141 Saving Food
"You have an ox-cart anyway. It's easy for you to go to town," Aunt Sun said.
"Yes, it seems easy to make the cold glutinous cakes. You can make them in the afternoon and sell them in the market in the west of the city the next morning," There was a bit of envy in Aunt Jiang's eyes.
It was a pity that she didn't have the skills. Besides, they didn't have an ox-cart, so it wasn't convenient for her to do business in town.
The Liu family was really different.
Lin Xiaoyue had initiatives and found a strong husband. If the family worked hard for a few more years, they might have everything they wanted.
Actually, they were already very powerful now. Other families would not be able to build such a good house even if they worked hard for more than ten years.
"I'll try it. I don't know if it will work," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Lin Xiaoyue was chatting with Aunt Sun and the others when she saw Li Xiao bring Xiao Qing and Lin Xiaozhi out with farming tools.
She quickly bade farewell to the ladies, went to get a hoe and followed them.
She wasn't really in the mood to chat with them.
She would rather go to the ground with Li Xiao.
Besides, the land had to be cleaned up as soon as possible so that she could plant chili seedlings.
Outside the Liu residence.
It was already past 4 o'clock, and the sun wasn't as bright.
Li Xiao, Xiao Qing, and Lin Xiaozhi started to work under Lin Xiaoyue's guidance.
Of course, Li Xiao was the most efficient one.
Although Xiao Qing was serious, he couldn't work for long.
Lin Xiaozhi was doing it purely for fun.
"You two, just treat it as exercise. You can't just study and not exercise," Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
"Especially you, Qing'er. Your body is too weak, so you need more sun exposure and exercise."
"It'll be the same when you go to the academy in the future. You have to move around more every day, so that you'll be healthier."
"Yes, aunty," Xiao Qing wiped the sweat off his forehead and smiled at Lin Xiaoyue.
His uncle had told him before he left the house that she asked him and Xiaozhi to come along so that they were not cooped up at home the whole day.
After working for a while, he realized that even though he was tired and hot, he felt much more relaxed.
"Me too!" Lin Xiaozhi smiled and looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"Besides, you'll know that it's not easy to bring food to the table."
"Every grain of rice we eat is carefully grown."
"You have to plow the land, sow seeds, fertilize, harvest and process it. Only then can it be turned into grain. None of the processes are simple."
"Yes," Xiao Qing nodded his head repeatedly as he listened.
Lin Xiaozhi, who was beside him, also nodded.
"Each grain in your dish is packed with sweat. Being thrifty is a virtue. In the future, we can't waste food even if we're rich."
Her grandparents had instilled this value in her in her previous life. After the apocalypse, she had a deeper understanding of it.
"Yes!" Xiao Qing nodded his head seriously. He was deeply moved.
Even Li Xiao, who was digging not far away, was shocked by Lin Xiaoyue's words.
"Each grain in your dish is packed with sweat." Well said.
"Did you come up with this expression?" Xiao Qing looked at Lin Xiaoyue with some admiration.
After being in the Liu family for so long, he realized that his aunt was really good at hiding her true abilities.
The stories she told Xiaozhi were all philosophical. And the arithmetic she taught her was elegant.
142 Empathizing with the Farmers
If it wasn't for his uncle's investigation, which confirmed that she was born and raised in Daishi Village, he would have suspected that she had an extraordinary background.
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
"Oh, my master came up with that," she said.
In any case, she would just push it all onto her non-existent master.
Lin Xiaoyue did not notice that Li Xiao glanced at her when she mentioned her master.
"It was actually from a poem, I'll teach it to you." It was indeed from a classic poem that she had learned in elementary school.
"Thanks aunty!" Xiao Qing was a little excited. He even stood up and bowed to Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaozhi quickly followed suit.
Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"Alright, repeat after me."
"Harvesting crops at noon…"
"Harvesting crops at noon …"
"Sweat drops on the earth…"
"Sweat drops on the earth…"
"…"
The lively chanting continued.
Even Li Xiao couldn't help but repeat after her.
Lin Xiaoyue continued working until she couldn't anymore.
"Well, it's really hard to work in the fields. Work hard, you two, and don't have to live a life of labor." Such familiar words. Her grandparents had said the same thing to her back then.
It was hard to have a good life without any skill.
Lin Xiaoyue dropped her hoe and gave up.
She went to the place where Xiao Qing and Lin Xiaozhi were resting and sat down next to them.
Seeing that Li Xiao was still working, Lin Xiaoyue was quite impressed.
"You've been working for half a day, come over and rest for a while." She said to Li Xiao
Fortunately, she bought him. Otherwise, it would have taken her and her mother a lot of effort to clean up the land.
"No, I want to finish it by today." Without even looking at Lin Xiaoyue, Li Xiao continued to dig, as if he was not tired at all.
Lin Xiaoyue and the two children looked at each other, and the word "admiration" was written in their eyes.
After resting for a while, Lin Xiaoyue looked at the watch in her interspatial ring and realized that it was already half past four.
Hence, she quickly got up.
"The cold cakes are almost ready, I'm going back!"
"I'll go with you!" Lin Xiaozhi quickly got up.
Xiao Qing's face was also filled with excitement. Just as he was about to get up, he stopped.
Lin Xiaoyue saw Xiao Qing's reaction.
"Qing'er, come with us. Let's go back and eat the cold cakes!" Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile and left.
Xiao Qing stood up and looked at Li Xiao.
"Uncle…" He said with a red face.
"If you want to go, then go ahead," he replied and continued to work without looking at him.
"Thank you, uncle!" Xiao Qing said and ran after Lin Xiaoyue and Lin Xiaozhi.
Li Xiao only put down the hoe after the three of them were gone.
Then, he smiled and shook his head.
She was really like a king of children.
Lin Xiaoyue took the two children to the stream to wash their hands, and then removed the cloth to look at the cold cakes.
After making sure that the cold cakes were ready, she took the bucket of cold cakes and brought it back to the kitchen.
Then, she took out a bowl and a spoon, filling seven bowls with cold cakes.
Then, she drizzled it with the thick brown sugar syrup that she prepared earlier, and served them.
"Let's go. We'll send some to mom and the aunties," Lin Xiaoyue said to the two children.
"Yes!" The two children quickly carried a bowl of cold cake each and followed Lin Xiaoyue to the courtyard.
143 Seven Wen for Two Bowls
It was the first time Aunt Sun and the others saw the cold glutinous cake. They complimented Lin Xiaoyue as soon as they saw it.
After they ate it, they couldn't stop saying how good it was.
"Yue'er, I think this can make money. It's definitely possible!"
"That's right, the taste is really not bad! You can easily sell it for five wen a bowl in town!" Aunt Jiang added.
"Delicious!" Jiang Xiaohua said.
Looking at the cold cake in the bowl, she couldn't bear to take a big bite, lest she finished it too quickly.
"Hehe, it's good that you like it. There's more in the kitchen, you can have another bowl after you're done!" Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
Aunt Sun's eyes lit up, but she quickly hid it.
"It's good enough that you gave each of us a bowl. This is what you're going to sell for money, you can't fill our mouths with it."
Aunt Jiang also nodded.
"That's right. The refined rice and brown sugar aren't cheap, and you've spent quite a bit on this."
Jiang Xiaohua wanted more, but she didn't say anything.
"You are too polite, it's not that much money," Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile, her eyes looking at Liu Shi.
After that, she confirmed that her mother didn't tell them about the cost of the cold cakes.
That's good. The fewer people who knew about this, the better.
As for Aunt Wang, their families were closer.
In addition, she also planned to start the cold cake business with Aunt Wang and Erya.
"Alright! If there's more in the kitchen, can you give me four bowls? I'll bring it back for my family to try. Uncle Sun was still thinking about your cold cake from yesterday!" Aunt Sun said as she reached into her pocket for money.
"Forget about the money," Lin Xiaoyue quickly pushed Aunt Sun's hand away.
"Why not? It's the same as you selling it in town tomorrow. Take the 16 wen!" With that, Aunt Sun forcefully stuffed the coins into Lin Xiaoyue's hands.
"Just take it. I'll just get more cold cakes for Aunt Sun!" Liu Shi said with a smile.
Only then did Lin Xiaoyue accept it.
However, after taking the money, she stuffed another 2 wen back into Aunt Sun's hands.
"Then I'll be thick-skinned and take the money, but I can't sell them at the same price to you. If you want to buy them, I'll just charge you 7 wen for two bowls!"
Aunt Sun couldn't stop smiling, "you're such an honest girl!"
"Sure, then I'll come to your house to buy it if I want to have more in the future!" Aunt Sun said.
After thinking for a while, she actually took out another 5 wen and stuffed them back into Lin Xiaoyue's hands, along with the 2 wen that Lin Xiaoyue had returned to her.
"Then just make it six bowls! One won't be enough for my grandson!" Besides, she could also have another bowl.
It was made of polished rice, and a bowl of it cost less than 4 wen, which was not expensive at all.
Lin Xiaoyue looked awkward as she looked at Liu Shi.
"Keep it. In the future, if anyone from our village comes to buy the cold cakes, they will all be sold at this price," Liu Shi said.
This reminded her of something. Perhaps she could ask her daughter to make more cold cakes. The villagers were currently busy with the autumn harvest, so there might be many people willing to buy them.
Lin Xiaoyue had calculated the cost, which was less than 1 wen per bowl. Selling two bowls for 7 wen could yield a high profit.
"Thank you Aunt Sun," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Just as she was about to go to the kitchen, Aunt Jiang suddenly spoke up.
"I'll have four bowls too! My husband also missed this. Besides, I want to let Lamei and Juhua have a taste too!"
144 Selling Cold Cakes to the Villagers
As she spoke, she took out a purse from her pocket and counted fourteen wens.
She and her daughter had eaten two bowls of cold cakes for free. Now that Aunt Sun was paying for it, she felt like she had to as well.
Besides, it was indeed delicious, but Lin Xiaoyue was nice and didn't ask her to buy it.
Since her husband had also earned some money from working with the Liu family, she would buy some cold cakes and let everyone try them.
"Eh, alright!" Lin Xiaoyue glanced at Aunt Jiang for a moment, took the money and went to the kitchen.
Then, she took out two big empty bowls and cut the cold cake into 10 pieces.
Then, she poured some brown sugar syrup on it and brought them to the courtyard.
Aunt Sun and Aunt Jiang took their leave after getting the cold cakes, saying that they would bring back the empty bowls.
After everyone had left, Liu Shi looked at her daughter.
"There are many people in the village. I think we can make some and sell it to them. Also, send some to Aunt Wang later and let's have some ourselves. Will it be enough for tomorrow? "
Lin Xiaoyue walked to Liu Shi's side and pulled her to sit on the bench.
"We can indeed sell some in the village, but we'll talk about it when we come back from town tomorrow. It's mainly because we don't have that many wooden buckets at home."
"Then go to the grocery store tomorrow and buy a few more," Liu Shi quickly said.
"I'm afraid a few won't be enough. But we'll see. Anyway, we'll be going to town often in the future, so we can buy more if it's not enough!"
"Yes."
Lin Xiaoyue stood up.
"I'll go get another bowl for you." As she spoke, she went to pick up the empty bowl.
"No need, leave this to me. Bring one to Xiao'er," Liu Shi said as she stood up.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"Alright!" She turned around and left.
When she heard Liu Shi chuckling, she subconsciously quickened her pace.
Hmph, her mother was laughing at her…
Back in the kitchen, Lin Xiaoyue cut two pieces of cold cake for Li Xiao, and then brought her own bowl to the field.
Before she arrived, she saw Li Xiao eating cold cakes with the two children.
Seeing that Lin Xiaoyue had brought him another bowl, Li Xiao happily ate the cold cake she brought.
"At this rate we will finish everything."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and put the bowl aside.
"Mom also said the same."
"She even asked me to buy a few more buckets tomorrow and make more. We also want to sell them to the villagers."
Li Xiao agreed.
"Sure." Anyway, the stone mill was ready, so it was easy to make the cold cakes.
"If we're selling it to the villagers, we'll have to leave someone at home," Lin Xiaoyue said.
"I…I can stay at home and sell cold cakes with Xiaozhi!" Xiao Qing suddenly said.
He wanted to help the family.
"Yes, I'll stay with Qing'er!" Lin Xiaozhi quickly followed.
Li Xiaoyueand Li Xiao both smiled.
"I'm afraid you'll eat more than you sell," Lin Xiaoyue reached out and touched Lin Xiaozhi's little nose.
"Aiyo!" The boy frowned and tried to avoid his sister's hand.
"I promise I'll only eat one bowl, no, two bowls! Then, I'll sell the rest!"
145 Going to Ruyi Restaurant
"Hahahaha …" Lin Xiaoyue and Li Xiao laughed.
Even Xiao Qing's face turned red.
They couldn't possibly think that he wanted to help sell the cold cakes because he was greedy, right? He really wasn't thinking of that.
However, if he and Xiaozhi were to do that, and if he saw Xiaozhi eat them, he might really not be able to control himself…
"Alright, you don't have to worry about that. When the time comes, I'll ask mom to stay at home, and you two can help with the odd jobs."
It was not easy to set up a stall in town, and she was not going to let her mother work so hard.
Her mother's health was not good to begin with, so it was better for her to stay at home.
After chatting with Li Xiao about selling cold cakes in town tomorrow, Lin Xiaoyue took the two children back to clean the bowls.
Then, she cut a big bowl of cold cake and went to Aunt Wang's house.
After that, she came back and started a fire to prepare dinner.
The next day.
The Liu family got up early.
After breakfast, Li Xiao rode the ox-cart to town with Liu Shi and Lin Xiaoyue.
After arriving in Qingshi Town, Lin Xiaoyue first asked Li Xiao to take her to Ruyi Restaurant, and then asked Li Xiao to set up the stall with Liu Shi.
When the waiter in the kitchen saw Lin Xiaoyue enter, he smiled and greeted her.
"Oh, Miss Lin? I haven't seen you in a while!" The waiter, Liu San, said.
He thought that she was no ordinary person. Although she was a girl, she was an expert in hunting.
He also heard that she was very good at arithmetic. Even Young Master Liang, who used to be the accountant, asked her for advice on arithmetic.
"I'm busy with building the house, so I didn't come over," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Liu San looked at the basket in Lin Xiaoyue's hand, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes.
"What is this?" There didn't seem to be any prey inside.
"Oh, this is a snack that I made. I'm bringing it to Uncle Liu to try," Lin Xiaoyue looked inside. "Is he in?"
"Yes, he's here! I'll go get him!" Liu San retracted his gaze from Lin Xiaoyue's basket and turned to walk inside.
"Uncle! Miss Lin is here!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.
After a while, Chef Liu came out.
"Why are you shouting so loudly? I'm not deaf!" Chef Liu walked out of the kitchen.
At first, he glared at Liu San. Then, when he saw Lin Xiaoyue in the courtyard, his face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Aiya, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you? Is your house done?" He didn't care about Liu San anymore and quickly walked towards Lin Xiaoyue.
"Thanks to you, it's already completed!" Lin Xiaoyue smiled and replied.
"Great! Then when will you come back to sell us more prey again? Recently, there have been many customers who want meat, so the shopkeeper asked us to buy more!" Chef Liu looked at Lin Xiaoyue with a smile.
It wasn't that there were a lot of customers who wanted to eat meat recently, but that their meat dishes were easy to sell.
Previously, this girl and her fiancé often came to sell them prey, and in large quantities, so they sold a lot of meat dishes.
However, they didn't come recently, so the amount of meat had decreased by a lot.
He knew that they were busy with building the house. Otherwise, he would be worried that they would go to other restaurants.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled in embarrassment.
"I'm not going into the mountains to hunt for the time being. I'm afraid I won't be able to sell you any more prey at the moment."
Chef Liu's face froze.
146 Meeting Manager Liang
"Why?" A hunter's family suddenly said that they were not going to hunt anymore?
"Nothing. It's just that it isn't that easy to hunt prey in midsummer. My mother is afraid that something will happen to us, so she won't let us go into the deep mountains," Lin Xiaoyue explained.
Chef Liu nodded, looking a little disappointed.
"That's true, safety first," he said.
"Then why did you come here?" He asked Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue quickly raised the bamboo basket in her hands higher.
"Mom didn't allow us to enter the mountain, so I made this snack. It's our first day selling in town, so I brought it here for you to try."
Chef Liu looked at Lin Xiaoyue with a smile.
"Are you really giving it to me to try, or are you giving it to Ruyi Restaurant?" He smiled and asked Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"I can't hide it from you. But I really want to give it to you to try. If you think it's okay and I can get your recommendation, I will be very grateful. If you don't like it, I will never make things difficult for you."
"Alright, then let's try it!" Chef Liu said straightforwardly.
Lin Xiaoyue's face lit up with a smile. "Thank you!"
Then, she walked to the side and placed the basket on the table.
She cut a piece of cold cake and put it into a small bowl. Then, she poured some of the brown sugar syrup from the small bottle on it.
Chef Liu looked at the cold cake in Lin Xiaoyue's hand, and his eyes were filled with anticipation.
"What kind of snack is this? Sweet?" He asked.
The brownish-red liquid did not look like soy sauce, but rather like brown sugar syrup.
"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue responded and handed the small bowl to Chef Liu with a smile.
"It is called cold glutinous cake. It's made by grinding polished rice and then boiling it. When paired with brown sugar syrup, it's very tasty."
Seeing that Chef Liu had already started eating, Lin Xiaoyue continued, "eating cold cakes in summer is the best way to relieve summer heat, and cold cakes can get rid of the taste of greasiness, so it's an excellent dessert after a meal."
"Mm," Chef Liu replied.
He didn't express his opinion until he finished the cold cake in the small bowl.
Lin Xiaoyue felt a little uneasy. She was about to ask for Chef Liu's opinion when she heard him speak.
"Give me another bowl."
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes brightened, and her heart instantly felt at ease.
"Sure!" She quickly cut another piece of cake for Chef Liu.
Chef Liu quickly finished the second bowl of cold cake.
"Not bad. We would love to have it on our menu!" Handing the bowl to Lin Xiaoyue, Chef Liu said.
Lin Xiaoyue's face lit up.
"However, it needs the manager's approval."
"How about this, we will send some to the manager. If he agrees, you can discuss the price in person."
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes were filled with surprise.
"Yes, thank you, Uncle Liu!" She quickly thanked Chef Liu.
"Haha, no need to thank me! It's really good!"
As he spoke, Chef Liu led Lin Xiaoyue into Ruyi Restaurant from the kitchen.
He asked a few waiters along the way before bringing Lin Xiaoyue all the way to the third floor to see the manager.
The manager knew that Lin Xiaoyue was the teacher of his nephew, Liang Chengcai, and that she was here to offer a dessert to be added to the menu. He immediately asked Chef Liu to invite Lin Xiaoyue in.
Lin Xiaoyue entered the door and saw an amiable-looking middle-aged man.
"Greetings, Manager Liang," Lin Xiaoyue quickly stepped forward and bowed.
148 Ordering 200 Bowls of Cold Cakes
He put down the bowl and his face indicated that he was still savoring the taste.
"Not bad. Is this made of rice?" He asked Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue looked surprised.
"Yes. It's made by soaking the refined rice and grinding it into rice paste, then adding some secret ingredients, boiling it and cooling it down."
!
The taste of the cold cake was actually quite different from that of rice. Manager Liang could tell after just one taste. He was very amazing.
"Can I have another bowl?" Manager Liang smiled at Lin Xiaoyue and did not ask any other questions.
"Sure, Lin Xiaoyue replied with a smile.
She cut another piece of the cold cake.
"Add more brown sugar syrup."
He liked sweet things, so this cold cake would taste better with more sugar.
"Alright."
This time, he added twice the amount of brown sugar syrup.
Soon, Manager Liang had his second bowl of cold cake.
There was more brown sugar syrup this time and it was indeed more delicious.
"Actually, you can also add some red bean, preserved fruits and the like to it, it will taste better," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
In her previous life before the apocalypse, there were also shops selling cold cakes and drinks in the big cities.
They would add all kinds of toppings such as red beans, raisins, hawthorn, and so on to the cold cakes, which made it more delicious.
Manager Liang's eyes brightened.
"Not bad," he said.
Soon, he finished the cold cake.
Glancing at the big bowl with a small amount of cold cakes left, Manager Liang didn't ask for more this time.
"It's indeed a good snack. It relieves the summer heat and is very appetizing."
"Since the summer, our white fungus soup has not been selling well. We can try this cold cake instead."
Manager Liang looked at Lin Xiaoyue, "how about this? If the price is right, we will order 200 bowls from you. If you can make it in time today, send 100 bowls before 7 in the evening. The remaining 100 bowls should be delivered by 9 am tomorrow. We'll order more when you deliver them tomorrow."
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up. "Time is not a problem! Thank you, Manager Liang!" She quickly thanked him.
Manager Liang waved his hand.
"Don't thank me yet. Let's talk about the price first. Since I'm using this to replace the white fungus soup, the profit from selling cold cakes must be more than the white fungus soup to be worth it," he said.
Business was business. Even if this girl was his nephew's sweetheart, he would not give in in these aspects.
"Of course," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Then she said, "we also sell the cold cakes in the west of the city for 5 wen per bowl and 8 wen for two bowls. Since you order a lot, we can sell them at the price of 3 wen per bowl. The only thing is that you prepare the brown sugar syrup on your own."
Both Manager Liang and Chef Liu paused.
Only 3 wen a bowl? Although they didn't provide brown sugar syrup, it wasn't expensive. Half a kilogram of brown sugar was enough to make a large pot.
A bowl could be sold for 10 wen. Although the profit was not as high as the white fungus soup, the number of cold cakes sold would definitely be higher than the white fungus soup.
This way, the total profit of selling cold cakes would definitely be higher than selling white fungus soup.
"Good! You are a straightforward person. We'll order them at this price." Manager Liang looked at Lin Xiaoyue with admiration.
Lin Xiaoyue said a few more words to Manager Liang before leaving.
After the waiter sent Lin Xiaoyue out, Manager Liang nodded with a smile.
"This girl is not bad…" She was good for his nephew.
He didn't finish his sentence.
Chef Liu shot a glance at Manager Liang in annoyance.
147 Let the Manager have a Taste
"Hehe, you're too polite. Please take a seat."
"Thank you, Manager Liang," Lin Xiaoyue smiled and sat down.
Manager Liang sized Lin Xiaoyue up.
He noticed that although this woman was dressed in simple clothes, her temperament was different from that of an ordinary farmer's girl. Or rather, she was quite different from most of the women in the current era.
She was straightforward, confident and calm.
"I've heard Chengcai mention you before, and now that I've met you, you're indeed extraordinary." Manager Liang said with admiration in his eyes.
"You're too kind."
If Chef Liu hadn't told her just now, she really wouldn't have known that Liang Chengcai was the nephew of the manager.
This Liang Chengcai was really her lucky star. Not only did she earn 100 taels of silver to repair the house, she could also use his name to talk to Manager Liang.
If she could work with Ruyi Restaurant, their family would not have to worry about their future. This cold cake was only the first step. When she had chili in the future, there would be more things she could do.
"Tsk, not at all! Chengcai, that brat, even wrote a letter to ask about you when he went to the capital," Manager Liang smiled and looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
He said this to let her know that his nephew was thinking about her.
That nephew of his was proud and haughty, and he never cared so much about someone.
His sixth brother and sister-in-law worried a lot about his marriage.
This was also the only time that the kid actually cared so much about a girl.
Although this girl was born in a hunter family, she looked like a good person. At least, as an elder, he was satisfied.
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
"Oh, I am grateful for his concern," she said with a bit of confusion.
Seeing this, Manager Liang couldn't help but smile.
Ha, so this girl didn't know about his nephew's feelings.
Chef Liu, who was at the side, saw his manager looking at Lin Xiaoyue as if he was looking at his "niece-in-law", and his face became a little awkward.
Why didn't he ask around first? Ms. Lin already had a fiancé….
When Young Master Liang was here, the manager couldn't help but wanted to find him a match.
He was really afraid that he wouldn't be able to get a wife.
After that, Young Master Liang couldn't stand it any longer and left.
Now he was doing it again?
He already left, and the manager was still thinking about matchmaking him?
"Ahem."
Chef Liu coughed twice to remind Manager Liang what they were here for.
Manager Liang snapped back to his senses and glared at Chef Liu.
Didn't he see that he was helping his nephew?
Chef Liu pursed his lips.
Heh, soon you'll know it's pointless.
"I heard from Old Liu that you're here to sell a snack," After Chef Liu's reminder, even though Manager Liang was a little upset that he was interrupted, he remembered what they were here for.
"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue quickly put the bamboo basket on the table.
Then, she cut a piece of cold cake for him and doused it with brown sugar syrup.
"This is a cold glutinous cake, please try it.
Then, she placed the bowl of cold cakes in front of him.
Manager Liang looked at the yellow-colored cold cake in the bowl, as well as the reddish-brown sugar syrup on it. His eyes were filled with anticipation.
When he picked it up and had a taste. His eyes lit up.
Then, without saying anything to Lin Xiaoyue, he quickly finish everything in his bowl.
148 Ordering 200 Bowls of Cold Cakes
He put down the bowl and his face indicated that he was still savoring the taste.
"Not bad. Is this made of rice?" He asked Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue looked surprised.
"Yes. It's made by soaking the refined rice and grinding it into rice paste, then adding some secret ingredients, boiling it and cooling it down."
The taste of the cold cake was actually quite different from that of rice. Manager Liang could tell after just one taste. He was very amazing.
"Can I have another bowl?" Manager Liang smiled at Lin Xiaoyue and did not ask any other questions.
"Sure, Lin Xiaoyue replied with a smile.
She cut another piece of the cold cake.
"Add more brown sugar syrup."
He liked sweet things, so this cold cake would taste better with more sugar.
"Alright."
This time, he added twice the amount of brown sugar syrup.
Soon, Manager Liang had his second bowl of cold cake.
There was more brown sugar syrup this time and it was indeed more delicious.
"Actually, you can also add some red bean, preserved fruits and the like to it, it will taste better," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
In her previous life before the apocalypse, there were also shops selling cold cakes and drinks in the big cities.
They would add all kinds of toppings such as red beans, raisins, hawthorn, and so on to the cold cakes, which made it more delicious.
Manager Liang's eyes brightened.
"Not bad," he said.
Soon, he finished the cold cake.
Glancing at the big bowl with a small amount of cold cakes left, Manager Liang didn't ask for more this time.
"It's indeed a good snack. It relieves the summer heat and is very appetizing."
"Since the summer, our white fungus soup has not been selling well. We can try this cold cake instead."
Manager Liang looked at Lin Xiaoyue, "how about this? If the price is right, we will order 200 bowls from you. If you can make it in time today, send 100 bowls before 7 in the evening. The remaining 100 bowls should be delivered by 9 am tomorrow. We'll order more when you deliver them tomorrow."
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up. "Time is not a problem! Thank you, Manager Liang!" She quickly thanked him.
Manager Liang waved his hand.
"Don't thank me yet. Let's talk about the price first. Since I'm using this to replace the white fungus soup, the profit from selling cold cakes must be more than the white fungus soup to be worth it," he said.
Business was business. Even if this girl was his nephew's sweetheart, he would not give in in these aspects.
"Of course," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Then she said, "we also sell the cold cakes in the west of the city for 5 wen per bowl and 8 wen for two bowls. Since you order a lot, we can sell them at the price of 3 wen per bowl. The only thing is that you prepare the brown sugar syrup on your own."
Both Manager Liang and Chef Liu paused.
Only 3 wen a bowl? Although they didn't provide brown sugar syrup, it wasn't expensive. Half a kilogram of brown sugar was enough to make a large pot.
A bowl could be sold for 10 wen. Although the profit was not as high as the white fungus soup, the number of cold cakes sold would definitely be higher than the white fungus soup.
This way, the total profit of selling cold cakes would definitely be higher than selling white fungus soup.
"Good! You are a straightforward person. We'll order them at this price." Manager Liang looked at Lin Xiaoyue with admiration.
Lin Xiaoyue said a few more words to Manager Liang before leaving.
After the waiter sent Lin Xiaoyue out, Manager Liang nodded with a smile.
"This girl is not bad…" She was good for his nephew.
He didn't finish his sentence.
Chef Liu shot a glance at Manager Liang in annoyance.
150 Calling Out to Customers
Then, she started to shout.
"Cold glutinous cakes, we're selling cold glutinous cakes! It is a refreshing and delicious cold cake that is essential for relieving summer heat! It only costs 5 wen for a bowl, and 8 wen for two bowls! Come buy some cold cakes!"
Lin Xiaoyue's voice was clear and loud, quickly attracting the attention of the people around her.
"Aunty, would you like 2 bowls? You and your grandchild can have one each, only 8 wen! If it's not good, you don't need to pay!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly locked onto an old woman with a child.
"Cold cakes! 8 wen for 2 bowls. If it doesn't taste good, it's free!"
This sentence instantly attracted more people.
With the old woman with the child in the lead, a group of people surrounded them.
"Yes, if it's not delicious, it's free! This is a cold cake made of polished rice. It only costs 5 wen for a bowl, and 8 wen for 2bowls! Aunty, would you like 2 bowls of cold cakes, one for you and one for your little grandchild?"
"Are you sure you won't charge us if your cold cakes are not delicious?!" The old lady looked at the big bowl of cold cakes on the table in front of Lin Xiaoyue and said, "I've never seen this before!"
"Yes, if it's not delicious, it's free! This is a cold cake made of polished rice. It only costs 5 wen for a bowl, and 8 wen for 2 bowls!" Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
The old lady's eyes flashed with hesitation.
However, the child beside her tugged at her sleeve.
"Grandma," He looked like he was pouting.
Lin Xiaoyue had already taken a small bowl and was ready to cut the cold cake.
Soon, a piece of yellow cake was in the small bowl.
As the bowl wasn't big, it looked like the portion was big.
"Two bowls for you. I won't charge you if it's not delicious!" Lin Xiaoyue said again.
As she spoke, she scooped a large spoonful of brown sugar syrup and poured it on the cold cake.
"A cold cake made from polished rice with brown sugar syrup, it's delicious!"
The old woman saw that the cold cake was attractive and had a large portion. She also heard that it was made of polished rice and they even added brown sugar syrup. She looked at it and was a little tempted.
"Then give me 2 bowls to try," finally, she gave in.
Seeing Lin Xiaoyue's happy face, she quickly said, "if it's not good, I won't pay you!"
"Of course! If it's not good, I won't take your money!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly said.
She was still smiling.
Then, she walked out from behind the table, bowed, and handed the small bowl of cold cake to the child who was holding the old woman's hand.
"Come, little boy, you try it first!" She said with a smile.
The child's face was a little red as he looked at his grandmother.
The old woman was amused and said, "take it. Didn't you want to eat it just now? Help me try it and see if it tastes good."
Her grandson was so obedient that he asked for her permission before taking the food. She was very satisfied.
In addition, she liked that Lin Xiaoyue gave the cold cake to her grandson first and let the child judge whether the food was good or not.
She did make it sound like it was very delicious.
"Okay!" The child smiled and took the cold cake from Lin Xiaoyue.
Several people who wanted to buy the cold cakes were waiting for his feedback.
She said that it was free if it wasn't delicious, but how could that be true?
They had never seen anyone selling this before. It's made of polished rice and was even mixed with brown sugar syrup. It should taste good.
The child finally began to eat with a spoon.
With just one bite, his eyes lit up.
"It's delicious! It's so sweet!" He quickly said to his grandmother.
When the surrounding people heard this, they suddenly had the intention to buy it.
Two children were tugging at the adults' pants, already asking for them to buy it.
"Here, aunty, this bowl is for you. There's a stool over there, please sit down and enjoy it," Lin Xiaoyue handed over the second bowl of cold cake.
151 The Cold Cakes are Selling Well
The old woman glanced at her grandchild who was eating happily and took the cold cake that Lin Xiaoyue handed over.
Then, she took a bite.
Her eyes lit up.
She glanced at Lin Xiaoyue, put the bowl on the table, and then took out the money bag from her pocket.
"Here's the money," she counted eight copper coins and placed them on the table.
"Please come this way," Liu Shi quickly came forward to greet her.
Although she was too shy to attract customers' attention, she could do this.
The old lady led the child to a small table and sat down.
When the crowd saw that the old lady had also bought the cold cake and looked very satisfied, someone immediately came forward.
"Little girl, give me two bowls too!" A woman who was holding a child's hand said.
"Okay, please wait a moment!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly cut a piece of cold cake.
She had just received the money and handed over the cold cake when someone else asked for it too.
"I'll have two bowls too!" This time, it was a mother and her daughter-in-law.
"I'll have a bowl too. Can I have it for 4 wen?" This time, it was a man who spoke.
"Hehe, big brother, this is just a small business, so I really can't make much profit from 4 wen a bowl. How about I cut a piece for you? If you think it's not enough, you can buy another bowl. One bowl is 5 wen, but if you want a second bowl, you can have it for 3 wen!" Lin Xiaoyue said to the man while cutting the cold cakes and pouring the brown sugar syrup on them.
"Hey, girl, isn't that still 8 wen for two bowls?" The man laughed.
"Forget it, just give me a bowl first as you said. If it's really good, I'll have another one!"
"Alright!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly replied.
As the stall became more lively, Lin Xiaoyue did not have to shout anymore. Others saw the crowd and came over.
Then, not long after, Lin Xiaoyue sold all the cold cakes.
Lin Xiaoyue realized that most of the people who came to buy the cold cakes bought two bowls at a time, or more.
Some who lived nearby even went back to get a container so that they could pack some back.
When the others arrived, the cold cakes had already been sold out. Lin Xiaoyue told them that she would be back.
In short, the first day of business went smoothly.
"Li Xiao, wait here. I'll go buy some groceries with mom," Lin Xiaoyue walked to Liu Shi and said to Li Xiao, who was packing up the tables and chairs.
"Alright."
Then, Liu Shi and Lin Xiaoyue left.
After buying some meat and vegetables, Liu Shi took Lin Xiaoyue to buy some incense and paper money.
After that, Lin Xiaoyue went to the pastry shop to get some pastries and candy before returning.
Before they got on the ox-cart, she bought some steamed buns from the man whose stall was next to theirs.
The man already knew her and knew that she would be coming regularly. He even said that he could help her reserve a spot.
Lin Xiaoyue was grateful. She said that she would treat him to cold cakes next time. The two of them were considered quite close.
After getting on the ox-cart, Lin Xiaoyue asked Li Xiao to ride it to the grocery store where they used to do their shopping.
When she found out that Lin Xiaoyue not only wanted to buy a wooden bucket, but also bowls, Liu Shi finally stopped her.
"We have enough bowls at home. We only need about a dozen for the stall."
"That's not enough," Lin Xiaoyue said.
"Many people wanted to bring the cold cakes home but they had no bowls."
"When we set up our stall tomorrow, we'll bring 40 small bowls, 20 medium bowls, and 10 large bowls."
152 Buying More Bowls and Wooden Buckets
"If they want to bring the cold cakes back, we could put one or two pieces in a small bowl, three to four pieces in a medium bowl, and five or more in a large bowl."
"How can we do that? A small bowl costs 3 wen, and a medium bowl costs 4 to 6 wen. If the person doesn't return the bowl, then we'll lose money!" Liu Shi quickly said.
Li Xiao, who was riding the cart, also had a flash of doubt in his eyes, but he didn't say anything.
He knew that Lin Xiaoyue had thought of that.
Sure enough, Lin Xiaoyue continued, "of course, we won't give it for free. For these takeout customers, we charge an extra 4 wen for small bowls, 5 wen for medium bowls, and 7 wen for large bowls. If they bring the bowls back, we'll return the money. If not, it's considered sold."
Liu Shi was shocked.
Could they do that?
"Mom, we know Boss Jin quite well. He sells us things at a cheap price. In fact, if you check other grocery stores, a small bowl is about 4 wen, and a medium bowl is 5 to 7 wen."
Liu Shi thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case.
"Don't worry. If a lot of people come to return the bowls, then we won't buy as many in the future."
Lu Shi was still trying to figure out how that worked.
Lin Xiaoyue continued to explain to her mother, "this is actually the same as selling wine in a winery. If you don't bring a bottle with you when you buy wine, you have to pay a deposit. Did you see the bottle of wine we used at the party the day before yesterday? Did I return it?" Lin Xiaoyue asked.
"Didn't you use it to store soap?"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded.
"The deposit for a bottle is only 5 wen. It's about the same price as buying a bottle of the same size at a grocery store. It just so happens that we need it, so we're too lazy to send it back."
"A bowl is more practical than a jar. Who would mind having an extra bowl? Even if you think that you have too many bowls at home, you might forget about it when you go to the market."
Liu Shi finally understood.
"Then…we're also selling bowls?" She asked Lin Xiaoyue in surprise.
Lin Xiaoyue nodded.
"Yes. I'll talk to Boss Jin later. We'll buy all the bowls from him in the future, and the price will be lower."
Liu Shi looked at her daughter with a satisfied expression.
Her daughter was so smart…
Lin Xiaoyue enjoyed the way her mother looked at her. Then, she told Liu Shi about the big business she secured with Ruyi Restaurant.
"T-two hundred bowls?"
The cold cakes they brought today didn't even add up to 200 bowls!
"This is only the first order. Manager Liang said that if the cold cakes are well-received, they will increase the order amount," Lin Xiaoyue smiled. "Ruyi Restaurant has a lot of customers. If everyone orders a bowl, even 400 bowls won't be enough."
"Besides, they do take outs too. If someone chooses to pack the cold cakes, the quantity will be even greater."
Liu Shi widened her eyes.
Even 400 bowls might not be enough…
They're hitting the jackpot with this business.
"Then…we have to buy more wooden buckets," Liu Shi wanted to make as many cold cakes as she could.
"Yes. We have 6 small buckets at home, which is definitely not enough. I'll buy 14 first, making it 20."
153 Long-term Cooperation
The size of the wooden bucket she was using at the moment was perfect.
Even after adding the cold cake, it wasn't heavy.
It was also easy to transport.
Therefore, she was not going to change the container.
According to her estimation, if the small wooden bucket was filled with more than half a bucket of cold cakes, it would be enough for 25 bowls.
Ruyi Restaurant asked them to send the cold cakes twice a day, 100 bowls each time, which meant four buckets each time.
Today, she had sold about 80 bowls of cold cakes in the market. It was obvious that that was not enough.
She would bring 14 buckets of cold cakes tomorrow. Four of them would be sent to Ruyi Restaurant, and the remaining to be sold in the market.
Ten buckets of cold cakes were 250 bowls in total. If she worked hard, she should be able to sell them all.
Lin Xiaoyue roughly knew what to do.
"Isn't that too much?" Liu Shi was a little nervous.
A small wooden bucket cost 28 wen, which was not cheap.
"Not at all. It might not be enough," Lin Xiaoyue said.
Liu Shi thought of what her daughter had said and did not say anything more.
Forget it, her daughter was much more capable than her. She would just help with the chores and let her daughter decide the rest.
As they were talking, they arrived at the grocery store.
The three of them got off the ox-cart and entered the grocery store.
When Boss Jin saw that Lin Xiaoyue had arrived, he immediately welcomed her.
She was a big client of his.
Not only did she come often, she also bought a lot each time.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and greeted Boss Jin. Then, she walked to the side and told him about her plan to purchase bowls in the future.
"Alright! Buy them in even numbers. 5 wen for a pair of small bowls, 7 for a pair of small-medium bowls, and 11 for a pair of medium-large bowls. If you want a medium bowl, they are 9 wen a pair. There are also large bowls. If you want them, I'll sell them to you at a cheap price too."
"Then we'll start with 10 small bowls, 20 small-medium bowls, and 10 medium-large bowls. Also, 14 small wooden buckets. As for the price…"
"24 wen for the small wooden bucket!" Boss Jin immediately said.
"Hehe, thanks a lot, Uncle Jin!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly thanked him.
"No problem. In the future, just come more often."
"That's right! We'll have a long term cooperation in the future!"
Then, Lin Xiaoyue, Liu Shi, and Li Xiao took the bowls and bucket.
After paying, the three of them got on the ox-cart and returned to Daishi Village.
"Stop at the intersection in front later. I'll go and send some desserts to Aunt Wang and Erya." Lin Xiaoyue got out of the ox-cart and sat beside Li Xiao.
"Yes." Li Xiao responded.
He saw Lin Xiaoyue handing him a piece of pastry.
Li Xiao held the reins in his hand and didn't respond.
Lin Xiaoyue urged him with her eyes. At the same time, she raised the cake in her hand a little.
Li Xiao paused, then he lowered his head and took the cake with his mouth.
Then, he blushed and quickly turned his head to look in front.
"Hehe." Lin Xiaoyue was amused.
Liu Shi heard her daughter's laughter and looked out from the ox-cart.
"What are you laughing at?" She smiled and asked her daughter.
Lin Xiaoyue quickly stopped smiling.
"Nothing, mom." She hurriedly said.
When she saw Li Xiao trying to hold back his smile, it was her daughter's turn to be embarrassed.
Soon, they had reached the intersection.
"Mom, you go back and cook first. I'll be back after I deliver the things."
As she spoke, she got off the ox-cart.
"Okay! Ask Aunt Wang to come over is she's free!" Liu Shi responded.
"Yes."
Lin Xiaoyue walked towards Aunt Wang's house.
It was already past 11 o'clock, and there was kitchen smoke coming from some of the houses in the village. However, the Wang family didn't seem to be doing anything.
Lin Xiaoyue had just walked to the front of the Wang family's courtyard when she heard someone crying.
154 Wang Erya was Pricked by Black Locust Thorns
"Mom, it hurts…ah, it hurts! Mom!" It was Wang Erya's voice.
Lin Xiaoyue's expression changed, and she quickly knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Aunt Wang's voice quickly came from the courtyard.
"Aunt Wang, it's me!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly said.
The door opened, and Lin Xiaoyue immediately saw Aunt Wang, who had a worried face and red eyes.
Not far behind her was Wang Erya, half of her face and hands red and swollen.
"What's going on?" Lin Xiaoyue quickly asked.
After she entered, she quickly walked towards Wang Erya.
The poor girl's eyes were filled with tears. The side of her face, and her eyes were red and swollen. Her right hand was also swollen, with no less than two wounds on it.
"She was stabbed by a black locust thorn! I just took some alcohol to disinfect her wounds. She couldn't take the pain, so she was crying…it's my fault, I shouldn't have let her pick the thorns." As Aunt Wang spoke, she used her sleeve to wipe her tears.
It was all because of her. If she didn't ask her daughter to pick the black locust thorns, she wouldn't be injured.
Lin Xiaoyue then noticed the wine and cloth on the small table.
"Aunt Wang, don't blame yourself. The thorns are poisonous and Erya's condition might be serious. We can't simply use wine to deal with it. We have to hurry to the town's clinic!" Lin Xiaoyue said.
Seeing that Aunt Wang was still hesitating, Lin Xiaoyue quickly said, "Erya is injured in so many places, and two of them are on her face. And I can see that there's a broken thorn in her wound, so we have to take it out."
When Wang Erya heard this, she burst into tears.
"Mom, I'm scared…"
Lin Xiaoyue's heart ached when she saw this, let alone Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang's tears were streaming down her face as she hurriedly hugged Wang Erya, "alright, I will bring you to the clinic! It's all my fault. Erya, don't cry!"
"Calm down. I'll go back and bring the ox-cart over. Aunt Wang, pack up and bring Erya to the intersection to wait. I'll bring you there!" Lin Xiaoyue quickly said.
"Sorry to trouble you." Aunt Wang wiped her tears again.
"There's no need to be so polite at this time. Quickly go and get ready." Lin Xiaoyue instructed and stuffed the pastry in Aunt Wang's hand. Then, she turned around, and ran away.
Back at the Liu family house, Lin Xiaoyue entered the kitchen from the side door.
Seeing Li Xiao preparing to unload the ox-cart, Lin Xiaoyue quickly stopped him.
"Erya has been pricked by a black locust thorn, so she has to be sent to the town's clinic. I have to ride the ox-cart to send her and Aunt Wang there." Lin Xiaoyue said.
Liu Shi also came out of the kitchen when she heard the noise.
"Is she seriously injured?" She asked anxiously.
It must be serious if she had to go to the clinic.
"It looks quite scary. There are wounds on her face and hands. The two wounds on her face are very serious. I have to go with them to make sure she's okay." Lin Xiaoyue answered as she got on the ox-cart.
"I won't be back for lunch, so you don't have to wait for me. After lunch, please soak 25 catties of polished rice, and wait for me to come back to grind it."
"Alright."
Liu Shi suddenly thought of something and quickly ran to the kitchen.
"Wait a minute. I'll get you some buns, you guys can eat on the way."
After a while, Liu Shi took out a bag of buns and handed it to Lin Xiaoyue.
"Aunt Wang and Erya must not have eaten either. Give these to them." Liu Shi said.
"Yes, I'll go now."
Lin Xiaoyue took the buns and rode the ox-cart away.
155 Getting Treated
Not long after she left the house, Lin Xiaoyue saw the mother and daughter waiting at the intersection.
Wang Erya was being supported by Aunt Wang, and something didn't look right.
They saw Lin Xiaoyue riding the ox-cart and looked over.
Aunt Wang looked like she found hope.
"Hurry up, get in," Lin Xiaoyue got off the ox and helped Aunt Wang to help Wang Erya onto the ox cart.
"Woo…thank you…" Wang Erya was still sobbing a little, but she felt much more at ease now.
"There's no need to thank me," Lin Xiaoyue said.
Then, she took out the buns.
"Let's have two each," she smiled at the two of them.
A hint of gratitude flashed in Aunt Wang's eyes.
"Yue'er, thank you…your kindness…" Aunt Wang couldn't finish her sentence. Her tears welled up again.
"Aunt Wang, you're being too polite again. The relationship between our two families is different from that of other families."
Lin Xiaoyue took out two buns and handed it to Aunt Wang.
"Take good care of Erya. Let's set off now."
"Yes."
Lin Xiaoyue then turned around and went out of the cart to ride the ox-cart.
Eating the buns, they didn't speak for the rest of the journey.
Soon, the ox-cart arrived in town.
Lin Xiaoyue and Aunt Wang helped Wang Erya off the ox-cart and into the clinic.
It was the same clinic where Xiao Qing was treated.
The doctor took her pulse and looked at her wound. He frowned deeply.
Only then did Lin Xiaoyue know that there were more wounds on Wang Erya's body. There were a few on her arms and legs.
The doctor looked at the two of them unhappily.
"She's so seriously injured. Why didn't you send her to the clinic earlier?"
"I…I didn't know it would be so serious. Is she going to be okay?" Aunt Wang could hardly stand.
"She's been poisoned. If you come any later, she'll be barely alive!" The doctor said in an unpleasant tone.
When Aunt Wang heard this, her legs went soft.
Lin Xiaoyue quickly helped her to the side and sat down.
"Doctor, how do you think we should treat it?" She stepped forward and said to the doctor.
The doctor glanced at Aunt Wang and saw that she was very worried so he stopped scolding her.
"I'll clean the wound first, then I'll make some ointment to apply on the wounds. Take two doses of anti-swelling medicine every day and she will be fine," the doctor said to Aunt Wang and Lin Xiaoyue.
After hearing this, the two of them felt more at ease.
"Then, please treat her," Aunt Wang stood up and said quickly.
The doctor looked at Aunt Wang.
"Hmm," he responded.
He then instructed his assistant to prepare the tools and make the topical ointment.
After the wound was cleaned, the ointment was also ready.
After applying the ointment for Wang Erya, the doctor got up.
"There's still some ointment left. It will help reduce the remaining swelling even without medicine." The doctor looked at Aunt Wang.
"The consultation fee and the ointment cost three taels in total."
Aunt Wang's face was a little pale.
"How much does the medicine cost? Will the swelling go down faster if she takes it?" At this moment, her daughter's face, hands, and legs were unsightly. She could barely stand up.
She had let her daughter and husband down. It's her fault that she's in this state.
The doctor looked at Aunt Wang.
He didn't expect her to want to spend more on medicine.
156 For the Sake of Money
"The total is 6 taels. Apply this ointment again tonight. The swelling will slowly go down in three or four days. She should recover fully in half a month."
"She will heal quicker if she takes the medicine. The swelling and fatigue should be reduced by tomorrow. If she rests properly, she'll be fully recovered in seven or eight days."
In fact, he recommended the medicine, which could reduce the pain.
However, it was indeed expensive, and many people would rather spend less money and suffer through it.
He had been in Qingshi Town for a long time, and he had seen many similar situations.
In the past, he thought that the most important thing was to cure the patient. Now, he felt that the most important thing was to cure the patient at the lowest cost.
Aunt Wang looked at her daughter who was lying on the side and could barely open her eyes. Her heart ached.
"Doctor, please prescribe the medicine." She finally said.
How could she bear to see her daughter suffer like this?
The doctor looked at Aunt Wang again.
"Alright," he said. He went to write a prescription.
He had seen many who were reluctant to see a doctor and get medicine, especially if it's a girl. He didn't expect her to say that.
Soon, the doctor finished writing the prescription and got his assistant to get the medicine.
Aunt Wang paid 5 taels of silver, then, together with Lin Xiaoyue, helped Wang Erya onto the ox-cart.
Wang Erya had already recovered some of her strength by now, and was not in as much pain as before.
Leaning on the ox-cart, she comforted her mother, saying that she didn't blame her.
"How did you get so badly injured?" Lin Xiaoyue finally asked the two of them while riding the ox-cart.
The wound was treated and the medicine was taken. Now, the mother and daughter felt more at ease and finally had the mood to explain to Lin Xiaoyue.
"You mentioned that black locust thorns have medicinal benefits and can be sold for some money. In the afternoon, I went to the clinic in town to inquire about this matter."
Lin Xiaoyue frowned.
"They said that they would buy them from me for 10 wen per catty," Aunt Wang continued.
"I thought I could earn some money with this. Early this morning, Shuanzi and his father left and I took Erya up the mountain to harvest the black locust spines."
"It's all my fault for being greedy and wanting to harvest more. Erya was pricked when she climbed up a tree."
She knew that the black locust thorns were poisonous, she should have stopped Erya when she wanted to climb the tree.
It was all because of her greed. If she had not been so greedy, Erya would not have been in trouble.
Lin Xiaoyue understood.
She turned back to look at Wang Erya and the regretful-looking Aunt Wang.
"You don't have any tools, and you're not professional herb gatherers, so it's better not to touch the black locust thorns."
Aunt Wang's face was full of worry, but she did not respond.
Not only did she not earn any money, she had to spend 5 taels on medical expenses.
She didn't have any skills, and she only knew that the black locust thorns could be sold for some money.
If she didn't do that, how would she be able to get back the 5 taels of silver?
She needed to sell 50 catties of black locust thorns to get that money. She even made her daughter suffer so much. She regretted it in her heart.
She had hired a matchmaker to look for a wife for her son, but nothing came from it.
It wasn't that no one liked Shuanzi, but their family was too poor. They didn't have a big house nor a good piece of land. In addition, she didn't even have enough money for the betrothal gift.
She and her husband were both worried about this.
157 Come and Help Me
Even though Shuanzi said that he was not in a hurry to get married, how could he not be? Many in the village who were the same age as him had already become fathers.
Wang Erya did not say anything.
She was also clear about the situation at home. She couldn't bear to see her mother so worried, so she wanted to harvest the black locust thorns.
She didn't expect to get injured and even made her mother spend 5 taels.
Thinking of this, Wang Erya felt even sadder.
Her tears flowed out.
"Why are you crying? Does it hurt again?" Seeing that Wang Erya was crying, Aunt Wang quickly checked her injuries.
"No…I'm fine," Wang Erya said hurriedly.
She couldn't stop her tears.
Her father and big brother worked so hard in town, and they only earned about 200 wen a day. She had spent 5 taels on a trip to the clinic. She had let her father and big brother down.
Lin Xiaoyue was worried.
"Black locust thorns are not easy to harvest, and 1 catty is a lot of them since they are light. You better not touch it, " she said.
"I'm selling cold cakes now and I'm short of manpower. Aunt Wang, if you and Erya don't mind, come and help me. I'll give you 80 wen per day. You don't need to be there all afternoon."
The business deal with Ruyi Restaurant had been closed, so she should be able to afford it.
It was not a problem to hire two people.
In addition, she had already planned to involve them in the business. After all, her mother and Li Xiao were not good at it.
Aunt Wang paused.
Previously, when the Liu family was building the house, the four of them were paid to help them.
Every day, except for breakfast, they also ate there.
In more than a month's time, their family had earned a total of nearly 15 taels of silver. It was the family's biggest income in recent years.
She used the money to buy some things for her family and even bought two pigs. She had saved about 6 taels of silver.
She knew that the Liu family was trying to help her family.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have asked Shuanzi to come to work early. That was because when the construction team no longer needed helpers, they would not let Shuanzi and his father stay.
She and her daughter also helped with the cooking and were given such a high salary. Moreover, they worked for more than a month.
Liu Shi and Yue'er always said that they had helped them a lot.
But did they? She had only given them some wild vegetables, cornbread, and the most expensive thing was only a dozen eggs. She had not given them anything particularly valuable.
On the contrary, it was the Liu family who took care of them.
If the Liu family hadn't hired them, they definitely wouldn't have been able to earn and save so much silver.
"Yue'er, thank you." Aunt Wang looked at Lin Xiaoyue with a touched expression.
"However, it's not that difficult to make the cold cakes. You only need your mother. Besides, Li Xiao and Xiao Qing can help. There's no need to spend money to hire workers."
"Also, we just got two piglets. I have to spend time preparing their feed, so I can't spare so much time to help you."
They had no pig feed, so they had to harvest ragweed, and it was not easy.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"Aunt, you don't have to think too much. I'm only asking you and Erya because I really need help."
"You know my mother. She's too shy and not suitable to work the stall with me. Li Xiao is even worse than my mother. He always looks so cold. It's good enough that he didn't scare the customers away," Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
158 They are Not Good at This
This made Aunt Wang laugh.
"How can you say this? Your mother is gentle. As for Li Xiao, although he's a little dull, he doesn't always look cold."
The first time she saw Li Xiao, she was really a little afraid.
However, as time passed, she got used to it. She even felt that Li Xiao was easy to get along with and was more polite compared to many young men in the village.
"Hehe, it's true. I went to Ruyi Restaurant to discuss the business, so my mother and Li Xiao went to the west of the city to set up the stall first."
"When I got there, they only managed to sell two bowls of cold cakes in two hours."
"That can't be. The cold cakes you made are so delicious!" Aunt Wang's face was filled with suspicion.
"It's true!" Lin Xiaoyue smiled and replied.
"Because they don't dare to call out to customers!"
"When I went there, my mother was standing there with a face full of worry. Li Xiao, on the other hand, was like a wooden pillar, standing not far from my mother," Lin Xiaoyue's tone was filled with helplessness.
"To be honest, I was a little surprised that they could even sell two bowls of cold cakes."
This made Aunt Want laugh again.
"You must be exaggerating!"
"Hehe, not at all," Lin Xiaoyue said helplessly.
"I've already thought it through. I won't let them follow me to town to manage the stall in the future."
"I'll ask my mother to stay at home to look after Qing 'er and Xiaozhi, and sell the cold cakes in the village. As for Li Xiao, he told me that he wanted to go to the dock to see if there's any work for him."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier that Li Xiao is going to the dock? I'll ask Uncle Wang to help him ask around," Aunt Wang immediately said.
"No need for that. He said he wanted to take a look, but he might not be working there."
"Alright."
"Li Xiao is strong and literate. He can do a lot of things."
"But I'll ask Uncle Wang anyways when he comes back tonight. If there's a suitable job, you can send Li Xiao over."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled, "thank you!"
Li Xiao had skills, and he probably had an extraordinary background too.
Wouldn't it be a waste if he worked as a laborer at the dock?
Anway, they didn't need him to support the family, it's up to him.
"You're welcome!" Aunt Wang immediately said.
Suddenly, she remembered what Lin Xiaoyue said.
"You're going to sell cold cakes in the village?"
"Yes, yesterday, Aunt Sun and Aunt Jiang went to my house to look for my mother. They tasted the cold cake and liked it. I thought we could also try selling them in the village."
"It's the busy farming season now, so there are many people who are willing to spend money on food. A bowl of cold cake is much more delicious than boiled eggs and Tang Yuans in the summer."
"That's true," Aunt Wang agreed.
"If I had enough manpower, I would also sell them in other villages."
"In town, I sell it for 5 wen a bowl and 8 wen for two. In the village, we should still be able to earn a profit by selling it at 7 wen for two bowls."
"Also, I'm charging Ruyi Restaurant 3 wen per bowl, and they have ordered 200 bowls."
159 Lack of Manpower
The mother and daughter looked at each other, and their eyes widened at the same time.
200 bowls? They didn't hear wrong, did they?
"This is only the beginning. If the response is good, Manager Liang said he will increase the amount." Lin Xiaoyue glanced at the mother and daughter's expressions and continued.
"So…many?" Aunt Wang stuttered.
"Yes."
"So, I really need help. At the very least, I need to find someone to set up a stall with me in the morning. Since we're making so many cold cakes in the afternoon, it's best if someone can help out."
Aunt Wang's expression froze.
"If you don't want to, I'll have to ask Aunt Jiang. However, I trust you more." Lin Xiaoyue continued.
"With your situation, one person is enough. I'll help you. I can only help you sell them in the morning and make them in the afternoon."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"That's not enough. I see that there are a lot of people at the dock. If we have enough help, we can set up a stall there."
Aunt Wang was stunned.
"But there's no hurry. I've just started my business, so I'm going to take it one step at a time."
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Wang Erya.
"Erya also needs to rest for a few days. When she's better, we'll have enough manpower."
She would first sell the cold cakes in the west of the city with Aunt Wang. When she was able to take care of things herself, she would let her go to the pier.
When the time came, Erya would be able to help too.
Wang Erya immediately looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
Her eyes were filled with gratitude.
"Hehe, you should stay at home and recuperate. When you're better, you can come with us."
"Yes!" Wang Erya quickly nodded.
As they talked, they arrived at Daishi Village.
Lin Xiaoyue and Aunt Wang sent Wang Erya home, and then rode the ox-cart home.
Liu Shi heard movement from the side door and came out.
When she saw that her daughter had returned, she quickly came to ask about the situation.
"The doctor cleaned the wound and applied some ointment. He also prescribed some medicine, saying that the swelling would subside by tomorrow. Then, she will be fine after a few days."
"That's good!" Liu Shi looked relieved.
"I have heated up your food. Come in and eat."
"Alright. I'll bring the ox in and feed it some water and grass. It's worked hard today."
"Sure." Only then did Liu Shi turn around and return to the kitchen.
Lin Xiaoyue unloaded the ox-cart, fed the ox and then went to eat.
Even though she had eaten two buns, she was still really hungry.
Opening the lid of the pot on the stove, Lin Xiaoyue saw two meat and one vegetable dishes.
She quickly brought the dishes to the small table in the kitchen and started eating them with white rice.
She ate three big bowls and was almost 90% full before she stopped.
Then, she washed the dishes in satisfaction and tidied up the kitchen.
Just as she was about to call Li Xiao to grind the rice paste with her, she heard Aunt Wang's voice from the courtyard.
Lin Xiaoyue went to the courtyard and saw her mother pushing away the basket of eggs that Aunt Wang was holding.
"You've helped my family so much before. This little help from Yue'er is really nothing!"
"Besides, we don't lack eggs now. Erya is injured and is recuperating. Take these eggs back for Erya!"
"Aiya, just keep it. Don't complain that I'm giving you too little!" Aunt Wang was still pushing the basket into Liu Shi's hands.
Lin Xiaoyue was amused by this scene.
"Aunt Wang!" She walked over to the two of them with a smile.
160 500 Bowls of Cold Cakes
When Aunt Wang saw Lin Xiaoyue coming over, her face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Your mother doesn't want to take it. So you take it." She came forward and stuffed the bamboo basket into Lin Xiaoyue's hands.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and accepted it.
"I'm done seeing the both of you going back and forth. I'm thick-skinned enough to accept it." She said with a smile.
Liu Shi looked at her daughter with some embarrassment.
However, Aunt Wang was all smiles.
"Exactly! Yue'er, you're the most straightforward!"
"Aunt Wang, have you eaten?" Lin Xiaoyue asked.
"Yes. I only came over after I was done cleaning up."
"Thank you again for the help!"
"Don't mention it again!" She laughed and glared at Aunt Wang.
"Hehe, alright, I won't say it anymore," Aunt Wang said with a smile.
Lin Xiaoyue talked to Liu Shi and Aunt Wang for a while, then sent Aunt Wang away and went to call Li Xiao.
At this moment, Li Xiao was still digging a pond in the stream.
Lin Xiaoyue wanted to make a large number of cold cakes, and the previous pond was not big enough.
"Six ponds should be enough. We'll leave one for getting water and the other five to store the cold cakes."
One could hold five or six pots of cold cakes, so five pools were more than enough.
Li Xiao looked at Lin Xiaoyue.
"You've forgotten to buy cloth. If you don't cover it, the leaves will fall into the buckets," he said with a frown.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at the ponds.
"We need something to hold the cloth in place too. Go to Uncle Sun's house later and ask him for a few wooden planks. Place it horizontally above the ponds to prevent branches and leaves from falling in."
They could do more with these ponds other than cooling the cold cakes.
"Alright," he said.
Then, he went back with Lin Xiaoyue to grind the rice paste before going to Carpenter Sun's house.
Lin Xiaoyue and Liu Shi started to make cold cakes in the kitchen.
"Tomorrow, it'll just be you and Aunt Wang. Can you do it?" Liu Shi was lighting the fire in front of the stove, looking at Lin Xiaoyue with some worry.
She was indeed not as agile as Aunt Wang.
Not only was she shy, she was also not very good at greeting customers and collecting money.
It would be good to let Aunt Wang go with her daughter, as she could help her daughter more.
However, Li Xiao wasn't going tomorrow either. It was just the two of them, so she was a little worried that they wouldn't be able to handle it.
"No problem. Aunt Wang was quick and good at calculations. With her help, we can sell a lot of cold cakes tomorrow." Lin Xiaoyue replied.
"On the other hand, there are still many people in the village who don't know that we sell cold cakes."
"Tomorrow morning, why don't you let Qing'er and Xiaozhi accompany you to the fields? At the same time, tell everyone that they can come to our house to buy some cold cakes."
Liu Shi nodded.
"Sure! I'll bring Qing'er and Xiaozhi to the fields!" She was not that afraid of the villagers.
Besides, Qing'er wasn't afraid of strangers. With him by her side, she felt that she should be able to succeed.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"There are 20 buckets of cold cakes made today. I'll send 4 to town later, and 14 tomorrow morning. We'll leave 2 at home and see if you can sell them before we come back tomorrow."
Liu Shi was a little shocked.
"…you made so many?" She had used all the small wooden buckets at home.
"So many? There are only 500 bowls of cold cakes in total. Ruyi Restaurant is taking 200 of them," Lin Xiaoyue said.
According to her calculation, 500 bowls of cold cakes could only earn a total of 1,500 wen, which was equivalent to 1.5 taels of silver.