Qian was stunned and didn't speak for a long time.
Manbao threw himself into her arms, raised his little head, and looked at her with sparkling eyes, "I'll ask my fifth brother to buy some meat. I'll chop it up and make soup for my third brother. It'll be delicious with steamed buns."
Qian, who was worried, couldn't help but laugh. She touched her little head and said, "If you really want to do this, you might as well just give your money to your third brother to do the service. You have to eat meat every day and you have to spend another laborer to cook it. Not to mention the expense, the laborers who serve with you will be dissatisfied and isolate your third brother. It's not worth it ."
But he is her own son after all, how could Qian not feel sorry for him?
Anyway, my daughter has to go there to write an article, so Qian thought for a moment and said, "It's cold now. No matter how hot the water is, it will be cold over there. Tomorrow, ask your sister-in-law to make you two big pancakes and take them with you. Take the pot with you. Don't think about buying meat. Just boil some water for them. Don't just give it to your third brother. Share it with the laborers in the same village and hometown."
After thinking for a while, Qian realized that a can of water was not much, so she said, "Bring a wooden barrel from home, pour the boiled water into it, cover the lid tightly with a cloth, and pour one can of water after the boiled water is done. Even if the boiled water is not hot, it is not cold either, and it can warm your stomach."
Manbao was stunned when he heard this. He pointed with his fingers and asked, "Mom, did you give money to Third Brother?"
Qian looked at her suspiciously, not knowing how the topic turned to this. She nodded and said, "Poor family, rich road, I gave him a hundred coins, thinking that if he was hungry or sick, he could spend money to buy some food or buy peace, what's wrong with that?"
Manbao said with sparkling eyes: "Since mother brought money to the third brother, then other families must have brought money to Lao Ding. Mother , let's go and earn their money."
Qian leaned back in his chair and asked, "How are you going to make money from them?"
Manbao said, "I sell them meat soup, one penny a bowl!"
Qian felt that this child was not only a spendthrift to his own family, but also to outsiders. She asked, "Do you know how much a pound of meat costs? How much meat is needed to make broth for so many people? Moreover, making broth is different from boiling water. A clay pot will not work. You have to move the cauldron at home. For such a large cauldron, you have to borrow a cart. It's such a big thing to go back and forth. It's fine if you don't make any money, but you may even lose money."
Manbao scratched his head and asked Keke uncertainly, "Will I lose money?"
The system calculated the cost and asked, "Host, how many pounds of meat do you think is appropriate for a pot of soup?"
Manbao, how did Manbao know?
She went into the kitchen to look at her pot. Oh, Koko called it a pot, but actually it was not called a pot, it was called a cauldron, and it was quite big. They used it to boil water and make soup at home.
Because they have a large family, they prepared two.
As for the pot that Koko mentioned, Manbao had only seen it in Koko's images. At least she had never seen a pot in her life, especially the iron pot that Koko mentioned.
Manbao squatted in front of her family's big cauldron, at a loss. She didn't know how to make soup or cook rice, so she asked Xiao Qian, "Sister-in-law, if I want to make a pot of meat soup, how much meat do I need?"
Xiao Qian asked, "Auntie, have you made a fortune?"
Manbao touched his belly and smiled awkwardly.
Mrs. Qian said, "That depends on how you want to eat it. If you put a piece of meat in a pot of water, it will be broth. If you put a pound of meat in it, it will also be broth. You can also put two or three pounds. Soup is all about the taste and oil. If you put enough salt, a pot of water with half a pound or eight ounces of meat is enough."
Yes, it seems that salt should be added.
Manbao looked at their salt shaker and became sad.
Keke stopped talking. Manbao hung his head and went back to the house to think, what kind of soup can contain less salt and meat and still drive away the cold?
Koko said without thinking: "Ginger soup."
Manbao asked, "What is ginger?"
Koko searched for a while and found the entry for Jiang and gave it to her, and showed her the image as well.
Manbao recognized it immediately and said, "I've seen this before. We bought it during the Chinese New Year."
Ke Ke said: "Ginger has the effect of dispelling cold and warming the body. If the host is reluctant to buy meat, you can buy ginger. This should not be expensive."
Manbao was happy. She took out all her money and counted it. She decided to go to the market early the next morning to buy ginger and then go find her third brother.
Of course, Manbao would not keep her idea to herself. She told her fifth brother first, because she would not make soup, but her fifth brother could.
Zhou Wulang was delighted. He trusted his sister's idea very much. "Manbao, you are amazing. You figured out a way to make money after just one walk. If you walk every day in the future, won't you have an idea every day?"
Manbao thought what he said made sense and laughed, "I can't help it, I'm just that smart."
Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang also laughed foolishly when they looked at her.
Zhou Silang had finished his meal and was lying on the bed. He was still building a house for the Bai family and was exhausted every day. He pulled the quilt over himself, yawned and said, "Don't be silly. Ginger is more expensive than meat, you three little fools."
Manbao was unhappy and said, "You are the fool. In our family, our village, our township, and even our county, I am the smartest."
This is what Koko said!
And how can ginger be expensive? Keke said that it is very easy to grow. As long as the soil is fertile enough, you can grow a lot of ginger in one piece. It is very easy to grow.
Zhou Silang's eyes were almost closed, and he murmured, "It's expensive, but it's medicine..."
Manbao couldn't hear clearly and was still discussing tomorrow's schedule with Zhou Wulang.
They are lucky, as there will be a big market tomorrow and they can go to the early market. At that time, all kinds of things will be sold on the street, and ginger should not be difficult to find.
Manbao got up before dawn for his third brother, while Zhou Wulang and Zhou Liulang got up before dawn for their third brother and to make money. Today, Zhou Erlang went to the market as usual and didn't mind taking his three troublesome brothers and sisters with him.
Anyway, it's winter now and there's nothing to do at home. A bunch of children are just playing with cats and walking dogs at home. It's better to go out for a walk to kill time.
The family had collected enough firewood for the winter, and now Xiao Qian's three sisters-in-law mended shoes and socks for them at home every day. There was no work even in the vegetable garden, so naturally they did not restrict the children running outside.
After Zhou Erlang took his brothers and sisters away, Zhou Silang looked up and said to his parents, "Manbao said she wanted to buy ginger to make soup instead of meat soup. Mom, why don't you persuade her?"
"What's the point of persuading her? Once she goes to the market and asks about the price, she'll hit a wall and turn back."
Zhou Silang said "Oh" and sat down to wait for the time to come.
Finally, Qian ordered him, "Go and fill the water jar."
Zhou Dalang, who was about to fetch water, stopped. Qian said, "It was your eldest brother who fetched water yesterday. Today it's your turn. From now on, you will follow your three brothers and take turns."
Zhou Silang wanted to cry.
He got up reluctantly, picked up the wooden barrel and went out.