Reborn in '77, I have a job panel!

"Is that all?" Hou Yufen asked, intrigued, as she watched Qian Cheng working methodically, even more professionally than she had ever done with bean sprouts.

"It's not enough yet. We still need to water it every day, once in the morning and once in the evening."

He scooped up some warm water with a ladle and slowly poured it down the side of the vat.

Water seeped into the beans and then flowed out from the small hole at the bottom of the jar, into the basin below to catch the water.

After watering, he wet the gauze and covered it up.

"It will be ready to eat in a few days."

Over the next few days, in addition to keeping a close eye on the vat, Qian Cheng also went to the market and bought six catties of high-quality soybeans, and then used the other two vats over two days.

Water the plants twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The water must be lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold.

Water slowly and evenly so that every bean gets some water.

The vat should be placed next to the kang (heated brick bed), but not too close, or it will get too hot.

He tried a few times, found a spot that wasn't too far or too close, put his hand inside, and felt it was warm, just right.

On the third day, he opened the lid and took a look.

The beans have sprouted long, white shoots, which are densely packed and cover the bottom of the jar.

The buds are two or three centimeters long, plump and adorable.

Hou Yufen leaned closer to look, her eyes lighting up: "Wow, she's quite good-looking."

Qian Cheng smiled, watered it again, and covered it up.

The fourth day, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

Qian Cheng had already lifted the cylinder lid early in the morning.

The bean sprouts have grown.

A whole vat full of white, tender beans, with sprouts three or four centimeters long, plump and juicy, the top beans not yet fully unfurled, just the right time to eat them.

He gently poked at the bean sprouts with his hand; they were crisp and broke at the slightest touch.

Hou Yufen, watching from the side, was stunned: "So many?!"

"It takes three catties of beans to make this. With my method, one catty of beans can yield eight or nine catties. This vat should contain at least twenty-five or twenty-six catties."

Hou Yufen gasped.

Even if you sell 25 or 26 pounds of bean sprouts for 10 cents a pound, that's still more than 2 yuan.

Three pounds of soybeans cost only two cents to produce.

Growing a pot of bean sprouts can yield a net profit of over two yuan. This business is quite lucrative!

Qian Cheng took a basket and gently put the bean sprouts in it. He filled the basket to the brim, and there were still some left. So he found another basket and continued to fill it.

I filled two baskets to the brim, and there was still some left, enough for my family to eat.

"I'll go to the market and take a look."

Hou Yufen was a little worried: "Will it be okay? What if someone catches us?"

"It's okay, I'll just find a corner in the market, sell everything and come back."

He put on his cotton-padded coat, carried two baskets of bean sprouts, and went out the door.

The town is about 20 miles away from the village.

Qian Cheng walked quickly and arrived in half an hour.

Today is the sixth day of the lunar new year, and there are quite a few people at the market.

The shouts of vendors selling vegetables, meat, and New Year pictures rose and fell in a continuous stream.

There were many people buying things, carrying baskets and squeezing in and out.

Qian Cheng found an inconspicuous corner, put down the basket, and squatted there.

He didn't shout anything, he just squatted there.

Someone passing by glanced at it and, seeing that it was fresh bean sprouts, asked curiously, "What's this? Bean sprouts?"

"Yeah, I posted it myself, it's fresh."

The man squatted down, picked up one, looked at it, and smelled it: "It's quite tender indeed. How much is it?"

"One cent per pound."

The price was already very cheap, so the man didn't hesitate and decisively ordered two jin: "Give me two jin."

Qian Cheng weighed out two jin (approximately 1 kg), tied it with straw rope, and handed it to the man. The man took out two mao (0.2 yuan) and left.

Someone nearby saw this and came over.

"Are these bean sprouts?"

"Yes, I posted it myself."

"Give me a pound."

"I want a pound too."

As more and more people arrived, Qian Cheng busied himself weighing the items, collecting money, and bundling bean sprouts.

The two baskets of bean sprouts were sold out in less than half an hour.

He counted the money: two dollars and eighty cents.

Two yuan and eighty cents, after deducting costs, the net profit is two yuan and fifty cents.

It's only been a morning.

Qian Cheng carefully put the money away, picked up the empty basket, and walked back, also buying nine catties of high-quality soybeans along the way.

On the way, he calculated that by using the three vats in rotation, he could produce more than 20 kilograms of bean sprouts every day.

It costs a little over two yuan a day, so it would be more than twenty yuan in ten days.

That adds up to sixty or seventy yuan a month.

Zhang Changtian can pay back that hundred yuan in two months.

When he got home, Hou Yufen was waiting for him. Seeing Qian Cheng return, she quickly asked, "Is everything sold out?"

"Sold out." Qian Cheng took out the remaining two yuan and twenty cents from the nine jin of high-quality soybeans he had bought and handed them to Hou Yufen.

Hou Yufen took it, counted it, and her eyes widened in surprise: "So many?"

"Both baskets, sold them, for one cent per pound."

Hou Yufen clutched the loose change, her hands trembling slightly.

Two dollars and eighty cents is enough to buy several pounds of meat.

This is the amount of money earned in just one morning; it's more than the wages of an average worker in the city.

Hou Yufen looked at her youngest son with great affection: "Chengzi, your brain works better than your mother's."

Qian Cheng smiled but didn't say anything.

He glanced at the three vats in the room and pondered something.

The first batch sold out today, so we need to disinfect it quickly and prepare for the next batch.

The second batch was added the day before yesterday; it should be ready tomorrow.

The third batch was added yesterday and will be ready in two days.

That connects perfectly.

He took the first vat outside, scalded it with boiling water, scrubbed it clean with a brush, and put it in the sun to dry.

Then I soaked three more pounds of beans, preparing to put them in the vat tomorrow.

After finishing all that, it got dark again.

Qian Cheng sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed), opened a book, and began to read.

Student proficiency +1

A notification flashed before my eyes.

The next day was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

Qian Cheng harvested the second batch of bean sprouts early in the morning.

This batch is even better than the first batch; the buds are thicker, stronger, and white and tender, making them look incredibly tempting.

Qian Cheng still filled two baskets and went to town again.

This time he found a more conspicuous spot, and soon after he squatted down, people gathered around.

"It's you again? You were the one who sold those bean sprouts yesterday, weren't you?"

"Um."

"Delicious, so tender, give me two more pounds."

"I'll have two pounds too."

"Weigh out three jin for me."

In less than half an hour, both baskets were sold out again.

This time it sold for a full three yuan.

Qian Cheng carefully pocketed the money and headed back.

He met some villagers on the way and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to the market and didn't say much more.

Back home, Hou Yufen took the money and couldn't stop smiling.

"Chengzi, this business is quite successful."

Qian Cheng nodded: "It's possible, but we can't go every day, and the market isn't open every day either."

These days, the town market isn't open every day; it's only held on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of each month. Otherwise, there's hardly anyone there.

"Then what should we do?" Hou Yufen asked.

Qian Cheng thought for a moment and had an idea: "Sell some at the market, and take the rest to the mining area."

He knew the mining area; not far from the town, there was a coal mine of moderate size with several hundred workers.

Workers receive wages and are much better off than farmers.

Moreover, the mine's canteen also buys vegetables. If we can get in touch with the canteen, then we'll be set.

But this isn't urgent; we have to take it slowly.

Let's get the bean sprouts ready first, then we can talk about other things.