Chapter 10

This morning's business had broadened Yu's horizons. She did some small calculations in the room.

One morning, she sold over six hundred coins, which meant eighteen taels of silver a month. After deducting the cost of food and other miscellaneous items, she could still have at least thirteen or fourteen taels of silver left. This was much better than working day and night embroidering!

Without Ye Jia's urging, she dragged the basket of radishes out after dinner and happily squatted by the well to wash them. She figured there weren't enough to sell this morning, and if people came asking later, she wouldn't have anything to give them. Selling two hundred tomorrow wouldn't be a problem. Yu's thoughts were full of happiness, and she hummed a little tune as she washed. Even Zhou Jingchen glanced sideways.

Recalling his mother's dignified and elegant appearance in his memory, which was rarely as vivid as this, he couldn't help but feel comforted.

After eating, Ye Jia took out the bucket of pig offal and washed it.

As soon as it was brought up, a foul smell filled the air. Zhou Jingchen, who was sitting in the corner, glanced over.

These days, unless the family is truly struggling to make ends meet, who would buy this stuff to eat? It stank of shit, and no matter how you cleaned it, it wouldn't go away. Yu's face turned grim. But thinking of her daughter-in-law's strong opinions, she didn't dare to say anything. Instead, Rui Jie'er came over to sit next to Ye Jia, carrying a small stool, and stared at him curiously.

As the saying goes, whoever feeds you is your mother. After Ye Jia cooked a few meals, she completely won over Rui Jie'er, who had been tortured by Yu's half-cooked and bitter rice for over a year, even though she was only two and a half years old. She now liked everything Ye Jia cooked, and she eagerly asked her, "Did Auntie make something delicious for lunch?"

Children's progress is rapid. A child who was stuttering a few days ago can now speak fluently just to eat.

"Yes, it's delicious!" Ye Jia first poured some water into the bucket, then grabbed a handful of flour and a small bowl of Shi Yan. The white flour was smeared on the large intestine, and Yu's distressed eyes were worth it.

"Jia Niang, what are you doing!" Yu Shi was heartbroken. There were fifty kilograms of flour in the house, which was not enough for the family to eat and make cakes to sell. How could this girl waste such a good thing! She was so distressed that she held her chest and sobbed. Yu Shi put down the brush and stood up, "Such good flour, why are you using it to knead this thing..."

"If there's not enough flour, we can buy more," Ye Jia said. She wouldn't give up anything. Living in this kind of place, no one could survive without thinking about delicious food. Seeing that Yu Shi looked like she was afraid of poverty, she said, "If it tastes good, maybe this can be sold with pancakes."

This is a novel thing to say. Who would buy large intestines?

"Let's wait and try it at noon." It would be useless for Ye Jia to say anything else. He would talk about it after the food was made.

"But..." Yu fell silent upon hearing this was another money-making idea she'd been thinking up. After a couple of times, she'd finally understood. Although her daughter-in-law's actions were eccentric, there seemed to be a structure to each one, making it hard to tell if she was just joking or serious. She glanced at her granddaughter, who had become much more energetic in just a few days, and then, after a moment's thought, suppressed her suspicions.

Her granddaughter is being raised by her like a skinny cat, looking sickly. If you don't have the ability to support your family, it's better not to interfere.

Ever since Zhou Jingchen was able to sit up, he'd been reluctant to stay indoors, always having to sit outside. His gaze now fell on Ye Jia, who was squatting and rubbing her large intestine. The sun was rising, windless, and its warm rays bathed the woman. She wasn't very old, perhaps seventeen or eighteen. Her dark, lively eyes were calm yet lively. Her nose was straight, her lips crimson...

What my mother said was true. She was indeed good-looking, with a beauty that could not be hidden even by a coarse cloth jacket.

Ye Jia, aware of being watched, raised her head sharply. Seeing no one, she glanced at Yu Shi again, puzzled. A thought stirred in her heart, and she looked up at the wall. Zhou Jingchen's radiance couldn't be concealed by his coarse linen clothes. His eyes were half-closed, his expression calm and indifferent. Sunlight shone on his face, and his crow-feather lashes drooped. Light leaked through the gaps between his lashes, casting a dark shadow beneath his eyelids.

...Could it be that he was looking at her just now? She didn't bully Yu.

Do whatever you want.

Ye Jia squeezed the pig's large intestines and rinsed them with clean water. Looking into the bucket, the white, clean intestines looked quite pleasing. Braised pig intestines are actually much more delicious and can remove odors more easily. But the Zhou family didn't have any marinade ingredients, so she could only stir-fry them. Alternatively, she could pan-fry them in a large frying pan with a little oil and dip them in some sauce. They were also delicious.

With this in mind, Ye Jia cut the large intestine into several sections and boiled them once to remove the fishy smell. The goat's milk was also ready, so Ye Jia poured a bowl for himself and the child. They drank from their bowls outside, and then asked Yu Shi and Zhou Jingchen to serve some as well.

The Zhou family quickly accepted goat milk and got used to the taste after just a few days. It turns out goat milk is truly nourishing.

The children were the most noticeable, and even Mrs. Yu could feel her hands and feet warming up considerably. Her son, who had been so thin a while ago that he was just a skeleton, was now gradually gaining some flesh. She studied him for a long time. His already handsome appearance had become even more ferocious due to his thinness.

At noon, Ye Jia only cut a piece of large intestine and stir-fried it.

There were no chilies, just some dogwood picked up from the tile market, which gave it a spicy and fragrant aroma. Originally, Yu had been averse to the idea of ​​pig intestines, unable to bring herself to eat them with her chopsticks. But seeing her ever-delicate son scoop one up with a chopstick and stuff it into his mouth, she gave up her pretense. She picked one and chewed it, the slight odor mostly masked by the spicy flavor. The pig intestines became more fragrant the more she chewed them.

Those who like pig intestines love them to death, while those who don't can't swallow a single bite. If you can really accept it, then it's not just a matter of one chopstick. Yu's eyes visibly lit up.

After lunch, Yu was so full she could barely walk. Zhou Jingchen, probably feeling bland from the porridge, ate three bowls of mixed-grain rice in a row. The stir-fried pig intestines were completely gone. Rui Jie'er, however, had some leftovers from the two vegetarian dishes. As Yu took the dishes away to wash, Ye Jia subtly glanced at Zhou Jingchen's belly, then raised her gaze to meet his.

When his eyes met Ye Jia's, he curled his eyes, like an ordinary smiling boy.

Ye Jia: "..." Has this person become more shameless?

I have no free time in the afternoon.

They divided the work and collaborated. Ye Jia kneaded the dough first, while Yu Shi washed the radishes and then worked with Zhou Jingchen to cut them. Although she wasn't very good with a knife, she could still cut some slowly. As Ye Jia finished kneading the dough, they brought over basins of shredded radishes to blanch. After squeezing them dry with cheesecloth, Ye Jia added seasonings and prepared the filling.

Yu Shi had no talent for cooking. Making pancakes wasn't difficult, but she couldn't even make a few. She stood by, afraid to touch anything for fear of ruining it. Even Ye Jia, no matter how skilled she was, couldn't make so many by herself. Zhou Jingchen, despite his broken leg, sat by and watched, and learned the ropes in one go.

Ye Jia was amazed and circled around him.

"What's wrong?"

Ye Jia tutted his words and confidently exploited the labor: "You continue to wrap. Today I will make 120, and you can make 80."

Zhou Jingchen: “…”

After finishing the two hundred, I went out early the next morning before daybreak.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arrived at the entrance to the town's tile market. It was probably still early, so not many people had arrived yet. After waiting for about an incense stick, people began to gather from all directions. Yu Shi, having experienced the previous day, was no longer afraid of embarrassment. She and Ye Jia had already set up the stove by the roadside, swiftly helping out. Those who had tasted the cakes yesterday knew that this family's cakes were delicious, and they gathered without even having to call them out.

Those with plenty of money would buy three or four. For those who weren't, just one was enough to fill their stomachs. First, give a few to the two stout men guarding the gate at Luzhai. When Yu came back, she would smile and collect the money.

This morning, sales are even hotter than yesterday.

Ye Jia was selling while chatting with people. Business is all about smiling. His business was booming, attracting attention. A man carrying a shoulder pole nearby came over to take a look. He peeked into the pot and jokingly asked Ye Jia where he got it. It looked rather odd. Ye Jia gave a vague answer, and the man, without getting any answers, rubbed his head and went back.

The Luzhai side was open, and people were coming in one after another. The two pancakes were delivered well, so even if the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were slow, there was still room.

Watching the coins being tossed into the bowl, Yu Shi opened her mouth to sell out. Two hundred cakes were sold out in a little over an hour. Since many were bought individually, she counted them out to over 1,100 coins. That totaled to one tael and one qian of silver.

This much money is enough to make back most of the money I invested in my family. If I spend another morning shopping tomorrow, I will have made back the money.

Yu was so excited that her hands were shaking. She leaned against Ye Jia and whispered, "How come food is selling so well? I thought people in Libei Town were poor and couldn't afford snacks. Who would have thought that food is so profitable..."

"Isn't it?" Ye Jia extinguished the stove and took out the charcoal ash. "Food is the most important thing for people. People work hard all year round just to feed themselves."

This may be a rough statement, but it makes sense. Isn't the purpose of life to make a living?

Yu was stunned for a long time. She felt that she didn't have the understanding of life of a teenager. She carefully hid the small bowl in her arms and pushed the wheelbarrow with Ye Jia out of the tile market.

Ye Jia glanced at her tattered clothes, then looked down at herself and finally suppressed the thought of buying clothes.

"Mom, we don't have much left at home." Fifty kilograms of flour would last us three months, but it wouldn't last us long enough to buy bread for business. The more bread we buy, the faster it'll go. Ye Jia dragged Yu straight to the grain store and bought another hundred kilograms of flour.

Yu knew that business required investment. How could there be profit without it? She had to buy noodles and radishes. She also needed oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar. When there were too many things, two people pushing a wheelbarrow wouldn't be enough. Naturally, she needed a cart to haul them.

Ye Jia asked Yu to wait by the roadside while he went to hire an oxcart. As soon as he reached the oxcart shed, he ran into someone. It was Zhang Chunfen, who had been sent back to her parents' home by Ye Zhang. She was looking around under the shed, wondering who she was waiting for.

A moment later, a tall, handsome young man hurried over, carrying a large package. The two exchanged some words, and the man handed the package to Zhang Chunfen and left. Zhang Chunfen bit her lower lip, staring at the young man's back as he walked away, then angrily punched the package twice. Ye Jiazheng was watching in amazement as Zhang Chunfen turned and walked away, carrying the package.

Ye Jia blinked, thinking about the tough people in Libei Town, and then he didn't think it was a big deal. He called a car and hurried back.

Wangjia Village wasn't far from town, only a quarter of an hour away. Hiring a cart cost a few cents. If the items were heavier, they'd be delivered even if they cost ten cents. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law returned with their bags again, and it had been like this for two days straight. Naturally, everyone in the village knew about it.

As soon as I entered the village, I met two or three women who came to visit. They glanced at the car and asked.

Coincidentally, among the visitors was Aunt Liu, who worked with Yu in an embroidery studio in the town.

Like Mrs. Yu, Aunt Liu was fired after her employer despised her for asking for money. Now, with no income, life was difficult. She had some friendship with Mrs. Yu in the past, as they went to work together and left work together every day. When she asked Mrs. Yu, she replied, "My daughter-in-law is capable. She's set up a small stall in town to sell food and earn enough to support our family of four."

Aunt Liu didn't ask what kind of food business the company was in. How could she not know about the radishes in the yard? She thought, what's so good about radishes? They're just rotting in the fields for the pigs to eat. Who would really pay for them? But she said it was good to have a business.

After sitting at Zhou's house for a long time without leaving, Yu politely invited him to stay for a meal.

Aunt Liu couldn't bear to put down her chopsticks, even finishing two bowls. She wouldn't eat so heartily at home. She wasn't anxious, so how could Yu tell her? Finally, she wiped her mouth and looked at Ye Jia. She hadn't expected the Zhou family's daughter-in-law, despite her bad reputation, to be such a good cook. With this skill, she could set up a stall in town and maybe make some money.

Wow, this meal was so delicious that she almost swallowed her tongue.