Chapter 22
The appropriate wind blew the fragrance everywhere. As usual, Ye Jia made four and sent them to the gatekeepers Wusu and Sile.
They usually looked solemn and dignified while guarding the gate, but this was the first time they spoke while eating a pancake. Their constant praise made the vendors waiting at the Deer Village drool. They had originally thought seven cents a bit expensive, but now they wanted to try something new.
By the time Xishi's stall was done, a crowd had already gathered. This stuff was quick to make, with a single pot yielding thirty. Fresh from the wok, it was piping hot and fragrant, the filling filling filling in one bite, and the juicy chives were so delicious you couldn't resist tucking in. Those who tried the pancakes were the first to get excited when they tasted the egg inside. The seven-cent pancake actually contained an egg. At only a penny more than the shredded radish pancake, it was truly an excellent value.
After eating the eggs, the pancakes no longer seemed expensive.
These days, even at home, you can't eat eggs every meal. Putting eggs in the pancakes is a real trader at Xishi's stall. Just like Yu Shi, leek pancakes are even more tempting than radish pancakes. These strong laborers can't finish one pancake, so they keep coming back for more. Those who enjoy it more often take three or four. Yesterday, they made about 300 pancakes, and in the short time since the market opened, they've already sold nearly 100.
This time, there was no such thing as a two-penny deal. Seven pence each was exactly seven pence, no ambiguity. Although the couple had anticipated that it would sell better than radish cakes, they hadn't expected it to be so popular.
When the market opened, Wusu reserved a spot near the door for Xishi's stall as usual.
Ye Jia instructed Old Man Sun to load the pot onto the oxcart. Meanwhile, people who wanted to buy something followed the cart and waited for him to cook it first. Ye Jia naturally responded with a smile. Even Wu Su and Si Le came over with money to ask for more. Ever since they'd become acquainted with Zhou Jingchen, they felt embarrassed to take more than the two he'd given them that morning. Without Ye Jia's advice, they took the cakes, threw the copper coins into the bowl, and left.
More than 300 cakes were almost sold out just a quarter of an hour after noon.
Ye Jia left two for Old Man Sun, who had arrived hungry this morning and was now waiting outside the Deer Village. Seeing Ye Jia offering him more food, Old Man Sun rubbed his hands, feeling rather embarrassed. The Zhou family had paid him money to rent the car, and it was quite a bit. Even so, they still occasionally gave him some breakfast to fill his stomach. They were truly kind.
"It just so happens that this is the business our family runs, and it wasn't bought with money." Ye Jia always took care of the lonely elderly when she saw them. She had this temper that she couldn't change no matter how hard she tried. "Uncle, just eat it. You might need your help when something happens at home in the future, right?"
Old Man Sun's eyes were filled with tears as he listened, and he kept saying, "It's natural, it's natural."
Old Man Sun's family is actually a military household. When he was young, he also fought in the battlefield. When he retired in old age, he married a wife and settled down in a nearby village. Now, except for his youngest son who still helps out at home, his children and grandchildren have all grown up and are sent to the camp. The Sun family's life is hard, because they have too many children. They are all sons of starving people who can do nothing except fighting. The help Ye Jia mentioned might not be true. Old Man Sun heard that the Zhou family was an outsider. On the way here, all the men in the family died. He is the only child. The Zhou family has no one, but his Sun family has many children and grandchildren.
Not to mention that Old Man Sun remembered Ye Jia's words to comfort him, he actually earned two taels, three qian and eighty copper coins that day.
Ye Jia was a little excited. Earning over two taels a day, that would mean sixty or seventy taels a month. Eggs were a bit more expensive, a penny each, but there were only seven or eight eggs in that pot of chives. If he was worried about his conscience, ten eggs wouldn't be a loss.
I grow chives at home, and a packet of seeds costs just a few dozen coins. They grow quickly, reaching a full length in just seven days. Aside from the flour, the cost is very low. No wonder so many street vendors became wealthy in my past life.
Ye Jia's heart was burning with passion, and she couldn't help but pat Zhou Jingchen, who was standing beside her packing his things, and said, "Husband, let's go get some cloth today!"
Zhou Jingchen glanced at his oil-stained sleeves and looked at her in silence. Then he heard Ye Jiaxing say happily, "Auspicious start! Let's go get some more cloth and buy new clothes for both Niang Rui and Jie'er!"
Before leaving, Ye Jia went to the old man's stall to buy goat milk and picked up half a bucket of it. Looking at the bleating lambs in the sheep pen behind him, Ye Jia couldn't help but ask how much the lambs were for.
The old man selling sheep was now familiar with Ye Jia and spoke politely: "If you want, I'll give you 500 coins for each sheep."
Five hundred wen? That's way cheaper than the Guo Xing family in the village. Guo Xing's family was asking for eight hundred wen. Ye Jia couldn't help but linger over the sheep pen. Raising lambs takes time, and if you want goat's milk, you have to wait for the ewes to give birth. So one sheep wouldn't be enough. You'd have to get a male and a female. So, it was actually better to buy goat's milk from the old man's stall for ten wen a day.
However, she wanted to raise sheep not just for the goat milk. The Zhou family had no land and no one knew how to farm, so raising sheep was equivalent to hoarding assets.
"Give me two." Ye Jia gritted her teeth and asked, "One male and one female."
The old man selling sheep glanced at her, said nothing, and caught two for her.
Ye Jia listened to the lamb running and bleating. It looked so cute in her arms, furry and adorable. But it smelled a bit strong, which was a bit disgusting. Ye Jia turned around and stuffed the lamb into Zhou Jingchen's arms. Regardless of his instantly stiff expression, she confidently instructed him to do the work: "I can't hold it. Husband, you hold it. This will be our family property from now on, so hold it tight."
Zhou Jingchen: “…”
What can he do? Even if he is a mysophobe, he has to endure it.
I spent one or two taels of silver to buy a sheep.
Ye Jia glanced at the dirt on her body from the goat's hooves, feeling nothing. Back then, because it was inconvenient for women to set up stalls outside, she'd dressed terribly. It wasn't that it was dirty, how could a cook be dirty? It was that the clothes she was wearing were made specifically for cooking. They were washed bleached and patched. She even wrapped a cloth around her head to protect herself from the increasingly scorching sun, turning her into a charcoal black.
Actually, she originally dressed like this because she felt the northwest was a chaotic place, and she was afraid that women going out to do business would bring disaster upon themselves. Now that Zhou Jingchen was with her, she didn't have to dress so poorly. She would go to the embroidery room and buy new cloth later, and then throw away these rags.
Thinking of this, Ye Jia figured that since he was going to clean up, he might as well go to the Rouge Shop.
After all, she's a beauty lover. Earlier, she'd been too concerned with survival to consider it, but now that she had some extra money, it was a natural thing to consider. Her face was so beautiful, her skin so tender. The northwest sun and wind were so strong. Don't let her bare face, exposed to the sun and wind every day, ruin her beautiful skin!
She doesn't care now because she's young and healthy, but what about a few years from now? Women's skin care is something that can't be neglected.
Thinking to herself, Ye Jia walked and went to the Rouge Shop again. Zhou Jingchen watched her wandering around, not going to the embroidery room, but instead turning into the Rouge Shop. He was speechless but also found it amusing. His first wife's temperament was really unpredictable.
Ye Jia went to the rouge shop and took a look at the powder and rouge, but finally came out empty-handed.
There was no way around it. The ridiculous price of the items was one reason. In this small town, a box of rouge cost three taels of silver, while a box of powder was as cheap as one and a half taels, while the more expensive ones were five or six taels. Even at these prices, Ye Jia couldn't afford to buy them even if she had the money. The color of the rouge wasn't great either, a dull red. The powder was whitish, and didn't stick well to the wrists, giving them a fake white appearance.
Ye Jia remembered that the powders women used in ancient times contained lead. She wasn't sure if this fake white rouge would damage her face, so she didn't dare use it. However, this trip did give Ye Jia an idea: if she could make a lip balm with a nice color, the profits would be huge.
Ye Jia knew the traditional method of making rouge; it was originally a hobby. Who didn't have a hobby in college? She just tinkered with it for fun. But she was a stickler for details, insisting on thorough research before starting anything. She hadn't expected to end up in this place, and to survive, she was desperate to salvage all the things she'd tinkered with in her past.
Money must be earned little by little, and the road must be taken step by step. No matter how Ye Jiayi thinks about business, he must first set up the stall before he can have the capital to do it. He let out a sigh of relief, but Ye Jia also took note of this matter.
Ye Jia quickly collected her thoughts and dragged Zhou Jingchen to the embroidery room.
Zhou Jingchen let her pull him by the arm. He held the little lamb in his arms all the way without a single complaint. It was true that his temperament was quite appealing to women. At least Ye Jia was quite happy to take him along, a tool for her without any regrets.
Before leaving, Zhou Jingchen glanced back at the rouge shop. He bent his neck slightly, his calm gaze resting on Ye Jia's furrowed brow. Normally a man of few words, he followed Ye Jia into the embroidery room in silence.
Seeing her take a few of the pieces of cloth and show them to him, and then take four or five pieces of cloth in one breath, he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.
Ye Jia accidentally caught a glimpse of it and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him: "There's a saying that beauty is a feast for the eyes, don't you know?"
"Um?"
After a pause, Zhou Jingchen asked, "A beauty to behold? Are you referring to me?"
This was a strange thing to say. Zhou Jingchen had heard countless compliments about his handsomeness, but this was the first time someone had used this word. The tall man looked down at himself, then up at Ye Jia, his expression suddenly strange.
Ye Jia nodded calmly: "If you dress nicely and hang around me, I'll feel much better every day."
Zhou Jingchen choked.
After a long while, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "...Thank you for the compliment?"
"You're welcome."
“…”
Ye Jia waved his hand proudly, loaded the pieces of cloth onto the ox cart, and went home happily.
Earning money is easy, but spending it is even easier. Yu Shi had known her daughter-in-law was a thrifty person, but she hadn't expected her to spend all her earnings early that morning, not to mention losing two taels of silver. She bargained down the five bolts of cloth, all durable and of good color, to three taels of silver. Yu Shi grumbled inwardly, but she wouldn't say anything. But when she realized her own bolt was among them, she beamed.
"Isn't this color too tender?" Yu held up her piece of cloth and measured it against her body.
In the past, Yu Shi would have been unimpressed by this kind of material, something even the lower-ranking servants in the palace would have despised. But now was different. She hadn't seen better material in three years. "I'm afraid I'll be laughed at if I wear it."
"What's the joke?" Yu was holding a material of the color of autumn fragrance, a color somewhat like the light olive color of later generations. It wasn't too bright, but it was certainly much brighter than the women in the homespun coats of the countryside. Ye Jia saw that her skin had gradually become whiter and her face less sallow after nursing her for a while. The autumn fragrance color also matched her, making her look whiter. "This material suits you, mother. It's perfect for making a dress."
Yu Shi smiled with a gleam in her eyes. What woman doesn't love to be coquettish? Even at her age, Yu Shi still loves to be coquettish. She put down the fabric with reluctance and picked up the light-colored fabric that Ye Jia had bought for Rui Jie'er.
After touching it a few times, I realized that the material is soft and suitable for children.
Heartbroken, she couldn't help but glance at Zhou Jingchen. The message was clear: to open his eyes and see how thoughtful the daughter-in-law she had chosen was. But when she looked up, she saw her son's gaze fixed on Ye Jia. His expression was calm, but his eyes seemed dark and gloomy. He seemed to notice her scrutiny and looked up. But in a split second, his gaze was completely gone.
Yu frowned slightly, and for a moment she really couldn't understand what her son was thinking.
Ye Jia didn't notice the exchange of glances between mother and son. The material she had chosen for herself was quite good, and she planned to use it to make two sets of summer shirts. However, she was okay at sewing buttons, but she was really not good at embroidering clothes.
"This isn't difficult. I'm bored at home, so I can do it." Yu's skills were excellent, especially her embroidery. Otherwise, she'd have starved to death after being here for so long. She rolled up the fabric and put it back. "I'll measure you all later so you can make it look good."
Ye Jia originally wanted to ask a tailor, but Yu Shi asked her to do it anyway: "Don't worry, it's our family's clothes, you can make them in your free time."
Yu nodded in agreement with a smile.
After a while of joy, Ye Jia released the lambs from the basket. The two lambs trotted around the yard, making Rui Jieer's eyes widen. Then she clapped her hands and ran after the lambs. Yu Shi originally thought that the basket was filled with something so heavy, but she didn't expect it to be two lambs: "What is this? Are we going to raise sheep?"
"Yes," Ye Jia grinned, "We don't have any land, but if we raise some sheep, we can be considered an asset this year."
This was said casually, but for some reason Yu's eyes suddenly turned red.
She sniffed and nodded repeatedly: "That's right, if we raise sheep, we will also have chickens, and we will have an asset for the New Year."
Ye Jia didn't understand her excitement, but she roughly understood it. After putting the things down, she took the food and went back to the kitchen. Rui Jie'er chased the lamb around and around in the yard, her laughter filled the whole house. Zhou Jingchen followed Rui Jie'er's figure with his eyes, but before he could move, he was slapped by Yu Shi. Yu Shi was very disappointed: "If you think Rui Jie'er is good, why don't you have one yourself?!"
She was still thinking about how Ye Jia's neck had been clean these past two days, without a single mark. "We're living in the same house now, and I've married a wife I've married properly. Yun'an, tell me, what are you thinking?"
Zhou Jingchen originally thought that his niece was as lovable as Fuwa, but he didn't expect that this matter would be involved.
"Mother, with the current situation at home, how could a son have such thoughts?" Zhou Jingchen had originally withdrawn his gaze, but now he sighed softly, "Besides, do you and I really want to take root here in the future? We'll have to return to Yanjing sooner or later, so it's better not to let Jia Niang down."
"What do you mean by 'missing Jia Niang'?" Yu was immediately displeased upon hearing this. "Jia Niang was married into our Zhou family through formal marriage. Your mother and I personally went to betroth her. She is a proper daughter-in-law of the Zhou family. If anything were to change in the future, Jia Niang would certainly stand by us through thick and thin. I know you're unwilling to accept this, and I also know you can't let go of the hatred you feel for your father and brother. I won't stop you from doing this, but when the injustice of Prince Jing's mansion is redressed and the great vengeance is avenged, Jia Niang will return to Yanjing with us. Why are you refusing like this? Are you still thinking about Mingxi from the Gu family?"
There were many worries in his heart that he couldn't express to Yu. Zhou Jingchen could only keep silent: "Mother, please don't think too much. This has nothing to do with Miss Gu."
Yu was so angry that she slapped him again: "Just be stubborn! If you really regret it in the future, you will deserve it!"
Whether he'd regret it later or not wasn't clear. Ye Jia brought out a pot of mutton and two yams. Some of the mutton had been stewed in yam soup for lunch, and with the rest, Ye Jia was going to make a simple mutton pilaf. She'd been craving rice for a long time, having been eating noodles for ages, and she was craving it desperately. Perhaps because she was truly craving it, Ye Jia was salivating over the mutton pilaf as she washed the rice.
Seeing her figure sway, Yu quickly muffled her words and secretly patted Zhou Jingchen again. She wiped her hands and came over to ask, "What are you doing, Jia Niang? Do we want to have mutton rice for lunch?"
"Mutton pilaf!" Ye Jia was delighted at the thought of something delicious. "It's delicious. Mom will know when she eats it at lunch."
Yu had been initially upset by her son's stubbornness, but hearing about something delicious soothed her nerves. She crouched nearby, watching Ye Jia pick up a purple, fist-sized fruit, curiously enough. Someone who couldn't cook wouldn't recognize it. Seeing her curiosity, Ye Jia explained while washing it, "This is called Xingju, also known as Piyazi. It's a delicacy from the Western Regions that adds flavor to dishes."
Xingqiu is an onion, which is quite common in the Beiting Protectorate. It's just that Yu Shi has rarely seen it.
Yu nodded and squatted to the side to watch Ye Jia cut. She'd been there to watch the fun, but after a few cuts, the spicy aroma spread, bringing tears and snot to both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Ye Jia cut, tears blurring her eyes. Finally, unable to cut any more, she stood up and called for help. She wiped her eyes, only to find the tangerine peel spicier the moment her hand touched it. By the time she leaned over the window to call for help, Zhou Jingchen had assumed something was wrong with her and was heartbroken.
"No, no," Ye Jia said while shedding tears, big drops falling, "Come out and help me."
How could Zhou Jingchen dare not help her when she was crying so miserably?
It took him a while to figure out that his mother and Ye Jia were crying because the food was spicy. This was the first time he'd ever felt this awkward. With Jia Niang around, it felt like this kind of thing always happened at home. He picked up the knife, wondering how it could have caused such a mess. After a few cuts, tears streamed down his face, and Ye Jia couldn't help but laugh.
"That's enough, that's enough." Just some chopped radish is enough for the mutton pilaf. We don't eat much of this at home, so maybe we're not used to the taste yet, so just a little bit of flavor.
Lamb pilaf is easy to make. Cut carrots into long strips, blanch the lamb and dice, and cut the radish into long strips. Heat oil in a pan and sauté the ginger until fragrant. Stir-fry the radish and carrots until cooked through, then add the lamb and seasonings and stir-fry until they change color. Stir-fry over high heat before adding the rice. Add water and salt and bring to a boil.
The carrots should have been added last, but Ye Jia didn't like the taste of raw carrots; they always felt stale. But without them, it felt like something was missing, so she deliberately added them first, hoping to soften them. She made a simple version, just for her family, so naturally, she couldn't go too elaborate. But it wasn't difficult to make; just add water and cook in a large pot.
The aroma was truly delicious, and with the fire still burning, the odor was so fragrant it could kill anyone. Even the neighbors, even from a distance, couldn't help but come over to ask what Ye Jia was cooking. Ye Jia mumbled a few words and brushed it off. Rui Jie'er was so fragrant that the little lamb stopped chasing after her and instead stood by the kitchen door, craning its neck to peer at the stove. Its little nose sniffed, drooling.
"Wait," Ye Jia pinched her soft little face, "When it's ready, give our Ruijie a bowl first."
Rui Jieer cheered, hugged Ye Jia's thighs and kept calling her good aunt.
It must be said that southerners still love rice. Ye Jia's heart was itching to try it the moment the smell of cooked rice reached him. After it was cooked, he turned off the heat and let it simmer for another incense stick before removing the lid. As soon as the lid was lifted, Yu Shi and Rui Jie'er both craned their necks to take a look. Rui Jie'er, with her short hands clinging to the edge of the stove, stood on tiptoe to watch. Ye Jia used the iron spatula to scoop up the mutton from below, the aroma wafting in the air as he did so.
The mutton pilaf may not look that good, but it's incredibly delicious. Yu was so engrossed in it that she felt like she could start selling her own pilaf.
"No," Ye Jia finished a bowl and a half and couldn't eat any more. He stood up and walked back and forth. "This thing is too much effort. People in town can't afford it. Good things are enough for us to eat at home. We can't really do business with it."
Yu was just talking, otherwise cutting that Xingqiu would be enough to make them suffer.
Ye Jia thought about it and poured out another large bowl of mutton pilaf, sending it to the old lady next door. Although the food was homemade, this was a remote rural area, so if she had some food, she could share it with the neighbors. That way, if there was something going on in the future, there would be someone to help. This would save her from the situation when she first came here, when the Zhou family was in trouble and Yu was left alone to shed tears with no one to help.
The old lady next door had been in contact with the Zhou family since Ye Jia borrowed wine. Later, she made radish cakes and leek cakes. Occasionally, when the Zhou family made something delicious, they would send her a bowl. The old lady also reciprocated. Whenever her son and daughter-in-law made something, she would also send some to the Zhou family.
After three months of this interaction, their relationship has become closer. Seeing Ye Jia bring another bowl of food, his old face was filled with smiles.
By coincidence, when Ye Jia was delivering something, he happened to meet the old lady's son. He was a typical Northwest man, tall, strong, and burly. He didn't know what he did for a living, but he looked quite fierce. The old lady was delighted to have her son home so often, she couldn't help but talk to Ye Jia a little.
It turned out that the old lady's son was a merchant caravan driver. He usually escorted people and took the western route, which was very powerful.
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