Chapter 42: The reborn of paranoid boss cannon fodder wife
Chapter 42: Give It to Him If You Want to Give
Despite the competition offering lower prices across the street, Aunt Wu's side continued to attract customers, and the chestnuts were quickly sold out.
With many repeat customers, even if the price was lowered by five cents, initially, people preferred to trust Aunt Wen's fruit stall for the reliable taste and reputation.
Moreover, Aunt Wu was easygoing, and when it came to candied chestnuts, she didn't insist on selling them by the pound. Whether customers bought a lot or a little, she would weigh and pack them accordingly.
For those who bought a pound together, everything was separated, and customers didn't have to divide it themselves.
Nearly 410 kilograms of chestnuts were sold out in five days, successfully marking the beginning of a lucrative business venture.
After deducting costs, the net profit was 1262 yuan, with 631 yuan each for Bai Lu Aunt Wu.
Since the chestnut trees belonged to Bai Lu's family, the cost naturally fell on her, including the money spent on buying malt extract.
Bai Lu kept detailed lists of the chestnuts and malt extract used for Aunt Wu, specifying the quantity and proportions.
Trusting Bai Lu, Aunt Wen insisted on using a cost price of 3 yuan per kilogram for the chestnuts.
"In the countryside, chestnut trees are everywhere. It's not like there aren't people picking them, but even at 2 yuan per kilogram, buying them is considered expensive. Your candied chestnuts are all hand-fried. Frying chestnuts is not as simple as boiling them in a pot; it requires attention to achieve that delicious taste. I can't pretend not to know that."
"In this cost price of 3 yuan, there's even 1 yuan for labor. I think you're losing money."
"But the sand came from your place." Bai Lu had to clarify the essential fact and calculate it.
Aunt Wen waved her hand. "Those are the sifted-out sands that we don't want. They can't be used for building houses. At most, when paving the front yard, we pour them into the cement slurry as crushed stones. It's far worse than your manually stir-fried ones compared to the labor you put in."
From selecting chestnuts, frying them, to the finished product, Bai Lu handled everything for the candied chestnuts.
She simply used the fruit stall source and customer channels accumulated from selling fruits to casually sell the candied chestnuts, earning more than 600 yuan in pure profit.
Moreover, due to the profits from the candied chestnuts, she managed to attract back the old customers who had gone elsewhere to buy fruits.
Bai Lu cooperated with Aunt Wu, likely because Xiao Cheng was building a house for her family, and this collaboration was a way of repaying the favor.
If she collaborated with someone else, Bai Lu could still make a fortune, especially considering that candied chestnuts were a seasonal and scarce fresh product. It was currently challenging to find raw chestnuts, let alone buy them.
Aunt Wen was a straightforward person, not naive. She knew that this exclusive source of income from White Lu needed to be carefully stabilized.
In the end, both of them were satisfied, content with their cooperation. In the future, Aunt Wu would intensify efforts to find a new source of goods, and her husband would also help.
Bai Lu wouldn't be left behind either. She had already obtained some clues about a new source of goods from Xiao Wei.
They were just waiting for the arrival of the Qingming Festival the day after tomorrow.
Today was a good day. Bai Lu went to the market and bought a lot of vegetables, preparing a table full of delicious dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, pickled fish, salt-baked chicken, braised pork...
From the moment they started eating, her bowl was never empty, piled up like a small mountain with more meat than vegetables.
Seeing Xiao Wei helping her to scoop dishes onto her plate, Xiao Cheng also joined in.
After finishing the meal, Xiao Wei even volunteered to wash the dishes. In front of his "Emperor Big Brother," he was more diligent than a mule in the production team.
Bai Lu took a stroll in the courtyard after finishing her meal to aid digestion.
Xiao Cheng sat in front of the stove, heating water. After it was hot, he scooped it into a large bucket, carried it to the bathroom, added some cold water, and tested the temperature with his fingertips, ensuring it was the usual warmth. Only then did he ask her to take a bath.
Bai Lu, now treated like the "empress dowager carrying a golden fetus," no longer had to do any heavy or rough work, apart from cooking and tending the vegetable garden. Even stir-frying chestnuts was a task she didn't have to do.
After bathing, she returned to her room to count money.
Two men, one big and one small, washed clothes in the courtyard after bathing, looking at each other without saying a word, in a serene and quiet atmosphere.
...
Before going to bed, Bai Lu knocked on Xiao Wei's door.
The little guy was always excited to open the door, but upon seeing her, his head and shoulders drooped.
Bai Lu patted his pot-like head as she entered, and from behind, she produced a 20 yuan bill as a comfort.
"Why give me money?" Xiao Wei didn't take it.
Suspicion lingered in his small eyes.
Bai Lu smiled, "The candied chestnuts are sold out."
Xiao Wei responded with an "Oh," his small face revealing neither joy nor sadness, and he didn't take the money in front of him.
Not teasing him further, White Lu directly stuffed the 20 yuan bill into his hands. "The chestnuts were picked by your big brother, washed, dried, and stored by you. Without you, where would the candied chestnuts come from? You're a great contributor to our family now."
"In these few days, you've also helped a lot. This 20 yuan is your hard-earned money. You can use it to buy whatever you like, whether it's food or other things. If you find something more expensive than 20 yuan that you like, just tell me, and I'll buy it for you."
In these days, Bai Lu's tone was easygoing and friendly. Suddenly, she explained the reasons seriously, making Xiao Wei momentarily stunned, feeling like he had done something quite important.
Moreover, these days, his big brother started talking to him, three times more than in the past three years combined.
His big brother also smiled often, although not at him but at Bai Lu.
Xiao Wei couldn't remember if he had ever seen his big brother smile in his entire life. There was no memory of it.
It seemed like everything changed from the moment Bai Lu wanted to drink pesticide and forced him to hand over 20 yuan.
Xiao Wei looked at Bai Lu earnestly and pushed the money back. "I don't want it."
"The chestnuts belong to my big brother. If you want to give, give it to him."
Bai Lu sat at the desk, casually scanning the new school bag on the table. In a not-so-prominent corner, a small paper figurine made from bubblegum wrappers was stuck.
Her lips couldn't help but curl up, and her gaze returned to the small figure standing rigidly in front of her.
"When you're free, I'll take you to buy new clothes. How about that?" She was completely off-topic.
Xiao Wei twisted his little eyebrows. "No need."
His clothes were old, a bit smaller, but still wearable. There was no need to waste money on new clothes.
White Lu didn't argue and nodded lightly. "Alright, then... I'll pick for you. If I choose a color, style, length, or size you don't like, don't blame me~"
"After all, this was agreed upon by your big brother. If you're not satisfied, go complain to him."
The little guy's eyes lit up suddenly, then quickly dimmed. His small hand involuntarily pulled at his clothes.
"You don't have to lie to me. My big brother doesn't care about these small matters." His tone was joyful yet suspicious, probing.
"He indeed doesn't care, but..." Bai Lu prolonged her tone.
Xiao Wei stared at her steadily. "But what?"
Holding the money firmly, not moving at all, his small body stood stiff, and he even forgot to breathe.
After a breathless silence of two seconds, she suddenly burst into laughter.
"But your big brother said that you wearing old clothes embarrasses him, so he asked me to take you to buy new clothes~"
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