"Xie Sui, are you looking to die!"
Lin Wanwan roared, so angry she grabbed a broom to hit him. How could he teach children like that? They learned bad things so quickly, but good things so slowly!
"Haha, the moon is like a pancake!"
"Aowu, take a bite, and the pancake is half gone!"
The two little ones clapped their hands, remembering it perfectly. Lin Wanwan truly felt like killing Xie Sui.
The morning started with chaos, but it was also filled with the warmth of everyday life. It was a cozy and warm life Xie Sui could only dream of in his past life. Teasing Lin Wanwan and playing with the children made him feel that his life was instantly complete.
"Alright, recite your poems properly. Listen to Mom. Dad believes my son is so smart; reciting a poem is a piece of cake."
"Dad, when will you buy the comic books you promised?"
"I'll buy them today, I promise. But only after Mom calms down!"
Xie Sui slipped into the kitchen to make peach pudding.
It was actually quite simple. Sweet potatoes were abundant in the village, and everyone had sweet potato starch. If they couldn't eat it all, they would make vermicelli, which was almost a staple for northerners.
He boiled peaches with water, added a little salt to prevent oxidation for a better color, and simmered them into a syrup. Then, he added diced peaches and finally the starch. Pouring it into molds while hot, the pudding was ready.
Of course, it wasn't as vibrant as the ones from his past life, appearing slightly cloudy. Using cornstarch or edible gum would have been better, but this was just a preliminary attempt, and he could refine it later.
Xie Sui also had a trump card: dried peach slices. He could package them in small portions, targeting children, selling each pack for five or eight fen. The profit should be substantial.
"Come and taste if it's good," Xie Sui said.
After the pudding cooled, he cut it into small pieces for Lin Wanwan and the children to try. Women and children couldn't resist such a chewy snack; they loved it at first bite.
"It's delicious, sweet, chewy, and smooth. Daddy, I want more."
Lin Wanwan also commented, "It's indeed good, but the color isn't very appealing. If you were to sell it, the appearance isn't good enough."
"But it's healthy! The appearance needs improvement. Wife, do you have any good ideas?"
Lin Wanwan looked at Xie Sui's creation and thought, "Perhaps if the sweet potato starch were purer, like sifted and ground finer, would it look better?"
"Wife, you're so smart. Then this task will be yours. I need to go to the county town to get some packaging materials. Let's do it now."
In his previous life, with countless varieties of snacks, it was no easy feat to stand out by excelling in appearance, taste, and health.
But in this era, snacks were a luxury. People were focused on filling their stomachs, and many with "iron rice bowls" were content with their current lives, still living in the era of the planned economy.
They could never have imagined that their supposed "iron rice bowls" would eventually be eliminated. In just five years, the first wave of layoffs would arrive, and the market economy would begin to flourish.
Xie Sui's pudding was a rare delicacy and was bound to be popular.
On this trip to the county town, he first delivered twenty bottles of preserves to Hu Lan'er outside the school. Then, Xie Sui went to the county's cotton textile factory, where there were many female workers with disposable income and significant purchasing power.
As the female workers from the cotton textile factory got off work, pushing their bicycles, their vibrant energy was palpable, forming a beautiful scenery.
Zhang Wenfeng was stunned. So many beautiful women! He had never seen such a sight in the village.
"Don't you want your eyeballs anymore? These women are tough; be careful you don't get scolded!"
Indeed, as soon as Xie Sui finished speaking, a middle-aged woman noticed him. She glared, "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen women before? Staring so intently, like a pervert. Are you a hooligan?"
Zhang Wenfeng was terrified. He was such an honest person; how could he be associated with a hooligan? In those days, hooligans could be shot. He wouldn't dare have such thoughts even if he were beaten to death.
"Oh, dear sister, you have such a sense of justice! Our factory needs enthusiastic sisters like you to protect so many beautiful young ladies?"
"We're here to sell preserves. My brother is not married and has never seen so many pretty ladies before. He's dazzled. He doesn't have the courage to offend any of you sisters," he added with a smile.
"We brought some homemade preserves. Please have some as an apology."
Xie Sui's face was full of smiles, and a few words softened the middle-aged woman's expression. She looked at the preserves they brought, ate a piece, and asked, "Are you selling preserves?"
"Yes, sister. You're clearly an intelligent person. It's two yuan a bottle, fifty cents cheaper than the supply and marketing cooperative. It's made from our own peaches, very fresh."
The middle-aged woman had seen a lot and wasn't as easily fooled as the villagers. "It is cheaper, but the shelf life is short, and it spoils easily. It's not as convenient as canned goods."
"Sister, you are the smartest person I've met. That's true. Eat it right after you buy it. I'll give you another twenty cents off, making it one yuan and eighty cents. Treat your family, children, and elders."
The female workers were tempted. One yuan and eighty cents was a significant amount, but occasional treats were permissible. However, no one spoke, waiting for the middle-aged sister to make the decision. She seemed like a leader, and the female workers trusted her implicitly.
"It's still expensive. How about this: one yuan and fifty cents. With so many of us, we can buy all of it."
Zhang Wenfeng couldn't help but say, "We don't sell them at that price. Our minimum is one yuan and eighty cents. This is a loss. Brother Xie, we can't sell it."
Xie Sui replied, "Indeed, we've never sold them at this price before. But after this batch, we won't be making preserves anymore. Consider this a clearance. At one yuan and fifty cents, it's just about making friends with you, sisters."
"My name is Xie Sui. In the future, if you need any local specialties from my home, I'll give you a good price. You remind me of my own elder sister."
"Haha... Young man, you really know how to talk. I'm the director of the women's federation at the factory. My surname is Gu."
"Hello, Sister Gu."
Xie Sui established a rapport with Director Gu, and Zhang Wenfeng reluctantly began selling the preserves, inadvertently cooperating with Xie Sui. The female workers instantly felt they had struck a great deal and were afraid of not getting any.
A familiar scene unfolded. Zhang Wenfeng's eyes were filled with raised hands holding money, and he was immediately surrounded. In half an hour, the remaining preserves were sold out. Many who couldn't get any looked disappointed.
"Come again tomorrow at this time. We're sold out today."
"Leave two jars for me tomorrow. I'm planning to visit relatives."
Xie Sui said regretfully, "Visiting relatives might not be suitable. The shelf life is only three days. Sisters, please eat them quickly after taking them home. They can't be kept for more than three days. Don't say I didn't remind you. If they spoil, please don't eat them, and we won't be responsible for any stomach problems."
No merchant is without guile, but to do business long-term, integrity is paramount. Xie Sui's honesty further impressed Director Gu.
"Brother Xie, didn't we lose money? One yuan and fifty cents is too cheap."
Zhang Wenfeng was still unwilling. Losing thirty cents, multiplied by so many jars, how much money was lost?