Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Shen Yu then remembered that he felt so tired when he returned to the yard that he put the money box on the cart and forgot to bring it into the house. Fortunately, he closed the gate of the yard.

When it comes to the happiest time for businessmen, it is of course the time when they count their money after closing their stalls.

When Yutao and Yucheng saw the wooden box, they remembered the important matter of counting money.

The two of them quickly stood up and worked together with anticipation to clear all the bowls on the table and make room for them.

Li just raised her hand, and with a "rustling" sound, half of the box of silver and money fell onto the table.

There was a pile of copper coins, both new and old, piled up. Li gathered the copper coins on the table with his hands and began to count them muttering "one, five, ten".

Yutao and Yucheng sat on the sidelines, watching with joy on their faces. Yucheng even counted quietly: "One, two, three..."

As Li started counting, Shen Yu also became excited. Li had already counted to 1,323, but there was still a small pile of copper coins waiting for her to count.

There were so many, Shen Yu was a little surprised and waited quietly for Li to finish counting.

"Hey, one thousand five hundred and three, one thousand five hundred and nine..." Li probably counted for too long and became confused. Yu Cheng also looked confused. Yu Tao reminded her softly, "Mother, mother, I think you counted wrong!"

Li paused uncertainly and said with some annoyance, "It's all Yucheng's fault. Don't interrupt me. How many minutes did I reach just now? Oh no, I forgot while I was talking to you. I have to count again."

So, Li gathered all the copper coins that had just been moved to the other side together and began to count them patiently. Before counting, she reminded Yutao and Yucheng seriously: "You two are not allowed to count with me, and you are not allowed to make any noise when you count."

Shen Yu found it funny watching from the side, but as Li was still in high spirits, he had to be patient. He held the bowl and slowly sipped the herbal tea in it while watching the mother and her two daughters leaning over the table and counting the pile of copper coins seriously.

Li counted again and excitedly announced the result loudly: "We sold 1,852 coins today!"

Yu Cheng immediately got angry and shouted loudly: "Mom, you counted wrong, it's clearly 1,378 coins."

Yu Tao was immediately stunned when she heard this. While she still remembered, she also said seriously: "Sister, I counted 1,513 coins."

After hearing this, Shen Yu held his laughter in for a long time, but finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Li said angrily, "You silly girl, you're hiding over there drinking tea and watching the fun. The three of us are counting until our mouths are dry, and you just know how to laugh. Come over here and count to see who is right!"

Shen Yu put down the empty bowl and said to Li with a smile, "I'll count. You all go wash your hands and drink some tea to moisten your throat first."

Seeing that the three people counted three numbers, and her own numbers the first time and the second time were different, Li became unsure and had to give up. She urged Shen Yu to count quickly, and she took Yutao and Yucheng to wash their hands.

Shen Yu found some thin hemp ropes for stringing money, and strung the copper coins five by five onto the ropes. When he had strung a hundred coins, he tied a knot and put it aside, then picked up another rope and continued stringing.

After a short while, fifteen strings of copper coins were placed on the table, with some loose coins left. Shen Yu stacked them up in tens and counted them. The total was one thousand five hundred and thirty-six coins.

She quickly estimated in her mind that after deducting the cost of ingredients, she made about nine hundred coins from selling buns today.

After hearing the number reported by Shen Yu and looking at the fifteen strings of copper coins of the same length, Li immediately believed that the number Shen Yu counted was correct.

After hearing Shen Yu's estimate of costs and the money earned, he no longer cared about whether he had counted correctly. He was so happy that he could not sit still and started walking around the table, rubbing his hands.

Although Yutao and Yucheng were smart, they were still young after all and had never experienced great wealth. Their concept of money was still vague. They only knew that they earned a lot of money that day.

Li counted on her fingers as she walked, muttering: "Nine hundred coins a day, nine thousand coins in ten days, thirty days a month, three times nine equals twenty-seven, that's twenty-seven strings of cash. I can't even get this much even if I farm at home for a year. If it's a year, two times two equals four, two times seven equals four, if it's a year..."

She muttered to herself and calculated for a long time, but still couldn't figure out how much money she could earn this year.

Shen Yu was watching with amusement. Seeing that she was calculating seriously but couldn't come up with a result, he kindly gave her a number: "Mom, it's 324 taels a year."

Li stopped muttering immediately, her mouth opened into a circle, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

Yu Cheng also blushed and asked with bright eyes: "Sister, then can we eat meat buns every day?"

Li finally came to his senses, clapped his hands excitedly, his face flushed, and said happily: "Oh my God, if I can earn this much in a year, I will be better than the county magistrate."

"Last year, an acre of good riverside land could be bought for only eight taels of silver. This year, the money earned can buy 40 acres of land. With 40 acres of land, you will be one of the richest families in the village!"

Li raised her head and put her hands on her hips, saying with great momentum, "When that happens, let's see who dares to bully our family. I just don't know where to buy the best land. I guess I need to ask my eldest brother to find out and keep an eye out for it."

Shen Yu saw that she was getting more and more imaginative and imaginative, and was afraid that she would really start to plan to buy land, so she quickly poured cold water on her: "Mom, although you made 900 coins on the first day, how can you make that much every day for a whole year."

"Think about it, there are always holidays in a year. Merchants have to make money and go home for the New Year. When the market is closed, they certainly can't set up stalls. If the weather is bad, with heavy rain or snow, it will be difficult to set up stalls. Today is the first day, and people want new flavors, so they are willing to buy a few to try. After a few days, those who don't like the taste will stop buying. The income at that time is the real money that can be earned in a day."

Li was in high spirits at the moment, so she didn't want to hear any of this. She said confidently, "Our buns taste great. When we were selling buns today, several customers bought one first, tasted it and came back to buy three or five more to take away. Do you think I was just busy handing you the lotus leaf? I was paying attention. We are the only one selling buns at the entrance of the market. Not everyone can make steamed noodles. Otherwise, why haven't we sold any at the entrance of the market?"

Shen Yu knew that Li's life in the past was too hard. She always spent more than she earned and worried about supporting her family every day. Now that she saw the real money piled here, it was natural for her to be happy.

Shen Yu didn't want to spoil Li's fun. She thought that after setting up the stall for a long time, Li would naturally understand the ways to make money. So she nodded in agreement: "Mom is right. As long as the customers approve of the taste, there is no need to worry about bad business. Let's do it well first. It's important to make more money. With money in hand, we don't have to worry about not being able to buy good land."

Li then stopped talking with satisfaction and began to think about where to hide the money she earned today. The house was small and shallow, and she felt uneasy looking at any place.