The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family-Chapter 44 - Making Some Pocket Money (2)_1
44: Chapter 44 Making Some Pocket Money (2)_1
44: Chapter 44 Making Some Pocket Money (2)_1
It’s pretty big…
Pei Qin took one and bit into it, finding it somewhat hard to swallow, so she just held onto it as more customers came to buy persimmons.
Pei Qin’s hawking truly did attract quite a few people; try before you buy got one sale, and then another followed suit.
“No more for sale tomorrow!
If you don’t buy now, they’ll all be gone!”
To snack on other treats was one thing, but these wild persimmons were small yet sweet, and not expensive, drawing a decent crowd with some squeezing in to join.
In less than fifteen minutes, the two baskets of wild persimmons were sold out.
“Thirty-six copper coins, should be enough to buy some stuff!” Pei Qin thanked the man selling game, picked up her basket, and called for Lady Fang and the others to leave.
“Qinqin!
Where are we heading now?” Lady Fang wanted to find some work in the county town; she couldn’t rely solely on her daughter’s earnings to support them.
“Buy a knife!
Then head back!” Pei Qin said and entered an ironware shop.
Lady Fang felt a tremor in her heart upon hearing about buying a knife, and hurriedly followed.
Pei Qin had already taken out twenty wen money and bought the cheapest knife, tested it, “Not good for cutting vegetables, but enough for digging!” she said.
“Let’s go!
Time to head back!”
With the remaining money, after setting aside fare for the cart, they bought cornbread and even got a piece of salted vegetable from someone.
“We just came and now we’re leaving?
We haven’t really done any work to earn money!” Si Ya complained discontentedly.
“The stuff for making money is up in the mountains!” Pei Qin, munching on the cornbread, called for a donkey cart.
Lady Fang thought that she was going back to pick more persimmons, but it was too difficult to find a persimmon tree on the mountain that hadn’t been picked clean by someone else.
Upon returning to Taiping Town, Pei Qin didn’t head back to the small cave but led Lady Fang and the others towards the bamboo grove instead.
Seeing the puzzled expressions of the others, Pei Qin took out her knife, chopped a few branches and sticks, and showed them how to look for winter bamboo shoots, “We’ll go back to town tomorrow and sell the bamboo shoots, earn some money to get by before we think of anything else.”
“These are bamboo shoots, who would buy them at this time of the year?” Si Ya thought her older sister had lost her mind.
“I’ll cook one for you to try later!” Pei Qin carefully chopped down two winter shoots and had San Ya carry them in the basket.
Lady Fang could only help search too.
They were busy until the afternoon, filling two baskets that could not hold any more, with San Ya deftly wrapping them in an outer garment, and then they hurried toward the small cave.
The plump and tender winter bamboo shoots were peeled, revealing their freshness.
Pei Qin stuffed the salted vegetable into the shoots, wrapped them in leaves, and started to cook.
Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted out.
“We can actually eat these bamboo shoots!?” Lady Fang exclaimed in surprise.
Pei Qin took the first bite; lacking any oil or seasoning, the taste was frankly not that great, but it was bearable when eaten with the cornbread.
The group made do with their meal.
Pei Qin, with a reed in her mouth, leaned against a rock, contemplating other ways to make money.
Living hand to mouth and sleeping out in the elements was no long-term solution.
As the weather was getting colder, snow would pose a real problem.
The setting sun cast a warm glow over the mountainside.
Sounds of birds chirping intermittently came from the woods.
Pei Qin suddenly jumped up, “San Ya!
Let’s go!”
“Qinqin!
What’s going on?” Lady Fang asked anxiously.
“There are quails!” Pei Qin recognized the call of quails.
Even if they couldn’t catch one, they might at least find some quail eggs.
Si Ya, seeing this, followed as well, “I’ll come too!”
Pei Wendong also wanted to go but, seeing only Lady Fang left in the cave, decided to stay.
They searched around but, although they spotted the quails, they couldn’t find any quail eggs.
Si Ya felt a bit deflated, “Let’s just collect some firewood to take back for the night’s burning!”
“Shh!” Pei Qin gestured for silence and crouched down as she made her way into the underbrush.
A pair of wild pheasants, one male and one female, were nesting on their eggs.
The brightly colored male pheasant instantly became alert at the sense of movement.
Pei Qin smiled inwardly; nesting wild pheasants were the easiest to catch – dinner was secured for today!
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