However, after the excitement, she began to worry.
"With just a few hundred kilos of chestnuts, we’ll have sold them all in half a month, right? What will we sell then?"
It wasn’t chestnut season yet.
They went up the mountain two or three more times and did find some good chestnuts that they’d missed last time. But all together, they only had a few hundred kilos.
Chiang Xiao said, "Auntie, today is the big market day, and it’s also the first day we’re selling. Everyone is drawn by the novelty, so that’s why we sold a lot. On normal days, selling thirty kilos would already be good."
She didn’t dare overestimate the purchasing power of Peace Town.
However, thirty kilos a day, earning a ten or more yuan, would add up to a considerable amount by the end of the month.
"If we could sell thirty kilos a day, I’d be happy," Liu Pei said, holding the money jar. "But even at thirty kilos a day, these chestnuts won’t last long."
Chiang Xiao nodded and said, "So, we can go back to the mountain to look again, but I doubt there are many chestnut trees left. Hence, we could wholesale from places that produce chestnuts in abundance and have them transported back. Of course, that will significantly increase our costs."
"Wholesale? But where would we go to find them? What if they’re very expensive per kilo? And then there’s the cost of transportation by vehicle. That would be quite high," Liu Pei said, already losing her enthusiasm at the thought.
Chiang Xiao knew they were just starting out and couldn’t afford to think too far ahead without confidence. So, she comforted her, "Let’s first sell off the stock we have at home, and during this time, we can also think about other snacks that we can sell together."
For example, quail eggs and tea eggs, as well as other items that could easily be sold alongside them.
Once their business got going and Ge Dejun and Liu Pei gained more confidence, they would be able to come up with ideas on their own.
"Quail eggs? That’s great, didn’t we catch a quail last time?" Ge Dejun said excitedly. "In a few days, we’ll go looking for quail nests to see where they’re active. We’re sure to find lots of quail eggs!"
"Right," Chiang Xiao said, her idea for quail eggs spurred by their previous capture of a quail.
Besides, come autumn, who knows how much fruit there would be on Bai Gu Mountain.
At least for the next two years, she felt confident that they could make money off Bai Gu Mountain.
In two years, once they had saved up some funds, they would have the confidence to face any potential emergencies.
Reassured by her words, Liu Pei hurriedly put down the money jar and went off to cook.
During this time, she had moved in to stay with Xu Linjiang and Ge Xiaotong here in the alley named Osmanthus Alley, named after an osmanthus tree that used to stand in front of an old house nearby, though it was choppe down during the turbulent times.
Ge Dejun still went home to sleep, coming over every morning in a not-so-good mood.
Chiang Xiao had asked Ge Xiaotong what had happened that day, why they had suddenly become so assertive and packed up their things to move out without a second word.
Ge Xiaotong just bit her lower lip, refusing to tell her, only saying that it would dirty her ears.
Chiang Xiao didn’t press further.
She guessed that Grandma Ge must have been up to something troublesome.
As for that old lady, Chiang Xiao had no intention of meeting her.
These days, whenever she had time, she would study the Ancient Tome in her Space, learning about ten or so of its patterns, but she still didn’t understand their use.
And as for the White Jade Pot, she still couldn’t find a use for it. She did think about indulging herself by making hotpot inside, but with no meat to cook, she gave up on the idea.
But Chiang Xiao didn’t expect that day to bump into Yu Chunyu once again.