Chapter 123 – Busy

After they returned back home from the yamen, the whole Yu Family felt as if they had narrowly escaped death—If Yu Hang was more unlucky, then wouldn't he also had become one of the skeletons buried in the back courtyard of the carpentry shop?

Finally, the notorious Shopkeeper Zhang had been sentenced to a beheading at the end of autumn. In addition, all of his property was confiscated. After all of the carpenters and apprentices at this shop were investigated and found to be innocent, they were all let go…

Traveling from the town back to their home took over two hours of time. Although Steward Yao was burning with impatience, there was nothing he could do. Luckily, the Yu Family's donkey, which looked very ordinary, had a decent speed and wasn't any slower than the Yao Family's horse cart.

However, after seeing Yu Xiaocao's ghostly white face and an expression that seemed to be a sliver away from vomiting from being jostled in the cart, Steward Yao had no choice but to ask a couple of times whether they should slow down.

"No need!" Yu Xiaocao took out the pouch of water she took everywhere with her and drank a mouthful of mystic-stone water. Her stomach immediately calmed down. She continued softly, "If we hadn't been delayed for so long at Zhenxiu Restaurant, then we would have reached home already. In fact, we might have loaded almost half of the cart by this point! If we're not any faster, then you will have to go back home in the dark."

Seeing her uncomfortable expression, Steward Yao felt both touched and worried, "Miss Yu, if your family frequently goes in and out of town, then you guys really need to get some better cart wheels. However, rubber cart wheels are not only quite expensive but also incomparably rare. It's not possible to get a set with only money!"

"It's really that hard to get a set of rubber cart wheels?" Yu Xiaocao had thought it was like her previous life, something that she could just buy some with money. That being said, rubber trees only thrive in the tropics. Tanggu Town was in the northern part of the Great Ming Dynasty. In ancient times, traveling and shipping goods was not that easy.

Steward Yao nodded his head when she asked the question, "It's said that it is hard to manufacture rubber wheels, and the output is extremely low. All of the high ranking officials and noble people in the capital get first dibs, then the officials in the rest of the country. As for people like my master's family, those with money but no power, they had to run around pulling strings to just buy one set. However, you shouldn't worry too much, Miss Yu. The Zhou Family are imperial merchants, and they have a lot of connections with the nobility in the capital. Since Third Young Master Zhou promised you, he absolutely will be able to get you a set."

Yu Xiaocao wasn't doubting Third Young Master Zhou's reliability. However, in her heart, she did feel like she owed Third Young Master a big favor.

As they were talking, the donkey cart had just rolled into Dongshan Village. Under the old elm tree at the entrance of the village, there were several old villagers chatting. When they heard the sounds of hooves, all of them looked over.

"Old Yu, it's your second son's donkey cart that's come back." An old man swayed as he stood up. He placed a hand at his eyebrows to look in the distance and only then did he squat back down. With a voice that had a hint of envy in it, he said, "Your family's second son is quite capable, ah! After separating from the family for not too long, he bought a donkey cart and started a business selling things!"

Old Yu's eldest brother, Yu Lichun, unhurriedly stood up and slowly replied, "You guys can only see the good side of things, but can you remember their difficulties? When Dahai split from the family, he had been seriously injured and no one knew whether he would be able to keep his leg! Dahai's wife also has a weak body and their Xiaocao has had a bad constitution since birth. A few days ago, Xiaosha had been pummeled until he was at death's door! Luckily both Dahai and Xiaosha were fortunate and weren't fated to die yet…"

Old Yu's face flushed red in embarrassment under the knowing gaze of his older brother and the implication in his words. He looked at the horse cart that was right behind the donkey cart and quickly changed the subject, "I've never seen the horse cart that is behind Dahai. I'm not sure if Dahai and his family need help right now. I need to go over and see!"

"Father! Eldest Uncle…" Yu Hai had also seen them and pulled on the little donkey's reins to slowly cut down the speed until they stopped at the village entrance.

Yu Xiaocao also sweetly greeted them, "Eldest Granduncle, Grandpa! Are you guys chatting here?"

Yu Lichun's face lit up with a kind smile, "Xiaocao, did you into town with your father? Did you go to Tongren Medicine Hall and have Doctor Sun check you guys out? Your complexion doesn't look too good…"

Yu Xiaocao rubbed at her bright and radiant little face and grinned, "Eldest Granduncle, the donkey cart was going too fast earlier, so I feel a little dizzy from being bumped up and down. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine!"

"If you don't feel well, you need to tell your father. Don't endure a minor sickness until it becomes a serious illness! If you don't have enough money, Eldest Granduncle still has some!" Yu Lichun couldn't forget what had happened that past winter. The vision of a motionless Xiaocao in her father's arms was engraved into his memory.

Yu Xiaocao felt a burst of gratitude arise in her heart, "Thank you Eldest Granduncle! Xiaocao will remember your words!"

Old Yu took a glance at the properly dressed Steward Yao and pulled Yu Hai aside. He quietly asked, "Who is that person? What is he here for? Did you get into trouble in town?"

Although Steward Yao was only a servant in the Yao Family, his attire was about the same as other prosperous families in town. In Old Yu's eyes, he was not someone that they could afford to offend.

"Father!" Yu Hai helplessly replied, "He's a steward at the Yao Family. Tomorrow is Patriarch Yao's birthday celebration, and they need to pick some vegetables from my house. I'm no longer a strapping young lad, how could I possibly just randomly cause trouble?"

"Picking vegetables? How are there any vegetables to be had in this season? No one has even planted any vegetable seeds! You're not trying to trick your father, right?" Old Yu still didn't feel relieved. It's necessary to forgive his terrified attitude, after all, it's better to be careful than to make a large blunder.

Yu Hai didn't know what else to say and continued, "If you don't believe me, then come with me to the old residence and check it out yourself, okay?"

"Village elders, we are against the clock right now. Would it be possible to make a long story short and try to finish up?" Steward Yao glanced at the color of the sky and a worried expression appeared on his face.

Old Yu swallowed down the words he was about to say when he heard the steward's remark and repeatedly nodded his head with a smile, "Of course, of course! Then we won't delay you folks anymore!"

Under Steward Yao's eager gaze, Yu Xiaocao waved farewell to her Eldest Granduncle and hopped into the donkey cart again. This time, the horse cart was in front to open the path, so no one else dared to stop them again. However, word quickly went through the whole village. People all said that Yu Hai was seriously too capable to be able to forge a connection with a rich family in town…

The horse cart stopped in front of the gate at the old residence. Yu Hai opened the gate, lifted up the doorsill, and brought the donkey cart into the courtyard. He didn't bother unharnessing the donkey before he asked Yu Hang, who was lying on a long chair getting sun, in a loud voice, "Xiaosha, where's your mother?"

"She's in the backyard doing laundry! Father, what's going on?" At this point, Yu Hang noticed Steward Yao, who had come in behind his father. Out of caution, he somewhat wanted to stand up.

When Yu Xiaocao saw this, she hurriedly said, "Older Brother! Your bones are still too weak, don't move around recklessly! I'll go into the back courtyard and get Mother to help us harvest vegetables!"

Madam Liu had already heard the sounds of her husband's voice. She shook her dripping hands, walked in from the rear court, and asked, "You're back? How did selling the vegetables go?"

"We sold out! Keep the laundry there for now and help us pick some vegetables first. Steward Yao still needs to hurry back!" A hint of excitement was threaded in Yu Hai's voice. A whole cart of vegetables was sold for twenty taels. If he told this story to other people, who would believe him? His daughter was really too amazing. Selling vegetables at the price of meat, but there truly were people who would buy them!

As soon as Steward Yao stepped into the courtyard, he was stunned by the sight of the lush, green vegetables surrounding him. It was a very large space and had to be at least seven to eight plots of land. All of it was used to grow all different types of vegetables and there was only a small strip of land left as a walkway for people.

All of the vegetables were at their peak, and they revealed their lush vitality. Under the bright sun, the dark green leaves glistened and flickered. Every single leaf seemed to have a tiny life there budding and throbbing. This Yu Family was really a good hand at growing vegetables. Even if you didn't consider the current season, their output was absolutely the top of the top.

Madam Liu noticed the stranger in their yard and politely greeted, "You must be tired, guest. Please sit down inside and drink some water to quench your thirst!"

When Steward Yao had gotten back from the food market, he had directly reported to his master and then immediately went to the stables to get the horse cart. He also had to anxiously wait at Zhenxiu Restaurant's back door for a long time and then rush over with the father and daughter pair from the Yu Family to Dongshan Village. Only now could he catch his breath. After he heard her suggestion, he immediately felt how dry and scratchy his throat was.

However, he didn't enter the building and instead sat down on a large stone in front of the rooms. He smiled, "I don't need to enter your house, sitting here, where I can get some sun, is also quite comfortable."

Madam Liu poured him a bowl of water that had been boiled. Steward Yao stood up to take it and politely thanked her. He didn't even notice how crude and simple the ceramic bowl was as he finished the water in the bowl in one big gulp. Perhaps he was too thirsty, but Steward Yao thought this bowl of plain water was even more refreshing than any tea he had before. He couldn't help but compliment it a bit.

A golden kitten jumped off of Yu Xiaocao's shoulders and rolled its eyes at him—'What a naive fellow! This divine stone's bathing water is full of spiritual energy. Even if it's diluted a bit, it still can't be compared to ordinary water, so of course it tastes good!'

Yu Hang watched as his parents and youngest sister rolled up their sleeves and busied themselves in the vegetable field. Ever since he had come home, he had to watch the rest of his family run around the house day in day out. However, he couldn't help them at all. However, in his heart, he was clear about one thing: the most important thing he could do right now was to let his body recover fully. Afterwards, he would definitely help his family with their tasks! Regardless, he still felt impatient! Especially in times like now, he wished with all his heart that he could stand up and help them harvest the vegetables.

As the little divine stone stepped by gracefully, it passed by Yu Hang. It seemed to sense Yu Hang's inner turmoil and stopped for a short period of time. It lightly leapt onto his knee and had an expression on its face as if it was conferring the boy a great favor. It let Yu Hang scratch it. The little divine stone inwardly thought: 'Weak and puny human ah, this divine stone is letting you scratch an itch, but this is your good fortune. Appreciate it!'

Yu Hai, his wife, and daughter Xiaocao were all bustling busily in the vegetable field. The little assistant that came along had also been ordered by Steward Yao to help. Although he didn't know how to harvest vegetables, he was able to help them put the food into baskets or other activities that didn't require much skill.

Old Yu slowly walked into the old residence and was stunned at the sight of the courtyard full of green vegetables. The last time he came over, the whole courtyard was covered completely with mats made of rice straw and wheat stalks. At that time he didn't know what they were for and asked a few times but never got an answer. He never thought that under the grass mats were vegetable sprouts that were planted! It only took around ten days of effort, yet the vegetables were already ready to be harvested?

Old Yu first went to his eldest grandson and carefully asked him about his injuries and condition. After seeing his second son's family bustling without a break, he also rolled up his sleeves and entered the fields to help them!

A bit of time passed and Xiaolian also came back from the docks. The Yu Family's one copper coin per portion of braised food was famous at the docks! As soon as one of them got there, almost all of the food they brought would be sold out after half an hour! Their family's braised food was not only priced well but also delicious beyond imagination.

Now, not only did all of the dockworkers know about them but also the people living in the nearby villages. If one of them had a guest come over, they would especially go over to buy a couple portions. Using the Yu Family's braised food to serve guests was a very welcoming thing to do!

Chapter 124 – Once Again!

Had Xiaolian not waited to the ox cart from the neighbouring village, then she would have long gotten back after all of the braised food sold out!

With the addition of Xiaolian, their harvesting speed increased perceptibly. Before long, all of the baskets that Steward Yao brought with him had been stacked full with lush green vegetables that looked incredibly appetizing.

While the family was harvesting vegetables, Steward Yao had gone to Yu Residence's back courtyard as well as the nearby pond. He saw that there were also vegetable fields in the back that spanned around three to four mu [1]. There were cucumber and string bean vines climbing on vegetable frames. Eggplants and hot chili peppers were all growing vigorously in neatly laid out rows. There were also lettuce and carrots. However, he couldn't see how large the carrots were as they were underground, but the carrot leaves were lush and vibrant green. On the fence surrounding the four sides of the garden, there were hyacinth bean vines and malabar spinach twisted around the wooden poles, which added a bluish-green color to the perimeter. Furthermore, there were still some other vegetables that he could not identify, but everywhere he looked was full of vegetables…

He was convinced that before long all of these vegetables would be ready to harvest. At that time, other people's vegetables would only be tiny sprouts. Steward Yao was very well aware what it meant for Yu Family since they were able to sell vegetables more than a month out of the regular season!

He looked at their simple and crude looking residence as well as the unadorned rooms. As of now, the Yu Family looked destitute and poor. However, with their ability to grow vegetables, they were absolutely about to become rich very soon, right? Steward Yao now really didn't have the guts to scorn the Yu Family.

At last, all of the baskets of vegetables were weighed and moved onto the Yao Family's horse cart. In total, they had bought six hundred and eighty catties of vegetables. Steward Yao knew that Old Master Yao was very picky. If he found out about the Yu Family's vegetables, then in the future they would definitely have many more dealings to come! Thus, he generously agreed to pay for all of the vegetables using the price for romaine lettuce—twenty-five copper coins per catty.

When Old Yu saw that the vegetables, which usually sold for around three to five copper coins a catty, being sold for five to eight times the normal price, his eyes opened wide in shock. He almost couldn't believe his ears, "Dahai, are you not afraid that the rich folk will blame you guys for setting the price of vegetables at the price of pork?"

"Grandfather! We're doing business fair and square. One is willing to buy and the other is willing to sell, why would anyone blame the other?" Yu Xiaocao held up a basin of water to let her grandfather wash his hands and then continued, "The Yao Family is a well-known rich family in town. They've eaten meat all winter and have long been tired of it! If you don't believe me, go ask Steward Yao whether the patriarch of the Yao Family wants to eat meat or does he want to eat our family's vegetables, okay?"

"But…these are merely green vegetables ah! If we're selling it at such an expensive price, isn't that overcharging other people?" Old Yu felt a bit uneasy about all of this.

Steward Yao counted the money as he interjected, "Old sir, this is obviously an example of: 'the rarer a thing is, the greater its value'! Right now, at this season, if you want to eat green vegetables, even if you have money you might not be able to get any! Your family's vegetables are the only ones on the market in town right now. Even at a more expensive price you guys wouldn't have to worry about it not selling!"

As they talked, he took out two large ingots of shiny silver and placed them into Yu Hai's hands. He then said, "Big Brother, this is twenty taels, make sure you keep them safe!"

Yu Hai waved his hand, "There's no need to give us this much. Six hundred and eighty catties of vegetables only comes out to seventeen taels total. You're taking such good care of us, how could we possibly take more of your money…"

"Just keep the extra money for now. Think of the additional three taels as a security deposit. Make sure you leave some of the vegetables in the back courtyard for me, your brother. Don't sell it all to Zhenxiu Restaurant." Steward Yao also knew the value of planning ahead for greater rewards. 'If you guys take my security deposit, in the future it will obviously be very easy to buy vegetables from you!'

Yu Hai still hesitated a bit but Yu Xiaoao had already taken the money away. She grinned, "Since Steward Yao said so, in the future, if you need any vegetables, just give us a holler and we'll deliver them to the Yao Residence!"

Steward Yao nodded his head repeatedly, "That's what I wanted to hear! I know you guys are short staffed, so in the future I will have people bring a cart over to your place to buy vegetables! Xiaosi, remember the route. In the future, you will be in charge of buying vegetables. Make sure you do well and not let me, your adoptive father, lose any face!"

Steward Yao had directed the last part to the little assistant who was driving the cart. That little assistant was also a clever and nimble fellow, so he nodded his head as if he was pounding garlic paste with it. A joyful smile tinged with admiration crossed his face. Going from an assistant who took care of the horses to a person in charge of purchasing was a big change. It not only was a large promotion but also his future treatment and pay would be vastly different.

That was because the purchasing position was one that had a lot of profit involved in it. In the future, he really needed to show his filial respect to his adoptive father. Without his adoptive father promoting him, how else could he, Xiaosi, possibly get such a position with the multitudes of other servants at the residence?

"Thank you, Godfather! Thank you, Godfather!" Xiaosi continuously thanked Steward Yao as if this was the only way he could truly express the depths of his gratitude.

"Do your job well! In the future, when you have more contact with the Yu Family, make sure to treat them with more courtesy. Especially that little girl. She has a lot of ideas and you absolutely cannot slight her!" On the way back home, Steward Yao gave him some words of advice to help Xiaosi develop properly.

Later on, Xiaosi repeatedly went back and forth between Dongshan Village and Tanggu Town. He always kept his adoptive father's advice close to heart and warmly called Yu Hai and his wife 'uncle and auntie'. In addition, he also helped them to do some work around the house. He had an almost brotherly relationship with Yu Hang, who was about the same age as him. Furthermore, he took care of Xiaolian and Little Shitou as if they were his own younger siblings. Every time he came to buy vegetables and produce, he would always bring some pastries and cakes for them. As for Xiaocao, who looked almost exactly the same as Xiaolian, he had unconsciously developed deep feelings of respect for her.

By nurturing these relationships, Xiaosi never came back to the Yao residence empty-handed, even in rougher times when the harvest was not as good. By successfully managing his tasks, he naturally received more promotions. He rose from a purchasing assistant to an assistant steward in the purchasing department, and then to the head steward in charge of the purchasing department. By the time his adoptive father became the chief steward, he, at the age of twenty, had become the residence's youngest head steward.

At that time, he was still unmarried, and so, the maidservants in the residence all saw him as an ideal marriage prospect. The first ranked maidservants, who had previously disdained him, now all looked at him with a different expression in their eyes. As for himself, he finally had enough courage to request to marry the maidservant he had secretly admired for a long time, Luxiu. She was the personal maidservant of the matriarch. As a favor, the matriarch betrothed Luxiu, who had already reached a marriageable age, to him. After his adoptive father retired, Xiaosi replaced his father to become the chief steward of the Yao residence…

All of these changes started during that fateful bright and brilliant afternoon, when he had gone with his adoptive father to go to Dongshan Village and met the noble person who would transform his destiny for a lifetime…

Of course, these are all future events. Right now Xiaocao was sitting on a small stool and staring at her family's courtyard vegetable fields as if she was caught in a spell. Yu Hang looked at his little sister staring blankly and quietly asked, "Little Sister, what are you thinking about? Why are you so focused right now?"

Yu Xiaocao twisted her head around and looked at him. She arranged the blanket to cover his legs more securely and then turned around to look at the fields again. She exclaimed somewhat excitedly, "Older Brother, have you noticed it too? We've gotten a decent harvest from our fields!"

"Eh? What do you mean by 'decent'?" Previously their family had also planted some vegetables in the front and back of their rooms. The soil there was poor, and they had only planted the most common types of vegetables for their own use. Had they ever bothered to calculate the output from those small stretches of land?

However, in Xiaocao's previous life, her parents had been vegetable farmers before they passed away. At that time, she was already in middle school and often helped them calculate the output of their fields and the amount of profits they made.

There was chemical fertilizer in her past life, so one mu of land planted with vegetables could produce around 2500 catties of harvest. In their courtyard, they had around seventy to eighty percent of a mu of land, and they had already sold around a thousand catties worth of vegetables. From her rough estimate, they had only picked less than half of what was available. In other words, they could probably get at least 3000 catties of vegetables for each mu planted. Perhaps they could even get four thousand catties! This truly was considered a very high yield!

After calculating up to this much, she figured that they could get around seventy to eighty taels total for the vegetables grown in the front courtyard alone. The back courtyard was growing vegetables that had a longer life cycle, so they could likely be sold for a higher price. They could easily get around a hundred taels for each mu of vegetables. Thus, this meant that they could get around five hundred taels alone from this early spring harvest!

The more Yu Xiaocao calculated, the more excited she felt. Her eyes seemed to glitter with an internal light and she wished she could kiss the little divine stone a few times in happiness.

The little golden kitten was lying on Yu Hang's knee, enjoying the pleasure of getting pets when it suddenly felt chills run through its body. The fur on its back immediately stood up—something's not right, there's danger approaching!

Just as Yu Xiaocao was staring at their vegetable fields fixedly, as if she had just seen a giant lump of gold, suddenly the sound of a voice no one wanted to hear came through the gate, "Where is everyone? Did you all disappear into thin air? Why is the gate closed in the middle of the day ah? Is it because you guys did something that set off your guilty consciences and are afraid people will come find you?"

Xiaocao quivered and then leapt off of her stool. She rushed towards the gate, pulled open the heavy door, and saw Madam Zhang standing oddly there. The old woman's face was as unpleasant as before.

"Grandmother, why did you come over?" Yu Xiaocao barely restrained the feeling of disgust in her heart and managed to squeeze out a smile.

"What? Did you guys make your door too high that your own grandmother can't come over anymore?" Li Guihua had a self-satisfied look on her face. The copious amount of fat on her face squeezed her eyes until they were a thin line, very similar to a rat's eyes. Her eyes flickered around as if she was a thief.

Madam Zhang pushed Xiaocao aside with an arm and marched into the courtyard. She gloomily looked all around at the stone walls around the courtyard and sinisterly remarked, "You guys don't have money yet you built your walls so high. Are you trying to discourage thieves or are you trying to keep me out?"

'Is there a difference? You're the biggest thieving threat around! Other people are cultivating fortune, meanwhile, you're such a miserly old hag that you would even scrape off whatever profit you could get from the ground full of dirt!' Yu Xiaocao silently roasted the old woman in her heart as she replied, "Our old residence is a bit too close to the West Mountain. In the winter, we're afraid of wild animals searching for food. Won't they come down from the mountain and harm people? Grandmother, don't be so sensitive, these walls are to protect us from wolves! Just look, when we first moved out, we weren't sure if we could save my father's leg. My older brother had been sold off to be an apprentice, so it was only Mother and us weak little girls around. If there really were some vicious wolves around, what were we supposed to do?! So we didn't bother trying to fix the house much and instead used the money my maternal grandmother sent us to lay a taller wall!"

This seemingly simple explanation actually held a lot of hidden nuggets: first of all, you made us split off from the main family with pretty much nothing when my father was seriously injured. In addition, you almost pushed my older brother to a situation where he would lose his life. If this was someone with thinner skin, she wouldn't even have the face to come to their gate. Next, not a single copper coin out of the money used to build these walls came from you. Thus, do you have any qualifications to voice your unnecessary opinions?

However, was there anyone else in the world who could even compete with Madam Zhang's shamelessness? It was hard to tell whether the old woman really didn't catch on to Xiaocao's silent implications or whether she was pretending, but she only glanced briefly at Yu Hang, who was lying helplessly on the deck chair in the courtyard. She then turned her attention to the wide expanse of vegetables growing in the courtyard.

Madam Li immediately understood her role in this play and stated, "Second Brother-in-law truly has a filial heart ah! He planted so many vegetables but he doesn't know how to properly show his respect to his elders. He's only preoccupied with earning money!"

[1] 1 mu (亩) = ~0.16474 acres = ~666.7 square meters

Chapter 125 – Scratch

"Of course we have to think of all possible ways to earn money! We need money to build a fence and repair the house. Moreover, we also have a lot of debt! It might seem like my father's leg has recovered, but he'll feel unbearable when he uses too much strength. It's alright during the day, but it would be so painful at night that he can't even sleep. He has been able to endure thanks to the painkillers that Doctor Sun prescribed. He can't be the main labor force in our family, and my older brother still owes dozens of taels of medical fees… If we don't think of more ways to earn money to repay the debt, will Grandmother and Eldest Aunt help us pay off our debts?"

Yu Xiaocao had long seen through their intentions, so she persistently complained about her family's suffering. In the backyard, Xiaolian blocked her parents and refused to let the two kind and uncontentious people go out to be bullied. She also asked Qian Wu, who was tending the ducks by the pond, to go find her grandfather that the village entrance. Old Yu was the only one who could somewhat keep Madam Zhang in check.

"Alright, alright! What's the point in saying all this rubbish? Hurry up and gather the vegetables for your grandmother. Did you want the old lady to personally get them herself? You tactless person!" Madam Li noticed that her mother in-law's face was becoming more and more unsightly, so she hastily interjected.

Yu Xiaocao didn't change her expression and kept a fake smile on her face, "Eldest Aunt is right! Grandmother, what vegetables do you want to eat? I'll go gather them for you."

"Let's do this. Give me a basket of each kind!" Madam Zhang was also a good money-maker. She could make out the values of the lush green vegetables just by looking at them. There were four or five different kinds of greens here. If she got a basket of each, it would be at least four or five catties, which should cost several taels.

In the past, when Yu Hai was around and the family hadn't split, she hadn't noticed his importance. Without the skilled fisherman Yu Hai, not only did they catch less than half the amount of fish compared to last year, but there also wasn't much variety. Several regular customers gradually stopped ordering from the Yu Family because they couldn't meet their needs.

Now, Yu Dashan not only goes fishing in the sea with Old Yu, but he also sells fish at the fish market with other fishermen. When business was bad, half of the fish would be leftover. Their family had been eating fish for more than a week already. They used to be reluctant to eat it, but now they were sick of eating it. The weather was gradually warming up, so if they didn't eat the fish, it would go bad very quickly.

Old Yu and his son were bringing back less and less money, so Madam Zhang's heart was becoming more and more anxious. Her youngest son had sent a letter saying that he wanted to study at Rongxuan Academy and needed money for brushes, ink, and books. Also, the rent for the residence they rented in town had expired and her youngest grandson, Little Doudou, had gotten sick at the beginning of spring… All these matters that required money had piled one on top of another, one after another.

Seeing that there was less and less money in her hands, Madam Zhang felt as if a fire was burning her heart. She couldn't eat nor sleep well, and had a few mouth ulcers. When she heard from Madam Li that the second branch was beginning to sell their vegetables, she briefly pondered and thought of an idea.

However, Yu Xiaocao wasn't like her parents, who were easily bullied by Madam Zhang. She sneered and said, "Grandmother! Aren't you going to eat the vegetables to prevent hunger? With four or five baskets of vegetables, even if you guys eat a lot, wouldn't it take at least twenty days to finish everything? Aren't you afraid that the greens will rot in the baskets and be wasted?!"

"It's none of your business! You grandmother told you to pick the vegetables, so just do as you're told! What's with all your nonsense!" Madam Li had already impatiently started gathering the vegetables herself. After eating boiled cabbage and radish and mixed grain flatbread for the entire winter, her eyes were already green with greed when she saw all the green vegetables. She had never been so eager to eat stir-fried vegetables!

"Eldest Aunt! Be careful not to trample on the vegetables…" Before Yu Xiaocao even finished speaking, Li Guihua had already stepped on the lettuce under her feet. 'Every green vegetable was a shiny piece of silver ah.' Xiaocao's heart ached incessantly.

Right at this moment, a golden light, like lightning, launched towards Li Guihua. With a loud scream, Li Guihua covered her face and sat down in the vegetable field. Her huge butt had slammed into the vegetable garden. If the vegetables were alive, they would surely scream before dying.

"Who… whose cat is this? How can you let it out to scratch people?" Madam Li looked and saw a tiny kitten that wasn't even the size of a fist. It was covered in golden fur and was staring fiercely at Li Guihua with its golden eyes. It showed a fierceness that was disproportionate with its size.

'Little Glutinous Dumpling, good job!' Yu Xiacao praised the little divine ceaselessly within her heart.

[She just keeps blabbering and her voice sounds as bad as a pig being slaughtered. She's so freaking noisy!] The little divine stone licked its claw with dissatisfaction. It glared at Madam Li with hostility as if was about to jump up the next second and rush towards its 'prey'.

"My face!" Li Guihua took off the hand she used to cover her face, but was startled by the blood on her hand. That damned cat actually dared to scratch her face. What should she do if it scarred?

If Xiaocao could read her mind, she would definitely roast her relentlessly: 'Eldest Aunt, even if your face isn't disfigured, you don't look that good either. You have a face that affects the appearance of the city!'

Madam Zhang bent down to pick up a lump of dirt and was about to throw it at the little golden kitten, but noticed that the kitten had already turned its attention towards her. The little one exuded a terrifying force that made her feel as if she wasn't facing a little kitten but a majestic-looking giant tiger.

Madam Zhang's legs began to tremble. She dropped the chuck of soil in her hand and stammered, "Wicked girl, is this your cat? Quickly take it away!"

Yu Xiaocao had helpless expression on her face and said, "Grandmother, I picked up this kitten from the mountain forest. It hasn't been long since I brought it home, so it hasn't been domesticated yet and is still very wild! It doesn't listen to anybody. Xiaolian and I have both been scratched by it. So I don't dare to provoke it."

Madam Li, who was triggered by the blood on her hand, suddenly lunged at the little golden kitten like a crazy woman. As a result, all the vegetables around her suffered a tragic death.

"My vegetables!" Yu Xiaocao cried pitifully.

The little golden kitten seemed to have sense its master's mood and hastily rushed to the part of the garden that had already been harvested. Its movement was light and nimble. Madam Li's fat figure suddenly plunged into the vegetable garden. Her big face landed first, and she was unable to immediately get up. After struggling for a long time, she finally sat up and noticed that her mouth was full of mud. She spat for a long time in order to get the mud out of her mouth.

[Useless thing! Trying to compete with me, this Divine Stone! Humph! Humph! Anticipate having a nightmare tonight!] Yu Xiaocao was the only one who could hear the little divine stone's grim voice. From a place that no one could see, a wisp of smoke-like spiritual power entered Madam Li's nostrils. But she was completely unaware of it!

"Mother, quickly help me catch that damned cat. I'm going to throw it into the firepit and eat it after its cooked!" Madam Li refused to give up and was hell-bent on catching the kitten.

Thus, Madam Li's plump, ball-like body could be seen jumping, fumbling, rolling, and crawling around the yard. It was a very comedic scene. By the time she was tired and gasping for her breath, she still didn't touch a single hair on the cat.

During a rather chilly evening in early spring, Madam Li's entire body was covered in sweat. With the mix of sweat and mud on her face, she didn't even need to wear makeup to perform in a Chinese opera. She couldn't get up from sitting on the ground, so she smacked her leg and wailed, "Aren't you bullying me right now? I don't care. Your family's cat scratched and scarred my face, so your family must compensate me! Just… pay me five taels…"

"Who would compensate five taels to you? Your face isn't even worth five copper coins, yet you want five taels. Why don't you go rob someone?!" This awesome response came from Old Yu, who had quickly rushed over. He must be infuriated, otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a harsh remark to his daughter-in-law.

Madam Li wasn't afraid of anything, except when her father-in-law pulled a long face. When she saw Old Yu coming in, she immediately jumped up from the ground. Her agile movement didn't seem like something that a fatty like her could do.

"It was the cat that scratched you, so go get the money from the cat! You can't even handle a kitten that hasn't been weaned, yet you still have the face to ask others for money? Our Old Yu's family doesn't extort money from others. If you want to cause trouble for Second Son's family, I'll go talk with Li Laoshuan about it!" Madam Li's father, Li Laoshuan, was also a very capable man when he was younger. He had earned some properties, so the living conditions of the Li Family was a lot better than the Yu Family.

Madam Li didn't dare to say another word. Although her father doted on her, he was also an old-fashioned and traditional man, who considered a married daughter to be the same as spilled water. He believed that she should listen to everything her in-laws say. If her father found out that she was extorting money from her younger brother-in-law's family, he would definitely disown her. She still needed to rely on her maternal family to support her, so she absolutely couldn't let her father know about this!

Madam Zhang spoke up in her defense, "What's there to talk about? Guihua just said that out of anger. Do you really think that she would take the second branch's money?! Second Son's family's cat scratched someone, but you won't even allow her to say something about it?"

"I haven't even said anything about you yet! What are you doing here? Did you come to ask Second Son for vegetables? Are you really that shameless to ask?" Old Yu looked at Madam Zhang with eyes that were full of disappointment, anger and sadness!

When the second branch were in their most difficult times, she had forced them out of their home. His second son had risked half his life in exchange for the money they got from selling a bear. After they hid the three hundred taels that his second son had risked his life for, he could hardly sleep at night and was full of torment in his heart. On the other hand, as if she had thrown away a huge stone that was on her body, Madam Zhang talked and acted in a much more relaxed manner!

Why didn't she ever think about how Second Son was his flesh and blood! He believed that he had never been biased toward Dashan and always treated him like his own son. When they divided the family, they had even given the new ship that Second Son bought to their eldest son. Why couldn't she feel for others and treat his children as her own?

Look at what happened! Look at what Madam Zhang did! She married his eldest daughter hundreds of kilometers away and sold her to a widower as his second wife. His eldest daughter must be completely disappointed in him. After being married for so many years, other than visiting Second Son several times, she was almost unwilling to see him, her father.

His second son was a capable man, so he had thought that Madam Zhang would treat the second branch better for the sake of money. But what happened? When his second son was seriously injured and on the verge of death, Madam Zhang had forced him to propose to separate from the family. She only gave them the rundown old residence and a measly two taels…

Old Yu felt that his tolerance was reaching the limit. He couldn't let Madam Zhang continue to do whatever she wanted. He had to show his authority as the head of the household!

When faced with her husband's furious gaze, Madam Zhang felt somewhat afraid in her heart. However, she still insisted, "Isn't Caidie's fiancé's family going to send the betrothal gifts over soon? I was thinking about how we don't have anything to serve them at home, and then I heard that Second Son's family has planted vegetables… As a son, what's wrong with paying filial respects to his parents by giving them some vegetables?"

Chapter 126 – Untitled

"Sending the betrothal gifts? Isn't that next month? Didn't we already plow the vegetable fields and plant the seeds? The crops should be ready by next month, so why do we need to ask Second Son for vegetables? It's not like you don't know about the living conditions of Second Son's family. As his parents, even if we can't help him, we shouldn't add to their misfortunes and cause more trouble for our children. What would others say about us?" Of course, Old Yu didn't believe her nonsense and immediately exposed her.

"Shouldn't a son be filial to his parents? What would others say! Do you think that others won't gossip about a son who eats and lives well while his parents barely have enough to eat?" Madam Zhang was an expert at pestering others endlessly.

Old Yu frowned and became even more displeased, "What do you mean by 'we barely have enough to eat'? Although we're not making as much money from selling fish as before, it's certainly enough to feed our entire family. Moreover, you still have a lot of…"

"It's for our third son's studies, so no one is allowed to touch it!" Madam Zhang valued her youngest son the most and no one was allowed to touch him. When she heard Old Yu mention her savings, she instantly startled and glanced at Xiaocao with a guilty conscience.

Old Yu felt even more furious within his heart, "Whenever money is mentioned, you always say that it's for Third Son's studies! Yet you run over to cause trouble for Second Son's family when they have already split from the family! Your heart is seriously too biased!"

"I'm biased? You're saying that I'm being partial?! After I married you, I gave birth to and raised your children. I don't waste money on food or clothes. Who am I doing all this for? Was it for myself? I just want to foster a scholar from our family so that our whole family can live a better life. Who am I being biased to? Eldest Son is my biological son, have I ever been partial to him? Second Son is more capable than Eldest Son. I also remember all his contributions to the family! In the future, when Third Son passes the examination to become an official, wouldn't he, as his older brother, also be benefited?" Madam Zhang wiped her tears as she spoke, as if she was the one who had been wronged and taken advantage of.

Old Yu's heart softened when he saw Madam Zhang's tears, but he still persisted, "That still isn't a valid reason to ask an older brother, who had separated from the family, to financially support his younger brother's studies! Stop crying here, or else you'll become a laughingstock. Quickly come home with me!"

Seeing that she wouldn't be able to take advantage of them today, Madam Zhang dawdled over to the entrance. Madam Li didn't even dare to lift up her head as she dejectedly followed behind her mother-in-law. Her father-in-law was really angry today. He didn't even give face to her mother-in-law, let alone her.

"Ay!" Old Yu touched the head of Xiaocao, who was standing beside him and staring at him with wide eyes. After that, he looked at his son and daughter-in-law, who had only come out from the rear courtyard at this time. With a tired voice, he sighed, "The husband will have less trouble if his wife is virtuous! It was fortunate that I didn't listen to Madam Zhang's decision to have you marry her niece. I have a good daughter-in-law. You guys need to live a good life!"

After that, with his hands clasped behind his back and his body stooped down, he left with heavy footsteps.

"Grandfather! I'll gather some vegetables for you to take back!" Yu Xiaocao was more or less satisfied with her grandfather's performance today. It seemed like he wasn't a complete fool yet.

Old Yu stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at her. He slowly shook his head and said, "No need. Keep them to sell for money! This old residence needs to be renovated thoroughly so that it won't be crushed by the snow during winter!"

Yu Xiaocao signaled her father with her eyes. Yu Hai understood her meaning and quickly said, "Father, it's nothing much. This son of yours can still provide you with some vegetables to eat! Cao'er's mother, you go and help Cao'er gather a portion of each vegetables."

He personally went forward to pull Old Yu back to sit on the stone chair in the courtyard, and then poured a cup of water for his father to drink. After drinking the water brought by his son, Old Yu felt much better both physically and mentally. His son still had him, his father, within his heart.

Before he had finished a cup of water, Xiaocao and her mother had already swiftly gathered the vegetables and packed them in a basket. It appeared to be around ten catties of vegetables in the basket. Right now, in the Yu Family, there were only the Old Yu couple, the eldest son's family, and the unmarried youngest sister. Thus, it was enough for them to eat for several days.

However, Madam Zhang wasn't satisfied and felt that Yu Hai's family had given them too little. While she scolded Dahai's entire family within her heart, she took out most of the greens from the basket that Old Yu brought back, and then sent them to her youngest son early in the morning on the next day.

Madam Li, who had a terrible complexion after a night of nightmares, inwardly criticized Madam Zhang for her biasness. She grumbled her complaint to Yu Dashan for several days.

As for Yu Xiaocao's family, who had earned over eight hundred sixty taels today, they were currently discussing what to do with sixty-something taels in front of them.

The head of the family, Yu Hai, was the first to speak. He cleared his throat and solemnly said, "As I have just said, our Cao'er's recipe was sold for eight hundred taels. We have already asked Third Young Master Zhou to help us buy a storefront with the money. I reckon that the shops at the newly constructed port wouldn't be too expensive! We should be able to buy four spaces! At that time, you siblings will each have a shop, fair to all!"

Yu Hang, who was half lying on the kang bed, hastily said, "Youngest Sister was the one who earned the money to purchase the store. As her older brother, how can I take advantage of her? I'll leave my space to Youngest Sister!"

Yu Xiaocao glared at him with widened eyes and said unhappily, "Older Brother, what you're saying isn't right! We're blood-related siblings, so why do we need to be so clear-cut about everything?"

"People say that even real siblings should settle accounts without ambiguity! For example, it wouldn't make sense for Father to buy land and a store for Eldest Uncle." Yu Hang insisted.

Yu Xiaocao snorted and said, "We have already separated from the family now. We won't give them any less of the filial respect that we are obliged to, but we aren't paying for a single penny more than necessary! Older Brother, when you get better, the business at the docks will be handed to you. In the future, when the new port is built, you would be able to expand the business at the docks and earn a lot of money. Would you disregard your younger siblings at that time?"

"Of course not! It's our family's business, so of course the profits should be handed into the family account!" Yu Hang immediately retorted.

"Isn't that the same logic? The money that I'm earning right now is also handed into the family account to be managed. Even if it's not given to you guys now, when we grow up and split from the family in the future, we still need to divide it evenly!" Yu Hang had never won when debating with Yu Xiaocao.

Yu Hang frowned and wanted to decline again, "But… Youngest Sister, you were the one who earned all the money ah…"

"Alright, let's stop talking about this! It's decided!" Seeing that the siblings were each holding their own ground, Yu Hai spoke up to make the final decision, "Xiaosha, you don't have to feel like you're taking advantage of your younger sister. In the future, your younger sisters will also need their brothers' support!"

Little Shitou, who had returned at dusk last night for his break, put down the book in his hands and laughed, "Father, even if we don't have a store, Older Brother and I will still support our sisters! In the future, if that person mistreats Second Sister, I'll bring her home and take care of her for a lifetime!"

"You're only going to take care of your second sister? Do you not care about your eldest sister at all?" Xiaolian teased her younger brother with a smile.

Little Shitou hadn't had a chance to correct himself before Xiaocao pinched both his cheeks, "You heartless little fellow. There's so many good things you can say, but instead you're cursing your second sister to be bullied in the future?"

Little Shitou's little face, which had just become more fleshy, was pulled out to two sides by his second sister, and then squashed together again in the middle. His small mouth was squeezed together until it looked like a pig's snout as he struggled to explain himself. He, who would become a high-scoring top scholar in the imperial examination in his teens, was currently being bullied by his second sister.

After Yu Xiaocao played enough with his face, she finally let him go mercifully. Little Shitou covered his face, which had turned red from being pinched, and muttered with a pout, "Second Sister, I'm wrong! Who dares to bully you? You're the one who is going to bully others!"

"Of course!" Yu Xiaocao had a complacent expression, and then said, "It's decided then, everyone gets a store! It would be better if the shops are cheap and we can buy more. If we have more younger siblings in the future, we can also prepare some for them too!"

Liu Muyun, who was sitting on the edge of the kang bed with a slight smile, heard her words and looked up. When she saw her youngest daughter's teasing gaze, her pale face immediately flushed. She chided, "This child. How mischievous! You even dare to tease your own parents!"

Yu Xiaocao grinned and replied, "Mother, I'm not joking! Last time when Doctor Sun checked on Eldest Brother, didn't he also take your pulse? He said that your health is much better now. I heard that lingering illness from the postnatal confinement period needs to be healed during the confinement period. If you want to restore your body, you should give birth to a younger brother or sister as soon as possible! You don't need to do anything. Xiaolian and I will be responsible for taking care of the little baby!"

Yu Hai was eager to try when he heard that having another child could help his wife heal her body. He had never been someone who was good at hiding his emotions, so when Madam Liu saw his expression, her face became even more red. She quietly pinched Yu Hai's waist, but her husband caught her hand and held it firmly within his own hand.

Little Shitou looked at the sixty-something shiny taels on the table. There was a genuine look of joy on his face as he said, "Second Sister, you're truly capable! Sure enough, you're someone who have been enlightened by the deities…"

Yu Hai hastily interjected and reprimanded him, "Don't go out and talk nonsense! Your second sister was able to come up with so many recipes because she picked up a remnant of a recipe book and has some talent for cooking! If someone asks you in the future, just tell them that! Do you guys understand?"

Yu Hang and Yu Xiaolian nodded solemnly. Little Shitou mischievously replied, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid! I won't sell out my older sister! I heard from my classmate that his hometown was rather ignorant and conservative. They had burned to death an older sister from the same clan because she could see strange things. They said that she was a monster and an ominous person, who would bring disaster to the village…"

Madam Liu was so frightened that she immediately threw down the clothing that she was making. She held Xiaocao tightly within her embrace and nervously said, "My daughter isn't a monster. Our Cao'er will only bring good luck to others! Isn't Cao'er the reason our family's living conditions improved? Little Shitou, you can't speak carelessly in the future! Understand?!"

"I know, I understand!" Little Shitou also realized that the severity of the situation and was so scared that he didn't know what to do.

Xiaocao was reluctant to leave her mother's gentle and warm embrace. With a happy smile on her face, she changed the topic, "What do you guys want to do with this sixty-something taels? Should we save it up, or spend it?"

Chapter 127 – Discussion

The head of the household, Yu Hai, looked down and thought for a moment before saying, "How about this? After spring plowing, let's knock down the old residence and build a new five-room house. We can also widen the yard a little bit… No, it's a newly built fence, so that would waste too much time and energy. It's better to renovate the old residence and build a three-room house next to it, and then enclose it with stones. This way, Xiaosha wouldn't have to worry about the house when he gets married in the future. We can make a door in the middle so that it's more convenient for us to come and go between the two buildings!"

Yu Xiaocao really didn't want to be too close to the two outrageously annoying people, Madam Zhang and Madam Li. She made a different suggestion, "Father, I think we might as well save more money and ask Third Young Master to help us find a residence in town, and then buy some fields around town. Let's just settle down in town! In the future, Little Shitou will be studying for a long time in town, so it would also be more convenient for him to come home!"

Madam Liu was somewhat interested upon hearing her words. Little Shitou had only turned six after the New Year, yet he already had to stay in town to study by himself. As his mother, it was inevitable that she would miss and be concerned about her son at all times.

Yu Hai lowered his head and pondered for a moment, and then slowly shook his head, "Our roots are in Dongshan Village after all. You guys are still young, so you don't quite understand the principle of 'being sentimentally attached to your homeland'. Besides, your grandfather is still living here. No son would enjoy a happy life in town, while leaving his elders to suffer in the countryside."

Little Shitou frowned and muttered, "But Younger Uncle lives in town. He eats good rice and flour every day, and he also often eats meat! Little Doudou's attires are no different than the noble young masters in town. They even have a maidservant attending to him. He can live in town, so why can't we?"

Little Shitou had been studying at Rongxuan Academy for less than a month, but his younger uncle, Yu Bo, had already went to the academy to visit him three times. Although Rongxuan Academy didn't prohibit visits by relatives and friends, if it happened too frequently, it may leave a bad impression on the teachers. Little Shitou has also tried to obscurely remind his younger uncle, but his younger uncle didn't seem to have heard it at all and completely disregarded his feelings.

On one occasion, he happened to meet the headmaster at the entrance of the academy. The headmaster stopped to talk to him cordially and was praising his second sister's culinary skills when his younger uncle came over. After he introduced him to the headmaster, as if he was 'burning the bridge after crossing it', his younger uncle didn't even look at him again and only cared about talking to the headmaster. The headmaster obviously didn't want to talk to Younger Uncle, but he just tactlessly continued to flatter him. It was so freaking embarrassing!

After the headmaster left, Younger Uncle invited him to his house for a meal that day for the first time. There wasn't any coarse grain in their kitchen at all, and was full of polished rice and wheat flour instead. There was a large piece of meat being cured inside a jar and chicken soup cooked in the pot. They were eating better food than the rich families in the neighboring villages!

Before they had split from the main family, their family didn't have enough food to eat and warm clothes to wear, yet they still had to save up money to support Younger Uncle's noblemen-like lifestyle in town. Little Shitou felt very sad when he thought about that. Even the chicken soup and stir-fried meat that he ate at noon seemed tasteless!

"Our family put all hopes on your younger uncle. Your grandmother is anticipating your younger uncle to pass the examination to become an official, and then get her a title of a ranked noble madam. Thus, she naturally wouldn't treat your younger uncle too badly!" Yu Hai gave a somewhat weak explanation.

Xiaolian pursed her lips and muttered in a low voice, "Younger Uncle relies completely on the family's support, yet he can still live in town. So why can't we buy a house in town when we make our own money?"

"…Actually, our Dongshan Village is close to the mountains and sea, and the villagers are simple and warmhearted. Everyone will help each other out when needed. Isn't that better than living in town and being unfamiliar with the people and surroundings?" Yu Hai was still a little reluctant to leave the village that he was born and raised in.

Yu Xiaocao had already arrived in this world for over half a year. She knew that people in ancient times had an extraordinary attachment to their homeland, so she didn't continue to insist. She thought about it and said, "Then let's built the house first. After we sell the vegetables in the backyard, let's buy a house and farmland in town!"

"Almighty Second Sister! Second Sister is like a nouveau riche!" Being influenced by Yu Xiaocao, Little Shitou would throw out a couple of strange terms from time to time. This was something that everyone was already used to.

As usual, all the money was kept and managed by Xiaocao. Yu Hai pretended to be dispirited and heavily sighed, "Ay… It seems like I might lose my position as the head of the household very soon. Someone is trying to seize power!"

Xiaolian giggled and said, "We can all rest assured since the money is being kept by Younger Sister! She is just an accountant at most. Father and Mother still makes the decisions in our family!"

"Really? Why do I feel like Cao'er makes the final decision more often?" Yu Hai feigned an aggrieved expression, making the entire family laugh. Yu Hai laughed so much that his ribs started to hurt, but he still couldn't stop.

Little Shitou joined in the fun and exclaimed, "We'll listen to whoever is right! Second Sister is our family's cash cow right now, so in terms of making money, we can't go wrong as long as we listen to Second Sister!"

Everyone burst out in laughter again and teased Little Shitou for being a little money-grubber…

Yu Xiaocao really liked the atmosphere at home. Her father didn't have the autocratic and dictatorial characteristics of a feudal parent at all. He would just be somewhat pedantic occasionally. Her mother was completely devoted to her children. Her gentle motherly love and tolerant feelings provided the children with enough freedom to mature. The genuine concern and friendly affections among the siblings let her gradually forget her previous life, and truly regard herself as a member of the family.

The following days were busy and fulfilling. Every night, they had to work overtime to make braised food and pickled fish to be sold the next day, which Xiaolian and Xiaocao took turns to sell at the docks. On the days that she didn't need to go to the docks, Xiaocao would plow the fields that had been harvested and plant new vegetables seeds.

The current temperature was more suitable for growing vegetables. With the addition of the little divine stone's strengthened powers, the mystic-stone water's ability to accelerate growth had enhanced. Hence, they could almost harvest a batch of vegetables every ten days. In other words, when other people's vegetables were still small seedlings, the Yu Family was already selling their second crop of vegetables.

Along with the new batch of crops, the vegetables with slightly longer growth periods, which were planted in the four mu of land in the backyard, were also ready to be sold at the market. String beans, cucumbers, eggplants, and hyacinth beans… The Yao Residence would almost come over daily to buy vegetables. Sure enough, the person responsible for purchasing the vegetables was Xiaosi, who was familiar with the Yu Family!

Last time, the Yao Family had gotten the limelight during Old Master Yao's birthday banquet. Most of the guests were rich landlords in and around town. Which household had the financial resources to grow vegetables in a greenhouse? In Tanggu Town, those who could eat green leafy vegetables could be counted with one hand.

At the Yao Family's birthday banquet, not only did they have a variety of vegetables, they also provided a sufficient quantity of the greens to ensure that the guest ate to their heart's content. Furthermore, the vegetables that had been watered by the mystic-stone water not only tasted better but also contained a light amount of spiritual energy, which made people want to eat more and more. After that, the Yao Family never stopped purchasing vegetables from them. Although there was spiritual energy in the vegetables, it might be apparent when eaten only once or twice. However, if people continued to eat them for a long period of time, they would gradually realize the benefits of eating these vegetables.

Old Master Yao was getting old now. He also went through a lot of hard work when he was young, and thus ended up with a lot of pain and illnesses. Ever since he began eating the vegetables bought from the Yu Family, not only did he become more energetic, his health was also getting better and better. In the past, there was a chilly sensation in his bones and joints during rainy and cloudy days. It had been raining continuously this spring, but his rheumatic pains didn't act up. Recently, many of his old pals said that he appeared much younger after seeing him!

As the temperature got warmer, there was an increase in vegetables being sold in the food market. The steward who was currently in charge of purchasing goods and necessities felt that it was unnecessary to travel so far to buy vegetables every day, so he instructed his subordinates to go buy the vegetables at the food market. But the members of Yao Family immediately noticed the difference of the vegetables after their first bite. They summoned the servant responsible for buying the vegetables and found out that it wasn't vegetables from the Yu Family.

The old master flew into a furious rage. Even though he didn't fire the purchasing steward for this incident, he assigned an assistant for him. The assistant turned out to be Xiaosi, who often traveled between Dongshan Village and town. The head of the Yao Family immediately ordered, "In the future, only buy vegetables from the Yu Family! It doesn't matter if it's more expensive because the Yao Family doesn't lack that kind of money. It's fine as long as the old master is happy!"

As a result, the Yao Family became Xiaocao's family's first regular client!

Their second regular client was none other than Zhenxiu Restaurant. In the absence of new crops, Zhenxiu Restaurant was still able to provide fresh greens. As a result, they had another increase in patrons. Right now, Zhenxiu Restaurant could be described as 'filled with guests every day, full house every day'! A lot of times, when people wanted to go eat at Zhenxiu Restaurant, they still needed to make an appointment or wait in line!

Of course, this wasn't all due to the Yu Family's vegetables, but also partly because Zhenxiu Restaurant introduced a new dish—roasted chicken!

Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chicken was absolutely delicious! Rongxuan Academy's Headmaster Yuan was a renowned gourmet. After tasting it, he commented, "The meat is tender and chewy, and comes right off the bone. With a brilliant color, the whole chicken is round and full. It has a perfectly savory and delicious taste. A unique taste with a lingering fragrance!" Not only did he finish an entire roasted chicken alone, he also packaged several back! His action caused his grandson, Yuan Yunxi, to feel extremely speechless.

Speaking of this roasted chicken, Head Chef Wang had wasted around twenty chickens as he tried to perfect the recipe. However, he was still unsuccessful after many attempts. With no other choice, Third Young Master Zhou personally took him to Dongshan Village to 'learn from the teacher'.

There were more than ten procedures when preparing a small roasted chicken. It needed to be slaughtered, scalded, massaged, washed, plucked, simmered, blanched, dried, fried, braised, and more. Each step needed to be carried out in strict accordance with the cooking instructions. The ingredients for the roasted chicken also needed to be meticulously prepared. In addition, it was also very important to have an accurate grasp of the duration and degree of heat when cooking the roasted chicken. Therefore, Yu Xiaocao had to personally demonstrate three times before Head Chef Wang finally mastered the skill.

As soon as the roasted chicken was introduced, it quickly created a new trend. 'If you haven't eaten Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chicken, then you're too behind on the trend!' Anyone, who had a bit of money and status, would be too embarrassed to go outside if they hadn't tried this delicacy from Zhenxiu Restaurant because they were afraid of being asked! The greetings from friends and neighbors become, "Have you tried Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chicken? It tasted…"

Oftentimes, except for the ones reserved for the private rooms, Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chickens would be immediately sold out right after they were taken out of the pot. It had actually reached the point when the demand exceeded the supply. The reservations for the roasted chickens had already reached next month! For a period of time, it created a situation in which it was difficult to even get a chicken!

As a result, Zhenxiu Restaurant's private room had also become very popular. This was because only the customers dining in the private rooms wouldn't have to line up to eat the authentic roasted chicken. With that said, was it even possible for Zhenxiu Restaurant's business not to be flourishing?

Chapter 128 – The Reason for Her Visit

The popularity of the roasted chicken also led to the increase of people raising chickens in the villages around Tanggu Town. An example would be Xiaocao's family's neighbor, the Zhou Family, who had raised one to two hundred chickens in their home. They didn't sell very well during the New Year, and thus caused Madam Fang to be so worried that she didn't even eat or sleep well.

No one would have expected that after Zhenxiu Restaurant came out with the hot-selling dish, roasted chicken, it would also cause the demand for chickens to increase day by day. The price of chickens was also nearly 1/3 higher than usual. As a result, Madam Fang didn't have to worry about not being able to sell her family's chickens at all. They had over a hundred chicks hatched at the beginning of spring, and they were still going around to buy more chicks. She had heard from Shanhu that their family was planning on raising four to five hundred chickens this year, which would all be supplied to Zhenxiu Restaurant!

As for the connection between the Zhou Family and Zhenxiu Restaurant, it was all thanks to the Yu Family! Like the Yao Family, Zhenxiu Restaurant also sent a carriage to transport the vegetables that they bought from the Yu Family every day. Zhenxiu Restaurant would purchase a large quantity of vegetables and the Yu Family was too busy, so Madam Fang would bring her two daughters over to help out.

Zhenxiu Restaurant's purchasing staff, Qian Xiaoduo, mentioned that the restaurant's roasted chicken was selling very well. The other staff, who was responsible for buying the chickens, had been running around all the surrounding villages so much that his legs had slimmed down.

Yu Xiaocao took this opportunity and mentioned the Zhou Family, "Auntie Zhou's family raises hundreds of chickens! Older Brother Xiaoduo, when you come to buy vegetables in the future, you can also get the chickens and bring them back with you!"

Did it really matter where they bought the chickens from? With the current hot demand for Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chicken, one or two hundreds of chickens could be sold in just a few days! Qian Xiaoduo was certainly willing to do this favor for Xiaocao and immediately agreed. The next day, he brought some people over to bring back most of the Zhou Family's chickens!

The Yu Family's other neighbor, Madam Mao, was green with envy. It was unknown how she found out that Xiaocao was the one who came up with the recipe for Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chicken, but one evening, she came to their house with two plump ducks and a basket of duck eggs.

"Oh! Brother Dahai, you know how to make this too?!" As soon as Madam Mao entered the courtyard, she saw Yu Hai weaving a bamboo basket under the faint light of a lantern.

Yu Hai skillfully braided the bamboo strips together in a crisscross pattern. He looked up upon hearing the sound and saw Madam Mao. He stopped what he was doing and greeted her with a smile, "Oh, it's Older Sister-in-law Qian. Quickly come inside and sit down. Muyun, Older Sister-in-law Qian is here…"

"Brother Dahai, is Xiaocao home?" Madam Mao looked into the main room and only saw Madam Liu, who came out after putting down the clothes she was sewing, and thus she asked.

Yu Hai nodded and said, "Yes! She's in the east room. Older Sister-in-law Qian, do you need Xiaocao for something? I'll go get her for you."

"No need, no need! I'll go find her in the east room… Our family raised these two ducks ourselves. Here, take them to eat." Madam Mao looked around, and then simply took the ducks and duck eggs into the Yu Family's kitchen.

Yu Hai raised his eyebrows in surprise, 'This Madam Mao has always been someone who would haggle over every penny, and no one should even think about getting a single penny out of her hands. But of course, she also rarely took advantage of others. Although she spoke rudely at times, she wasn't someone difficult to get along with. Why was she suddenly so generous today, to send gifts to my family?'

Madam Liu quickly went forward and declined, "Older Sister-in-law Qian, it's not easy for you to raise these ducks at home. We can't accept them!"

"Our family's ducks don't cost much money. You see, when your family moved in, our family was busy and didn't come over for the housewarming. We live close by and close neighbors are better than distant relatives. So, we'll be interacting and helping each other more in the future. Moreover, your family's Shitou and our family's Qian Wen goes to the same school. They're as close as brothers. So, what's wrong with giving a few ducks to the children to eat?" Sure enough, Madam Mao was an excellent speaker, who spoke without even pausing as if she was pouring beans.

Madam Liu picked up the ducks that Madam Mao put down, and then stuffed it back into her hands as she said, "Older Sister-in-law! Your family isn't well-off either. You should keep these ducks and duck eggs to sell!"

With the mention of selling ducks, Madam Mao's face was covered with a cloud of sorrows. She sighed heavily and said, "I'll speak honestly with Younger Sister-in-law. The heavy snowstorm at the beginning of winter has also negatively affected the sales of our ducks. Raising ducks for nearly a year, not only cost efforts, but it also requires a lot of food. If we can't sell them, we will be losing a lot of money and time. We still owe half a year of Wen'er's tuition… Also, these duck eggs, the townsfolk think that the eggs taste fishy and don't like to eat them. So I can only helplessly watch as they go bad."

Every family had their own problems. Madam Liu listened with deep sympathy, but she could only console Madam Mao with feeble words.

"Younger Sister-in-law, I heard that Zhenxiu Restaurant got the recipe for the roasted chicken from your family. The head chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant had personally come to your house to learn it. Furthermore, you guys were the ones who recommended Zhou Family's chickens to Zhenxiu Restaurant. Is that true?" Madam Mao stared fixedly at Madam Liu, full of anticipation.

Madam Liu glanced hesitantly at her husband. She didn't know what Madam Mao, who wouldn't do anything without benefits, meant by asking this question.

Yu Hai walked over slowly and lowered his voice to say, "I won't hide it from Older Sister-in-law! The recipe for the roasted chicken really did come from our family's Cao'er. But no matter how you found out this news, please don't spread it out to others."

With an expression that showed she understood, Madam Mao also spoke with a lowered voice, "Brother Dahai, rest assured. I, this Older Sister-in-law, isn't a blabbermouth! But there's something I don't quite understand. With such a good recipe, why didn't you guys set up your own roasted chicken business, but instead benefitted Zhenxiu Restaurant?"

Yu Hai thought about it and said, "We have been doing business with Zhenxiu Restaurant for some time now. Zhenxiu Restaurant's Third Young Master Zhou usually takes good of us. As for the roasted chicken business, we are short on manpower and also afraid of bringing trouble to our family. Thus, it's better to sell the recipe!"

The Yu Family were only ordinary people, who had no power or status. Based on the current popularity and excessive demand for the roasted chicken, had it been the Yu Family selling the dish, it would had definitely attracted devious people who would want to obtain their recipe. At that time, not only would they not be able to keep the recipe, their entire family might be ruined if they encountered someone ruthless.

Madam Mao had also straightened out her thoughts. She nodded thoughtfully, but a moment later, she couldn't resist asking, "Did you guys sell the recipe to Zhenxiu Restaurant for a good price? Don't be deceived by others!"

Of course, Yu Hai wouldn't be so foolish as to reveal his family's financial situation to others. He answered vaguely, "The young boss of Zhenxiu Restaurant is an honest person, so he offered us a reasonable price…"

Madam Mao also realized that it was inappropriate to ask him this question, so she hastily apologized, "Just look at this mouth of mine. Why am I being so nosy? Oh right, Xiaocao isn't asleep yet, is she? I need her help with something."

"Nope! Shitou came home for break, so the siblings are learning how to read from him!" His youngest daughter said that if their business got bigger in the future, they would need to replenish their stocks, do bookkeeping, and sign contracts. So, it was absolutely out of the question for them to not be able to read and write. Everyone in the family, including him and his wife, had to learn how to read and write.

As Madam Mao followed Yu Hai and his wife and headed to the east room, she said, "Your children really love learning. Our family's Qian Wu would throw a tantrum whenever we tell him to study. I understand now that he's not suitable for studying. In the future, he won't even be able to enter an ordinary school in town, let alone Rongxuan Academy!"

"Wuzi is still young, so he hasn't matured yet! It will be better later!" Madam Liu pushed open the door of the east room as she comforted her. The children were currently using water to write on the table with their hands under the light of the oil lamp.

Madam Liu chided them upon seeing this, "Didn't we buy paper and brushes for you guys to practice writing with? Why aren't you using them?"

Xiaolian lifted her head and smiled at her, "Don't we have to use money to buy the paper and brushes? We want to wait until we're better at writing before practicing on paper! Mother, when you gave birth to Xiaocao, were you biased and gave all the good qualities to her? She was born to hurt our ego!"

"What's wrong? Cao'er, did you bully your older sister?" With a bright smile on her face, Madam Liu glared at Xiaocao and asked.

Yu Xiaocao pouted and had an aggrieved expression on her face, "I didn't! Mother, you're falsely accusing me!"

Yu Hang was able to sit up now. He was holding a book and working hard to read the characters on it. Seeing this scene, he smiled and said, "Mother, Xiaolian is blaming you for giving birth to such a smart younger sister, who simply remembers everything with one look. It makes us seem really stupid in comparison."

"Is it my fault that I'm smart?" Yu Xiaocao felt that she was being excluded. She blinked her big eyes and stared at her mother pitifully, requesting for comfort.

"Younger Sister-in-law, your children have such a good relationship! Unlike my three children. The eldest is slightly better since he has matured after going to school. But Wuzi and his younger sister fight every day. It seriously gives me a headache!" Madam Mao wanted to ask them for a favor, so she was very generous with her compliments. She was desperately giving out praises as if they were freebies.

"Hello, Auntie!"

"Why did Auntie come over?"

"Auntie, quickly come sit on the kang bed."

The kids all greeted her at the same time.

"You don't have to get up. Xiaosha, it seems like your injury has gotten a lot better. Auntie brought over two ducks and a basket of duck eggs. They're good for nourishing your body." Madam Mao was quite skilled in conducting herself.

With a warm smile on his face, Yu Hang replied in a well-behaved manner, "Thank you Auntie! I have troubled you."

Yu Hai turned to tell Xiaocao, "Cao'er, your Auntie Qian is looking for you…"

"Auntie, what's the matter?" Yu Xiaocao was somewhat puzzled. Did the sun rise from the west today? Madam Mao had actually sent their family a present. Moreover, it wasn't just some small gift. It was two ducks and a basket of duck eggs. She had really gone all out. So it turned out that 'no one ever visits a temple without a reason' ah!

Madam Mao looked at the other people in the room and seemed a little embarrassed to speak. Xiaocao considerately got off the kang bed and took her to the courtyard. She whispered, "Auntie, if there's something I can help you, you can tell me directly!"

Madam Mao told her about the poor sales of her ducks and how they didn't have enough money to pay for her eldest son's tuition after the New Year. After that, she stammered, "Look, can you come up with a good dish that uses duck as the main ingredient?! If not… using duck eggs would be fine too! It's best… it's best if it's a dish that Zhenxiu Restaurant will be interested in…"

In the darkness, Madam Mao's face was burning hot. She really didn't ask for favors very often, especially when the other party was a child who hadn't even reached the age of ten.

Immediately, a series of dishes, such as salted duck, osmanthus duck, pipa duck, duck seasoned with soy sauce, and roasted duck, emerged with Yu Xiaocao's mind. It was easy to handle duck eggs too. They could be used to make delicacies like century eggs, tofu with century eggs, and congee with lean pork and century eggs.

But she didn't immediately agree to her request. She only promised to try it out and made it clear that it may not necessarily succeed.

Chapter 129 – Not Poisonous

Madam Mao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you very much! Even the famous chef of Zhenxiu Restaurant praised you for your great talent in cooking. So you will definitely be able to make a delicious duck dish. You can experiment with these two ducks first. If it's not enough, Auntie can bring more over. Xiaocao, I'll leave this matter in your hands then!"

"Auntie, with our families' relationship, there's no need to be so courteous. But, let's make things clear first. If it's successful, the recipe belongs to me. As for the sales of your family's ducks, I can help recommend them to Qian Xiaoduo." Yu Xiaocao made things clear beforehand.

Madam Mao wasn't someone unreasonable, so she repeatedly nodded her head, "Yes, of course! It should be so! Auntie is already very grateful that you're willing to help me sell my family's ducks. Would I still be considered a human, if I were to covet the recipe that you came up with?"

After sending away Madam Mao, who was expressing her gratitude over and over again, Yu Xiaocao entered the house. When faced with a room full of 'interrogating' eyes, she honestly gave a brief explanation of the purpose of Madam Mao's visit.

After hearing that, Madam Liu sighed and said, "As fellow villagers, even if they didn't bring gifts over, we would also help them out if they had encountered difficulties. But, Cao'er, can you really come up with a dish that uses duck as the main ingredient?"

Yu Hai stopped her and said, "Muyun, don't give the child pressure! Our Cao'er isn't a short-sighted person. If she didn't have any ideas at all, she wouldn't have easily accepted those ducks and duck eggs!"

Xiaolian laughed and said, "Youngest Sister, have a good sleep tonight. Perhaps someone will teach you how to prepare the ducks and duck eggs in your dreams!"

The whole family laughed and chatted together, and from time to time, a burst of cheerful and sweet laughter could be heard.

In the end, the head of the family, Yu Hai, ordered, "Everyone, quickly go to bed! Spring plowing will begin tomorrow. Xiaocao, take Little Gray when you go to the wharf tomorrow morning. Your mother, Xiaolian, and I will go plow the three plots of sandy land!

"Father, are we still planting sweet potatoes in the fields?" Yu Xiaocao asked casually.

Yu Hai stroked her soft hair and replied in a gentle voice, "What else would we plant other than sweet potatoes? Other crops can't produce much on sandy soil!"

Yu Xiaocao abruptly asked, "Sandy soil is the best place to grow watermelons. Father, can we somehow get some watermelon seeds?"

"Watermelon? Never heard of it. How about… tomorrow I'll go to the grain store in town and ask?" Yu Hai trusted his daughter unconditionally. Even if it was something he had never heard of before, he would still do his best to help his daughter achieve what she wanted.

Yu Xiaocao didn't hold much hope. Watermelon wasn't a grain, so why would the grain store have the seeds?

The rest of the night quietly passed by. The next day, when the first light of the day shone on the seedlings in the garden, all the members of the Yu Family had already gotten up. Yu Xiaocao wanted to wait for Qian Xiaoduo, and then ask him to send a message to Third Young Master Zhou. So, it was still Xiaolian who went to the docks. Third Young Master Zhou was someone who had even been to the capital so he must be experienced and knowledgeable, and thus he should know what a watermelon was. It would be even better if he could help her buy some watermelon seeds.

Yu Hai thought that it wasn't a good idea for no one to be home since there would be people coming to buy vegetables later, so he left his youngest daughter at home. (Yu Hang: Am I not a person?)

Shortly afterwards, Madam Fang came over with her two daughters. She entered the gates and asked, "Are you guys still harvesting the crops in the backyard today?"

"Auntie Zhou, I feel so apologetic to see you coming over to help every day!" Yu Xiaocao expressed her gratitude in a very polite manner.

"Xiaocao, you're being too courteous! It's only right for neighbors to help each other out. If it hadn't been for you, we wouldn't have been able to sell our family's chickens. There are only a few hens and chicks at home now, so we don't have much work to do. Since we're so free, we might as well come over to see if there's anything we can help out with!" Madam Fang was a very close friend of Madam Liu. So Xiaocao didn't know what to say anymore when she spoke in the manner of 'no need to treat one family as two'.

Zhou Linglong smiled quietly, picked up the bamboo basket in the yard, and went to the rear courtyard. The younger sister, Zhou Shanhu, joked, "Xiaocao, if you feel bad about it, you just need to send us a bowl whenever you make delicious food in the future!"

The little lass still remembered the delicious taste of the 'tofu and chicken blood soup' that she ate last time. She felt that even her mother's best dish, stewed meat, wasn't as good as that dish, which was made of simple and crude ingredients. She was also a lurking little glutton.

Just as they were speaking, Madam Mao also came. Her bright and clear voice could be heard even before she had entered the courtyard, "I'm not late, am I? Are you guys about to begin gathering the vegetables?"

"Madam Mao? Why are you here?" Madam Fang asked curiously. Madam Mao had never taken the initiative to help others. Was the sun rising from the west?

Madam Mao rolled her eyes at her and said, "What? You're allowed to come help, but I'm not? We're all neighbors, so why can't I come over to help?"

Madam Fang knew her speaking style, so she continued to speak in a gentle manner, "I didn't mean it that way. You have a lot of things to take care of at home, so Muyun wouldn't mind even if you don't come over."

"Alright, alright! Hurry up and work!" Madam Mao readily picked up a bamboo basket and followed the Zhou sisters to the backyard.

Seeing the satisfying-looking vegetables, Madam Mao couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiaocao, your family really knows how to grow vegetables. Just look at those greens, how gratifying! Our family planted our fields around the same time as yours, and also used straw thatches to keep the crops warm, but it still doesn't look as good as your family's! Last time it was cold during late spring, we didn't manage to cover the fields with straw thatches, so a lot of the crops quickly froze to death. Many of the vegetables still haven't gotten better yet."

"I know, right?! Our family's vegetables also don't look as good as Muyun's family's! Muyun has always been good at tending the fields even before she got married!" Madam Fang agreed with her as she continued to pluck cucumbers from their vines. The fresh and juicy cucumbers exuded an attractive scent that made them seem refreshing with just a look.

Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly, squatted down, and then placed the eggplants she plucked into the basket. The air was good at the foot of the mountain, and the eggplants were clean and fresh. There was no need to wash them with water at all.

Zhou Shanhu picked a tomato that had ripened early, and wondered, "What is this? A persimmon? But don't persimmons grow on trees?"

Yu Xiaocao explained to her in a soft voice, "It looks like a persimmon, but it's not. It's called 'tomato' and was exported here from a foreign land. It's also called wolf peach. Try it. It's sweet and sour, and rather tasty!"

She originally thought that tomatoes had not been introduced into China at this time, and had just nonchalantly mentioned it to Third Young Master Zhou. But she hadn't expected that Third Young Master would actually get the seeds for her. As a result of planting them a little too late, only a few ripe tomatoes could be found from time to time.

"Wolf peach? So this is what a wolf peach looks like!" Zhou Shanhu's father and older brother were street vendors, so they were naturally more knowledgeable than the ordinary folks.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Linglong snatched the tomato from her younger sister's hands and said to Xiaocao, "My father said that wolf peach is poisonous, and rich families only admire it as an ornament. Why is your family growing this?"

Yu Xiaocao found another ripe tomato, wiped it with her sleeves, and then disregarded the Zhou's sisters' hindrance and took a big bite. The sweet juice immediately filled her mouth. Tomatoes watered by the mystic-stone water tasted even better than the ones she ate in her past life. They could be just be eaten as fruits.

"It's fine!" When faced with the Zhou sisters' terrified gazes, Xiaocao smiled and revealed her spotlessly white and neat teeth. She said, "Zhenxiu Restaurant's Third Young Master Zhou said that ripe tomatoes aren't poisonous. Moreover, Zhenxiu Restaurant also uses tomatoes in their dishes!"

She used Third Young Master Zhou to increase the credibility of her words. She didn't know whether the people of this time period had discovered the edibility of tomatoes or not. However, it would definitely be confirmed in the future.

"Is it really edible?" After hearing Xiaocao's words, Zhou Shanhu had already believed her for the most part. Seeing that Xiaocao was still fine after eating an entire wolf peach, the Zhou sisters finally believed that wolf peaches were edible.

After eating the sweet tomato, Yu Xiaocao was full of strength and continued to bend down to pick eggplants. When she lifted her head, she saw that the Zhou sisters' were still studying the tomato. So she said, "Tomatoes are really delicious. You guys will know after tasting it."

"No need. We're just wondering why there would be a rumor that such a beautiful tomato is poisonous. It's really strange! You guys still need to sell these tomatoes!" Zhou Shanhu had a slightly more lively personality, but she wasn't a greedy person.

Yu Xiaocao straightened her waist and walked around the tomato field. She found several tomatoes that had ripened early and stuffed one into each of their hands, and then gave one to Madam Fang and Madam Mao respectively. She said, "There's only a few, so we can't really sell them anyways! Come on, try it! Let me know what price we should sell them for."

After declining several times, they decided not to be so courteous anymore when they heard what she said. Zhou Shanhu eagerly stuffed the tomato into her mouth and took a big bite. The red juice flowed down the corner of her mouth, so she hastily licked it back and said, "So sweet! It's really tasty! It's even better than a lot of the fruits that I have eaten! Xiaocao, I think you can just sell these tomatoes as fruits!"

Zhou Linglong acted in much more reserved manner. She copied how Xiaocao ate it earlier by taking a small bite first, and then she softly sucked it. The tomato juice inside was sweet and sour, and it tasted very good. She nodded her head in agreement with her younger sister's words. Madam Mao and Madam Fang were also full of praises.

"Xiaocao, it seems like someone is knocking on your family's gates!" Zhou Shanhu had finished eating her tomato and was now enviously staring at her older sister, as if she was 'Zhu Bajie [1] eating a ginseng fruit'. She had good ears, and heard a knocking sound coming from the front gates.

After experiencing Madam Zhang and her daughter-in-law's disturbance last time, the Yu Family would lock all the doors when there was no one in the front yard.

Yu Xiaocao quickly ran to the front yard, while still holding onto two tomatoes. As soon as she got out of the backyard, she saw her older brother holding onto the door and walking out carefully. He was obviously trying to walk outside.

"Older Brother! Stop causing trouble! It takes a hundred days to fully recover from serious injuries. The doctor said you will need to rest for at least three months before you can get out of bed. Quickly lie down on the recliner. I'll open the door!" Yu Xiaocao stuffed the tomatoes into her older brother's hands and helped him lie down on the recliner.

Yu Hang sighed helplessly, "I feel that my ribs are almost healed. I don't feel much pain as long as I don't make vigorous movements… ow!"

"It hurts, right? Pain means that the bones haven't recovered yet! Be obedient and rest!" Yu Xiaocao lightly pushed his chest. She glared at him when she saw him reveal a painful expression.

Yu Hang looked at the back view of Xiaocao, who went to open the door, and muttered, "Little steward! Can't believe you would actually do that…"

[1] Zhu Bajie (猪八戒) – one of the main characters in Journey to the West, who has pig-like characteristics

Chapter 130 – Visitors

"Eldest Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Uncle, Eldest Maternal Aunt! Third Uncle? Why are you guys here?" Yu Xiaocao unlocked the latch, opened the door, and saw several people standing in front of the door. She couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

Xiaocao's third uncle, Yu Jiang, looked inside the courtyard and smiled, "I heard from Second Brother that you're alone at home picking vegetables today. There must be a lot of work, right? Your eldest granduncle told me to come over to help you."

"I can manage. Auntie Zhou and two older sisters came over to help. There's also Auntie Qian!" Xiaocao quickly guided them into the yard.

Eldest Maternal Uncle Liu Pei's hair was dripping wet from either the morning dew, or the sweat from hastily running over. With a smile on his simple and honest face, he loudly asked, "Xiaocao, did your father go to the fields? Let's quickly go over to help them then!"

Seeing that they didn't need his help at home, Yu Jiang turned to Xiaocao's two maternal uncles and said, "Do the two older brothers know the way to the fields? I came over to help too. Since there's not much to help out with at home, I'll go help turn up the soil! Come, I'll take you guys over!"

Xiaocao finally understood the reason for her uncles' visit. She was moved by their intention and said, "Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, you guys have much more land to work on at home. Everyone is busy with spring plowing right now. If you guys came over here, would Grandfather and the rest of the family be able to handle all the work?"

Eldest Maternal Aunt caressed Xiaocao's fair, delicate face and wiped off the dirt on her chin. She smiled and said, "Your maternal grandfather is worried about your family's spring plowing work. He said that your father's leg isn't very nimble and Xiaosha is injured. So, since your family has less land, we should help plow and sow your family's fields first!"

Yu Jiang also smiled and said, "Our family also thought that way. Many hands make light work! With us here to help, it would take less than half a day to plow your family's three plots of land."

"Oh! Why is it so lively today?" Qian Xiaoduo drove the carriage and trotted over. From afar, he had seen a number of people standing in front of the Yu Family's old residence. He was afraid that something had happened, so he accelerated the speed of the horse carriage and rushed over quickly.

"Older Brother Xiaoduo, you came pretty early today. We haven't even finished gathering the vegetables. You can sit in the yard, take a sip of water, and rest for a bit." Yu Xiaocao had noticed that he usually came with the Yao Family's Xiaosi, so she looked behind him. Sure enough, the Yao Family's horse carriage was coming over."

Qian Xiaoduo laughed bitterly and said, "Miss Yu, our young boss treats you as his younger sister. So how can this lowly one let you call me 'older brother'? Please just call me Xiaoduo!"

"You are you and he is he! Our relationships don't interfere with one another!" Yu Xiaocao smiled sincerely.

Liu Pei looked at the sky, and then told him wife, "You don't have to go to the fields. Stay here to help gather the vegetables and with the cooking. Xiaocao, we'll go to the fields first."

"Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, you guys have rushed over from so far away. Have a drink of water and rest for a bit!" Her maternal grandmother's family lived in Xishan Village. When coming over, they needed to travel across a big mountain. Seeing that her uncles' trouser legs were wet from the morning dew, she knew that they had set out before dawn.

"No need! We'll go plow the fields first!" Second Maternal Uncle Liu Han had a more quiet temperament and didn't talk much.

Seeing that she couldn't get them to stay, Xiaocao got water bags from the kitchen and filled them with diluted mystic-stone water. Then, she had her uncles take the water bags with them. Not only would drinking the mystic-stone water quench their thirst, but it could also eliminate fatigue.

Under Yu Jiang's lead, her maternal uncles set out to the fields. Xiaosi's carriage has also arrived at the entrance and began unloading the bamboo baskets. The bamboo baskets used to pack the vegetables were all made by Yu Hai. They needed a large quantity of baskets every day, so when he was free at night, he would chop some bamboo and weave baskets.

"Miss Xiaocao! Starting today, we need double the amount of vegetables. Our old master's friend had a meal at our estate and said that our vegetables tasted better than the ones that they bought! The two families live close by, so they wanted me to help them buy some vegetables."

The vegetables that the Yao Estate bought were mostly for the master and stewards to eat. They didn't need a lot every day, so half a carriage was enough. Thus, he was still able to transport the vegetables even after doubling the amount needed.

Qian Xiaoduo drank all the water that Xiaocao gave him in one breath. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and smiled, "Mountain spring water is surely different. There a sweet taste to it. My whole body is full of strength after drinking it. Xiaosi, drink quickly and start working!"

Every time Qian Xiaoduo came, he would drink a bowl of the Yu Family's water. Although it was just plain water, it was more refreshing than the best tea.

Xiaosi also swiftly finished drinking his bowl of water. He waved his arm and laughed, "Go! Let's go gather vegetables!" These two would help with some work every time they came, as if it was their own home.

With the addition of three labor forces, the vegetable picking speed was naturally much faster. A few moments later, the empty baskets were filled with fresh and juicy greens.

Xiaocao washed a few cucumbers and gave one to each person, "They're homegrown, so don't act so courteous. Try and see how it tastes!"

Madam Fang refused and shook her head repeatedly, "Your family's vegetables aren't sold at a cheap price. These cucumbers probably weigh a few catties, which can be sold for several hundred copper coins. Don't waste them. Quickly put them in the basket!"

The little glutton Zhou Shanhu had already opened her mouth wide, and just hadn't put the cucumber into her own mouth yet. She pouted her lips when she heard her mother's words, but she conscientiously put the cucumber into the bamboo basket.

Xiaocao quickly stuffed the cucumber back into her hands and said, "You guys have been helping for nearly two hours. What's the big deal with eating a cucumber? Do you think that our family are misers?"

"This child!" Eldest Aunt Madam Han glared at her, and then smiled at the people who had helped out, "Although the child's words sound rude, she is honest and sincere. So just eat! Just eat!"

Seeing that they were still hesitating to eat, Yu Xiaocao broke the cucumbers one by one and showed it to them. She smiled and said, "They're broken, so they can't be sold!"

"This kid!" Madam Fang didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. She picked up the broken cucumber and took a bite. The crisp and juicy mouthfeel, and the light and sweet taste, immediately conquered her taste buds.

"Wow! Xiaocao, even your family's cucumbers taste better than others!" Zhou Shanhu exclaimed as she ate.

Of course! Cucumbers watered with the mystic-stone water were not only big but also delicious. Xiaocao naturally couldn't directly tell them these things, so she just smiled and said, "You just think it's delicious because it's the first time you're eating cucumbers in half a year. Later, when your family's cucumbers are ripened and you eat too much of them, you won't think it's tasty anymore."

Qian Xiaoduo gnawed on the cucumber in big mouthfuls and grinned, "This cucumber is really good! Miss Xiaocao, what kind of fertilizers do your family use on the fields? The crops grow so well and fast. Yesterday, the cucumbers weren't even ready to be harvested, but we gathered two baskets today!"

"Eh… the weather has warmed up now, so it's natural that the vegetables grew slightly faster." Xiaocao made a random excuse. Fortunately, Qian Xiaoduo's family weren't farmers and he had just casually asked without the intention to dig deeper into the topic.

After the vegetables were weighed and the money was paid, Qian Xiaoduo and Xiaosi hurried back. Zhenxiu Restaurant was still waiting for the vegetables since they needed to use them to serve customers.

Madam Mao and Madam Fang had already left while they were weighing the vegetables. Her eldest maternal aunt, Madam Han, was stunned as she looked at the fifty taels in Yu Xiaocao's hands and spoke incessantly, "I didn't expect vegetables in this season to be so expensive! A catty of cucumbers cost thirty copper coins? Isn't that almost the same price as pork?"

Yu Xiaocao smiled at her, gave her a red tomato, and said, "At this time, crops like cucumbers and string beans haven't ripened yet! The rich people in town want to eat fresh greens and they don't lack the money to buy them! A plate of smashed cucumber salad at Zhenxiu Restaurant costs one tael! This price is considered rather trivial for them!"

A plate of smashed cucumber salad could be made with just one of Xiaocao's family's cucumbers, so Zhenxiu Restaurant's expense was no more than a few dozen copper coins. A plate of cucumber could earn them hundredfold in return. Tsk tsk, who else would be able to do this!

Madam Han noticed that it was still quite early and wanted to go help out in the fields. Xiaocao hastily stopped her and said, "Our family doesn't have much land, so my parents and uncles are enough for the job. Eldest Aunt should sit down for a rest and eat a tomato. Help me clean the ducks later."

"Tomato? I thought it was a persimmon! I was just wondering where you got this persimmon from during this time of the year." Madam Han curiously examined the red tomato in her hands.

"This is a tomato. We eat it less at this little place of ours. It is said that people in the capital and some of the bigger cities in the south eat it more often. Tomatoes can be prepared as a cold dish with just some sugar. It can also be stir-fried with eggs, stew soup…" Yu Xiaocao motioned her eldest maternal aunt to try it.

Madam Han noticed that not many tomatoes were harvested, only four or five. So she smiled and said, "I'm not eating it. Let's cook it later so everyone can eat it together!"

Xiaocao wanted to say something else, but Madam Han had already stood up and walked to the entrance of the kitchen. She picked up the ducks, which had their legs tied up, and was about to walk to the well.

"Wait a moment, Eldest Maternal Aunt! I'll go get a large basin to hold the duck blood!" Speaking of duck blood, Xiaocao couldn't help but think of delicious food such as 'duck blood stewed with tofu' and 'duck blood soup with vermicelli'.

Madam Han thought about it and smiled, "It turns out that not only chicken blood, but you can also make delicious food with duck blood ah! So duck giblets can also be eaten then!"

Xiaocao nodded her head and said, "Later, I'll braise the duck gizzard, duck liver, and duck intestines. We will have another dish for lunch! It's too bad we don't have vermicelli for the duck blood. Let's just make duck blood stewed with tofu then!"

Madam Han skillfully slit the duck's neck and dripped the blood into the basin. She asked, "Vermicelli? What's that? Is it tasty?"

"Eldest Aunt hasn't heard of vermicelli before?" Could it be that vermicelli didn't exist during this era? When did vermicelli appear in history? Xiaocao, who hadn't graduated from middle school, couldn't help but be somewhat confused.

Madam Han shook her head, threw the dead duck on the ground, and picked up the other duck. She asked, "I've never heard of vermicelli. Is it delicious when stewed with duck blood?"

"Vermicelli can be made with sweet potato flour or mung bean flour. It has a smooth, slippery texture and is very chewy!" Xiaocao's eyes lit up as a new money-making method brewed within her mind.

After boiling the water and scalding the ducks, there was also the great task of plucking the duck feathers. Xiaocao was responsible for cleaning the duck giblets, as well as braising the offals.

She prepared to make salted ducks with the two ducks. But, due to time constraints, the curing period for one of the ducks had to be slightly shortened. With her culinary skills, it shouldn't affect the taste too much.

Chapter 131 – Breakfast

First, Xiaocao stir-fried salt, pepper, and anise star. Next, she drained the water and cured the ducks with the stir-fried salt for two hours. During this time, she also heated up the braising sauce, and then marinated the ducks with the old braising sauce for another two hours. The last steps were to cook them and wait for them to cool down. If there was enough time, the time for curing and marinating in old braising sauce should be doubled!

Just as Yu Xiaocao, with the help of her eldest maternal aunt, was busily making the preparations, her eldest granduncle's little eight year old grandson ran through the door panting and shouted, "Xiaocao! Second Uncle said your maternal uncles didn't eat breakfast yet, so just make something simple to fill their stomachs first. They can have a more sumptuous meal in the evening!"

"Yu Zhou, how dare you call me 'Xiaocao'? You should call me 'older sister', understand?" Xiaocao knocked on the kid's forehead. Yu Zhou was the son of her oldest uncle from her eldest granduncle's family. He had a strong and honest appearance, and looked rather cute.

Yu Zhou made a silly face at her and said reluctantly, "Aren't you just a little over two months older than me? Look, you're not even as tall as me. It's so humiliating to call you 'older sister'!"

"Even if I'm older than you by a day, you will still have to call me 'older sister'! Are you going to say it or not? If you don't, I'll go tell Eldest Granduncle!" Yu Xiaocao teased him on purpose.

With a bitter expression on his little face, the little fellow glared at Xiaocao and shouted, "Tattletale!"

Xiaocao estimated that the duck liver and intestine being braised in the pot should be about ready, so she went into the kitchen and cut out a piece. As if she was teasing a little puppy, she grinned and said, "Come on, call 'older sister'. If you call me 'older sister', you can eat this piece of duck liver ah!"

As soon as Yu Zhou entered the door, he had smelled the scent of braised meat. He inhaled deeply and couldn't shift his eyes away from the piece of duck liver. He was about to drool as he asked, "Really? If I call you 'older sister', this piece of braised meat will be mine?"

Yu Xiaocao was inwardly laughing her head off. She had thought that this kid would have a strong backbone, but it seemed like he was also a little glutton. But, she couldn't really blame him. It was already very fortunate that the villagers usually had enough to eat. There really weren't many people who could eat meat dishes when it wasn't some special holiday. It was no wonder that Yu Zhou longed for meat!

"Of course! When did this Older Sister ever go back on my words?" Yu Xiaocao stopped teasing him and looked at him sincerely.

Yu Zhou had long heard of his second uncle's family's braised food. He also often followed his father to the docks, so he had firsthand experience of the popularity of the one copper coin braised dish. In fact, one copper coin wasn't very expensive, but his father was afraid that Xiaocao and her sister would refuse to accept their money. Thus, they had never bought it before.

He had pestered his father many times, but he had never succeeded. Usually, his father would strictly restrict him and his older brother from visiting Second Uncle's house because he was afraid that they would arrive while his second uncle's family was braising food. As a result, he wanted to have a taste of the braised food even in his dreams!

The little fellow was usually a child with a strong backbone, but his heart was slightly wavering in front of delicious food: 'Wasn't it just calling her older sister? Xiaocao is originally older than me, so there's nothing shameful about that.'

With that thought in mind, he blurted out, "Older Sister, Older Sister Xiaocao! This… Is this your family's one copper coin braised food? My father said your family doesn't have it easy, so it's best to save this to sell at the docks!"

Xiaocao saw that he kept swallowing his saliva and his eyes were reluctant to leave the duck liver in her hands, yet he still tried to resist his desire for tasty food. She sighed with emotion inwardly: 'The kids in Eldest Granduncle's family are quite sensible ah!'

"This duck liver was made for us to eat ourselves. Here, taste it for me! How is it?" Yu Xiaocao took a step forward and wanted to stuff the small piece of duck liver into his mouth.

The little fellow covered his mouth, retreated, and shook his head, "Older Sister Xiaocao, your family has guests today. It's better to leave them for the guests to eat…"

"What a benevolent child!" Eldest Maternal Aunt laughed and praised as she kneaded the dough to make flatbread.

Yu Xiaocao said with a broad smile, "Alright! Don't retreat anymore, or else you will step on our family's vegetables! There's still a lot of duck liver and duck gizzard in the pot, so it's fine if you eat one!"

As she spoke, she grabbed Yu Zhou's arm and shoved the duck liver into his mouth.

Yu Zhou had no choice but to eat the piece of duck liver. The duck liver, which was braised with a special braising sauce, was soft and fragrant. That mellow fragrance lingered on the tip of his tongue for a long time. It was so delicious that he could not help but tremble.

"Older Sister Xiaocao, I heard that you were the one who came up with the idea of braised food! Your culinary skills are amazing! I have never eaten something so delicious before." Yu Zhou immediately became a loyal fan of Xiaocao's cooking.

Xiaocao smiled. To be subdued with just a small piece of duck liver, he was indeed a little glutton, "Yu Zhou, help older sister with something. Go to the neighboring village's Old Luo's family and buy some tofu for me! I'll treat you to something good later!"

"I can help you go buy the tofu, but you don't have to treat me to a meal! Our family has already eaten breakfast!" The little foodie Yu Zhou took the two copper coins Xiaocao handed to him and skipped out of the front door.

Due to Xiaocao's insistence, the Yu Family had changed their eating habits of eating two meals a day to eating three meals a day. She had already eaten breakfast, but she forgot that her maternal uncles still had the habit of eating two meals a day. It was almost nine in the morning now, so it was time to eat their morning meal!

It seemed like they had to save the salted duck for tonight. As a result, there would be more than enough time to salt the ducks, and it would also be more flavorful by then.

For the morning meal, Yu Xiaocao prepared to make 'duck blood stewed with tofu', 'stir-fried mushrooms with greens', 'braised eggplant', and 'smashed cucumber salad'. The staple food was flatbread made with half coarse grain and half wheat flour. There was also a pot of tomato and egg soup.

After leaving behind a small plate of each dish, she and her eldest maternal aunt carried the food basket and pot, and walked valiantly to her family's field.

Eldest Granduncle's family's farmland was closer to the village, so she had seen her eldest granduncle's hale and hearty figure from afar. The old man was working hard in the fields with his eldest son, eldest grandson, and two daughters-in-law.

"Eldest Granduncle, have you eaten yet? Let's eat together!" Yu Xiaocao was quite close to her eldest granduncle. She felt that her eldest granduncle's family was very kind and compassionate.

Yu Lichun straightened his waist, stuck the hoe in the ground, and looked over cheerfully. He said, "We have eaten already! Xiaocao, are you bringing food over to your father and uncles?"

"Yes! Eldest Granduncle, Oldest Uncle, eat some more with us!" Yu Xiaocao smiled sincerely.

Oldest Paternal Uncle Yu Xi waved his hands at her and said with a smile, "No need! Quickly deliver the food to your father. Don't starve the guests!"

Yu Xiaocao chatted briefly with her eldest granduncle before she picked up the basket again and walked towards her family's farmland. It was true that 'many hands made light work'! The four men and Madam Liu had already turned up more than half of their three plots of land. It looked like they would be able to finish in the afternoon.

"Father—Mother—Eldest Maternal Uncle, Second Maternal Uncle, Third Uncle, it's time to eat!" Yu Xiaocao put the basket on the edge of the field and shouted with her hands around her mouth.

Wang Ergou and his wife was currently eating their meal beside the edge of the field. Wang Ergou sniffed and then looked at Xiaocao's family's food basket with a grin. He moved closer and asked, "Xiaocao, what tasty food did you make? It smells really good!"

Without waiting for Xiaocao to respond, his wife had twisted his ear and pulled him back. She yelled at him, "Are you a child? You actually have the shame to go ask for food? Even if you're not ashamed, I am!"

When Wang Ergou was young, he was also a lazy, good-for-nothing loafer, who engaged in misdemeanors. Fortunately, he married a powerful wife. His wife was born in poverty and had strong self-esteem. She had gotten rid of most of Wang Ergou's bad habits.

"It's alright, Auntie Wang. I cooked a lot of food. Let's eat together." Yu Xiaocao offered.

Wang Ergou was overjoyed and was about to agree but his wife pinched him on his waist. Wang Ergou's wife smiled at Xiaocao and said, "Xiaocao, we're full already. Auntie is very grateful for your offer—Go, go down to the field! We need to finish plowing these two plots of land today…"

Yu Hai, who had arrived at the edge of the field, watched the pitiful-looking Wang Ergou being taken down to the fields to work by his wife. He couldn't help but say, "Erguo'zi is blessed to have such a good wife…"

"Father, you're also quite lucky ah!" Yu Xiaocao winked at Madam Liu's direction.

Liu Pei chuckled and said, "That's right! Isn't it your good fortune to be able to marry my younger sister?"

Madam Liu's face turned bright red from her older brother and her daughter's teasing. She glared at them, and then quickly lowered her head to ladle the soup. Yu Hai, on the other hand, smiled and nodded incessantly, "Yes, that's right. I have accumulated three lifetimes of good fortune to be able to marry Muyun!"

"Why are you acting like them?!" Madam Liu's face was brimming with love as she gave him a chiding gaze. After that, she looked towards the bowl of tomato and egg soup, which looked very appetizing with its red and white colors, and asked, "What's this red thing? It's not chili pepper, is it?"

"There were a few ripe tomatoes in our backyard, so I made a soup with them. It's very refreshing. Everyone should try it!" The soup should be served before the meal. Yu Xiaocao helped distribute the bowls and chopsticks to everyone's hand.

Yu Jiang moved closer and looked at the food basket. He was stunned, "What a sumptuous breakfast ah…"

Yu Xiaocao handed him a bowl of tomato and egg soup and gave him a pair of chopsticks. Yu Jiang didn't know whether he should accept them or not, "I… I have already eaten…"

"Then eat a little more with us! It's unreasonable to not provide a meal for you when you helped out with the work." Eldest Aunt helped urge him. Yu Xiaocao also continued to persuade him.

The duck blood stewed with tofu had conquered everyone's taste buds. The tofu was smooth and tender, while the duck blood was fresh and tasty. As for the braised duck giblets, the duck gizzard was very chewy, and the duck intestines were very delicious. The stir-fried mushrooms with greens had the perfect combination of colors, fragrance, and taste. It was very refreshing and had the perfect mouthfeel. With a thick sauce, the braised eggplant was glossy and flavorful… With the addition of the tomato and egg soup, which they had never eaten before, it was much more lavish than the meals that ordinary people served to their relatives.

"Hey! Didn't we tell you guys to just make something simple? Why did you make so much food?" Liu Pei looked at his wife with slight anger, as if he was blaming her for not stopping Xiaocao. His younger sister's family's living conditions wasn't very good.

Yu Xiaocao hastily said, "Eldest Uncle, all the ingredients were homegrown and gathered on the spot, except for the tofu, which cost two copper coins. You guys have worked hard in the fields, so, of course, you have to eat a good meal. Otherwise, how would you have enough strength to work?"

Yu Hai gave his two elder brothers-in-law a pancake each, and told his own younger cousin, "This duck blood stewed with tofu should be eaten while it's still hot. Our Cao'er's cooking is pretty good. I guarantee that you will want to eat another meal after eating this. Quickly eat! Everyone, quickly eat!"

The men cast away their inhibitions and began eating. They shouted fervent praises as they ate. Yu Hai also chimed in with the compliments, like he was Old Wang selling melons—praising his own products. Yu Xiaocao was embarrassed by their praises. She smiled and said, "Father, I'm worried about Older Brother being home alone, so I'll go back first. Just leave the bowls and chopsticks here. I'll come get them later."

Chapter 132 – Salted Duck

"Go, go! You don't need to come back later. It's fine to let your mother take back the tableware later. We, as fully-grown men, can finish it soon," Liu Pei said. He poured half a bowl of duck blood stewed with tofu and soaked the flatbread in the stew. Then, he proceeded to gulp down the soup with relish.

Yu Hai also agreed with his eldest brother-in-law's words. He said to Xiaocao, "Hurry and take your eldest maternal aunt back home to eat, or else the food is going to get cold."

After she finished eating, Xiaocao put all her energy into making salted duck. The salted duck that she made was an improved version of the Nanjing salted duck's recipe. After all, she didn't have all the seasoning and spices she needed for the original recipe. However, she realized that she can improve the braised food's taste by using the mystic-stone water to braise the food, making it much tastier than before.

Looking at the time, the marinating and braising process should be completed. Xiaocao looked outside like a thief and she saw her eldest maternal aunt and Xiaolian, who had returned home from selling braised food. They were busy tending the vegetable field, so Xiaocao was at ease as she summoned the little divine stone.

[Why did you call this Divine Stone to come out?] A ray of golden lightning rapidly entered the kitchen, and then a haughty voice emerged within Xiaocao's mind.

Xiaocao bent over and carried the little fellow on the palm of her hand. She gently stroke its fur as she smiled flatteringly at it. The little divine stone felt very comfortable as it squinted its eyes and purred, [Tell me, what do you need this lord to help you with?]

Ever since the little divine stone heard the emperor emeritus, whose alias was Fifth Lord, call himself 'this lord', it had also started to call itself that from time to time, feeling that it seemed rather chic.

"One of the two ducks need to be slightly air-dried. My omnipotent Lord Glutinous Dumpling, can you help me?" Yu Xiaocao used her fingers to scratch the little kitten's chin as she fawned over him.

[Humph! You're bothering this Divine Stone over such a trifle matter?] Although the little divine stone felt very comfortable as Xiaocao scratched him, there was a sense of impatience within its tone.

[Seeing that you have served this lord very well, I'll reluctantly help you again just this once!] The little golden kitten waved one of its paws, and one of the pickled ducks quickly shriveled and dried at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

When Xiaocao saw that it looked about ready, she quickly told the little divine stone to stop. If the duck was dried out too much, it would also impact the salted duck's taste.

At this time, the men had returned from the fields. She could hear Liu Pei blustering loudly, "Younger Sister, your family's sweet potatoes haven't sprouted yet, right? That's okay since your family doesn't have a lot of land. We can just bring some over from our fields. It won't interfere with the sweet potatoes' growth."

Yu Hai gulped down a few mouthfuls of cooled boiled water. Then, he smiled and said, "We're not going to plant sweet potatoes this year. Xiaocao said she wants to try and plant some watermelons. She just asked the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant help her find some seeds."

"Watermelon? Will that thing be filling enough?" The two brothers, Liu Pei and Liu Han, had never heard of watermelons before, so they couldn't help but ask in unison. It was inevitable that farming families would be most concerned about filling their stomachs.

However, Yu Jiang often traveled outside of the village and was more well-informed. So, he had heard of watermelons before, but still asked with slight concern, "I know that watermelon is a kind of fruit. But Second Brother, none of us had ever planted any watermelons before. What if the climate here isn't suitable for planting it? If you have no harvest, what will you do?"

"That won't happen! I have confidence in my family's Cao'er!" This was mainly because the Yu Family had earned some money from their business recently, so they didn't need to rely on that three plots of farmland to make a living. Thus, Yu Hai had unconsciously gained confidence.

Yu Jiang also felt that his little niece seemed very capable, so he didn't persuade him anymore. He smiled and said, "Then that's good! I can't wait to taste it!"

"Third Uncle, there's a lot of new things for you to try in the future! Have you heard of salted ducks? You can try a few pieces later!" With the little golden kitten in her embrace, Xiaocao poked her head out of the kitchen, made a funny face at him, and exclaimed cheerfully.

"Salted duck? I've never tasted it before, is it tasty?" Saliva began to flood in Yu Jiang's mouth when he remembered the duck blood stewed with tofu and tomato egg soup he ate at noon.

Yu Xiaocao raised her imaginary tail in a rather arrogant manner and said, "The products made by Xiaocao are certainly always premium products. I'm developing this dish for Zhenxiu Restaurant. How can it be lacking?"

"What? Did Zhenxiu Restaurant come to ask you for more recipes again? They earned a lot of money from selling the roasted chicken, yet your family didn't even receive anything. This time, you can't let them take advantage of you again. When you sell them the salted duck recipe, ask them to give you a portion of the sales!" Yu Jiang was quite business-minded!

Yu Xiaocao also felt that earning royalties was much more profitable than making them pay a buyout price. She lowered her head and ponder over the feasibility of this matter. However, Yu Hai didn't think that it was a good idea. After all, Third Young Master Zhou had taken good care of them, so how could they raise the price?

At this time, Yu Xiaocao slowly nodded her head. "Third Uncle is right! In one day, Zhenxiu Restaurant can sell at least 30 to 50 salted ducks without a problem. If we earn a mace for each salted duck, then we can earn three to five taels in a day. We will be able to earn over 100 taels in a month and in a year… Wow! I feel like we've been selling my recipes for too cheap!"

Yu Hai hesitated for a moment before he said, "Isn't a mace too much?"

However, Yu Jiang didn't think so. He widened his eyes and said, "Second Brother, do you know how much a roasted chicken costs in Zhenxiu Restaurant? Even the smallest chicken there cost five taels of silver! Five taels of silver! At most, a chicken would cost them a few dozens of copper coins. This means that they earn a hundred folds of profits! I think that even a mace is still too little!"

As Yu Jiang thought about the sales and profits that Zhenxiu Restaurant earned each day, he felt injustice for his second brother. If he had been earning royalties from the sales, then his second brother would've become the richest man in Dongshan Village! It was such a big loss!

"Okay, go wash your hands. After finishing the evening meal, we still need to return home!" The evening meal in this era was usually eaten around 4 pm. Madam Han calculated that they would be able to return to the village by the time it got dark. Tomorrow, they still needed to cultivate their own land!

For dinner, in addition to the large plate of salted duck, there was 'stir-fried green tomatoes', 'stir-fried chili pepper with duck eggs', 'string beans salad', and 'sautéed lettuce with oyster sauce'. For soup, she made the light-flavored, light 'egg drop soup with malabar spinach'. The staple food was dried brown rice with sorghum. There was a large quantity of each dish. After all, the appetite of several adult men wouldn't be small!

"Younger Sister, your family's Xiaocao is very capable. Even a skilled person who has been working in the kitchen for over twenty years can't be compared to her! People would drool just by smelling these dishes!" Madam Han sighed as she looked at Xiaocao. If she had a daughter like Xiaocao, even if she didn't have a son, she would still be very happy.

After Madam Han entered the Liu Family, she had given birth to three daughters. Although her father-in-law and mother-in-law didn't say anything, it was Madam Han's sore spot. As she grew older, she gave up the hope of giving birth to a son. But when she saw other people with both a daughter and a son, her heart would feel like it had been stabbed by a needle, feeling a bone-piercing pain.

Liu Pei understood his wife the most. When he saw her lonely eyes, he knew what she was thinking. He immediately changed the subject and said, "Let's eat, let's eat! Even if you're not hungry, just looking at Xiaocao's cooking will make you want to eat at least two bowls of it!"

Liu Han, who was honest and dull, opened his mouth and said, "Younger Sister, your family doesn't have very good living conditions either. We are all one family, there's no need to make so many dishes. A few pieces of coarse flatbread and a plate of salted vegetables is enough for us. Don't make your life more difficult just to make a meal for us…"

Madam Liu felt touched as she looked at her older brothers with a gentle smile and softly said, "Older Brother, you can rest assured! We won't be in a difficult position just by feeding you guys one or two times. The duck and the duck eggs were given to us by someone else. The green vegetables and whatnot are all harvested from the fields, so it doesn't cost much money. You can eat the meal with ease and confidence!"

After they heard what she said, the menfolk no longer held back. Each person held a large and thick porcelain bowl that was filled to the brim with two types of grain and began to gobble the food down without any restraint.

The salted duck's white skin was both tender and plump, but not greasy at all. It was fragrant and tasted delicious. Everyone seated on the table praised Xiaocao's salted duck for being 'fragrant', 'very tender', and 'extremely delicious'. Once again, Yu Jiang seriously reminded Xiaocao that this duck will definitely garner large sales, so she must ask Zhenxiu Restaurant to give her a portion of the sales.

Yu Xiaocao nodded her head repeatedly as she promised him. She was pondering over whether she should personally go to town tomorrow to let Third Young Master Zhou have a taste of the salted duck and ask him about the watermelon seeds.

The whole family was perfectly satisfied with the food. Not long after they finished eating, their maternal relatives said their goodbyes and returned home. They needed to climb over a few mountains to return home. Even those who were accustomed to walking the mountain road needed two and a half hours to return home. By the time they got home, the sky would've been very dark already.

Xiaocao cut the remaining dried salted duck in half, and asked Xiaolian give one of the halves to Madam Mao. She also instructed Xiaolian to tell Madam Mao that the dried salted duck would taste very good if she sliced it into thin pieces and then steamed it. The dried salted duck and the salted duck that they had just eaten tasted the same, but the process to make it was different.

Xiaocao hung the leftover dried salted duck under the eaves. The temperature at night was still very cool right now, so the dried salted duck's flavor won't change even if she left it there for a night.

Early the next morning, Yu Xiaocao woke up and told her parents that she was going to town. In the passing, she would also pick up Little Shitou, who should be having another break from school again.

Due to Xiaocao's apparent capability and maturity, Yu Hai and his wife had gradually stopped treating her as a child. If any matter arose in the family, they would always discuss it with their younger daughter. If they had differing opinions on a matter, they would also subconsciously ponder over their younger daughter's suggestion.

Today, Yu Hai decided that he would go sell braised food at the docks alone and let Xiaolian accompany Xiaocao to town. Since the two sisters had each other as a companion, they weren't lonely on the road to town.

Yu Xiaocao returned to her room and retrieved some money. After that, she took the remaining half of the dried salted duck and led the donkey cart out of the house with Xiaolian. Just as they left their house, they saw Madam Mao hurriedly rushing over. When she saw the two sisters and the donkey cart behind them, as well as the half of a portion of dried salted duck in Xiaocao's hand, Madam Mao immediately smiled from ear to ear. Even though she already knew the answer to the question, she still deliberately asked, "Xiaocao, Xiaolian, where are you sisters going?"

"Auntie Qian, we have some matters to attend to in town," Xiaolian politely replied.

Madam Mao tried to restrain herself, but she still couldn't refrain herself from asking, "Xiaocao, regarding the matter that Auntie asked you about…"

"Auntie, how did the duck that I sent you yesterday taste?" Xiaocao didn't answer her, instead, she asked her a question in response.

Madam Mao smiled embarrassingly and said, "It's neither the New Year nor a holiday, so who would be willing to eat such a good thing? I'm going to take it out to eat when there's a guest at home. Didn't Xiaolian say that it can be kept for a while?"

Chapter 133 – A Fated Encounter

"The weather's getting warmer day by day, so it's better not to put it out for too long. Today I'm giving this duck to Third Young Master Zhou to taste. If he thinks it's good, we will then talk about cooperating!" Yu Xiaocao smiled faintly.

"That's good, that's good! Auntie's not going to delay you anymore. Go early and come back early, I'll wait for the good news!" Madam Mao was surprised that Xiaocao was able to come up with a new recipe this quickly. She hoped that the owner of Zhenxiu Restaurant would be attracted to the recipe in Xiaocao's hands so that her family's slow-selling ducks could be sold at a good price.

The sisters waved farewell to the Madam Mao. They hurried the little donkey towards the entrance of the village.

"Oh my! Aren't you the twin sisters from Dahai's family? Where are you guys going? If you guys are going to town, can you take me along?" A fake sounding voice made the two sisters feel uncomfortable just by hearing it.

Xiaocao looked closely at the person. It turned out to be Madam Xiong, who was usually very close to Madam Li. She was worthy of her surname [1]. Madam Xiong looked tough and she had a stocky build; she had a swarthy complexion and was very rude. She looked even worse than a blind bear!

As the proverb goes, 'birds of a feather flock together'. Madam Xiong was the same as Madam Li. She was lazy, greedy, and was a notorious gossip who talked behind other people's backs. For this reason, almost all the married women in the village have had conflicts with her before. Out of the whole Dongshan Village, it was hard to find a second person who was willing to talk to her besides Madam Li.

Xiaocao didn't want to bring her along. It wasn't only because of her character, but more importantly, because of her weight. She weighed over 200 pounds, and Xiaocao was afraid that she would tire out her Little Gray.

However, they were from the same village. If she didn't bring her along, Xiaocao was afraid that this woman would badmouth her family around the whole village. Xiaocao forced herself to smile and said, "Uncle Liu's wife, come on up!"

Madam Xiong agreed and climbed up from the back of the handcart; her movement almost made Little Gray snap. Little Gray turned around like a human and glanced behind it. It let out a few whinnies. It sounded like it was protesting.

"Is this the dying donkey that your family bought last time? Its fate is pretty good; it didn't die! However, it's still kind of skinny, so it can't do much work!" She didn't think about the effect of her weight on the donkey. Instead, she blamed it on Xiaocao's donkey. She was an annoying woman. Xiaolian was always blunt with her words. "How much money would it cost to buy a strong donkey? Auntie, if you lend us money, then our family will buy a new donkey…"

"Uh…" Madam Xiong choked on Xiaolian's words. After a while, she replied, "If I had extra money, I would've bought one a long time ago. Even if I don't have the cart, I can ride it when I go back to my parental home!"

Xiaocao thought, 'With your size, don't even talk about a donkey, even if it was the strongest horse, it still wouldn't be able to carry your weight.'

Madam Xiong continued, "Besides, your family sells braised food and vegetables. You guys probably earned a decent amount of money! Everyone in this village knows that the Yu Family's second son has connections with the rich families in town. Even if they just gave you a little money, it would be enough for you to eat and spend. Do you still need to ask my family for money to buy a donkey?"

Yu Xiaocao was too lazy to even bother with her. She pulled on Xiaolian clothes quietly, hinting at her to stop the conversation. However, Madam Xiong had no awareness at all, as she continued to talk. She said, "Xiaolian, what are guys doing in town?"

Xiaocao replied faintly, "Nothing much! We're just buying the ingredients for the braised food."

Madam Xiong continued, "You guys must earn a lot from selling braised food, right? I heard from your older uncle's wife that you earn at least a hundred copper coins in a day. Then don't you guys earn at least three to four taels of silver in a month? Oh my! Even the head of the village may not be as wealthy as your family."

The village head's oldest son followed people everywhere to do business and earned some money. The younger son was a scholar who had passed the county examinations and was highly valued by the previous county magistrate. He became the magistrate's secretary. The village head's family had about 100 mu of good farmland. They were considered a first-class family in the village. By comparing the Yu Family with the village head's, Madam Xiong was roasting Xiaocao's family on fire!

Yu Xiaocao frowned and said in an unhappy tone, "After subtracting the original cost it took for me to make the one copper coin per portion of braised food, how much money would be left over? It's not even enough for the household expenses. Right now, we're going to town to buy some seasoning and spices. The amount of money we need to buy these items is at least one to two taels of silver. One to two taels of seasoning would only last about a month before it's gone! Uncle Liu's wife, how much profit would we actually earn?"

Madam Xiong eyes whirled as she said, "You also need spices? Which spices do you need? Why don't you tell me?"

Yu Xiaocao tilted her head and looked at her. She said directly, "It's an exclusive recipe. I apologize, but I can't tell you!"

Madam Xiong grumbled a few times and curled her mouth unhappily. She had longed for the Yu Family's braised food recipe for a long time. Ever since she found out that Madam Zhang and her daughter-in-law got the recipe from Xiaocao, Madam Li had been tricked by Madam Xiong's words multiple times. Madam Li had always talked without thinking.

Unfortunately, the recipe had been monopolized by Madam Zhang. Even if she couldn't have a business, she also wouldn't let other people take advantage of it. Also, Madam Zhang heard that the special recipe was already bought by Zhenxiu Restaurant. Although Madam Zhang appeared to be a tyrant at home, in actuality, she was timid and a coward. She was afraid that if she disclosed the recipe, the powerful Zhou Family in Tanggu Town will punish her. So, Madam Zhang burnt the recipe secretly, and therefore, Madam Xiong couldn't get anything out of her.

Madam Xiong looked like she was the close relative of a bear, but she wasn't stupid at all. Instead, she was very shrewd. She knew that she couldn't get anything from Madam Li, so she wanted to get the information from the sisters by tricking them, thinking that it was easy to trick the kids. The result was that she got rejected by Xiaocao. Madam Xiong silently cursed the Yu Family's eight generations of ancestors.

After that, the sisters ignored whatever Madam Xiong said, so she stopped looking for trouble herself. The more you paid attention to Madam Xiong, the more she would climb all over you. It was best to give her the cold shoulder.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Tanggu Town, the sisters abandoned Madam Xiong using the excuse that they were going to different places. Madam Xiong even shamelessly asked the sisters when they were going back to the village so that she could have a free ride home.

Xiaocao said, "We need to stay in town for a day. We need to pick up my younger brother in the evening, then we can go back. If Uncle Liu's wife is busy doing something, you can ride the cart from our neighboring village before noon to get back…"

"I have nothing to do! What would I have to do? So, it's a deal! I will wait at the town entrance in the evening and ride your cart home!" What a joke. It cost one copper coin to ride the cart from the neighboring village. With one copper coin, she could buy a big steam bun with it. Madam Xiong wasn't willing to spend it on riding a cart!

The sisters first went to the food market and bought the ingredients for the braised food. Xiaocao went to many shops before she was able to gather all the spices she needed for the salted duck. Then, she bought two fat ducks from the food market. She carried the ducks in her hands as she quickly ran towards Zhenxiu Restaurant.

"Miss Yu, how do you have time to come to the town today?" Zhenxiu Restaurant's manager's whole face was wreathed with happiness when he saw Yu Xiaocao. It seemed as if he saw the God of Wealth. When he saw the ducks that Xiaocao was holding, a flash of golden light flashed in his eyes. He quickly rushed up to her to help her carry them.

Yu Xiaocao was just about to say something when she was cut off by a familiar voice behind her, "Manager Zhou, are there any private rooms left?"

The manager apologized hastily, "I'm sorry, Headmaster Yuan! All the private rooms were already reserved two days ago. Do you want me to…help you make a reservation as soon as possible?"

"No private rooms…it would be fine if I can buy a roasted chicken! It should be no problem for you to give me a roasted chicken, right?" This guest was a real foodie—Great Scholar Yuan Sinian. The one next to him was a potential foodie, Yuan Yunxi.

The manager appeared to be a little embarrassed. Only Head Chief Wang could make the roasted chicken authentically. However, he was busy from morning until night. Head Chief Wang could only make fifty to sixty chickens in a day. Besides the chickens reserved for the private rooms, the other thirty chickens had already been reserved by other customers.

But, as Rongxuan Academy's headmaster and a scholar in this era, he needed to give him some face. The manager hesitated and said, "How about…you wait until the evening and I'll let Old Wang work overtime to make you one?"

Although Yuan Sinian was a veteran foodie, he wasn't unreasonable. He replied regretfully, "There's no need. Old Wang is busy every day, I will not add on to his burden! You help us reserve a roasted chicken as soon as possible. Also, reserve it with a private room, so I can have two roasted chickens! When will Old Wang's apprentices finish their apprenticeship?"

Yuan Yunxi was disappointed but was already mentally prepared. "Grandfather, I told you earlier! Zhenxiu Restaurant's private rooms needed to be reserved in advance. It's no use even if you come early the day of to make a reservation!"

Yuan Sinian raged, "We have nothing to do today, so I just wanted to see if a blind cat can find a dead mouse. But it seems like it's hard to find a dead mouse. Hehe!"

The headmaster turned around and he immediately caught sight of the two identical-looking girls. "Huh? Isn't this…isn't this Yu Fan's older sister? Aren't you the little girl who cooks delicious food? Did my vision blur because I'm too hungry? Why are there two of Yu Fan's sister?"

Yuan Yunxi's steady face twitched. He reminded him, "Grandfather, they are twin sisters. They just look alike!"

"Oh! No wonder! The two of you are twins. I thought I got dizzy from starving myself!" Yuan Sinian laughed as he stroked his mustache. "Which one of you is the better cook? The stir-fried pork intestines from last time made me crave for more. Even Old Wang doesn't hold a candle against the Yu girl…"

"Headmaster Yuan, you overestimating me! I only specialize in making braised food. How can I compare with Head Chef Wang, who has been cooking for over a decade?" Yu Xiaocao had a favorable impression of this foodie who was willing to fight for food, so when she talked to him, she couldn't help but smile.

Yuan Sinian nodded with a smile on his face and said, "You're neither impatient nor arrogant. You have the potential to become a skilled chef! If you become a chef at Zhenxiu Restaurant, I would come every day for every meal…"

"Grandfather, is your salary enough for you to dine out every meal?" Yuan Yunxi ridiculed from the side.

"If my salary isn't enough, don't we still have your father? Isn't it natural for a son to be filial to his father? He is the current prime minister. I don't believe that he can't support my living expenses!" Yuan Sinian glared at him and snorted.

Turning around, he saw the dried salted duck in Xiaocao's hand as she giggled. His eyes suddenly brightened as he asked, "Little girl, what are you holding in your hand? Is it an air-dried duck?"

The leftover meat in this era, such as chicken, duck, and fish meat, were all air-dried. The air-drying process was somewhat similar to the method used to dry the salted duck.

[1] Madam Xiong's surname, Xiong (熊), means bear.

Chapter 134 – A Senior Foodie

"This is salted duck, a new dish that I came up with. You can eat it after steaming it in the cauldron and pouring some of the braising sauce on top." The main purpose of Yu Xiaocao's visit was to promote salted duck, so she naturally wouldn't let go of this good chance.

"Salted duck? Xiaocao, you came up with a new recipe?" Zhou Zixu, who looked weary, came in from outside with the county magistrate's son following behind him.

Yu Xiaocao smiled and greeted him, "Third Young Master, where did you go so early in the morning?"

Zhou Zixu replied, "Where else? Of course, I just came back from the construction site at the wharf. It's a critical point for the construction for our factory right now. I have been personally supervising the site these past few days!"

"Thanks for your hard work!" Yu Xiaocao had a certain sense of respect for his young man, who would have been a middle school student in her previous life. Dragons gave birth to dragons, while phoenix gave birth to phoenixes [1]. The son of a mouse was capable of digging holes, while the son of an imperial merchant would be a workaholic when doing business!

Zhou Zixu grinned from ear to ear on his slightly childish face, "If our factory can be completed earlier, all the hard work would be worth it! Do you know, Xiaocao? For just the oyster sauce alone we received over two hundred orders! The production for the oyster sauce hasn't even started yet, but we already got orders for five thousand jars. Many of the orders came from famous restaurants in the south!"

"Young Boss Zhou, your business is really thriving ah! Wonder if this old man has the luck to help Zhenxiu Restaurant taste the 'salted duck' that Little Lass Yu brought over?" Yuan Sinian, who had been staring at the half a portion of salted duck, saw that the two were chatting about business and asked somewhat impatiently.

Yuan Yunxi covered his face—there was no one but his grandfather who would beg for food so righteously! At this moment, he desperately wished that he didn't know this old man who had no shame in front of food.

Zhou Zixu was considered best friends with Yuan Yunxi, so he also had a pretty clear understanding of Grandpa Yuan's temperament. With a sincere expression on his face, he said, "Grandpa Yuan, even if you're not here, this boy will invite you, an influential leader of the gourmet world, to come give us some pointers. In the future, we will definitely need to pass your test before Zhenxiu Restaurant introduces a new dish."

Yuan Sinian was satisfied with Third Young Master's words. He uninhibitedly sat down at a table in the main dining hall. He stroked his beard, squinted his eyes, and said, "Little girl, aren't you going to hurry up and serve the salted duck?"

Zhou Zixu looked at the sky and noticed that it wasn't quite noon yet. They had just eaten breakfast not too long ago, so were they really going to eat lunch now? He could understand Grandpa Yuan's eagerness since he was also looking forward to tasting the salted duck. But, they still needed to let the host make some preparations, right?

"Grandpa Yuan, how can I let you sit in the main hall? I have a private room kept in reserve. Please come with me…"

"Didn't you say that the private rooms needed to be booked in advance? What's this? Manager Zhou, are you looking down on this old man?" Without his persona as a famous scholar, Yuan Sinian was just a gluttonous, stubborn old man.

The head manager smiled flatteringly and said, "Headmaster Yuan, that private room is a place reserved for our boss to rest in. It's not used for guest reservations…"

"Guest reservations? Can those outsiders compare with this old man? Our Yunxi grew up wearing the same trousers as your young master! I'm Yunxi's grandfather so I'm naturally also your boss's grandfather! How can I be considered an outsider?" Yuan Sinian fumed and glared with rage.

Third Young Master Zhou quickly pretended to scold, "That's right! Be more careful in the future. Grandpa Yuan isn't an outsider! Don't let this happen again!"

"Grandfather!" Yuan Yunxi saw that his grandfather wanted to say something, so he hastily signaled him with a frown.

Yuan Sinian angrily glared at his grandson, and then headed for the second floor.

"This old man is becoming more and more childish as he gets older!" Seeing the old man walking away quickly and vigorously, Young Master Wu smiled and exclaimed in a somewhat rueful manner.

Yuan Yunxi, on the other hand, apologized to Third Young Master Zhou, "Zixu, I…"

"The old man is right. What's our relationship with each other? There's no need to be polite like strangers. Let's all go try Xiaocao's new dish! I'll take Xiaocao to the back kitchen first and then have a couple of drinks with you guys later!" Third Young Master Zhou patted his shoulder and said nonchalantly.

Yu Xiaocao's mouth twitched. 'Why is a group of little brats drinking wine? Does he really think that he's a big boss?' Nevertheless, she just criticized them within her heart and wasn't so foolish as to say it aloud.

"Third Young Master, you should go entertain your guests. I can go to the kitchen myself!" The kitchen was the place that Xiaocao had been to the most in Zhenxiu Restaurant. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she could find her way over even with her eyes closed.

However, Third Young Master Zhou smiled and said, "It's nothing. We're all close brothers! Manager, serve them some good tea!"

Third Young Master Zhou brought Yu Xiaocao to a secret kitchen in the rear courtyard. Other than Head Chef Wang and his trusted disciples, no one else was allowed to enter this kitchen. In other words, this was the most secret location within Zhenxiu Restaurant!

Seeing that Xiaocao was still holding two ducks in her hands, Zhou Zixu knew that she intended to teach the method of making salted duck, so he led her here.

When Head Chef Wang saw Xiaocao coming in, he acted in an intimate yet respectful manner as if he had seen his teacher. His direct disciple also looked at Xiaocao with bright eyes. He sighed with emotion within his heart, 'It's true that one shouldn't judge a person by their looks. A little girl from a fisherman's family, who was less than ten, was the creator of the famous dishes that supported half of Zhenxiu Restaurant.' If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he seriously wouldn't have believed it.

"Aiyo! Just look at you. It's fine if you just come, why bring gifts?" Head Chef Wang took the ducks from Xiaocao's hands and joked.

"Hey! An additional dish for your boss's lunch! If he likes it, then we can talk about the rest later!" Yu Xiaocao shoved the half a portion of salted duck into Head Chef Wang's hands.

Head Chef Wang wrinkled his brows as he looked at the salted duck in his hands and thought, 'This isn't just an ordinary 'air-dried marinated duck', is it? How can Miss Yu's products not be an exquisite dish? There must be something special about this!'

"Why wait until noon? This fatty can't wait any longer! Feng'er, go steam it… Miss Yu, is there anything else we need to do?" Head Chef Wang consulted modestly.

Yu Xiaocao shook her head and said, "Don't pour out the broth produced when steaming the duck. It tastes better together! Oh, by the way, there's only half a duck! Headmaster Yuan of Rongxuan Academy is still waiting to try the dish!"

Yu Xiaocao had to remind Head Chef Wang so that he wouldn't keep all the salted duck. If that happened, wouldn't that old man, Headmaster Yuan, hold a grudge against her? Old urchin, old urchin! When people got old, they needed to be coaxed!

The duck had already been cooked in brine, so it was ready after being steamed for thirty minutes. If someone accidentally entered the private room at this moment, they would definitely see a strange scene: It wasn't meal time, but a group of people were sitting around a table and staring covetously at the only dish on the table—salted duck. They looked like a pack of wolves surrounding a poor little bunny.

"This old man is going to dive in!" Older people had thicker skin after all. Yuan Sinian was the first to pick up his chopsticks, grab a piece of the snow-white duck meat, and chewed it slowly in his mouth. With his eyes slightly narrowed, he chewed very slowly, and even his beard appeared to be tilted upwards.

"It has a full shape with a plump body and white skin. The meat is tender and compact. The crisp and fragrance of the dish leads to an endless aftertaste." A long time later, under everyone's expectant gazes, Yuan Sinian gradually opened his eyes and moved his lips slightly, as if he was relishing the delicious taste of the salted duck.

While Yuan Sinian was evaluating the dish, Head Chef Wang had already stuffed a piece of duck meat into his mouth. After trying it, he also gave a high appraisal of: "It has crispy skin, crunchy bones, and tender meat. With the perfect amount of saltiness, it's fatty but not greasy and lean but not dry."

Although the three younger ones, including Yuan Yunxi, didn't make exquisite comments, they expressed their appreciation for the 'salted duck' with practical actions.

Seeing that the young fellows were about to devour the duck meat, Yuan Sinian didn't have time to savor the taste anymore and swiftly grabbed the last two pieces of duck meat at once. Under everyone's envious gazes, he leisurely savored the last pieces of the delicacy.

Yu Xiaolian imagination of what nobles would be like was completely shattered as watched these so-called nobles nearly fighting for just a piece of duck meat. She inwardly thought, 'He's already so old, but he's not even as reserved and well-mannered as my younger brother!'

"Miss Yu, are you selling this salted duck's recipe to us with the usual conditions?" The head manager had only tried one piece of duck meat, but he couldn't stop thinking about it within his heart. Later, when 'salted duck' is added to Zhenxiu Restaurant's menu, he, the manager, definitely wouldn't miss out on it!

Yu Xiaocao glanced at Third Young Master Zhou with a slight smile and didn't say anything.

After experiencing the popularity of the roasted chicken, Zhou Zixu naturally knew the value of this dish. He understood very clearly that with the roasted chicken and salted duck, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Zhenxiu Restaurant's 'business would be flourishing every day'. The recipes for these two dishes were created by this indifferent and quick-witted young girl. In the future, she might have even more novel and delicious recipes. If he wanted to cooperate with her for a long time, he naturally had to adopt a long-term plan to secure bigger returns. Thus, it wasn't suitable to buy a recipe with merely three hundred taels.

"I have a proposal. Xiaocao, let me know what you think about it!" Zhou Zixu was someone who worked on important matters, so he swiftly thought of an idea for discussion.

Yu Xiaocao looked at him and still had an indifferent smile on her face as she said, "Third Young Master, please speak!"

"Let's take it as you, Xiaocao, making an investment with the salted duck and roasted chicken recipes. In the future, you will receive 10% of the profits for each roasted chicken or salted duck sold. You can either be paid monthly or annually. What do you think?" A 10% profit of a roasted chicken would be five mace, which was four times more than the dividend that Yu Xiaocao had expected. Hence one could clearly see Third Young Master Zhou's sincerity.

Everyone at the table knew about the hot sale of Zhenxiu Restaurant's roasted chicken. She would receive five mace per roasted chicken sold. Based on the calculation of a minimum of fifty chicken sold daily, she would receive over seven hundred taels in a month. In a year… Even Yuan Sinian, a great scholar who regarded money as dirt, couldn't help but silently gasp.

Yu Xiaocao wasn't an insatiably greedy person, so she shook her head with a smile, "Third Young Master, you're being too courteous! I have already sold the recipe for the roasted chicken to you. It has nothing to do with me how much you earn. Though I am a daughter of a peasant family, I can still adhere to the two words: 'sincerity and honesty'!"

Yuan Sinian stroked his beautiful beard and gently nodded. Not many people would be able to reject a yearly income of around a thousand taels. As expected, the upbringing of this Yu Family was very special. With an older sister like this, Yu Fan's character wouldn't be too bad either. Yuan Sinian couldn't help but think about accepting this student, as his last disciple.

[1] A child with clever and intelligent parents will do better than a child with dull and stupid ones.

Chapter 135 – Tactful

Although numerous students had attended Yuan Sinian's lectures since he established Rongxuan Academy, strictly speaking, he only had three formal disciples. Now, one was an elder official in court, and another was the chancellor of the Imperial Academy. One of them wasn't interested in politics but he had become a great scholar who wasn't inferior to him. Those who were accepted by him to be his formal disciples would surely achieve a successful future!

Yu Xiaocao didn't know that she had inadvertently paved the direct road to success for her younger brother. She just treated everyone around her, who she thought was worthwhile, with her most sincere attitude.

"As for the recipe of the salted duck… let's just do what Third Young Master suggested. I'll accept dividends for a period of ten years. After that, no matter how much Zhenxiu Restaurant earns, it will all belong to you guys!" Yu Xiaocao concluded.

The head manager, who originally thought that the young boss had suggested a deal that put Zhenxiu Restaurant at a disadvantage, felt that the proposal was acceptable after he heard Xiaocao's words. In the future, Zhenxiu Restaurant would have more and more branch restaurants, and thus the sales of the roasted chicken and salted duck would be a large and unpredictable number. If they gave the Yu Family 10% dividends from each branch, wouldn't the Yu Family become leeches stuck on Zhenxiu Restaurant? Moreover, ones that they couldn't get rid of? At this time, the head manager admired his young boss's keen perception of people more and more now. Miss Yu really was Third Young Master's noble benefactor!

Yuan Sinian coughed and reminded, "Little Lass Yu, didn't you bring two ducks here just now? Will it be ready by noon? With so many people sharing the few pieces of duck earlier, it wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!"

The others all looked at him with contempt: 'You ate more than half of the plate of duck, yet it still wasn't enough to fill the gaps between your teeth? How big are the gaps between your teeth?'

Yu Xiaocao smiled and said, "The process of making salted duck is very complicated and time-consuming. It takes six to eight hours just to cure and braise the duck. If we start making it now, I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the evening to eat it!"

"Slow work yields fine products. Uh-huh, this old man can understand! Then… let's just have a simple lunch, and wait until the evening to have a feast! Little Lass Yu, I wonder if this old man has the luck to try the roasted chicken personally made by you?"

Everyone covered their faces in shame: 'Headmaster Yuan! Great Scholar Yuan! Prime Minister Yuan's father! Does your son know that you're so shameless?' Yuan Yunxi's pale face was burning hot as he looked at Yu Xiaocao with an apologetic gaze.

Yu Xiaocao felt that this side of Headmaster Yuan was quite cordial. She nodded with a smile, "Okay! I don't have anything to do today, so I'll help Head Chef Wang do some work in the kitchen while the salted duck is being cured! Third Young Master Zhou remember to give me a salary ah! My hourly wage is very high!"

Seeing her mischievous smile, Zhou Zixu went along with her and said, "No problem! With Great Master Yu's culinary skills, no matter how high your hourly wage is, it will be worth it!"

The process of making the salted duck naturally didn't need to be explained in detail. Head Chef Wang and his two most proud disciples, Yang Feng and Liu Bi, turned into the best students. With their eyes wide open and ears pricked up, they desperately wished that they could memorize every little detail of Xiaocao's actions and everything she said. Head Chef Wang was afraid that he couldn't remember everything, so he got a charcoal pen and paper, and carefully recorded each step.

During the salting and braising process, Yu Xiaocao helped make the roasted chicken while also not forgetting to give pointers to Yang Feng and Liu Bi, who were still apprentices. Her explanation was concise and vivid, which made it much easier to understand. At this time, many of the confusion that the two men had were quickly cleared up.

Yang Feng and Liu Bi originally had a very hard time understanding how a little girl under ten years old was able to make their teacher regard her with such high esteem. But, at this time, they were already admiring her from the bottom of their hearts. In terms of their actions and attitude, they were already treating her like she was their teacher.

Under the guidance of Yu Xiaocao, the roasted chicken made by Yang Feng and Liu Bi, both in appearance and taste, had reached the standard of masters. In the future, they could make savory and delicious roasted chicken without anyone's guidance, which was one of the things that they had gained today.

The process of making the salted duck was the best way to reflect the original flavor of the duck. The cooking method was simple and natural. They just needed to drain the grease and get rid of the fishy smell, while keeping the delicious meaty taste and tender texture. To put it bluntly, only the process of stir-frying salt and preparing the braising sauce was slightly more difficult. The most valuable thing was still the secret recipe for stir-fried salt and the braising sauce. As long as one could master them, it wouldn't be hard to make the salted duck.

At dusk, after the repeated braising process was completed, Yu Xiaocao boiled the water in the pot, and put ginger, scallion, star anise, pepper, cardamom, and duck into the pot at the same time. When the water came to a boil, one needed to quickly control the heat and stir the pot. Despite her small stature, her little hands were like Thousand Hands Guanyin [1]. She still seemed relaxed and comfortable as she flipped seven or eight ducks at the same time.

In fact, it wasn't really a big deal for Xiaocao. In her past life, she had prepared over twenty ducks at the same time by herself without any problems, let alone a mere seven or eight ducks.

After the seven or eight salted ducks that Yu Xiaocao was working on was ready and were in the natural cooling process, she examined the results of Head Chef Wang and his students' cooking. She noticed that the most talented was Liu Bi. It was his first time making salted duck, but he was skilled and at ease when preparing two ducks at the same time.

In terms of appearance and taste, the salted ducks that he made didn't seem like they were made by a novice, who was making it for the first time. She reckoned that after practicing a few more times and becoming more familiar with the process, he could graduate from apprenticeship!

Second was Head Chef Wang, who had been a veteran cook for decades after all. He still had some advantages during the process of making the salted duck.

As for Yang Feng, he was relatively weaker in comparison. But, he was more talented than Liu Bi in the preparation of roasted chicken. They could each be responsible for one dish and complement each other. She had to admit that Head Chef Wang was quite sharp-eyed when accepting students.

"How is it? Is the salted duck ready yet?" Yuan Sinian and his grandson, who had followed the scent over, and Young Master Wu, who also stayed at Zhenxiu Restaurant, looked covetously at the dozens of salted ducks lined up in a row. They couldn't help but secretly swallow their saliva.

Yuan Sinian looked over all of the ducks and smiled while stroking his beard, "Let this old man guess which ones were made by Little Lass Yu—this one, this one, and… these. Did this old man guess correctly?"

Head Chef Wang clasped his hands in admiration and said, "You have sharp eyes! Please tell us, how did you know?"

"The ones that Little Lass Yu made has whiter skin, red meat, and looks more glossy. These two looked the closest to the ones the Little Lass Yu made but they're not as glossy. The color isn't as uniform on these two, which should be the result of not moving in a coordinated manner when stirring. As for the remaining two, heh! This old man will not comment on them!" He was definitely worthy of being a well-known gourmet. He hadn't even tasted them yet, but he was already able to point out everyone's strengths and weaknesses based on the appearance on the ducks.

Head Chef Wang and his students felt a sense of enlightenment and sudden realization dawned upon them. They immediately memorized their own shortcomings and did their best to correct them in private. As for Yang Feng, he felt somewhat dejected and despondent.

One shouldn't lose confidence in the things they do, or else they wouldn't be able to achieve anything. Yu Xiaocao hastily took out the roasted chicken that Yang Feng made and asked Yuan Sinian to critique it.

After tasting it, Yuan Sinian spoke highly of it and praised, "As expected of the creator of the roasted chicken. Your skills are excellent."

It turned out that he thought it was made by Yu Xiaocao! This was enough to show that Yang Feng's skill in making roasted chicken had far surpassed his teacher's.

Yu Xiaocao looked at Yang Feng, who had regained his confidence, and giggled, "Headmaster, Yuan, you're wrong this time! I wasn't the one who made this roasted chicken. It was made by Older Brother Yang Feng! It seems like Older Brother Yang Feng has already excelled his own master! Head Chef Wang, you will have an excellent assistant in the future!"

Yuan Sinian nodded incessantly, "Each one has something that he excels in. Head Chef Wang, you have great disciples ah—can we eat now? We ate a simple lunch at noon, so this old man has long been hungry!"

He was indeed a glutton, who had to mention the word 'eat' in every three sentences!

Third Young Master Zhou ordered the kitchen to use all their best skills and prepare a table of good food. Of course, they wouldn't leave out the roasted chicken and salted duck that Yu Xiaocao personally made.

At this time, Yu Xiaolian also came back after picking her younger brother up at the academy. Little Shitou, who had grown taller during this time, was wearing the sea-blue colored uniform of the academy's primary class. When he greeted Headmaster Yuan and his senior brother, he really looked like a handsome little scholar. Yu Xiaocao looked at the adorable Little Shitou and couldn't help but ruffle his hair with her evil claws.

Little Shitou dodged while complaining that his second sister had messed up his hair!

"Young Master Wu, County Magistrate Wu is calling for you to go home!" A waiter of Zhenxiu Restaurant, who was so busy that his forehead was full of sweat, came up to report.

Young Master Wu, Wu Zifan, covered his face. Didn't he sent someone to report to his father already? He already told him that he was staying at Zhenxiu Restaurant to try their new dish, so why did he come look for him? Wait! Could it be that his father heard about Zhenxiu Restaurant's new dish so… He never expected that his normally strict father was also a glutton.

But, when he looked at how Headmaster Yuan was staring covetously at the salted duck, he came to a realization—everyone who posed as a dignified gentleman on the outside were all actually gluttons inside!

When County Magistrate Wu came in, he still assumed the manner of a stern father. After staring fiercely at his son, his eyes were attracted by the fragrant roasted chicken and alluring salted duck on the table. He, who usually acted in a rigorous manner, actually didn't greet Headmaster Yuan first this time. However, Headmaster Yuan was completely focused on the delicacies on the table, so he didn't even notice that there was an extra person in the private room. Ay! Seriously!

Needless to say, the sumptuous meal on the table, especially the novel and delicious salted duck, received unanimous applause. The two foodies, County Magistrate Wu and Headmaster Yuan, shared the same interest in food and vied to increase interest for their favorite dishes by composing a poem for the dish.

After dinner, Headmaster Yuan set his mind on the remaining salted ducks. He didn't know how to write the word 'courtesy' at all and bluntly said, "Little Lass Yu, I'm taking two of the salted ducks that you made later. Young lad of the Zhou Family, get someone to pack them for me!"

When County Magistrate Wu heard this, he offhandedly asked about how many ducks Little Miss Yu made. After he got his answer, he looked at Third Young Master Zhou with a meaningful gaze, 'Xiaoxu ah! You are close friends with my son, so isn't there something you should do?'

With no other choice, Third Young Master Zhou could only let his heart bleed and give four of the remaining seven ducks to the two of them.

Yu Xiaocao looked all this with amusement and said nonchalantly, "Salted duck tastes the best around the Mid-Autumn Festival every year because the ducks were made during the season when osmanthus flowers were blooming. Thus, it is also called: osmanthus duck."

[1] Thousand Hands Guanyin (千手观音) – Guanyin is the bodhisattva of compassion, who is also known as the Goddess of Mercy; the thousand hands represent Guanyin's many abilities to help people

Chapter 136 – Returning Late at Night

Yuan Sinian's eyes lit up and he said, "This name is good. It's much more elegant than salted duck! Let's just call it osmanthus duck! Around the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, this old man will come try Little Lass Yu's cooking again. It's settled then!"

Yu Xiaocao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Headmaster Yuan, who promised you?' Ay, she could only blame herself for being so talkative and ended up incurring a 'debt'!

When the three siblings came out of Zhenxiu Restaurant, the sun was already setting in the west. Third Young Master Zhou was somewhat worried and said, "It's pretty late already. You guys still need to go through a mountain road on your way back to Dongshan Village. It's better to stay a night in town and go back tomorrow!"

Yu Xiaocao flatly refused him. If her doting old father didn't see his children coming home tonight, he would be terribly worried. Ay! One of the bad things in ancient times was that communication was inconvenient. If there was a phone, they could just make a call, and everything would be settled.

Seeing that she had already decided to leave, Zhou Zixu quickly fetched his beloved horse from the stables and insisted on sending them home. In his eyes, the eldest of the three siblings wasn't even ten yet. If they encountered any mishaps on the way, there wouldn't be anyone to help the three children. He was worried!

However, he also didn't consider the fact that he was only thirteen or fourteen years old as well. What would he be able to help them with? But his concern was quite heartwarming.

Yu Xiaocao declined several times, but she couldn't defeat Third Young Master Zhou's determination. Thus, a donkey cart accompanied by a little red horse rushed into the distance under the boundless red sky. The silhouette looked very harmonious, as if it was a freehand landscape painting…

Little Gray's constitution had been transformed by the mystic-stone water. It was very healthy now and its speed wasn't inferior to the little red horse that Third Young Master was mounted on. If Xiaocao wasn't about to vomit due to the jolting of the cart, Little Gray would have gone even faster.

Seeing that Xiaocao seemed to feel unwell, Third Young Master Zhou said with a slight sense of concern, "I already reserved the rubber wheels for you, and it is estimated to be done by next month. At that time, you won't feel as uncomfortable when traveling long distances anymore."

"Thanks a lot, Third Young Master!" Yu Xiaocao's small face was ghastly pale and her lips seemed to have lost all the colors it originally had. Despite feeling so uncomfortable, she was concerned about the watermelon seeds, "Third Young Master, last time I asked Brother Xiaoduo to send you a message about helping me get some watermelon seeds. Are there any updates?"

Zhou Zixu nodded slowly and said, "I saw it in a gardening store in the prefectural city last time, so I have already sent someone to go buy some. So don't worry! When have I ever procrastinated on your matters? When the seeds arrive, I'll have Xiaoduo bring them to you!"

At this time, the sky had already darkened, and the cart had also entered rugged mountain road. On both sides of the curved road were tall trees and shrubs that were as tall as a person, from which came faint crowing of night birds. In the quiet and dark mountain forest, it sounded especially forlorn and bitter, and made one's hair stand up on end.

The Yu Family's old residence was at the foot of the West Mountains, so they had heard the crying of all kinds of birds. Thus, they weren't really scared. However, it was different for Third Young Master Zhou. When had he ever gone to the mountain forest at night? He was obviously nervous about the crowing and cooing of the night birds.

"Don't be scared. It's just the cry of an owl! Owls are useful birds that can catch field mice!" Yu Xiaolian suppressed her laughter and comforted Third Young Master Zhou, while secretly laughing at him for being so timid in her heart.

Zhou Zixu somewhat regretted not bringing a handy weapon with him. Had he brought along his bow and arrows, which he practiced with every day, he wouldn't be afraid. He looked at the dark shadows of trees surrounding him and felt somewhat scared as he asked, "In this mountain… will there be wolves?"

"Wolves? Probably? But, ferocious animals usually hide deep within the mountains, unless it's a year of disaster and they can't find food. They only come down to harm the villagers when they can't find food in the mountains. There's a lot of pedestrians on this road every day, so there probably wouldn't be a pack of wolves or anything appearing randomly." Yu Xiaocao comforted him. After all, he was just a thirteen or fourteen year old child. Moreover, he was a young master who was used to being pampered and living a leisurely life. Hence, it wasn't disgraceful to be scared.

"In front… what's that bright glow? I heard that wolves' eyes glow at night. Could it be…" Zhou Zixu secretly swallowed his saliva and his hands, which were holding the reins, was sweating slightly. He looked around to see if he could find a club or something that could be used to protect the three siblings with.

Little Shitou giggled and said, "Older Brother Zhou, have you ever seen a wolf with one eye glowing? Wouldn't that be a one-eyed wolf then? Moreover, wolves' eyes are bluish green at night. The light in front is a pale-yellow color, so it's obviously someone walking at night with a lantern."

"That's strange. Who would walk on the road with a lantern this late at night?" Yu Xiaocao muttered to herself.

As the donkey cart steadily progressed, the pale-yellow light got closer and closer. The person carrying the lantern seemed to have heard the clattering of the horse's hooves and the rumbling of the cart, and called out with slight hesitation, "Is it Xiaocao?"

"Father? Second Sister, it's Father's voice!" Little Shitou paused for a moment, and then cried out cheerfully.

"Father! It's us!" As if she had found a pillar of support, Xiaolian shouted loudly towards the light.

The donkey cart swiftly arrived at the location of the light and they saw Yu Hai holding a white paper lantern. He stood at the side of the road and breathed a long sigh of relief, as if he got rid of something that was weighing on his mind.

"Father, why did you come?" Yu Xiaocao moved over and waited for Yu Hai to get on the cart before asking.

Yu Hai glared at the three siblings and scolded, "Why did I come?! Look at what time it is. The moon is already hanging up high on the treetops, yet you guys still aren't home. Can your mother and I not be anxious? I reckon you guys were having too much fun in town and forgot to come home!"

Zhou Zixu hastily explained for the siblings, "Uncle Yu, it was my fault! Xiacoao was teaching Head Chef Wang and his students how to make osmanthus duck. It took quite a lot of time, so they ended up coming back late. If you need someone to take responsibility, then I should be the one to blame!"

Yu Hai was completely focused on the three siblings since he was afraid that something had happened to them, and thus he had just noticed that Third Young Master Zhou was escorting the siblings back. He quickly expressed his gratitude, "We have troubled Third Young Master. It's already quite late, so you should go back quickly!"

Zhou Zixu looked at the pitch-dark road and agreed, but for a long time, he was reluctant to turn around. Seeing this, Xiaocao turned to her father and said, "Father, it will take Third Young Master over two hours to get back. It's dark and windy at night, so it really quite worrying. Aren't we almost home? Why don't we let him stay for a night? It will also be closer if he goes directly to the docks from our house tomorrow morning!"

Seeing that Third Young Master Zhou wasn't much older than his eldest son, Yu Hai really did feel somewhat worried to see a half-grown child going back by himself. Thus, he said to Third Young Master, "Third Young Master, if you don't mind, you can stay over at our house for a night. What do you think?"

"Many thanks to Uncle Yu! I'll be troubling you guys then!" Zhou Zixu smiled gratefully at Xiaocao. Little Sister Xiaocao was indeed a very considerate person. Her suggestion was exactly what he had hoped for.

After passing this section of the mountain road, the large tree at the entrance of Dongshan Village could be seen. A dark figure could faintly be seen pacing under the tree. Needless to say, that familiar figure was Madam Liu, who was worried about her children.

Madam Liu saw that Third Young Master was here, so she didn't say anything and only said with concern, "You guys must come back earlier in the future. Your father and I felt so anxious while waiting for you guys ah!"

Yu Xiaocao jumped off the cart, pulled on Madam Liu's hand, and acted like a spoiled child, "Mother, you can rest assured that this won't happen again!"

When they arrived home, the hot water was already ready on top of the stove. After Third Young Master Zhou and the Yu siblings finished bathing, they soaked their feet in hot water and warmed up their bodies.

That night, Third Young Master Zhou, Yu Hai, and Yu Hang slept on the kang bed in the main room, while Madam Liu, Xiaolian, Xiaocao, and Little Shitou stayed in the east room. Little Shitou protested, "Mother, I'm also a boy. I want to sleep on the same kang bed as Father and Older Brother!"

"Men and women don't sit at the same table after the age of seven. You're only six years old, so there's no need to be so particular about that. Hurry up and sleep!" Yu Xiaocao disregarded Little Shitou's protest, took off his outer garment, and shoved him into the blankets. Little Shitou wailed and resisted but was suppressed by the women in the family.

Next door, Third Young Master Zhou was lying on the warm kang bed as he looked at everything in the room through the dim oil lamp. Although the house had been renovated, it still looked old and worn-out. However, the room was furnished in a simple and neat manner.

A layer of wallpaper was pasted on the cob wall, which looked like it was about to peel off, beside the kang bed. The cotton inside the mattress under him had already hardened, but it had been washed until it was clean and fresh. The quilt, which he was using, should be newly made. It was fluffy and soft and had the delicate scent of Chinese honey locust…

Zhou Zixu thought he wouldn't be able to sleep in a different environment, but he hadn't expected that he would start to feel sleepy within fifteen minutes. While he was half-asleep, he could faintly hear the sound of unconstrained snoring beside him. He didn't feel that it was noisy, and he slept even more comfortably instead.

Since his birth, he had always lacked a father figure in his life. If he had a father in his life, would he also be like Xiaocao's father and love him from the bottom of his heart? Would he also be accompanied by the sound of snoring as he slept?

Zhou Zixu woke up to the merry singing of the birds. When he first opened his eyes, he seemed to have forgotten where he was, and appeared somewhat confused.

"Pfft—" He was suddenly startled awake by a girl's burst of laughter.

When he looked up and saw Xiaocao standing by the door and smiling, he panicked slightly and hastily shrunk into the quilt.

"Why are you hiding? It's not like you're naked… Ai-yo! Mother, why did you hit me?" Yu Xiaocao experienced sorrow after joy. She clutched her head and pouted with a wronged expression.

Madam Liu tapped her head as if she regretted that her children didn't live up to her expectations. She chided, "Just look at you! Is that something a girl should say? Aren't you afraid that Third Young Master will laugh at you?! I reckon you should stop running around so much and learn some proper manners."

"Mother, Third Young Master isn't a stranger. Aren't I just making a small joke with him?" Why make such a fuss? Yu Xiaocao blinked her innocent eyes and did her best to act cute.

Zhou Zixu interceded for her, "Auntie, Little Sister Xiaocao is still young. Besides, the current emperor had proposed to improve the status of women. So there's even a women's academy in the capital. Nowadays, women aren't encouraged to never leave the house and stay inside all day anymore."

"Girls can also go to school? Later, let's send Xiaocao and Xiaolian to study in school. Our Xiaocao is very smart, so maybe she can pass the examination and become a female county official!" Yu Hai guffawed with a proud expression on his face.

Madam Liu glared at him, "You, why are you also making trouble? Third Young Master is talking about the capital. Where is there a women's academy in our little Tanggu Town? It's enough for a girl to recognize a few words. What's the point of them studying in school?"

Chapter 137 – To Convince

"Mother! You really have the feudal way of thinking, such an old fogie!" Yu Xiaocao stuck out her tongue at her mother.

Madam Liu continued to glare at her, "Then you shouldn't eat the breakfast that this old fogie made, just go and stay hungry!"

"Mother, I was wrong! Mother is the kindest, most beautiful, and most open-minded mother in the world…" Yu Xiaocao mournfully cried as she circled around Madam Liu as if she was a lively little rabbit. On the side, Yu Hai watched her antics with amusement.

Zhou Zixu gazed at the whole scene with a bit of envy. If he had also been born in such a loving household, even if the family was more impoverished, he would still be incredibly happy…

"Is Xiaocao home?" The sound of a slightly raspy, youthful voice came from over the walls. Immediately, a tall figure that was dressed in a set of simple black clothing appeared at the gate opening.

Yu Hai saw the fellow first and greeted him happily, "Oh it's Xiaohan ah! Quickly come in! Cao'er, stop teasing your mother and come over. Xiaohan is looking for you!"

"Brother Han? Do you need to go to the prefectural city to deliver the wild geese? I'll go to the back courtyard and grab them for you." There was still some time before the deadline for the prefectural magistrate's request for his son. Both of the wild geese were living at Xiaocao's home, and she fed them small fish, shrimp, and mystic-stone water every day. Now, they were even plumper than they were when they were first caught. In addition, their feathers were sleek and glowing with health, so they seemed much more lively and energetic.

Zhao Han greeted Yu Hai and his wife and then smiled at Xiaocao, "Don't rush about right now. Tomorrow we'll start preparing for our trip to the prefectural city. My family isn't good at raising animals, so let's not mess around with those two wild geese. It's better for them to spend an extra day at your place!"

Yu Hai watched as his daughter chatted with Zhao Han and quietly spoke to Madam Liu, "Xiaohan, that child, has always treated people courteously. It's obvious that Sister-in-law Zhao knows how to raise children. Muyun, do you think that Xiaohan treats our youngest daughter a little differently…our family and Older Brother Zhao's family, perhaps we could strengthen our ties with a marriage…"

"Don't speculate idly! Cao'er is still young and who knows what the future will be like? It's fine that you can talk about this in front of me, but you absolutely cannot let anyone else hear you talk. It'll ruin our daughter's reputation!"

Madam Liu also liked Zhao Han. However, per her intuition, she had a feeling that the Zhao Family wasn't from a humble background, especially the madam of the family. Her every movement indirectly revealed that she had a noble background, so it was obvious to Madam Liu that things were not simple. If her hunch was correct, then the Zhao Family had an extraordinary background and were not one that their Yu Family could marry into.

Zhou Zixu, who had just walked out of the room, managed to overhear Yu Hai's words, and he felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. The look in his eyes as he inspected Zhao Han turned a bit resentful. 'He's only from a hunter's family. No matter how much education or manners he has, he's still a crude person. How could he possibly be a good match for his younger sister Xiaocao?'

The still immature youth interpreted the discomfort in his heart as a desire to protect his younger sister. In Zhou Zixu's eyes, his younger sister Xiaocao was even more precious than those so-called young ladies from the wealthy families in town!

Zhao Han saw Zhou Zixu out of the corner of his eye, and he wasn't quite sure what to think of this young master from the Zhou Family. Why did he stay over as a guest at the Yu Family's? However, he restrained the questions within his heart. Instead, he nodded and smiled politely at Third Young Master Zhou. Unexpectedly, he received a look full of dislike from the other youth. Zhao Han felt even more perplexed inside, 'When did I ever offend Third Young Master Zhou? Ah, the thoughts of a young master from a rich family are hard to understand!'

Zhao Han offered the little roe deer that was in his arms and sighed, "Didn't I say that my family is not suited to raise animals? Tiny was only at my family's place for a little bit and has become so listless. We made sure to offer it the best fodder available, but it doesn't seem to want to eat any! Just look, it's gotten so skinny that you can see its rib bones."

"Tiny? Did Tiny get sick?" Little Shitou came out from the back courtyard and felt his heart ache at the sight of the listless little roe deer.

When it saw its playmate, Tiny seemed to become more energetic and used its head to rub Little Shitou's arm. A pair of large and limpid eyes looked piteously at Yu Xiaocao as if it was trying to say, "I won't eat the green vegetables anymore, please let me come back…"

Yes, that's right! This little roe deer couldn't restrain itself from eating the alluring green vegetables that had been watered with mystic-stone water. When the family wasn't careful, it ate a whole patch of green vegetables and had been banished away by Yu Xiaocao to Zhao Han's family. Because Xiaocao had solemnly entrusted to task to him, Zhao Han did his best to take good care of the little roe deer and even bought some of the highest quality feed for it.

However, the little roe deer thinned down with each passing day. If another seven to eight days passed, then it would no longer be able to walk without stumbling. If it still didn't go back home, then he was afraid that the next time Yu Xiaocao saw the deer she would only see a tiny little corpse…

After she saw the little animal's current state, Yu Xiaocao felt her heart soften as she rubbed the little creature's head. She quietly said, "Are you going to eat the vegetables in the future then? Make sure to remember, you absolutely cannot touch anything that is growing in the fields. You got that?"

The little roe deer acted as though it could understand everything she was saying and cheerfully nodded its head. It quickly became much more energetic. Yu Xiaocao laughed and scolded, "You crafty little thing! You know how to injure yourself to gain people's sympathy eh! You've truly become more sentient."

When Zhou Zixu saw Xiaocao smile brightly with her dimples showing when she talked to Zhao Han, the uncomfortable feeling in his heart increased. He scampered over and interjected, "This little roe deer looks pretty clever!"

Hearing the little roe deer getting complimented made Little Shitou feel like he was getting complimented instead. He lifted his chest proudly and said, "Tiny is very well-behaved and never poops around. It can even understand what we say!"

Zhou Zixu continued to praise the little roe deer. As the other people were talking, Yu Xiaocao washed a few vegetables and took off a few leaves before sprinkling some mystic-stone water on top. The little roe deer stared at the leaves unwaveringly and had a completely gluttonous look on its face.

Yu Xiaocao had Little Shitou put the little animal down. The little roe deer first looked at her and only after it got her approval did it rush towards the vegetables leaves and gobble it down happily. As it ate, its shaggy little tail waved happily and both of its ears twitched. It looked incredibly adorable!

"Brother Han, when we go to the prefectural city tomorrow, will Uncle Zhao be going too?" Yu Xiaocao asked quietly as she stood next to Zhao Han, watching the roe deer eat.

Zhao Han smiled and nodded his head, "Yup! The prefectural city is too far from here, so my father doesn't think it's safe for me to go alone!"

Yu Xiaocao pursed her lips and replied somewhat enviously, "The furthest I've been to is the town, I've never been to the prefectural city…"

Zhao Han apparently had heard her hint within her words and looked at her gently, "How about…I could talk to Uncle Yu and see if you could also go with us to the prefectural city?"

Yu Xiaocao's eyes lit up and she secretly glanced at Yu Hai, who was picking vegetables from the fields. She quietly replied, "Do you think that it'll work? The prefectural city is so far from here that we can't get back in the same day. My father will definitely not agree to this."

Zhou Zixu felt rather resentful about Zhao Han 'abducting' Yu Xiaocao. He frowned and earnestly interjected, "Brother Zhao, Younger Sister Xiaocao is not related to you by blood. Although she's young, she's still a girl and is not suited to spend the night away from home."

When she heard Zhou Zixu say that, Xiaocao immediately felt that her hopes were even more uncertain. She pouted her lips in unhappiness.

Zhou Zixu tried to console her, "My family has a small residence in the prefectural city and the renovations are almost finished there. I can bring you to the prefectural city to play and conveniently find a good location to establish a branch of Zhenxiu Restaurant."

A smile stayed on Zhao Han's face but the expression in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Zixu had cooled down perceptibly, "Please excuse my question, but if Xiaocao isn't suited to go to the prefectural city with us, then why is it okay to go there with you? You may have a residence in the city but it's not Xiaocao's family's home. If she stayed there, wouldn't that be the same thing as spending a night away from home?"

"You! Xiaocao is like my younger sister; she's not an outsider!" Zhou Zixu refused to be cowed.

"Pffft—How come I have never heard of Uncle Yu having an additional son?" Zhao Han rebutted fiercely.

"You…how absurd!" Zhou Zixu angrily replied.

"You're the one that's—being completely unreasonable!" Zhao Han's words held a lot of anger.

Yu Xiaocao watched as the two boys continued to fight and felt that it was quite amusing. She couldn't help but let out a peal of laughter. The two youths each looked at her. She waved a hand and managed to stifle her giggles, "You guys continue, just ignore me over here!"

Zhou Zixu and Zhao Han silently looked each other in the eye. For whose benefit were they arguing for?

When Yu Xiaocao noticed that the two youths were finally able to calm down, she made her final plea, "Father, I want to go to the prefectural city tomorrow with Uncle Zhao and Brother Han. Maybe I'll think of a new way to make money along the way?"

Yu Hai heard her plea but before he could answer, Madam Liu butted in to express her thoughts, "Is the town not enough for you that you have to go to the prefectural city? It takes several days by foot to get there. It's already quite tiring for your Uncle Zhao and you want him to help take care of you, a little girl? I absolutely refuse to give you permission!"

Yu Hai had a look of 'there's nothing I can do' on his face. He said, "Your mother is right! Our family is not so poor that we have no options. We don't need to send you, a small girl, to the prefectural city to find work. Relax a bit, you still have your father here!"

In an effort to pull them out of poverty, a little girl who hadn't reached the age of ten had to make braised food, sell her recipes, and even figure out a method to cause vegetables to grow faster. She was so busy that she was getting stretched out like a rubber band. He was really afraid that she might snap under all of the pressure.

Now, their family could sell braised food and vegetables to have a stable income and some savings. They were even on the verge of buying a few shops, so they were no longer considered poor. Thus, they really needed to let his daughter rest a bit.

"But Father…I really want to go to the prefectural city to become more experienced and knowledgeable!" Yu Xiaocao did her best to use every trick in her book to act like a spoiled child. She knew her father was particularly vulnerable to these methods.

Sure enough, Yu Hai's heart softened. He secretly approached his wife and quietly said, "Muyun, Doctor Sun himself had said that our Xiaocao is not a person with an ordinary destiny. She's only nine years old yet she has earned almost two thousand taels. In the future, she will definitely be even more prosperous. As her parents, even though we may not be able to help much, we absolutely cannot pull her down!"

"What do you mean by she won't have an ordinary destiny? Don't forget that Xiaocao is a girl and will need to marry someone in the future! If she was a boy, then I, as her mother, would absolutely support her!" Madam Liu still believed in the old traditional values such as, 'a woman's virtue is to have no talent'. She felt that girls should spend more time at home doing needlework, managing the house and such, but there was no point in spending too much time out in the public.

When Zhou Zixu saw that Xiaocao was about to cry, he immediately forgot his previous position and hurriedly interceded, "Auntie, your beliefs are a little too outdated! It's no longer considered shameful for women to go out of the house and do business. For example, Jiang Siniang herself established the store, 'Exquisite Garments', that is famous and known to everyone in the capital. Even the noblewomen in the capital have a difficult time getting her to make them a piece of clothing that was personally designed and sewn by her. In fact, all of the emperor's imperial consorts want her to enter the palace to create clothing for them! I believe that Xiaocao's future accomplishments,will absolutely not be inferior to Jiang Siniang's! She can only be better!"

Chapter 138 – Plans Settled

Yu Xiaocao stealthily gave Zhou Zixu a look that said, 'you're doing it right!', and continued to plead her case. Her large eyes seemed more innocent and pitiful than a little deer's, so anyone looking at her would feel his or her heart soften.

"Third Young Master, are you saying the truth? Then, does Jiang Siniang's parents really allow her to go out and show her face in public?" Madam Liu had been somewhat persuaded by his words.

Zhou Zixu raised an eyebrow at Zhao Han and then continued, "Our current emperor is in favor of raising women's status in society ah! I heard that after Jiang Siniang became well known for her deeds, the emperor himself had even praised her with this line: 'women are just as capable as men in all they do'. Jiang Siniang's parents were also like Auntie in the beginning and didn't support her. However, after she received the emperor's approval, they slowly began to change and no longer tried to stop her. Now, Jiang Siniang's mother will even help manage some tasks at her store when she has more work than she can get done!"

"But…if a young girl spends all her time out in the public, how could she possibly have any marriage prospects in the future ah!" This was the thing that Madam Liu worried about the most.

Zhou Zixu chuckled, "You don't need to worry about this. With Jiang Siniang's current reputation, there are people lining out the door asking to marry her. I even heard that the current prime minister's eldest son, who is also the eldest grandson of the town's Rongxuan Academy's founder, adores Jiang Siniang for her talents and abilities. He even found someone to act as a matchmaker and it's rumored that they're pretty close to announcing an engagement!"

"Someone who sells her work for a living is in talks about getting married to the prime minister's son? Are you trying to deceive Auntie here?" Madam Liu felt as if she was listening to some mythical story and found it incredibly hard to believe.

"If you don't believe me, then go around and ask other people! Now all of the nobles in the capital no longer want to find a daughter-in-law who is from a wealthy family and follows the three morals and four virtues. Instead, they want to find a woman who is talented, confident, and strives for constant self-improvement. The emperor himself had said: 'a truly beautiful woman is one who is confident and independent'!"

When Yu Xiaocao heard Zhou Zixu describe the current emperor's mentality, she admired and felt extremely curious about this fellow transmigrator who was sitting at the top. In a country that had already experienced the Tang Dynasty's Wu Zetian seizing the throne, the fact that he was willing to raise women's status in society and advocate for women's rights truly meant that he might encounter harsh opposition!

Zhou Zixu continued to persuade her, "Auntie, with Xiaocao's abilities and a few more years, she absolutely can become one of the best culinary talents in the country! Jiang Siniang managed to conquer the country with her embroidery and designing abilities, but Xiaocao has enough talents to also become famous. Auntie, you absolutely cannot restrict Younger Sister Xiaocao in a little town like Tanggu. Wouldn't that be ruining her potential to become a famous chef?"

Madam Liu couldn't tell the north from the south after hearing Zhou Zixu's convincing arguments. She hesitantly looked at her husband and then softly said, "Husband…how about you accompany Cao'er to go to the prefectural city tomorrow?"

"Thank you, Mother! Mother, you're the best! I love you the most!" Xiaocao became wild with joy. She threw herself at Madam Liu and kissed her mother's face several times.

Madam Liu was caught off guard and fell onto ground into the vegetable field, crushing a few heads of leaf lettuce! She half-laughed and half-rebuked her daughter, "Child, what made so crazy? Quickly get up!"

On the side, Yu Hai felt a burst of jealousy, "Only your mother is good? Then what about me, your father, am I no longer good? Don't forget, your old man will be the one painstakingly accompanying you to the prefectural city tomorrow!"

Yu Xiaocao immediately changed her target and placated her jealous father, "Father is also the best! Xiaocao is really too fortunate to have the world's best father and mother!"

"Such a toady!" Little Shitou sourly remarked. He only had two days of break, so he had lost his chance to go to the prefectural city.

Yu Hang leisurely walked up to his little brother and rubbed his small head, "In the future when you have passed the county level exams and need to take the provincial level exams, then you'll have your opportunity to go to the prefectural city. If you feel envious right now, then use your own efforts to achieve your goals!"

Little Shitou wrapped his hands into tight fists and firmly asserted, "Older Brother! The prefectural exam is not my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal is—to reach the imperial court examinations! I will certainly make my parents and second sister proud of me!"

"Yes, Older Brother believes in you! Don't give yourself too much pressure, as long as you do your best, then you won't have any regrets!" Yu Hang didn't want his little brother to lose his innocent heart due to throwing himself into his schoolwork. In addition to raising his confidence, Yu Hang also wanted to give the little fellow some warmth.

This was the first time that Zhou Zixu and Zhao Han saw Yu Xiaocao reveal her childish side. They both thought that it was cute and refreshing and couldn't help but simultaneously reveal gentle smiles.

Zhou Zixu took the lead, "Xiaocao, Uncle Yu, are you guys really going into the prefectural city on foot tomorrow? Even if you walk for the whole day without rest, you may not be able to get there by dark. Can Younger Sister Xiaocao endure a journey like that?"

Xiaocao was afraid that her father would get the idea, again, that she shouldn't go, and hastily replied, "We have Little Gray ah! It shouldn't be a problem for it to pull the four of us in the cart!"

Zhao Han couldn't help but chuckle at the eager expression Xiaocao had on her face, "My family has two horses at home. If Uncle Yu knows how to ride a horse, then my father and I can take one while Uncle Yu and Xiaocao ride the other." "Wow! Brother Han has horses at home? And two of them? Brother Han's family is really rich ah!" Because the start of dynasty occurred after a long and lengthy battle, the price for a horse had risen without stopping. This meant that, for an average family, buying a horse was similar to buying a new car in the modern times. The cheapest and most ordinary horse on the market would cost at least a hundred or so taels to purchase.

Yu Hang gently knocked on his little brother's head and smiled, "Why are you feeling envious? It's not like our family can't afford to buy a horse now, but it's more like we don't need one! After you pass the county level exams, we'll buy you one!"

Perhaps it was due to a boy's temperament, but Little Shitou had always liked horses, even when he was very young. After he heard his brother's suggestion, his eyes lit up, "Older Brother, is that a promise? But isn't our family's money all in Second Sister's hands right now?"

Yu Hang pinched the little boy's face and discovered that it felt quite nice. No wonder his little sister liked abusing this little fellow's face so much! He stopped pinching after the Little Shitou protested and confidently replied, "After I completely recover, I will also help the family earn money. Do you really think that your eldest brother won't be able to save enough money to buy you a horse by the time you pass the county examinations?"

Little Shitou remembered that his oldest brother was always reliable and never promised more than he could provide. He nodded his head eagerly, "Eldest Brother, I believe in you! I will just wait until you buy me a horse then!"

On the other hand, Yu Xiaocao was still negotiating the way they should travel to the prefectural city. Zhou Zixu looked somewhat worriedly at Yu Hai and said, "Uncle Yu says he knows how to ride a horse, but because he doesn't do it often, he's out of practice. If Xiaocao is also riding pillion with him, it won't be very safe, especially for such a long journey, right?"

Zhao Han apparently also had some misgivings. He thought for a bit before he suggested, "How about we get up earlier and ride the horses to town. Aren't there always horse carts in town in the morning that are going to the prefectural city? The carts all have rubber wheels, so Xiaocao would also be more comfortable sitting on one."

"I could also ride Little Gray too! Little Gray is very well-behaved and is also fast on his feet!" Usually when there wasn't anything important going on, Xiaocao and Little Shitou would climb onto Little Gray's back and let the donkey run around the mountain roads a couple of times.

Although Zhou Zixu wasn't entirely happy with the idea, he still honored Xiaocao's choice. He spoke to Yu Hai, "Uncle Yu, you should ride my horse there! My mother had especially chosen a more docile horse for me to ride. Thus, you can all have one person per animal, and it'll be easier that way."

"Okay! Let's just do it that way!" Yu Xiaocao cheerfully decided on the arrangements. Then she immediately started to plan what she needed to bring on the trip. 'We need to take some water ah, dried rations and other stuff like it. We absolutely need to bring some money for traveling expenses, and it cannot be too little…'

"Xiaocao, do you plan on bringing that ginseng to sell?" The ginseng that Little Glutinous Dumpling found had to be at least five hundred years old and was worth quite a lot.

There were a lot of wealthy people in the prefectural city, so it wouldn't be difficult to find a buyer. However, it was possible to become a target for some of the more unscrupulous people. Although Zhao Han had confidence in his and his father's abilities to fight off some small thieves, he was afraid that Xiaocao might become scared from such a situation. Her body had always been weak. Receiving a fright would only cause problems for her.

"Ginseng? What sort of ginseng?" Zhou Zixu couldn't help but ask after seeing the solemn expression on Zhao Han's face.

Xiaocao carelessly replied, "The last time I was in the mountains, I managed to dig up a ginseng that is on the older side. I'm planning on selling it for money."

"If it's a very old ginseng and you're not hurting for money, I advise you to keep ahold of it. In the future, it'll act as a guarantee against a bad situation. After all, old ginseng are objects that can only be discovered but cannot be bought in a place like Tanggu Town." Zhou Zixu liked to prepare for the far-off future. Xiaocao and her mother had weak constitutions. With an old ginseng at home, if anything bad happened, it could be the difference between life and death.

Zhao Han nodded his head in approval, "I also believe that's the best way! After all, it's a ginseng that's over five hundred years old…"

"A ginseng that's at least five hundred years old? You want to sell it? Are you stupid or crazy? Keep it, you have to keep it! Did you know that Tongren Medicine Hall in town, which is a very large pharmacy, rarely sees a hundred year old ginseng, let alone ginseng that's at least five hundred years? If you need money, then come to me first! You absolutely cannot sell that ginseng!"

When Zhou Zixu heard how old the ginseng was, he almost exploded in astonishment. For a family like his, which had been accumulating treasures for several hundred years, their storeroom only had one ginseng that was over five hundred years old. If they didn't cut a few pieces off of the ginseng to simmer into medication for the most recent illness that his grandfather had, then the elderly man might not have survived! Ginseng that was at least five hundred years old…those who had money couldn't find any on the market, and they wanted to sell it? That would truly be an astronomical waste!

"We're not going to sell it, okay! Why are being all agitated now?" Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes inwardly. However, it was better to keep it! Although she currently had the little divine stone as her ace in the hole, it would likely restore all of its spiritual energy one day and leave. Without her godly cheat item, that old ginseng may be the item that could save her entire family.

After confirming the departure time for tomorrow with Xiaocao and her father, Zhao Han said his farewells and left. He also needed to go home to prepare for the journey to the prefectural city.

As for Third Young Master Zhou, after eating a simple yet delicious breakfast at the Yu Residence, he sat on the donkey cart with Yu Hai, who was on his way to the docks to sell braised food. When they got to the docks, he went directly to the oyster sauce factory construction site at the docks. At the most crucial moment, he absolutely would not feel relieved if he wasn't there to supervise everything himself!

At this time, the Yao Family's and Zhenxiu Restaurant's horse carts had arrived at the Yu Family Residence. The tomatoes that everyone had once rejected were now their most popular produce.

Tomatoes that had been watered with mystic-stone water were incredible. No matter if they were eaten raw, stir-fried, stewed in soups, they all tasted amazing. When eaten raw, they were refreshingly sweet and sour, with lots of juice. They not only quenched the thirst but also had a delicious texture. When cooked, they were very versatile and could be used in a multitude of dishes. Some examples included: stir-fried tomatoes with scrambled eggs, tomatoes stir-fried with tofu, tomatoes stir-fried with rice cakes, tomatoes stewed with brisket…Yu Xiaocao could make over ten dishes with tomatoes that all had different flavors.

Chapter 139 – Prefectural City

Yu Xiaocao taught Zhenxiu Restaurant how to cook tomatoes in a few ways. By doing so, she had managed to attract many unexpected customers to the restaurant. The rarer something is, the greater its value. Naturally, the Yu Family's tomatoes were sold at a very expensive price, almost at the level of some extremely rare fruits. The Yu Family's small patch of tomatoes helped them earn quite a bit of wealth.

Although it was now the regular season for produce to hit the market, the Yu Family's vegetables excelled not only in taste but also in freshness compared to the other offerings. Consequently, even though the Yu Family's produce was slightly more expensive than other people's, the Yao Family and Zhenxiu Restaurant still solely bought from them.

Of course, now that it was in season, the vegetables were much cheaper than they were at the start of spring. The days of selling vegetables at a price higher than pork were gone for now!

As the first rays of the morning sun illuminated the top of the West Mountain, the birds still in their nests started to chirp and sing. Yu Xiaocao crawled consciously out of bed to wash her face. Little Shitou huddled within the blankets and watched her enviously.

"If there's anything you want, Older Sister will buy it for you in the prefectural city!" Yu Xiaocao told Little Shitou in a sisterly tone.

Little Shitou thought for a bit and then shook his head, "There's nothing I want, no need to spend money on snacks or toys. If there are any cheap stationery items, like brushes and paper, buy some of those for me. I feel like my calligraphy, compared to the other students in my dorm, is less elegant."

"The students who share a room with you are either from scholarly or wealthy families. For the most part, they likely started learning and practicing at the age of three. How old were you when you got to hold a brush? It's not shameful for you to be a little behind them!" Yu Xiaocao believed that having a competitive spirit wasn't a bad thing but having an obsession with getting first place wasn't good either.

Little Shitou flipped over in the bed and remarked cheerfully, "I'm not comparing myself to other people. The teacher also said that having elegant handwriting will be very helpful for me when I take the exams in the future. I already started later than other people, so I really need to work hard to catch up vigorously. If stationary items are cheaper in the prefectural city compared to town, then please take this opportunity to get more so I have some spares in case! You don't need to spend the family's fund, I have more than enough pocket money to cover the cost!"

Ever since Little Shitou had gone into town to study, Xiaocao had never stopped giving him pocket money. Every week he received at least thirty to fifty copper coins as pocket money. However, the little fellow was thrifty and hated to spend it. Instead, he saved it up to buy brushes, ink, and paper. However, his second sister was too thoughtful and he was never short of those items. Thus, his little purse had over several hundred copper coins in it now.

Yu Xiaocao walked over, pinched his small face, and grinned, "Keep the few coins you have in your purse and use it to buy some snacks! You don't need to worry about getting stationary. After all, you have Second Sister ah! Your second sister has money now and, in the future, will have even more! Just focus on studying and you don't need to think about the rest!"

After the osmanthus duck at Zhenxiu Restaurant became famous, the Yu Family had at least a thousand taels of income every year. Not only could they afford to send one child to school, but if they also wanted to send every child at home to school, it wouldn't be too expensive for them. Being wealthy and prosperous was truly the way to live!

"Uncle Yu, where's Xiaocao? Can we set out now?" The sound of Zhao Han's voice reached both siblings' ears.

Little Shitou gently laughed, "Second Sister, stop touching my face! Don't make Brother Han get anxious from waiting too long!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Xiaocao hurriedly grabbed her small cloth bundle that she had packed the day before and rushed quickly out of the room.

Madam Liu was in the middle of giving the dried rations to her husband when she saw Xiaocao still wearing the clothes she had on yesterday. She frowned, "Didn't I make you a new set of clothing? Quickly change into it!"

"This set is pretty good ah! Don't need to change…" Xiaocao looked at the clothing on her body. Although it was crafted from rough homespun, it didn't have any dirt or patches on it. What's the point in changing?

Yu Hai chuckled, "Your mother told you to change clothing, so you should go change! Wearing new clothing when you head out on a trip will give you good luck."

Yu Xiaocao wanted to argue more but she was pushed by her mother back into the room. Madam Liu took out a brand new, embroidered, cotton-lined coat and bottom from a chest made of rattan. The short jacket was pale blue in color with flowers embroidered at the collar and waist. It was paired with a deep blue pair of culottes that reached the ankles. Although it was technically a pair of culottes, it didn't look any different from a regular skirt. However, it really did have pant legs, and this type of clothing would make it easier for a person to ride a horse or walk long distances.

Although the clothes were made out of cotton cloth, the cloth was of better quality and weave. After washing and starching, it held its shape very well and made the wearer look quite stylish. This was the first time since she had transmigrated over that Yu Xiaocao was able to wear a set that was so formal. She turned a few times in front of Madam Liu, admiring herself. Her two hands went to frame her face as she beamed a smile, "Mother, am I pretty?"

"Alright, stop showing off your looks! Sit down, Mother will help you style your hair into two buns." Madam Liu had deft and nimble hands. Before long, she finished styling Xiaocao's hair and used a long band of ribbon to decorate, tying it into a large bow.

With the waist of her short jacket emphasizing her slender and delicate waist, two hair buns, a tender and pale snow-white face, and a pair of large, limpid dark eyes, Xiaocao looked incredibly adorable.

When Zhao Han, who was in the midst of harnessing up the little donkey with a horse saddle, saw the dressed up Yu Xiaocao, he almost didn't recognize her. He looked closely at her for a bit before he joked, "Oh! Where did this beautiful girl from a humble family come from? Looks so cute and adorable!"

Yu Xiaocao opened her eyes wide and put both hands on her hips. She lightly said, "Brother Han, are you trying to flirt with me?"

Zhao Han's face immediately turned bright red, and he couldn't meet her gaze, "I…I was sincerely trying to compliment you!"

Madam Liu hit Xiaocao on the back and soothed Zhao Han, "Don't pay any attention to this little girl. She likes to say weird things from time to time. I really don't know what to do with her! Everyone should quickly head out now, otherwise you might not make it to the prefectural city before it gets dark!"

Xiaocao's back hurt quite a bit from the hit, so she pouted and muttered under her breath, "If you hadn't told me to change clothes, then we would almost be at the town right now. I was only teasing Brother Han a little, but you hit me so hard. Am I really your biological daughter?"

"We picked you up from a sweet potato patch!" Madam Liu scolded huffily. After escorting her daughter and husband to the gate and helping her husband support Xiaocao onto Little Gray's back, she repeatedly reminded them, "You two don't have great equestrian skills. Ride a bit slower and be careful on the road!"

The saddle on Little Gray's back was the one that Zhao Han used when he was a kid, so it fit perfectly on the little donkey's back. Fortunately, when Madam Liu was sewing the new clothes, Xiaocao had her change the skirt into culottes. This made it easy for her to sit astride on the saddle. The legs of the culottes were wide and spacious, so it looked like two sides of a skirt arranged around the saddle. The fabric swayed along with the donkey's steps.

At the beginning, Xiaocao felt a bit nervous riding on the donkey's back. The father and son from the Zhao Family deliberately went at a slower pace to match the Yu Family's comfort level.

Gradually, Xiaocao got the hang of it and no longer sat stiffly in the saddle. The little donkey felt its master relax, and its steps became much more cheerful and at ease.

After consuming lots of mystic-stone water, Little Gray's intelligence was not any less than the two fine steeds from the Zhao Family. It didn't need Xiaocao's commands at all and had a fast and steady gait. It was even faster than Yu Hai's steed, and ended up at the front of the group.

Xiaocao didn't feel like she was being jolted on this ride, even though they were still on the same rugged and craggy mountain roads. It was much more comfortable than sitting on the donkey cart. It sparked a thought for Xiaocao: 'Next time I go into town, maybe I should just ride on the donkey?'

Before long, Yu Hai's equestrian skills also improved, and the speed of the group gradually increased. The Zhao father and son pair were amazed that the Yu Family's donkey, no matter what the speed or distance, was able to keep up with the three horses.

Because the little donkey was more capable than they expected, the four of them arrived at the prefectural city two hours earlier than they had predicted.

The prefectural city was a city and thus was livelier and larger compared to Tanggu Town. Its streets were wide and smooth, with shops boarding both sides. The sun was slowly setting towards the horizon, and its lingering glow illuminated green tiled roofs, red colored walls, and the spaces between buildings. There was a three-story building crafted from red bricks with a green-tiled roof, a shop sign fluttering high in the wind, and the sounds of horse carriages surrounded them…all of this showed that the prefectural city was prosperous and flourishing.

Yu Xiaocao held the reins of the little donkey as stood on the road, watching the stream of people around her bustling busily. There were some who were elegant, some who were fresh, some who were sincere, and some who were experienced. Her ears were filled with the sounds of peddlers bawling their wares punctuated by the occasional high-pitched neigh of a horse. It was the scene of a golden age, flourishing beyond her dreams…

Zhao Bufan had previously visited the prefectural city, so he was already used to the sight of all of the people. He softly consulted the Yu father and daughter pair for their opinions, "Brother Dahai, should we find a place to lodge first, or should we walk around first?"

Yu Hai looked at his daughter and asked, "Cao'er, what do you want to do?"

"How about we first find a place to stay first. We should feed Little Gray and the horses, and also freshen ourselves up. It won't be too late to look around after doing that!" In any case, they were going to stay at the prefectural city for two nights, so they had all of tomorrow to walk around. They didn't need to try to fit everything in tonight.

Zhao Han immediately expressed his approval, "Xiaocao, I know a night market in the area. It's pretty exciting at night with a lot of snacks from different provinces and you can even find some good deals too. You will probably like it!"

"Okay, okay! We'll go stroll around the night market tonight and eat some snacks!" In her previous life, Yu Xiaocao had started working to support her family when she was fifteen to sixteen years of age. She was always busy and had very little time to do things like walk around a night market and taste snacks. In this life, she still needed to make money; however, she could also take the time to have some fun and enjoy the scenes of life.

The group of four found a clean inn to live in that was near the night market that Zhao Han had mentioned. The prefectural city was considered a large city, so the expenses there were naturally higher. Although this small inn was located at a relatively remote area, it cost a hundred and fifty copper coins a night. In total, for four people, it came out to six hundred copper coins a night, which didn't include food and drink expenses. For two nights, more than a tael would be spent!

Yu Xiaocao first went to the back courtyard and made sure to take good care of Little Gray and the three horses. On the way to the city, in order to conserve the animals' strength, Xiaocao had fed them almost all of the mystic-stone water that was kept in her personal water pouch.

The inn provided fodder for the animals. The three horses had a decent appetite. They had only had some water during the whole journey, so they had long been hungry. When the fodder came out, all of them ate it with delight. However, the little donkey had been raised by Xiaocao, so it was much pickier. It impatiently stomped its hooves and disdained the provided fodder as below its status.

This little inn was run by a family. The person in charge of feeding the animals was a young girl about the same age as Xiaocao. When she noticed that the gray donkey didn't want to eat, she asked Xiaocao, "Is this donkey not feeling well? How come it doesn't want to eat food ah?"

Yu Xiaocao smiled, "My family's Little Gray has been spoiled rotten by me. It doesn't like eating food that's given to it by outsiders. Little sister, give the fodder to me, I'll feed my donkey."

The little girl also had to go into the kitchen to light the fire. When she heard what Xiaocao said, she placed the fodder from her basket into Xiaocao's hands and said, "Then I'll have to inconvenience you, guest!"

Chapter 140 – Shopping Around

Yu Xiaocao waited until the young girl walked far away. Only then did she sprinkle the remaining water from her water pouch onto the fodder. She placed the improved fodder into the feed trough in front of Little Gray. The little donkey licked her hand and then cheerfully started eating. The other three horses apparently could tell that the fodder in front of Little Gray was different and stretched out their necks. If they didn't have their lead ropes pulling them back, they would have long started fighting over the food with Little Gray.

Xiaocao shook her water pouch, showing that it was completely empty. She stroked Third Young Master Zhou's little red horse and softly said, "Just accept these less than ideal circumstances for tonight, I'll make sure to give you guys something good to eat tomorrow!"

Little Gray somehow knew that its own food was being eyed with jealousy by the other three horses, so it rapidly inhaled all of the fodder until the trough was swept clean. Satisfied, it opened its mouth and nickered a few times. The other three horses had nothing to fight for so they had no choice but to eat what was left in their own food bins.

Zhao Han had finished moving their items into the room and came over. He noticed Xiaocao in the back courtyard and asked, "Xiaocao, do you want to rest a bit?"

"I'm not tired, let's stroll around the vicinity!" Although riding a donkey for a long distance was hard and tiring, Xiaocao had her cheat item: mystic-stone water. Just drinking a mouthful was enough to energize her and eliminate fatigue.

The small inn was in a location where the commoners of the prefectural city lived. Nearby, there were shops that sold small goods that were almost the same price as the same goods in Tanggu Town. However, they had varieties of cloth material and designs of jewelry that could not be found in the smaller town.

At one of the shops in the vicinity, Xiaocao immediately noticed a thin cotton cloth that caught her eye. It was dyed with an elegant pattern that reminded one of tree branches. If Madam Liu had a piece of clothing made from this cloth, she would definitely look very stylish. The cloth sold in Tanggu Town were either dyed a simple color or over-the-top with bright colors and patterns that could seem garish on some people. She needed to buy more of this type of simple yet elegant material to bring back home.

Xiaocao was never extremely frugal with her own spending. In addition, the price for the cloth was not expensive, as it was about the same as those found in Tanggu Town. But, there was more variety. She asked the shopkeeper to cut her ten feet of each cloth that she liked. Behind her, Zhao Han soon found his hands full of cloth bundles.

Not far from them, there was a small silverware store. Xiaocao remembered that when her mother was doing her hair she had lamented that they didn't have any hair ornaments. They could only use leftover scraps from sewing clothes to tie a bow onto her hair.

All girls loved to dress up, so Xiaocao stepped into the silverware store without any hesitation. Inside the store, there was a twelve to thirteen year old girl at the counter. Although she was average looking, she had a business-like demeanor.

When she saw a customer step in, the girl didn't judge the person by the way she looked and still warmly greeted her, "Little sister, do you want some jewelry? Where are your parents?"

This was the first time that Yu Xiaocao had entered into a silverware store. Her eyes looked avidly around and were caught by the glittering and shining pieces of jewelry in the store. With her family's current financial situation, buying gold ornaments would be a bit too ostentatious and inconsistent with Xiaocao's desire to stay under the radar. She still needed time to implement more money-making schemes.

She smiled at the shopkeeper girl and went to the display counter that had silver ornaments. The display had a layer of dark colored cloth at the bottom, which made the silver jewelry inside seem more bright and shiny.

At this point, the shopkeeper girl saw Zhao Han, who had just entered the store. Although Zhao Han was only around twelve to thirteen years of age, he had a sturdy and tall body from practicing martial arts all year round. In the young girl's eyes, Zhao Han had become Xiaocao's older brother who was taking his younger sister around shopping.

The two of them were only wearing clothes made of the most ordinary type of cotton cloth, but the workmanship was very fine, especially the set on Xiaocao. It emphasized Xiaocao's fine and slim figure, making her look like a slender and elegant flower. She really had the air of a beautiful girl born from a humble family.

The girl attentively recommended Xiaocao some pieces of jewelry in the case, "Little sister, this is a pair of earrings shaped like lilacs. The design is quite lively and really suits girls around your age. Do you want to try…"

She picked up the pair of silver lilac earrings and gestured towards Xiaocao's ears. Only then did she notice that the little girl's ears had not been pierced yet, so she smiled apologetically at Xiaocao. She placed the silver earrings down and picked up a set of jewelry decorated with pearls.

Xiaocao noticed that the pair of lilac earrings had fine workmanship. The tiny lilac flowers seemed vivid and lifelike and glimmered gently in the last rays of the setting sun. Because she had a weak constitution since she was young, Madam Liu wasn't willing to pierce her ears. However, Xiaolian had pierced ears. This pair of lilac earrings really fit Xiaocao's tastes, and she asked the girl about the price. They were only twenty copper coins, so she immediately bought them.

Following that, she picked out a pair of twining silver bracelets for Madam Liu as well as a Yulan magnolia [1] hairpin made of silver. She had heard Xiaolian mention that their mother had originally had a Yulan magnolia hairpin just like this one that was brought over as her dowry. However, when Xiaocao had fallen ill as a child, they had sold it to get the money to pay for her medicine. This silver hairpin should help soothe Madam Liu's previous regrets!

Naturally, Xiaocao didn't forget to buy things for herself and picked up a pair of pearl and coral bracelets. She also chose a similar style for Xiaolian, just with different colored pearls. Finally, she also bought a few headbands that were embroidered with gold thread. She wanted to gift these to the sisters of the Zhou Family as well as Qian Wu's younger sister.

Picking out items here and there had unexpectedly racked up a bill of six taels. The young shopkeeper girl was a bit worried that this pair of 'siblings' didn't bring enough money with them. After all, the clothes they were wearing were not the type that the children from rich families would wear. What sort of ordinary family would give their children five to six taels of money for buying jewelry? Even in the prefectural city, an ordinary family's dowry for their daughter would not exceed ten taels worth of jewelry.

The young girl felt somewhat anxious but kept a smile on her face, "Altogether, it comes out to six taels and two hundred copper coins. My shop's jewelry is all self-made, so I'll just waive the small change. Just give me six taels in total!"

Six taels total? This is absolutely not expensive! The pair of bracelets and silver hairpin had to weigh almost two ounces total. If the shop also had to pay for a silversmith to shape these items, then the shop really wouldn't have much profit. Fortunately, this shop made all of its own items, so it saved a bit on the wages for the smith.

Xiaocao took out her embroidered money pouch and fished out an ingot of silver worth around ten taels. She then took the smaller pieces of change and stuffed them into the pouch. Xiaolian had actually embroidered this pouch, so it had a unique sunflower design on the outside.

The shopkeeper girl was interested in the design on the pouch. After getting Xiaocao's permission, she sketched the pattern out. The girl was the daughter of an old silversmith and had a lot of talent in creating and making silver jewelry. The jewelry she made were not only delicately pretty but also had a lot of liveliness.

The sunflower embroidered on this tiny pouch inspired her limitlessly. Not long in the future, sunflower inspired jewelry would become very popular for a period of time in the prefectural city. This tiny silver crafts shop also gradually became more famous. Thus, the jewelry that this little girl made would also become more liked by masses…

The sky had already become dark. After they left the jewelry store, Xiaocao felt bad having Zhao Han carrying all of these packages around while accompanying her to the night market. So, they went back to the inn and put the newly bought items away. Yu Hai was afraid that it wasn't safe for the two children to wander around at night, so he also came out with them.

The night market that Zhao Han recommended was really quite lively. It was brightly lit and multitudes of people swarmed around. Shops and stalls lined both sides of the street and each booth had two lanterns hanging on the awning. Occasionally, the flame within the lanterns would flicker a bit and made the lighting in the area take on a dream-like splendor.

The night market not only had people selling all sorts of trinkets and gadgets, but also many stalls of snacks that ranged from the northern to southern provinces. There were sticky rice cakes, wontons, stuffed glutinous rice balls, flaky pastries, rice noodles…the three of them ate snacks down the whole street until all of their bellies were about to burst. All three of them exclaimed and rubbed their tummies in discomfort.

Only when the night market was about to close did Xiaocao reluctantly leave. She commented wistfully, "Although the food here has an authentic flavor, I believe I could make food that is a hundred times tastier if I lived nearby."

"Eh? What sort of ideas do you have? Tell us. If it's feasible, we can also sell them at the docks!" Zhao Han had also tried Xiaocao's food and believed in her culinary talents completely.

Xiaocao smiled somewhat reminiscently, "I want to create skewer hotpot. Anything can be put on bamboo skewers, such as meat, vegetables, eggs, seafood…I also want to simmer a pot of spicy and savory soup to go with it…that being said, I'm starting to feel hungry again!" Yu Hai looked at his daughter, who seemed to have stars whirling around in her eyes, gently patted her head, and chuckled, "There are already people at the docks measuring up the area. Before long, they will start doing construction. Third Young Master had said that in the future the docks will become the largest port in the north. There will absolutely be much more people there than before. In the future, we can have a shop there selling braised food as well as the skewers in soup that you were talking about!"

"How about…you first make some, and I can help you try them. If they are truly as delicious as you say, you absolutely can make money off of them!" Zhao Han felt the gluttonous monster inside him rear its head when he heard Xiaocao's descriptions. Who knew how long it would take for the port to finish construction, so didn't that mean he had to wait an unknown period of time to satisfy his cravings for skewer hotpot? The best scenario would be for Xiaocao to first make some, so he could eat to his heart's content.

"Not a problem! Tomorrow, let's buy some spices and seasonings in the city. When we get back home, I'll make some for you to try!" The materials to make food skewers could be found anywhere. For example: Chinese cabbage, green vegetables, romaine lettuce, tofu, mushrooms and other such vegetables were quite cheap. As long as one simmered a tasty soup, you could boil whatever you wanted in it. What a treat!

The three people started to walk back towards the inn as they continued to discuss skewers simmered in soup. Suddenly, someone blocked their way. This person had a tall and imposing figure, which showed that he had done martial arts since he was young. He stared at Zhao Han for a good while before he asked somewhat emotionally, "Excuse me, younger brother, are you surnamed Zhao?"

Zhao Han stopped smiling and pursed his brows. He replied cautiously, "You, do you recognize me?"

"No, no! Little brother, you look very similar to my teacher, and my respected teacher's surname was Zhao…" When the large man didn't hear him refute, he became even more excited. His fierce looking eyes started to hold back tears.

Zhao Han actually didn't look much like his father and took after his grandfather instead. The Zhao Family all seemed to have a natural talent for martial arts. Even though Zhao Han was only a preteen, a group of five to six ordinary men wouldn't be his opponent.

Zhao Han carefully sized up the large man in front of him and apparently made a decision. He stowed away his suspicious nature and asked in a low voice, "Excuse me, but are you surnamed 'Fang'? The 'Fang' from the word for house?"

"Yes, yes! I am your martial uncle, Fang Zizhen ah! Ah, esteemed teacher…is your grandfather's health still okay? Where have you all been living in hiding, I've been looking for you all for over twenty years…" The large man couldn't restrain himself and clasped Zhao Han's shoulder. A smile that almost split his face open blossomed wide. Zhao Han naturally knew of Fang Zizhen. His grandfather had adopted an orphan and treated him like a son, teaching him everything he knew. He was taught the Zhao Family's familial martial arts. It was said that before Fang Zizhen went missing, his martial arts abilities were on par with his grandfather's. If there wasn't that bitter and desperate battle, it was likely that Martial Uncle Fang would even exceed his grandfather's abilities.

[1] Yulan magnolia – flowering tree that was regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang Dynasty. Currently the official city flower of Shanghai.