Chapter Four: What is a Chili Pepper?
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyi's mental radar reacted violently. She deftly took off the basket, turned it around, and hung it on her chest. She then lifted the faded burlap covering it, revealing large and bright red chili peppers.
She casually plucked some chilies from the basket and said sincerely, "Look how plump these chilies are! Cut them into strips or mince them and use them as salt, and the taste will be instantly different! For someone who can't handle spicy food, it's like having fire burning in their mouth. Eating them in winter will warm you up, make you sweat, and make you feel like you're no longer afraid of the cold!"
"Oh? Such a magical thing exists in the world? Chili pepper, is that the name you gave it?" the man suddenly asked, looking down at the long, red thing, confirming that he had never seen it in any ancient books.
Shen Zhiyi immediately became wary of this person and said repeatedly, "I'm just a country girl, how could I name it? The older generation just calls it 'foreign pepper,' but it tastes 'spicy,' so we just call it 'chili pepper' without thinking. It's easier to remember that way, what do you say, young man?"
“That makes sense.” The man nodded in response.
When Shen Zhiyi revealed his rural background, the other party did not show any disgust; in fact, they seemed inclined to continue the conversation.
Looking at the fabric of his clothes, and although he was calling her "little brother," she knew that he must be someone of high status.
She didn't mind revealing a little, so she said, "These seeds are not easy to come by. They only yielded enough for these two baskets. Moreover, they don't weigh much, and the seeds are inside the red skin. If you take good care of them, one seed can grow into dozens. Once these are planted, we'll never lack chili peppers!"
As she spoke, Shen Zhiyi took out a chili pepper, broke it open, and revealed the dense white seeds inside.
"Wouldn't that be like buying chili peppers and getting seeds for free? It's a losing proposition no matter how you look at it," the man said gently.
"But how many people are willing to plant it?" Shen Zhiyi posed the question.
The man's expression suddenly changed, his initial ease vanished, and when he looked at Shen Zhiyi again, his gaze held a different meaning.
Although Shen Zhiyi had already guessed the man's identity, she had no intention of exposing him directly. She quickly said, "Eighty coins per catty, young man, would you like to buy some?"
“Since they are good seeds, of course we should buy them all,” the man said seriously.
Seeing Tang Huaya's excited expression, Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it a pity that those who haven't eaten chili peppers yet don't even know what chili peppers are?"
"It was I who was narrow-minded." The man solemnly bowed to Shen Zhiyi, then changed his words, "Then five catties..."
Upon hearing this voice, Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but look up. The man stopped speaking at the right moment and asked in a pleading tone, "Miss, how much do you think I should buy?"
"Two jin, no more than that." Shen Zhiyi made the final decision. It was only because this person was easy to talk to that she would not have said so much, otherwise she would not have dared to make such a decision for him.
"Okay, I'll buy two jin then," the man said.
"Alright!" Shen Zhiyi replied happily, then turned around and saw Tang Huaya's stunned state. She quietly reached out and tugged at her hem. "If we order two catties, we can make a hundred and forty coins!"
Tang Huaya carefully took out the borrowed small scale from the inside of her basket, and with her hands that were used to weighing chili peppers, she found it weighed exactly two jin!
Shen Zhiyi casually grabbed a few ounces and put them on the table. She smiled and said, "Young man, this is our first customer, so I'll give you an extra three ounces! That'll be 140 coins! If you enjoy the meal, remember to come back and patronize our business again!"
The man took out two strings of copper coins from his sleeve and was about to hand them over when Shen Zhiyi quickly said, "This is a cash-on-delivery transaction."
The man chuckled and handed two strings of copper coins to the relatively quiet Tang Huaya. He then said to Shen Zhiyi, "The remaining sixty coins are for the method of planting chili peppers. I don't know if you'd be willing to sell them, so I had to take the initiative. Please forgive me."
"Looks like I've come out ahead!" Shen Zhiyi stopped being coy and gestured for Tang Huaya to accept the copper coins. Then he said, "Since you're interested in planting them, I'll definitely teach you everything I know. First, take out the white chili seeds..."
Shen Zhiyi spoke eloquently about this, and the man listened attentively. Tang Huaya, caught in the middle, looked left and right, wondering how things had turned out this way.
The conversation ended with Shen Zhiyi speaking only. Seeing that the man had no more questions, she put her basket back on and waited for Tang Huaya to pour the chili peppers from the scale into the cloth bag that was handed to her. Then she left respectfully, closing the wooden door behind her.
As soon as they stepped outside, Tang Huaya couldn't help but whisper, "Why didn't we sell it all to him?"
Explaining sayings like "don't put all your eggs in one basket" and "let the rich use it first, and others will want to use it too" seems more complicated here. So Shen Zhiyi said, "I made a big promise in the village that I would make chili peppers profitable from all directions! This is just one plantation, how can it be considered profitable from all directions?"
"You're right," Tang Huaya agreed, then asked energetically, "Where to next?"
“Go to the mansions of those wealthy landowners and gentry!” Shen Zhiyi said.
After passing through the main gate of the government office and going up the street, the dirt ground became noticeably smoother, and some sections were paved with bluestone. There were thin children of seven or eight years old sprinkling water and clearing the dirt from the bluestone slabs by the roadside.
When Shen Zhiyi and Tang Huaya arrived here, they saw the child struggling to scrape the soil off with a piece of wood, and they were too embarrassed to step on it with their mud-covered straw sandals.
They stood by the bluestone road, tacitly scraping the mud with the wooden pieces they had placed there.
During this process, the thin figure who had finished wiping the bluestone slabs came over, smiled shyly at them, and handed them a piece of wood wrapped in a small piece of black cloth with her matchstick-like hand, saying softly, "This is for scraping straw sandals; it won't break easily."
"Thank you," Shen Zhiyi replied gently, taking the piece of wood. "Whose doorway is this? Are you working at such a young age?"
“This is outside Master Mu’s mansion,” the child said slowly. “I can get half a cornbread a day.”
Shen Zhiyi recalled the days when she was being helped, and all she ate was vegetable soup. She really had no right to make sarcastic remarks about the low wages. It seemed that here, it was a blessing for a seven or eight-year-old child not to starve and to receive half a cornbread a day.
It can be placed in modern times...
Only Shen Zhiyi herself knows the extent of this disparity, and that is the source of her sadness.
Having witnessed prosperity, stability, and happiness, the poverty and struggle before her eyes seemed so glaring. Most frustratingly, she had no power to change anything.
The more she thought about it, the more depressed Shen Zhiyi became.
Her gaze lowered slightly, and she saw a small section of the money bag peeking out from Tang Huaya's side. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome.
After Tang Huaya finished scraping the mud off the soles of her straw sandals, she noticed Shen Zhiyi's gaze on her. Feeling a little nervous, she quietly stuffed the exposed money bag back into her clothes and then gave her a look that said, "I've already put it away."
It was at this moment, when their eyes met, that Shen Zhiyi knew Hua Ya would unconditionally support her idea. Her confidence immediately surged, and she nodded in response, saying, "How many children your age or older do you know? I have some work that I need you to do for me. Each of you can earn three coins a day..."
"I do!" the child immediately replied.
"I didn't even say anything, and you already agreed." Shen Zhiyi said with a wry smile, but her heart was full of heartache. "Next time you encounter something like this, you must listen to the whole story."
"The older sisters are all good people," the child whispered.
Is it because of the hardships he experienced from a young age that he developed such extraordinary observational skills?
Shen Zhiyi tried to put on a serious face and said, "How many people do you have on your side? Have you asked for their opinions? Once you've found out today, we'll come back to find you at this time tomorrow."
“If you take this job, you won’t be able to do anything else all day,” Shen Zhiyi said sternly. “You’ll need to sing this ‘Chili Song’ all over the streets and alleys. I’ll recite it once first, and you can memorize it yourself.”
"Please sit down, guest from afar, and listen to me sing a chili song. Although it's a local product from the countryside, it's indispensable every day. If you ask what's good about chili, I can easily list several: it removes dampness, calms the heart, strengthens the spleen and stomach, and refreshes the mind. Whether fried, stir-fried, or roasted, it tastes good in every way. A dish without chili is not a dish at all; a touch of spice is better than any delicacy." [Note 1]
After Shen Zhi finished reciting, she gestured for the other person to read it aloud. Encouragingly, led by Tang Huaya, the two voices merged together: "Guests from afar..."
Only after Tang Huaya's voice faded away and the complete song was sung did Shen Zhiyi comment seriously: "I remember correctly! When you go back today, you not only need to ask them if they are willing to come, but you also need to teach them this song. So your first day's wages are six coins, and afterwards you will be paid three coins, just like them."
"Do you understand this?" Shen Zhiyi emphasized. This was the only way she could maintain the dignity that the child might not even be aware of.
"I understand," the child said earnestly, then gave an embarrassed smile. "Thank you, both of you older sisters."
"I'm just paying you what you deserve," Shen Zhiyi said calmly, then beckoned to Tang Huaya beside her, "Let's go, we still have several more places to visit."
"Hmm." Tang Huaya quickly followed, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts, but she had already begun to think for herself and didn't ask any questions immediately.
For Shen Zhiyi, whose first chili pepper business was sold to the yamen (government office), such a fact naturally had to be made public. Since the magistrate didn't know, she vividly described the situation, gradually piecing together the fact that the man was the county magistrate.
So, they've actually taken their business to the county magistrate's doorstep!
Then they would definitely need to tell the next gentleman precisely that by just walking around like this, the chili peppers in their baskets would only amount to half an ounce.
Tang Huaya walked slowly, clutching her belly. Whenever a passerby approached her, she would stare intently at them and move her belly toward Shen Zhiyi.
The chili peppers in Shen Zhiyi's basket were sold for 80 coins per catty, while the chili peppers from Tang Huaya's place were of slightly lower quality, so they were 70 coins per catty.
Some wealthy gentlemen, wanting to enjoy the same chili peppers as the county magistrate, have been ordering from Shen Zhiyi. Although the next batch is still over a month away, it doesn't stop her from remembering the amount they want.
"Why didn't you sell the remaining half tael to Master He, Zhiyi?" Tang Huaya asked, still puzzled after thinking about it the whole way.
“Of course it has a better use,” Shen Zhiyi said calmly. “Come with me.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
