"Young man, I don't know your name yet, should I call you young lady? If you don't mind, call me Grandpa Sun." "Huh? Um... Grandpa Sun, how did you recognize me as a woman?" "Young lady, I haven't lived these past fifty or sixty years for nothing. It's alright, just do what you like."
Li Xi had been dressed in men's clothing ever since she set off from Yunnan and Sichuan. Since the original owner of this body already had a feminine appearance with masculine features, she had deliberately darkened her face. She thickened her eyebrows, deepened the contours of her nose, and emphasized her jawline, making her look like a young man. She didn't delve into how Old Master Sun had figured it out; perhaps he was incredibly skilled, and there were always people more capable than oneself.
After helping Grandpa Sun tidy up his house, before leaving, Old Qian handed her a booklet. "Xiao Xi, take this booklet home and take a look. It contains some mental techniques that should be useful to you. I found it at a used bookstore."
Li Xi took the booklet and said, "You need to be very careful here. Why don't you come down the mountain with me? I have empty rooms. It's inconvenient for you to be here alone." "Don't worry, this area is all my territory. Ordinary people can't get in."
As dusk fell, she ran and flew down the mountain, returning home as night descended. Li Xi told everyone about the rescue that day, and Meng Zhelan was relieved to know that everyone was alright. She prepared many different kinds of medicinal powder for Li Xi, so they could use them if they couldn't win a fight. She had learned this trick from her father; all's fair in war.
It took quite a while to get back, and Li Xi was so hungry that she didn't even have time to talk. She quickly ate her meal, gulping it down like a whirlwind. "Xi'er, eat slowly. I made a lot of food, enough for you and Tian Tian," Ling'er said with a smile.
Ling'er is very satisfied with her current life. Today, she went to the market with her neighbor's sister-in-law. The lifestyle here is completely different from that in her hometown. Here, she is free, without the oppression of her father and stepmother, and full of vitality. "Lan'er, Xi'er, I went to the market today and I have a general idea of the various ingredients for making noodles."
Ling'er has always been knowledgeable about food. Although life was tough back in her hometown, she tried her best to make the food delicious so that she could eat well. So she would volunteer to cook, otherwise she would never get a chance to eat the good food and would have to sneak a bite while cooking.
"We'll go buy some tables, chairs, and counters tomorrow, and then go to the market to buy some ingredients to cook a few dishes. I'll ask Young Master Shen to help me taste them. He's from Kyoto, so he should know what the locals like. We can also invite the neighbors to try them," Li Xi pondered.
I took a stroll through these streets and alleys today and have a general understanding of the food scene here. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. Not only do you need to understand what other restaurants are doing, but you also need to continuously improve your own.
After bathing, the four of them gathered in Li Xi's boudoir. Sun Tiantian had returned in the afternoon and heated the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) in the house, making it nice and warm. The kang in Li Xi's room was quite spacious; all four of them could lie down comfortably. They shared their opinions on opening a shop, and the big boss, Meng Zhelan, said, "Make a list later, and we'll go take a look together tomorrow."
"I'll write down a few more menus and try something new later." Li Xi realized that there was no chili sauce in this dynasty, and she didn't know if she could find chili peppers. Chili sauce would be an essential item in later generations. Although she was from Guangdong, she loved spicy food and couldn't eat without it at every meal. If she could find chili peppers, she would definitely make a fortune. Li Xi thought about counting money until her hands were sore, and the corners of her mouth turned up so wide she couldn't suppress it.
At the end of the Yin hour, it was still quite dark. If it weren't for the need to catch the early market, Li Xi would never have gotten out of bed. Wrapped in a thick cloak, the four of them, shivering, climbed onto the carriage with hand warmers and headed to the early market.
No matter how cold the weather, the vendors at the morning market always set up their stalls on time, working hard to make a living. There are many morning markets in Kyoto, and the one they went to was the closest one, which was quite large, much larger than that of an average county town.
The morning market offered a wide variety of goods related to clothing, food, housing, and transportation. Fresh fruits and vegetables were scarce in Kyoto during winter; most were large cabbages and white radishes stored in cellars before winter. Pickled and dried vegetables, however, were plentiful. Ling'er was in charge of selecting the produce, while Meng Zhelan was responsible for paying.
There are many pork stalls here, and they're not expensive, 10 wen per jin (500g). Offal is being bought up by others. Mutton is 20 wen per jin. There are also fish stalls, beef stalls, rabbit stalls, and chicken, duck, and goose stalls. In Jingyuan, there are also cattle farms that specifically raise cattle, but you need local approval to sell them. Compared to later known eras, Jingyuan is the most prosperous, with all walks of life flourishing.
The carriage was laden with fruits, vegetables, and meat, and they also bought several pounds of braised offal, "Lu Zhu Huo Shao" (a type of stew). The group then sat down at a mutton offal soup shop in the morning market. The fresh mutton offal, seasoned with the shopkeeper's secret sauce, was incredibly tempting. Li Xi and Tian Tian, not yet satisfied, ate wontons and scallion pancakes next door.
After breakfast, as dawn broke, the group went to find the carpenter who had built the medicine cabinet. Li Xi took out the completed drawing and explained her requirements to the carpenter. The characters on it were still written by Meng Zhelan. Li Xi, being a modern person, could read traditional characters but not write them, so she was relearning them.
The tables and chairs have been enhanced with some details characteristic of this era; for example, the stools now have backrests. Small restaurants typically have long benches, but for comfort, backrests have been added so that they reach shoulder blade level for the average person, allowing them to lean back and rest while waiting for their food. Delivery is scheduled for three days later.
Next, she went to a blacksmith shop to order knives and a boiler, and to a rice and oil shop, a general store, and so on, preparing everything on the list. Li Xi was a little discouraged, as all the shops she had visited said they didn't have chili peppers.
The group went to the flower and bird market and selected some easy-to-care-for plants. Fresh flowers, when arranged properly in a restaurant, can be quite eye-catching. There were also greenhouses cultivating different varieties of flowers. The wisdom of the ancients, like a beacon, illuminates humanity's path forward…
A pot of bright red chili peppers stood out vividly against the backdrop of green leaves, their large blossoms resembling blooming buds. Upon closer inspection, Li Xi realized they were chili peppers, and she nearly jumped for joy. Asking the owner, she learned they were Qin pepper flowers, now commonly grown as potted plants. The price wasn't high either, only 20 copper coins including the pot.
Li Xi only wanted chili peppers, so she directly asked the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, do you grow this kind of flower in large quantities?" "We have many flower fields, including this kind." "How much is it per acre?" "If you want to buy one acre of Qin peppers, at the purchase price of 3 wen per plant, one acre would be about 5,000 plants, which would cost 15 taels of silver. However, it is currently winter, and there are only 100 potted plants in the greenhouse. We will have to wait until spring to plant them in large quantities."
"Alright, I'll take these hundred plants." Having spent two taels of silver on these Qin peppers, and adding one hundred coins to have the shopkeeper arrange for a servant to deliver them to her backyard, Li Xi quickly moved the potted pepper plants into an empty room. She then had Sun Tiantian heat up the kang (heated brick bed), as the peppers couldn't withstand the cold weather outside the greenhouse. A room full of bright red peppers—Li Xi felt as if gold ingots were rushing towards her.
She planned to buy land and plant peppers in the spring, and whenever she had time, she would collect the pepper seeds. Satisfied, she left, still dreaming during dinner. Should she invite the God of Wealth back to worship? The thought of the God of Wealth filled her heart with joy; indeed, the charm of a national heartthrob of later generations is truly great.
"Xi'er, Xi'er," Meng Zhelan called Li Xi several times before she came back to her senses. "Xi'er, what are you going to do with so many Qin peppers?" "Lan'er, Ling'er, Tiantian, with these Qin peppers, it won't be difficult for us to become rich. We can make a fortune in less than a year."
"Stop being so mysterious! Come on, try the first dish I made today, your favorite beef. Try it and see if you like it!" Ling'er was overjoyed to see everyone eating so heartily. The happiest person to cook must be seeing others enjoy their food and praise it endlessly.
The cold wind outside didn't reach them. In the darkness, a few snowflakes seemed to drift down from the sky, gradually increasing in number. It was the first snowfall. Tian Tian, who had gone out to add charcoal, saw the snowflakes and exclaimed, "It's snowing? It's snowing!" The others ran out of the house; it was the first time any of the four of them had ever seen snow. "Oh my god, it really is snowing!" Li Xi exclaimed in surprise. This was the first time she had ever seen snow in either her past or present life. She reached out to catch a snowflake, which drifted into her palm and melted from the warmth of her hand…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com