Reborn in 1994: Starting from the Autumn Harvest

The apprentices in the private factory were all children from ordinary families, some of whom came from the countryside. Seeing that Chen Mian was about the same age as them, covered in sweat and filthy, yet still speaking kind words, they felt a sense of empathy for her.

"Don't worry, brother. With so many people coming and going, we'll help you spread the word."

Chen Mian quickly thanked him a couple of times, then hurriedly pedaled towards another location, eager to finish delivering the goods and get back as soon as possible.

Before we knew it, it was past 11 o'clock, and people were walking out of the market in groups.

Some were carrying bags, others basins, and still others thermos flasks... some were even holding red troughs (urinals).

The melon stall was located diagonally opposite the entrance to the market, so it could be seen as soon as you came out. Chen Mian specially borrowed some unused benches from Panyuan Restaurant and found some newspapers to put on them so that people could rest their feet when they got tired.

Some people had just finished eating and were heading into the station to wait for their train to return home.

In comparison, the other two melon stalls were much quieter.

Liang Dazhu, looking increasingly envious at the melon stall to the north, felt helpless, guessing that the stall's entire cart of melons was almost sold out.

At this moment, his son came over and asked, "Dad, why are they all going that way? We're not far from each other."

Liang Dazhu turned around with a gloomy face and said irritably, "Go and wander around inside for two hours and see what happens. You don't even know this little thing."

"That Chen Mian is only three years older than you. Look at her, and then look at yourself."

……

The number of people at the station in the afternoon was less than in the morning, and people who had gone to the market started to return home around five o'clock.

As the sun sets, around six o'clock, the vendors in the market begin to prepare to pack up and close their stalls.

Upon seeing that the tractor bed was finally empty, the two brothers breathed a sigh of relief, finally understanding the situation and feeling relieved.

Chen Mian secretly calculated that there were quite a few competitors today, and if they didn't expand into delivery services, they would be left with a ten percent chance of survival.

There's no rush for the melons in the field, because if we rush them they won't ripen properly. There's no rain coming in the near future, so we'll just sell them slowly as they come.

"Big brother, let's eat something before we go back." Chen Mian tossed her head and called out to her big brother with great enthusiasm.

Chen Liang's gloom from yesterday had long since vanished, and he replied loudly, "I'll pack up."

Just then, a series of "clattering" sounds rang out. Liang Dazhu, who was selling melons in the south, could no longer bear it and drove away with a gloomy expression.

The two brothers looked around and found that there were still more than half a load of melons left in the truck bed.

Chen Mian rubbed her chin, looking rather thoughtful: "This guy's addicted to setting up a stall."

The older brother chimed in, "We didn't even sell half a truckload."

"When it comes to 'patience and patience,' you have to look to the older generation. They could sit for a whole day on half a cart of melons. We can't stand that kind of patience," Chen Mian said, shaking her head in admiration, feeling inferior.

Chen Liang was taken aback, then laughed and cursed, "Your words are really infuriating."

After tidying up, Chen Mian walked straight into the station. She had to return the stall to Wu Qiu; Old Wu was a good person.

Having taken full advantage of favorable timing, location, and people, I was extremely busy all day, racking my brains, and only managed to sell nearly 800 jin (400 catties) at the station, earning a total of 130 yuan.

Including He Jianjun and the others' income, they earned a total of 221 yuan today.

If nothing unexpected happens, melon stalls will appear one after another tomorrow.

A normal acre of land can yield about 2500 catties of watermelon, but I can only sell about 400 catties a day. Before I can sell them all, the watermelons in the field may spoil.

As for the capital city, which is more than 300 miles away, Chen Mian only thought about it briefly before giving up. Let alone whether the people of the capital city would like to eat it or not, it would take half a day to transport it there.

Chen Mian really didn't have the energy to argue with them anymore, so she decided to just go home and dig up melon seeds.

As for He Jianjun and the others, if they still want to sell, I don't mind earning a commission.

……

Time flies when you get busy.

After everything was sorted out regarding the melon-selling business, and with her parents and older brother able to manage the household chores, Chen Mian was finally able to relax and go fishing for mandarin fish to cultivate her mind and spirit.

He carried a bucket in one hand and a pole in the other, humming a little tune as he leisurely went out the door.

"Mom, I won't be back for lunch. I'll have Dad go to Daokou Village and give him a message when he gets back."

"Where's your food?"

"Just leave a little in the pot, I'll eat it later. Oh, and could you buy me a piece of pig's head meat?"

"Buy my ass, I'll buy you a slap across the face!"

"..."

Chen Mian arrived at the bridge and looked around at both banks. There weren't many people there. She had heard that it was quite lively here after the rain on the 25th.

I leaned against the stone railing of the bridge and looked down. My auspicious spot had been taken over, and it looked like it belonged to Grandpa Yang Baoyuan.

"Second son, come here!"

Yang Baoyuan was a passive fisherman who would just wait around. When he had nothing to do, he would look around and saw Chen Mian walking over. He quickly called out to him.

These past two days, he's been feeling restless. Ever since Chen Mian caught a mandarin fish here last time, he's been keeping this spot, but things haven't gone as planned. He hasn't caught a single mandarin fish, let alone a whitebait.

The more I thought about Chen Mian's shaky and hesitant behavior that day, especially with the fake bait, the more suspicious I became. I felt like the kid was hiding something, so I decided to watch him fish again. If he caught something again, it would prove that there was definitely something wrong.

"Don't wander around, I have room here."

"Coming, coming." Chen Mian had no choice; she still had to give this old man some face, as she would need his help in the future. "Grandpa, what brings you here?"

Yang Baoyuan spoke casually, but his eyes were fixed on Chen Mian's movements. Suddenly, he paused, startled: "Where's your fake bait?"

Chen Mian laughed: "With real bait, who would use fake one?"

Yang Baoyuan's old face froze: "..."

Chen Mian glanced at the water ripples. The old man had cast his line in a terrible spot, without any obstacles. No wonder he couldn't catch any mandarin fish.

He probably guessed what the old man was thinking: You want me to perform, right? Then I'll perform well.

He still didn't bring any bait this time, and just shamelessly took it from the old man's plastic bag, leaving the old man completely bewildered.

Then he hooked the fish, lowered the line vertically into the water, and did nothing but wait like everyone else.

Yang Baoyuan had lost interest in fishing and kept his eyes on Chen Mian, who was about two meters away. He couldn't help but ask, "I remember you were shaking a bit when you were fishing a couple of days ago, weren't you?"

"Give it a shake?" Chen Mian feigned confusion, scratched her head, then grabbed the pole with both hands and lifted it upwards. "Is that so?"

Yang Baoyuan's old face froze for a moment, then his face twitched: "..."

Why is this not quite what I expected?

For the next hour, Chen Mian chatted with the old man about everyday things while occasionally testing his skills with the pole, making the old man increasingly doubt himself.

Other people came over and chatted for a bit, all curious whether Chen Mian had caught any mandarin fish. They glanced at the catch, smiled, and left.

"Grandpa, look at this..." Chen Mian stood up, pointed to her empty bucket, and pouted with a look of utter despair. "Why don't you move to another place?"

Yang Baoyuan waved his hand: "Go ahead."

Chen Mian put on a convincing act, and before leaving, he shamelessly asked for some fish bait, then headed straight west.

……