CHAPTER 138: CHAPTER 138: BEAN SPROUTS

Lin Xiang was indeed a bit tired. After making sure repeatedly that Lin Yun wouldn’t sulk alone, she prepared to leave.

"Sister Niu."

Just as Lin Xiang reached the door, her hand still not touching the doorknob, Lin Yun called out to her.

"What’s up?"

"You don’t need to come to the hospital these days. The doctor said I’m recovering well, and at most I can be discharged in three days. After you pack up and go home, just have a good rest."

"Alright."

Lin Xiang temporarily agreed.

As for coming, she will definitely come.

Anyway, packing up and going home every day doesn’t exceed four o’clock. Borrowing a bicycle from the brigade department, it takes only one and a half hours to visit Lin Yun at the hospital.

Although Lin Yun says that he doesn’t need family visiting him, who in the hospital doesn’t hope for their family’s concern?

At the male protagonist’s most vulnerable moment, it’s the best time for her to earn favor points.

Leaving the hospital, Lin Xiang went to the market.

The meat company usually only opens in the morning, a morning’s time is enough to sell all the meat, so when Lin Xiang went, the meat company was already closed.

There wasn’t much good stuff at the market either. Lin Xiang wandered around and bought nothing, so she simply went to the state-run restaurant.

Yang Rong saw her and proactively greeted, "Looking for Chef Shen again?"

"Yes, I’m looking for Brother Shen to help a bit."

"You go find him yourself then."

In the kitchen, Chef Shen was chatting with two sous chefs, and was a bit surprised to see Lin Xiang come in.

"Haven’t seen you for quite a few days, I thought you were mad and unwilling to deal with me."

"How could that be! I’ve been busy rushing to market fairs to sell sweet potato starch recently, and haven’t had time to come to town. Brother Shen, I want you to help me buy some meat."

"Just right, there’s still a piece of pork belly left in the kitchen today, about a pound and a half. If you want it, I’ll share it with you first."

"Yes, yes, I want it."

In this era, people considered pork belly the second-best meat from the pig. Other parts sold at eighty cents a pound, pork belly could go for a dollar, and it had to be fought over, come late and you won’t get any.

A pound and a half of pork belly, Lin Xiang offered two and a half cents.

"I don’t have meat tickets, can I make it up with one dime?"

She didn’t have much in meat tickets, saving them for the next visit to the meat company.

"Sure, I’m not losing out."

Chef Shen accepted Lin Xiang’s money and shouted to the front desk, asking Yang Rong to note it down.

"By the way, there are also some vegetables here that don’t look great, want them?"

Not looking good but doesn’t affect eating, Lin Xiang naturally didn’t stand on ceremony, packed a bunch at two cents which wasn’t always available at the market, enough for her family for a week.

Chef Shen noticed Lin Xiang was rather natural around him, shouldn’t be angry anymore about Niu Tiantian "betraying" her.

"How’s the spicy noodle business?"

"Alright, every day can sell dozens of bowls, after excluding costs, the profit is over a dollar. But every day needs at least three people to set up, each person getting less than four dimes."

For those with stable jobs, four dimes a day indeed isn’t much, but for rural folk with no income sources, it’s quite a lot.

Four dimes a day, twelve dollars a month!

But exhausting is also truly exhausting, Chef Shen certainly wasn’t jealous of Lin Xiang earning money.

Still not more than one-third of his monthly salary!

"Brother Shen, I’ll head back now."

"Go ahead, come find me next time you need something, I’ll try to set some aside for you."

Chef Shen enjoyed dealing with Lin Xiang, although he seemed to be helping, Lin Xiang never freeloaded and was very clear about money, never let him lose out.

Dealing with such people, no need to worry when you’ll get taken advantage of.

When Lin Xiang returned home, it was almost dark.

She had traveled so much that she was truly tired, so she just made some noodles and called Mrs. Lin to eat.

Inside the noodles was a poached egg too, Mrs. Lin used to love it, but today she seemed a bit low, not much appetite.

"Mom, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" Lin Xiang’s hand touched Mrs. Lin’s forehead, "No fever anyway."

Mrs. Lin slapped Lin Xiang’s hand down with the one not holding chopsticks, "Don’t be cheeky, hurry and eat. After eating, take today’s earnings to your Fifth Uncle."

"Alright."

After dinner, Lin Xiang started calculating accounts.

Sold a total of one hundred eighteen bowls of spicy noodles today.

Among them, fourteen bowls were sold before events, eight cents a bowl, earning one dollar twelve cents.

One hundred four bowls sold during the event, equivalent to getting paid for seventy-eight bowls, six dollars twenty-four cents.

Total income today seven dollars thirty-six cents.

Because no porridge was given out today, this cost was absent, only need to calculate costs for two soup bases and sweet potato and potato starch, less than a dollar, plus wages for Fifth Uncle and Chunya, Lin Xiang got over five dollars.

She took the wages to her Fifth Uncle, who scolded, "Even a day late wouldn’t matter, what’s the rush, why not rest a bit more?"

"No problem, Uncle, I’ll go home and sleep soon."

"How’s your brother, serious?"

"Not serious, doctor said could be discharged home in two or three days." Lin Xiang placed half a pound of pork belly on the table, "Fifth Aunt, please cook this and let Fifth Uncle and Chunya Dong Sheng eat it. I was thinking to cook and invite you all to my house, but too tired today."

Fifth Aunt carried the meat, trying to push it back to Lin Xiang, "You child, what’s this about? Hurry and take the meat back, otherwise Aunt will be mad at you!"

Lin Xiang was about to refuse when she suddenly glimpsed beansprouts on the windowsill, asked Fifth Aunt, "How much beansprouts do we have at home?"

"About a pound or so of sprouted ones. Dong Sheng, get a bowl for Sister Niu to take some beansprouts back."

"No no no." Lin Xiang hurriedly said, "Fifth Aunt, could you sell all the beansprouts to me?"

"Just more than a pound of beansprouts, if you want to eat, just take them all, why mention selling!"

Fifth Aunt personally picked the sprouted beansprouts into a basin for Lin Xiang to carry.

A pound of beansprouts sounds light but the quantity was quite substantial, enough to fill the basin.

In these days, soybeans were precious, beansprouts from soybeans weren’t cheap, Lin Xiang definitely wouldn’t let Fifth Aunt suffer a loss.

"I have some soybeans at home, hadn’t decided how to eat them yet. Fifth Aunt, could you help sprout beans this couple of days for me? I can add them when selling spicy noodles to attract customers."

"Sure. Later, let Dong Sheng go home with you, give him the soybeans to bring back."

Back home, Lin Xiang split the soybeans into two portions.

"Dong Sheng, this portion’s for Fifth Aunt to help sprout beans, this portion’s returning to your family, remember to explain clearly to your mom."