Xia Chunmei said, "I don't know how many tables the village chief expects."

"Around thirty tables, can you handle that?"

Generally speaking, a red-themed wedding banquet typically features ten bowls on the table, symbolizing perfection.

One of the dishes is boiled eggs, which is a must-have at weddings and funerals.

So if Xia Chunmei accepts this order, she will have to make nine dishes using fish.

After a moment's thought, Xia Chunmei said, "I can make eight fish dishes, plus a longevity peach dish for each table, which makes ten bowls in total. Does that sound alright?"

"Longevity Peach"

"That's right, the longevity peach is made of flour, you can think of it as a bun shaped like a longevity peach."

"Could you make one for me to see right now?"

The Wang family was quite curious.

They'd never seen longevity peach buns before.

"We need some ingredients. You can prepare the ingredients first, and then we can schedule a time to try the dish."

"Besides the longevity peach, what other dishes do you plan to make?"

"Sweet and sour fish chunks, boiled fish slices, steamed sea bass. If you're not satisfied with the longevity peach, we'll make another dish: braised grass carp with scallions or crucian carp and tofu soup."

"Then you can make a list of what you need to prepare, and I'll have someone buy it. Once everything is ready, I'll have someone call you over to cook it for us to try first." Wang Dagui had just finished eating, but hearing the names of these dishes made him feel like he could still eat.

"Sure, we're from Yijia Village. Just send someone to let us know when the time comes. But I don't know how the fee is calculated."

"Normally it's twelve coins per table, but since you don't have any utensils, I have to prepare them myself, so I'll give you eight coins per table."

“But I’m good at cooking, Village Chief Wang. My skills are no worse than Liu Changgui’s, are they?”

Liu Changgui was a cook who specialized in catering for weddings and funerals in the surrounding villages. It was said that his family could earn ten or twenty taels of silver a year from this.

In rural areas, an income of this much per year definitely qualifies one as middle class.

Xia Chunmei added, "If we were to make longevity peaches, it would take an extra day. Others don't have my skills and don't know how to make longevity peaches. So, we'll just make a few dishes, which is easier and less strenuous."

How about this? You're my first customer, so we're kind of destined to meet. If you don't want the longevity peaches, it'll be ten coins per table. But if you like the longevity peaches, then it'll be twelve coins per table. What do you say?

Wang Dagui thought for a moment and said, "Then let's wait until all the materials are ready, and you can make something first so I can take a look. Then we can talk about it."

Xia Chunmei had no objection to this, and then told the Wang family what materials they needed to prepare before finally weighing and settling the bill with them for all the large grass carp.

Including the two fish killed today, there were a total of fifteen fish, weighing 153 catties. The extra three catties were rounded down, and the price was eight coins per catty. The Wang family gave Xia Chunmei one tael and two hundred coins.

"My family doesn't have any oil or salt, and it's inconvenient to go to the county town. Could you give me these two hundred coins in the form of oil and salt, or a few fishing hooks and lines?"

Because Xia Chunmei "caught" so many big fish, there must be many people fishing by the river now. She can't just make a wish to make the fish jump ashore; it would be too conspicuous, and it wouldn't be good if she were discovered.

So she could only honestly fish, but fish hooks were hard to buy in the countryside and troublesome to bring to the city. Wang Dagui loved to eat fish and also loved to fish, so Xia Chunmei thought he must have fish hooks and lines.

The Wang family was easy to talk to. They put two catties of tea oil in a bamboo tube for Xia Chunmei, wrapped three ounces of salt in paper, and gave her three fishhooks with fishing lines attached. The total amount was 140 coins.

Oil and salt were quite expensive in that era, so ordinary people mainly ate steamed or boiled dishes.

On the way back, Xia Mingshi and Xia Huohua were still in awe of today's harvest and savoring the feast they had eaten.

"Chunmei, your cooking is really good. I can die happy now."

"Of course, Liu Changgui's skills are far inferior to Chunmei's," Xia Mingshi said with a smile. "If the banquet at Village Chief Wang's house goes well, Chunmei's skills will definitely become famous in the surrounding villages, surpassing Liu Changgui's. Her future will surely be better."

Wang Dagui's birthday banquet will definitely attract relatives and friends from different places. In this era, it is not common to hold banquets in restaurants, so the market for banquet chefs is huge.

"If we really become famous, then we'll form our own team."

Starting a business requires capital, and being in an unfamiliar place carries certain risks. Moreover, Xia Chunmei has yet to have the opportunity to visit the county town and broaden her horizons. Becoming a cook might be a viable option.

Upon hearing Xia Chunmei mention forming her own team, Xia Mingshi's heart stirred. She glanced at Xia Chunmei but remained silent.

At this moment, Xia Chunmei said, "Uncle Huohua, Grandma Ming, we agreed before that the money from selling the fish would be split 50/50. Today we have a total of nineteen fish, which are calculated at ten catties each. I will give you seven hundred and sixty coins, and I will keep the oil, salt, and grain. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this number, Xia Ming and her son were greatly startled.

"So much! Too much! We only did a little work." Xia Mingshi said with a smile, "You caught the fish. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to sell them today. And we even got to enjoy a delicious meal thanks to you. We don't need to pay. If you feel bad, you can cook for us next time."

"One thing at a time, we agreed to split it 50/50."

Besides, I wouldn't have been able to sell these fish without you. You provided the labor, the cart and buckets are yours, and you even helped with the cooking today, Grandma. So, the money should definitely be split equally between you two.”

After saying that, Xia Chunmei counted out 760 and gave it to Xia Mingshi.

Xia Mingshi declined, then hesitated before saying, "We don't need the money, but could you please take us with you to your banquet in a couple of days?"

"Even if you hadn't said anything, Grandma, I would have taken you all with me. I wouldn't trust anyone else. Not only you, but I'll also bring Sister Ping'er along. We can't let outsiders have the opportunity to eat and make money."

But let's keep things separate. This money is rightfully yours, so please take it. I have no parents, and my sisters are still young. I'll need your help in many areas in the future. How can I ask for your help later if you don't accept it?"

Xia Chunmei's words were well said, and Xia Mingshi and Xia Huohua felt comfortable hearing them.

However, because of Xia Chunmei's words, they were even more unwilling to accept the money. After a long arguing, they finally accepted sixty coins, saying that this would be their wages for the work.

In those days, job opportunities were extremely scarce. Even doing backbreaking labor, which was exhausting, would only earn you a maximum of twenty-five coins a day, and even then, you might not be able to find a job.

After receiving the money, Xia Mingshi said, "I'm afraid the four of us won't be enough to host the banquet."

There are usually six or seven people involved in hosting a banquet. There are many things to do: washing and chopping vegetables, cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, and so on. If there are too few people, it will be too much to handle.

"It should be about right if I invite Aunt Qiumei and Aunt Lihua along."

Hearing Xia Chunmei's words, Xia Mingshi nodded repeatedly: "Lihua is not bad. She is a bit feisty, but she works quickly. So, let's make it the six of us."

...

"You still say you have no money! If you had no money, would you be able to eat eggs!"

"Why should a worthless person get to eat eggs!"

"Waaaaah..."

Back in the village, Xia Chunmei could hear Xia Dongmei crying and Chen Xiaomao's sharp, piercing voice from afar.

"Tell me quickly, where did you hide the money? Where are the fish? Where is the food you traded the fish for?"

Seeing that Xia Dongmei didn't speak, Chen Xiaomao slapped her.