He Zifeng's vegetarian dishes sold out in a whole big bowl on the first day he set up his stall.
The vegetarian dishes are inexpensive, making them affordable for many. Plus, the restaurant is very generous; they always drain the liquid before weighing the food, and then scoop out a couple of spoonfuls of broth after calculating the bill. Don't underestimate this broth; it's the essence of the restaurant. You can cook things in it.
The most popular vegetarian dishes are wood ear mushrooms and mushrooms.
Qiu Yu was quite pleased. The vegetables were dried goods that the villagers had picked from the mountain and dried themselves, and they had given them a very cheap price. She figured she could still make a profit.
He Zifeng and Qiu Yu packed up their stall. There were many people at their stall, and Fang's bamboo baskets were selling very quickly.
There were only two or three baskets left, and Fang didn't want to keep people waiting for him because of those few baskets.
They decided to pack up and close up shop. The carriage sped away as it passed the meat stalls, without stopping for a moment. The meat stall owners felt a little uneasy.
They thought things would get better in a few days, and they were just waiting for He Zifeng and the others to back down.
But their plan backfired.
For three days in a row, I heard that He Zifeng's vegetarian dishes had even more repeat customers, selling at least three large bowls a day. At first, I didn't quite believe it. In the eyes of butchers, meat lovers and vegetarians were completely different kinds of people. How could they sell so fast? Then I secretly went to take a look, and found that their restaurant was the most popular on the whole street.
Many passersby were also attracted by the excitement. They watched for a while and then bought ten coins' worth to try it.
He rushed back and told the other butchers, who were dumbfounded. If they were selling so well, what would happen to them?
They held on for three days before finally giving up. The pork bones and offal became unwanted items, as they didn't keep well. Unable to sell them, they had to take them home and cook them themselves. Whether it was because their wives were stingy with seasonings or something else, the result was utterly inedible.
Originally, they could sell for over 300 coins, weighing around 100 jin. Now, they can't even sell them, and they're reluctant to give them away. This back and forth makes them feel terrible. Seeing that He Zifeng and the others can still make money without selling meat, they feel like they've shot themselves in the foot.
"What should we do?" None of the butchers had any ideas.
In the end, they sent someone skilled in persuasion to keep watch. At worst, they wouldn't raise the price and would stick to the old one. Three hundred coins is still money. This can't go on; money is being thrown away every day—who can stand it?
In this way, they lost interest in selling meat and instead focused on surrounding and intercepting the other party.
Soon when Qiu Yu was driving her carriage back, they stopped her.
Qiu Yu loathed them, but they were blatantly loitering in the road, and she couldn't just let them get away with it. Her beautiful face was as cold as ice as she said, "Get out of the way."
The butcher ignored his rude attitude and forced a smile, saying, "Well, the pork bones and offal will still be sold to you at the same price as before. There was a misunderstanding before, hehe. Now we won't sell to anyone else, we'll only sell to you." Three hundred coins a day, four days would cost one tael and two qian. Just thinking about how much he had lost made his heart ache.
The butcher next to them also chimed in, saying that they didn't earn money easily by slaughtering pigs and had to support their families, so they couldn't afford such a huge loss; they started playing the victim.
Qiu Yu said, "We don't want those things." Then, looking at these people who were trying to raise prices on the spot, she said, "It's actually very laborious to process pig offal. It requires washing it at least seven or eight times, plus adding all sorts of spices to remove the odor. You all know how much spices cost. We're just making a living off our hard work. If someone doesn't want us to make money, we can choose not to." Now, preparing vegetarian dishes is much easier. Just soak the dried vegetables, stir-fry or blanch them, and then soak them in the braising liquid.
He's had enough of feeling like he's being held hostage.
The butcher panicked when he heard this: "You can't refuse! What will we do if you don't want it?" They thought they could get back to normal by talking to her a little, but little did they know that Qiu Yu was determined.
The butchers nearby grew increasingly noisy and incessant. They were then silenced by two constables who said, "What are you doing making such a racket in broad daylight?"
Qiu Yu said, "Sir, they are trying to force me to buy and sell. They are blocking the road here and not letting me pass."
Upon seeing Qiu Yu, the two constables immediately greeted her, "Sister-in-law?" They then began berating the butchers, who dared not argue back. What if they encountered a woman with a bad temper who overturned their stall in the street? Their meat would be ruined.
The butchers dared not block the road and let them pass without incident.
The two constables even smiled and said nice things to Qiu Yu.
As Qiu Yu drove away in her carriage, a butcher cautiously spoke up, "Who is he?"
The constable angrily rebuked, "You don't even know who she is, yet you dare to block the road here? You must be blind! This is our deputy constable's wife." Although He Zifeng hadn't yet become the deputy constable, the attitudes of Constable Zhu and the county magistrate were clear—it was a done deal. They were too busy currying favor to allow Qiu Yu to be bullied in their jurisdiction. They would lose all face.
The butcher was shocked.
He Zifeng had come a few times, but he always kept a low profile. The butchers had no idea that he held such a high position at the yamen. A chill ran down their spines to their heels; they were terrified. These butchers had wanted to play around, but little did they know that he had a powerful background.
If they had known his true identity earlier, they wouldn't have dared to go even if they had eight times the courage.
That's it, the 300-coin business a day is gone. Judging from Qiu Yu's tone just now, she won't buy meat from them anymore. The thought of this possibility chilled him to the bone. Hindsight is always 20/20; the other butchers were also dumbfounded.
...
As soon as Qiu Yu returned to the village, Shuanzi came to her. He said, "Qiu Yu, Brother He Er came to see me yesterday and asked me to do some work for him."
Qiu Yu said, "Yes, he told me." Then she prepared a small cart for him with ten eggs, coarse grains, millet, and a bag of about one hundred copper coins on it.
Let him go to the nearby villages to collect dried goods. They all live near the mountains, and every household has these things, which can be exchanged for money or grain. Ever since they were choked while dealing in pig offal, they've become more aware of the need for preparedness. Besides, these dried goods can be stored for over a year as long as they're not soaked.
Let Shuanzi go; he'll be paid thirty coins a day. Shuanzi was overjoyed. He could earn thirty coins just by wandering around the nearby villages; he was happy to think about it, as it was hard to find work in the countryside. It was the off-season for farming anyway, and he was just staying at home anyway, so this was perfect.
Shuanzi happily pushed his cart out. He'd only passed one village when he'd run out of goods and copper coins. He returned with only half a cartload of dried goods.
The dried goods that the villagers make are all for their own consumption, so the first thing they need to do is dry them thoroughly. They're even better than what's sold in local specialty stores. One pound can yield five pounds of dried goods, and they're all the best quality.
Shuanzi went out for about three hours. When he returned, he gulped down the cool water from the water vat and happily came over to check the goods. It was his first time receiving goods, and everyone was very polite to him, even asking if he would come the next day. Shuanzi was hooked after just one day!
Before He Zifeng returned, Qiu Yu gave him thirty coins. Shuanzi was a little embarrassed: "Thank you, sister-in-law. Please thank Brother He for me." Anyone could do this job. He Zifeng specially reserved the good job for him, so he appreciated the favor.
In no time, Qiu Yu had sorted and put everything away. The dried goods needed to be sifted first and then soaked. Soon He Zifeng returned home. Seeing that the housework was almost done, he could even smell the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen as soon as he got home.
His mother, Fang, was learning basket weaving from outsiders, which also gave them a chance to chat. She wouldn't come home until evening.
It was just him and Qiuyu at home. He went straight to the kitchen and, sure enough, he saw Qiuyu busy in the kitchen.
When Qiu Yu saw He Zifeng return, her eyes lit up with surprise. He Zifeng hadn't even changed out of his home clothes before pulling her into his arms, saying, "You had so much work to do, why didn't you wait for me?" He was worried that Qiu Yu, who was so capable, would exhaust him.
Qiu Yu said, "There's not much work to do!" He's someone who can't sit still.
Then Qiuyu excitedly told him that among the mushrooms Shuanzi had traded was a type of hazel mushroom that was very valuable and gave stewed meat a unique umami flavor. They were quite happy to have obtained such a good thing at the price of ordinary mushrooms.
He Zifeng said, "Then we won't sell these mushrooms; we'll keep them for ourselves." There was a hint of indulgence in his tone.
As Qiu Yu watched his handsome face draw closer, her heart pounded. Then a gentle kiss landed on her cheek, a sensation she couldn't resist. He Zifeng was becoming increasingly brazen these days, bullying her whenever no one was home. But Qiu Yu actually quite liked it.
...
Everyone at the yamen was watching closely to see if He Zifeng could collect the tax revenue from Lingshan Village. But they saw He Zifeng still patrolling the streets or working as usual every day, as if he didn't care at all.
Several colleagues speculated that perhaps He Zifeng was unaware of the fierce and unruly nature of Lingshan Village, or perhaps he had given up on this promotion.
Don't let the title "Deputy" fool you; the deputy head constable is actually the fourth-highest-ranking official in the county. Many seasoned veterans can't even dream of reaching that position. This deputy head constable position has been vacant for years. Now the opportunity has fallen into his lap, but who knows how many more years he'll have to wait for it to come back?
Even if they resort to fraud, they should at least pay the taxes themselves to make up for it; otherwise, this golden opportunity will slip away. I just don't know what He Zifeng is thinking!
The clerk had quite a few informants in the yamen, and upon hearing that He Zifeng was keeping a low profile, he said, "Go tell the accountant that starting today, the entire team of Constable Zhu and Old Xing will get a raise of one tael of silver." He deliberately left out He Zifeng's team.
The clerk was a man who dared to challenge the county magistrate, and even Constable Zhu had to give him some leeway. As for He Zifeng, this rising star, the clerk didn't take him seriously at all.
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