Chapter 38

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

At noon, when Song Xi and Zhou Yi were about to eat, Sheng Jiahe and Mo Jiaxiang rushed back.

Both of them were flushed and sweating. Their sweat-soaked hair clung to their skin, making them look like they had been fished out of water.

Zhou Yi hurriedly fetched cold well water for them to wash, while Song Xi hurriedly poured them cold water.

Song Xi’s supermarket also had tea leaves, but she did not have the chance to take them out for the time being.

When she went to the commune next time, she could take out some.

Seeing that the two wooden buckets were empty and there was nothing left, Song Xi gave Mo Jiaxiang and Sheng Jiahe a thumbs up. “You’re very impressive. You sold them all on the first day. How did you sell them? How much for a catty or how much for a lunch box?”

Mo Jiaxiang and Sheng Jiahe washed their hair and faces and drank a large glass of cold water. When their body temperature dropped, the two of them seemed to have found themselves.

Sheng Jiahe said excitedly, “We actually sold it for thirty-two yuan in one morning. Oh my god, there are really many rich people in this city. We said one yuan a catty, but the people in the city don’t bargain.”

Song Xi was also very shocked. The uneaten frogs in the field could actually be sold for one yuan a catty. As expected, the people in the city were rich!

If they could earn more than 30 yuan a day, wouldn’t they be able to earn more than 900 or even 1,000 yuan a month?

If the four of them split it equally, each of them could get more than 200 yuan!

Not bad, not bad. This was indeed a way to make money.

“But you have to work during the day and go out to catch frogs at night. You have to rush to the city to sell frogs. That’s too tiring. It won’t take long for your bodies to collapse. The gains don’t make up for the losses.”

“I think you can find poor but reliable people in the village to help you catch frogs. Ten catties a cent or five catties a cent. This way, you can rest normally at night. You just have to arrange for someone to sell them in the city in the morning.”

Seeing their excited expressions, Song Xi had no choice but to pour cold water on them.

If they did not have good health, what was the point of earning more money?

Mo Jiaxiang and Sheng Jiahe had always been in an excited state. They did not feel tired at first, but now that Song Xi mentioned it, they immediately felt extremely tired.

Mo Jiaxiang stuffed a stack of scattered notes into Song Xi’s hand. “Song Xi, please help me take this money first. We’ll come over to split the money when we earn more.”

“Alright, I’ll record it in the account book for you guys, lest you make a mistake in the distribution of the money in the future and you can’t be brothers anymore.” Song Xi counted the money seriously in front of them. It was exactly 32 yuan, not a cent more or less.

She counted a yuan and handed it to Mo Jiaxiang. “Take a yuan over first, in case you need anything.”

Mo Jiaxiang looked at Song Xi deeply before taking the money. Then, he returned home with Sheng Jiahe with the empty wooden bucket.

They really had to rest well. Otherwise, their body would really not be able to take it.

Therefore, Song Xi’s idea to ask them to get someone to catch the frogs was indeed a good idea.

The two of them decided to find her first and arrange everything before going home to rest.

This way, they could sleep well at night. They only needed to wake up at four o’clock and pack up before going to Zhou Yi’s house.

Time passed continuously between her fingers. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed. Song Xi ate and drank well every day and her body recovered quite well. She was finally no longer dizzy and weak.

On the first day, Zhou Xiao Shu gave her 50 catties of conches. After that, he gave her about 100 catties every day, so Song Xi’s supermarket already had nearly a thousand catties of conches.

Zhou Xiao Shu and his sister also received nearly ten yuan from Song Xi.

If they could continue picking conches, the siblings could earn 40 yuan a month, which was higher than the salary of the factory workers in the city.

Therefore, the two of them were getting more and more enthusiastic about picking up the conches. However, the conches became smaller and smaller as time passed, because the big ones had almost been found by the siblings.

Song Xi split the conches according to their size. She was extremely satisfied when she saw that the white buckets in the staff canteen were filled with conches. These were all money!

That evening, Zhou Xiao Shu and Zhou Xiao Hua came to deliver conches to her again, but it was not much. It was only about 30 catties.

There were not many paddy fields in Ping’an Village. No matter how many conches there were, after picking them for such a long time, they were all gone. The smallest ones could not grow big within a few days. They could only keep it for the next year.

After Song Xi moved the conch into the supermarket and weighed it, she handed the 30 cents today to Zhou Xiao Shu. “Xiao Shu, there shouldn’t be many conches in our Ping’an Village’s paddy fields now. Do you know any friends in other villages? You can get them to help you find them. Buy 5 catties for a cent. This way, you can earn the difference and you won’t have to be so tired.”

There were not many paddy fields in Ping’an Village, but they could pick up so many conches. If it was a village with many paddy fields, how many conches could they pick up?

Zhou Xiao Shu did not even dare to think about the huge number. Just thinking about it made him feel like he could not breathe.

There were not many paddy fields in Ping’an Village, but they could pick up so many conches. If it was a village with many paddy fields, how many conches could they pick up?

Therefore, he decided to listen to Song Xi’s arrangements and go to other villages to find hungry children to help him pick up the conches. Not to mention five catties for a cent, there were even people who were willing to pick up ten catties for a cent.

After receiving the money from Song Xi, the two children thanked Song Xi in unison and left with the basket.

However, after a while, Zhou Xiao Hua ran back and looked at Song Xi nervously.

“Xiao Hua, what’s wrong?” Song Xi asked gently.

Zhou Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment before taking out the river clam she had been hiding in her clothes. She looked at Song Xi carefully. “Little Aunt, do you want this?”

“It’s a river clam. I want it. Just like conch. As long as you wash the mud clean, I’ll take as many as you have.” She did not expect that there would be river clams in Ping’an Village.

Although river clams had more shell than flesh, and it seemed like she was at a disadvantage to spend money to buy this, she was willing to help these two obedient and sensible children. Besides, she would not lose anything for a cent a catty.

“Little Aunt, do you really want it?” This thing did not have meat and was not delicious. Zhou Xiao Hua wanted to earn money, but she was afraid that Little Aunt would suffer.

Because Little Aunt was the person who treated them the best in this world, better than their previous family.

“Of course it’s true. When has Little Aunt ever lied to you?” Song Xi reached out and pinched Zhou Xiao Hua’s cheek. She said with a smile, “Go back quickly. Don’t let your brother worry.”

“Okay, thank you, Aunt.” Zhou Xiao Hua bade farewell to Song Xi and turned to run out. She almost bumped into Zhou Yi, who had returned. She apologized to Zhou Yi and quickly ran away.

Because Little Aunt said that she could not tell anyone about this, they had yet to tell Uncle Zhou Yi. Therefore, when she faced Uncle Zhou Yi, Zhou Xiao Hua was a little afraid, so she fled.