Cheng Su had been busy for two days, and finally managed to complete and deliver the new order for the Huaiji Supply and Marketing Cooperative, making nearly six hundred yuan, and then turned all the remaining pineapples into jam, amounting to dozens of pounds.
She made the jam entirely by hand, and with the weather being hot, she was worried it might spoil if not refrigerated, so she later added "best consumed within ten days" on the labels.
However, since it was marketed under the restaurant’s name, Cheng Su also sold the jam at the restaurant. This was nothing new; many bigger restaurants and eateries often launched their own branded foods or condiments.
So, it made sense for Joy Soon Loy Jam to be sold at the Joy Soon Loy Restaurant.
And with this batch of pineapple jam released, more and more people were getting to know about pineapple jam, and some food companies had already quietly started copying it. Cheng Su also learned from Mu Yan that other brands of pineapple jam had emerged.
Cheng Su wasn’t surprised by this news, as it was expected. There are hundreds of trades, and none can monopolize the market forever.
One day, when she came back home, Qi Taiguo pulled out a ticket from his pocket and handed it to her, "For you!"
Cheng Su took a look and saw that it was a bicycle ticket. She asked with delight, "How did you get this?"
"I asked Old Zhou to help me look for it. He knows quite a few people, and sure enough, he got one for me. If you really want to buy it, find some time to do it," Qi Taiguo said.
Bicycles were considered valuable goods these days, especially the Phoenix brand, commonly known as the ’Water Buffalo’. They cost over two hundred yuan each and you could only buy one with a bicycle ticket, which were in high demand and short supply.
Cheng Su thought it over and realized that she could afford a bike with her current savings. Since it was a means of transportation, it wasn’t something to skimp on, so she carefully stored the ticket.
Not two days later, she and Qi Taiguo discreetly added a two-wheeled vehicle to their joint property, which made the entire courtyard green with envy.
Bicycles, huh? You had to be quite wealthy to afford one.
"Sister-in-law Qi, did you buy a bicycle?" someone called out and asked.
"Yes!" Cheng Su replied with a smile, "It’s inconvenient to get around without one. A bike is good for mobility!"
"What a beautiful bike. How much was it?"
"Over two hundred. Looks like our family will have to stick to salted vegetables and plain porridge for a while," she said, feigning distress. In reality, the bike wasn’t even in her range of goals. It would be really impressive to have something with four wheels, that’s when you could call it cool.
But anyway, she didn’t have the capital for a four-wheeled vehicle yet. She was certain that she’d be able to buy a sedan in the future.
Over two hundred, huh? The crowd looked on with envy. After they had left, they started discussing among themselves.
"How much does Commander Qi get in allowances to afford a bike? Seems like he really dotes on his wife, letting her be so extravagant."
"Isn’t that so? They’ve only been married for like two months, right? And they’re already as close as one person?"
"Exactly, I used to find Commander Qi so intimidating, but now he seems much more personable. It really takes one thing to conquer another!"
"Over two hundred for a bike, they really splurged!"
"Wonder where they got all that money. I heard Cheng Su is doing some business, right? Maybe we should also ask? If we can’t eat meat, even a sip of the broth would be good."
He Xing turned away from Cheng Su’s bicycle, scoffing, "I think you all are being silly. If it’s a profitable business, why would they tell you? Go home and cook dinner!" She would never admit to her envy and jealousy.
The heavens really are unfair, all of us serving in the army, with my family barely getting by and theirs buying bicycles!
Then returning home to see the mess there just adds to the frustration—as if the heavens are blind!