Chapter 36 The private school is on holiday again. Bao Beiyuan has found a good courtyard.
Ye Li hadn't expected Jiang Ji to utter those four words.
He paused for a moment, then gave Jiang Ji a deep look before taking out chopsticks from his basket and saying, "Keep it up. There are still twenty coins left. Four coins a day. Once you've spent them all, you can go home."
"I'll give you a reward next time I go home."
award?
Jiang Ji asked curiously, "What reward?"
Ye Li, holding his chopsticks, said in a serious tone, "Practice your ventriloquism diligently."
Jiang Ji: "..."
The memory of that night's indulgence flashed through his mind.
At the time, although Ye Li kept saying that she wanted to improve together with him, the moment of passion was worth a thousand pieces of gold, and his mind was on the two of them being connected. So he only let Ye Li have a few bites before he couldn't wait to get down to business.
I didn't pay much attention to it at the time; my strongest impression was the heat.
Not only was he hot, but Ye Li's mouth was hot too, and his whole body was pink, with his cheeks flushed...
His deep eyes swept across Ye Li's lips, then he lowered his head and straightened the hem of his robe.
He then moved the small pottery jar in his hand to his lower abdomen.
This move was clearly a case of trying to cover something up, and Ye Li immediately laughed.
Teasing him?
Hmph, let's see who's suffering!
However, looking at the outstanding face of the person in front of him, he felt both joy and satisfaction.
The last time we parted, it was too rushed, and I only had time to touch lips with Jiang Ji.
Although Bao Beiyuan has been relaying messages these past few days, nothing beats seeing the person in person.
So he came today.
Judging from Jiang Ji's appearance, he has been thinking about him quite often these past few days.
She was pleased and was about to tease Jiang Ji a bit more, but Jiang Ji spoke first, subtly changing the subject: "What will happen to the tofu puffs if you come over now?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Li put her mind at ease and said, "I'll let my older brother fry them himself. Anyway, the key is the soy milk, and anyone can fry the tofu puffs."
"I was too stupid. I should have let my older brother blow it up himself a long time ago."
This job really is like a dog leash, keeping him tied up in the morning—making tofu.
In the afternoon, I tied him up too—to make fried tofu puffs.
This made him rush around in a panic whenever he went to the county town.
But he missed his husband so much these past two days that he decided to go to town, so he asked Ye Liang to fry tofu puffs by himself.
If Ye Liang doesn't make any mistakes when we get back this afternoon, then we'll just let Ye Liang do all the frying from now on.
Alternatively, you could simply have Ye Liang come over in the morning, then carry the tofu back to the Ye family's house and fry it there.
This made things easier for him.
Jiangmai and Jiangya no longer need to go out to collect firewood every day.
Although they are at an age where they should be playing, the two little ones are just like him, cutting grass in the morning and collecting firewood in the afternoon, more diligent than little bees.
However, this would reduce his daily income.
Ye Liang and Liu Yi had already provided the manpower, so he couldn't sell the tofu to them at the current price.
never mind.
Let's wait until milk tea and preserved eggs are on the right track before making any decisions.
Once the profits from these two foods are enough to offset the loss from the tofu puffs, he will throw off the dog leash.
A thousand thoughts raced through Ye Li's mind, but he didn't utter a single word. He handed the chopsticks to Jiang Ji: "Eat up. After you're done, I'll go to the ceramics shop to buy some jars."
Jiang Ji hummed in agreement and took the chopsticks with his slender fingers.
There was nothing else in the basket, so Ye Li turned it upside down on the ground: "Why don't you put the pottery jar on top of the basket?"
"No need." Jiang Ji shook his head without even thinking.
His lower abdomen was still warm.
Summer clothes are light.
Somewhat obvious.
Ye Li was amused, but didn't provoke her eighteen-year-old husband any further, simply saying, "Eat quickly."
He busied himself after breakfast, delivering the food from afar in the sweltering heat, mainly because he wanted Jiang Ji to have a good meal.
High school seniors only get two eggs a day to supplement their nutrition, which is far from enough.
Jiang Ji responded and bent down to open the earthenware jar.
The earthenware pot was open, and the palm-sized opening was completely covered by braised pork, so the rice was not visible at all.
He couldn't help but ask, "Have you eaten with Xiaomai and Ya'er?"
"Don't worry, I won't go hungry no matter what. I'll eat wheat and buddy too."
"This time when I stewed the meat, I added a few eggs, tofu, and amaranth. The two of them ate a whole big bowl of it with the flatbread."
Meat was too expensive, so he added some other ingredients.
I must say, it tastes pretty good.
"However, they both wanted to bring you food, but I didn't agree."
Jiang Ji smiled and said, "Of course, you're here on business. We don't have a donkey cart at home, and those two short legs can't walk that far."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
The texture is the same as last time, sweet, fragrant and chewy, but not greasy at all.
"It's delicious." Jiang Ji looked at Ye Li and said earnestly, "Thank you for your hard work."
A simple "thank you for your hard work" brought a smile to Ye Li's face.
He pointed to the spot next to him: "Move over a bit, don't get sunburned."
It was midday, and the sun was scorching.
Fortunately, there was a large jujube tree in the private school. Some of its branches stretched over the high wall and cast a shady spot under the wall.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji obediently moved closer to Ye Li.
He held the earthenware pot in one hand and ate heartily, while Ye Li talked about his family.
The weather gets hotter every day, and grinding grain is a tough job.
He planned to build a shed with ventilation on all four sides next to the well.
First, cover the well so that it won't be difficult to draw water when it rains or is windy.
Secondly, move the millstone out so that it will be cooler when you grind it.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji said, "Alright, ask your second uncle and Datong for help. Go up the mountain and cut down a few trees, and you can build it in a day."
“That’s what I think too,” Ye Li nodded.
It only requires a little wood and leaves; this is easy to do.
"Also, I plan to teach Xiaoliu and Datong how to make preserved eggs."
Ye Li added.
With the county seat and town behind them, even if the whole village makes preserved eggs together, they won't have to worry about selling them.
Such a large market is just sitting idle anyway, so why not let our own people make some money?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji paused in his chewing, then looked up at Ye Li with a serious expression on his handsome face: "Thank you."
"You don't need to thank me, they will thank me."
"Actually, this is not a big deal; it won't make you rich."
Making eggs can only be a side job.
This time, he's making five hundred small eggs. He can only earn a few cents for each one he sells.
The big ones, you can earn a penny for each one you sell.
Even if you sell 500 eggs, all of them being the largest, you can only earn 500 coins.
But in reality, he couldn't earn 500 coins, because the eggs the villagers sold him varied in size and shape.
Therefore, if you want to make big money from this, you have to focus on volume.
There are thousands or tens of thousands of them.
Given the conditions in ancient times, even with the county seat of Beiyang as his backing, acquiring tens of thousands of eggs would not have been an easy task.
Besides, he really hasn't had any free time lately.
He now has to make milk tea for Bao Beiyuan every morning. Today's braised pork was bought by Tuo Yeliang yesterday. After making tofu in the morning, he immediately started making milk tea without a break.
After making the milk tea, he quickly started cooking the meat and rice.
That's how you get the braised pork delivered before noon.
He really hasn't had time to do sales these past few days.
In a few days, once Bao Beiyuan finds a suitable courtyard, moves out of the private school, and learns how to make milk tea, he will be able to relax a bit. At that time, he can buy more eggs and make more preserved eggs.
Fortunately, making preserved eggs is not difficult. Although several hundred may seem like a lot, he can actually make them all in an afternoon.
Ye Li spoke of it lightly, but Jiang Ji did not consider it a small amount of money.
Are a few hundred coins a small amount of money?
He used to work himself to the bone for two months and still couldn't earn that much.
Jiang Liu, for example, worked diligently grinding grain every day, yet only earned three hundred coins a month.
Even so, this kind of work is unique in the village.
Now I can easily earn nearly 500 coins, which is a great thing and a wonderful thing.
He shoveled rice into his mouth, but his gaze remained fixed on Ye Li.
The person in front of me is the complete opposite of the Ye Li I knew before.
He felt like he was dreaming.
"Why are you looking at me?" Ye Li asked, puzzled, her clear black and white eyes meeting his gaze.
Jiang Ji said, "I have some doubts."
Ye Li pressed further, "What are you wondering about?"
Jiang Ji pointed to the blazing sun overhead: "Why isn't it nighttime now?"
"?"
Ye Li tilted her head: "Speak like a human."
"That way we can run back to the village at night, saving you the trouble of practicing your ventriloquism. No need to practice, it's enough."
Jiang Ji said with a sincere expression.
"...Dream on! Go study properly and stop thinking about this all day."
Ye Li has a fierce mouth.
But deep down, I felt a sweet warmth.
Her husband must love her dearly.
Jiang Ji noticed his insincerity and felt increasingly tormented.
To avoid her lower abdomen bulging out again, Jiang Ji had no choice but to turn her attention to the delicious food in front of her.
But my mouth was satisfied.
But the mind is never satisfied.
He had only one thought in mind: to kiss Ye Li until she could only hug his neck and whimper.
Unfortunately, the timing was wrong.
The location is also wrong.
A clay pot of braised pork over rice was quickly devoured amidst Jiang Ji's mind full of regrets.
It was time for Ye Li to leave.
Jiang Ji put the small pottery jar back into the basket, then picked up the basket and helped Ye Li carry it on her back.
The two stopped in the shade of the tree.
Their eyes met, and silence lingered between them.
Beneath the silence lies reluctance.
But this place is the entrance to a private school.
Not far away sat the doorman of the private school.
Ye Li then smiled and said, "If anything happens, just have Bao Beiyuan deliver the message."
"You too." Jiang Ji's dark eyes stared intently at Ye Li's face, his voice soft but full of affection.
His gaze was so direct that Ye Li felt a little embarrassed and urged him, "Go back quickly, eat your fill and get some sleep. I'm leaving now."
"Be careful on the road, and go slowly," Jiang Ji subconsciously advised.
Upon hearing this, Ye Li raised his fist and shook it: "Don't worry, if there are any blind fools, I can take on ten of them with one punch!"
Seeing Jiang Ji chuckle, he coughed and said seriously, "I'll have the ceramic shop's shop assistant deliver it to my door later, and someone will come with me."
"Okay." Jiang Ji agreed, his handsome face still beaming with a smile.
"Then I'm leaving." Feeling a little embarrassed by his laughter, Ye Li turned and left without waiting for him to speak.
Ye Li walked very fast without looking back. The private school was just around the corner of the alley, so in a few breaths he turned into another alley and disappeared.
Jiang Ji reluctantly withdrew his gaze.
He stood in the shade of the tree for a while, lost in thought, before turning back to the private school.
He was determined to pass the provincial examination in the autumn on his first try.
Otherwise, he would have had to stay in the private school and study hard.
This kind of life, like that of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, is too hard to endure.
Meanwhile, Ye Li, after some investigation, found the location of the ceramics shop.
This shop was recommended to him by Bao Beiyuan; the prices are reasonable.
He bought ten large jars, paid an extra twenty coins for shipping, and had the shop assistant load them onto a donkey cart and deliver them to his village.
When Ye Liang arrived home, he was preparing to carry the large skewers of tofu puffs home.
Ye Li inspected the two dishes he had fried and, seeing that they were similar to his own, told him to come early the next day so he could learn how to make preserved eggs.
Ye Liang responded in unison.
His father had already bought the eggs and was just waiting for Ye Li to demonstrate.
Although it was his first time making them, with Ye Li's guidance, he was not afraid of failure and decided to make five hundred eggs in the first batch.
Ye Liang is not afraid of failure, and Jiang Liu and Jiang Tong are even less afraid of failure because they have Ye Li's face-to-face guidance.
However, Ye Li specifically pointed out that in order to prevent the recipe from being leaked, the two of them had to bring the ingredients to his house to make it.
Jiang Tong is easy to talk to.
He is the eldest son, and now he runs a small business that makes money.
Jiang Dachuan gave him one or two taels of silver and told him to buy whatever he needed and to go ahead and do it.
However, Yezaopo only has twenty-two households, and Ye Li has already plundered almost all of the villagers' eggs.
He wanted to buy eggs, but he could only go to the county town.
As the eldest daughter, Jiang Liu did not receive the same treatment from Jiang Dahe as Jiang Tong.
Therefore, on this morning, when Jiang Dahe brought Jiang Liu to work, Ye Li took the initiative to talk to Jiang Dahe about buying raw materials.
After listening to his words, Jiang Dahe waved his hand and said, "What do you need? I'll go buy it."
Ye Li had given him a few preserved eggs before.
It's really delicious!
Upon hearing this, Ye Li smiled and said, "Second Uncle, you can go and buy it. However, the money spent will be considered a loan from Xiao Liu. Xiao Liu will pay you back after the eggs are sold."
"Borrowed from me?" Jiang Dahe was taken aback, somewhat confused.
Ye Li patiently explained, "Second Uncle, it's like this. I plan to teach Xiao Liu how to make preserved eggs, and Xiao Liu will keep the money earned."
"That won't do!"
Jiang Dahe shook his head repeatedly and said anxiously, "Brother Li, Xiao Liu will get married in the future. Aren't you afraid that if she learns the recipe, she will teach it to her husband's family in the future?"
"How foolish!"
Ye Li knew his character well, so she wasn't angry when she heard this. She still smiled and said, "Second Uncle, it's alright to teach her. If she really teaches her, her in-laws will definitely respect and treat her well. If a small prescription can ensure that Xiao Liu has no worries after marriage, then it's worth it."
"She is our daughter whom we have raised with great care. Isn't it good that she will never be bullied by her husband's family in her entire life?"
"Besides, if she teaches, your son-in-law will definitely treat you like his own father. Second Uncle, haven't you always hoped for a son? A son-in-law is half a son too."
Jiang Dahe: "..."
That sounds a bit strange.
He moved his lips a few times, wanting to refute, but didn't know how to say it.
In that case, wouldn't it be better to teach the recipe to your in-laws?
Jiang Dahe scratched his head in confusion.
But Jiang Liu gripped the braid hanging in front of her, and her eyes slowly reddened.
She said softly, "Brother Li, I will never teach anyone else. Even if I get married, I will not teach them."
"Human hearts are unpredictable. Only if I keep the prescription in my hands will my in-laws always respect and treat me well."
Ye Li hadn't expected Jiang Liu to have this insight, and she wanted to applaud her: "That's well said!"
What a clear-headed young girl!
He said, "Xiao Liu, you must remember that what you hold in your hand is what you can truly rely on."
"Alright, if your second uncle won't lend you the money, I will. After you finish grinding the millstone, take the money to the county town to buy eggs, quicklime, and sawdust."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dahe felt extremely embarrassed.
He hurriedly said, "Brother Li, what are you saying? With me as your own father, how could I lend you money? I'll go ahead and tell you what you want to buy, and I'll go buy it in a bit."
"Second Uncle, don't force yourself. It's not much money anyway, and Xiao Liu will pay me back soon."
Ye Li smiled and shook her head.
"No, no, no, let me do it. Anyway, this recipe is yours. If you're willing to teach, then teach me."
Jiang Dahe sighed.
Never mind, this isn't his prescription.
Moreover, as her biological father, he naturally hoped that his daughter would not be bullied in the future.
Seeing that he genuinely wanted to borrow the money, Ye Li explained further: "Second Uncle, I think Xiao Liu has it tough. She's a young lady, yet she comes to do hard labor for me every day."
"You always say she's a money-loser, and that you'll just give her a little dowry and be done with it."
"So I thought I'd teach her how to make preserved eggs so she could save some money."
"This recipe won't make you rich, Second Uncle, you don't need to worry about it too much."
"Okay, okay, whatever you say, I'll listen to you."
Jiang Dahe repeatedly agreed.
Ye Li was satisfied with his attitude.
He was instructed to push the cart to the county town to buy eggs, quicklime, and sawdust.
If you don't have enough jars at home, you'll have to buy a few more.
After purchasing it, it was delivered directly to him.
Jiang Dahe wrote everything down, went home, ate breakfast, then put the money in his pocket, pushed his cart, and went into the city.
He bought more than 300 eggs.
After Ye Li wrapped the eggs in sawdust and sealed them in jars, he took several jars home.
After finishing this task, he picked up his axe and went up the mountain to cut down trees so he could build a shed for Yeli.
On the other hand, Bao Beiyuan was busy scouting locations to sell milk tea in the morning and running around looking for courtyards in the afternoon.
Soy milk rice mochi has a promising future; everyone who has tried it praises it.
So he became bolder and wanted to rent a detached house so that he wouldn't have to worry about his roommates seeing his prescriptions all the time.
He had already done the math himself; if the daily profit was one hundred coins, then that would be three taels of silver a month.
He kept the rent for the courtyard under two taels of silver, and the extra tael was enough to support him.
And the daily profit is one hundred coins.
That would be enough to sell forty-four grapes, soy milk rice, and mochi—and we'd also have to give Ye Li ten coins.
Is forty-four grapes too much to ask?
Not high!
It's worth noting that in just a few short days, the soy milk rice mochi has already attracted repeat customers.
So he plans to rent a small courtyard.
However, suitable courtyards are hard to find; they are either too remote or have high rents.
When he came across something similar, he would ask Jiang Ji to help him make a decision—he had no experience renting a courtyard house or living independently, and he was afraid of being ripped off.
This was important business for him, and Jiang Ji followed him several times after class in the evening, so he kept postponing going home.
By the time he settled on the courtyard, the private school's holiday was just a few days away.
Next, he moved house and bought some food to thank Master Han and his roommates. Jiang Ji was also there at that time.
So, after he settled into his new home and bought back the stone mill and all sorts of tea-making utensils, the private school was closed for the holidays.
Jiang Ji was eager to return home.
As soon as the school bell rang, he quickly packed up his books, rushed back to his dormitory as fast as he could, grabbed the package he had packed that morning, and then hurried out of the private school.
Summer days are long.
He hurried along, running all the way, and when he saw the familiar courtyard, the sun had not yet set.
He let out a long breath and slowed his pace.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and face and walked briskly towards his home.
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