Chapter Eleven: Bean Sprouts

  (123456789)????(123456789) A few days later, Song Jie, who was bored and had nothing to do, started fiddling with her bean sprouts, vowing to successfully sprout the green beans. 123456789123456789

  Ke Zhaojuan, however, did not think so. She thought it was a complete waste of food. It had been several days and she thought her daughter would have forgotten about the matter by now, but unexpectedly, she still remembered it, which showed that the child was too clever and also very worrisome.

  "Nini, mung bean porridge is also delicious to drink, and adding a bit of sugar would be even better, wouldn't it?" Zhao Juan began to coax.

  Do you think I'm a three-year-old kid? Song Jie rolled her eyes in her heart: "No, it's going to produce bean sprouts. Grandpa said that bean sprouts are delicious and Nini wants to eat them."

  Zhao Juan was about to hate that old man to death, how could he let children hear such nonsense? It's really too irresponsible! In her mind, a small figure wielding a large hammer appeared, and with a "ding ding ding" sound, she smashed the mini old man into the ground like smashing radishes.

  She turned her head and met her daughter's gaze, their eyes sparking with electricity.

  One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed, and finally Zhao Juan was defeated. She slumped her shoulders and said to the little paozi who was staring at her with big round eyes: "Okay, I give up. You can sprout beans, but you're only allowed to use half of the green beans. If it doesn't work out, you're not allowed to mention sprouting beans again, deal?"

  The battle finally won, Song Jie jumped three feet high, clapping her hands and shouting: "Hurray, hurray, live bean sprouts, live bean sprouts!"

  Seeing her daughter so happy, Zhao Juan also smiled happily. 123456789123456789 Since her daughter wanted to play, wasting a catty of green beans was no big deal, and she wasn't going out to cause trouble, so let her be happy, it had been a long time since she saw her so happy.

  If you want to do something, you must do it to the best of your ability; doing things carelessly is unacceptable.

  Talk is cheap, action speaks louder. Listening to her daughter's words, the mother and daughter took out about half a catty of green beans from their pockets. They carefully sifted through the green beans, picking out all the dry and shriveled ones to avoid affecting the germination rate.

  Pick up the green beans, Zhao Juan poured some warm water to wash the green beans once, until they were clean. Drain the water and leave the bean sprouts in that basin.

  There should be a suitable amount of warm water in the basin to keep the mung beans moist at all times. Mung beans are thermophilic and heat-tolerant seeds, so they must be kept at a certain temperature, preferably above 20 degrees Celsius.

  The pit in the house is the best warm bed. Lift the quilt, put the basin on the kang, and cover a layer of gauze on the green beans in the basin.

  It's worth noting that you must not put the lid back on, just keep it open. Also, never place the bowl under direct sunlight, because after being exposed to sunlight, mung beans will sprout and become inedible.

  In the following days, Song Jie was like a diligent little bee, watering the green beans every day. She watched with her own eyes as the bean sprouts grew longer and plumper, white and tender, just like taking care of her own children.

  Zhao Juan originally didn't have much hope, as long as it didn't wither and die, that would be fine. But seeing the mung beans slowly sprouting, she also started to look forward to it, maybe it could really succeed after all.

  She was well-educated and had an open mind to new things. If sprouting beans could be a success, then this business might just work out. It was a small venture from years ago, hardly a get-rich-quick scheme.

  If it succeeds, this year's situation will definitely be better. Thinking of this, Zhao Juan also became slightly excited, young people are always not afraid of challenges. Just like in those years, she went to the countryside not only for her brother, but also for her longing and yearning for new things that drove her.

  After five or six days, the bean sprouts finally came out completely, and both mother and daughter were excited. Zhao Juan picked up the bean sprouts with one hand, and a kilogram of green beans had actually produced about four kilograms of bean sprouts. This was beyond her imagination, it seemed that this business was very promising, with low cost and no risk of loss.

  At noon, they had stir-fried bean sprouts, and Zhao Juan even took out a piece of leftover meat from the Laba Festival to stir-fry together. The flavor was naturally fresh and delicious, and in the barren winter season when vegetables were scarce, it could be considered a rare delicacy.

  After lunch, Zhao Juan took two kilograms of bean sprouts to Aunt Li's house. Usually, Aunt Li takes good care of their family, and when there are good things, they naturally want to share them with her. It's just a matter of courtesy and reciprocity; if you only take and never give, the relationship will eventually turn sour.

  When Zhao Juan came to Aunt Li's house, she told her plan to Aunt Li. After listening, Aunt Li was also very interested and thought it was a good idea. The cost is not high, and there will be no loss. It's worth doing. If they can't sell them all, they can give some to relatives and friends.

  Then Auntie Li discussed with Zhao Juan whether the two families could partner up, and Zhao Juan was actually a bit apprehensive in her heart, after all it was her first time doing business, and she had no confidence.

  Now that Aunt Li is asking to do it together, she feels much more at ease. It's not that she thinks they can't all make it up if they work together, but rather that people are like this - when doing something, they always want someone to accompany them, and with that, their hearts feel more settled.

  The two of them had already discussed it, and didn't want to waste any more time. In the afternoon, they would go to the county to purchase a batch of green beans and take the opportunity to inspect the vegetable market situation. Today was already the 17th, and rushing as much as possible, they could only sell two batches at most.

  In the afternoon, the two of them went to the county town and bought a batch of green beans, and they also bought quite a few. They also went to the vegetable market to take a look, but surprisingly, there was no one selling bean sprouts, which means they were the only ones. After all, it was still a time when people relied on farming for food, and at that time, farmers didn't have many ideas, and most of what they sold were just cabbage and radish.

  Seeing this situation, Zhao Juan and Li Shu discussed and bought some more mung beans. After all, it's approaching the Lunar New Year, who doesn't prepare some goods for the festival? When relatives come, they also have face.

  Li aunt gritted her teeth and decided to take a gamble. Although she wasn't educated, she knew the principle that scarcity creates value, and it's better to die fighting than to starve to death being timid.

  Winter days are short, and when the two returned home, it was already dusk. They hastily finished dinner, and under the light of the kerosene lamp, they sifted through the green beans once. Seeing the adults so busy, Song Jie also put her mind at ease, it seemed that this year would be a good one after all.

  The next morning, the two of them washed the mung beans and put them in a basin, which was placed in the room opposite Song Jie's bedroom.

  Most rural houses are like this, with two bedrooms facing each other, and a stove standing beside each bedroom, allowing for both cooking and heating.

  Now put the mung beans in the opposite house, and then start burning the kang. The two of them were busy for a whole morning, and finally finished, leaving only watering every day to keep the temperature, which is not difficult to do.

  The mung beans had sprouted for three days, and Zhao Juan and Li Shu had sent another batch of bean sprouts to Li Shu's room. This time, they only sent half as much as last time.

  If it sells well, these can be continued for the time being. If it doesn't sell well, it won't lose too much. After all, it's the first time doing business, and there are some worries. abcdefgabcdefg