Leaning on the support of her uncle, Scarlett and her mother, Elizabeth, were living quite comfortably.
Especially during the busy harvest season, when every rural household was racing to gather their crops. The Whitaker family barely had enough hands to tend their own fields, leaving them no time to come to Wellwater Village to bother Scarlett and Elizabeth.
Scarlett’s business of transporting eggs to the city was quickly flourishing. She had a straightforward way of speaking, stunning good looks, and a strong business ethic. Within her principles, she was also remarkably generous. Workers at the agricultural machinery factory and the meat processing plant all knew about the her who sold fresh eggs right outside their factories.
Initially, Scarlett made daily trips to Greenfield County, and within just two days, she had sold nearly 2,000 eggs. Though cycling tirelessly between the countryside and the city was exhausting, her efforts were paying off. She was earning an average of 10 dollars a day.
With little capital and no connections, Scarlett had plenty of ideas for making money, but she had to take it one step at a time. While the daily earnings might seem small to her, Elizabeth was more than satisfied.
At night, Scarlett and Elizabeth would count the day’s earnings together. Emptying the cloth pouch onto the table, they’d see mostly small bills: ones, fifty-cent notes, and even some coins worth only a few cents. Scarlett swore she’d never seen as many small-denomination notes in her previous life as she had in these few days!
As Elizabeth sorted through the money, she felt as though she were dreaming:
“Is it really this easy to make money? Why don’t others know about this?”
It was a good question—it showed she was beginning to think.
Scarlett chuckled. “Even if people know it’s profitable, not everyone can do this kind of business.”
The 1980s were indeed full of opportunities, but not everyone became a millionaire. Seizing opportunities required both courage and luck. Scarlett’s egg business, for example, undoubtedly attracted envious glances in Wellwater Village. However, most people were too busy with their crops to spare the manpower. Those who had the manpower lacked Scarlett’s boldness—starting a business always carried the risk of loss. Selling eggs was not only labor-intensive but also risky.
What if the eggs didn’t sell? What if they broke during transport?
For Scarlett, losing nearly 100 dollars wouldn’t be the end of the world—she’d just start over. Having once worked her way up to a senior executive position in a multinational corporation, a minor setback like this wouldn’t faze her.
But for rural people in 1983, losing nearly 100 dollars could mean months of hard-earned savings wiped out in an instant. Families with thin margins couldn’t afford repeated failures.
Scarlett put the money away and said, “The egg business won’t last forever. I’ve already asked Uncle William to help collect eels. I’m thinking of taking them to the capital.”
In the rice paddies around the family’s fields, gathering dozens of pounds of loaches, crucian carp, and eels was easy. The countryside was abundant with these creatures.
Loaches, however, were tricky—they had an earthy taste if not prepared well.
Crucian carp, celebrated in modern times, were mostly disregarded now. People complained they were oily, bony, and had too little meat. They didn’t even make it into the “Four Major Fish” list, a testament to their unpopularity. The saying “like crucian carp crossing the river” evoked their sheer abundance and lack of value.
Eels, on the other hand, were a different story. Known as a highly nutritious delicacy, eels always fetched a good price, regardless of the era.
Even now, they were almost as expensive as chicken, though more challenging to sell in Greenfield County. The capital, however, was a different story.
Scarlett didn’t bother with the cheaper crucian carp and loaches, but she spread the word through William that she was collecting eels in addition to eggs. However, with everyone focused on harvesting rice, only a few kids brought her small amounts to sell. Scarlett wasn’t worried—eels could be caught well into October.
Even the unwanted crucian carp and loaches didn’t go to waste in Scarlett’s kitchen. She had her own ways to turn them into delicious meals.
