Chapter 41: Toilet Paper Arrival
Jian Xingxia had originally planned to head over to the bus station to sell the rest once she finished with this spot, but she hadn’t expected business to be this booming.
Some people even asked when she would be coming back next. Jian Xingxia could only shake her head regretfully. “These chestnuts are home-grown, so we don’t have very many. I’m not entirely sure when I’ll be back.”
She was no fool.
The residents of these few neighborhoods had all bought chestnuts today, so the novelty would wear off for a while. She still had several hundred catties of chestnuts left, but next time she would definitely choose a different residential area to sell them.
Jian Xingxia packed up her stall. She scooped the remaining chestnuts into a few bags and distributed them among the nearby vendors who had helped break her large bills and shared their spaces with her. The last remaining bag was delivered straight to the security guard.
While she was setting up her stall earlier, the security guard had come over to check on her twice, likely ensuring she wasn’t blocking the thoroughfare or making a mess. Since there was management here, Jian Xingxia decided to be tactful; it would make things much easier the next time she came.
Sure enough, once the security guard accepted the chestnuts, his smile widened considerably, and he even pointed out a path for her. “If your tricycle runs out of power, just ride in through that gate over there. There’s a row of charging piles behind the flower bed. You can just scan the code to charge it.”
Jian Xingxia thanked him with a smile.
Before 6:00 PM, Jian Xingxia finished packing up her stall and tallied the accounts. Today’s chestnut sales brought in a total of 782 yuan.
Just a fraction away from 800.
Money was definitely being made.
But if she broke it down carefully, these chestnuts came from the mountains, so there was zero material cost, but they required an immense amount of manual labor. From picking and drying the chestnuts to washing, scoring, boiling, freezing, and selling… it was far too labor-intensive.
It wasn’t nearly as easy to sell as peaches!
She was only selling chestnuts right now because she was tight on cash. In the future, she would likely pick her days carefully and try to sell them on market days when the foot traffic was dense, convenient, and fast.
She rode the tricycle all the way back to the village.
The issue Jian Xingxia had worried about didn’t happen; the tricycle held up perfectly until she made it back to the village.
Jian Xingxia first paid a visit to Grandma Hu Ming to give her a heads-up. “Grandma Hu Ming, I’ll return your vehicle after I drop the things off at the old house, okay?”
Hearing her voice, Grandma Hu Ming came out and hurriedly stuffed a few of Hu Ming’s snacks into her hands. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you, child? Hold on a moment, Grandma will boil a bowl of noodles for you.”
Jian Xingxia quickly waved her hands in refusal.
It was already past standard dinner time, so Grandma Hu Ming’s stove must have been put out and the dishes washed. Lighting the fire again just for her would be far too much trouble.
“No need, Grandma Hu Ming. These are chestnuts I gathered in the mountains and boiled. Please have some.”
She then added, “I bought some toilet paper online—both roll paper and sheet paper. I’m planning to set up a small stall under the big banyan tree in a bit, so come take a look if you’d like.”
Grandma Hu Ming was a bit surprised. “You youngsters actually know about sheet paper?”
Jian Xingxia smiled. “Of course, everything is available online now. A quick search for toilet paper brings it all right up.”
Grandma Hu Ming said joyfully, “Well, that sounds wonderful. I’ll definitely go have a look.”
Before long, Jian Xingxia had her stall set up under the big banyan tree.
The three boxes of tissues had cost her a total of 155 yuan.
The roll paper was a thick, substantial 200g variety, which she sold for two and a half yuan per roll. With 27 rolls per box, the two boxes containing 54 rolls could bring in 135 yuan.
The sheet paper was ten catties per box, priced at six yuan per catty. It was a bit cheaper than the roll paper, specifically intended to accommodate the elderly.
All in all, from a wholesale cost of 155 yuan, she could bring in 195 yuan if everything sold out, earning a profit of forty yuan.
Jian Xingxia wasn’t aiming to strike it rich with this money, but she didn’t intend to work for free either. Even if the earnings were modest, a profit was still a profit. Otherwise, if time went on and someone began taking her goodwill for granted, it would be thoroughly disheartening.
Besides, fetching the packages required physical labor. She had gone today while convenient because of the chestnuts, but that might not be the case next time.
Furthermore, traveling vendors driving trucks would occasionally visit the village to make it easier for the villagers to buy snacks and daily necessities. If she sold things too cheaply, those vendors wouldn’t make any money and might stop coming to such a remote village altogether, which would only make everyone’s life more inconvenient in the long run.
The villagers understood this logic well.
Sometimes, even if they didn’t urgently need anything, they would still buy an item or two when they saw a vendor arrive, simply to ensure the merchant made a profit and would return in the future.
Because of this, the villagers readily accepted the prices Jian Xingxia set.
“Oh my, this roll paper is really thick, much thicker than the ones I bought last time!”
“Exactly, I checked it out. The ones we bought last time were 140g per roll and cost two yuan, while this one is 200g per roll and only costs two and a half yuan.”
“Xiaxia, I want to buy six rolls.”
“Give me ten rolls.”
“How much is the sheet paper? By weight? Then weigh out five yuan worth for me.”
“I’ll take this pack, see how much it comes to.”
The villagers enthusiastically supported Jian Xingxia’s venture. Plus, toilet paper was a daily necessity that wouldn’t expire anytime soon, so everyone came over to buy.
Eighty-something-year-old Grandma Hu mingled with the crowd and purchased a catty of sheet paper.
Jian Xingxia collected the money as usual without showing the slightest anomaly. As she handed over the sheet paper, Grandma Hu gently patted her hand, conveying her unspoken gratitude.
By the end of the sale, Jian Xingxia had two rolls left and refused to sell them. “I still need to use some myself!”
Since returning, she had been using the paper she brought back from school, and she didn’t have much left.
The villagers were a bit disappointed and asked her, “Will you be buying more next time, Xiaxia?”
Most of those left behind in the village were the elderly, save for a few village officials and children on summer break. The older generation wasn’t skilled at online shopping and couldn’t purchase toilet paper that was this cheap and high-quality. With Jian Xingxia back, the villagers felt they finally had someone to rely on.
Jian Xingxia thought it over and said, “I’ll buy more when I’m not too busy. How about this: if there’s anything you all want to buy in the future, write it down first. I’ll order it, and we can pick it up together on market day, which will save on travel expenses.”
“Oh, marvelous, marvelous!”
Hearing that Jian Xingxia would take travel expenses into consideration made everyone even happier. A person who knew how to save on travel costs would definitely know how to save money when buying things, rather than recklessly wasting money on overpriced goods.
Jian Xingxia rode the vehicle back to the old house to drop off her supplies and the two rolls of paper, then returned to the village to give back the tricycle.
When returning the vehicle, she offered ten yuan as a rental fee, only to be thoroughly scolded by Grandma Hu Ming.
“Oh my, stop that nonsense! Charging money for borrowing a tricycle—if your maternal grandmother found out, how could I ever show my face to her?”
“Hurry up and go! Will you be needing it tomorrow? I’ll charge it up tonight and keep it for you tomorrow.”
Hu Ming stood nearby, looking pitiful. “Grandma, I want to ride it too.”
Grandma Hu Ming snapped, “You little brat, say that one more time and see what happens?”
Hu Ming vanished in a flash.
Jian Xingxia said coordinates of laughter, “Thank you, Grandma Hu Ming, but I won’t need it tomorrow. I have to tend to the work in the fields.”
Grandma Hu Ming asked, “Do you know how to farm? Even Hu Ming’s father barely knows how. Why don’t I call a few people over to help you out?”
Jian Xingxia hurriedly declined. “No need, no need, Grandma Hu. I’m not planting much, just a few vegetables for my own consumption.”
Grandma Hu Ming didn’t doubt her. After all, how many young people nowadays actually knew how to farm? When she said she was farming, it was likely just for fun, much like how Hu Ming kept screaming about wanting to plant gourds.
Grandma Hu Ming grabbed Jian Xingxia’s hand, insisting that she carry away a bag of vegetables.
“There’s more food in the fields than we can ever finish; even Hu Ming is sick of looking at it. Take it and eat, Xiaxia.”
Jian Xingxia had only been back in the village for a few days, yet she had already received quite a lot of produce. If it weren’t for the temporary workers “helping” her eat them, she wouldn’t even be able to finish the vegetables gifted by others.
Jian Xingxia didn’t refuse. Thanking Grandma Hu Ming, she quickly headed home. It was getting dark, and traversing the mountain roads at night wasn’t safe.
Back home, Jian Xingxia began to balance the books.
Yesterday, after paying Little Hu the Sixth fifty yuan for his labor, her remaining balance stood at 1,627 yuan.
Today she had earned 782, spent 23 on food and water, kept two rolls of toilet paper for herself from the tissue sales, and brought in 190. Her current balance stood at 2,576 yuan.
Seeing her savings cross back over into the “2,000” range, Jian Xingxia breathed a sigh of relief. For a young person like her who lacked a safety net, savings were her sole source of confidence.
Fortunately, she had inherited her grandmother’s mountain estate and gained the estate management system.
After spending the day selling chestnuts, the estate’s upgrade conditions had also shifted.
