Chapter Twenty-Three [V] Milk Tea Shop

Aunt Xue, however, thought that her daughter-in-law was deliberately putting on a brave face so as not to worry her.

"Let's just give up the milk tea business and focus on making braised pork. Your braised pork has been very popular at Yuanbaolou for the past two weeks. Manager Huang even came to our house in person, asking you to increase the amount every day." That day, Manager Huang came and asked his daughter-in-law to add ten catties of meat every day, but she only agreed to add three catties.

At first, Manager Huang refused, but after his daughter-in-law talked to him a lot, he eventually agreed.

Later, she went to do other things and didn't stay there any longer, so she didn't know exactly how her daughter-in-law persuaded Manager Huang.

In short, Manager Huang left with a smile on his face, which shows that he hadn't offended anyone.

My daughter-in-law already cooks over ten kilograms of meat every day. Adding another ten kilograms would be too much, and she would definitely get tired.

She had originally intended to set aside some time for a proper rest.

But little did anyone expect that she would use the free time to do other business.

But setting up a street stall is hard work. It's not too cold yet, so I don't feel it. But once August is over and September comes, the weather will get really cold.

When the time comes, setting up stalls on the roadside outside this station won't be as comfortable as staying at home.

“Yan Niang, I know you’re quick-witted and clever, and always looking for other opportunities. But if we wait a little longer, it will get cold. At that time, it’s not as comfortable to stay at home and cook a couple of pots of meat as it is to set up a stall. If you really want to set up a stall, it’s not too late to do so after the New Year, when spring comes next year.”

Li Yan naturally had her own ideas and plans: "There are popular foods in autumn and winter, and there are popular foods in spring and summer." But she knew that her mother-in-law was worried about her, so Li Yan explained earnestly, "Mom, I know you care about me and are afraid that I will be tired or suffer. But I am happy to do these things. I don't feel tired at all. I feel that every day is fulfilling and that I have a bright future."

"Don't worry, Mother. If I feel tired one day, I will definitely stop and rest."

Setting up a street stall is certainly not Li Yan's goal. Li Yan's goal is to open a store and then make her brand bigger and stronger.

Every successful person has endured hardship and struggled through difficulties before achieving success. If success comes too easily without taking the necessary steps, one will be unable to handle any trouble that arises later in life.

What Li Yan needs to do now is to constantly refine her inner self and try her best to make herself stronger.

Failure isn't scary; what's scary is giving up at the first sign of difficulty. In this world, she can only rely on herself right now. If she backs down, who will shelter her from the storm?

As for partnering with Yuanbaolou to sell roast pork... it's true that making more portions each day means earning more money. But that money is hard-earned.

Although staying at home protects you from the wind and rain, the constant smell of cooking oil is bad for your skin and overall health. Cooking is physically demanding, essentially earning money by selling your labor, and the more you do, the more you earn. In the current situation, this collaboration is certainly welcome, but in the long run, it's not a sustainable solution.

After all, she didn't want to be a cook for the rest of her life.

Moreover, the reason why braised pork is so popular now is because people have never tasted this flavor or been prepared this way before. And now she is limiting the number of servings, making each day's portions very scarce, which creates a "hunger marketing" effect.

The harder something is to get, the more you want to eat it.

Only when people are so satisfied with their meal will they want to come back to eat again and again.

If you always give yourself enough to eat and have plenty to eat, you won't want to eat anymore after you've eaten so much.

Li Yan told Manager Huang that selling braised pork wasn't the restaurant's main goal, since the profit margin on a single serving was extremely low. Even if they sold ten more kilograms a day, how much additional revenue would that bring to the restaurant?

For restaurants, the natural expectation is that customers will keep coming to their establishments and that their business will be booming.

If you have a dish that leaves you wanting more, you'll come back often. And once you come, you can't just order one dish, right? If you order an extra dish, that's extra profit.

Li Yan had said the same thing to Manager Xu before.

They were all literate and had studied arithmetic, so they naturally understood the underlying principles.

So, when Manager Huang finally realized what was going on, he immediately smiled and said that he would do everything as Madam Li said. He would make as many extra portions as Madam Li said each day, and then he left happily.

The daughter-in-law was very opinionated and insisted on her own way, so Aunt Xue had no choice but to compromise and say, "Then you can do it at home from now on, and I'll take care of the stall. I'm just idle at home anyway, so it's perfect for me to set up a stall and sell these milk tea drinks."

But right now, her milk tea business is still in its startup phase, and its development is unstable. Once it's more stable, she can confidently hand it over to someone else. But not now.

So Li Yan laughed and said, "I can handle it by myself for now, but when I can't, I will naturally ask my mother for help."

Aunt Xue nodded: "Then when you're tired, you must tell your mother. Don't try to push yourself."

"Don't worry, Mother, I will."

.

Milk tea is not a food like meat or fish; it's a beverage enjoyed after meals.

For wealthy families, this kind of food can be eaten whenever they want. But for families with average economic conditions, this kind of recreational food is not something they can eat at any time.

A bowl costs four coins, which is not expensive; almost everyone living on this street can afford it.

But if they spend four coins on this every day, or even frequently or every few days, they might not be able to afford it.

Therefore, Li Yan believes that the sudden downturn in business is not a problem with the milk tea itself, but rather with the sales method.

The problem wasn't with the milk tea itself, but with the customers.

In other words, she needs to expand her customer base and can't just focus on the business right in her neighborhood.

She'll only be setting up a stall on this Tongye Street, and at most she can only sell one and a half jin of milk tea a day. That'll only earn her twenty coins a day, which is still a long way from her goal of opening a shop.

Li Yan never thought of giving up on this path; she wanted to continue trying.

Later, Li Yan discovered that the most prosperous street in Huating County was Xifu Street, where Yuanbaolou was located. Shops lined the street, and it was always bustling with customers, day and night, until around 9 PM when the activity finally subsided. But the very next morning, as soon as dawn broke, all sorts of breakfast stalls were already set up along the roadside.

The people who frequent this street are either rich or noble. Four or five coins are nothing to them.

Li Yan also learned that street vending was permitted, and these were legitimate stalls authorized by the county government and protected by the authorities. The only downside was that a stall fee was required, and it wasn't cheap.

Li Yan also learned that because of the high foot traffic on this street, many people are willing to spend money to set up stalls there. Therefore, the demand for stalls far exceeds the supply.

The market is divided into morning and evening markets. The morning market starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 10 a.m.

The evening market starts at 1-3 PM and ends at 9-11 PM.

Li Yan naturally rents a stall in the evening market to sell milk tea, as it's more suitable for her to do business in the afternoon and evening.

The stall fee for the evening market is about 23 coins per day, so it would be 690 coins per month. To rent one, you need to go to the county government office to complete the formalities, and once you decide to rent, the minimum lease term is six months.

The stall fee is paid monthly, and at the end of the previous month, you have to pay the entire next month's fee in one lump sum.

It's late July now. If we hurry to the government office to complete the formalities, we can get the stall for August.

Although the stall fee is a bit expensive, once you decide to set up a stall, you have to be prepared to pay six months' rent. It costs 690 cash per month, so six months would be a little over 4.1 taels.

Li Yan had considered that at worst she would earn less and her income wouldn't meet her expectations, but she certainly wouldn't lose money. The worst outcome would be that she would end up working for nothing and putting in some effort for nothing, but she would definitely not lose anything else.

Therefore, there's nothing to hesitate about.

After making this decision, Li Yan returned to discuss it with her mother-in-law, Aunt Xue.

Since Aunt Xue knew this was something her daughter-in-law really wanted to do, how could she discourage her? Even though she felt that life was good enough and there was no need to work so hard, she still encouraged her, saying, "Whatever you do, I'll support you. And I believe you can definitely do it well."

Li Yan was overjoyed with the support and encouragement she received. However, when she thought of something else, she said apologetically, "I originally came to the city to let Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er go to school, but now, their schooling will have to be postponed for a month."

Li Yan can now earn seven or eight taels of silver a month through her cooperation with Yuanbaolou.

She had previously inquired about the market prices, including the cost of books, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Actually, with that much monthly income, even if she was a little frugal, it would be enough to support her two children's education.

However, since this collaboration has only just begun and we don't have much savings, and we're currently busy with the stall... so, the schooling for the two children has to be postponed.

Aunt Xue said, "Raising these two children, and even sending them to school, shouldn't have been your responsibility. It's a blessing for these two children that you have this intention. As for whether they start school a month earlier or later, what difference does it make? Yan Niang, just do what you want to do, and don't take this little thing to heart."

Even so, Li Yan was unwilling to break her promise.

So she promised, "No matter what, by September, we must make sure these two children can start school."

To study, one needs a teacher. Having been in this world for so long, Li Yan has mostly dealt with merchants and doesn't know many scholars. However, she suddenly remembered Manager Xu from Qingshan Town; he was a scholar, and even a student of the lowest level.

If there's really no other way, you could write him a letter and see if he has any friends or relatives who can help you.

Thinking of this, Li Yan immediately said, "Mother, do you know? That Manager Xu is a scholar, and even a student of the Imperial Academy. I... we have some friendship now. After I finish settling the matter of renting the stall in the next couple of days, I will write him a letter and ask him to help me find a reliable tutor to teach the two children to read."

Aunt Xue didn't know this, but when she heard that Manager Xu was actually a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, she immediately felt respect for him.

"He's actually a scholar who has passed the imperial examination?" Aunt Xue was quite surprised. "I really didn't realize that." She was also puzzled. "But why would a scholar who has passed the imperial examination be working as an accountant in a restaurant?" In this world, it is naturally more promising to study and pursue an official career than to do anything else. Since he has chosen the path of studying and has already passed the imperial examination, why would he change careers halfway through?

He looks young, probably only in his early twenties. At just over twenty, he's already a student of the Imperial Academy; he has a long life ahead of him and many more opportunities. Why wouldn't he continue his studies?

Li Yan was also curious about this.

But that's their business, and she shouldn't overstep her bounds and ask too many questions.

"Perhaps there were unavoidable reasons," Li Yan said.

Li Yan guessed that something must have happened to him, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so strongly to the matter of He Shi "betraying" her.

.

Over the next two days, Li Yan spent more money cultivating relationships. She quickly got the stall rental arrangement sorted out.

Since she is now running a legitimate business, Li Yan specifically sought out a carpentry shop and asked the craftsmen there to help her build a cart that would better suit her taste.

The cart I used to push to set up my stall was actually just a wooden cart, which could only hold a pottery jar and a few bowls; it was very simple.

For the newly made cart, Li Yan had the carpenter carve the words "Yan Yan Milk Tea Shop" in a prominent position. She also explained in detail to the carpenter where to place the ceramic jars, where to place the bowls, and so on.

After stating their requirements, they discussed the price.

After much haggling and pleading, they finally settled on a price of 1,900 coins.

Of course, this 1,900 coins included everything. In addition to the carpenter's labor fee, the carpentry firm also handled all the timber.

However, because Li Yan had many requirements, the carpentry shop said that the time to finish the work might be longer, at the earliest seven days. If things didn't go smoothly, it could take up to ten days.

The saying goes, "Slow and steady wins the race," and Li Yan didn't want the carpentry firm to rush things and neglect quality. She was willing to accept a finished product within ten days if the carpentry firm could guarantee her.

Li Yan first paid a deposit of 500 coins, and promised to pay the remaining 1,400 coins on the day she received the goods.

After that, Li Yan waited for the new stroller to be completed while continuing to make do with the old one.

On her first day setting up a stall at the official stalls on Xifu Street, Li Yan was still nervous. After all, she had spent a lot of money on all the setup and preparation. So, she was hoping to see results as soon as possible.

On her first day setting up a stall here, Li Yan truly witnessed the prosperity of Huating County's night market.

The night market here is just as impressive as those in later times.

Seeing the bustling night market gave Li Yan even more confidence.

As long as there are enough people, there's no fear of not having business.

If business is bad, it's not the market's fault, it's her own fault. She needs to look for the reasons in herself and in her products.

In the first few days after setting up her stall on Xifu Street, Li Yan was still tentatively selling one pound of cow's milk and one pound of goat's milk.

Business was so-so for the first two days, but on the third day, Li Yan saw her first repeat customer.

These past two days, while running her stall, she had made a point of noting down the facial features of her customers. Upon spotting a returning customer, Li Yan immediately seized the opportunity to ask, "Sir, this is only my third day here, and this is the second time I've seen you." As she deftly served him milk tea, she smiled and asked, "How do you find my milk tea?"

He was a young gentleman with fair skin and a refined appearance.

He spoke politely: “I’ve had milk and tea. But I’ve never tasted tea in milk and milk in tea. It’s quite novel.” As he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand, which had been behind his back, and held a bowl in his hand. “Another bowl, please. I’ll take it with me and bring it back for my wife to try.”

Li Yan immediately agreed, "I'll pack it for you right away." After serving you a generous portion, Li Yan smiled broadly and said, "If you like it, come again next time!"

In the following days, business gradually improved. Soon, the daily supply of one pound each of cow's and sheep's milk drinks was not enough to meet demand.

Fortunately, the tenth day passed quickly, and the carpenter delivered the finished stroller to her home. With her new stroller, Li Yan boldly bought twice as much milk the next day.

When Li Yan went to the carpenter's shop to order the cart, she also went to a pottery shop and asked the potter to make two large pottery jars according to her needs. Now that the new cart and the two large pottery ice chests are in place, and with no shortage of customers, Li Yan can finally focus on her business.

She did the math: the stall fee for six months was four taels and one mace of silver, the cart was one tael and nine mace, and the two ceramic ice chests cost two hundred and sixty cash. All of this added up to more than six taels. Although the stall fee was paid monthly, even so, she had already paid almost three taels of silver upfront.

The initial investment was so large, which made our already meager savings even worse.

Fortunately, the school enrollment for the two children was postponed to next month; otherwise, even after hiring teachers, we would still be worried about the money to pay the tuition fees.

However, after renting a stall to sell milk tea, Li Yan's business has been quite stable. She has no trouble selling at least two catties of milk tea made from cow's milk and two catties of milk from sheep's milk every day, and even if she makes more occasionally, it will still sell out.

But Li Yan plans to take it one step at a time and not rush things.

It's not too late to stabilize the market first, and then think about expanding the business.

Those who want to do business for the long term don't care about short-term gains.

Now, thanks to its good location, Li Yan sells a bowl of milk tea for five coins. Four catties of milk can make sixty bowls of milk tea, which means it can be sold for three hundred coins. After deducting the cost of one hundred and forty coins, she can make a profit of one hundred and sixty coins.

One hundred and sixty coins a day, that's four taels and eight mace a month.

If you calculate it this way, you can actually earn back your initial investment quite quickly.

As the weather gets colder, Li Yan sometimes doesn't want to stay at her stall until late. So, if there's any milk tea left unsold, she won't sell it anymore and will just push her cart home. The remaining milk tea will be poured out and shared among the four of them at home.

If there's any left over, Li Yan will have Xu Ge'er take it and give it to the neighbors to drink.

When the neighbors asked, "Brother Xu, why don't we see your aunt setting up her stall on the back street anymore? Where has she gone to set up her stall?"

Xu Ge'er seemed to have been waiting for this question, and upon hearing it, he immediately said, "Auntie has now completed the formalities at the county government office and found a stall on Xifu Street. She's going to set up her stall there." Then, he told the neighbor the exact location of the stall.

Neighbors, feeling obligated to help, would say, "I know where it is now, I'll go buy a bowl tomorrow."

Xu Ge'er quickly said, "If you want to drink, I'll tell my aunt and ask her to save you a bowl, so you won't have to make this trip."

"That works too."

So, after that, neighbors living on Tongye Street, or the streets in front and behind, would place their orders in advance if they needed milk tea that day. Li Yan instructed Xu Ge'er to remember the names and addresses of the families who needed to order milk tea every day, and then, once the milk tea was ready, Li Yan would give the neighbors their share.

Only then did she push her cart to the stall to sell the remaining items.

He sold the bowls outside for five coins, but he still sold them to his neighbors for four coins a bowl.

By the time everything stabilized, it was already late August, and the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed.

September is just around the corner, and Li Yan is planning to finalize the schooling arrangements for her two children as soon as possible.

That day, Li Yan closed her stall early. After returning home, she boiled a large pot of water and took a comfortable hot bath.

I took a shower and washed my hair at the same time.

Afterwards, with her hair still wet, she sat down at the table under the window in her room, took out paper and pen, and prepared to write a formal letter to Manager Xu.

Perfect timing! When the delivery truck from Yuanbaolou comes to pick up the meat tomorrow evening, I can ask the driver to take the message over.

Because she was preparing to send her two children to school, Li Yan bought some paper, ink, brushes, and inkstones in advance.

Fearing that she might need to write something in the future, Li Yan kept a copy for herself as well.

Sitting quietly by the window, which was wide open, the cool autumn breeze blew into the room through the open window, making Li Yan's waist-length hair flutter.

Actually, the original owner's hair was not in good condition. It was dry, brittle, and yellow, with split ends, making it look like it lacked nutrition.

Li Yan bought black sesame seeds and carefully ground them into powder. She would drink a bowl of black sesame paste every day.

Then, every time she washes her hair, she takes some aloe vera that she picked while hiking in the mountains when she lived in the countryside, squeezes out the juice, applies it to her long hair, and wraps it in a towel to let it sit for about fifteen minutes. Only after the nutrients from the aloe vera have penetrated into her hair will Li Yan rinse it off with warm water.

In addition, she pays great attention to a balanced diet. She tries to eat three meals a day at regular times, and makes sure to include meat, eggs, and dairy products every day.

Not only did she eat like this herself, but she also made Aunt Xue and her two children eat like this too.

After taking care of herself in this way, Li Yan's skin not only improved, but her hair also became much darker and shinier than before.

The two children have also become much plumper and fairer than before in the past two or three months.

Xu Ge'er has grown quite a bit taller and is no longer as thin as a bamboo pole. Yue Jie'er's hair is no longer dry and yellow, and her little face has become chubby. The two children are well-nourished, with rosy lips and white teeth, clearly showing that they lack nothing in terms of food, clothing, or nutrition.

After two or three months of living together, Li Yan has now fully integrated into this family.

Not only was Aunt Xue grateful to her, but the two children were also very attached to her and truly treated her as an elder.

Xu Ge'er is a bit better, after all, he's a boy and a bit older, so his feelings are always more reserved.

Yue'er is different. Perhaps because she lacked maternal love since childhood, she actually regarded her aunt Li Yan as her own mother and relied on her.

Whenever Li Yan is home, she likes to huddle up to her.

Li Yan was sitting by the window writing a letter when Yue'er came over and snuggled up to her leg.

It was already very late, and Aunt Xue came several times to call her to go to bed, but Yue'er was reluctant.

Thinking that the child had been motherless since childhood, Li Yan decided to let it go and said to Aunt Xue, "Mother, go to sleep first. Otherwise, I'll take care of Yue'er tonight."

Aunt Xue felt sorry for her daughter-in-law: "This child is restless at night. She often sleeps with her head facing east and wakes up with her head facing west. You are so busy every day and rely on a good night's sleep to recharge. How can you let her disturb you?"

After saying that, he called out to Yue'er seriously, "Don't disturb your aunt. Let her finish her work early and go to bed early."

When Grandma told her that sleeping with her aunt would disturb her, Yue'er immediately became sensible and stopped clinging to Li Yan.

Li Yan laughed and said, "So Yue'er is such a restless sleeper?" Then, thinking of something, she immediately added, "Then you and Xu'er won't be able to sleep well at night either?"

Just like when they lived in the countryside, Li Yan now lives alone in a room, while her grandmother, grandson, and granddaughter share another room.

The room where the grandmother, grandson, and granddaughter lived was a little bigger, and the bed in the room was also a little bigger, so they could barely squeeze in and sleep.

But if one of them doesn't sleep well, the other two certainly won't sleep well either.

Aunt Xue said, "Xu-ge'er and I are used to it."

Li Yan's gaze suddenly fell on Xu Ge'er, who was leaning against the door. She noticed that he had grown much taller and stronger... which made her think of something else.

"Is Xu-ge'er eight years old this year?" After the New Year, he will be nine.

There is an old saying that "boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven." Even sitting together requires some consideration, let alone sleeping in the same bed.

Although the Xue family was just a farming family, not a wealthy family with strict rules, Li Yan still wanted him to sleep separately from her grandmother and sister if the family could afford it.

So, after a moment's thought, Li Yan said, "I'll go to the carpenter's shop another day and ask how long it would take to make a narrower bed."

If the room is bigger, we can put a narrower bed in the corner, and then hang a curtain, and we can make it a separate room.

Although the room was dark, Li Yan could clearly feel that Xu Ge'er's eyes were shining when she said these words.

Li Yan then realized that the child was precocious and probably felt that he couldn't sleep well with his grandmother and sister.

However, he was well-behaved and didn't want to cause trouble for his family, which is why he didn't bring it up himself.

When she, as his aunt, brought it up herself, he was naturally surprised and delighted.

Li Yan looked at him and continued, "There is an old saying that 'boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven.' When children get older, it is best to avoid this if possible."

Aunt Xue remained silent, thinking that her grandson was growing up day by day, and it was indeed not good for the siblings to share a bed again.

Even if we don't build a bed now, we'll still have to get a separate bed for our grandson to sleep in a year or two.

Now that Yan Niang has brought it up, Aunt Xue thinks it's best to get this done as soon as possible.

"If Xu-ge'er could sleep alone, that would be perfect." Aunt Xue smiled, a little embarrassed, as she felt it was really too much trouble for her.

Li Yan nodded: "Then I'll go ask about it in the next couple of days." She added, "I've been so busy lately that I've overlooked this."

Aunt Xue hurriedly said, "You've been so busy taking care of this family, and you've managed to look after both children at the same time. I'm so grateful to you. This is something I, as the grandmother, should have considered, but I haven't thought it through enough."

Aunt Xue had indeed overlooked it; if her daughter-in-law hadn't brought it up, she wouldn't have thought much of it.

Farmers mostly slept like this, squeezed together.

But there was nothing that could be done.

If given the opportunity, I would definitely consider more options.

Li Yan said, "I know a master craftsman who made this cart for me. He's very skilled and his prices are reasonable. I'll go ask him about it later."

After Aunt Xue left Li Yan's house with her two children, Li Yan was finally able to calm down and write a letter.

Having not seen Manager Xu for over a month, Li Yan naturally greeted him in a friendly tone when writing this letter.

Then, she brought up the matter of asking him for help.

The letter detailed the situation of Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er, and asked him whether it would be better for them to go to school or hire a tutor to teach them at home.

Finally, at the end of the letter, Li Yan solemnly expressed her gratitude again, saying that she would repay him with a gift once the matter was resolved.

After writing the letter, Li Yan read it carefully again. Finding no problems, she put the letter in an envelope and then sealed it with wax.

The next evening, when the truck carrying meat to Qingshan Town came to pick up the goods, Li Yan handed the letter to the driver.

He gave them five copper coins.

"Please help me deliver this letter to Manager Xu of Yuanbaolou Restaurant in Qingshan Town."

The coachman received five copper coins and grinned from ear to ear. He quickly agreed, saying, "Don't worry, Madam Li, I will personally deliver the letter to Manager Xu."

"Then I'll have to trouble you."

The driver was in a particularly good mood after earning an extra five copper coins.

I hummed a little tune the whole way to Qingshan Town.

Normally, he would turn around and leave immediately after delivering the vegetables. But today, not only did he not rush to leave, he also made a point of finding an empty spot to park the car before heading into the store.

At that moment, Manager Xu was standing behind the counter checking accounts, the abacus beads clicking away, and he was completely focused. Suddenly, everything went dark, and when he looked up, he saw that Uncle Yuan, who delivered the vegetables, had entered the room and walked to the counter where he was doing his accounts. Manager Xu immediately and cautiously covered the abacus beads.

Then, with a gentle lift of his hand, a sound of beads rolling was heard, and the accounts on the abacus were in disarray.

"Uncle Yuan, what brings you here? Why are you here?" Manager Xu was slightly displeased. He disliked such impetuous behavior and impetuous people.

Uncle Yuan drove the cart to deliver vegetables every day, regardless of the scorching heat or freezing cold, or the wind and rain. His face was tanned dark, like the bark of a withered tree.

But now, a bright smile bloomed on his dark face.

He didn't say anything, but solemnly handed over the letter he was holding in his hand.

"What is this?" Shopkeeper Xu was even more puzzled when he was handed the letter out of the blue.

"This is from the young lady."

Seeing that he seemed not to understand, Yuan Bocai continued, "It's that young lady who makes braised pork. I went to pick up some meat today, and she asked me to give you this letter."

"Lady Li?" Manager Xu suddenly realized who the "little lady" he was referring to was. His tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and his eyes widened in surprise.

But soon, a hint of doubt crept into his brow.

Why would she write to herself? Is something wrong?

He lowered his head, staring at the delicate handwriting on the envelope, and fell silent for a moment.

Uncle Yuan said, "I've delivered the letter to you. My mission is complete."

Shopkeeper Xu, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped out of it and smiled politely as he thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle Yuan."

After Uncle Yuan left, Manager Xu put the letter away.

There were many people around, and it was a busy time, so even though Manager Xu was very curious about the contents of her letter, he held back and focused on his work first.

When night fell and the restaurant closed, Manager Xu returned to his temporary lodging room at the restaurant before taking out the letter.

By the light of the oil lamp, he opened the letter and read it.

At first glance, the handwriting appears somewhat immature, yet it is delicate and neat, which is quite different from her rugged appearance.

Upon reading the contents, Manager Xu finally understood the purpose of her letter.

Is she going to support her husband's nephew's education? Does she know how much silver it costs to support a child's education, from early childhood to at least obtaining the title of a student?

Considering she's a woman, yet she's out in public and working so hard to make a living, she must be very short of money.

But just when things were starting to get a little better, they were about to spend all their money?

Out of curiosity about her identity, Manager Xu had previously inquired about it. Therefore, he knew that she had married into the Xue family of Xinghua Village to bring good fortune. When she married into the family, the second son of the Xue family had already gone to the battlefield to fight the enemy.

And soon after, news of Xue Erlang's death in battle reached the village, and she became a widow.

In this situation, she should actually be thinking more about herself.

Raising her husband's nephew to go to school... Could it be that she intends to stay in the Xue family for the rest of her life?

Manager Xu suddenly realized that this woman, who seemed shrewd, was actually quite foolish.

I had originally planned to grab a pen and paper to write a reply, but after careful consideration, I withdrew my outstretched hand.

The next morning, Manager Xu appeared directly in front of the house that Li Yan had rented.

Early that morning, Li Yan had just woken up and was having breakfast with her nephews and nieces in the main room when she heard someone knocking on the courtyard gate.

Originally, Li Yan thought it was a farmer from the countryside delivering milk. Instead of getting up early every day to go to the outskirts of the city to buy cow and sheep milk, she made an agreement with that farmer to give him one hundred copper coins every month and ask him to deliver the milk to her door early in the morning.

Farmers have oxcarts, making it much more convenient for them to travel back and forth than for her, who doesn't have a car.

She was still standing in the courtyard when her voice rang out and drifted outside the door: "Brother Wang, you're a quarter of an hour early today, what's wrong..." She pulled the latch, and the door creaked open. When she saw that it wasn't Brother Wang who delivered the milk, but Manager Xu standing outside, Li Yan immediately stopped talking.

Then, to her great surprise, her eyes lit up immediately: "Manager Xu? What brings you here?" As she spoke, she immediately opened the door wide, "Please come in and sit down." She was very welcoming.

Not only was Li Yan pleasantly surprised, but Manager Xu was also quite astonished.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that after not seeing her for over a month, Madam Li's appearance had become even more delicate and pretty than when she lived in the countryside.

In the end, the environment in the city is still more nourishing.

Out of curiosity, Manager Xu lingered on Li Yan's face for a while before smiling and replying, "I received the letter you asked Uncle Yuan to deliver yesterday."

Li Yan guessed that he must have come for this reason as well.

But instead of immediately discussing that matter, she asked with concern, "You came so early this morning, you must not have eaten yet?"

I got up early and rushed to the carriage shop to catch the earliest train into the city. There was no time to eat.

She hadn't noticed it before, but when she asked, Manager Xu subconsciously raised her hand to touch her stomach.

Not yet.

Li Yan respectfully invited the person to sit in the main seat in the hall. Looking at the table, she saw only porridge and boiled eggs, which had been eaten in a mess.

It wouldn't be appropriate to serve these leftovers to our distinguished guests, so Li Yan asked Manager Xu to wait a moment while she plunged into the kitchen.

Time was tight, and she couldn't keep the guests waiting too long, so Li Yan simply made a chive and egg pancake.

Scoop out the flour, crack in the eggs, wash and chop the chives, then add an appropriate amount of water and mix well.

After mixing well, add a little salt for seasoning, then pour it into the pan to make pancakes.

Soon, the aroma of noodles mixed with the fragrance of chives filled the air.

During this time, Li Yan was busy with her business, so her mother-in-law, Aunt Xue, did all the household chores, including preparing almost all three meals a day. Only occasionally would Aunt Xue make an extra portion of braised pork to share with everyone.

But she doesn't make breakfast.

She either got up early to go to the countryside to buy milk before morning, or she was sleeping when she didn't need to buy milk. When she got up, Aunt Xue had already prepared breakfast.

It wasn't particularly delicious, but it wasn't bad either.

So she didn't try to redo it herself.

Today, because of Manager Xu's arrival, she personally cooked breakfast and made pancakes.

Since they had already started, they naturally made a lot more than they should. Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er thought they hadn't tried the chive and egg pancakes she made yet, so they decided to invite them to try them as well.

After the pancakes were made, Li Yan took a bowl and scooped out some, intending to save it for Aunt Xue, who had gone out early to buy meat.

She put the rest into plates and took them to the main room.

"The freshly made chive and egg pancakes are here."

Chives are fragrant on their own, and when paired with eggs and fine white flour pancakes, they become even more delicious.

It was fresh out of the pot, steaming hot, and as soon as it was brought into the main room, the aroma immediately filled the air.

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Author's Note: Here's today's long, satisfying chapter!

30 red envelopes will drop!

See you tomorrow morning!