Chen Yushan suddenly opened his eyes and said angrily, "A small pastry shop has dared to go against me time and time again? Isn't it just because of its connections with the county magistrate's family?"
"What the owner says is true. But I wonder what the current owner of Ruyi Cake Shop is like; he certainly has a lot of tricks up his sleeve." Wang Laishun thought about the various kinds of pastries and candied fruits, and the unfamiliar hawking cries, feeling quite puzzled. It seemed the pastries were indeed getting better and better…
"Hmph, no matter where she comes from, if she wants to get by in this county, she needs to know who's in charge! Even if she has the magistrate's wife as a connection, she can't save herself from being so incompetent, don't you think? I'll leave this matter to you!" Chen Yushan said contemptuously.
If it were the former Sili Ren, at least he had the Si family as his backing, plus he had some influence in the county government, so Chen Yushan would have been somewhat wary. But who was this suddenly appearing Qin San Niang? She was just a village woman with no support, not worth getting angry over.
Wang Laishun nodded upon receiving the order and left.
They've done this kind of thing many times before. Back then, all those shops that competed with Chen's were suppressed by them using various means. This Ruyi Cake Shop is nothing special.
On her way back, Qin San Niang made another detour to Shangfeng Village. When she arrived, the Feng family was very hospitable, offering her tea and picking fruit.
How could we not be enthusiastic? This person is a great benefactor to their family.
She came here to inquire about Xingzi.
Shangfeng Village is a typical mountainous area, and most villagers make a living by planting fruit trees. Upon learning that Qin Sanniang had come looking for apricots, the Feng family said it was no problem, as some families in their village specialize in growing apricot trees.
The apricots from Shangfeng Village are larger and taste better than wild apricots. These apricots can be used to make apricot jam, and the almonds are also very large, making them the best for making almond cookies.
So, Qin Sanniang assigned them the task of collecting apricots and offered them a price of one coin per pound. If the Feng family wanted to take on the business, Qin Sanniang suggested that they buy them at two coins for three pounds.
The Feng family was naturally extremely grateful. For them, it was just a matter of running errands and talking, but they never expected to make money from it. This was wonderful!
The next day, it was time for the family to wrap zongzi together.
We need to make a large quantity of these zongzi, so we need several women to work together.
After several collaborations, He Xing and the other two were practically working as long-term laborers for the Qin family. However, the employer paid them high wages and offered various benefits, so they were overjoyed!
"Third Aunt, are all these fillings for making zongzi?" Wang Guixiang looked at the salted egg yolks, salted meat, and other fillings in front of her with surprise. In the past, when the harvest was good, her family would also make zongzi, but they would only make zongzi with diced salted meat, which was considered good. Most of the time, they would just make plain zongzi without any fillings!
Even so, everyone thought the white rice dumplings were very fragrant and delicious! After all, this is one of the few times of the year when we can eat white rice.
Last year, when the family couldn't even afford to eat, they even skipped making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) for the Dragon Boat Festival.
Last year, He Xing's family did make some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), but there were only two. The whole family cut them open to taste them, and she still remembers how delicious they were.
Even now, for most villagers in Shiligou, few families still make zongzi (sticky rice dumplings); wild vegetable porridge is their staple food. It was only those working or helping out at the Qin family's home who gritted their teeth and bought a few pounds of glutinous rice to make some plain zongzi.
Qin San Niang naturally knew everyone's situation, but there was nothing she could change in the short term! If her workshop were to open, she could provide some benefits for everyone, but thinking about that was a bit far off. Right now, she was only running a small business, and the workshop was still at home!
"This one is salted egg yolk, this one is marinated fresh meat, this one is stir-fried cured pork and bamboo shoots, this one is mixed beans, and there are also these ones with candied dates, red bean paste, and dried apricots. Except for the different fillings inside, the way they are wrapped is the same."
Let's work overtime today and wrap these zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). The day after tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so we can take them to the shop to sell.
Qin San Niang herself didn't know how to wrap zongzi, but she asked Liu Shi and others, who all said that this task was no problem for her.
To distinguish the different types of zongzi, Qin San Niang followed the method used in later generations and used cotton threads of different colors to differentiate them.
Actually, it would be best to have labels, but there are no such labels available now, and even if there were, it would be inconvenient to use them.
However, Qin San Niang still wanted to maximize productivity, and the salted egg yolks were readily available in the space.
In everyone's eyes, egg yolks were a rare commodity, so who would be willing to make pickled eggs at this time! Salt was very expensive!
Besides the salted egg yolk, the other ingredients are also rare finds: glutinous rice, fresh meat, cured meat, and candied dates—each one is delicious.
After explaining the wrapping method to everyone, she hurried to Caihua's house. Since the zongzi were to be sold in the shop, they would need to be differentiated by grade; if someone intended to give them as gifts, gift boxes would be necessary.
"Uncle Liang, are you home?"
The gate to Chen Youliang's house was wide open, and two children were sitting at the door. Presumably, there must be someone at home, so Qin Sanniang asked.
Qin Sanniang was not unfamiliar to Caihua. She knew that this aunt was the one who had helped her grandfather and father earn money, and she was the mother of Da Wa Ge.
The little girl readily agreed, "Auntie, my grandpa is home!"
Before Qin San Niang could react, the child began calling out into the house, "Grandpa and Grandma, Big Brother's mother is here!"
Okay, her name always has to be listed before hers...
Upon hearing this, Grandma Caihua, who was working, quickly dropped her broom and ran over. "Oh, Da Wa's mom, what brings you here? Come in quickly! Old man, Da Wa's mom is home!"
Qin San Niang was still a little uncomfortable with the Chen family's enthusiasm.
Even when I saw Caihua's mother in the yard, she no longer had the cold face she used to have. Instead, she stood awkwardly at the door, looking somewhat afraid of me.
Qin San Niang quickly explained her purpose. Upon hearing that she wanted bamboo-woven boxes, Chen Youliang narrowed his cloudy eyes and told his eldest son to fetch three samples.
Chen Youliang's skills were undoubtedly superb, and Qin Sanniang was quite satisfied, so she ordered five of each item, but insisted that they be prepared today.
Chen Youliang smiled and agreed, his hands not stopping, as the job was still a bit urgent.
Qin San Niang was also a little embarrassed, as it was already past noon and the others would definitely have to work by the light of an oil lamp.
"Uncle Youliang, these bamboo baskets cost twenty coins each, right?"
“Yes.” Caihua’s mother quickly replied, wondering if she was going to bargain? But it wasn’t impossible, since she was buying a lot. “Your uncle’s skills are impeccable, and you always buy a lot, Da Wa’s mother, and you’re very supportive of our business, so the price is negotiable.”
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