Chapter 6
Looking at the pair of delicate pearl earrings in her hand, Yingxiang's lips curled up slightly.
She rarely wore jewelry when she checked in before. She put the earrings into her dowry chest and took out the piece of cotton cloth from before.
With the weather getting warmer, and since she was already in town, she couldn't wear coarse cloth and short trousers every day. Besides, there was no farm work to do anyway, so she decided to find a shop to make herself a dress that would be more comfortable and look better.
She also had some money, and after getting to know the place better, she thought about what she could do to earn some money.
The daily check-in system does offer rewards, but there's nothing truly valuable right now that would allow her to relax without a care in the world. Unless she's content with the status quo, she'll have to work hard no matter what.
Recalling the actions of those time-traveling women in the novels she had read, Yingxiang began to carefully consider what she could do quickly right now.
Before we knew it, it was mid-April, and the weather was getting hot. Yingxiang hadn't been idle during this time either.
The courtyard was shaded by green trees. After some investigation during her time in town, Yingxiang decided to start a food business.
Women rarely work outside to earn money, and they can't find many jobs. At most, they do some small business. During this time, Yingxiang walked around the town every day, looking around and observing.
Finally, I decided to start a small business by setting up a food stall.
“My husband, I plan to set up a stall at the market in a few days.”
As evening fell and the sun set, Wen Shi returned home for dinner. The couple sat together, and Wen Shi looked at Ying Xiang with a puzzled expression.
He gave her money, and judging from Yingxiang's appearance, she didn't seem to lack money. She even had jewelry to wear and was dressed quite well. You know, setting up a stall in the wind and sun is very hard work. Yingxiang glanced at Wenshi and explained.
“We are both still young, but we are married now, so we need to plan for the future. I know you are good at studying, but you don’t have any official title yet. We can’t go back to the village to farm in the future.”
"I'll just try it out and see if it works out."
Yingxiang said in a half-coquettish tone that she had already made up her mind. Even if Wenshi disagreed, she would still go. However, the two of them were already married. He was a decent person, although he seemed a bit old-fashioned and rigid. But he was still good to her. When they arrived in town, Wenshi gave her the money to manage.
She wanted to do business, so she should let him know in advance to show him respect. Although she wouldn't use his money for school, it wouldn't be right to keep it from him, since they were family after all.
What are you planning to sell?
"Eggs and vegetable buns."
Yingxiang's lips moved slightly. These two are easy to make; she can make them at home and then take them to sell later.
"Okay, go if you want to."
Wen Shi didn't object in the end; it's quite normal for women to do small businesses like selling vegetables these days.
Yingxiang glanced at Wen Shi and smiled brightly.
She originally wanted to sell tea eggs, but then she thought it over and decided to make braised eggs instead. Vegetable buns would be even easier to make; they're similar to steamed buns, just made with cornmeal and wheat flour. As for the filling, she planned to make wild vegetable and tofu filling, which would be low-cost.
Selling food at the market, the prices can't be too high, or you won't make any money. The reason she was confident was because she received a packet of five-spice powder when she checked in a few days ago. The system wrapped it in oil paper for her, and there was a good amount. As long as it smelled good, she wouldn't have to worry about selling it.
The weather was hot, and the next day, just as dawn broke, Yingxiang went to the market. She bought twenty eggs, each costing three coins, and if she sold them, she could get five coins for them.
On the first day, do a little bit to try it out.
She boiled the eggs, peeled them, then boiled them again with salt and soy sauce. The white, tender boiled eggs quickly changed color; this was considered early.
While the eggs were simmering in the pot, she started kneading dough non-stop, eventually making twenty vegetable buns.
The weather was hot, and things spoiled easily, so she didn't dare to cook too much. After preparing the two dishes, she took two earthenware pots, one containing boiled eggs and the other containing vegetable buns.
After it was done, she took a bite of each one first.
The eggs were savory and delicious. As for the vegetable buns, they were seasoned with salt and five-spice powder, and she even added a few spoonfuls of lard. It was impossible for them not to taste good; they had a unique flavor.
Yingxiang carried her basket, covered it with a cloth, and went straight to the market. Both were five coins each. Once at the market, she squatted down and imitated others' calls.
At first, it wasn't very effective. Later, some people came, but when they heard that an egg cost five coins, they backed down and left.
As noon approached, the weather grew hotter and hotter, and the number of people in the market decreased significantly.
Just when Yingxiang thought she might have to go home to finish her business, a chubby little boy ran over.
"Mom, I want to eat this egg."
The boy looked at the woman chasing after him and said in a clear voice, "After all, it's a brown egg."
The woman was slightly plump. She looked at her youngest son, then at the contents of Yingxiang's basket.
How much is one?
"Five coins. This egg is seasoned with my family's secret recipe, and this vegetable bun is also very delicious."
"Mom, I want to eat."
The little boy had fair skin and was chubby. It was clear that his family was well-off. He was curious about brown eggs, which were new to him, and the woman eventually bought him one.
Yingxiang picked up an egg with her chopsticks, carefully placed it in the boy's hand, and quickly counted the coins; none were missing.
The little boy took it and ate it. After one bite, he wouldn't leave.
"Mom, buy me two more, so you can have some too."
The woman was wearing a brand new outfit. She was a little incredulous but also curious, since her son loved meat and was quite picky about food.
After taking a bite of the egg, the woman unconsciously widened her eyes. The taste was so delicious that she had never tasted anything like it in the first half of her life.
She quickly ate most of what her son had left, almost choking on it.
"Give me three more, one for me, and two eggs for him. This tastes really good. And two of these vegetable buns too."
"good."
Yingxiang took the copper coins, counted them, and then used chopsticks to give them to the two boys. The little boy eagerly awaited them, and after receiving them, he ate them with great relish.
The woman ate another egg and then started eating vegetable buns. They tasted just as delicious, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but they were much better than the ones her family made.
"It's delicious."
After they finished eating, the mother and son left, and Yingxiang regained her confidence.
More customers came in one after another; some complained about the high price, while others couldn't stop eating once they started.
The sun was scorching, and Yingxiang was sweating profusely from the heat, but she felt quite pleased on the way back. Although the profit wasn't much, she figured she could still make some money.
That's good. She can't just wait for money to fall from the sky. The system has been with her for several years, but it hasn't given her much money.
She specially saved two eggs and vegetable buns for Wen Shi today. She will go again tomorrow, but she will make more. If this continues, she should soon have repeat customers.
Thinking of the chubby little boy from today, Yingxiang felt that he and her mother would definitely come again tomorrow. No one dislikes delicious food, and she was no exception.
At this stage, the system is mainly an aid to her; she still has to rely on herself.
After washing up, Yingxiang checked in at the hotel. She was starving because she hadn't eaten lunch and was contemplating suicide. But her check-in reward was a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
She had no idea how long it had been since she had eaten. Yingxiang was very excited and took a big bite. The outside was crispy and fragrant, and the meat was stewed until it was very tender. After that, she ate the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in small bites, savoring every bite. Thinking about the money she had earned that day, she felt even better. If things continued like this, there would be great hope for the future.
Later that evening, Wen Shi returned, and Ying Xiang excitedly shared with him that seeing his wife's rosy cheeks and smiling face, Wen Shi's gloomy mood vanished.
"That's good, but you should also take care of yourself and not overwork yourself."
Yingxiang took out the ones she had saved for him. Luckily, they weren't spoiled. It wasn't particularly hot that day. Although the vegetable buns weren't as tasty when they were cold, they weren't unpalatable.
Wen Shi ate a large roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) at noon and felt full immediately after drinking hot water. Yingxiang was not hungry at all.
Their lives in the town were generally stable, without any major upheavals.
In the village, life wasn't so easy for his family. That afternoon, Wen Shi's older brother suddenly returned home with his wife and two children.
Second Sister-in-law Wen disliked the eldest couple, because they were all talk and no action; every time they came back, they would eat and take things with them.
Unfortunately, her in-laws adored her, and she only regretted that her husband was illiterate.
"Second son's wife, kill the chicken in a bit."
Brother Wen Shi used to be very handsome, but in the past six months he has been eating and drinking in the county, and he has become noticeably rounder.
Inside the kitchen, Sister-in-law Wen responded to the question, her hands moving without slowing down at all.
"My third brother got married. I should have come back with Xiuyu, but unfortunately the county magistrate invited me to the wedding banquet that day. Father and Mother, we really couldn't get away."
"Third brother, that's not a big deal. Ultimately, your future is more important. Why did you come back at this time?"
Brother Wen smiled, rubbed his hands together, and then said, "It's like this, Xiuyu and I found a small courtyard in the county and want to buy it. The money we have together isn't quite enough, and these two children are getting old and need to start school."
Upon hearing this, Liu's expression changed slightly. The house in the county was worth a lot of money, but the family really had no money left.
“Dad, Mom, renting a house in the county costs money. Why don’t we buy one now to save on paying rent to others later? Besides, the yard we’ve got our eye on is quite big and spacious, so our family can live together without feeling crowded.”
Old Man Wen glanced at his wife, then at his son, and remained silent.
The room fell silent. No one expected that the eldest son would come back asking for money to buy a house, but where would the family get so much money?
"Eldest brother, we really don't have much money left at home. We gave you quite a bit before, and then the third brother got married, which also cost some money. This year is the start of the harvest, so we don't know how it will go."
After Liu finished speaking, she looked at her eldest son.
“Don’t we have land at home? Why don’t we sell it first? Later, when our son becomes an official, we won’t need any of this land.”
Upon hearing these words from the eldest brother of the Wen family, Old Man Wen's expression immediately changed. You see, the land was his lifeline; the whole family depended on it for their livelihood.
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