Chapter Five: The Major Client

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Hearing the price, many students each took two stalks to try. They had eaten plenty of boiled wheat porridge before, but roasted wheat kernels were relatively rare. After all, this was in the city, and the season for eating wheat kernels was short. Now that grains were precious, most people waited until the wheat turned yellow before harvesting. Eating the kernels directly was considered a bit wasteful.

Yang Xingwen collected money on the side while Yang Chunsheng roasted the wheat kernels over the fire. Seeing more and more students gathering, Yang Xingwu also picked up a handful of wheat stalks to roast. Roasting wheat kernels was a simple task: hold the stalks over the flame to burn off the awns, and when the popping sounds began, the roasting was nearly done.

However, judging just by the sound was unreliable. When roasted well, a fresh wheat fragrance would fill the air—this was the sign that the kernels were ready. Yang Xingwu handed a bundle of stalks to his father, then took the roasted ones back, untied the straw bundles, and picked out two stalks at a time to give to the paying students.

The students who received the stalks didn’t rush away; they immediately stripped the kernels off the stalks and tossed the straw onto the fire. Two bundles of stalks yielded a small handful of kernels. After removing the outer husk covering the kernels, they rubbed them between their hands to blow away the husk fragments.

Once all this was done, the students looked at the slightly yellowish and somewhat charred kernels in their hands with smiles. They cautiously picked one kernel and chewed it. The wheat’s fresh aroma wafted from between their lips and teeth, and the roasting made the kernels chewier.

Before finishing their roasted wheat kernels, the students’ hands and faces were already stained black like little tabby cats. Yang Xingwu found their sooty hands and mouths amusing. The aroma of the roasted kernels drifted far, drawing many students to stop and taste them.

The price of three cents per bundle was a bit steep—after all, ten bundles might not even yield one tael of kernels. But since they were the only sellers at the time, the price held. The students didn’t care about the cost; they only knew that five cents could buy two bundles, saving them a cent.

With this in mind, many students pulled out their pocket money. Roasted wheat kernels were generally sold in pairs of bundles. Even if a student could only afford one, they would team up with classmates to save that extra cent.

Yang Xingwu and his father busily roasted stalks while Yang Xingwen collected money and handed over the roasted stalks. They barely managed to keep up with the demand.

Suddenly, a student asked, “If I buy more, can you give me a little extra?”

“How many do you want?” Yang Xingwu replied while roasting.

“Fifty cents’ worth!”

Yang Xingwu immediately perked up. Wow, a big spender! Was this a little prince among elementary school students? When others only had a few cents to a dime for pocket money, this student was ready to spend fifty cents at once!

He sized up the student, who looked well-off—clearly from a comfortable family.

“How many do you want exactly?”

“How about twenty-five?”

“That’s a bit much. Twenty-three it is! I’ll give you three extra now, and next time I’ll give you even more.”

“Deal!”

The well-off student promptly handed over fifty cents. Yang Xingwen quickly took the money while Yang Xingwu counted the stalks but found they weren’t enough, so he added a few more before handing the bundle to his important customer.

The customer counted carefully twice before leaving with the stalks, seemingly so pleased that he tiptoed and ran down the road.

Yang Xingwu was puzzled by the fifty-cent coin his elder brother received. He hadn’t seen this kind of money before—it wasn’t the usual red fifty-cent coin. The red one was issued around 1980. Could there have been some oversight?

Suppressing his doubts, Yang Xingwu continued roasting the wheat.

After a while, they had sold most of the half-cartload of stalks they brought, and the students had all dispersed.

The three men looked at the remaining stalks with some worry.

“What shall we do with these leftovers?” Yang Xingwen asked, looking concerned.

“Let’s go check out the factory workers’ residential compound nearby. We can see if the stalks will sell there. After all, earning kids’ pocket money isn’t sustainable,” Yang Xingwu suggested.

Hearing this, Yang Chunsheng and Yang Xingwen nodded in agreement.

Lunch time was approaching. Yang Xingwen first extinguished the fire and cleaned up the trash before following his father and elder brother to the factory workers’ housing area.

Every household was already preparing or eating lunch. The three men pushed their cart and found a shady spot.

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Yang Chunsheng took out some cornbread his partner had made from a cloth bag.

Each of the three took one. Yang Xingwu hesitated at the sight of the slightly yellowed and somewhat blackened bread.

Seeing his father and elder brother eat with satisfaction, he took a tentative bite. The coarse cornmeal was rough on his throat. The blackened bits he first thought were mold turned out to be corn cobs.

At that time, cornmeal was made by grinding the entire cob, not just the kernels, which explained the duller yellow color.

This had been a source of confusion for him. When he had tried to lose weight earlier by eating soft cornbread, it tasted quite good. But now, living in this era, he found it completely different from his expectations.

It was only after tasting this bread that he understood.

As for the strange textile fifty-cent coin, he had already learned its story from the original owner’s memories.

The textile fifty-cent coin was issued in 1974. The red fifty-cent coin he used in childhood was part of the fourth series of currency, yet he hadn’t seen it yet. What was the meaning of the “1980” date on it?

Perhaps in this small town, the newer coins hadn’t been circulated yet—like the high-denomination bills that only spread nationwide a few years after issuance.

After finishing the bread, Yang Xingwu felt a bit choked. Yang Xingwen went to the gatekeeper, said a few kind words, and brought back several bowls of hot water. After drinking, the three felt much better.

After lunch, they rested against a tree. Gradually, people began to leave for work.

Their cart stood right in front of the main gate of the housing compound, with many green wheat stalks displayed for all to see.

While resting, they suddenly heard a voice.

“Oh! Is this wheat kernels?”

Yang Xingwu quickly stood up and saw a middle-aged woman standing by the cart, curiously handling the wheat stalks.

“Yes, buy some for the kids or the elderly! It’s good for your health—clears heat, detoxifies, and aids digestion! Now is the perfect season for eating wheat kernels!”

“Indeed, it’s almost Grain Full—an excellent time for wheat kernels. Too bad they’re hard to find! Today’s my lucky day, young man. How much do you sell them for?”

“Not expensive, two cents per stalk. How many would you like?”

“Two cents? That’s quite cheap! But... wait, why don’t you go snatch some?”