Yan Xia felt a little better after that.
No wonder the shopkeeper asked for 150 taels of silver right off the bat.
This is equivalent to buying a shop and getting a small courtyard house as a bonus.
She also really liked the persimmon tree in the yard.
By October, we should be able to eat persimmons. Judging from the variety of the tree, it should be a soft persimmon. If we can't finish them, we can dry them into persimmon cakes. In winter, staying at home with a pot of hot tea and a persimmon cake is simply wonderful.
However, this was just a liking; what truly made Yan Xia decide to buy the shop was the stove built under the shed.
This is not an ordinary stove.
It looks a bit like an oven.
It was just a little rudimentary, built with bricks.
Logically speaking, it's just for cooking, so why get such a complicated stove? This shop doesn't even sell food.
"Shopkeeper, this stove?"
Yan Xia asked, puzzled.
"Don't you think this oven is a bit strange? Actually, I bought this shop from someone else a couple of years ago for 150 taels of silver. Originally, it sold baked cakes and some pastries that needed to be baked. But ever since the pastry shop across the street opened, the previous owner has completely lost business. When I bought it, this oven was still outdoors, and we couldn't cook when it rained. So, I spent some silver to build this shed."
"Look, it's not exposed to wind or rain, and it can not only bake cakes, but also cook and boil water. It's perfect. However, I don't recommend that you go into the pastry business, madam. Since you can tell that this oven is different, it means you know your stuff. With that shop across the street, you won't have any business."
The shopkeeper was honest and explained the whole story to Yan Xia, and even warned her not to get involved in the pastry business.
"Can the price be lowered?"
For this courtyard, 150 taels is really not expensive; it's just that Yan Xia is used to being stingy.
I'd like to haggle a bit more, even a discount of a few ounces would be nice.
"Oh dear, madam, there's really no room for bargaining. In the past two years, not only have I not made any money, but I've also spent over ten taels of silver to build this shed and repair the courtyard. As you can see, not only is the furniture brand new, but I can even guarantee that the roof won't leak for five years. Well then, if you're really serious about wanting it, I'll leave everything in the shop for you. After this experience, I've realized that I'm simply not cut out for business. From now on, I'll just enjoy my son's blessings."
"Alright, I'll take it. But since you're leaving everything for me, don't take the abacus and other small items with you. Leave them all with me."
After all, these things cost money to buy.
Since they wouldn't let her bargain, Yan Xia naturally wanted to save money, as she didn't have much silver on her to begin with.
"Alright, alright, you can have it all. I'm really afraid of you. But you have to let me take the bedding, right?"
"Haha, take it away. What would I do with your bedding?"
Yan Xia felt a little embarrassed, even though she was stingy.
I don't want everything.
In the end, she still bought the shop.
After both parties signed the documents, they went to the government office to register them.
From then on, the little shop belonged to her.
Shi Xiaohe, who had been standing next to her mother-in-law the whole time, was completely bewildered.
She never expected that her mother-in-law would spend so much money to marry her to Jin Fu, and even spend 150 taels to buy a shop.
Oh my god.
"Mother, how much silver did you get for that grizzly bear? I heard from the villagers that bear paws are valuable, and one can sell for tens of taels. Is that true?" Shi Xiaohe asked gossipy.
"I sold it for two hundred taels, and I haven't even told Jinfu and the others. These children haven't asked either. Mother originally thought of using the money to buy land, but we can't farm that much land. It's better to buy a shop and start a food business. What do you think?"
“I will listen to you, Mother. But Mother, you don’t have to farm the land yourself. You can rent it out to the villagers like the landlords in the next village do.”
Her daughter-in-law's words opened a new world for Yan Xia.
Yeah, how could she be so stupid?
Why would someone give up being a proper landlord to buy a shop?
Damn it, can we just cancel this order?
Yan Xia felt as if her brain had been left behind in the modern world ever since she transmigrated.
"Hehe, it's alright, there's plenty of money in the world, we can earn more later."
It's unclear whether these words were meant to comfort Shi Xiaohe or herself.
"Mother, have you decided what food to sell? This shop is so small, it can only fit one table at most, how many tables can you sell in a day?"
Shi Xiaohe thought Yan Xia was going to sell stir-fried dishes and such.
After all, my mother's cooking is just too delicious.
"Selling pastries."
Yan Xia replied to her.
"What? Pastries? Didn't the shopkeeper just say not to sell pastries? Besides, the pastry shop across from my mother's shop is always very popular. I've bought from them before; they're cheap and delicious."
Yan Xia didn't take the shopkeeper's words seriously, since there were only a few kinds of pastries here.
At most, the price is determined by the quality of the materials used.
For example, the pastry shop she gave to Sister Zhao, Yishangpin, was already the most expensive pastry shop in these counties, especially its signature pastry.
Osmanthus cake!
Compared to other brands that are dry, crumbly, and excessively sweet, this is a much better choice.
Yishangpin's osmanthus cake is soft, chewy, and sweet, exuding a rich osmanthus fragrance that makes you want to eat more.
However, a single bag costs as much as half a tael of silver.
Yan Xia would never have bought it if it weren't for the fact that it was a gift.
Of course, Yishangpin's main customer base isn't poor people like her.
I heard that wealthy families in the county buy their pastries from here.
"Let's go and browse the pastry shops in town."
Yan Xia dragged Shi Xiaohe to visit seven or eight stores before they were done.
Indeed, the pastries sold in each shop are all pretty much the same.
For example, osmanthus cake is available in every shop, as is poria cocos cake, which is sold in just as many places.
In addition, there are common mung bean cakes, water chestnut cakes, water caltrop cakes, lotus flower cakes, cold cakes, dragon beard candy, walnut cakes, pea flour cakes, glutinous rice balls, and so on.
Some are even limited editions for the season.
Unlike osmanthus flowers, which can be pickled and used for a whole year, these are not like other flowers.
As for the Zhouji Crispy Pastry Shop across from her shop...
Yan Xia didn't go in, because she figured Zhao Yuefang's brother would recognize her face.
She let her daughter-in-law in and weighed a little of everything.
I tried them all.
It's very ordinary, with no advantages other than being cheap. Some of the pastries taste like sand, and the sweetness is ridiculously high, to the point of being cloying.
Therefore, his target audience consists of people from the surrounding villages.
"Mom, shall we go buy the things we need to make pastries?"
Shi Xiaohe wasn't picky about food. She took the pastries that Yan Xia had only taken one bite of and put down, and ate them all without complaint. She took the ones that hadn't been bitten home for her sister-in-law and the others.
She asked Yan Xia while she ate.
"Let's buy it. Mother has a little silver left, but not much. It's getting late, so let's go home after we buy it."
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