Chiang Xiao not only could paint, but she also painted so well.
Meng Xinian felt like he had found a treasure.
Every time he could discover her uniqueness and strengths, this little girl was truly like a treasure trove. Most importantly, her temperament was incredibly to his liking.
Looking at the painting of Chiang Xiaoxiao, Meng Xinian stretched out his index finger and gently tapped on her nose.
But when he returned to reality from the painting, he turned around and found that all three snacks were! Not! There! Anymore!
"Zhao! Second! You idiot!"
Meng Xinian roared with anger.
From outside came Zhao Xin’s loud call, "Brothers! We’ve got good eats!"
Then a chorus of wolf-cub-like cheers followed.
Meng Xinian’s face turned green as he immediately rushed out, grinding his teeth and shouting, "You sons of b**ches, leave some for me!"
He had been careless! He should have put them away quickly!
Chiang Xiao felt the days were passing by faster and faster. Perhaps it was because there were fewer worries and more gains, with a better mood, you’d feel time flying by day by day.
After three improvements, the chestnuts roasted by Xu Linjiang and Ge Dejun finally got nods of approval from the food-loving Ge Xiaotong and Chiang Xiao. So, Liu Pei, eager to try his hand, took on the business of selling roasted chestnuts.
Because Chiang Xiao had made it clear she was going to school, and Chiang Songhai and Ge Liutao were simply too soft and timid for business, the business was essentially left to Ge Dejun and Xu Linjiang.
They would not get involved.
However, the moment Chiang Xiao said she wouldn’t get involved, Ge Dejun and the others somewhat lost their nerve, feeling empty inside. Eventually, they strongly pulled Chiang Xiao into joining them.
During that time, having Chiang Xiao with them felt like having a backbone; the moment she said she wouldn’t participate, they panicked.
In the end, it was Xu Linjiang who came up with an idea. He suggested making Chiang Xiao the ’little boss’ and giving her a small stake, to also settle Ge Dejun and Liu Pei’s minds.
This might have been the early model of taking shares.
Chiang Xiao decided to finance the small cart, which counted as her taking a stake. She would be settled monthly and only asked for one percent of the profit.
With this arrangement, Liu Pei and Ge Dejun indeed felt reassured.
The creation of the small cart was still done by the blacksmith recommended by the carpenter, which took more than half a month to complete.
After the cart was completed, Chiang Xiao took some paint and wrote five words on the panel at the front of the cart: Ge Family Roasted Chestnuts.
Liu Pei borrowed a perpetual calendar and flipped through it all night long, finally finding what she thought was a very auspicious and soon coming opening day.
This meant they had to wait another week, and Ge Dejun was anxious to open for business, but there was no helping it.
Ge Liutao was also very happy, and during these days made new clothes for both Ge Dejun and Liu Pei, because Chiang Xiao said that those who sell food must also be clean and tidy, to make people feel at ease and dare to eat what you prepare.
The grand opening of Ge’s Roasted Chestnuts coincided with the big market day. They prepared sixty pounds of roasted chestnuts to sell at the market.
Before this, Ge Dejun and Liu Pei had been on tenterhooks for a whole three days and nights, and Chiang Xiao felt they were almost nervous to the point of becoming clumsy.
So she had no choice but to take a day off to go with them.
At first, they were a bit reserved, but fortunately, Chiang Xiao’s sweet smiles and crisp calls soon brought business their way. Once Ge Dejun kept stirring the chestnuts in the pan, spreading their fragrance, it immediately attracted a lot of customers.
By three in the afternoon, all sixty pounds of chestnuts were sold out!
At fifty cents per pound, they collected exactly thirty dollars. Minus the cost of the paper bags and the charcoal, they still made a profit of twenty-five dollars!
Liu Pei excitedly hugged the tin canister with the money, laughing and rejoicing for a long time, too thrilled to even think about cooking dinner.