I Became a Medical Genius in the 80s

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Meat Buns

Five handkerchiefs were sold for twelve yuan and fifty cents in total. That price is quite decent considering the time. After all, Beisitian found the handkerchief material quite displeasing; the whole price was due to the double-sided embroidery technique!

If it weren’t for the material of the handkerchiefs lowering the overall quality, the price for each might have been even higher.

With a rough estimate in mind, Beisitian intended to head back. Now that she had many kinds of colored thread, she could embroider more patterns, and naturally, intricate patterns would fetch a higher price.

However, the utility of handkerchiefs was still too low. She considered embroidering things like pillowcases and decided not to bother with quilt covers and sheets; those were too much of a mental effort. She mainly aimed to nurture her body and restore her spirit, without losing sight of the goal.

Looking at the sun, Beisitian saw it was noon. She wandered around the commercial street but didn’t find any food stalls. Upon inquiring, she learned there was a food street about fifty or sixty meters away with all sorts of things.

She planned to eat something before heading back, as otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to walk the ten or so miles with an empty stomach.

Since arriving here, Beisitian hadn’t eaten anything substantial. Each place had unique dishes, and she herself was a foodie, having sampled cuisine all over Jiangnan in her past life. Though she held high standards for food, circumstances now didn’t allow much choice!

Arriving at the snack street, Beisitian found it bustling. At the entrance were steaming buns and mantou made with white flour. Perhaps because this body hadn’t eaten white flour in a long time, she couldn’t help but swallow upon seeing the white mantou.

Internally, Beisitian chuckled bitterly, feeling this was rather embarrassing. She quickly left the mantou shop.

Four mantou cost a dime, and a baozi cost a dime each, so Beisitian bought two white flour meat baozi.

Holding the oiled paper wrapping, Beisitian walked, ate, and observed. She focused not only on how the food was made but also on the ingredients used behind the scenes.

The glass bottles and jars attracted Beisitian, likely containing various seasonings that seemed more diverse than those back home!

Passing a braised tofu stall, the sauce was thick, and the tofu appeared coated in it. Though the color was ordinary, the aroma was strong!

Beisitian frowned slightly. It was a bit too salty; while she wasn’t entirely opposed, her current body couldn’t handle overly rich flavors.

Having circled the area, Beisitian found lots of food, but mantou shops dominated the street, nothing particularly unusual. She didn’t linger further and turned back.

Having familiarized herself with the path, Beisitian reached home twenty minutes faster than when she left.

It was past three when she got home; Mrs. Qin, Luo Anguo, and Luo Anping were still having their afternoon nap. By four, Luo Anping would have to get up to herd the sheep.

Today, she planned to go with Luo Anping to herd the sheep and see firsthand what good things might be on the mountain!

Before long, after she returned, Mrs. Qin and the others gradually woke up.

”Did you find the place?” Mrs. Qin inquired.

With a beaming smile, Beisitian produced two yuan and two dimes. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to show more, but too much would arouse suspicion, as Mrs. Qin knew she was embroidering handkerchiefs.

”Mission accomplished, earned the favor of Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop’s owner, altogether sold for three yuan.”

After Beisitian spoke, Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

”How much did you sell for?” Mrs. Qin asked in surprise, quickly lowering her voice and taking the green bill from Beisitian, handing it over to Luo Anguo.

”Dear, see if this is genuine?”

Luo Anguo took it, shook it, and nodded, ”It’s real.”

Mrs. Qin was truly astonished; Beisitian had gone to Bao Niang Embroidery Workshop and not only sold her handkerchiefs but did so at a high price of two yuan!

Seeing their reaction, Beisitian inwardly thought she was right not to show the full amount. Even displaying just two yuan had them so startled; if she produced ten yuan all at once, it would surely lead to doubt.

After pulling out the money, Beisitian also took out six meat baozi from her pockets, saying, ”A dime each, they’ve cooled a bit, warm them up in the pot later tonight.”

At the sight of the meat baozi, Luo Anping nearly drooled. Never mind meat baozi, even mantou made from white flour was something he hadn’t eaten for a long time!

Beisitian placed the six baozi in the food basket and hung it on the beam to keep them from the mice. Though the house no longer had cats, mice would gnaw everything, which was both disgusting and wasteful.

”Ping’an, I’ll come with you to herd the sheep later,” Beisitian said.

Looking up at the food basket, Luo Anping swallowed, and it wasn’t his lack of prowess; the meat baozi were simply too enticing.

”Sure, Sis, I can’t wait for evening!”

Beisitian laughed, ”If you want to eat, Sis will get you more when I earn some money in the future.”

”Really?”

”Truly.”

Listening to their conversation, Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo still found themselves amazed while holding the two yuan bill in the east room. That outing resulted in two yuan, and that was just handkerchiefs; surely embroidering something else would earn even more?

No wonder Du Chunmei’s hag pressured Little Tian’er so relentlessly!

”Old woman...”

”I know what you’re going to say.” Mrs. Qin glared at him, ”We shouldn’t be like Du Bapi, do some good for ourselves, leave some goodness for those beneath us!”

Luo Anguo had meant the same, as the couple chatted quietly. Meanwhile, Beisitian and Luo Anping herded the sheep outside.

”Sis, where should we go to graze?” Luo Anping looked up and asked.

Previously, it was Beisitian who herded the sheep, always heading to the mountains. It’s been two months since Luo Anping took over, and being young, he dared not venture onto the mountains but went to the wasteland behind the village near the mountain, thus avoiding harming the crops.

With Beisitian accompanying him today, could they be heading to the mountains?

Momentarily pausing, Beisitian recalled the matter and promptly responded, ”We’ll go to the mountains.”

Delighted, Luo Anping agreed. Mrs. Qin banned him from climbing alone; with Beisitian accompanying, he was free to play.

Just as they left the village, they encountered a pair of seven or eight-year-old lads who, upon seeing them, exchanged a glance, halted, and started making faces while shouting.

”Little widow, little darkie, has a brother who’s a bandit...”

Upon hearing this, Luo Anping’s face turned red in anger, and he shouted back, ”My brother is not a bandit!”

”Your brother may not be a bandit, but he’s a traitor! My mom says traitors are even worse than bandits!”

”How does your mom know that traitors are worse than bandits?” Beisitian interjected.

The young boy, caught off guard by the question, reflexively replied, ”My mom just knows!”

”So your mom has encountered bandits, then? Go and ask her if that’s the case, or else I don’t believe what you’re saying.” Beisitian responded.