As time went by, the kitchen gradually filled with the aroma of steamed buns and the unique fragrance of tea eggs. The two smells mixed together, making people feel hungry just by smelling them.

Finally, steam billowed from the steamer. Jiang Man lifted the lid, revealing plump, white buns that looked incredibly tempting. Wang Xiu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, your skills are amazing! These buns look so good; they're sure to be a hit."

Jiang Man smiled happily and said, "I have to thank you for your help, otherwise I couldn't have done it so quickly by myself."

The two of them carried the steamer and tea eggs directly onto the tricycle in the yard.

With everything prepared, and dawn breaking, Jiang Man looked at the tricycle loaded with steamed buns and tea eggs, feeling both nervous and expectant.

She turned and went back into the house, where she saw Shi An and Shi Ning still asleep, their little faces rosy and incredibly cute.

She gently placed a few steamed buns and tea eggs by each of her two children's beds, thinking that they could have a hot breakfast when they woke up.

Just then, Wang Xiu called out from outside, "Sister-in-law, we have to hurry up, or we'll miss the morning market."

Jiang Man responded, then remembered something, took a few steamed buns and eggs, and said to Wang Xiu, "Xiu'er, take two to Lao San first. You came to help me early this morning, and I guess you haven't even cooked for your own family yet."

Wang Xiu was deeply moved upon hearing this; she hadn't expected that Jiang Man would still care about her and Lao San.

So the two of them went back to Wang Xiu's house first, put some buns and eggs into the pot for Xu Laosan, and Wang Xiu wrote a note and put it on the cabinet.

After doing all that, the two got into the tricycle and swayed leisurely towards the city.

The morning breeze was still a bit cool, but it made the two of them feel exceptionally awake.

When we arrived at our destination, it was already getting light, and the streets were starting to come alive with people.

The two chose an intersection, then neatly arranged the steamer baskets and the buckets for tea eggs. Jiang Man began to call out, "Steamed buns! Steaming hot steamed buns, and fragrant tea eggs!" In those days, small businesses relied entirely on this kind of shouting to attract customers. Jiang Man wasn't as shy as Wang Xiu. She let Wang Xiu be in charge of packing the steamed buns, while she was in charge of shouting.

Soon, several office workers gathered around.

"Boss, give me two meat buns and a tea egg."

A young man in overalls and glasses said that his overalls looked a bit faded from washing.

Jiang Man quickly replied with a smile, "Okay, please wait a moment!"

Wang Xiu, who was standing nearby, quickly took two steamed buns and put them into a bag, then took a tea egg from the bucket and handed it to the young man.

"Meat buns are 10 cents each, tea eggs are 15 cents each, that's 35 cents in total, here you go."

The price was decided after much deliberation with Jiang Man before Qin Yishen left. It was a price that needed to be set at a reasonable cost so that people would feel they could make a profit and be willing to buy.

Jiang Man initially wanted to price the meat buns at two cents each, but when she went to town yesterday, most people were selling them for eight cents each. It's really hard to make money these days.

The young man paid, took the bun, took a bite, and immediately exclaimed, "Wow, this bun tastes really good! Plenty of filling, authentic flavor, delicious!"

With this start, more and more people came to buy steamed buns and tea eggs. Jiang Man and Wang Xiu were extremely busy, but they were very happy.

At this rate, I estimate that all the steamed buns and tea eggs I brought will be sold out in another half hour!

Just then, an older woman walked over, looked at the steamed buns, and asked, "What kind of fillings do you have in your steamed buns?"

The woman was wearing a dark blue cloth shirt, her hair neatly combed, exuding a capable air. Wang Xiu enthusiastically introduced, "Auntie, my family's steamed buns are all filled with pork and scallions, with thin skin and generous filling. Most importantly, they taste delicious. Please try some!"

The woman thought for a moment and said, "Then give me five. I've never eaten at your place before. It's a little pricey, but if it's good meat, it'll taste good. I'll come to your place every day from now on!"

Wang Xiu quickly packed the buns for the elderly woman, and even took an extra small bag to put them in, saying with a smile, "Auntie, please take these. Come again next time if you're satisfied."

As people came and went, the stalls were bustling with activity. The steamed buns in the bamboo steamer were gradually running out, and the tea eggs in the thermos were also becoming fewer and fewer.

While busy greeting customers, Jiang Man also chatted with them about everyday things, asking about their families and talking about the latest happenings in the city. This small stall became a little haven for everyone to connect.

In an era when communication was not yet advanced, such casual street conversations were an important way for people to learn about the outside world.

By 8 a.m., all the steamed buns and tea eggs that Jiang Man and Wang Xiu had brought had been sold out. The two looked at each other and saw fatigue in each other's eyes, but even more so, satisfaction.

"Business is good today, even better than expected."

Jiang Man wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with a smile.

This was the first time Wang Xiu had been so happy while busy. Her eyes sparkled as she laughed, "It's more than just good. The steamed bun vendor across the street is practically glaring holes in our faces."

Jiang Man counted the money. She had brought fifty steamed buns and fifty tea eggs this morning, earning a little over ten yuan.

At this rate, she can earn more than 300 yuan a month, which is just too awesome!
(End of this chapter)