Back home, Xia Chunmei inquired about Xia Hongfen's family situation.
When Xia Chunmei mentioned her family situation, Xia Hongfen immediately launched into a tirade against her.
She mentioned that last time at the entrance of Chenjiaqiao village, she secretly put a piece of pork fat and an egg in her basket.
"Chunmei, you sisters have it much harder than us. Your aunt knows you're filial, but you mustn't do that again, understand?"
“My dear aunt, I know, it’s just a piece of pork. You’ve been scolding me for so long. Next time I’ll put some wild vegetables in.”
"I'm only doing this because Dongmei and Yaomei are still young. You should be more careful with your money," Xia Hongfen said. "I was busy educating Qiumei earlier and haven't asked you yet what you were thinking. Why did you let Dongmei learn from Tian Cuiya? You have to be realistic about how you help others. You're a good cook. When Dongmei and Yaomei grow up, they can learn cooking from you. Or they can help you organize banquets. That way, you can save a lot of tuition fees."
"My younger sisters will definitely have to learn cooking skills in the future, but who knows what the situation will be like in ten or twenty years?"
By then, perhaps others wouldn't like my cooking anymore, and perhaps someone would have secretly figured out how to make those dishes. That's why I took this opportunity to have my sister learn to sew. It's always good to have more skills; you never know when they might come in handy.
Actually, I'm mainly worried that I might suddenly leave, and then those three adopted sisters would be the ones who would suffer.
Then, Xia Chunmei asked about raising chickens and fish.
"We won't raise fish yet. Your two older sisters and I have also discussed it. We'll each raise thirty chickens first. Your uncle's family sells chicks, so we can buy the chicks on credit. Everything is settled."
"That's good."
"Chunmei, are you home?"
Fan Baoyun's voice came from outside.
Xia Chunmei thought to herself: It's finally here.
Xia Chunmei walked to the door and casually smiled, "Sister Baoyun, what brings you here today?"
Fan Baoyun and Fan Jiangshi truly lived up to their mother-daughter bond; their acting skills were top-notch.
She arrived in a high-profile manner, carrying eggs and red dates, as if afraid that others would not know. She walked around the village before coming to Xia Chunmei's place.
Upon seeing Xia Chunmei, he took her hand affectionately and said, "Chunmei, I've heard about what happened. You've really been wronged. My parents said they only recognize you as their daughter-in-law. My younger brother is even more devoted and has never had any other thoughts about anyone else. Some despicable people just can't stand to see you doing well, so they deliberately do bad things."
"I know. Our wedding dates are already set, so naturally I trust Fan Baowen and the Fan family." Acting, anyone can do that.
“I’m glad you believe me,” Fan Baoyun said. “I’m here to introduce you to some business. The wealthy Du family in the city is holding a birthday banquet and they want to invite you to make longevity peach buns. But you have to make some for them to try first.”
"Wealthy families in the city have many rules, and I'm afraid I might offend someone important, so I'd better not."
"The Du family is a kind family. As long as you work honestly, there won't be any problems. Besides, you still have your older sister, so don't worry or be afraid."
When is the Du family's birthday banquet?
"The sixteenth of this month."
"But we've already taken on other orders."
Fan Baoyun gestured and said, "The Du family is wealthy, so they're offering a high price, eight copper coins per table. You should cancel that event."
"Doing business is all about integrity. If someone has paid a deposit and I don't go, I have to return double the deposit."
I have banquets to host every day from tomorrow until the 16th. The Du family lives in the city, so if we want to make longevity peach buns, we definitely need to go to the city the day before, otherwise we won't have enough time. But we've already taken other orders for the 15th, so we have to cancel the Du family's order for the 15th.
He wanted to taste the food first, so I had to go into town to make it for him, which would take up another day of work and I'd have to turn down another banquet.
Most importantly, I charge others five coins per table just for making longevity peach buns, but the Du family only charges three coins more per table.
If I host one banquet for him, I'll have to turn down three other banquets. Those three banquets together would have over a hundred tables. It's not worth turning down over a hundred tables for the sake of the Du family's few dozen tables.
Furthermore, with so many of us, the fees for entering and leaving the city alone will be considerable. Besides, how will we arrange food and lodging if we arrive a day early?
He wants to taste the food before he decides to order it, and I have to spend an extra day going to the city to make it for him to taste. No matter how you look at it, this business is not worthwhile.
I think we should let this matter drop, but I still want to thank Sister Baoyun for making the special trip.
Fan Baoyun was surprised that Xia Chunmei was so shrewd and meticulous in her calculations, and she was speechless.
After a long pause, Fan Baoyun said, "Food and lodging will be easy to arrange. The Du family has taken this into consideration, so they will arrange for you to stay at the Du residence. As for the price..."
"Here's what we'll do. Go and cancel your appointments with those three households while it's still early. The Du family will cover the 100 copper coins each they return, and they'll also cover your travel expenses to and from the city. I'll try to negotiate a price of 10 copper coins per table, so you won't lose out."
"If it's twenty coins per table, and the compensation and the cost of entering and leaving the city are also covered by the Du family, then I'll agree to cancel those three orders."
However, if they insist that I take a day off to go to the city and make it for them to try, then I'll turn down this order. Regardless of whether my business with the Du family goes through or not, they will have to bear the loss from this turned-down order.
"That's not right. You didn't host a banquet for them, so you expect them to compensate you for the loss."
"Because I didn't have to take on the Du family's business; he insisted on inviting me. I already had a sure-fire deal that was going to fall through because of the Du family, so of course he should bear the loss."
"Then I'll go back to the city now and talk to them. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."
"We have a banquet to hold tomorrow in Shiniu Village. You can come find me there."
As soon as Fan Baoyun left, Xia Hongfen said excitedly, "Chunmei, your skills have even spread to the county town! You're amazing! My niece is truly remarkable. This must be your sister-in-law; she's a really nice person."
"Aunt, some people may seem kind and friendly on the surface, but they are actually full of bad intentions. Don't be fooled by appearances."
“You silly child, your aunt has lived half her life and crossed more bridges than you have walked roads. Do you think I can’t tell who is a person and who is a ghost? Do you need to teach me?”
Xia Chunmei: "..." If you could really see that, you wouldn't think that Fan Jiang and her daughter are good people.
After thinking for a moment, Xia Chunmei still said, "Aunt, the Fan family is not as good as you think. They are the epitome of hypocritical and treacherous people."
"Chunmei, has something happened?" Xia Hongfen finally realized something was wrong.
"When you come with me to the Du family, you'll see what happens..."
Xia Ping'an had been secretly keeping an eye on the Fan family, and would come to Xia Chunmei every night to share information. Xia Chunmei was very clear about their every move.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com