"How about we divide the money according to the number of people? Dad, eldest brother, second brother, Lei'er, and Ming'er, five people in total, contributed their labor, so we'll divide the money into five portions?"
Ye Panjiu felt that distributing the work by person would be fairer, since all five people were working hard and no one was slacking off.
Mrs. Sun was the first to raise her hand in agreement, "I think my younger sister's idea is the best!"
The second wife still gets the most, so it's fair!
Ye Daniu and Ye Erniu exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Alright, seventy coins per person!" Old Man Ye counted out the money and distributed it all.
Everyone in the family receives money every day, and it's quite a lot; their faces are beaming with smiles.
Ye Panjiu had been preparing braised food all night, and although she was quite tired, seeing this scene made her feel much more relaxed.
The next day, the weather was somewhat gloomy.
Ye Panjiu, Old Lady Ye, Liu Shi, Sun Shi, Ye Guihua, and Ye Taohua all came to town.
If Ye Guihua and Ye Taohua weren't still small enough to be held, they wouldn't even fit in the oxcart.
Ye Panjiu prepared half again as much as yesterday. In addition to the intestines and tripe, she also added braised eggs to the meat dishes. She hadn't made much before, and the family had finished it all, so she made a lot more this time.
The eggs were bought from neighbors in the village, all at the price set in town.
She added shiitake mushrooms to the vegetarian dish. The vegetables in her garden had been almost completely used up, so today's vegetables were harvested from villagers.
The oxcart was parked in the same spot as yesterday, but there were already people there.
It was yesterday at their wonton stall a little further away, in a spot deeper in the alley where there wasn't as much foot traffic.
Ye Panjiu looked around and met the eyes of the auntie at the wonton stall.
Her aunt looked at her with considerable disdain.
He looked like he couldn't do anything about it.
Ye Panjiu smiled, not caring at all, and pointed to the original location of the wonton stall.
"Then let's go to her spot."
Grandma Ye looked at it, feeling uneasy. "This location isn't that good. Will it be alright?"
"Mom, don't worry, as long as it's delicious, we won't have to worry about customers," Ye Panjiu said confidently.
Putting aside everything else, the braised food she sells is something no one else sells.
"Besides, the original spot was a bit cramped, and it wasn't easy to put another table there. Now it fits perfectly, which is great."
Grandma Ye thought it made sense, so she went over to help her two daughters-in-law set up and wipe the table.
Ye Taohua and Ye Guihua helped Ye Panjiu set out the braised food.
Ye Panjiu likes things to be arranged neatly, as it makes them look cleaner.
The braised eggs are placed in the earthenware pot, which makes them more flavorful.
"Young lady, you've finally arrived! You're all way too late!"
Ye Panjiu looked up in surprise and saw a man in his thirties whom she hadn't seen yesterday.
He wore a jet-black turban with a beard, a wide-sleeved silk robe, and had a black mole at the end of his eyebrow.
"We set up our stall at the same time yesterday."
The man pointed eagerly at the braised food, "Oh, I'll take all of these, and this pot of braising liquid too."
Ye Panjiu's lips twitched. "May I ask what you intend to do with this, sir?"
"My master is celebrating his birthday today. I tried your braised dishes yesterday, and they can be served as two dishes. If I miss the birthday banquet, I'll be in big trouble!" the man said urgently.
Ye Panjiu didn't think for long, "Alright, three taels of silver, you can take it."
The man readily took out three silver ingots and handed them to her. Then, carrying the earthenware pot in one hand and a bamboo basket full of braised food in the other, he left, turned out of the alley, and boarded a carriage.
Ye Panjiu was secretly surprised by his relaxed demeanor; this man was clearly a trained martial artist.
Are there really such families in Qingshui Town? Even the servant in charge of the birthday banquet wears silk and knows martial arts.
In ancient times, it was considered impolite to show one's hair, and everyone wore various kinds of headscarves. However, the headscarf with a beard that this person was wearing was only worn by servants of high status.
Grandma Ye looked at the three perfectly shaped silver ingots and reached out to touch them.
"Then, shall we go home today?"
She had lived for over sixty years and had never seen such a beautiful silver ingot!
Sun also reached out a hand, picked up a silver ingot, and bit it with her teeth. "Ouch!"
It was so hard it hurt her teeth.
Ye Panjiu couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright, let's go home first then."
Madam Sun placed the silver ingot back into her hand and nuzzled closer affectionately, "Little sister, do we still get paid today?"
Grandma Ye glared at her, "You shameless brat, what did you do today that you want to be paid?"
Ye Panjiu patted Sun's arm with a smile, "We've made so much money today, we're definitely going to make a fortune."
Several people carried tables and chairs onto the oxcart.
The auntie at the wonton shop looked on with a gloomy expression, and angrily banged the pot with her soup ladle.
Since this family started setting up their stall yesterday, her business has been dismal. The unsold wontons can't be kept for too long, and the whole family has already eaten wontons for three meals!
She refused to believe that these people could always have such good luck!
Ye Panjiu ignored her; she had wanted to give this aunt a lesson on forehand and backhand techniques today, but it turned out she hadn't gotten around to it.
But it seems to be working quite well.
After setting up the tables and chairs, Ye Panjiu still needed to buy a ceramic pot, and there were still some bamboo baskets woven at home.
The others then went shopping together.
...
Ye Ming stayed at home with Ye Daniu, who was taciturn, and he didn't talk much either.
As he watched the churning flames, he silently recited the Three Character Classic he had learned.
He only attended school for two short years and didn't learn much, but he was afraid he would forget it.
Just like his hands, now covered in black ash, they don't look like the hands of a scholar at all.
The courtyard gate opened, and the voices of Grandma and Mother came through. Ye Ming snapped out of his thoughts and asked in surprise,
"Mother, why are you back so early?"
Sun took out a piece of candy and handed it to him, saying, "Your grandma bought this. Someone bought all the braised food today, spending a full three taels of silver!"
Ye Ming looked at the candy in his hand and felt a faint sweet aroma wafting from it. "I'm too old for that. I'll give it to my two younger sisters."
Ye Taohua opened her palm, revealing a handful of candy. "Brother Ming, you can eat them yourself, I have plenty more!"
Ye Panjiu walked forward speechlessly and took all the candy from Ye Taohua's hand.
"Eating sugar without restraint will damage your teeth. You should eat no more than two pieces a day."
Ye Taohua pouted, looking rather unhappy.
Ye Panjiu asked again, "Did you buy this candy yourself?"
Ye Taohua nodded.
"I accepted your candy. Are you planning to buy more and hide them away next time?" Ye Panjiu asked teasingly.
Ye Taohua's eyes darted around.
"Then I'll have to save the money for you."
Ye Taohua's face fell completely, and she grabbed Ye Panjiu's arm, "Good mother! I promise you, I'll only have two candies a day at most, but you can't take my money away."
"People should keep their word, and that includes things like candied hawthorns. You can't eat too much of these." Ye Panjiu pinched her cheek.
"Okay, okay! It's a deal!" Ye Taohua said, giving Ye Panjiu a kiss on the cheek.
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