"You want to set up a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes?"
"Right. It’s freezing outside now, and people will love something warm. By the time it gets hot, Nian will be further along in her pregnancy. I’ll take care of her until she recovers after giving birth, and then I’ll go back to selling."
Yang Yufen nodded.
"Alright, I’ll tell my son about it. He’ll deliver two hundred catties for you to start with. If it’s not enough, I’ll have him bring more."
"Also, lend me your tricycle. I’ll pay you rent every month."
"No need for that. When the weather warms up, I won’t be able to handle the heavy work in the yard alone. You can help me out in exchange."
"Deal!"
The two settled the matter without a hint of shame.
Qin Nian went off to work, still a little worried about her mother-in-law. She regretted not taking an extra day off—she hadn’t even bought her winter clothes yet.
Yang Yufen got a large gasoline barrel from the security department and modified it into a sweet potato roaster herself. She mounted it onto the tricycle after removing the canopy.
Qin Nian fretted for the first couple of days, but seeing her mother-in-law busy and in good spirits, she threw herself back into her experiments.
After three days of work, the roaster was finally ready. Yang Yufen bought plenty of charcoal—much better than coal briquettes for this purpose.
Loading the roaster and a hundred catties of sweet potatoes onto the tricycle, Yang Yufen left the research institute’s residential compound and headed to a spot near the textile factory, a bit farther away.
To keep track of time, she wore the old wristwatch Qin Nian had given her. Estimating the timing, she lit the fire and put the sweet potatoes in.
When the factory bell rang and the gates opened, signaling the end of the workday, Yang Yufen raised her voice:
"Roasted sweet potatoes! Sweet, fragrant roasted sweet potatoes!"
She broke open one that had caramelized, releasing a rich, sugary aroma.
The textile factory had mostly female workers, and at this hour, everyone was hungry—more sensitive to the smell of food.
"How much for the roasted sweet potatoes?"
"Thirty fen for a big one, twenty for a small. Or fifty fen for two big ones, fifty fen for three small ones. Mine are special—try a bite. You won’t find sweeter ones anywhere else."
The roasted sweet potatoes gleamed golden, their skins peeling away to reveal a honey-like glaze.
Thirty fen each seemed a bit steep, while the twenty-fen ones looked a little too small.
"If two of you split the cost, I’ll give you two big ones for fifty fen. Or if three want to try, fifty fen for three small ones."
Yang Yufen had cut old newspapers into palm-sized sheets to wrap the sweet potatoes—no mess, easy to hold.
"So delicious!"
The two girls who got to taste first exclaimed in delight.
"We’ll take two."
Twenty-five fen each was worth it.
Each got one, and they noticed Yang Yufen had picked out slightly larger ones—enough to fill them up.
Word spread quickly. More people, drawn by the smell, soon bought out the pre-roasted batch and the ones still in the roaster.
"The next batch will take a little longer—twenty minutes for small ones, half an hour for big ones. You can go eat first and come back before your shift."
Yang Yufen called out, and those who missed out sighed, deciding to return later.
She hadn’t dared to roast too many at first, but business was better than expected.
A hundred catties of sweet potatoes sounded like a lot, but they were heavy with moisture.
By the time the textile workers returned for their afternoon shift, all hundred catties were sold out.
"Aunt Yang, will you be back after the evening shift? These are so good—I want to bring a couple for my sweetheart."
"Not today. Tomorrow—I’ll bring more then."
Many hadn’t gotten any, but news of the exceptionally tasty roasted sweet potatoes had already spread through the factory.
Full of energy, Yang Yufen pedaled the tricycle back to the residential compound, bypassing her own home and heading straight to Aunt Wang’s place.
"Sister Wang, here—I saved two for you."
She parked the tricycle and pulled two piping-hot sweet potatoes from the roaster.
"Roasted really is better than steamed."
Aunt Wang didn’t stand on ceremony.
"I came to pick up the rest of the sweet potatoes. Is your son available? They sell well, and I’ve brought the money. If he can’t deliver, I can go get them myself."
"All sold out?"
Aunt Wang was stunned.
Yang Yufen nodded.
"Of course he’s available. He’s been worried about what to do with those sweet potatoes—everyone else grows high-yield varieties, but his turned out watery. Even the supply and marketing cooperative wouldn’t take them."
Aunt Wang clicked her tongue, thinking her son’s farming skills were worse than hers.
"That’s perfect. I’ll be selling all winter and into spring—can he supply only me?"
Yang Yufen had done the math—she could easily sell all the sweet potatoes from those few acres herself.
"Sure."
No one else wanted them anyway, and her son didn’t have time to find buyers. Better to sell them all to her good friend.
That evening, a thousand catties of sweet potatoes were delivered to Yang Yufen’s home.
"Auntie, I’ll bring the next batch in three days, alright?"
Aunt Wang’s son came in person. He always felt his mother didn’t think much of him, so when she asked for help—and was doing him a favor—he made sure to deliver them himself and see her.
"Good, good. Thank you for the trouble."
When Qin Nian returned and saw the mountain of sweet potatoes at home, she gasped.
"Mom, why did you buy so many?"
"I set up a roaster and sold them near the textile factory. Business was good, but I might not make it back in time to bring you lunch at noon. Don’t worry—I’ll leave dinner ready in the pot for you."
"Mom, this is too much work. What if you get sick from the cold?"
Qin Nian couldn’t help worrying.
"Not cold at all! I’ve got my army coat, and I’m right next to the roaster—warmer than staying home."
Yang Yufen was firm, so Qin Nian had to relent.
"Then at least sell near the research institute instead of going all the way to the textile factory."
If she couldn’t stop her, she’d try to make it easier.
"You researchers barely have time to eat—who’d come out for roasted sweet potatoes? The textile factory has more women workers, and they clock out on time."
Yang Yufen had a point, so Qin Nian dropped it.
The next day, though, she got her mother-in-law a pair of sheepskin gloves.
"Mom, I won’t stop you from selling, but you have to wear these."
"Such nice gloves—you should keep them for yourself."
Yang Yufen eyed the pristine gloves. She thought a pair of knitted ones would do.
"I don’t need them in the lab."
Qin Nian insisted, so Yang Yufen put them on—but to keep them clean, she wore knitted gloves over them.
