"What?! Fifty thousand taels!"

Xiaoman held the wooden box in her hands, and when she heard her sister mention the silver inside, her eyes widened involuntarily.

He had never even seen five hundred taels before, and suddenly he was holding fifty thousand taels. He was flustered and didn't know what to do.

The family sat down around the stove, with snacks that Xiao Ning and Xiao Man loved on the small coffee table.

They were all honest, hardworking farmers; they had never seen 50,000 taels of silver before.

Because the amount of money was huge, Sun Miao'er only informed her family and didn't even tell Liu'er. She specially gave him and Lu Huan half a day off.

"Miao'er, who got this money for you? Don't tell me it's tainted." Even Sun Caiping, who usually didn't care much about money, couldn't help but glance at the box a few more times.

Exactly fifty silver notes worth one thousand taels each, no more, no less.

Sun Miao'er counted the silver notes and slapped them on the table. The ink on the banknotes smelled of fresh ink. "This money belongs to Manager Ji of Yunmiao Manor."

“I have reached a business deal with Manager Ji. He will lend me 50,000 taels of silver for a year, and I will repay him 100,000 taels of silver at that time.”

Sun Caiping's expression changed drastically, and her heart clenched. "Miao'er, 100,000 taels of silver is no small sum. Where are we going to get so much money for him in a year?!"

“Aunt, don’t worry about that. Now that the money is in my hands, I’ll make it generate more money, endlessly.” Sun Miao’er put away the 50,000 taels. “Let’s put the cloth shop aside for now. Now that I have 50,000 taels of capital, there are many more things I can do. I don’t have to rely on the cloth shop to make money anymore.”

In an instant, a multitude of ideas emerged in my mind. Catering was of paramount importance. People depend on food for survival. In this era where people relied on the weather for their livelihood and often suffered from hunger and cold, developing some inexpensive and filling catering services would not only make money but also be a good thing.

“He lent his sister 50,000 taels, and his sister has to pay him back 100,000. Starting today, he has to earn at least 274 taels a day to earn that much.”

Xiao Ning listened quietly to Sun Miao'er's words and then expressed her own opinion.

The number he blurted out was recalculated by Sun Miao'er using her abacus, and she found it to be exactly the same. Xiao Ning's talent for arithmetic always amazed her.

“Yes, besides, my sister hasn’t even found a new shop yet.” When Sun Miao’er heard what Xiao Ning said, she suddenly felt less relaxed. A few months ago, she didn’t even dare to dream of earning 270 taels a month.

Now she faces the challenge of earning that much money in a single day.

Sun Miao'er secretly cheered herself up, determined to face the challenge head-on and that the problem would eventually be solved.

As everyone gradually recovered from the shock of the 50,000 taels, life returned to normal, and all the burdens seemed to fall on Sun Miao'er's shoulders alone.

"Now you know fear?"

Fu Yuchi walked silently to her side and draped a thin shirt over her shoulders.

Sun Miao'er rubbed her temples. The sky had been overcast for several days, without even a glimpse of the sun to cheer her up. She turned around, her lower lip dry, pursed her lips, and sighed, saying, "There will always be a way. Do you really expect Manager Hu to lend me 100,000 taels?"

"If I were to ask, it wouldn't be impossible," Fu Yuchi said with a shrug and a relaxed expression.

Sun Miao'er suddenly smiled and said to him, "No need, Master. This time, I'll rely on myself."

In the following days, she was busy choosing a location for the new store, which kept her extremely busy. She had to control costs as much as possible and also have enough space for customers to eat. However, it was just a fast food restaurant, and people were just looking for convenience, so they didn't need to be too particular.

Because the shop was short-staffed, they had to hire a few more employees for Liu'er to manage. The small shop, which started with just three people, gradually took shape thanks to her efforts.

"Shopkeeper, it's getting colder and colder these days, and lotus leaf-wrapped rice isn't selling very well. Even using cotton blankets to keep it warm doesn't last long. Once the rice cools down, it easily becomes hard and undercooked, and the taste is terrible!"

The staff responsible for selling the food reported back problems they frequently encountered during the sales process.

The new wheat harvest is already in, and the grain and oil shop across the street sent two bags of flour to be stored in the kitchen.

Sun Miao'er didn't like noodles before and didn't care much about flour. But when she heard about the job, she wondered if there were more convenient foods that could be eaten as fast food.

Of course there are! Wasn't that her favorite hamburger? But in this place, people probably haven't even seen what a hamburger is.

Why not make a few to try first?

Without further ado, I poured in two bags of flour, added an appropriate amount of milk, and started kneading the dough.

Kneading dough is no easy task. You should know that bread dough is completely different from steamed bun dough. Bread has a full and elastic texture, which requires the dough to be kneaded to be very elastic, at least able to be stretched into a thin film.

In the dead of winter, Sun Miao'er was sweating profusely just from kneading dough in the kitchen.

"What is your sister busy with in the kitchen again?" Fu Yuchi wrote a prose poem for Xiao Ning and Xiao Man and asked them to copy it.

He rushed back from Kezhou without stopping, and Hei Jun lost weight from all the running. He just wanted to see her, but when he returned, she was so busy that he felt that if he bothered her again, he would only cause her more trouble.

I can only spend my time with Xiaoning and Xiaoman to reduce her burden.

Xiao Ning had already started practicing calligraphy, while Xiao Man peeked out of the room and into the kitchen. "I don't know, is my sister kneading dough? She's been so busy these past few days, I haven't seen her at all. Master, could you go and check on my sister for me?"

"That sounds nice, why don't you go yourself?" Fu Yuchi bent down and patted Xiaoman's head. Did he not know what this kid was thinking?

Xiaoman hesitated for a long time before saying, "I should be studying right now, or my sister will scold me if I go."

Fu Yuchi chuckled and glanced at Xiao Ning. "Xiao Ning, let's go. I'll take you to see your sister."

Sun Miao'er was busily kneading dough in the kitchen when she heard hurried footsteps outside. Her hands were covered in flour as she looked up and asked, "Why are you all here?"

"Let's see what your sister has been busy with all these days!" Xiaoman went into the kitchen and started looking for food like she was on a treasure hunt, but unfortunately she found nothing after wandering around for a long time.

Xiao Ning obediently squeezed a towel for Sun Miao'er, "Sister, wipe your hands."

Xiaoman muttered to herself, "There's nothing good to eat here either!"

Fu Yuchi glanced at the messy kitchen, with dried flour scattered all over the floor. He walked up to her, lifted his sleeve, and smeared it across her face. "Look at you, your face is covered in flour."

"Huh?" Sun Miao'er hurriedly wiped her face and spread her hands, saying, "I can't help it, kneading dough is too tiring."

"Let me help you knead it for a while?" Fu Yuchi said, and before she could agree, he started kneading. The thick dough was easily deformed in his hands.

Those who have practiced definitely make a difference.