The best jujubes, hawthorns, and chestnuts from the entire Henan Prefecture nourished the locals, making them plump and healthy. After much hardship, they were transported to Fengjing, only to be called filthy.
Zheng Ruqian was momentarily bewildered.
He only snapped out of his daze when Jiang Sheng tugged at his wrist and looked at him with worried eyes.
I knew Fengjing people were arrogant; I'd experienced it firsthand when renting a house, and then again when selling preserved meats. I thought that after reaching a cooperation agreement, we could have an equal dialogue, but it turns out they didn't respect them at all.
In the past, ten-year-old Zheng Ruqian would have humbly begged, approached with a grin, and tried every means to sell to Youranju.
But thirteen-year-old Zheng Ruqian was furious first, then grabbed his sister's hand and resolutely left.
The head manager of You Ran Ju was slightly taken aback, while the waiter beside him said with a hint of regret, "Those red dates are so big and round, they're really good..."
What does Kefengjing lack?
Zhengxin's dates are good, and Yanchuan's dates are not bad either. As for hawthorn and chestnuts, Fengjing has plenty of both. Only people from other places would treat these rotten things from the corners of the country as treasures.
Behind them came a clear "sneer" from the head manager, as if mocking their overestimation of their abilities.
Zheng Ruqian clenched his fist, went straight in, and came out straight out.
Gao Dawan was waiting at the door with a cart full of goods. His eyes lit up when he saw them come out, and he was about to go forward when Jiang Sheng shook his head.
All the words were stuck in my throat.
Zheng Ruqian sat on the carriage shaft, calm as ever, and said, "Let's go home."
Gao Dawan was in front, followed by his brother and sister.
Feeling the carriage moving smoothly forward, Jiang Sheng finally couldn't help but tug at her brother's sleeve, carefully comforting him, "Second brother, don't be sad. It's just that the people of Fengjing don't know their stuff. If these things were sent to Anshui County, Manager Hao would be overjoyed."
Zheng Ruqian chuckled and gently stroked his sister's little tuft of hair, "Don't worry, I'm not sad."
He suddenly realized one thing: Youranju could be one of his business lines, but not his only business line.
Let's calculate it carefully.
From Xieyang County to Anshui Prefecture, and then to Fengjing, Zheng Ruqian delivered almost all of his goods to Youranju, and he had gotten used to sending them to Youranju.
He only consigned some dried pickled mustard greens and dried green beans to a dried goods store in Yunshui County, but it was ignored because the profit was too low.
Thanks to the boss's words of encouragement, Zheng Ruqian began to think about cooperating with other stores, and even considered whether to open his own dried goods store.
Soon the carriage stopped in front of the house.
The brother and sister walked into the courtyard hand in hand. The older brother had not yet finished school. Only Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan came out to greet them, followed by Aunt Zhang, who was carrying a plate of pastries.
"You're back?" Changyan's eyes lit up. "Auntie just made jujube cake. You've come at just the right time. Would you like to try some?"
After saying that, he took the plate very naturally and handed it to his brother and sister.
Aunt Zhang watched with a smile, not sensing anything amiss.
Wen Zhiyun tilted her head strangely, feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Jiang Sheng had already wiped her little hands clean and grabbed a pastry to put in her mouth.
Zheng Ruqian was still staring blankly at the jujube paste on the plate, "This is..."
“These are pastries from Danyang County. There’s an older sister in the Zanhua Courtyard workshop whose family is from Danyang County. She once told me that you have to use glutinous rice flour mixed with fine jujube paste and then steam it. The jujubes you brought yesterday were big and fresh, so I gave it a try.” Zhang Xianglian smiled slightly.
There are many kinds of noodles on the market.
Whole grains are the cheapest and the most commonly consumed by ordinary people.
The price of refined grains was high, and no one dared to buy them without some savings. Jiang Sheng and his sister only managed to eat their first meal of refined grains after renting a house in Xiyang County.
Glutinous rice flour was even more expensive because it could be used to hire more city wall workers, and the most expensive price reached over 100 coins per catty.
The pastry that Jiang Sheng just swallowed in two bites was only the size of a fist, but it already cost more than thirty coins.
In Anshui County, only large families could afford to eat this kind of thing; even landlords only dared to enjoy it during festivals.
But this is Fengjing.
It was a wealthy and powerful Fengjing, a place teeming with playboys, a place where ten taels of silver could buy a pot of tea.
What's a few dozen coins for pastries!
Zheng Ruqian's eyes lit up. He picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth, feeling the unique chewiness of glutinous rice and the aroma of jujube paste between his lips and teeth. He couldn't help but smile.
Suddenly, Jiang Sheng's exasperated voice came from the side, "Second brother, you didn't wash your hands! Auntie told us to be clean. If you don't wash your hands before eating, you'll pull out worms when you poop."
Zheng Ruqian, "..."
Before anyone knew it, Wen Zhiyun brought over a basin of water, and Chang Yan brought over a handkerchief.
The second brother had to reach in and scrub her clean before the younger sister could transform from a fluttering moth with her hands on her hips back into a quiet, beautiful butterfly.
The brother and sister savored the glutinous rice and jujube cake with great relish, finding it incredibly delicious.
Even Wen Zhiyun, who had just finished eating, swallowed hard.
Aunt Zhang loved this kind of scene. Seeing the plates were empty, she quickly turned around and said, "There's more, there's more in the pot, eat as much as you want."
When we had almost finished eating...
Zheng Ruqian rubbed his sticky fingertips and asked solemnly, "I heard Jiang Sheng mention before that Auntie wants to open a shop?"
Zhang Xianglian was stunned for a moment before nodding, "Yes, but it requires too much money."
The money she has earned in the past few years has all come from the workshop. She doesn't need to work like a factory worker; she is only responsible for inspecting the finished products and cooking for the children in her spare time.
Jiang Sheng had suggested increasing her monthly allowance, but Zhang Xianglian felt that the work she did in the workshop was too easy, and she ate the meals she cooked for the children herself, so there was no reason for her to ask for more money and she refused.
However, this only amounted to thirty or forty coins a day, and ten taels of silver a year. It would take half a lifetime to save enough to rent a shop in Fengjing for a year.
But what about labor, materials, and costs? Where will the money come from?
Gradually, Zhang Xianglian kept this idea to herself, using it as a source of inspiration in her life.
“It’s a bit difficult for my aunt to open her own shop,” Zheng Ruqian sincerely suggested. “If she wants to do business here, setting up a stall would be more suitable.”
However, Fengjing had strict regulations. Except for festivals when everyone was celebrating, setting up a stall would inevitably lead to being driven away by the Fengtian Prefecture yamen runners. If it happened too often, one might even be arrested and imprisoned.
Zhang Xianglian understood and smiled regretfully.
“However, I am planning to open a shop. If Aunt is interested, we can cooperate.” Zheng Ruqian suddenly changed the subject. “I will provide the capital, and Aunt will provide the personnel. We can also establish a foothold in Fengjing.”
Zhang Xianglian was startled, Jiang Sheng was taken aback, Wen Zhiyun had a complicated expression, and Chang Yan was shocked and delighted.
When did my second brother, who was so timid about selling mushrooms that he needed his younger sister to accompany him, become so ambitious that he wanted to open his own shop and even planned to establish himself in Fengjing?
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