CHAPTER 208: CHAPTER 208: DON’T GO TO THE COTTON SPINNING FACTORY

By the time everyone got home, it was already past ten o’clock.

Outside, it was pitch black, but the sound of cicadas could still be heard.

"Dong Sheng, Chunya, take a break and we’ll have to head back,"

Aunt Ge yawned, "It’s so late already, by the time you walk back, it’ll be dawn. You’ve all been tired from a long day, you should just stay over tonight."

But the Ge Family only has three rooms, the largest being the main house where Aunt Ge and her two children live, with Lin Xiang and Mrs. Lin each occupying a room, leaving no empty rooms.

Fifth Uncle said, "Then I’ll thicken my face and let Chunya and Dong Sheng stay, the kids are young and can’t walk much, Gui Fen and I will walk back, and come over again tomorrow in the cool morning."

Aunt Ge continued yawning: "Gui Fen and Chunya can squeeze in with Sister Niu and her daughter. You two father and son will have to make do, I’ll find a couple of quilts and set up a bedroll for you in the living room."

In the heat of summer, the ground isn’t cold, and sleeping on the floor will do.

As it was too late to refuse, Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt gratefully accepted Aunt Ge’s hospitality.

"I’ll go get the quilts,"

Mrs. Lin said to Lin Xiang, "I’ll share a room with you, and give my room to your Fifth Aunt and Chunya."

"I don’t want to!" Chunya clung tightly to Lin Xiang’s arm, "I want to sleep with Sister Niu, I have lots of things to tell her."

"No, you don’t." Lin Xiang firmly pushed Chunya away, "Once my head hits the pillow, I’m asleep, and I can’t hear what you’re saying."

Chunya was eventually dragged away by Fifth Aunt to Mrs. Lin’s room.

After everyone went to bed, the sound of snoring gradually filled the rooms one by one.

The night was indeed exhausting.

But they also made money, so the hard work was worth it.

By the next morning, when Lin Xiang woke up, Mrs. Lin was already up.

In the yard, Mrs. Lin, Aunt Ge, Fifth Uncle, and Fifth Aunt were picking vegetables, while Dong Sheng was amusing himself by playing with crickets.

"Sis, you’re finally awake!" As soon as he saw Lin Xiang, Dong Sheng’s eyes filled with complaint.

He had planned to go to the popsicle factory early today to get more popsicles and try to sell an extra box.

Yesterday, he sold 150 pieces in the cotton spinning factory’s residential area in the morning, and in the afternoon, about 180 pieces got sold, with the few remaining shared amongst the family.

In just one day, Dong Sheng earned more than five yuan, and this was when his motivation to earn was at its peak.

"You’ve already learned the route to the popsicle factory, and you’ve got enough start-up capital, you can go and get popsicles yourself without a problem."

"But... but the owner doesn’t know me."

Lin Xiang shook her index finger in front of her face, "The owner isn’t concerned with who you are, but with money. As long as your orders are big enough, they’ll sell to you at the lowest price, understand?"

Lin Xiang had discreetly demonstrated the correct way to communicate yesterday, and if Dong Sheng was smart enough, he should know how to negotiate with the owner.

"Should I go now?"

"Go ahead, but don’t go to the cotton spinning factory today."

Dong Sheng had already run a few steps but paused as he subconsciously asked, "Why not?"

The cotton spinning factory was populous and had high wages; yesterday he managed to sell 148 popsicles in under twenty minutes, whereas at the Welfare District in the evening, it took hours to sell less than 200.

"What’s most cherished is what’s hard to come by. If you sell popsicles at the cotton spinning factory every day, they’ll get tired of it after a few days, and it’ll lose its novelty, right?"

Confused, Dong Sheng frowned and countered, "But many of the people who eat your barbecue are regulars too."

Last night, he had seen Sister Niu greeting people familiarly.

Lin Xiang shook her head and explained, "That’s different. Selling popsicles at the cotton spinning factory is like taking it to them, but them coming to my barbecue is them coming to me."

At first glance, it seemed the same, but there’s a big difference!

Also, popsicles can be sold by anyone else, lacking uniqueness.

But barbecue, at the moment, only she sells it in all of Mianyang Town, and it can’t be easily replaced. As long as the taste remains satisfying and prices stay reasonable, regulars will keep coming.

Dong Sheng couldn’t understand all that Lin Xiang was explaining, but his best trait was being obedient and accepting advice.

Since Sister Niu said not to go to the cotton spinning factory, he wouldn’t go.

Today he would go to the steel factory!

Dong Sheng slung an insulated box over his shoulder and headed out to the popsicle factory.

"Boss, I’m here for some popsicles!"

Without giving the owner a chance to speak, Dong Sheng took charge, "I want the same as yesterday, 120 popsicles first, then give me 35 ice creams. I’ll come again in the afternoon for more popsicles, the price is the same as yesterday, right?"

"Sure, still the same price as yesterday." The owner was indeed agreeable, although the ice cream was a bit off, it’s still accounted nine cents each.

Dong Sheng fiddled for a while, eventually managing to fit the additional five ice creams in securely.

Following Lin Xiang’s hand-drawn map, he arrived at Jinggong Steel Factory. As he did yesterday, he first handed two ice creams to the gatekeeper as a bribe and borrowed the loudspeaker, loudly announcing, "Popsicles for sale! Ice creams for sale!"

Back at the Ge Family.

Mrs. Lin nudged Fifth Aunt, "Have you counted yesterday’s earnings yet?"

"Mom!" Lin Xiang spat out a watermelon seed, "Don’t pry into those things."

Mrs. Lin mumbled lowly, "I’m just curious. What they earn is what they should, I won’t be envious."

Fifth Aunt chuckled, "There’s nothing wrong with saying it. But no, we haven’t counted yet. Fifth Uncle, bring over the money bag, let’s count it."

Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt each counted it once, "A total of 21 yuan and 60 cents."

Spicy noodles cost eight cents a bowl. Family-style hotpot is ten cents a bowl.

Rather than adding a dish at one cent each, people preferred spending a penny more for a family-style meal.

So yesterday, they sold a total of 216 bowls of spicy noodles.

Since taking over the spicy noodle stall, Fifth Uncle and Fifth Aunt’s best day had been 130 bowls, and that was with a ’buy five get one free’ promotion.

Over two hundred bowls, the profit alone was twelve or thirteen yuan!

Mrs. Lin listened quietly to Fifth Aunt’s excitement, casting a glance at Lin Xiang.

Lin Xiang didn’t notice, merrily using a spoon to scoop watermelon, thoroughly enjoying it.

"Oh right, Sister Niu, here’s the money." Fifth Uncle pulled out a bunch of money from the pocket of the money bag, "This is the money from selling your spicy shrimp yesterday, not mixed with the hotpot money. Count it, see if it’s right."

"Why give it to me?" Lin Xiang spat out watermelon seeds, "I won’t sell spicy shrimp anymore, you should sell it."