161 Setting a Small Target
It wasn't much more than what she had earned by hunting with Li Xiao during the construction period.
The price of the cold cakes was too low.
She wanted to earn a large sum of money by selling cold cake, so she still had to find a way to increase the order volume.
"How much money can we make if we sell them all?" Liu Shi was not good at mathematics, but she knew that her daughter was very good at it, so she asked her.
"Around 1,500 wen." Lin Xiaoyue said indifferently.
Liu Shi's eyes widened.
"So much?"
That was 1.5 tael of silver, and she could earn so much in a day. How much would it be in a month?
In any case, it was no less than 30 taels!
Her daughter was earning money way too quickly!
"How is it too much? I still want to save money to buy some land so that I can plant chilies, potatoes, and sweet potatoes next year. A good field is worth 8 to 9 taels of silver per mu, so 20 mu of land is worth more than 160 taels of silver."
"Ah, it'll be good to build a manor if we have hundreds of mu of land," Lin Xiaoyue's eyes were filled with yearning.
How good would it be to be a landlady!
If she hired people to work in the field, all the harvest would be theirs.
"What are you thinking? We only have Xiao'er who is a strong laborer in our family. Do we have enough manpower to work in such a big field?" Liu Shi said with a smile.
However, she did not disagree with her daughter's idea of buying land.
After all, a farmer's family still had to rely on farming.
For example, in the Wang family, there were two strong laborers who could earn money, but they were still looked down upon by others.
It was because they didn't have much land, which was equivalent to not having any assets.
Therefore, if they were rich, they could buy some land. It didn't matter if it was not a lot.
"Li Xiao?" Lin Xiaoyue smiled. "It would be a waste of his talent to let him stay in the farm."
Lin Xiaoyue ignored her mother's surprised look and continued, "after we buy the land, we will hire the farmers to help us and just collect the harvest."
Liu Shi was shocked.
"How much money will we have left?"
Hiring people to farm would cost money. It wasn't worth it.
"We'll earn whatever's left. Moreover, Qing'er and Xiaozhi are going to school. When they pass the elementary scholar examination, we will be exempted from the grain tax for 20 mu of land. If one of them becomes a high scholar, we will be exempted from tax of 200 mu of land."
Liu Shi was stunned.
Then, she was slightly convinced.
Twenty mu of grain tax…
In the past, the Lin family only had 20 mu of land, and they had to pay 400 catties of grain tax every year, which was not a small sum.
If it was 200 mu, that would be 4,000 catty worth of grain! How much would that cost!
Liu Shi now felt that her daughter's idea of buying land was not bad.
"Let's set a small target of 20 mu first." Lin Xiaoyue sighed.
In addition, she also wanted to open a snack shop in town. Not only would it sell cold cakes, but also noodles, fried potatoes, and so on.
Fast food delivery could yield high profits.
There was a strange look on Liu Sh's face.
That was a small target?
Her daughter was really amazing.
Lin Xiaoyue was busy scooping the cold cakes into the wooden bucket.
Then, she placed the wooden bucket on a shelf not far away.
After cooking four pots in a row, she finally made twenty buckets of cold cakes.
Together with Liu Shi, they sent four of them to the pond. Lin Xiaoyue washed the wooden buckets and the ladle and put them away before she was finally free.
Thinking that she had to send the cold cakes to Ruyi Restaurant before 7 pm, Lin Xiaoyue told Liu Shi to gather the whole family to pay respects to her father while there was still some time.
So, the whole Liu family brought incense, paper money, and offerings to the cemetery outside the village.
162 Paying Respects
When they arrived, Lin Xiaoyue realized that someone was here.
"Who has come to pay their respects to your father?" Liu Shi asked in confusion.
Lin Xiaoyue and Li Xiao cleaned up the dead branches beside the tomb together. They were also very confused.
"Old Master Lin. He came with First Uncle Lin and Second Uncle Lin. You guys don't know?" A villager was busy working in the field not far away. He responded when he heard Liu Shi's words.
He heard about what happened at the Lin family when he went back for lunch.
Could it be that Third Uncle Lin was really haunting them and causing trouble?
He only dared to come here in broad daylight. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come.
The Lin family just left in the morning, and the Liu family came again in the afternoon. Could there really be something wrong?
Lin Xiaoyue noticed the expressions of her mother and the villagers.
"Thank you for telling us, Uncle Xiang. We really didn't know about this." Lin Xiaoyue greeted him with a smile.
"We're here to pay our respects to my father. We're here to tell him that we've moved to a new house and that he can rest in peace."
"As for my grandfather and the others…"
"Hehe, he probably felt guilty. That's why he came here to burn some paper offerings for peace of mind." She didn't believe in the supernatural.
"Yue'er…" Liu Shi looked at the villagers and then at Lin Xiaoyue. She deliberately used a reproachful tone, but she was actually helping Lin Xiaoyue.
"I'm not wrong. I've heard about what happened to the Lin family last night. It was clearly grandma and aunt who didn't watch their steps and tripped over a stone. How can they blame it on father?"
"If father really came back as a spirit, would he watch us get bullied so miserably before this?"
The villagers thought about it and felt that Lin Xiaoyue's words made sense.
"Yue'er, I want to ask you something, I hope you don't mind."
"Please go ahead," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"There was a rumor in the village that something happened to you and you went to see your father. You even received blessings from the King of Hell and you recovered. Is it true?" The villager asked curiously.
It was a legend in the village.
This little girl became smart just like that. She even learned how to hunt in a short time. Later, she dug up some wild ginseng in the mountains and exchanged it for a large sum of money to build a big house.
Oh, and he heard that she invented a snack…what was it called again? Many said it tasted good.
Liu Shi looked at Lin Xiaoyue nervously, but she saw her daughter smiling gently.
"Hehe, there's no such thing as blessings from the King of Hell. When I woke up, my mother and the others were thanking my father and the King of Hell for their blessings. I was confused. I wasn't completely clear-headed at the time, so I didn't refute it."
"Later on, when I was completely sober, the news had already spread."
"After I woke up, I was worried, so I went to the town's clinic. The doctor said that it was a blessing in disguise. When I was young, I knocked my head which caused a blood clot in my brain and affected my development. The last time my grandma came to my house to rob us, she pushed me and I knocked my head on the ground, which just happened to disperse the blood clot."
"That's how I am able to think clearly now."
He was surprised, and his expression relaxed a little.
"So that's how it is," he muttered.
"Yes, I was fortunate. I almost lost my life when my grandmother pushed me. The doctor said that if it wasn't for the blood clot, I would have definitely died," Lin Xiaoyue continued.
He sighed.
"You're really lucky."
163 There are No Ghosts
I heard that you can also hunt? You're really capable!" Perhaps the villager felt embarrassed to ask her about it directly, so he praised her.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"I learned it from my father when he was still alive. Although I wasn't well, my memories were still there. My father said at that time that my accuracy is better than his."
"At that time, it was too difficult to stay at home, so I went into the mountains to try it out. In the end, I discovered that I also have some talent in hunting."
When her father was still around, he would occasionally enter the mountains, but he didn't manage to catch much prey.
She used her father's name for everything. If her mother didn't say anything, who would find out?
"You're bound to have good fortune after surviving a great disaster!" The villager sighed.
"Hehe, thank you for your kind words, Uncle Xiang!" Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"I also found that ginseng when I was hunting," she continued.
"At that time, I went to the clinic to have my injuries checked and just happened to see someone selling ginseng to the clinic. It was a whole plant with leaves. I saw that it looked similar to a plant I saw in the mountains, so I went over to take a closer look."
"In the end, it was actually a mountain ginseng!"
The villager's eyes were filled with excitement.
A mountain ginseng in exchange for a house, how good was that!
"After digging up the ginseng, I sent it to the clinic. He said that the ginseng I dug up was at least a hundred years old. He needed it, so he bought it."
"Was it worth a lot of silver?"
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and nodded
"Yes. It was with this money that we built the house." She wasn't prepared to say the exact amount.
The villager swallowed his saliva.
"Where did you find the ginseng?" He asked anxiously.
"At the back of the mountain." Lin Xiaoyue continued to talk nonsense.
Seeing Liu Shi looking at her nervously, Lin Xiaoyue quickly looked at her mother.
"Mother, don't worry. I won't go there in the future. Last time, I saw wolves and leopards by the stream and I was so scared," Lin Xiaoyue winked at Liu Shi.
The excitement on the villager's face disappeared in an instant.
Wolves and leopards? Those were dangerous beasts. Even if there were treasures deep in the mountains, they still had to stay alive.
Liu Shi knew that her daughter said that on purpose. She cooperated with her and reprimanded Lin Xiaoyue, and then did not say much.
Only then did the family begin to pay their respects to Lin Xiaoyue's father.
Liu Shi bowed to the tombstone, and the rest kowtowed.
As they knelt down, they all said something to Third Uncle Lin in their hearts.
Then, Lin Xiaozhi burned some joss paper.
"Father, don't worry. Li Xiao and I are here, so we won't let mom and Xiaozhi suffer in the future."
"After the autumn harvest, the academy will open again. I will send Xiaozhi and Qing'er to school. Our family will have a scholar in the future."
Liu Shi wiped her tears and did not say anything.
Lin Xiaoyue stepped forward and held Liu Shi's hand to comfort her.
After burning the joss paper, they left.
Lin Xiaoyue even said goodbye to the villager and asked him to help explain when others talked about her.
The villagers happily agreed and praised Lin Xiaoyue for being polite.
Back home, Lin Xiaoyue saw that it was almost time and was ready to deliver the cold cakes.
The two children caught up to her just as she reached the stream.
"Brother-in-law said that you're going to town to deliver cold cakes, is that true?" Lin Xiaozhi was in a hurry.
164 Going to Town
Xiao Qing also followed behind.
"Yes, I am. Why?" Lin Xiaoyue took two buckets of cold cakes and put them on the ground, looking at the two children.
The children's eyes lit up.
"Can we go?" He immediately said.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and looked at the two children.
"What do you want? Tell me. I'll buy it for you." Thinking that the two children wanted to go shopping, Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"We don't want to buy anything. We just want to follow you to town to have a look," Xiao Qing said.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Xiao Qing in confusion.
He looked a little embarrassed.
"I've been here for so long, but I haven't really been to town, apart from the time when you bought us home."
"I have never been to town either!" Lin Xiaozhi added.
Qing'er had been there once, but he had never been before.
In the past, when his father was still around, he had never brought him to town. After he passed away, his mother also never brought him there. He also wanted to go to town to have a look.
In the future, he and Qing'er would be going to the academy in town to study. How could he not know the way?
Lin Xiaoyue paused.
"Alright then, let's go together. But when we get to town, you're not allowed to run around. You have to follow me." She said with a smile.
She was so busy that she had neglected the two children.
It's a good thing for them to go outside to broaden their horizons.
Not only to town, but also out of the county and the prefecture to take a look when she had the means.
"Thank you!" The two children's faces immediately lit up.
"Let me help you carry a bucket!" Xiao Qing stepped forward.
"I'll also help!" Seeing Xiao Qing's actions, Lin Xiaozhi quickly followed.
Lin Xiaoyue quickly stopped him, "Qing'er, you take one, but not you Xiaozhi."
He looked at Lin Xiaozhi, "you're small. Don't flip it over!"
Then, she turned to look at Xiao Qing.
"Qing'er, take Xiaozhi upstairs and wait outside the side door. We'll set off after your uncle has set up the ox-cart."
"Yes." Xiao Qing responded, picked up the bucket of cold cakes, and left with Lin Xiaozhi.
Lin Xiaoyue then took the other two buckets of cold cakes from the pond, then stacked them all together.
Before they reached the main road, Li Xiao came.
He took the three buckets from Lin Xiaoyue and went upstairs.
Looking at Li Xiao's tall back, Lin Xiaoyue's heart felt warm.
"Don't let the two children stay in town for too long," Li Xiao suddenly said.
"Yes, we'll definitely return before dark," Lin Xiaoyue replied.
"Why don't I deliver the goods?" Li Xiao frowned, still feeling a little uneasy.
"No need. Plant the pepper seedlings, then water them and sprinkle some plant ash in the coming two days. After you're done, I'll arrange for you to deliver them," she said.
Li Xiao was silent.
"Alright," he finally said.
"Come back before 11am, otherwise I'll go to town to look for you all," he said.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"Alright," she said.
He was really worried about her.
At the side door.
Li Xiao put the four buckets of cold cakes into the ox-cart, then watched them get on the ox-cart before going to the field.
Lin Xiaoyue rode the ox-cart out of the village. She chatted with the two children and soon they were on the main road.
"So, it's up to you two to sell the cold cakes in the village tomorrow." Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Lin Xiaoyue suddenly had an idea.
"How about this, tomorrow you and mom will sell cold cakes at home. I will give you two as many copper coins as the number of bowls you sell. Then, you split the copper coins equally among yourselves."
165 The Street Near the Academy
Lin Xiaozhi's eyes lit up.
"Aunt, I don't want the money." Xiao Qing said.
He ate at home, and in the future, he would have to spend the family's money to study in town. Now that he could finally help out, how could he ask for money?
"Ii also don't want the money," Lin Xiaozhi quickly followed.
Children tend to copy others blindly.
Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"Why not? It's a chance for you to save some money. I'll give you such opportunities from time to time."
"It's good for children to learn how to manage money from a young age. With the money in hand, you can buy whatever you need at the academy." Lin Xiaoyue said.
Xiao Qing's eyes flickered as he thought that this made sense.
Lin Xiaozhi looked at Xiao Qing. Whatever he did, he would do.
"In the future, when everyone comes to our house to buy cold cakes, I won't pay you anymore." Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
"Alright, then. Thank you, aunty!" Xiao Qing finally said.
"Thank you!" Lin Xiaozhi's face bloomed with joy.
"Hehe…" Lin Xiaoyue's face was full of smiles.
As she chatted with the two children, they soon arrived at Qingshi Town.
They entered the city and went to Ruyi Restaurant.
Lin Xiaoyue handed the four buckets of cold cakes to the kitchen staff and went to the accountant to receive 300 wen before leaving with the two children.
Thinking that it was inconvenient to retrieve the wooden buckets, Lin Xiaoyue simply rode the ox-cart to the grocery store. She immediately ordered ten more wooden buckets.
After that, they strolled around Qingshi town and went to the grain store to buy 100 catties of refined rice and 5 catties of brown sugar.
She passed by a pastry shop and bought some pastries.
While eating, Lin Xiaoyue took the two children to the street where Qingyun Academy was located.
At this time, class had just ended and there were many scholars on the streets.
They looked refined and some of them were wearing the academy's uniform, looking very energetic.
Lin Xiaozhi looked at them, his face filled with admiration.
Xiao Qing was much calmer, but when he looked at the sign of the academy, his eyes were filled with anticipation.
"Look, this is Qingyun Academy. I'll send you here after the autumn harvest," Lin Xiaoyue smiled and said to them.
Lin Xiaozhi's eyes flashed with excitement.
"Thank you, sis!"
Xiao Qing also thanked Lin Xiaoyue.
"You two should study hard in the future. That's the best way to thank me."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled as she looked at the few shops on the street that were close to Qingyun Academy.
She found that one of the pastry shops was doing particularly well, and the business of two nearby restaurants was also good.
Even the street vendors were doing well.
This street wasn't remote, and there was a lot of traffic at this hour, so business was naturally good.
"Aunty, maybe we can sell our cold cakes here too." Before Lin Xiaoyue could say anything, Xiao Qing had already said it.
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up.
"Yes. We are thinking of the same thing."
"I'll make more tomorrow afternoon. After I deliver the goods to Ruyi Restaurant, I'll try selling them here." Since she was going to come to town, she might as well stop by for about one hour. It would be a profit if she could sell more than a hundred bowls.
"I'll help!" Xiao Qing immediately said.
"Me too!" Lin Xiaozhi said immediately.
Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"No need. I can do it alone. I need you two at home."
Xiao Qing paused.
He remembered that they had to sell the cold cakes in the village.
He didn't say anything more.
Lin Xiaozhi glanced at Xiao Qing and did not insist.
166 Selling Cold Cakes at the Entrance of the Academy
"Alright, we're almost done shopping. Let's go back." Li Xiao asked her to return before evening, and it would take her another 30 minutes to get back.
"Yes." The two of them replied.
Only then did Lin Xiaoyue turn the ox-cart around and rode in the direction of the village.
When they got home, the two children went to the field to find Li Xiao.
Lin Xiaoyue went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
It was another sumptuous meal. The Liu family members felt very fulfilled as they ate the delicious food.
Lin Xiaoyue then told Liu Shi and Li Xiao about her plan to set up a stall near Qingyun Academy to sell cold cakes.
"There are many people coming from the academy after school, so there's a business opportunity there. But it will be late and it'll be dark when you return." Liu Shi said worriedly.
"It's not too late. Class ends at fifteen minutes past seven. I'll go there after I deliver the goods to Ruyi Restaurant. We will stay there for just one hour."
"I'll be back from town in half an hour. When I come back, I might still be able to help you cook."
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Liu Shi.
"But you'll have to prepare dinner first."
Liu Shi looked back at her daughter, "cooking is a small matter. I'm just worried that you'll be too tired."
She would go to the west of the city in the morning, come back in the afternoon to make cold cakes, deliver the goods, and then set up a stall. She wouldn't have much time to rest.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled, "what's the big deal? Since the cold cakes are popular now, we should make more money. Otherwise, when winter comes, I'm afraid they won't be able to sell."
Ruyi Restaurant might still order some. However, it was not possible to set up a stall on the streets.
Liu Shi paused.
"That's true."
The cold cakes couldn't be sold in the winter, and they would have to think of other means to make money.
If all else fails, she would just do embroidery work.
She would be able to get through the winter by taking a big job at the workshop.
Now that the situation at home was better, she was not afraid of not being able to find work. She should buy an embroidery frame.
"I'll go with you," Li Xiao suddenly said.
He was worried about her returning too late.
Liu Shi immediately nodded.
She looked at Li Xiao with approval.
Lin Xiaoyue frowned.
Just as she was about to talk about planting chili seedlings, Li Xiao spoke again.
"I've already planted the chili seedlings. I'll add some ash tomorrow morning and water them."
"I'll go to town with you in the afternoon, and we'll take a look at the dock. If I can find a job there, I'll go to the academy to pick you up and come back with you."
"Alright," she said.
Although she wasn't afraid, Li Xiao's presence could indeed save her a lot of trouble.
Thus, the matter of selling cold cakes outside Qingyun Academy was settled.
After the meal, Lin Xiaoyue ground another 12 pounds of rice and made 10 buckets of cold cakes.
Together with Li Xiao, she sent the cold cakes to the pond. After washing up, Lin Xiaoyue went back to rest.
There were a total of 26 buckets of cold cakes in the pond now. Ruyi Restaurant ordered 4 and she was going to bring more with her when she set up the stall. She would bring 16 buckets to sell on the streets, so that's a total of 20.
16 buckets were 400 bowls of cold cakes. She didn't know if they could be sold out.
Whatever, she would sell as many as she could.
Filled with anticipation, Lin Xiaoyue closed her eyes and quickly entered dreamland.
It was dawn when she woke up.
167 Aunt Wang Came Early
She got up and washed up. When she came to the front yard, Lin Xiaoyue knew that everyone was up.
Liu Shi took Lin Xiaozhi to the kitchen to make breakfast, while Xiao Qing followed Li Xiao to retrieve the cold cakes by the stream.
Lin Xiaoyue just left when she saw Aunt Wang appear not far away.
"Aunt Wang, why did you come so early?" She smiled and greeted her.
"I don't want to delay you from setting up the stall in town." Aunt Wang said with a smile.
"Don't worry, it'll only take us half an hour to get to town."
"How's Erya?"
"She's already much better. The swelling has reduced by a lot, so she's resting at home."
"That's good. The doctor's medicine has taken effect. She'll be fine soon."
"It's all thanks to you."
"Aiya, here you go again…"
The two of them chatted for a while before Liu Shi came out and said that breakfast was ready.
"Aunt Wan, have you eaten? If not, let's eat together!" Liu Shi smiled at Aunt Wang.
Lin Xiaoyue also smiled and invited her in.
"No, no. I've already eaten." Aunt Wang quickly waved her hand to refuse.
Then, she looked at Li Xiao, who had just returned from the stream.
"You guys go and eat. Li Xiao too! I'll go get the remaining cold cakes. When you're done eating, we can set off," She said.
"We've retrieved all of them. The remaining ten buckets in the stream are to be sold at home," Li Xiao said.
"I've also set up the ox-cart. You can just set off whenever you're ready." As he spoke, he moved the four buckets of cold cakes to the ox-cart.
Aunt Wang quickly went to help.
"Alright, let me do it. You guys go eat quickly, we'll leave after that. If you're late, you might lose your spot."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled, "alright. Thank you."
"Let's go and eat," he said to Li Xiao.
With that, the whole family went into the house.
Lin Xiaoyue did not want to make Aunt Wang wait for a long time. She ate a bowl of porridge, took four boiled eggs with her and went out.
"Let's go, Aunt Wang." Lin Xiaoyue walked towards the ox-cart.
Aunt Wang was a little surprised to see Lin Xiaoyue come out so quickly.
"So fast?"
"Hehe, I didn't have much of an appetite in the morning. Just a bowl of porridge will do!" Lin Xiaoyue responded.
Then, they set off.
After a while, she finally took out the four hard-boiled eggs from her pocket.
"Let's have two each!" She handed two hard-boiled eggs to Aunt Wang.
"I've had breakfast, you can keep them for yourself!" She quickly refused.
"I have some. These two are for you," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Seeing that Aunt Wang still didn't take it, she said, "other than the four buckets of cold cakes ordered by Ruyi Restaurant, the remaining 16 buckets are for us to sell. It won't be easy to sell them all. If you don't eat your fill, I'm afraid you will be tired later."
Only then did Aunt Wang accept it.
"You are too generous."
"Just this once. If you give it to me again next time, I won't take it no matter what you say."
Eggs were expensive, and the villagers were usually reluctant to eat them at home. Most of the time, they would sell them for money.
This girl was really good, giving her two at once.
"Alright! Whatever you say!" Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
She rode the ox-cart while peeling an egg.
Along the way, she chatted with Aunt Wang about the cold cakes.
168 The Cold Cakes are Popular
As they spoke, the ox-cart quickly arrived at Qingshi Town.
Then, Lin Xiaoyue continued riding it to Ruyi Restaurant.
When they arrived, they got off and entered the restaurant, each carrying two buckets of cold cakes.
As soon as they entered the door, Liu San and a waiter came up to them.
"Miss Lin, I've been waiting for you since early in the morning!" As they spoke, Liu San and another waiter came forward and took the cold cakes from Lin Xiaoyue and Aunt Wang.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get my uncle! Your cold cakes sold well last night, and the manager said we should order more!" Liu San said.
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes were shining.
"Alright, thank you!" She said with a smile.
"No problem!" Liu San said with a red face.
Then, he took the cold cakes and left. As he walked, he shouted loudly.
"Uncle! Miss Lin is here!"
It was Aunt Wang's first time at Ruyi Restaurant, and she seemed a little tense.
Seeing that Lin Xiaoyue was so familiar with the staff of Ruyi Restaurant, she was a little impressed.
She also heard the waiter say that Lin Xiaoyue's cold cakes were popular, and the manager said that he wanted to order more. She was happy for Lin Xiaoyue.
On the way here, Yue'er said that Ruyi Restaurant had ordered a total of 200 bowls of cold cakes the day before, and that was only enough for one day.
How much more would they order?
The profit of the cold cakes alone from Ruyi Restaurant was not little.
Chef Liu came out after a while.
"Yue'er!" Chef Liu smiled and walked towards Lin Xiaoyue.
"Uncle Liu!" Lin Xiaoyue responded with a smile.
"Haha, girl, you're in luck!"
"Last night, the manager gave each table a bowl of cold cake for free for them to try it out. In the end, a lot of customers ordered more. Some even wanted to buy them home."
"Your cold cakes are very popular!" Chef Liu smiled.
"Hehe, it's all thanks to you and Manager Liang," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"It has nothing to do with me! Your cold cakes are affordable, so the manager could give some out for free."
"But after what happened last night, he can't give them away for free anymore!"
Although it was cheap. If they could sell them in large quantities, they could also make a lot of money.
The point was that it was appetizing and did not affect the customers' ordering of other dishes.
Lin Xiaoyue listened but did not express her opinion.
She didn't care whether they gave them away for free or not. She only needed to deliver the goods and collect the money.
"The 100 bowls that you just sent will definitely not be enough for lunch. The manager said that if you come early today, please make another trip and bring another 100 bowls."
"Oh, and please deliver 300 bowls for the afternoon's order!" Chef Liu continued.
Ruyi Restaurant received three to four hundred tables of guests every day, and those who had tried the cold cakes would definitely order one. Some even ordered more than one bowl, and asked for takeaway.
Even 500 bowls of cold cakes a day might not be enough.
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up.
On the other hand, Aunt Wang's legs almost went soft.
500 bowls of cold cakes per day? Oh my God.
"There's no need for us to go back for more. We're going to the west of the city to set up a stall, so I've prepared more today. They are in the ox-cart outside. You can take four more buckets now!" Lin Xiaoyue said.
"I…I'll go get them!" Aunt Wang quickly said.
With that, she walked out in a hurry.
Chef Liu was amused by Aunt Wang's actions.
He also asked Liu San to help her carry the cold cakes.
Chef Liu continued to talk to Lin Xiaoyue.
"How many cold cakes did you bring in total? If possible, why don't you sell them to us now? If we can't sell everything during lunch, there's still dinner," Chef Liu said after thinking for a while.
169 Increasing the Sales
"I think 200 bowls won't be enough for noon."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled, "there are 16 buckets on the ox-cart. I don't expect to sell them all in the market. If you need it, I'll give you two more buckets."
"Done!" Chef Liu said happily.
Then, he instructed Liu San to get two more buckets.
He gave Lin Xiaoyue a list and instructed the waiter to return the buckets from yesterday.
Since they were in a hurry, Lin Xiaoyue asked Aunt Wang to collect them while she went to settle the money with the accountant.
This time, they received 750 wen in total. The accountant gave Lin Xiaoyue seven taels of silver and fifty copper coins.
Lin Xiaoyue took the money and quickly returned to the kitchen.
Aunt Wang had already placed the wooden buckets back on the ox-cart and was waiting for her.
"Let's go," Lin Xiaoyue said to Aunt Wang and led her out of the door.
Then, they got on the ox-cart and rode to the west of the city.
Thanks to the old man who was selling buns next to them, they had a spot.
Lin Xiaoyue thanked him, and then she and Aunt Wang started to set up the stall.
After everything was packed, Lin Xiaoyue stood behind the small table and began to call out to customers.
"We are selling cold cakes! It's a sweet and sticky dessert made of polished rice!"
"It's only 5 wen a bowl, and 8 wen for two bowls! It's delicious and helps relieve the summer heat. If it's not delicious, it's free of charge!"
Her clear voice immediately attracted people's attention.
Some of them had tried the cold cakes the day before and knew that they were delicious and cheap, so they quickly came over.
Lin Xiaoyue cut the cold cakes for the customers, while Aunt Wang invited the guests to sit down at a table.
When there were no seats left, they apologized and asked them to stand.
She was ready to wash the dishes at any time.
If Lin Xiaoyue was busy and she was free, she would copy what Lin Xiaoyue did and shouted loudly to attract customers.
Aunt Wang also helped answer questions from the customers. She was just as helpful as Lin Xiaoyue herself.
In the beginning, Aunt Wang wasn't sure what to do.
However, she was much braver than Liu Shi and got used to it after a while.
She was efficient, making Lin Xiaoyue feel much more relaxed.
In a short while, Lin Xiaoyue sold two buckets of cold cakes.
Some people knew that they could take the bowls home, and return them the next day. After confirming that, they bought more cold cakes.
"Are you guys coming tomorrow? If you don't, how am I going to return this bowl?" A lady also wanted to buy four more bowls of cold cakes to go, but she didn't want to pay the 5 wen of deposit.
"Of course we'll be here. We'll sell these cold cakes at least until winter. There's still more than two months." Lin Xiaoyue replied with a smile, but she did not slow down.
"Who can confirm that? If you don't come, how am I going to get my money back?" The lady sounded rude.
Lin Xiaoyue did not get angry and continued, "don't worry, the bowls we use are all new, and they're even cheaper than the ones in the grocery store. We prepared these bowls so that it's easy for everyone to bring them home. We never thought of using them to make money."
"If you need bowls at home, you can keep them. Otherwise, you can return them next time. The deposit will be refunded."
"Sure, but…"
The people waiting at the side could not stand it anymore.
170 Still Not Enough
"The deposit is 1 wen cheaper than the bowl itself. If you don't give the bowl back, you still bought it at a cheaper price. What's there to argue about?" A middle-aged woman said.
"That's right. Don't tell me you don't want to pay the deposit and want to take the bowl from this young lady for free?" One of the younger women spoke rudely and even gave the lady a strange look.
The lady was angry.
"What are you saying?"
"I just can't stand you bullying a little girl. What are you saying? If you want to buy, then buy it. If not, why are you blocking everyone?"
The young woman had a firecracker temper and had long been annoyed with this lady for wasting everyone's time. Seeing that she looked like she was going to argue with her, she immediately raised her voice.
"You…" The lady was furious.
Seeing that an argument was about to break out, Aunt Wang quickly ran over.
"Aiya, what are you quarreling about?" She quickly took the lady to the side.
Only then could Lin Xiaoyue continue to cut the cold cakes for the others.
Perhaps it was because the aunt's words had angered the crowd, several people behind decided to pack the cold cakes.
Aunt Wang comforted the lady for a while and promised to give her a bowl of cold cakes for free.
In the end, the lady changed her mind and ordered six bowls of cold cakes.
She even happily paid for the five bowls of cold cakes, plus the deposit for a medium-large bowl, at a total of 27 wen.
Seeing the lady leave with the cold cakes in satisfaction, Lin Xiaoyue cast a look of admiration at Aunt Wang.
Auntie Wang smiled at Lin Xiaoyue, but she had no time to be proud.
She still had to wash the bowls and spoons.
The two of them worked well together, and Lin Xiaoyue's cold cakes were consumed very quickly.
The 10 buckets of cold cakes was equivalent to a total of 250 bowls, and they were sold out in less than two hours.
It was all thanks to the takeaway bowls that she had prepared in advance that the orders had greatly increased.
Many of the customers who came to buy the cold cakes today brought them home.
A man even ordered 12 bowls to go, filling two medium-large bowls.
While cleaning up the tables, chairs, and bowls, Aunt Wang happily talked to Lin Xiaoyue.
"Even if we prepared twice the amount of cold cakes, we don't have to worry about not being able to sell them all!"
She thought that these cold cakes could be sold until noon, but she didn't expect them to be gone so quickly.
It was currently the busy farming season, and the cold cakes that Yue'er sold were cheap. They also provided bowls that could be taken away. It was indeed good to bring some back for their family members who were working in the fields to try.
Yue'er was really smart. If this cold cake business picked up, she could make a fortune!
Knowing this, she was now relieved.
Since they were earning money, she felt better about getting 80 wen a day.
"Hehe, I'll have to prepare more for tomorrow. Twenty buckets should be enough. Most of the people who come here are here for the morning market. There won't be so many people after a while." Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
At this moment, someone came to ask about the cold cakes.
Aunt Wang immediately said, "it's all sold out today. We'll be here tomorrow. Please come again."
The lady was disappointed and left after telling them to prepare more.
"It's a pity. If you didn't give the two buckets of cold cakes to Ruyi Restaurant, you could have earned more," Aunt Wang said to Lin Xiaoyue.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"Ruyi Restaurant is a big client, and it was Uncle Liu who asked me. Even if we don't earn more money, we have to satisfy them first."
Aunt Wang thought about it and nodded.
171 She Should Prepare More Cold Cakes
"That's true. I don't have foresight," she said.
Cooperating with Ruyi Restaurant was something that most people didn't even dare to think about.
Yue'er had a good relationship with Chef Liu. Some people couldn't get such a connection even if they spent money.
"Don't say that," Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
Then, they carried the table on which the wooden buckets were placed onto the ox-cart.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go buy some buns." Lin Xiaoyue walked towards the owner of the bun stall.
"Uncle, four steamed buns and eight meat buns! Pack the four meat buns together!" Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
"Alright!" The owner of the bun stall agreed with a smile.
While packing the buns for Lin Xiaoyue, he spoke to Lin Xiaoyue in an envious tone.
"I'm so jealous! I still have more than half of my buns left, but you're already sold out."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and replied, "this is my first time setting up a stall, so I don't have much experience. We've prepared too little."
"I'll prepare more cold cakes tomorrow. I'm sure they'll last until noon." She didn't expect business to be so good.
Of course, the main reason was that she had sold it at a cheap price.
In order to save money, most people would buy more than two bowls of cold cakes at one time. In this way, the cold cakes sold out quickly.
"Hehe, you have quite a lot! It must be that they are good!" The owner of the bun stall said with a smile.
"But you really should prepare more. It's selling too fast. I didn't even have time to ask you to save a few bowls for me!" He was going to bring four bowls back for his family to try.
"Remember to reserve five bowls for me tomorrow."
This girl had helped his business, so he should return the favor.
"Done! I'll cut it up for you tomorrow and put it aside first." Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"Alright. Then I'll reserve a space for you tomorrow, and we'll be neighbors from now on!" Although she took some of his business, she also attracted more people.
There were still quite a few people who bought both cold cakes and steamed buns. As a result, his business today was actually better than usual.
"Thank you, uncle!" Lin Xiaoyue said gratefully.
After paying, she carried a few bags of buns back to the ox-cart.
Seeing Lin Xiaoyue buy so many buns, Aunt Wang's heart ached.
"You must have spent a lot of them?"
"Not much. Uncle Huang's buns aren't expensive."
Seeing the look of disapproval on Aunt Wang's face, Lin Xiaoyue smiled and went forward to lower her voice.
"Uncle Huang agreed to help me reserve a spot in the morning. He also reserved five bowls of cold cakes. Isn't it easier for us to get along if we do business together and take care of each other?"
As Lin Xiaoyue spoke, she gave Aunt Wang a knowing look.
Sure enough, the look of disapproval in her eyes disappeared, and the way she looked at Lin Xiaoyue also turned into admiration.
"I still have to go buy some vegetables and meat. Aunt, do you have anything you want to buy?" A hint of hesitation flashed in Aunt Wang's eyes.
"I don't need vegetables, but if we pass by a grain store later, I want to buy a few pounds of brown rice noodles."
There were a lot of wild vegetables in the mountains. They could just harvest them, but she needed grains.
In fact, the grains at home were usually bought by her husband after he got off work in town.
However, she was riding in an ox-cart with Yue-er.
If she bought some now, it would save him and Shuanzi the effort of carrying it back all the way home.
172 Preparing for the Worst
"Sure! There aren't many bowls left, so I'm going to buy some. We might also need more wooden buckets. On the way to the grocery store later, we'll pass by the grain store!"
"Alright, I'll stay here and look after the ox-cart. Come back quickly after you're done," Aunt Wang said.
"Okay."
Lin Xiaoyue then took the basket from the ox-cart and went to the market to buy vegetables.
There were five people in their family. She and Li Xiao had a big appetite, and so did her mother. As for the two children, they were still growing and could eat quite a lot.
She had to make sure they ate well.
Lin Xiaoyue bought the ingredients for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch before returning to the ox cart.
Then, she rode the ox-cart in the direction of the grocery store.
On the way, she passed by a grain store and went with Aunt Wang to buy 30 catties of brown rice and 20 catties of coarse flour.
The owner of the grain store knew Lin Xiaoyue, and because of that, he gave Aunt Wang a discount of 3 wen by rounding down.
After buying the rice and noodles, Aunt Wang's face was full of smiles.
"Girl, you're very popular!" She said to Lin Xiaoyue.
The price of this grain store was reasonable. Her husband used to buy grain from this store, and the store owner never rounded down.
Hence, she was surprised.
"Hehe, it's not that, it's just that I use a lot of refined rice to make the cold cakes. The profit of refined rice was much higher than that of brown rice. I've talked to Mr. Qian about long-term cooperation, so I'll be buying from him in the future," Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
Of course, it wasn't just because of the cold cake business. After all, she had just started the business.
Instead, ever since she had the money, she had been secretly storing grain.
She would do it every five days, storing 50 catties of rice each time.
After experiencing the apocalypse, she was afraid.
Now that she was in ancient times, had the knowledge of the 21st century and special abilities, it seemed that life would not be hard.
But what if something unexpected happened?
What if there was a natural disaster?
There had been a drought in this era last year, which led to people, including those from the nearby Qingshi Village, going into the mountains to forage for wild vegetables.
If the situation was worse, some people might starve to death or even become refugees.
In short, when she was in school in her previous life, she learnt that the life of farmers in ancient times depended on nature.
When faced with a major disaster, the situation was not much better than the apocalypse.
Therefore, it was still necessary to prepare for the worst.
"That's true. Your cold cake business is getting bigger and bigger, and you're indeed using a lot of refined rice," Aunt Wang said.
As they talked, the two of them arrived at the grocery store.
Mr. Jin saw Lin Xiaoyue and immediately came forward to greet her.
"Miss Lin, are the goods all sold out?" Mr. Jin glanced at the ox-cart parked outside the shop and asked Lin Xiaoyue with a smile.
It's still early, so she wouldn't have left so quickly.
"Thanks to you, they've all been sold out. There aren't many bowls left from the ones I bought from you yesterday, so I'm here to get some more," Lin Xiaoyue said cheerfully.
Mr. Jin's face lit up.
"How many do you need?" Her business was very good!
Lin Xiaoyue pondered for a moment and said, "15 small bowls, 25 medium bowls and 10 medium-large bowls."
Based on the amount sold today, most people ordered less than 4 bowls of cold cakes to go, so she could prepare more small and medium bowls.
Mr. Jin's eyes flashed.
"Deal! I'll get someone to get them for you and send them to the cart!"
173 She Bought More Wooden Buckets
He only hired someone because the business in the shop had improved.
"No rush, give me 12 more small wooden buckets," Lin Xiaoyue thought for a while and said.
They had to deliver 12 buckets of cold cakes this afternoon to Ruyi Restaurant and these wooden buckets could only be retrieved tomorrow morning.
Hence, there were only 18 wooden buckets left in the house, which would not be enough.
"Wait, I'll just take 20. It'll save me the trouble of coming again next time," Lin Xiaoyue said suddenly.
Besides Ruyi Restaurant, they were also going to have a stall in the west of the city, near Qingyun Academy, and the dock.
Also, if there were people who were willing to carry the cold cakes to the countryside, they would have more business.
She had a plan, but it would depend on whether Aunt Wang and the others were interested.
"Ah! You are so bold, I'll get him to get the goods now!" Mr. Jin was very happy.
He quickly called for the shop assistant.
Aunt Wang wanted to say something, but before she could speak, Lin Xiaoyue looked at her.
She asked to check on the number of buckets and help bring them into the cart.
Aunt Wang didn't say anything.
Lin Xiaoyue went to settle the bill. After they were all delivered to the cart, she rode the ox-cart away while Mr. Jin sent her off.
When they passed the city gate. Aunt Wang looked at the wooden buckets with a somewhat complicated expression.
Lin Xiaoyue would occasionally turn back and notice her expression.
Seeing that the expression on Aunt Wang's face was becoming more and more tormented, Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"Do you have something to say?" She asked.
Aunt Wang couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Yue'er, aren't these too many?" They had taken up almost half of the space in the cart.
They did make some money today, but after buying these things, there was probably not much left.
She wondered how Liu Shi would feel when she saw these.
"Too many? I'm afraid they won't be enough," Lin Xiaoyue replied with a smile.
Aunt Wang's expression froze.
She wanted to say something, but Lin Xiaoyue spoke again.
"We only prepared a limited number of cold cakes today, so we didn't use so many bowls. We'll double the amount of cold cakes tomorrow, so we'll have to double the amount of bowls."
"As for the wooden buckets, we only had 30 before we bought these."
"I have to deliver 12 of them to Ruyi Restaurant this afternoon. The buckets can only be retrieved tomorrow morning."
"Which means, if I don't buy more, I'll only have 18 available before tomorrow morning."
"Of the 18, Ruyi Restaurant will take 8 tomorrow morning. We'll also set the stall tomorrow, and we'll only have 10 left at most."
As Aunt Wang listened, her eyes gradually became clear.
"But buying 20 at once…it's still a little too much," she continued.
"Hehe," Lin Xiaoyue chuckled.
"How is it too much? It's only 10 more than today for the stall tomorrow. Besides, Ruyi Restaurant said they want 8, so I think we should prepare 2 more. The last 8 could be sold at home. I'd rather have more than less."
Anyway, a small wooden bucket only cost 24 wen. She could earn more than that for a bucket of cold cakes.
Aunt Wang nodded.
She admired Lin Xiaoyue's plan.
"I wonder how's the business at home? How many of them did they sell?" Lin Xiaoyue remembered her instructions to the two children yesterday.
She hoped that the two children would work harder. Her mother was thin-skinned, so she didn't expect too much from her.
174 She has an Idea
"I'm sure they did fine!" Aunt Wang said with a smile.
"Now, all the working farmers are willing to spend money. Besides, if you set it at a low price, everyone will definitely want to buy them. "
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"I have an idea. Would you like to hear it?"
Aunt Wang's eyes were filled with curiosity.
"Hehe, go ahead," she said with a smile.
After working with Lin Xiaoyue today and seeing Lin Xiaoyue's way of doing things, Aunt Wang was now very confident in Lin Xiaoyue.
"Just now, you said that everyone is willing to spend money during the busy farming season. I think there is also a market in other villages."
Aunt Wang paused.
She didn't understand what "market" meant in this context, but she understood what Lin Xiaoyue meant.
"Yes," after some thought, Aunt Wang nodded.
"So, you want to go to other villages to sell the cold cakes?"
"No, I don't have the time," Lin Xiaoyue said with a smile.
"However, if someone is willing to, I can supply the cold cakes." As she spoke, Lin Xiaoyue looked at Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang looked like she understood.
"Yue'er…what do you mean by this?" Maybe she didn't fully understand.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled.
"I'll be honest. I actually want to ask if Shuanzi i is willing to do this."
Aunt Wang paused.
Lin Xiaoyue continued, "we have limited manpower, and Li Xiao is not familiar with the surrounding villages. I think Shuanzi is a good fit."
"If he is willing to do this business, I can sell the cold cakes to him at the price of 3 wen per bowl."
"He can sell them at market price and earn at least 1 wen from selling per bowl. If you sell 4 buckets a day, it'll be more than 100 wen."
Aunt Wang's heart moved.
Shuanzi was now working at the dock with his father, but there was not always work. He could only earn 100 wen a day, which was about the same as selling 4 buckets of cold cakes.
She had personally witnessed how the business went today.
Many of those who came to buy the cold cakes bought a few bowls at a time.
If they went to the countryside, there would be a lot of families. They would definitely buy several bowls at a time.
In this way, it didn't seem so difficult to sell 100 bowls of cold cakes.
If they were lucky and sold more, they could earn more than this.
Lin Xiaoyue saw that Aunt Wang was tempted. She smiled and continued, "if he agrees, he can pay me after he sells them. The wooden buckets will be provided."
"Also, I think we can set up a stall to sell them at the dock."
"If you agree, you can be in charge of that stall."
"In that case, I'll pay you according to the number of bowls you sell instead of a fixed pay of 80 wen. You'll get 1 wen per bowl and you can sell as many as you want."
Aunt Wang's heart was surging with emotions.
1 wen per bowl? They had sold a total of 250 bowls of cold cakes today. And they were sold out in less than 2 hours.
There would be people at the dock all day long. If she worked for an entire day, she would be selling more than 100 bowls of cold cakes!
"If I'm at the dock, then you…"
175 Hiring Someone to Help with Chores
Of course, Aunt Wang was tempted
Yue'er charged Ruyi Restaurant 3 wen per bowl of cold cake, and she didn't even give them any brown sugar syrup.
Ruyi Restaurant's demand was high. They sold 500 bowls of cold cakes a day.
To them, Yue'er charged a low price.
Although it was to sell more cold cakes, she was helping them more.
"Let Erya help me. If it's for the entire day, I'll pay her 100 wen a day. If business gets better, she would be even busier. 80 wen was a little too low."
Aunt Wang's eyes moved, and her heart was burning.
"That is too much."
"Not at all. If business is good, we'll be busy the entire day."
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Aunt Wang.
"But this matter is not urgent. We still have to assess the business in the village. You can think about it for a few more days."
Only then did Aunt Wang relax a little.
"Yes. There are two pigs to take care of at home, I have to think of something."
Lin Xiaoyue was happy to hear that.
That implied that she was in.
"Hehe, that's easy. Just pay someone to get the pig feed," Lin Xiaoyue said, suddenly remembering something.
"Speaking of which, we need someone to provide us with the cow feed. We also need firewood. I won't have much time to do that in the future."
Li Xiao was the one who took care of that.
If he worked outside, he wouldn't have so much time to do these things.
They would need a lot of firewood to cook the cold cakes.
"Aunt Wang,do you know anyone who can help us do that?" Lin Xiaoyue asked Aunt Wang.
"There are. Many people in the village who don't have land are willing to take on the job."
"Erya and I have done it before, and so did Aunt Jiang."
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up.
"How much does it cost?"
"5 wen for a basket of pig feed. It's enough to feed my two pigs for a day and a half. As for the ox.."
"Cow grass is easier to cut than pig grass. A basket of cow grass probably costs less than 5 wen."
"Thick firewood is more expensive, which costs 10 wen per bundle. The thinner ones cost 5 to 6 wen per bundle."
Lin Xiaoyue's eyes lit up.
It wasn't expensive. A basket of cow grass and a bundle of thin firewood would only cost less than 12 wen a day. It could save them a lot of trouble.
"Great! Then I'll ask my mother to ask Aunt Jiang in the afternoon."
Aunt Wang nodded.
"I'll talk to the family about the plan. If they agree, I'll also ask Aunt Jiang to help me."
Although it was a little painful to hire someone, it was only for two months. Thinking about it this way, it was nothing.
If they could make more money in the next two months, when the two piglets grow up and are sold next year, they should be able to raise enough money for Shuanzi's wedding.
Thinking of this, Aunt Wang's heart was at ease.
Looking at Lin Xiaoyue, her heart was filled with gratitude.
This girl really cared about her family. She had to treat this girl better in the future.
As the two of them conversed, they left the main road and returned to Daishi Village.
After entering the village, Aunt Wang said that she had to go back to see Erya first.
Lin Xiaoyue stuffed 4 meat buns into her hands before letting her go and rode away.
176 Waiting for Lin Xiaoyue to Make More Cold Cakes
Before she reached home, Lin Xiaoyue saw her brother and nephew waiting for her by the road.
"Xiaoyue!" They were very happy to see her and waved at her excitedly.
Xiao Qing stood behind Lin Xiaozhi. Although he didn't say anything, he looked at the ox-cart with excitement.
"Hehe, why did you guys come out?" Lin Xiaoyue asked with a smile.
"I'm waiting for you to come back to make cold cakes! All the cold cakes at home have been sold out!" Lin Xiaozhi said excitedly, his little face flushed red.
Lin Xiaoyue's face lit up and she quickly went to the two children.
"Aunt Xiaoyue." Xiao Qing stepped forward and bowed with a smile on his face.
Lin Xiaoyue shifted her butt.
"Come up and tell me everything."
"Yes." Xiao Qing smiled as he replied and got onto the ox-cart
Then, Lin Xiaoyue found out that not long after she and Aunt Wang left in the morning, her mother carried the cold cakes and brought the two children to the field to sell them.
They were all from the same village and her cold cakes were not expensive, so many people bought them.
They tried and thought it was delicious, so many people wanted to buy more.
Later, as the sun rose, more and more people bought the cold cakes. As a result, their cold cakes were sold out very quickly.
Those who had tried cold cakes asked Liu Shi to make more, saying that they would buy more tomorrow.
For those who didn't manage to try it, they also asked her to make more so they could buy some.
Then, the two children got excited. They couldn't help with the work at home, so they came out to wait for Lin Xiaoyue by the roadside.
Lin Xiaoyue was happy to hear that the cold cakes were more popular than she thought.
Then, Lin Xiaoyue saw Li Xiao.
At this moment, Li Xiao was busy digging a pond in the stream.
It was obvious he knew that her business was going to grow.
"You're back!" Li Xiao heard the sounds and stopped what he was doing. He looked up at Lin Xiaoyue.
"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue smiled and responded.
"Ruyi Restaurant has increased the number of orders, and I've bought another 20 wooden buckets. We do need more ponds."
Lin Xiaoyue thought about it.
"I'm afraid 20 won't be enough. If you're free, dig more ponds today."
"Alright, leave that to me," Li Xiao replied.
He thought so too.
Li Xiao thought of something and said, "your mother made some rice. When it's ready, get the two children to come and get me."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled
"You don't have to worry about grinding the rice, mom and I can do it."
"Ruyi Restaurant ordered a lot of cold cakes in the afternoon. I'm going to set up a stall in front of Qingyun Academy, and the villagers might come to buy more. The ponds need to be ready in the afternoon. You focus on that first."
Li Xiao thought about it and agreed.
Lin Xiaoyue then returned to the kitchen.
When Liu Shi heard the commotion, she came out of the kitchen.
When she saw her daughter, she quickly came over and told her daughter about the cold cakes she had sold in the morning.
"Aunt Huang, Uncle Wang, and Grandma Chen's families all ordered cold cakes. They asked me to send the cold cakes directly to them in the afternoon after they were done. I've already taken the money!" Liu Shi was very excited.
This was the first time she had experienced how easy it was to earn money.
Her daughter could make 4 buckets of cold cake at a time, which was a total of 100 bowls.
The cost wasn't much, but the profit was considerable.
Today, all the villagers were there to support her. Each family bought 7 or 8 bowls of cold cakes. Some even bought 10. The amount of cold cakes prepared was not enough at all.
"I soaked 20 catties of rice. Go and take a look. If it's ready, then we should grind it," Liu Shi said anxiously.
177 Only 24 wen?
Every bowl she sold was profit. If business in the village was good, they could earn a lot!
Lin Xiaoyue got down from the ox-cart and went to hold her mother's hand.
"20 Jin of rice is not enough. Ruyi Restaurant increased the amount and asked for 12 bowls of cold cakes to be sent over in the afternoon. In addition, I'm also preparing to bring 8 buckets of cold cakes to sell near Qingyun Academy to try. Shouldn't we also make some to sell at home?"
Liu Shi was shocked.
"12 buckets?" Didn't they just ask for 4 yesterday?
"We don't have enough buckets!" Suddenly, Liu Shi thought of that and she panicked
"Hehe." Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"Mom, Xioayue bought more buckets. There are a lot of them in the ox-cart!" Lin Xiaozhi said.
Xiao Qing also looked at Liu Shi with a smile.
Only then did Liu Shi relax.
"Let's go, we'll help carry the wooden buckets!" Xiao Qing said to Lin Xiaozhi.
"Alright!" Lin Xiaozhi quickly responded.
Liu Shi stepped forward and saw that there were indeed a large number of wooden buckets piled up in the ox-cart. She finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"Let's unload the things from the cart first," she said to her daughter.
"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue responded.
She immediately got back on the ox-cart.
Then, she took out the wooden buckets and passed them to the three people below.
Suddenly, she heard Aunt Wang's voice from outside.
"Liu Shi!"
Seeing that the Liu family was busy, she quickly came forward to help.
"You're here so quickly? Is Era feeling better?"
"Yes. The swelling has completely gone down. She wants me to thank you for the buns you brought her!"
"What's there to thank? I still have some if she wants more!" Lin Xiaoyue said cheerfully.
"Hehe, that's enough. You're too generous, girl!"
Aunt Wang was quick and agile, and it didn't take long for her to help unload everything from the ox-cart.
Then, she helped Liu Shi take the two children to the stream to wash the wooden buckets.
Lin Xiaoyue led the ox back to the shed, removed the ox-cart, and fed the ox.
After she was done, she went to the kitchen to look at the rice that Liu Shi had made.
20 catties of rice was not enough.
Lin Xiaoyue found 2 water buckets and soaked another 20 catties of rice.
At the same time, by the stream, Liu Shi had already told Aunt Wang about the business in the morning.
Aunt Wang's eyes lit up.
Then, she told her about what Lin Xiaoyue asked her.
"Do it! Shuanzi is familiar with the surrounding villages. He's also hardworking. In one day, he might be able to make as much as he would at the dock!"
When Liu Shi agreed, Aunt Wang felt more at ease.
"I think so too! I'll tell them when they come back tonight!" Aunt Wang said.
"Sure! If he agrees, I'll tell Yue'er to buy more wooden buckets so that we won't run out of cold cakes in the future!" Liu Shi said generously.
After seeing the business this morning, she now believed in her daughter's cold cake business.
If they sold the cold cakes at Ruyi Restaurant, the market, near Qingyun Academy, the dock and other villages, how many bowls of cold cakes would they sell in a day?
"Take it slow. The wooden buckets aren't cheap," Aunt Wang said with a smile.
"It's okay. She's close to Mr. Jin and she buys a lot from him. He only charges 24 wen," Liu Shi smiled.
Aunt Wang was shocked.
"Only 24 wen?" She said in disbelief.
178 Saving Money
This kind of small wooden bucket was normally sold at 30 wen.
When she was at the grocery store, she had been staring at the shop assistant loading the goods and did not pay attention to how much Yue'er paid Mr. Jin.
If she bought more, she would definitely be able to get a cheaper price, but that was a discount of 6 wen!
Liu Shi thought of something and then looked at Aunt Wang with a smile.
"If you want to buy anything in the future, you can ask Yue'er first. During the construction period, she was in charge of buying everything."
"Because she bought a lot of things, she is familiar with the owners of several shops in town. Maybe she can help you save some money."
If it was someone else, she would not trouble her daughter.
However, Aunt Wang's family was different. In the past, she had helped them, and now, she was helping her daughter.
That's why she had to help them save money. At the same time, she could also help her daughter get a better reputation.
As expected, Aunt Wang's eyes lit up when she heard this.
"Right. Today, I went to the grain store to buy brown rice and noodles. Mr. Qian only rounded down the bill because of Yue'er!" Aunt Wang said excitedly.
"She is so influential!"
"Not at all. She just has thick skin!" Liu Shi smiled humbly.
In fact, she was very proud.
Then, Liu Shi talked to Aunt Wang about hiring people to collect grass for the ox.
"If Xiao'er goes to town to work, it'll be too much work for me and the two children. Now that the cold cake business has started, I don't have the time to do other things."
"Let's see if AuntJiang comes over in the afternoon. If she doesn't, I'll go to her house and ask. I'll ask if her family is willing to take this job. I might also ask her to help me."
Liu Shi smiled and looked at Aunt Wang.
"Why don't you also ask her to take care of the two piglets at your house? Let her feed them for two months."
Wang Erya would also follow her daughter to the market in the future.
Even if they hired someone to collect the grass for the pigs, it would take time to prepare the feed.
The Wang family might be as busy as them.
Aunt Wang was actually a little tempted.
"There's no rush. I'll wait for my husband and son to come back tonight. We'll make a decision after the whole family has a discussion."
"Alright! Then I'll go ask Aunt Jiang first." Liu Shi said.
"Sure! In any case, she and the three girls are all at home, and they're just worrying about not being able to find work."
The two of them chatted and laughed as they quickly washed the wooden buckets.
After that, they carried the remaining wooden buckets and put them on the shelf.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyue was already cooking.
The fragrant smell of food wafted out of the kitchen, making them drool.
Seeing that the wooden buckets were washed, and that Lin Xiaoyue was not making cold cakes at the moment, Aunt Wang was going to leave.
Liu Shi wouldn't let her leave and asked her to stay for dinner.
Lin Xiaoyue heard the noise and came out of the kitchen.
"You don't have to be polite. I have a lot of things to do in the afternoon, so I'll have to trouble you to help me after eating," Lin Xiaoyue laughed.
"Let's eat together. You can also bring some food back to Erya so that you don't have to cook."
"I shouldn't…" Aunt Wang was about to walk out.
But she was stopped by Liu Shi.
"You're still being too polite with my family."
Seeing that Aunt Wang still wanted to leave, Liu Shi quickly said, "if you leave, that means you don't treat us as family."
179 Splitting the Money
Aunt Wang stopped refusing.
She turned back to look at Liu Shi and said, "you're so…"
Lin Xiaoyue was amused by this scene.
"Aunt Wang, don't treat us as an outsider in the future. You're the closest to my mother in this village. You and uncle are the elders I respect the most. Although we are not related by blood, we are closer than relatives."
Seeing that Liu Shi was also smiling at her, Aunt Wang was touched.
"Yes…"
"I'll help you start the fire!" She then said.
Then, she walked towards the kitchen.
The Liu family treated her family sincerely, so she could only do more to repay them.
Then, Lin Xiaoyue brought Liu Shi and Aunt Wang to the kitchen and started to get busy.
The three of them chatted and soon, lunch was ready.
When Aunt Wang saw that the Liu family's dining table not only had a lot of meat and vegetables, but also had polished rice, she was really amazed and envious.
The Liu family's life is really good now.
"Mom, go and get Li Xiao and the two children. I'll bring the food to Erya." After packing the food for Wang Erya, Lin Xiaoyue took off her apron and said to Liu Shi.
"There's no need for you to make a trip, I'll do it!" Aunt Wang quickly said.
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and did not stop her.
"I'll go with you."
However, Aunt Wang was already walking towards the door.
"No, you rest for a while. I'll be back after I deliver the food. You don't have to wait for me." After saying that, Aunt Wang hurriedly walked out.
Liu Shi smiled and looked back at her daughter.
"Aunt Wang doesn't like to trouble others."
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and nodded.
"This is why others like her and treat her well."
"Yes," Liu Shi agreed.
Then, she asked Lin Xiaoyue to call Li Xiao and the others back, and she went to set the table.
When she arrived, she saw the two children with Li Xiao.
At this time, Li Xiao was no longer digging more ponds. Instead, he was adjusting the wooden boards covering the ponds.
"Let's eat first!" Lin Xiaoyue said.
Li Xiao looked at Lin Xiaoyue. "I'll come after I'm done."
He continued to work on the things at hand and told the two children to go back first.
Lin Xiaozhi immediately ran to his sister happily.
"Time to eat!" He was shouting happily.
Xiao Qing was worried that Lin Xiaozhi would fall, so he quickly chased after him and told him to slow down.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at them and smiled.
Back in the kitchen, Lin Xiaoyue went to help Liu Shi set the table.
Then, she and Liu Shi brought the two children to the big tree in the courtyard to wait for Li Xiao.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at the big tree, saying that maybe she could make a swing.
When Lin Xiaozhi heard that, he immediately pestered his sister.
"I'll ask Li Xiao to do it in the afternoon. I'll pay you two first." Lin Xiaoyue said.
She then walked to the small table and took out two strings of copper coins.
"I said that I'll pay you 1 wen for every bowl sold. There are 6 bowls of cold cakes left, so that's a total of 150 bowls."
"How much can each of you get?" Lin Xiaoyue smiled and looked at Xiao Qing. At the same time, he was given a math problem.
Xiao Qing thought for a moment.
"75 wen," he answered.
Liu Shi, who was at the side, was shocked.
"So much?"
She didn't want to stop her daughter from giving the two children money, since they also helped her to sell cold cakes in the field.
180 Counting Money
But 75 wen for a child. What if he lose the money?
Lin Xiaoyue smiled and looked at Liu Shi.
"It's not a lot, just for today!"
As she said this, she took out two strings of copper coins.
She gave it to them, letting them count it themselves.
"If you count wrong, you'll have your money deducted. 1 wen for every wrong mistake. Be careful."
"Hmph, I would never count wrong!" Lin Xiaozhi immediately replied.
Then, he fiddled with the copper coins, "one, two, three…" He started to count loudly.
Xiao Qing glanced at Lin Xiaozhi and also started counting the other string of copper coins.
Seeing the two children counting the money, Liu Shi knew that her daughter was also testing them, so she did not stop her.
"You need a wallet. I'll go get two for each of you," Liu Shi said.
"Thank you!" Xiao Qing hurriedly expressed his thanks.
"Thank you, mom!" Lin Xiaozhi added.
Liu Shi smiled and left.
Then, Lin Xiaozhi's expression suddenly changed.
"Ah, Qing'er, where was I just now?" Looking at the copper coins on the table, Lin Xiaozhi's face was full of anxiety.
"I wasn't paying attention," Xiao Qing said in embarrassment.
"Xiaoyue…" He was about to cry.
"I didn't pay attention either," Lin Xiaoyue laughed out loud.
"Xiaoyue…" He felt wronged.
He only felt that he had been bullied by his sister.
Seeing that the child was about to cry, Xiao Qing hurriedly said, "just count it again."
Then, he looked at his aunt so that she would stop teasing.
"Ahem, that's right. Qing'er is right. You can just count it again. There's no hurry," Lin Xiaoyue then suppressed her smile and said seriously.
At the same time, she warned herself in her heart.
"You've gone too far, Lin Xiaoyue. Don't bully children."
He glanced at his sister. Seeing that Lin Xiaoyue was no longer laughing at him, he began to count the copper coins again.
"One, two, three…" However, this time, the counting sound was much softer.
Seeing that Lin Xiaozhi started to count again, Xiao Qing finally shifted his gaze away from him.
Then, he gave Lin Xiaoyue a handful of copper coins that he had counted.
"These are additional coins," he said.
Lin Xiaozhi took a moment to look at Xiao Qing, then quickly retracted her gaze and continued to count, afraid that he would forget again.
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Xiao Qing with admiration.
She took the copper coins and nodded.
There were exactly 25 of them.
"Very good, you know how to use subtraction," she praised Xiao Qing.
That's right, after she started her business, she had the habit of putting 100 copper coins in a string.
Xiao Qing had helped her do that.
She gave them 2 strings of copper coins, which was actually 100 copper coins each.
If he had 75, there would be 25 left.
She saw Xiao Qing counting for a short while, which meant he counted only 25.
It's not bad that he could use a different method to solve problems at such a young age.
Xiao Qing's face was a little red as he bowed to Lin Xiaoyue.
"Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three…" Lin Xiaozhi was still counting.
Hearing that Li Xiao was coming over, his voice became more and more anxious.
He hoped that Aunt Wang wouldn't come back so soon. Otherwise, everyone would have to watch him count the money.