My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 23 A Busy Day

Now that the number of eggs for tomorrow had been decided, Lin Ying gave Zhou Jiye a task: to continue collecting eggs in the suburbs.

They currently have about 20 jin (10 kg) of eggs left, which means that after deducting the 12 jin (6 catties) of eggs prepared for tomorrow, the remaining eggs will not be enough to last until the day after tomorrow.

Without eggs, how can we make tea eggs? Collecting eggs is urgent. Lin Ying can't go because she has to set up her stall, so this task falls to Zhou Jiye.

Zhou Jiye had anticipated this and readily agreed.

Last time they went to the Guilin Brigade in the suburbs, this time they can visit several brigades near the Guilin Brigade. Moreover, because of their change in plans, they have switched from selling eggs to selling tea eggs, which greatly reduces their demand for eggs, so there is no need to buy too many.

I estimate that each time I go there, I can collect about 40 or 50 catties of eggs, which is enough. It's convenient to bring these eggs back, and it's not too much trouble to make a trip every few days.

Besides collecting eggs, the other task is replenishing the spice packets.

Like the eggs, the spices and other things Lin Ying bought before were only enough for one more use tomorrow, so she had to go and buy some more.

This task was also entrusted to Zhou Jiye. Lin Ying took a piece of paper and carefully wrote down the types and quantities of spices needed, and asked Zhou Jiye to carry it with him. He was to first go to the suburbs to collect the eggs, and then make a trip to the general store and the nearby Chinese medicine pharmacy. She also asked Zhou Jiye to remember to buy a few pieces of gauze when he bought the spices at the pharmacy, as these were used to wrap the spice packets.

After discussing these matters, the two of them didn't rest. After cleaning up the dishes, they took the eggs downstairs to continue making tea eggs.

Tomorrow's business needs to be prepared tonight, otherwise it will be too late to start early tomorrow morning. The tea eggs need to be steamed overnight after boiling to allow the flavor to fully develop; this step is crucial and cannot be taken lightly.

The two of them went downstairs to work until after 10 p.m. before finishing. After washing up, they went upstairs to rest.

The next morning, Lin Ying went to the market to buy dried tofu, just like the day before. Zhou Jiye cooked the other eggs he had prepared at home and put them in a mesh bag for Lin Ying to use.

Just as they finished doing all that, Lin Ying returned, bringing back the dried tofu she bought at the market. As for their breakfast, there wasn't time to make it today. Lin Ying had also picked up some flatbread and fried dough sticks and some Qiang biscuits on her way to the market. The former would be for breakfast, and the latter would be for lunch since no one was making lunch due to today's arrangements. As for dinner, there was no need to worry. If everything went smoothly, Zhou Jiye should be able to return in the afternoon.

Just like yesterday, Zhou Jiye first helped Lin Ying push her car to the movie theater and set up her stall. After that was done, Zhou Jiye left.

It was the same bus stop as before, and the same route that Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying had taken together before. However, after arriving at Guilin Park, Zhou Jiye didn't get off the bus. Instead, he deliberately rode two more stops ahead, got off at the terminal station, checked the direction, and then headed south towards Huayi Brigade.

Huayi Production Brigade was located to the west of Guilin Production Brigade. The two were not too far apart, but Zhou Jiye still walked for quite a while.

These are all dirt roads in the towns and villages, not as easy to walk on asphalt roads. Luckily, the weather has been good these past few days. If it had rained, these dirt roads would have been even more muddy and difficult to walk on.

As he walked, a hand-operated tractor suddenly appeared behind him. Whether the driver was incompetent or had been drinking too much that morning, he was driving recklessly. Zhou Jiye looked back and was so frightened that he scrambled to the side to avoid it. The tractor whooshed past him, billowing black smoke and kicking up a cloud of dust, leaving Zhou Jiye covered in dirt.

"Pah! Pah! Pah!" Spitting out the sand in his mouth, Zhou Jiye couldn't help but jump up and curse.

So what if you drive a tractor! How can you be so inconsiderate and drive so fast? Are you in such a hurry to be reborn? You see me walking and don't even stop to give me a ride, you're a complete bastard! You wait, when I'm rich and have a car, I'll drive over here and give you a taste of sand.

However, Zhou Jiye only talked about buying a car. Not to mention that private individuals can't buy cars now, even if they could, he wouldn't have the money!

However, buying a bicycle is possible. At least with a bicycle, getting around would be much more convenient. First, you wouldn't have to squeeze onto the bus, and second, you wouldn't have to walk every time you got off the bus in the suburbs.

Once I've made some money, I'll get a bicycle as my mode of transportation. I can pedal for dozens of kilometers and it will only cost me two steamed buns. It's economical and practical, and it'll look cool too. It's no less impressive than driving a BMW or Mercedes-Benz decades from now.

With this pleasant thought in mind, Zhou Jiye unknowingly arrived near the Huayi Production Brigade. The layout here looked similar to the Guilin Production Brigade he had visited before.

Having gained experience in purchasing eggs from the Guilin Production Brigade, Zhou Jiye was much more adept at it in the Huayi Production Brigade. Carrying a wicker basket, he knocked on doors at the village entrance, offering to buy eggs with money or grain coupons.

Most rural households raise chickens, so they naturally store eggs. Since Zhou Jiye's purchase price was slightly higher than that of the supply and marketing cooperative, and especially since eggs could be exchanged for grain coupons, he encountered virtually no obstacles. By 1 p.m., the Huayi Production Brigade had almost finished collecting its eggs. Zhou Jiye had collected about 35 jin (17.5 kg) of eggs there, slightly more than he had collected from the Guilin Production Brigade last time.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Jiye walked back along the country road, but instead of taking the way he came, he deliberately headed towards the Guilin Production Brigade in the east.

It had been three days since his last visit. Since he was already here, he figured he might as well go to the Guilin Production Brigade and ask if they had any new eggs. If so, he'd collect them too. When he got there, he was right; the farmers who had bought eggs last time had indeed kept a few more. Although each household didn't have many eggs, every little bit helps. In total, he collected about six jin (3 catties), which, combined with the eggs he'd just collected at the Huayi Production Brigade, brought his total to forty-one jin (21.5 kg). This amount, plus what he had at home, was enough for about three days. Zhou Jiye happily carried his wicker basket back home. He was already planning to visit the Huaer Production Brigade south of the Huayi Production Brigade next time. Once he was familiar with the area, he could choose a couple more surrounding production brigades, and then use that as a base to travel between these five or six production brigades, making about two trips a week. This way, his supply would be relatively stable.

After taking the bus home, Zhou Jiye put the eggs away and washed his face. It was already four o'clock in the afternoon. He remembered that he hadn't bought the spices yet. He took out the note Lin Ying had written in his pocket, looked at it, and then hurriedly went to the nearby general store and traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy.

After running around and buying all the spices, along with some gauze and two pounds of rock sugar, plus the eggs he bought today, Zhou Jiye had spent almost all the money he had prepared, leaving him with only a few coins in his pocket.

After taking everything home, Zhou Jiye noticed it was getting late and quickly cooked dinner. He ate first, then made a teacup for Lin Ying, and then headed towards the movie theater.

After a long day of running around, I wondered how Lin Ying's tea eggs were doing, whether business was good or bad. With that thought in mind, I arrived at the destination in no time. From afar, I saw Lin Ying packing tea eggs for a customer, talking to the customer as she did so.

Zhou Jiye didn't go forward. He stopped nearby and waited for Lin Ying to finish the transaction before continuing.

"hello!"

"It startled me; I thought some foreign devils had come."

Lin Ying was putting eggs into the pot when she heard a strange-sounding foreign greeting. She looked up and saw Zhou Jiye.

"Hahaha!" Zhou Jiye laughed like a child. He was very proud that he had scared the girl. He reached out and handed her the teacup.

"Here, dinner that I just made. Eat it while it's hot."

Lin Ying was surprised that Zhou Jiye would bring her dinner. They had agreed that if Zhou Jiye came back late, they would just eat whatever was available. Moreover, Lin Ying had saved some of the Qiang cakes she bought in the morning for lunch, planning to eat a bite if she got hungry in the evening.

"At least you have a conscience..."

A smile bloomed on Lin Ying's face as she happily accepted the teacup, opened it, and began to eat with her chopsticks.

"How are sales today?" Zhou Jiye squatted down beside him, his eyes fixed on the pot.

"It's better than yesterday. We've already sold over eighty tea eggs and most of the dried tofu," Lin Ying said while eating, her expression somewhat smug.

"Not bad!" Zhou Jiye raised his eyebrows and said, "So, everything we prepared will sell out today?"

"Pretty much. It'll be rush hour soon, and after that, this is when the movie theater will be busiest. Business will definitely be good then." As she spoke, Lin Ying swallowed the last bite of her rice and looked at Zhou Jiye. At first, Zhou Jiye was puzzled by her gaze, then he suddenly remembered something.

"Alright, alright, I understand. Now! Immediately! Right now! I'll leave gracefully..." Zhou Jiye surrendered with both hands, got up and ran away.

Seeing him walk across the street just like yesterday, Lin Ying smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits, and she was overjoyed.

Just as Lin Ying said, with the arrival of the evening rush hour, the tea egg stall's business improved significantly. In just over an hour, many customers came to patronize it. Some were buying for the first time, while others had bought some yesterday, tried it, and liked it, so they came back. In addition, many students, just like yesterday, pooled their money to buy dried tofu.

As the busy period drew to a close to seven o'clock, the cinema began to bustle, and the tea egg business remained brisk. Every now and then, groups of young men and women would generously buy one or two tea eggs from the cinema entrance. Lin Ying was so busy that she barely stopped.

The last movie of the day was scheduled for 7:50 p.m. By 7:40 p.m., just before the movie was about to start, Lin Ying had sold out of all her tea eggs and dried tofu.

Once they had nothing left, they packed up their stall. Zhou Jiye didn't need Lin Ying to ask him to come over and help. The two packed up and pushed their cart back, chatting as they went, recounting the fun they had about collecting eggs in the suburbs that day.

Two days of setting up a stall proved that the tea egg business was reliable. Based on the sales results of the past two days, Lin Ying finally decided to make 130 tea eggs per day, which is about 12 to 13 catties of eggs.

Besides tea eggs, the supply of dried tofu is about five jin (2.5 kg). Based on this, the daily profit can reach a little over twenty yuan. If we add the peak season sales on Saturday nights and Sundays, the monthly income can easily reach more than six hundred yuan.

(End of this chapter)