With the support of their father, Xu Qinghe, the siblings worked even harder at kneading the Mung Bean Jelly.
Ji Ying sighed and quietly asked Xu Qinghe, "Can we sell things on our own now?"
"We should be able to," Xu Qinghe answered while making a wooden bucket. "The last time I was working, I passed through the county and saw quite a few people selling things. Since the siblings want to try, we should let them."
"After all, we won’t lose our capital," Xu Qinghe said. "I can’t do much else, but I can still make these two buckets. If it doesn’t work out, we can always use the buckets at home."
Now, they were in an old house that lacked everything, and Xu Qinghe could only do some work late at night when he returned from his job.
"Then let them go ahead and try; they’ll learn better after facing a few setbacks."
Ji Ying wasn’t hopeful about this venture of selling Mung Bean Jelly.
"This should make up two buckets, right?"
Without electric lights and by the light of the moon, they could vaguely see the well water turning stickier.
"Let’s knead it a bit longer."
Xu Nianhua had never done this before, and her hands were already soft, but she was afraid that if they didn’t succeed this first time, they wouldn’t be able to sell tomorrow. She felt it was better to expend a bit more effort and knead for a while longer.
Each sibling took a basin. Xu Nian’an was a man and had more strength, kneading faster. In the end, Xu Nian’an had to help finish kneading Xu Nianhua’s basin.
Only when she lay down in bed did Xu Nianhua realize that kneading Mung Bean Jelly was truly hard work!
Her hands ached intensely, and the blisters from chopping wood didn’t help. Luckily, her left hand was blister-free, otherwise, she might have kneaded those blisters away.
In the early morning, as dawn broke and Xu Nianhua was sleeping soundly, she was roused by noises outside. As she moved, her arms felt sore and weak.
"Dad, why are you making buckets so early?" Xu Nianhua asked as she saw Xu Qinghe had already shaped the buckets, which were very beautifully colored.
"Dad, your craftsmanship is really good."
Xu Nianhua complimented the buckets, which were particularly good-looking.
"Once the buckets are finished, you can use them today," Xu Qinghe said with a simple smile. "I can’t do much else."
Xu Nianhua sweetly expressed her thanks, while Ji Ying had gone to till the land beside the house. Grabbing a bit of rice, she planned to cook porridge. Early in the morning, Xu Nian’an had gone up the mountain to chop wood because firewood at home was sorely needed.
"Wow, the Mung Bean Jelly we made is really good."
Xu Nianhua got up early and saw the Mung Bean Jelly, which they had put in basins of cool water. It was sparkling and translucent, like transparent jelly, and looked quite appealing.
She took half a pound of brown sugar, melted it, and then found a covered cup to store it, keeping it in the well water to cool the sugary mixture a bit.
Xu Nian’an carried two new buckets. Inside one was a bucket full of Mung Bean Jelly, while the other held several bowls and half a bucket of well water.
Xu Nianhua, on the other hand, carried the brown sugar water in a cloth bag, ready for light travel. Despite the scorching sun, they were both drenched in sweat.
"I’m not tired, it’s you who must be exhausted, big brother," Xu Nianhua thought about vehicles from the future; if they had a tricycle, the siblings wouldn’t have to toil so hard.
"By the way, how should we sell our Mung Bean Jelly?"
Xu Nian’an had been thinking about it the whole way and still wasn’t sure how much to charge.
"Two dimes a bowl," Xu Nianhua answered.
Xu Nian’an was startled, took a glance at Xu Nianhua, and said, "Isn’t that a bit too expensive?"