Chapter 689: The Original Wife Sold by Her Husband 35

Chapter 689: Chapter 689: The Original Wife Sold by Her Husband 35

Three days later, the store owned by the five siblings opened on the same day.

Since the market economy had only recently started, there were very few people doing business, and many who wanted to but didn’t dare to take the plunge were still watching from the sidelines. Thus, the store of the Wang family siblings was among the earliest private shops to open in the county town.

Since they were all selling food without requiring ration tickets, and the prices were reasonable, many people crowded into the stores.

Yuan Chun’s braised meat shop was the most fragrant, attracting the most people, and selling the fastest. The braised meat originally intended to be sold throughout the day sold out in three hours.

Next was Brother Wang’s mantou and flower rolls shop. City folks were busy working and didn’t have time to make pastries at home, so many would buy food from the State-owned Restaurant, which required grain tickets for its mantou and flower rolls. Not everyone in the city had enough grain tickets.

Many people found their grain tickets insufficient.

Brother Wang’s mantou and flower rolls didn’t require tickets, and many people rushed to buy them.

Not long after Yuan Chun’s braised meat sold out, Brother Wang’s mantou and flower rolls also sold out.

Brother Wang hurriedly went to the market, bought a bag of flour, and the couple began kneading and proofing the dough, planning to steam more trays in the evening.

Fourth Brother Wang watched enviously and said to the younger sister, "Little sister, our braised meat is sold out, I’ll go to the market to see if there are any pig heads and offal, and we’ll braise two more pots to sell in the evening, okay?"

Xiao Wa Village is far from the county town; the roads are hard to travel in winter, so the eight siblings, including Yuan Chun, didn’t plan to return to the village. Brother Wang, Second Brother Wang, and the others had each partitioned a small room in their stores, and everyone lived in the stores.

Fourth Brother Wang and Fourth Madam Wang’s store was empty, so they went to the recycling station to buy an old bed and slept there.

Originally planning to rent a house, Yuan Chun helplessly followed the siblings and tidied up an empty shop to live in.

At night, Brother Wang made mantou and flower rolls, Second Brother Wang made pickles and salted duck eggs, Yuan Chun and Fourth Brother Wang made braised meat, and Wang San and his wife made cabbage stew with vermicelli. The eight siblings, along with Yuan Chun, gathered for a celebratory meal.

After the meal, everyone brought their cash boxes, and when they counted them, surprisingly, Wang San made the most money.

With the New Year approaching, Wang San’s store’s chickens, ducks, geese, and eggs, along with dried wood ear mushrooms, dried mushrooms, and dried vegetables, were in high demand. On the first day alone, Wang San sold more than half of the wagonloads of goods he had painstakingly acquired over three days.

Second Brother Wang earned the least since ordinary pickles are a staple on Northeast people’s dining tables, with every household having some. He didn’t sell many pickles, but thanks to connections from classmates, the salted duck eggs from the duck farm sold well.

Second Brother Wang felt a bit down, "It seems like the pickle business isn’t easy; should I switch to selling something else?"

"Why change? Tomorrow I’ll make a few fresh dishes to try selling," Second Madam Wang said.

"What dishes? There’s no vegetables to buy."

"How come not? Third Brother’s store has them; we can buy some wood ear mushrooms and vermicelli from there, mix some spicy wood ear mushrooms, spicy vermicelli, and some spicy cold tofu sheets. See if anyone buys them."

Second Brother Wang hesitated, but Second Madam Wang gave him a pat, "Okay, don’t worry. Starting a business depends on slowly exploring; once we’re familiar and experienced, would you still be afraid of not making money?"

"Second Madam is right; Second Brother, try it first. If it doesn’t make money, I’ll think of another business for you," Yuan Chun said.

The younger sister spoke up, and Second Brother Wang was energized again.

The next day, Second Brother Wang’s store had several new cold dishes, and business improved significantly. To enhance the flavor, Second Madam Wang even spent a lot of money to buy a bottle of sesame oil, adding a few drops to each dish.

The aroma of sesame oil attracted quite a few customers.