Chapter 49: The Beginning of Business
Shen Zhiyi laid out the prepared dried lotus leaf packets on the table. Even though the other party was impatient, she still wanted to explain her products clearly, so she said, "Grandpa, take a look at this one. It's what fresh chili peppers look like after they've been dried, and there's also..."
She patiently described the different types of chili peppers and gestured for the other person to taste them.
"I never imagined that chili peppers could be transformed into these," the old man said in surprise.
"That's not all. It can be paired with many things, more like a common seasoning, making the flavor even richer," Shen Zhiyi said earnestly. "Like when we stir-fry cabbage..."
Following Shen Zhiyi's example, everyone seemed to have opened a new door to their taste buds, with endless combinations emerging.
It was during this seemingly casual conversation that both parties solidified their determination to buy and sell.
At the same time, Shen Zhiyi took out chili peppers of various prices and said sincerely, "The chili peppers in our village are priced according to their appearance. This batch, whether pickled or dried, uses the best quality ones, but there is no difference in taste."
"Then why..." Xu Yuan was about to ask a question when he was interrupted by the old man's cough.
Shen Zhiyi pretended not to hear and continued, "As for the skill of pickling chili peppers, if you think it's good, but you can't pickle the same flavor yourself, I can go back and ask Auntie if she's willing to sell her the peppers."
At the same time, the old man's gaze fell on Hui Niang. Seeing that she shook her head, he said, "Their pickling skills are superb. It's definitely worth the money. I just don't know the price."
"I'm not sure about that either. I'll have to go back and ask my aunt before I can decide. If it goes through, my aunt can only make pickled peppers for the family to eat, that's for sure," Shen Zhiyi said seriously.
"Of course I believe the young lady," the old man said gently. "Why don't we take a look at the fresh chili peppers first?"
“No problem!” As soon as Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, Zheng San ran towards the alley entrance, “Third Brother, slow down.”
"I know!" Zheng San replied, but ran even faster.
"With such a brother, how could the family business not prosper?" the old man sighed.
"Thank you for your kind words, Grandpa." Shen Zhiyi smiled gently. She had many brothers like him.
Zheng San ran over carrying a sack, which startled Shen Zhiyi. She quickly went to take it from him, but he said, "Don't touch it, little sister. I can manage on my own."
Shen Zhiyi had no choice but to withdraw her hand, but Xu Yuan went to help, and Zheng San did not refuse.
"Grandpa, look at these chilies." Shen Zhiyi said as she untied the burlap sack. "If you don't mind the trouble, you can take them out and check them one by one."
"No need, Yuan'er, carry it over to be weighed. Today is the perfect day for our spicy soup noodles!" the old man said heartily, rolling up his sleeves as he headed towards the stove.
"Father..." Xu Yuan called out softly.
"I'll cook today. Young lady and this young man can eat first, then you can go back to your work," the old man said with a smile. "Hui Niang, you can help out while I weigh the food and settle the bill."
Seeing this, Zheng San followed Xu Yuan to the backyard to weigh the items, while Shen Zhiyi stayed behind.
Seeing that they were all busy, she took a rag and started wiping the table, arranging the benches, and tidying up any places that looked amiss.
"The noodles are ready!" the old man called out to the inside.
Everyone else sat down and helped carry the bowls. There was also half a bowl of chopped fresh chili peppers, ground chili peppers, and half a bowl of vinegar. Shen Zhiyi demonstrated how to adjust the flavor. Although it wasn't very authentic, the sour and spicy taste was enough to win over everyone present.
"This chili is so satisfying!"
"tasty!"
I like it with more vinegar.
They shared their opinions, and Shen Zhiyi listened attentively.
"Hey, Old Xu, it really is you! You made these noodles, didn't you? I could smell them from way over here!" A voice broke into the conversation. The old man looked up and said, "You old codger, you've come knocking on our door. You've got bad luck. These are the hot and sour noodles that our shop developed!"
What's the price?
"What price could it be? You can't go broke from eating just one bowl of noodles."
It was quite amusing to listen to two elderly people, whose combined age is almost 100, bickering.
However, Shen Zhiyi had things to do when she got back. She quietly told Hui Niang before leaving with Zheng San. With three taels of silver in his pocket, the third brother walked more steadily.
The twenty taels of silver notes in Shen Zhiyi's arms had floated lightly into the money shop, but when she took them out, they were heavy. The carriage carried them back to Xiaba Village in a hurry.
The sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds, but it offered no warmth, and dewdrops still clung to the branches.
As the voices of "They're back!" rang out, people from each household emerged from their homes, chatting and laughing as they walked toward the ancestral hall, without Li Shitou needing to announce their arrival with a gong.
As soon as Shen Zhiyi and Zheng San got off the carriage in front of the ancestral hall, villagers carrying benches came over. Without any special greeting, they put down their benches and sat down neatly in rows.
Shen Zhiyi took out the familiar roster and stood in front of everyone, saying, "Those whose names are called, come forward. Chen Daniu, Xu..."
The compensation was distributed in batches according to the different amounts received by each household. Some families received several hundred coins, while others received around one hundred coins. Shen Zhiyi, being the first person in the village to reclaim wasteland, did not need to have the acreage calculated based on the number of people, so she received five hundred coins in compensation.
Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, Shen Zhiyi felt satisfied. However, she glanced around and saw that many people were walking towards the village chief, still avoiding her as they handed over their money.
Then, seeing the village chief walking over, he handed Shen Zhiyi a bulging purse embroidered with peach branches, saying, "This is the money for the seeds."
Shen Zhiyi hadn't forgotten what she had said back then, and couldn't help but say, "These chilies haven't all been sold yet."
"The rest are for the magistrate. Consider them sold, and don't take his money," the village chief said matter-of-factly.
"But Lord Lu hasn't paid yet," Shen Zhiyi muttered softly.
"The county magistrate has helped our village a lot. If it weren't for him, would we have been able to sell these chilies from this wasteland?" the village chief said, sounding particularly disappointed.
“The wasteland is a government order, and the chili peppers…” Shen Zhiyi said, recalling her first encounter with Lu Jingbai. She couldn’t deny that that beginning made it easier for her to sell them. “But how can I not charge them? They are the result of everyone’s hard work.”
The village chief suddenly didn't know what to say.
“Refusing money will harm Lord Lu.” Seeing that the village chief hadn’t spoken, Shen Zhi continued, “What if word gets out that Lord Lu is exploiting the people…”
Seeing the village chief's unpleasant expression, Shen Zhiyi wisely refrained from continuing and instead said, "Lord Lu will definitely give the money, Grandpa Village Chief, don't worry."
"You can't..." The village chief had barely begun to speak when Shen Zhiyi quickly changed the subject: "Did Aunt Wan sew this? It's so beautiful!"
Hearing such praise, the village chief raised his eyebrows, his pride evident, and slowly said, "It was your Aunt Deng who chose the cloth, and your Aunt Zhao who matched the thread, you..."
Upon listening, Shen Zhiyi realized that all the women in the village were involved, indicating that this was no longer just an ordinary purse.
"After hearing what Grandpa Village Chief said, I'm reluctant to wear it anymore," Shen Zhiyi said cherishedly.
"We must use it! Using it is the only way to truly appreciate their kindness!" the village chief advised.
Shen Zhiyi smiled as she tied the money pouch around her waist. Turning her head to pass other villagers, she deliberately showed off the peach-shaped money pouch, displaying it to her heart's content.
The village chief, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but chuckle, completely forgetting what he had been arguing about with Shen Zhiyi earlier.
After showing off her money pouch, Shen Zhiyi talked to the village chief about her future plans. She solved the problem of unsold chili peppers in the shortest possible time and also tasted the success of pickling chili peppers. She was ready to hand over the work to Lord Lu.
All that's left is to take a horse-drawn carriage back to Peach Blossom Village to check on the situation.
“I originally planned to go to the neighboring county to develop chili peppers, but I can’t get away,” Shen Zhiyi said helplessly. One person’s strength is ultimately limited, and she has to take others out with her. “So does Grandpa Village Chief have any recommendations for people who are suitable to go out to the market and develop chili peppers, just like what Brother Zheng San said last time?”
The village chief fell silent for a long time before saying, "Qin Daniu and Zheng San can take the lead and give it a try, and Zheng Dazhuang and Wang Dashui can follow along and learn first. What do you think?"
“Third Brother is lively, Big Brother Niu is steady, and Big Brother Zhuang and Big Brother Shui have experience in kang (heated brick bed) and are very knowledgeable. Grandpa Village Chief has made a very good arrangement,” Shen Zhiyi agreed.
"Then I'll go call some people over." The village chief said, turning to look at the group of people who hadn't left yet, and calling out the names of the four of them.
Zheng San was the first to come over, and asked with a smile, "What's up, Village Chief?"
"During this time, you should familiarize yourselves with the dried chilies and chili powder. Then, go to the various counties and find reliable people to sell them, just according to the standard that Shen Yatou mentioned." The village chief looked at Shen Zhiyi and said, "You come and talk to them, explain it in detail, so that these roughnecks won't misunderstand."
“Then I’ll start with…” Shen Zhiyi said seriously. As she spoke, those who hadn’t left yet also came over to listen, and the number of people continued to grow.
Until she asked, "Is there anything else you don't understand?"
"We understand!" everyone said in unison.
Shen Zhiyi was already used to this kind of scene. Her gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Aunt Lin, who was chatting with someone next to her. She said, "Aunt Lin, come here for a moment. I have something good to tell you!"
"Coming, coming!" Aunt Lin said, brushing off non-existent dust from her sleeves and quickly coming over. "Is it about pickling chili peppers? That's just ordinary pickling sauce; everyone in our village knows how to do it."
“That’s different. What you make is always the best,” Grandma Qin affirmed.
Only Aunt Lin herself didn't think there was anything special about it. But when it was brought up in front of her, she was extremely happy and said, "I still have some pickled. I'll send them over to you tomorrow."
"What about us?" the other women clamored in unison.
"Yes, we have them all," Aunt Lin replied with a smile.
After the laughter subsided, Shen Zhiyi said, "Originally, I was going to talk to my aunt about this privately, but since my aunt made the arrangements, the whole village knows now."
"If you know, you know. People in our village are all straightforward in their dealings," Aunt Lin said cheerfully.
With everyone smiling kindly, Shen Zhiyi no longer tried to hide anything and said, "A noodle shop in the county wants to buy Auntie's chili-pickled recipe. Since she's selling the recipe, she can only pickle the chilies herself and can no longer sell them in the county."
"I'm not good at business, but whatever you say, Chen girl, I'll do!" Aunt Lin said hurriedly.
Shen Zhiyi stopped refusing. Everyone's strengths were enough. She said, "In our village, Aunt Lin's pickles are the best. We can think about how to develop new or different flavors of pickles. Maybe we can even live in a big house using the pickling recipe!"
“Since Auntie trusts me so much, here’s what I’m thinking…” Shen Zhiyi said slowly, mainly outlining her idea of selling the pickled vegetables in different sections.
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