Reborn in the 1970s, Zhang Sanniu's new life

When San Niu and the others got home, Da Niu and Er Niu had already made two pots of big meat buns and two trays of dumplings, and were waiting for them to come back and cook them.

When Da Niu saw them come back, she quickly put dumplings into the pot. The water was boiling, and in no time, a big pot of dumplings was cooked!

The family of five sat around the kitchen, eating steaming hot pork dumplings. The aroma was so enticing, you could practically swallow your tongue. And let me tell you, people these days have huge appetites! Take Erniu, for example, a seven-year-old girl. She ate two large bowls of dumplings, each the size of her face. Isn't that astonishing? Sanniu was full after just one bowl. After watching Erniu finish two large bowls of dumplings, Sanniu was worried that Erniu would overeat!

"Second sister, don't overeat. We're slaughtering a pig now, so we can eat whenever we want. Don't be greedy and make yourself sick, or San Niu will be in trouble!"

"It's okay, I ate just enough, I won't get sick. I even ate a big meat bun this morning!" Erniu said.

"It's alright. After slaughtering the pig tonight, I'll cut some more meat to cook. I'll make braised pork. We can eat meat more often from now on, don't worry!" Zhang Laosan said.

"Oh, Dad, you're so kind! I've been wanting to eat braised pork for so long, but I was afraid you wouldn't be willing to part with it," San Niu said happily!

“That’s because we were poor before, and we didn’t have anything to eat. Now we have the means. Your father loves you all the most, so how could he be reluctant to part with you?” Wang Cuihua said.

After the family enjoyed a delicious meal of dumplings, they sat at the door to rest and write. Now, San Niu doesn't need to help with slaughtering pigs anymore. Every day at noon, after San Niu finishes her lunch and sets the accounts, she can start studying!

Wang Dayong and his family now come over after lunch. Soon, the three of them arrive with their chickens and pigs!

After sitting down to rest and drink some water, Sanniu finished calculating the accounts. "Uncle, this is today's pig money. Count it. This is 1200 yuan. Keep it for you to buy pigs tomorrow. From now on, I'll pay you in cash. By the way, you should buy a few more pigs recently and keep them in your pigsty for a couple of days. I'm worried it might be inconvenient if it snows." Sanniu said.

Wang Dayong counted the money and carefully packed it away. "Okay, I'll buy a dozen more and bring a few to your place to keep. Don't let the snow interfere with business," Wang Dayong said.

"After agreeing on the terms, everyone got to work, slaughtering the pig. Once it was done, Wang Dayong and his family were heading back when Zhang Laosan said, 'Brother, sister-in-law, I'm keeping the pig offal for myself to give away, so I won't give it to you. You know, if we want to do business, we have to maintain good relationships with them!'"

“We know that such good stuff can’t be eaten every day. You have important business to attend to. Besides, this stuff could fetch a lot of money if we sold it. It would be such a waste for us to eat it,” Wang Dayong said.

Wang Dayong's family hauled half a truckload of cloth back home!

In the evening, the family made a pot of stewed cabbage and pig's blood, and the whole family enjoyed it very much!

That evening, San Niu asked Wang Cuihua to boil a big pot of water, and the whole family washed their hair!

San Niu said, "Mom, Dad, we need to be cleaner from now on, otherwise the people in the city will say we're not clean. Tomorrow we'll go to the store and buy some shampoo, bath products, and face wash. Tomorrow night, we'll boil a lot of water so we can all take a bath!"

"Okay, I'll buy it tomorrow. I'll also buy a few bottles of face cream for you sisters and your mother. Take a shower when you get back tonight. You know, after running around all day, you're covered in sweat, so you really need to take a good shower," Zhang Laosan said with a smile!

"Third Sister, pick out some fragrant face cream for us!" Erniu said happily.

"Okay, second sister, I'll buy a few more, for tying up our hair," said San Niu.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Erniu exclaimed, jumping for joy.

The next day, before dawn, the whole family ate breakfast together. After breakfast, San Niu and the others took the pig, chicken, and a large basket of pig offal to the city. Da Niu and Er Niu stayed at home and did the laundry. Although the family was living a hard life, they could eat their fill every day and even have meat, which made them feel very happy!

Today, Sanniu and her friends delivered the pigs to the store, and Grandpa Liu happened to come too!

San Niu said, "Grandpa Liu, you've arrived! This basket is full of fresh pig offal. Please help yourself to whatever you like!"

Grandpa Liu said, "Thank you so much. I like pig liver and pig intestines. I'll take them myself!"

"If you like it, we'll bring you more next time you come. You can come back here to pick it up then," San Niu said with a smile!

"Alright, I won't stand on ceremony. Bring me some more in a couple of days, I'll treat my friends to dinner, they all love this kind of food," said Grandpa Liu.

"Oh dear, I was so focused on eating that I forgot about the important business. Have your dad send over four big pigs tomorrow, and another ten in a few days. Make sure he's ready and doesn't miss them. Those ten are for the factory, meant to be given to them as employee benefits," Old Liu instructed.

"Thank you so much! Don't worry, it will be delivered on time, I promise. It won't be delayed!" San Niu said happily.

"Grandpa Liu, are there any trucks in town that we can rent? We have too many pigs to transport them all, so having a truck would be very convenient," San Niu said.

"Alright then! I'll have the factory send a truck to your house to pick them up. That way, it'll save you trouble. How about this: two days from now, you slaughter all 14 pigs and bring them over all at once. It won't interfere with your other business. Which village are you from?" Old Liu said.

"Thank you so much! I live in Zhangjia Village. I'll have my dad wait for me at the crossroads, Grandpa Liu. I'll bring you all the pig offal from the slaughtered pig. You can give it away or eat it yourself," San Niu said.

Old Liu happily went home carrying a basket of bamboo offal. Don't underestimate pig offal. Even if you have money, you can't buy it anywhere. Old Liu and his friends are all capable people, but they can't buy it either. If it weren't for knowing San Niu and the others, they really wouldn't be able to eat it!

Old Liu left, and Zhang Laosan and Wang Cuihua returned after weighing the pig!

After San Niu and the others delivered the remaining pig offal to the manager and Sister Liu, they hurried to the family compound where Grandma Wu lived!

When they arrived, Grandma Wu was sitting by the roadside picking vegetables. San Niu quickly called out, "Grandma Wu, you're picking vegetables!"

"Wow, you've finally arrived! I've already made arrangements to buy the meat. I've been waiting for you. Hurry home!" Grandma Wu said, putting the vegetables away.

Zhang Laosan said, "Auntie, where are these pigs and chickens going? They're staying at your house!"

"Put them all at my house first, weigh them, and they'll give me the money," Grandma Wu said.

Zhang Laosan and Wang Cuihua carried the two baskets of chickens and the two pigs to Wu Laotai's house together!

Zhang Laosan said, "Aunt Wu, these two pigs have been weighed on the big scale at the store. The chicken hasn't been weighed yet, but I'll weigh it for you now!"

After weighing the items, San Niu carefully recorded and calculated the accounts, then showed them to Old Lady Wu!

San Niu said, "Grandma Wu, please check the accounts and see if my calculations are correct." Grandma Wu looked at them and recalculated them herself, and they were all correct. However, when it came time to collect the money, San Niu charged her five yuan less. Grandma Wu was furious!

Zhang Laosan said, "Aunt Wu, should we cut these two pigs into smaller pieces? Otherwise, it will be difficult to divide them among so many people!"

"Alright, you can help separate the pig's head and legs. You don't know, their family needs dozens of kilograms, so there's no need to cut them into small pieces," Grandma Wu said!

When Zhang Lao San took a portion of the meat, San Niu said, "Grandma Wu, this is the pork offal we're delivering to you. You can use it to make pork offal soup for your family. Also, we deliver pork to the store every morning. If you need anything, you can find us at the store entrance!"

"Thank you so much! Okay, that's good. If someone wants meat, I'll let you know," said Old Lady Wu.

After leaving Grandma Wu's house, San Niu and the others bought face wash and bath products at the store, bought a lot of cloth, paid for the pork, and went home!

San Niu sat on the cart, finished calculating today's accounts, and whispered to Zhang Lao San, "Dad, Grandpa Liu got us a big order today, 14 pigs. I talked to Grandpa Liu, and in a couple of days, after we slaughter them, they'll send a truck to pick them up, which will save us a lot of trouble!"

"How many? 14 heads! Oh my, daughter, we're rich! She's my daughter, amazing!" Zhang Laosan stopped and said happily!

Wang Cuihua, who was behind them, heard their laughter and asked, "What are you two talking about? You seem so happy!"

"Mother, it's good news. Let's talk about it when we get back," San Niu said.

Zhang Laosan happily pulled the cart, not feeling tired at all, and walked very fast all the way!

After San Niu and the others finished eating at home, they sat at the door. San Niu started to calculate and count the money. Now, all the money in the family and the neighborhood was under San Niu's control. Zhang Laosan and Wang Cuihua trusted San Niu completely and never asked about the money or accounts!

Before San Niu had finished counting the money, Wang Dayong's family arrived. They had delivered a batch of pigs that morning, and with these four more, they had delivered eight pigs today!

San Niu counted the money and said, "Uncle, give me today's accounts. Also, here's 5000 yuan. Take it. Tomorrow, use all this money to buy pigs. The day after tomorrow, your whole family should come over early to help slaughter the pigs. We need to slaughter 18 pigs a day, so time is tight. When the time comes, bring your big pot to use first!"

"So many orders! You've got another one! Wow, we're going to make a fortune!" Wang Dayong and his wife were overjoyed!

San Niu thought for a moment and then said, "Uncle, how many pigs do our two families need to slaughter today, excluding the two of us? Is it enough for 18? If it is, you and Aunt can start slaughtering the pigs tomorrow afternoon. I'm afraid we can't finish slaughtering that many in one day. If it's not enough, have Grandpa collect the pigs at home and have someone deliver them directly. Put all the slaughtered pigs in the storeroom first. Make sure to lock the door properly at home so that no one can see them!"

“Even the two families combined aren’t enough. Tomorrow we’ll bring our pigs over, slaughter them first, and have Dad collect them at home before delivering them. You just need to focus on delivering the goods; don’t worry about the rest. It definitely won’t delay anything,” Wang Dayong said.

After discussing the matter, they started slaughtering the pig. Once the pig was slaughtered, Wang Dayong and the others took it into the water and went back!

After finishing their meal, San Niu and her family started boiling water for a bath. They bathed in the kitchen, where a fire was burning and the door was closed, so it wasn't cold at all. The whole family enjoyed a comfortable hot bath and went to sleep happily!

The next day, before dawn, San Niu and the others hurried into the city again!

Once we got to the city, we went to the store to weigh the pork. Before it was even weighed, the manager showed up!

"I've contacted a factory for you. They need 20 pigs as employee benefits. It's 1.5 yuan per jin (0.5 kg), no coupons required. Can you get that many pigs?" the manager said.

"Thank you so much! Don't worry about the pigs. Every household in our village raises pigs. If they need them, could they send someone to pick them up on the day they arrive? I live in Zhangzhuang Village. It's settled then. I'll have my dad wait at the village entrance," San Niu said.

"Alright, I'll send a truck to pick it up in three days! Oh, and tomorrow, our store will add two more trucks every day. Don't delay!" the manager said.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely take care of it for you. I'll bring all the pig offal from the slaughtered pig and give it to you. It's almost Chinese New Year, so you can give it to your relatives and friends," San Niu said.

"Young lady, you're quite smart. Okay, I'll come pick it up early then." The manager then left.

San Niu was afraid she would forget, so she quickly wrote down the 20 pigs the manager wanted and the date in her notebook!

The remaining two pigs and two baskets of chickens were taken by Sister Liu without being moved. They were also bought for 1.5 yuan per jin (0.5 kg). Relatives and friends asked her to help them buy them!

The pork sold in the store not only requires ration coupons but is also expensive. Even so, you can't buy it unless you know someone there. That's why San Niu's pork and chicken sell out very quickly every day. Besides, their business is unique!

After settling their bill, San Niu and her family bought a truckload of cloth and several pairs of rain boots. These rain boots are not only for rainy days, but also for slaughtering pigs, otherwise the shoes will get wet. San Niu also bought three pairs for Wang Dayong's family. After buying everything, they hurried back home!

On the way back, Sanniu sat in the car, having finished calculating the bill, and said to Zhang Laosan, "Dad, the manager contacted another factory for us today, and they want 20 pigs right away. Oh, and the store wants two more tomorrow. I told them not to let us deliver them, but to send a truck to pick them up. Oh, and I said I'd give them all the offal from the slaughtered pigs, and the manager was overjoyed!"

Zhang Laosan was so surprised that he stopped pulling the cart and stood dumbfounded on the road. "My God, this is such a surprise! They want so much all at once!"

"Really? Girl!" Old Zhang asked, taking a while to come to his senses.

"Oh! Really? Let's go! Dad, I'm starving!" San Niu exclaimed.

Zhang Laosan was so happy that he quickly pulled the cart and started moving!

When they arrived home, Wang Dayong's family had already slaughtered several pigs. They stopped to eat when they saw them return!

After finishing her meal, San Niu settled the bill that Wang Dayong had given her!

Zhang Laosan took a sip of water and said, "Brother, how many pigs did Dad buy today? The store manager introduced me to a factory that needs 20 pigs. The store also needs 2 more pigs every day. They need them in a couple of days. Is Dad in a hurry?"

“So many again? I don’t know about Dad’s situation. We came here early this morning, but Dad should be bringing the pigs over soon,” Wang Dayong said.

“Alright, when Dad comes, I’ll tell him it won’t work. Let him collect pigs from our village; that would be more convenient!” Zhang Laosan said.

“Yes, let Grandpa buy pigs in our village and say we’re helping with the slaughtering. That way, no one will have any ill intentions. Otherwise, if our family suddenly becomes rich, people will start gossiping!” San Niu said.

"Oh, right, the village where my uncle lives has almost finished changing the cloth. From now on, we'll start changing it here. Aunt, don't go back for a while. Just help with the cloth changing. Don't worry, the proceeds from the cloth exchange will be paid to your family, and the wages will be the same as before," San Niu said!

“Okay, we’ll do whatever San Niu says. Don’t worry, everything at home will be taken care of. Da Niu, do you know how to keep accounts? Let Da Niu keep accounts. I can’t read,” Auntie said.

“Sister, come here and I’ll teach you. It’s very simple. You don’t need to write your name. Just remember how many feet of cloth, how many chickens, and how many chickens there are. It’s all just numbers.” San Niu quickly taught Da Niu how to do the accounts. In just one afternoon, San Niu taught Da Niu everything!

Zhang Laosan and the others went to slaughter a pig!

In the late afternoon, Old Wang arrived with his men, bringing eight pigs. The others carried the pigs down and went home.

Zhang Laosan kept Wang Laotou behind. "Dad, we need to collect 26 more pigs to get back to normal. We need them the day after tomorrow. Do you think we can collect enough in two days?" Zhang Laosan said.

"Sigh, there are plenty of pigs, but they all want the price to go up and don't really want to sell," said Old Wang.

San Niu thought for a moment and said, "Dad, Grandpa still has a lot of money left. Why don't you take him to our village and see if you can get some? Oh, and when you buy the pigs, tell him we're trading for cloth, and say it's Grandpa's business!"

“Alright, let’s do it this way. Dad, let’s go now, or we’ll be too late,” Zhang Laosan said, and left with Wang Laotou.

Zhang Laosan soon brought back several pigs, followed by a group of people who came with chickens to exchange for cloth!

San Niu quickly grabbed the account book and said, "Don't make a fuss, everyone line up outside the gate. Auntie, move a table. We'll change the cloth outside the gate. They're slaughtering a pig in the yard, so it's not convenient for people to come in!"

San Niu led the group outside until all the cloth at home had been changed, and then the trip ended. She even used two ledgers, which shows how many people came!

With the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone wanted to take advantage of this opportunity where no cloth coupons were needed and chickens could be exchanged for them. Besides, the family's clothes were so worn out that they couldn't be patched anymore, so this was a great chance!

Everyone was exhausted today. Some were slaughtering pigs, others were changing cloths. There wasn't a single person idle. Old Zhang San and Old Wang's pig collection in Zhangjiazhuang went very smoothly, which put everyone at ease. They no longer had to worry about not having enough pigs to deliver!

The next day, before dawn, San Niu and the others took the pork and chickens into the city, while Wang Dayong and the others stayed home to slaughter and collect pigs!

San Niu and her family had diarrhea today. They had four pigs and four chickens left. They went to the store to deliver the pigs first. After delivering the pigs and weighing them, they found that there were two pigs and chickens left, but nobody wanted them!

San Niu thought for a moment, then realized she had no choice but to try selling them elsewhere. "Dad, why don't we go to the little villa where Grandma lived last time? I saw it last time, there are quite a few buildings there, it should sell well," San Niu said.