Chapter 108 Egg Tarts Are a Hit: Exposing Peng Ximing's Secrets
Seeing Yu Cai holding her face in her hands in ecstasy, Ye Li knew that Jiang Ji had guessed wrong.
Yu Cai falls for this kind of thing.
So he asked, "Brother Cai, what are your plans? To wait and see? Or to lay all the cards on the table?"
Yu Cai blinked, snapping out of her reverie: "What do you think?"
Ye Li chuckled: "That depends on you."
"I……"
Yu Cai's gaze involuntarily shifted elsewhere.
If we go by his opinion, it would be best to get married tomorrow.
But he hadn't figured out how to bring it up with his father and older brother...
Furthermore, isn't it said that things that are too easily obtained are not cherished?
After some deliberation, he looked at Ye Li again: "Brother Li, give me some ideas."
Ye Li pondered for a moment, then said, "Well... given his current condition, stretching him wouldn't actually yield anything."
"He's already extremely busy with classes and part-time jobs."
Peng Ximing was truly penniless, and didn't even have enough time.
Even if Peng Ximing wanted to pursue Yu Cai, he was powerless to do so—whether it was making some handicrafts or going out of town to pick some wild grass and vegetables, Peng Ximing couldn't do it.
All Peng Ximing can offer right now is a sincere heart.
But true feelings are something like that.
No one can guarantee that things will remain unchanged forever.
Emotions are fluid.
“Brother Cai, he humbled himself and made it clear that he didn’t want money. Since that’s the case, let’s not let his sincerity go to waste.”
"No one can guarantee the future, so let's just enjoy the present."
This is also Ye Li's own view on love.
Even though Jiang Jiren is a good person now, he still doesn't dare to reveal that he transmigrated.
Take it easy and enjoy the present moment.
"Enjoy the moment?"
Yu Cai bit her lip.
The scene of Peng Ximing lifting him up involuntarily came to mind again.
His eyes darted around slightly, and the corners of his mouth almost curled up again.
Winter is coming to an end, and I'll be taking showers more frequently from now on.
He just needs someone to carry him in and out of the house.
He said with a hint of embarrassment, "Then I'll find some time in the next couple of days to tell my father."
Ye Li laughed upon hearing this: "Brother Cai, then Jiang Ji and I are looking forward to drinking your wedding wine."
"You're indispensable, no matter who's missing." Yu Cai laughed.
After finalizing the matter, the two started talking about taro again.
The two large baking pans that Yu Cai had custom-made from the blacksmith have arrived, and the egg tarts will be available for sale at noon today.
To this end, Yu Cai also converted a storage room in the backyard into a kitchen.
There simply isn't enough space!
Previously, in order to get the chef to make more taro cakes, Yu Cai had already outsourced the main dishes in the shop.
With the addition of egg tarts, he decided to reduce the supply of taro cakes to prevent the cooks from being overwhelmed.
Egg tarts definitely sell better than taro cakes, and the profit margin is also higher.
But just to be on the safe side, tomorrow's amount will still be 350 catties of taro paste.
However, Ye Li should be prepared to increase the amount of taro paste.
Because even if taro is buried in the soil, it can only be preserved for six months.
These 40,000 jin of taro have been dug up four months ago.
These taro roots must be consumed within the next two months.
On average, more than 600 catties of taro paste are consumed every day.
However, this task is not difficult.
With drinks, taro cakes, and taro tarts all consumed simultaneously, plus some food and drinks for the family, 600 jin a day was no problem at all.
After discussing the taro, Ye Li did not stay for a meal at Banxianju. Instead, he drove his oxcart to the private school.
Yu Cai returned to Zheng's shop. With so many taro, it would take a lot of effort to check them.
At the private school, as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class, Jiang Mai immediately put away her textbooks and stood up.
He's having dinner with Shi Yi now, so it's not appropriate to make Shi Yi wait for him.
But as soon as he stepped out of the lecture hall, he heard someone calling him from the side of the hanging flower gate: "Jiang Mai! Someone from your family has come!"
He looked in the direction of the voice and saw it was the doorman; he immediately understood.
It must be Brother Li!
He turned his head and looked towards Shi Yi's lecture hall. Seeing Shi Yi walking towards him, he ran over to greet Shi Yi and then skipped towards the front yard.
Upon entering the front yard, he saw Ye Li standing at the gate waving at him, and his smile widened as he quickened his pace.
"Brother Li!"
Ye Li smiled and replied, "Slow down!"
When Jiang Mai came closer, he unusually reached out and ruffled Jiang Mai's hair: "How were last night and this morning? Are you adjusting well? Are your classmates easy to get along with?"
As he spoke, he handed over the oil paper package in his hand: "Here, braised chicken, piping hot."
Jiang Mai reached out and took the oil paper package with both hands. The slightly hot temperature warmed his heart: "My older brother came this morning. Everything is fine."
It was his first time sharing a room with a complete stranger, and he found it quite novel.
His three roommates were all from the county town, but last night when he shared the taro tarts he brought, he immediately stunned them.
Taro cakes are quite famous in the county!
But only semi-retired residences have them.
It is delicious, expensive, and often unavailable, making it quite sought after.
But now he actually brought out some pastries that Banxianju hadn't even started serving yet. Who could look down on this country bumpkin now?
Although his three roommates were from the county town, their family backgrounds were similar to the Bao family's in the past. He was not much worse off than his three roommates.
Moreover, besides taro tarts, Wild Jujube Slope is also quite famous.
Thanks to preserved eggs and tofu puffs, Yezaopo has become a well-known wealthy village!
Therefore, he had a pleasant chat with his three roommates last night.
In the morning class, the teacher first assessed the abilities of the four of them.
He had already learned the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, the Young Scholar's Jade Forest, and the Thousand Family Poems, and had a certain foundation, so the teacher asked him to read the Book of Poetry first.
In fact, he had memorized quite a few poems from the Book of Songs.
However, he hasn't memorized many of the poems in "Thousand Family Poems" yet, so his main task now is memorizing them.
Like the other three roommates, they started by memorizing their lessons.
After hearing Jiang Mai's words, Ye Li felt much more at ease.
He then repeated what he had already told him many times:
The food at the private school is terrible; you should have extra meals when you need them, don't skimp on them.
Don't cause trouble, but if you are bullied, fight back if you should, and seek help from Master Han if you should.
"Also, don't put too much pressure on yourself. With your abilities, you can handle the job of a workshop accountant right now. You'll be able to make a living no matter what."
Ye Li emphasized this point repeatedly.
When students realize they need to work hard, parents should stop pressuring them to avoid causing psychological problems.
But when Jiang Mai heard this, she immediately pouted like Jiang Ya, and Li Ge cursed her again!
He protested, "Brother Li! I want to take the imperial examination to become a scholar."
"I know, but you're still young, take your time learning, there's no rush."
"Alright, go back to the private school. While the braised chicken is still hot, eat it with the porridge, and share some with your brother Shi."
Ye Li said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mai felt a little reluctant to part with him.
Although the private school was good, he still missed his family.
He knew that Brother Li genuinely cared for him.
Seeing that he was standing still, Ye Li said again, "Go back quickly, I will bring Ya Ge'er over tomorrow."
Jiang Mai smiled and said, "Okay!"
He really missed Ya Ge'er.
After Jiang Mai carried the braised chicken into the private school, Ye Li drove the oxcart home.
The private school and the county school are too far apart, one in the north and the other in the south, so I won't go to see Jiang Ji today.
When they arrived home, Jiang Ya and Uncle Ye were both there.
Father Ye left him some food.
After the meal, he and Jiang Ya went to take a look at the workshop.
The new workshop has already started construction, and everyone is carrying stone hammers to tamp the foundation.
When building a house, the foundation must be compacted. At this time, there were no large tools, so people could only carry stone hammers to break it down.
This job can only be done by strong laborers, but there were quite a few villagers standing around watching the spectacle.
This workshop belongs to the whole village, so the whole village works together and no household can slack off.
Actually, no one was slacking off. The workshop had a bright future, and no one wanted to be kicked out.
Besides, with more people in Baxian Town, the sales of tofu puffs are bound to increase.
Ye Li wandered around for a while, leaving Jiang Ya to watch the commotion, while he went home with his hands behind his back.
Nowadays, there are eight people in the family who are responsible for making taro paste: Jiang Dachuan, Gao Jun, Jiang Dahe, Liang Erxiang, Jiang Liu, Jiang Yu, Ye Adie, and Liu Yi.
Eight people making 600 jin of taro paste is too much of a stretch.
The main tedious step is pressing the taro paste. The condensed milk must be completely incorporated into the taro paste. More than 600 pounds of taro paste must be pressed little by little, and no shortcuts can be taken.
The amount of condensed milk required is also quite large.
Condensed milk is more troublesome to make.
After thinking it over, he asked Jiang Tong and Jiang Da when Jiang Dachuan, Gao Jun and the others came to wash the taro. If the two of them were willing to come and help, then he wouldn't ask anyone else.
Of course, we should prioritize our own family members.
Moreover, this job only lasts for two months, so it won't interfere with the busy farming season.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dachuan immediately agreed on behalf of Jiang Tong and Jiang Da.
Making taro paste can earn you thirty coins a day!
Two months is 1,800 coins.
We have to make this money!
Moreover, it seems that Jiang Tong's marriage is likely to be successful.
Jiang Dachuan had already asked someone to inquire about the young man himself, and it turned out that he was indeed as diligent and virtuous as the matchmaker had described.
Moreover, no one knows a son better than his father. Although Jiang Tong said he would just make do, he had actually secretly observed the young man five times from the second day of the Lunar New Year to the ninth day of the Lunar New Year!
The young man's family ran a business selling pickles. They had a small stall in the market, which made it particularly convenient for Jiang Tong to observe them secretly!
Therefore, he plans to get engaged in a few days to save Jiang Tong from having to make repeated trips to the county town.
Furthermore, people his age have long been grandfathers, and he longs for his grandchildren!
But weddings are expensive, so every penny earned now counts.
Furthermore, Jiang Tong and Jiang Shun now receive fixed wages.
Jiang Da, being the second oldest, was quite envious.
If Jiang Da also comes, then his family of five will be just like Jiang Dahe's family, with each member receiving a fixed wage!
Jiang Da, Jiang Shun, and Gao Jun earned thirty coins a day—Gao Jun, due to poor health, had never worked in the workshop and was only responsible for making taro paste.
He and Jiang Tong made sixty articles a day.
That adds up to 210 coins a day!
That's six taels and three mace a month!
Adding in the income from the eggs, one can easily make ten taels a month.
If you work for two months, you'll have enough money for your wedding.
Li Ge'er is such a lucky star!
Jiang Dachuan thanked Ye Li with a happy smile, but Ye Li waved her hand, telling him not to be so polite.
Because this is a win-win situation.
And Ye Li won even more!
Previously, 300 catties of taro paste could make 2,000 servings of taro toppings, and he earned 1.5 coins per serving.
Six hundred catties of taro paste, that's four thousand servings of side dishes, and he can earn six taels.
Six taels a day, that's one hundred and eighty taels a month!
Besides, he also gets paid for egg tarts. He gets two coins for each one, so he can earn at least six hundred coins a day.
He came back early today and didn't see Banxianju selling egg tarts.
But there's only one true situation right now: it's incredibly popular!
Just as Ye Li had guessed, the egg tarts sold out as soon as they were launched.
Before the sale started, Banxianju specially stocked up on some goods, about a hundred of them.
Moreover, Deputy Manager Zhang personally took charge of sales.
Deputy Manager Zhang only promoted the food to diners on the third floor. Those who could afford to go to the third floor were not short of money, and after trying it, most of them were amazed by the taste.
Even men who don't like sweets have to admit that these egg tarts are unique, outstanding, delicate, and delicious after trying them.
But the egg tarts are very small, only half the size of an adult's palm. Even Jiang Ya can eat one in one bite, let alone an adult.
Therefore, the more than one hundred egg tarts stored in Banxianju were directly divided up by the two private rooms.
This overwhelming popularity prompted Deputy Manager Zhang to make a quick decision: immediately reduce the quantity of taro cakes to make more egg tarts.
For every taro cake sold, Banxianju only earns three coins.
You can earn six coins by selling a small egg tart – even if you give two coins to Ye Li, you can still earn four coins.
Moreover, once the reputation of egg tarts spreads, it will attract more diners.
Some people who don't like hot pot also come to Banxianju to spend money.
It's all silver!
Meanwhile, when Yu Cai and Wu Fulang finished with the taro business and returned home, it was already dark.
After dinner, Yu Cai told Wu Fulang about his experiences with Peng Ximing.
This startled Mr. Wu. His youngest son had found a good husband on his own without him saying a word.
And he was a scholar!
He was much better than he had expected in a son-in-law.
More importantly, Yu Cai herself likes it.
With just this one point, Wu's husband achieved his goal of persuading her to marry him.
He just didn't want to see Yu Cai grow old quietly and lonely at home, so he encouraged Yu Cai to go out and open a shop, or even get married.
He misunderstood things for the past twenty years.
His son does have difficulty walking, but his family is rich.
Money brings happiness!
With money, you can buy a lot of things!
Even if it's all insincere and they might turn against each other in the future, his son still felt the joy in the present moment.
That's worth it.
Therefore, after his initial surprise, he immediately said he would send someone to the Peng family to investigate.
He himself also wanted to go to Banxianju to observe Peng Ximing.
and!
Fearing he hadn't investigated thoroughly enough, he also planned to seek help from County Magistrate Yu.
He came to terms with it and drew a clear line, which would only benefit the Yu family.
We should take advantage of the fact that the man surnamed Yu has not yet retired from his position as county magistrate.
Yu Cai responded to Wu Fulang's reactions one by one.
He knew it was all for his own good.
It just so happens that he also misses Peng Ximing quite a bit, so he'll see him tomorrow.
So, on the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, Yu Cai and Wu Fulang went to Banxianju together.
When they guessed that Peng Ximing would arrive soon, the two went to the lobby on the first floor and sat down in a corner, just like Yu Cai used to do, pretending to inspect the details of the store.
The father and son had other motives, but their business, now operating at a semi-retired pace, was comparable to when they first opened.
In just one day, the fame of egg tarts spread.
As a result, many people came to the store to buy egg tarts today.
Moreover, the two knew many of these people—Beiyang County is only so big, and there are only a few people with status.
But the egg tarts in the store were even more popular than the taro cakes. These VIP customers couldn't get their hands on any, so when they saw the father and son sitting on the first floor, they went straight to the two of them.
When Peng Ximing arrived at the store and learned that Yu Cai was there, his heart immediately pounded with anxiety.
He didn't know if Ye Li had conveyed his feelings to Yu Cai.
He had intended to find an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Yu Cai.
But who knew he was so busy today that he didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
Yu Cai and Wu Fulang were also constantly surrounded by distinguished guests.
So in the end, he did not find an opportunity.
Wu Fulang also failed to observe properly.
But Wu Fulang found out what Peng Ximing looked like.
It's alright, the kind that grows on you, and he's tall, so I can take him out in public.
As for Yu Cai and Peng Ximing, one felt relieved of her longing, but the other was tormented by a mix of concern and anxiety.
For several days in a row, it was the same – the allure of egg tarts far surpasses that of taro cakes.
Fortunately, at this time, the people sent by the Wu family and County Magistrate Yu to investigate returned.
In particular, County Magistrate Yu thoroughly investigated Peng Ximing's experiences over the past twenty-six years.
Having found nothing wrong, both Wu Fulang and County Magistrate Yu nodded in approval.
This son-in-law is much better than they expected.
Since they are both getting older, and one wants to marry and the other wants to be married, let's lay it all out.
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