As evening fell, Ji Ying and Xu Nian'an, the brother and sister, one carrying firewood over their shoulder, the other dragging it, trudged home exhausted.
"You said you were going to pick plums, so how come you brought back so much firewood?"
Ji Ying hurried over, took the firewood from Xu Nianhua's hands, felt her bulging clothes, and couldn't help asking, "What else did you bring back? Plums?"
"There are plums, but something else, too."
Xu Nianhua was so tired she could hardly catch her breath.
Her face was flushed red from the sun, her hands probably had blisters, too.
What impressed Xu Nianhua the most was her second brother, Xu Nian'an; he chopped and bundled the firewood, quick and efficient, without stopping for a moment.
"Plums are so sour—how can you even eat them?" Ji Ying put the firewood in the pile, opened up the bundle wrapped in clothes, and found only a few green plums, but a whole bag stuffed full of Bixi Fruit!
"Even if you want to eat mung bean jelly, you don't need to pick all the fruit, do you?"
Ji Ying looked at so many fruits, thinking if they really made mung bean jelly out of this, how much would it make?
You know, just two fruits can make up a whole basin of mung bean jelly.
This stuff doesn't cost much, but making it is terribly hard work, so in the village, it's only occasionally made when the kids get cravings—never in big batches.
"Mom, these things are going to be useful for me." Xu Nianhua gulped down lots of well water, filled a bowl with water, and handed it straight to Xu Nian'an.
Xu Nian'an was thirsty too. Since they moved here, firewood was what they needed most, so when they went up the mountain, Xu Nian'an would love to gather enough for ten days or half a month at once.
"Just two fruits can make a basin of mung bean jelly, enough for you to eat your fill," Ji Ying said.
Xu Nianhua grinned and said, "Mom, when did I say I wanted to eat it all by myself? I want to take it to the county and sell it."
"You can actually sell this stuff for money?" Ji Ying was the first not to believe it.
Who in the village doesn't know how to make mung bean jelly?
"Of course you can." Xu Nianhua nodded firmly. Seeing Ji Ying not believing her, even Xu Nian'an was doubtful, she asked, "Brother, what do you do if you want to eat mung bean jelly?"
"Make it myself."
Xu Nian'an answered without even thinking.
"Then, tell me, what do people in the county do if they want to eat mung bean jelly? You usually make a big basin, but what if they just want one bowl?"
"Besides, rubbing mung bean jelly is really hard work. If someone made it ready-to-eat, would you buy it?"
Xu Nianhua looked at him, her eyes sparkling.
Xu Nian'an answered without hesitation, "I definitely wouldn't buy."
With that money, you could do something better, right?
Xu Nianhua held back from rolling her eyes and said, "Suppose, suppose you live in the county, picking fruit isn't easy, and making it takes even more time, doesn't it?"
She explained slowly, and Xu Nian'an's eyes lit up. If you really lived in the county, who has so much time to make mung bean jelly?
Besides, they didn't have money, but that doesn't mean others don't.
As long as the price is reasonable, surely someone will buy.
"Nianhua, that's a pretty good idea!" Xu Nian'an's eyes shone, excited, saying, "If this can make money, I'll go pick fruit every day."
Now, what the family needs most is money.
Night.
The siblings washed fruit together, cut each fruit open, and put the seeds and pulp in a piece of gauze, then soaked it in well water and started rubbing.
This rubbing part is the most tiring.
Xu Qinghe came back from working outside, heard that the siblings were making mung bean jelly to sell at the county, and after dinner, he took out his tools and started making water buckets.
Ji Ying: "..."
Well, she was hoping Xu Qinghe would talk the siblings out of it, but instead, he's making them two buckets for carrying mung bean jelly!
"""