Seeing that Li Zhiyuan was unaffected by those words, Zhang Shuiniang breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s all Ye’s fault for sowing discord!” Li Jiaojiao said. “She just can’t stand to see Mother doing well and is jealous that Mother married Father.”

Zhang Shuiniang frowned: "I heard she set up a workshop."

"Hmph, what kind of workshop is this! It's obviously going to lose money! Her big courtyard and workshop have probably spent all that two hundred taels. I don't think she'll stay so glamorous for long now that she's broke."

"By then, you, Mother, will still be a glamorous scholar's wife, or even a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. But she will only be able to marry a scoundrel and be exploited to the point of despair."

Zhang Shuiniang felt better after hearing these words.

What does this current verbal dispute amount to?

Who will be the loser and who will be the winner remains to be seen!

...

At this moment, Ye Caiping had no time to pay attention to Li Zhiyuan's family.

Because we're shipping the goods today.

This is the workshop's first shipment!

The employees were very nervous and came to watch.

The finished product warehouse was filled with neatly arranged jars of hot and sour soup base, all sealed with wax beautifully, and labeled with usage instructions and the workshop's name. The packaging was simple and elegant.

It weighs over a thousand kilograms.

However, only a little over 200 jin (100 kg) of goods were shipped out.

The employees were both disappointed and worried. They had produced so much stock, but only sold so little. What would they do with the thousands of kilograms left in the warehouse? Would they be unable to sell them?

Ye Caiping said, "This is just the beginning. Merchants need time to try it out. Don't worry about how well the goods are shipped or sold. Just go back to your jobs and continue working. Your wages will not be short or reduced."

After leaving the workshop, Ye Caiping called Daquan, Erquan, Sanquan, Bajin, and Du and Wei to her home.

Ye Caiping said, "The six restaurants we deliver to, as well as Sister Pang's place, will start making their own spicy soup using the seasoning packets tomorrow. We'll suspend deliveries of ready-made spicy soup for now."

Although they had long anticipated this day, its arrival still caused Du and Wei a period of worry and tension.

"Then...when will delivery resume?" Mrs. Wei asked cautiously.

"We'll see! See how well they sell the ones made with the pre-packaged ingredients. If they're good, they might not even need any more stock." Ye Caiping smiled. "Don't worry, if they've tested the pre-packaged ingredients and they're good, the workshop will even expand its workforce."

"Big brother, second brother, you don't need to worry about not having work."

Mrs. Wei gripped her sleeves tightly, a wave of fear and unease washing over her.

If you use the ingredient package well, you can expand your recruitment; but what if you don't use it well?

The thousands of kilograms of ingredients in that warehouse will be lost because of this!

Will they still have work to do then?

"Hehe, I'll do whatever my little sister says." Ye Daquan leaned back on the long couch, eating the wild strawberries that Xiao Yan had picked.

He wasn't worried at all; he was fine with whatever his younger sister arranged.

There's nothing he can do about the loss; he's already taken enough. As long as he has something to eat, he'll share half with his little sister.

Ye Erquan was a little anxious, but he trusted Ye Caiping's judgment.

Bajin and Sanquan shared the same idea.

Ye Caiping looked at Ye Daquan and Du Shi with a smile: "While we have some free time, you two should hurry up and prepare for Yong'er's wedding. Today is the seventh day of the second month, right? In five days, it will be Yong'er and Xiuxiu's wedding day."

Both Ye Daquan and Madam Du beamed with joy at this.

Ms. Du said, "We've been preparing all this time, and everything is ready. The wedding banquet supplies are all piled up at home."

Are you not busy anymore?

"not busy."

Ye Caiping said, "Then let's go find that Master Shen tomorrow! Master Qian introduced him last time!"

Du's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes. I've been thinking about this for a while, but I haven't had the time. Now I've finally found the time."

"Then let's set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Lady Wei looked on with envy. Although she might not be able to become a disciple of Master Shen, the fact that Master Qian valued her so highly was already something Lady Wei envied greatly.

Now that she was thinking about work and income, she had no time to envy others and went home dejectedly.

...

The next morning, Ye Caiping and her husband Ye Daquan took an oxcart to the town.

Ye Caiping had already prepared what gift to give.

The other party is from the capital, so he must have seen the world. Ordinary writing implements and the like won't impress him.

Ye Caiping directly bought a crystal glass jade paperweight from her space. Its high transparency would surely make it a presentable item in this day and age.

Looking at the wooden box that Ye Caiping had placed in the basket, which was tightly wrapped in cloth, Madam Du asked, "What is this? Is it for the master?"

"Hmm, it's a paperweight. I'll buy two more boxes of pastries later, and that should be about right."

Mrs. Du was at a loss for words to express her gratitude: "Even the gift has to be paid by my younger sister, really..."

"As long as Xuan'er is successful, that's the best way to repay me. I can rely on him in the future!" Ye Caiping was telling the truth.

According to Master Qian, Ye Xuan is talented and might actually pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi in the future!

Then her powerful backer will come, won't he?

Du grabbed Ye Caiping's hand excitedly: "Just because of your high hopes, little sister, I'll make him study like crazy! If he doesn't pass the exam, I'll beat him to death!"

"Hmm... Just do your best, there's no need to beat them to death."

Ye Daquan, who was driving, laughed heartily.

Madam Du said, "Speaking of gifts... I haven't bought the tea ceremony gift for the new bride yet. What do you think I should give her? Families with good means give silver hairpins and bracelets, while ordinary families might give a few feet of cloth or a velvet comb."

Ye Caiping thought for a moment: "When I was recruiting for my workshop, Xiuxiu didn't ask me to come. So after she got married, she wouldn't use her husband's family's things to fill her own family's. She's a very clear-headed person."

"But... this marriage didn't end well. Although she understands, we can't let her feel inferior when she enters the family. Once a daughter-in-law is married into the family, she's part of us; we can't let her feel disheartened or disillusioned. What I'm suggesting is... let's buy her a gold hairpin!"

"As long as Xiuxiu's mother doesn't know about this, it's fine."

Du was taken aback, then understood, and hissed, "A gold hairpin... Alright! A gold hairpin it is."

It pains her to even think about it, but she wants to give her daughter-in-law some dignity.

She could buy a smaller one; seven or eight taels of silver would be enough.

The total cost of the bride price and wedding was only fifteen or sixteen taels, so there were still more than ten taels left over from the original thirty taels!

In addition, the wages the couple had received over the past few months were more than enough.

As they were talking, the oxcart arrived in the town.

Ye Caiping picked out two boxes of pastries, got on the bus, and continued on her way.

"This is North Street, the Shen family's..." Ye Daquan pondered as he drove the oxen.

Ye Caiping and her companion searched for the plaque belonging to the Shen family.

But I walked half a street and still didn't see it.

Just then, there was an old woman in front of her, and Ye Caiping quickly asked, "Auntie, do you know if there are any families with the surname Shen around here?"

"The surname is Chen? Of course there is. Look, from here to there, half the street belongs to his family. You can see the main entrance as soon as you turn the corner."

Ye Caiping was dumbfounded. They had walked for a long time and finally saw a wall, which was made entirely of...

"Thank you, ma'am."

Following the old woman's directions, Ye Daquan turned a corner and finally saw the main gate.

How to describe that gate? It was magnificent and exquisite, giving off a sense of a secluded courtyard.