After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 15

Everything was neatly placed in her signature large basket, which saved others from gossip.

After breakfast, Lin Sang called Lin Song to prepare to set off. Wang Shi saw them off at the courtyard gate, repeatedly reminding them: “Don’t be nervous, safety is the most important thing! It doesn’t matter if you can’t sell them, we can bring them back and eat them ourselves. Just don’t miss the oxcart’s departure time!”

“I understand, Mother, don’t worry!” Lin Sang replied, then, with her younger brother on her back and carrying a heavy basket, she set off for the town.

———

Upon arriving in town, Lin Sang found an empty spot in the bustling food stall area, paid five coins for the stall, set up her small pot, and lit the firewood. Feeling uncertain about her first day setting up a stall, she only dared to cook one pot of food.

The chestnuts in the pot gradually emitted an enticing aroma, but passersby only glanced at them before hurrying on.

The stall was deserted, and Lin Song was getting anxious: “Sister, nobody’s asking about us, what should we do?”

Lin Sang observed the flow of people and found that people liked to flock to the bustling stalls, while her new stall was ignored and naturally did not attract any attention.

Just then, an old lady was buying pastries with her granddaughter at the nearby pastry stall. The granddaughter kept sniffing and staring longingly at the fragrant chestnuts in Lin Sang’s pot.

Lin Sang had a sudden inspiration, cleared her throat, and called out loudly, “Freshly roasted chestnuts! Free samples! One per person, adults and children alike! If you like them, buy them; if you don’t, we won’t force you!”

This shout immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Free to eat? Is this for real? Although it was only one chestnut, it piqued people’s curiosity. Soon, people gathered around, and Lin Sang quickly distributed the roasted and slightly cooled chestnuts to everyone to try.

She was very confident in her chestnuts. Wild chestnuts from the deep mountains have a long growing period and plenty of sunshine, making them naturally sweet and delicious. Even if her skills were not yet proficient, the taste would still be good.

Sure enough, the people who tried the food all nodded in approval.

“Mmm! So sweet! And it’s even soft!”

“Young lady, how much are your chestnuts?”

Lin Sang quickly replied, “The original price is eight coins per catty, but today is our first day of business, so to make it a great start, we’re only selling it for six coins per catty!”

The price was indeed reasonable. When everyone heard this, they thought the girl was generous and stopped haggling. They wanted half a jin for this one and a jin for that one. Lin Song was in charge of collecting money and wrapping chestnuts in oil paper, while Lin Sang quickly stir-fried the next batch. The siblings worked together seamlessly and were extremely busy.

Just past one o’clock in the afternoon, all the chestnuts they brought were sold out! Lin Sang wiped the sweat from his forehead and counted today’s income with Lin Song. It was nearly one hundred coins! After deducting the cost (about five coins for seasonings and five coins for stall rent), they made a net profit of ninety coins!

Lin Sang couldn’t help but smile, her heart filled with the joy of her first success.

She told her brother to pack up the stall, and the two siblings went to a noodle stall and each ate a bowl of plain noodles to celebrate. They then used the money they had earned to buy some maltose and hurried to the city gate to catch an oxcart.

Sitting on the swaying oxcart, Lin Sang looked at the heavy basket in front of her and thought to herself: I must tell my mother the good news as soon as I get home, and then tomorrow, I must take more people into the mountains and pick more chestnuts before others find them!

As soon as the oxcart arrived in the village, Lin Sang excitedly pulled Lin Song along and hurried home, his heart pounding, eager to share the good news with his family immediately.

When they got home, their father and younger brother hadn’t returned from the fields yet. Only Wang was drying the autumn vegetables that they couldn’t finish eating in the garden in the yard, preparing to pickle them for winter.

“Mother! Mother! Come inside quickly!” Lin Sang, ignoring her breath, grabbed the bewildered Wang Shi and pulled her into the house.

“Oh dear, what are you doing rushing around like that?” Wang was pulled so hard she stumbled, and muttered as she followed him into the house.

Lin Sang carefully closed the door, then took out the heavy old money bag from his pocket and poured all the copper coins inside onto the kang with a “clatter”. The gleaming copper coins formed a small pile, gleaming enticingly in the dim light.

Wang took a deep breath: “My goodness, how can there be so many? How many is there?”

Lin Sang started counting the coins carefully, one by one, right in front of her: “Ten, twenty, thirty… ninety!”

She looked up, her eyes shining brightly: “Mother! We made a net profit of ninety coins today!”

“How much?!” Wang exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

She grabbed the copper coins, her hands trembling as she counted them. Once she confirmed they were correct, her face lit up with immense joy. “Ninety coins! Good heavens! Only half a day! Sangsang, this…this…”

She was so excited she was incoherent, grabbing her daughter’s hand, “How did you come up with this way to make money?!”

“Hehe, Mother can rest assured now,” Wang nodded repeatedly, her eyes fixed on the small pile of copper coins on the kang (a heated brick bed).

———

That evening, Lin Laoda and Lin Bai dragged their tired bodies back home, and as soon as they entered, they sensed that the atmosphere at home was unusual.

Wang’s face was filled with an irrepressible smile, Lin Sang’s eyes were bright, and even Lin Song looked like a proud little rooster.

During the meal, Wang cleared her throat and announced, “Honey, you’ll still be going to the fields as usual tomorrow. Eldest son, Song-ge’er, and Miao-miao, you’ll all be coming up the mountain with me tomorrow!”

“Going up the mountain? What are you all going to do?” Boss Lin asked, puzzled.

Lin Sang smiled and briefly recounted her experience of selling chestnuts in town that day.

Lin Song, who was standing nearby, couldn’t contain himself any longer. He immediately jumped up and began to “reenact” the scene with great enthusiasm: “Dad, brother, you didn’t see it! My eldest sister is amazing! She just shouted ‘Free samples,’ and a whole bunch of people swarmed around! I couldn’t even keep up with the money! The coins were clattering away…” He gestured exaggeratedly, making the whole family burst into laughter.

Lin Bai’s eyes lit up: “Big sister, did you really make that much?”

Lin Sang nodded affirmatively.

Listening to his children’s excited stories and seeing the long-lost relaxed smile on his wife’s face, Lin Laoda took a deep drag on his pipe and slapped his thigh hard: “Good! This is a good idea! While there are still chestnuts in the mountains, let’s all go together and gather as many as possible! We can’t forget about wild vegetables and firewood either!” He seemed to already see a warm and prosperous winter.

The family sat around the dinner table, dreaming about a better future, their faces beaming with excitement and hope.