Chapter 20: Packaging Chili Peppers
This time, the koi in the backyard didn't hide under the lotus leaves. Shen Zhiyi stood by the tank and watched them for a while. They were plump and healthy, looking very prosperous.
When she builds a beautiful yard in the future, she can raise a pair of such beautiful koi fish. Maybe then, even more good fortune will come her way?
Just as Shen Zhiyi was gazing at the koi and dreaming about the future, Master Dong's voice came: "Miss Shen, you're a real lifesaver! If you hadn't come to deliver the chili peppers, I would have been complained about by several of my regular customers."
"That's because Jufu Restaurant truly lives up to its name! It gathers good fortune and wealth! As a result, my chili peppers are selling exceptionally well!" Shen Zhiyi said with a smile.
"You're such a charming girl," Master Dong said with a hearty laugh. "But the chilies you brought today are smaller than the last ones."
If too many peppers grow on a single pepper plant, the nutrients will not be sufficient, which will naturally affect the growth of the second crop of peppers.
This is where Shen Zhiyi is in the wrong, but she can't lower the price because of it, otherwise the chili peppers won't sell well later!
"Small, but the portion is generous!" Shen Zhiyi said quickly, taking out the two types of chili peppers she had prepared and carefully opening them. "These are the other two types. They look nice, but the effect is the same. There were none left last time, so as soon as I received them, Master Dong was the first person I thought of."
Master Dong took a closer look, picked up one of each, tasted them, and then nodded, saying, "It still tastes the same."
“Right!” Shen Zhiyi blinked and said.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps was heard. Master Dong stopped speaking, glanced in that direction, and said in a cool tone, "I sent someone to call you a long time ago. Why are you only coming now? You've kept Miss Chen waiting for so long."
Shen Zhiyi wanted to say "not long ago," but the atmosphere between them made her unable to respond.
Mr. Yuan, who arrived with a serious expression, completely ignored what Master Dong was saying. After looking around, he asked, "Where are the goods?"
"I had someone weigh it in the kitchen, and it weighed fifty-two jin in total this time," Chef Dong said calmly. "There will be another batch of chilies at the end of the month."
"I need to see the goods and weigh them myself before I can process the payment," Mr. Yuan said methodically.
"You don't believe me anymore?" Master Dong asked, raising an eyebrow, showing no intention of backing down.
Caught in the middle, Shen Zhiyi looked left and right, in an awkward situation even more difficult than riding a tiger. Yet, she had no choice but to speak up: "Our village's chili peppers can withstand any test. Master Dong focuses on the results, and Mr. Yuan focuses on the weight. This is a powerful alliance! With your endorsement, our village's chili peppers will surely stride confidently into the prefectural city, reach the capital, and achieve the pinnacle of chili peppers!"
Encouraged by such humorous remarks, Master Dong couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, you little rascal, you're really funny!"
Mr. Yuan's stern face softened a bit, and he said at the right moment, "Then I'll do as you say, young lady, and come with me to weigh the chili peppers."
At this point, Master Dong didn't say anything more; it was already considered that both sides had compromised.
"Let's go then," Shen Zhiyi said hastily, afraid that someone might change their mind along the way.
However, outsiders like Shen Zhiyi were not allowed to enter the kitchen, which she accepted. But she didn't expect that Mr. Yuan was also not allowed to enter. The two of them weighed themselves in the corridor connecting the kitchen and the backyard, and the weight was indeed fifty-two jin.
This time, Shen Zhiyi asked for two and a half taels of old silver and four hundred and twelve copper coins. She politely told Mr. Yuan that there would be another batch of chili peppers at the end of the month. Hearing "Just send them over" made her feel reassured.
If it weren't for the apparent discord between Master Dong and Mr. Yuan, she wouldn't have been talking about the same thing with two different people. She wondered when this situation would end.
Once you have the money, the most important thing is to buy cloth and grain.
Knowing full well that a cold front was coming next month, Shen Zhiyi didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache over these stockpiled goods, spending the two and a half ounces of old silver cleanly.
Fortunately, she didn't run into those talkative aunties on the way back. When there were only two seats left, Shen Zhiyi decisively spent two coins to buy more seats, so that even though she had so much stuff, the oxcart wouldn't feel crowded.
However, Shen Zhiyi's return to the village still attracted a lot of attention, after all, the things she bought were too eye-catching.
Everyone was chatting animatedly, but no one was jealous. They were all thinking about what to buy with the money after selling the chili peppers.
In the days that followed, every time the chili peppers turned red, they were astonished as if they were looking at some kind of treasure. Everyone in the village wore a satisfied smile, which gradually lessened the impact of the low wheat harvest.
Shen Zhiyi had already set a time to take two other types of chili peppers to a neighboring county to explore the market, but before she could set off, she encountered a rare guest who came to her door - Brother Xuan Yan.
"Is there any instruction from Lord Lu?" Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but ask.
"Seeing that Jufu Restaurant has put up its spicy dishes again, Young Master specifically asked me to inquire whether they still have chili peppers for sale?" Xuan Yan asked with his eyes lowered, without ever entering the courtyard.
“Yes, I have some. I kept some for Lord Lu, is it the same amount as last time?” Shen Zhiyi asked, seeing Tang Huaya also coming over, “Let’s go inside and talk about it, you can check the goods first.”
Xuan Yan followed after Tang Huaya entered the courtyard.
Shen Zhiyi thought that Xuan Yan hadn't explicitly said so before, so he must have other uses for these chilies. Nevertheless, she went inside and took one chili of each of the two varieties, and said, "Because the fertilizer didn't keep up, the second batch of chilies is a bit small, but the spiciness is not affected."
Xuan Yan lowered her eyes and examined the chilies carefully, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. She then said, "To be honest, this time the chilies are being sent to the capital. I hope they are of the same quality as last time..."
“It’s for…” Shen Zhiyi silently pointed to the sky, and while Xuan Yan remained silent, she suddenly understood, “Okay! At the end of the month, I will definitely choose the best batch to send over, and the quantity will absolutely satisfy Lord Lu!”
Xuan Yan nodded in satisfaction.
"Do you need live plants? Look, young man, the chili leaves are green and the chilies are red. Planted among this greenery, doesn't it create a beautiful scene? Whether you admire it or pick it, it's a unique pleasure!" Shen Zhiyi said repeatedly, leading the people towards the chili patch in the backyard. "There are even third batches of flower buds forming now. Isn't it very charming? And chilies are very easy to grow, Lord Lu surely knows that!"
Following these words, Xuan Yan couldn't help but look towards the chili pepper field. He then thought that the young master, who always managed to kill whatever he planted, had actually managed to grow the chili peppers. It was clear how easy it was to grow them.
"Besides, if they don't thrive on the way, then we won't send them!" Shen Zhiyi said matter-of-factly. Anyway, she would increase the price, and the more she gave, the more likely a few plants would survive.
"Miss, please be careful what you say," Xuan Yan gently reminded her.
Shen Zhiyi nodded seriously and repeated, "Be careful what you say! How long will it take for that young man to get there from here? I need to estimate how big the seedlings should be."
“More than a month,” Xuan Yan said.
"Alright! When the young man comes again at the end of the month, he'll definitely be all set!" Shen Zhiyi said confidently.
“Since you say so, Miss, I believe you,” Xuan Yan said hastily, then brought up another matter, “I have troubled you a lot these days. My household has prepared some gifts to express my gratitude. Please accept them.”
"Huh? Those bricks are already..." Shen Zhiyi wanted to say the word "thank you gift," but unexpectedly, a well-trained man had already carried things in and neatly stacked them next to her. On top of the chests were exquisite wooden boxes. Although she couldn't see what was inside, she couldn't help but love the carvings.
Hurry up and tell me why you're refusing!
Shen Zhiyi cried out in her heart, her eyes fixed on the sky, her voice filled with urgency: "There's no need to be so polite. Lord Lu is concerned about the people. We...we only did what we could. Please take it back!"
"Please accept this, young lady. Otherwise, I will not dare to bother you again." Xuan Yan's words were earnest, giving no chance to refuse, before he bowed and took his leave.
"Hey, this thing..." Shen Zhiyi lifted her foot and chased after it, but no one could be as fast as a martial artist. By the time she reached the courtyard gate, the carriage had already driven away.
Tang Huaya, who had been quietly listening to the entire conversation, slowly said, "Zhiyi, the things Lord Lu sent are very valuable, and there are also three very beautiful rabbits."
"There are rabbits too?" Shen Zhiyi came to her senses and saw the wooden cage hidden by the box in the direction Tang Huaya pointed. Inside were three rabbits with white fur and glossy hair, and they were relatively robust.
Completely captivated, she walked to the wooden cage and opened the latch. Hearing the sound, the three rabbits swarmed into the cage. Shen Zhiyi quickly confirmed their presence, then excitedly exclaimed, "They're all female rabbits! But they're a bit timid; they need a few more days to get used to each other. They'll be able to breed with the male rabbit much faster than the two female rabbits we had before. One male rabbit, five female rabbits… soon we'll have rabbits free!"
"That's great!" Tang Huaya exclaimed happily.
Shen Zhiyi fastened the wooden cage with a snap fastener and handed the whole thing over to Tang Huaya.
"Well then, I'll be going now," Tang Huaya said, and started to walk out.
Shen Zhiyi reached out and grabbed the person, saying, "Why are you leaving? Let's see what good things Lord Lu has sent to our village!"
"This is a gift from Lord Lu," Tang Huaya said firmly.
“That doesn’t matter. I can just use it to give to someone else,” Shen Zhiyi said with a smile. “It’s also possible that the box or trunk is empty, and we’re just overthinking it.”
"No, it won't happen," Tang Huaya said earnestly.
Shen Zhiyi didn't tease her anymore. She first opened the wooden box carved with magpies playing on branches. To be precise, it was a jewelry box, filled with all kinds of hair ties and beaded flowers. It was clear that the price wasn't high. The fact that the person gave her such a full box showed that they had put thought into it.
She took out a pearl hairpin and placed it in Tang Huaya's hair, saying with a smile, "It's so pretty."
Tang Huaya reached out to take off the beaded flower, but Shen Zhiyi quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't take it off, it looks nice on! Besides, there are so many beaded flowers, you're not the only one with them. Sister Cuihua, Aunt Wan, Sister Zhaodi, Aunt Sui'er, Aunt Zhao..."
The names were read one after another, making Tang Huaya both amused and exasperated. She quickly said, "My mother definitely won't take them."
"Why?" Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but ask.
"My mother would say that these are things young girls like to wear, she..." Tang Huaya suddenly fell silent. Actually, when her mother went to the fabric shop, she couldn't help but look at the pretty fabrics, but...
Tang Huaya then said seriously, "She will like it."
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