"Okay."
And so, the older brother bought the last three steamed buns, and Wei Yuyan finished her work.
"Young lady, you didn't make enough buns. They're all sold out right away. Make more next time."
The woman at the wonton stall was happy for Wei Yuyan when she saw that she had sold out.
"Big sister, thanks to you for calling out for me, otherwise we wouldn't have sold out so quickly."
Wei Yuyan went over and chatted with her older sister.
"Your steamed buns really taste good. I'm just telling the truth. Your steamed buns are so appealing that I'm benefiting from them too."
My older sister's business is doing well today, and she's in a great mood.
"Brother Zhang, are you old acquaintances?"
Wei Yuyan wondered if they had met because Brother Zhang often came to her house for wontons.
"There was a time when he ate wontons at my place, but my husband couldn't come that day because he had something to do."
There was a scoundrel who thought I was an easy target because I was a woman, and he insisted that I pay some kind of protection fee.
I wouldn't give him the money, so he wouldn't let me set up my stall. It was Brother Zhang who stepped in and chased him away.
The older sister explained how she met Brother Zhang.
"Oh, I see. Do you come to set up your stall every day, or only on market days?"
Seeing that her older sister wasn't busy at the moment, Wei Yuyan chatted with her for a while longer.
“We come every day because we rent a house in town. Business is a little worse when we don’t go to the market, but we’re free now, don’t you think?”
The eldest sister is also a chatterbox and can't wait for someone to talk to her.
"That's true. I live in the countryside, so I can only come when it's market day."
Wei Yuyan thought that if she lived in town, she could consider selling every day.
"I'll reserve this spot for you, so no one else can take it. We usually arrive early."
The older sister was just hoping to have company, so they could chat when business wasn't good.
"Then I'll trouble you, sister. I'll head back now. See you at the market next time."
Wei Yuyan was also getting ready to go back. She hadn't slept enough this morning, so she wanted to get some sleep as soon as she got back.
"See you later."
Wei Yuyan carried the basket and walked home along the path. She had originally wanted to take an oxcart, but it was still early, and the oxcart wouldn't be back until at least noon, so she didn't want to wait.
It took about 15 minutes to get home, but Xiao Lei and Qian Qian hadn't left the house yet.
"Knock knock knock~, Xiao Lei, Qian Qian, your sister-in-law is back."
Wei Yuyan put down the basket and knocked on the door. "It's a bit tiring to carry this basket back. I wish I could carry it back on my back."
"Oh, sister-in-law, why are you back so early?"
Xiao Lei opened the door with some curiosity, as he and his sister had just finished breakfast.
"Yes, the steamed buns were sold out, so my sister-in-law came back. Have you eaten yet?"
When Wei Yuyan got home, she drank some water first; she hadn't had a drop all morning.
"I've already eaten. Sister-in-law, would you like some? There's still some in the pot."
As Wu Lei spoke, he lifted the lid of the pot, revealing several mushroom-filled buns inside. He took two and gave them to Wei Yuyan.
"Have one, then I'll go to sleep. You don't need to cook lunch, your sister-in-law will cook."
Wei Yuyan took a steamed bun from Wu Lei, took a bite, and felt that it tasted good even without meat, and the saltiness was just right.
After eating the steamed buns, Wei Yuyan went to bed and slept until she naturally woke up.
"Oh no, it's probably very late."
Wei Yuyan opened her eyes and realized it was getting late. She had slept so soundly, but it seemed the children hadn't eaten yet.
I got up and dressed, only to find that the children had already gone out to play and weren't at home.
But there was cooked food in the pot, and it was still warm.
"This dish doesn't taste like something Xiao Lei would cook, it tastes so good."
Wei Yuyan served herself rice and tasted a bite of the stir-fried pork belly. The saltiness was just right, and the salty and spicy flavor made it perfect with rice.
After eating her fill, Wei Yuyan cleaned the house and counted the money she had earned from selling steamed buns that day.
Today we collected a total of 133 coins. After deducting costs, we can still make a profit of about 80 or 90 coins.
Wei Yuyan couldn't help but smile. This income was no less than digging for medicinal herbs in a month, and she would even make more buns at the next market.
After putting the money away and locking the door, Wei Yuyan went to find Sister-in-law Xiuhua.
"Sister-in-law Xiuhua, what are you doing?"
Wei Yuyan saw that Xiuhua's sister-in-law's door was wide open, so she went straight in.
"I was just watering the vegetables. I planted them a few days ago, and it hasn't rained lately, so I was worried they would dry out and die."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua came out from behind carrying a bucket of water.
"Sister-in-law Xiuhua, was it you who cooked the dishes at my house just now?"
Wei Yuyan guessed that it must have been Xiuhua's sister-in-law who cooked it yesterday; Xiao Lei definitely couldn't replicate that kind of knife skill and flavor.
"Yes, it's me. I promised you yesterday that I would go see the children, but when I got to your house I found you fast asleep, so I cooked a meal for you."
Xiuhua's sister-in-law couldn't help but tease her.
"Sister-in-law Xiuhua, do you know that my steamed buns sold out in half an hour today? It seems I didn't prepare enough."
I'll prepare more for the next market day. Sister Xiuhua, could you come and help me then?
"I'll give you ten coins for each trip to the market, including food."
Wei Yuyan knew that the wages for working were around ten coins, and the business was not yet stable.
When Sister-in-law Xiuhua came to help, I gave her ten coins first, and I'll give her more if things stabilize later.
“I can help, but the pay is too much. Five coins is enough as a token. Your brother Zhang only gets ten coins a day for manual labor.”
Sister-in-law Xiuhua felt that ten coins was too much. Making steamed buns wasn't tiring, it just took up a little sleep time and required getting up early.
"No, Sister Xiuhua, you can't be shortchanged by ten coins, otherwise I'll ask someone else for help."
Wei Yuyan was afraid that Xiuhua's sister-in-law would still refuse to accept so much money, so she threatened her.
"Okay then, treat me, don't treat anyone else."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua quickly said.
"I'll have to trouble Brother Zhang to bring me pork back before each market day in the future, because I'm too lazy to go."
I'll talk to Brother Zhang about this once the business has stabilized. Right now, it's just starting out and things aren't stable yet."
Wei Yuyan wanted to buy meat the day before each market day, and it would be even better if Brother Zhang could bring it back on his way.
"Sure, no problem. Just let us know if you need his help."
Sister-in-law Xiuhua nodded and went inside to get some red dates and pumpkin seeds for Wei Yuyan to eat.
"I almost forgot, we still have some white fungus at home. Come over to my house tomorrow afternoon and I'll cook some for you."
Wei Yuyan thought that she had worked hard recently and should treat herself.
"Great! I'm in for a treat! Do you have any more red dates at home? Could you take some with you? I have a few here."
Normally, Sister-in-law Xiuhua is reluctant to eat too much, only occasionally having two or three to satisfy her craving.
"No need, I bought some last time."
Wei Yuyan shook her head. Last time, she specially bought longan and red dates to cook with white fungus.
The two of them chatted in the yard for the entire afternoon.
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