Chapter 340: Chapter 177 Proactive_1
Second watch, requesting pink.
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"After the New Year, they say the number of people will at least double. By then, our business will be even more prosperous," Lian Shouxin said with a smile. "Manman, shouldn’t we prepare more of the soup dumplings?"
These past few days, all forty of the soup dumplings they made each day sold out. Old Huang, the coarse-voiced foreman, had become a regular, coming every day to eat a few buns, sometimes bringing other people with him. Forty dumplings weren’t enough; sometimes customers wanted to buy dumplings, but they had already sold out.
After considering the volume of customers over the last few days, Lian Manman thought they could increase the number of dumplings made.
"Then let’s steam ten more, fifty a day, just right for one steamer basket," Lian Manman said.
The oversized iron pot they used came with a matching large steamer basket that could steam fifty dumplings at a time. According to her calculations, these fifty dumplings would sell out daily, with some customers still left wanting.
The soup dumplings were quite profitable. With this, they could increase their income by a few Wen Money each day.
Lian Manman shook the money box, their earnings from hard work and sweat.
But perfection is always marred by a flaw.
"Auntie Er came to sit for half the day today, leaving a mess of melon seed shells on the floor," Wu Lang complained.
"She first came into the back room, almost spat the shells into the pot. How can we sell our food if that happens?" Lady Zhang’s smile faded. "I chased her out."
"She wouldn’t leave, just sat there occupying a stool. I snatched the stool from her," Xiao Qi said indignantly.
"Even so, she didn’t leave, just stood there, getting in the way," Wu Lang added.
At this point, everyone stopped and looked toward Lian Shouxin.
"Look, look at me for what?" Lian Shouxin hurriedly said, "I don’t want her here either, but she’s my sister-in-law, I can’t just... You all chased her away, and I didn’t say anything, did I?"
As he spoke, Lian Shouxin started to feel a bit saddened. Lately, he had noticed that his standing in the family had been diminishing. It all started, probably, from the time Lady Zhang told him to "get lost" over the stuffed buns. Since then, the children had begun taking their anger out on him.
What did he do to deserve this? Lian Shouxin felt a bit wronged. But on second thought, who was he but the son of Lady Zhou and the brother of Lian Shouyi? He had to protect his mother and brother’s dignity before his children, which made him seem like the bad guy who doesn’t know right from wrong, didn’t it?
Beyond that, he wasn’t faring any better with Lady Zhou. Yesterday, he made a trip back to the old house and for no reason at all, Lady Zhou berated him fiercely, criticizing him for being spineless and lacking the firmness of a man, unable to take responsibility.
He painstakingly tried to please everyone, only to end up making both sides unhappy.
"Why do I feel like my eyelid is twitching," Lady Zhang touched her own eyelid, "as if something’s about to happen."
If Lady He is coming, can others be far behind?
"Auntie Er just wants to eat our steamed buns and dumplings. Since she didn’t get to eat, she’s definitely not happy, no telling how she might make trouble," Lian Zhizhi said.
"If you give in to her once, she will expect it a second time, and it will never end," Lian Manman said. She wasn’t worried about a few buns or dumplings, but they couldn’t set that precedent.
"Right," the whole family nodded in agreement.
Today it was Lady He, whom nobody had a good impression of, so they chased her away. But what if tomorrow it was Lian Shouyi, Si Lang, or Liulang?
Thinking of this, Lian Manman glanced at Lian Shouxin. Maybe Lian Shouxin could refuse Lian Shouyi, but if Si Lang or Liulang asked him for food, could such a soft-hearted person refuse them?
"We need to think of a solution," Lian Manman muttered to herself.
"We do need to think of a solution," Xiao Qi sat next to Lian Manman, mimicking her thoughtful expression.
Turning her head, Lian Manman saw Xiao Qi’s funny face and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She reached out to pinch Xiao Qi’s chubby cheeks and then squeezed his arms, the little guy had put on quite a bit of weight these days!
"Sis, don’t tickle me," Xiao Qi squirmed and giggled when touched on his ticklish spots.
"Dad, Mom, what do you think of this idea?" A plan formed in Lian Manman’s mind. Anticipating the direction things were going, she decided to take the initiative.
"That’s a good plan," both Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang smiled. "Otherwise, I was planning to do something similar after the New Year."
"After the New Year will be too late, let’s go back and talk about it now," Lian Manman said.
