The rich have an ugly duckling

Chen Wu can make a lot of things, but not all of them are suitable for sale.He thought for a while, now that it's midsummer, it might be a little better to sell some refreshing things. Snacks like ice powder are low-cost and easy to make, and as long as you choose the right place, you won't worry about sales.

But Chen Wu didn't have a refrigerator at home, and a second-hand refrigerator wasn't cheap, so Chen Wu didn't take those things that needed to be frozen into consideration.After much deliberation, Chen Wu planned to make some cold dishes first to see if they could be sold. Of course it would be best if they could be sold, and if they couldn't be sold, they wouldn't lose too much.

After confirming the food to be sold, Chen Wu began to prepare the necessary things.He first bought a second-hand cart at a cost of several hundred yuan. When buying the cart, Chen Wu asked him if he needed to go through the formalities for selling this kind of cart snacks in Nancheng, but he was laughed at by the boss.

All kinds of roadside stalls are the characteristics of many small counties. Although there are many hidden risks of food hygiene, they are also an important part of the city's appearance. The local citizens are also accustomed to them. They can buy them when they walk downstairs Braised vegetables and cold dishes, meeting a few friends to eat barbecue on the side of the road, drinking a bowl of brown sugar ice powder after a walk in the square... It has been like this for decades.

Chen Wu didn't know the habits of Nancheng very well. Anyway, it is almost impossible to see such roadside stalls in the capital.He felt a little uneasy, but if he really wanted to go through the formalities, he would not be allowed to open the door if he was ordered to do so. He thought about it and let it go, he could only ensure that the things he made were clean and hygienic.

After lunch, Chen Wu went to the farmer's market to buy some fresh cucumbers, fungus, lotus root joints, carrots, etc., and some kelp knots, konjac shreds, vermicelli, etc., and took them home to soak.

I also bought a second-hand electronic scale and hundreds of food bags, which cost a little less than a thousand in total.

The bought things should be boiled, washed, washed, and put into more than a dozen newly purchased white boxes after the final treatment. They are neatly stacked on the trolley and covered with a layer of clean gauze. , to prevent dust from falling in.

Then put all kinds of seasonings into the box. The chili oil inside is made by Chen Wu himself. A bit of sesame aroma.People in Nancheng have a strong taste and love spicy food. Even in summer, spicy food is indispensable, so Chen Wu deliberately made a lot of chili oil for storage.

Chen Wu was quite efficient in doing things. After getting everything ready, it was only four o'clock in the afternoon, and he rode a small cart to the county seat.The urban management of a small county is still incomparable to that of a big city. In the urban area, there are small carts similar to Chen Wu selling all kinds of food.

Chen Wu found a place on the side of the square, and just about to park the car, he was stopped by the person next to him: "Hey, little brother, are you new here? There will be an ice powder seller in the space you occupy If you want to come over, the proprietress is very aggressive, you should change to another place."

Chen Wu said good, and then asked the elder brother if there was anyone on the other side. The elder brother said no, but it was a little far away from the street lights, and the light was not very good, which might affect the business.

Chen Wu couldn't find a better place for a while, so he rode the small cart there and parked it, and then hung the price sign he wrote on the pole of the cart.

The big brother next to him glanced at Chen Wu's brand to know what he was selling.Because Chen Wu covered all the dishes with a layer of white gauze, he couldn't see what was placed underneath.

The eldest brother smiled and said, "Your handwriting is not bad, but brother, you'd better go to the gate of the community when you sell cold vegetables, and many people who are too lazy to cook after work will buy them. The side squares are almost full of people who go out for a walk to digest their food, so it’s not very easy for you to come here.”

Chen Wu hadn't thought that there were so many specialties in it before, so he thanked the elder brother and planned to find another place tomorrow, but it was too late today, so he could only make do with it.

It was around five or six in the afternoon, the sun had not completely set, and not many people came to play in the square, and many of them were parents who had just picked up their children from school and came here to play.

The big brother next to Chen Wu also sells ice powder. Now that the heat has not subsided, many passing children refused to leave when they saw his stall, insisting on dragging their parents to buy a bowl.

Brown sugar ice powder is not expensive, so most parents let their children go and bought a bowl for them to eat slowly on the small stool next to them.

Half an hour later, another elder sister who sold ice powder also came. She and the elder brother were very close to each other, and immediately divided almost half of the business.

The eldest brother thought he was used to it and didn't care.On the contrary, the eldest sister looked at Chen Wu's side vigilantly. She thought that Chen Wu was here to steal business from her.

In fact, she didn't do this before, but by chance, she was a little jealous when she saw that the ice powder business in the square was doing well. She also bought a cart herself, and put it disgustingly next to others.But because there is a lot of traffic in this square, even if two competitors put together, the business is still good, but if there is another one, I am afraid it will not work.

Seeing that Chen Wu was not selling ice powder, the elder sister looked better and started to concentrate on selling her things, ignoring Chen Wu.

Chen Wu stood beside him somewhat awkwardly. Half an hour passed, but no one was interested in his small stall.The elder brother next to him took a look at him, and couldn't laugh or cry: "Why are you covering that gauze, people can't see your things, who wants to buy them."

Chen Wu said with some hesitation: "I'm afraid that if I uncover it, dust will fall in." Y. X. d. j.

The eldest brother laughed: "You are really sincere. I am not so particular about eating at home. A little dust is not a problem!"

Chen Wu looked at the surrounding environment, it was not bad, at least there were no flying insects such as flies, and finally chose to listen to the elder brother's suggestion, and lifted the gauze.

Every dish of Chen Wu's was cleaned up, and he threw away all the bad parts, and didn't put them in to make up for them.More than a dozen brand-new rectangular boxes are neatly stacked, and the vegetables inside are all soaked in clean water, which looks very juicy.

Several parents with their children finally saw clearly what the young-looking little boss over there was selling.

A beautiful woman in her 30s led her son to Chen Wu's cart: "Boss, how do you sell your vegetarian dishes?"

Chen Wu pointed to the sign he had written, which said "You can choose vegetarian dishes, eight yuan a catty."

The woman felt that the price was not too expensive, so she planned to buy one or two catties to serve her man with wine, so that she could save her effort and cook a dish.

She picked up the small round frame built next to it, and picked up some vegetarian dishes she wanted to eat.The frame is hollowed out, and the moisture inside will leak out, so it won't take up too much weight.The woman thought to herself that this little boss was honest in his business, and if the taste was good, he could take care of the business more in the future.

Chen Wu put the frame on the electronic scale and weighed it, it was exactly one and a half catties.He raised his head and asked, "Sister, do you eat spicy food?"

A woman has a son herself, so she has no resistance to well-behaved boys. When the fair and soft boy called her sister, her heart softened by half, and she smiled and said: "Yes, put more chili. "

Except for their son, their family can't eat spicy food very much. She and her husband both love spicy food.

Chen Wu nodded, put the weighed dishes into the stainless steel basin next to him, added various seasonings, and finally poured a spoonful of chili oil on top of it. After stirring evenly, he put the vegetables into edible bags and handed them to that woman.

Chen Wu wore gloves when cooking, and used small clips to collect the money, which would be more hygienic, and women would be satisfied with watching it, who wouldn't like to eat hygienically.

After the woman left, Chen Wu's business was still not very good, and he only sold four catties.After 06:30, there were more people in the square, but most of them came out for a stroll to digest food after dinner, and Chen Wu couldn't sell it.

He glanced at the time, afraid that it would be unsafe to go back too late, so he could only say goodbye to the elder brother next to him, and rode a small cart back home.

At the same time, the woman who bought cold dishes finally returned home with her playful son.Before her husband came back, she asked her son to do his homework first, and she went to the kitchen and poured the cold salad she bought into the plate.

Plump white sesame seeds were sporadically dotted on various brightly colored vegetarian dishes. After being poured with a spoonful of chili oil, a few small pieces of celery were so green that they dripped water. She couldn't help but took a bite with chopsticks.

It tastes surprisingly good.A piece of celery is crisp and tender, and you can hear the sound when you bite it in your mouth. The taste of chili oil is more in line with her taste, a bit spicy but more fragrant!What you eat in cold salad is the crisp taste of the dish itself and the balance of various seasonings. The collision of the two will produce an indescribable and wonderful taste, which will also whet your appetite in the hot summer.

She couldn't stop eating it. The diced lotus root, shredded radish, and cucumber were all crispy and fragrant. The shredded konjac was full of the flavor of the soup, and it was unbelievably smooth in her mouth. She ate it I got a little selfless, and even forgot to help my son with his homework.

The son who was doing his homework in the room saw that his mother was not coming, so he looked for someone strangely.After seeing my mother stealing food in the kitchen, she immediately became angry and clamored for him to eat too.

The woman said: "This is too spicy, you can't stand it."

The child's rebellious psychology also came up: "No, I will eat it! I will eat it no matter how spicy it is!"

The woman could only clip a piece for him.As soon as the child ate spicy food, he would get angry, but the food in his mouth was delicious and he couldn't bear to vomit. After finishing the food with difficulty, tears came out from the spicy food, but he still said stubbornly: "I want more!"

The woman couldn't laugh or cry when she saw it: "Okay, I'll wash you with water later, don't eat now, let's wait for Dad to come back and eat together."

The child pouted and said in dissatisfaction: "Then why did you steal it, and eat so much spicy food!"

The woman was a little embarrassed, and slapped the little boy on the butt: "What's the matter, your old lady won't even allow you to eat any vegetarian dishes?"

Amid the quarrel, the child's father came back from get off work.A family of three sits together for dinner, and the cold vegetable dishes bought for the men’s dinner are being scrambled for. The children are eating what’s in the bowl and looking at what’s on the plate. , so he ate very slowly, and when he looked up again, the dishes were gone, and he was so angry that he cried.

The man looked amused, but he was not full, so he said, "Xiao Li, let's buy more tomorrow, and see how wronged our son is."

The woman wiped her mouth, and said with some unfinished thoughts: "Do you need to say that? But let me tell you, the boss who sells cold dishes is a child, and he looks unreliable. I didn't expect the craftsmanship to be so good, and the selling price is not expensive." , I will go to weigh more tomorrow."

……

It was already eight o'clock in the evening when Chen Wu got home.For the first time selling food, he didn't prepare too much, about ten catties, but he didn't expect to sell only half of it.Chen Wu mixed the rest of the cold dish and sent a copy to Uncle Guo upstairs, and ate the rest by himself.

At night Chen Wu was a little worried lying on the bed.Today I spent a small one thousand a day, but I didn't earn 50 yuan. He plans to get up early tomorrow to find a better position to see if there will be improvement.

It was getting late, Chen Wu planned to sleep.He touched his bulging belly, and the worry on his face disappeared instantly: "Good night, two little babies."

The next day, Chen Wu got up early and rode a stroller around the city, and finally stopped at the back door of a community.An older sister next to him sells stewed vegetables. She is a face control person. When she saw Chen Wu's good looks, she was also very friendly to him, and she took the initiative to tell him a lot of things that need to be paid attention to.

Chen Wu listened very carefully, and thanked these passers-by who had never met before for their help, which made him more hopeful and passionate about life.

After changing the place, Chen Wu's business improved obviously around five or six o'clock in the evening, and all the ten catties of vegetables prepared today were sold out.When he was packing up his things and preparing to go home, Chen Wu was stopped by someone.He looked back and saw that it was the customer who bought his food yesterday.

The woman came over to look at Chen Wu's clean little cart, and said a little depressed, "Why did you come here to sell it? I even ran to the square to look for you for a long time, but you came here Yeah, I'm pissed off."

Chen Wu said apologetically: "The location here is better. If you want to eat, you can come back tomorrow, and I will be here tomorrow."

They are all sold out, so it is impossible to force them to change it.But it was a lot more convenient to think that Chen Wubai's location was at the back door of their community.Feeling better, the woman finally said: "Then remember to prepare more tomorrow, I'm going to pick up my son, I'm afraid I won't be able to buy it when I come back."

Chen Wu also had this plan, so he nodded in agreement.

Riding a small trolley home slowly, Chen Wu's curly hair was a little messy in the night wind, but he didn't care. He was very happy that the business was good today, and the days will always get better and better.

Afterwards, Chen Wu set up a stall at the back door of the community for a month, and many residents who had eaten there became repeat customers, and even recommended it to friends because it was delicious and inexpensive. After word of mouth, Chen Wu’s cold vegetable dishes became famous here. The area has also gained a reputation, and many people from other communities also come here by car.

The vegetarian dishes prepared by Chen Wu have also increased from the initial ten catties to seventy catties, and the gross profit of more than 500 yuan can be received a day, which makes Chen Wu feel that life has a bright future.Of course, hard work is inevitable. I have to get up early every day to buy fresh vegetables, and come back to wash and process them carefully. The whole morning passed like this.

In the afternoon, I rode for more than ten miles to the urban area to start selling, and it took several hours to stop. After returning home in the evening, my feet were often swollen when I took off the shoes.Because he had to go out under the scorching sun, Chen Wu hadn't been exposed to the sun for a long time. The skin on the back of his neck was sunburned at some point, and it was red and painful.

He took care of it himself, and when he went out to sell things in the future, he would wear a hat and put on some sunscreen to avoid getting sunburned again.

After one month, Chen Wu saved a small 1 yuan.He took out a part of it and typed it into the card that Zhou Youwei gave him, and took out another part to go to Babao Township to visit Chen Fangli.

I haven't seen her for a month, and Chen Fangli has lost even more weight, and her whole body has no luster, as if she has lost her expectation for life, her eyes are cloudy and numb.In fact, Chen Fangli thought many times about not living at all, but she couldn't bear to part with Xu Liangshu after all.She has already abandoned a child once, and the decision that year made her live in regret for the rest of her life, so she couldn't bear to make the same decision again and abandon another child.

When Chen Wu saw Chen Fangli, his heart felt as uncomfortable as if he had been stabbed by a needle, and her eyes made Chen Wu feel even more uneasy.

When Chen Fangli saw Chen Wu, her eyes lit up first, and then she asked Chen Wu awkwardly: "Why are you here?"

Chen Wu said: "I said I would come to see you. Where did Xiao Shu go?"

Chen Fangli said dejectedly: "I don't know either. He didn't study after graduating from elementary school, and he hangs out all day. I said he never listened to me. Maybe he likes it in the Internet cafe in the town right now." play games."

Chen Wu was silent for a while, and said, "Would you like to bring Xiaoshu to live with me?"

Chen Fangli was stunned for a moment, and then quickly waved her hands: "No way! How dare we drag you down...I'm sorry, I'll be at ease if you live your life well."

Chen Wu stepped forward to hold Chen Fangli's hand, and put it on his stomach.Chen Fangli's withered and callused hands touched the bulge on Chen Wu's lower abdomen, and she asked in panic, "What's wrong with you? Are you sick?"

Chen Wu shook his head, his eyes were full of tenderness: "I'm not sick. There are two babies living here."

Chen Fangli looked at Chen Wu's stomach in surprise, and said in disbelief: "You...are you pregnant?"

Chen Wu smiled and nodded: "Yes, it's been four months. They can already move, and I can feel them kicking me occasionally."

Chen Fangli digested it for a while, and then said with some reproach: "You are really foolish. With two in your stomach, you dare to climb the mountain road by yourself, and you are not afraid of falling!"

"So, are you willing to live with me? Take Xiaoshu with me, and I will treat you well." Chen Wu said seriously.

Chen Fangli was struggling in her heart. She sat quietly for a while, looked at Chen Wu's stomach, and finally said, "I want to live with you! Look at your vigor, I'm afraid you will mess around!"

When Chen Wu heard the answer he wanted, the dimples at the corners of his mouth showed.He really looks like Chen Fangli, and Chen Fangli also has dimples, but only two.

After Chen Fangli agreed, she began to pack the things at home.In fact, there is nothing to clean up, and the house is completely empty, which is her current status quo.She deliberately put away her needle and thread, and muttered: "In the future, I will sew a small dress and hat for my little grandson. It will be of great use!"

Chen Wu saw that she was not as numb as before, with light in her eyes, and she let go of the big stone in her heart.After packing up their things, the two of them waited for Xu Liangshu to come back.

Thinking of Xu Liangshu, Chen Fangli felt a little uneasy: "Xiaoshu...he has a bad temper, don't tell him too much, I'm afraid he will hurt the child in your belly."

Chen Wu was a little bit embarrassed when he thought of that cold child, but the blood flowing through Xu Liangshu's body was half similar to his, and he still had expectations for this half-brother.

When Xu Liangshu came back, it was almost nine o'clock in the evening, and when he saw Chen Wu, the "uninvited guest", his expression quickly turned bad.When he heard that Chen Fangli was going to take him to the county town to live with Chen Wu, his expression was terrible.

Chen Fangli tried to appease him, but Xu Liangshu still looked cold and looked at Chen Wu with some sullenness.

Chen Wu actually understands why Xu Liangshu's temper is like this.A person's personality has a lot to do with his family of origin, just like he himself lived under the shadow of Zhuang Weimin when he was young, so his personality is relatively inferior and timid, while Xu Liangshu grew up under the guidance of others, Personality appears withdrawn and eccentric.They have one thing in common, they are all introverted people.But Chen Wu is willing to reveal his heart to those he trusts, while Xu Liangshu's heart is closed, unwilling to let anyone in.

Chen Wu didn't think about changing anything overnight, but he believed that Xu Liangshu still had feelings for Chen Fangli, because he always remembered that Xu Liangshu was willing to endure his "boring interrogation" for a pack of washing powder. If you have no feelings for Chen Fangli, why bother to make yourself uncomfortable.

So Chen Wu said: "Your mother is not in good health now, I don't think she can be so tired anymore, it is too difficult for her to do the field work alone." Chen Wu was afraid that Xu Liangshu would be stimulated and just said, "Your mother. "In fact, he also longs for maternal love in his heart.

In fact, Xu Liangshu would secretly go to the field to help with the work, like today he went to the field quietly to pull weeds and came back so late, but he never let Chen Fangli know, and he never said.

In the end, Xu Liangshu didn't object any more, but he still looked cold and didn't talk to Chen Wu.Chen Wu didn't care either. He looked at the sky and found that it was too late for walking the mountain road, so he planned to leave tomorrow.

After arriving in the county seat, Chen Wu added some money and rented a small apartment upstairs again. Although it was still not big, it had one more room than the previous house, so that the three of them could sleep separately.

The author has something to say: Reminder: Eat less from roadside stalls without a business license, and pay more attention to food hygiene and safety~ (After all, not all owners are as sincere as Chen Wu!