Chapter 33: A Shopping Frenzy

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Hearing what Wen Yuan said, Wen Ye could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It was even better that there was a story about wandering through the realm of immortals!

“Selling cold dressed vegetables?” Wen Lan tilted her head. “Cucumber salad is tasty enough... but it’s far too simple.”

Wen Lan had stayed beside Wen Ye the entire time she prepared the salad that day. After only a few glances, she had already learned how to make it.

“This is only the simple version. I can make it much tastier,” Wen Ye said. “Authentic cold dressed vegetables use chili oil, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and all sorts of other seasonings. They’re ten times more fragrant than what I made today.”

“Besides, anything can be dressed this way. It won’t be limited to cucumbers. All kinds of vegetables will do. We only need some vegetables, oil, and salt, so the cost won’t be high.”

Although the Lins were worried—they had never done business before—when they remembered that Wen Ye had managed to sell her embroidery for thirty taels, they nodded.

“Do whatever you want, Ye,” they said.

Now that Wen Ye had an idea, her whole face brightened.

She continued, “Also, Elder Sister needs to concentrate on her embroidery now. The cloth she’ll be working with later will all be expensive. She shouldn’t be doing heavy labor anymore.”

Third Master Wen and Mrs. Lin were stunned.

How could a peasant family’s child stop working? Wasn’t that simply spoiling her?

If she gained a reputation for being lazy, it might affect her chances of making a good marriage.

Wen Lan’s face immediately reddened, and she spoke somewhat anxiously. “I can still sweep the floor, cook, and feed the pigs and chickens. As long as I don’t hurt my hands. Father, Mother, I want to earn money.”

As she spoke, she gazed at Mrs. Lin expectantly.

Mrs. Lin immediately replied, “Then focus on your embroidery.”

Being able to earn money through embroidery was a skill in itself. There would be no fear of her failing to marry into a respectable family, and she would have something to rely on once she entered her husband’s household.

Besides, after the family had divided their property, there was far less housework to do. It was also the slack season, so the couple could manage.

Wen Yuan thumped his chest. “I’ll chop wood and carry water from now on.”

Third Master Wen laughed. “You little radish, your father and mother can still handle things. It’s not your turn yet!”

......

The following day, Wen Yu’er came over again to practice embroidery with Wen Lan.

Aunt Osmanthus and Mrs. Lin sat beneath the eaves, weaving baskets and chatting.

Aunt Osmanthus said, “I’ve told Yu’er to focus on embroidery with your girl from now on. She won’t touch any other heavy work.”

Mrs. Lin smiled warmly. “We’ll do the same. We’ll have them study properly.”

Wen Ye walked over and said to Aunt Osmanthus, “Auntie, I saw that you planted a great many cucumbers in your vegetable garden yesterday. I’d like to buy some.”

“Buy them? Just pick some and eat them.”

“No, no. I want to buy a large amount. I’m planning to make cold dishes and sell them!” Wen Ye said.

Mrs. Lin added with a smile, “We want to take advantage of the slack season and start a little business, making and selling some food.”

“That’s wonderful!” Aunt Osmanthus thought that if she refused to take any money, the family would feel uncomfortable, so she nodded. “Every household grows them, and vegetables like these aren’t worth much. Even if you carry them to town to sell, you’d only get one or two copper coins per pound. Sometimes you can’t sell them at all.”

“Let’s say one copper coin per pound, then. Pick whatever you like. You don’t need to pay us right away. You can pay once you’ve made some money.”

“All right. Thank you, Aunt Osmanthus.”

Although Wen Ye had not been here long, she knew the market prices.

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The Great Qi had enjoyed favorable weather these past few years. With Heaven providing a bountiful harvest, every household grew heaps of melons and vegetables.

Even families living in town planted some. They truly could not fetch a high price, but no matter what, they should have been worth at least two copper coins per pound.

Aunt Osmanthus was offering them the lowest possible price.

If Wen Ye made money, she could not let such a kindhearted aunt truly suffer a loss.

Several days later, Old Fu, who drove the ox cart, finally returned to the village.

At dawn—

Wen Ye, Wen Yuan, and Mrs. Lin each carried a basket on their backs as they rode the ox cart to Dahe Town.

Wen Lan did not go. Her heart and mind were entirely occupied with embroidery and earning money.

The ox cart stopped beneath a large tree in the small town. The other villagers riding with them left, and Wen Ye said to Old Fu, who was lying on the cart resting, “Grandpa Fu, we’ll be buying quite a lot of things today, so we won’t return to the village until the hour of the monkey, around three in the afternoon. Could you take us back separately? We’ll give you ten copper coins.”

Old Fu’s eyes lit up.

He made two trips a day. The ox cart could carry at most eight people at a time, and each passenger paid two copper coins. Even after making both trips, he could earn only a little over thirty copper coins a day—and that was only if the cart was full. Most of the time, there were merely three or four passengers. Earning twenty copper coins in a day was already considered good.

Now he could make an extra trip and earn ten more copper coins. How could he refuse?

“Certainly, certainly. Just come back on time.”

Only then did the three of them leave, heading straight to the grain shop.

Wen Ye glanced to the right. A row of seasonings was displayed there, but the only things on offer were salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, white vinegar, and aged vinegar.

The slightly plump shopkeeper came out and asked, “What can I get for you?”

After looking around, Wen Ye said, “Shopkeeper, ten pounds each of white flour and coarse flour.”

Mrs. Lin’s heart ached at the mention of white flour. She lowered her voice and said, “Ye, do you want to eat flour-based food? But there’s no need to buy so much white flour. Just buy enough for yourself. The rest of us can eat coarse rice.”

“How could we do that? Everyone in the family should eat the same thing. Besides, the flour isn’t for eating.”

Though Mrs. Lin still felt a pang of pain, her heart warmed.

At worst, they could go without it after returning home and let the children eat it instead.

Wen Ye turned back to the shopkeeper and continued, “Also, three pounds of salt, five pounds of soy sauce, and three pounds of sesame oil.”

Wen Yuan asked, “If we’re buying oil, shouldn’t we buy a couple of large pieces of fatty pork to render at home?”

“Sesame oil is oil made from sesame seeds,” Mrs. Lin said. She had never tasted it, but she had heard of it—and knew it was terribly expensive.

The shopkeeper was startled. The three of them were covered in patches, yet they were buying so many things—and even sesame oil?

Still, he did not look down on them. He smiled and said, “Sesame oil costs seventy copper coins a pound, young lady. Are you certain you want it?”

Mrs. Lin drew in a sharp breath, while Wen Yuan’s mouth fell open. “What? Fatty pork is only twenty-five copper coins a pound! After rendering it, we can still eat the cracklings!”

The shopkeeper chuckled. “Anyone can render fatty pork after buying it. But sesame oil isn’t so easy. The seeds have to be sorted, dried, and pressed. In any case, it’s very troublesome. Ten pounds of sesame seeds produce only one pound of oil. If you only consider the yield, it actually costs about the same as lard. And then there’s the labor.”

Wen Ye nodded. The pressing techniques of this era were clearly inadequate. The fact that sesame oil was available at all was already fortunate.

“I want it. Give me three pounds.”

The shopkeeper had not expected her to buy it. His face broke into a broad smile. “Coming right up.”

“Where do you keep the spices?” Wen Ye looked around. “One pound each of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and fennel.”

The shopkeeper stared blankly. “Those are medicinal herbs, aren’t they? You can buy them at the pharmacy up ahead.”

Wen Ye drew in a quiet breath.

Excellent. People in this world did not use spices in cooking! They did not even have braised dishes.

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At that thought, Wen Ye’s eyes gleamed.

Then her cold dressed vegetables would not be something just anyone could imitate.

And in the future, she could even make braised dishes.

The more she thought about it, the happier she became. “All right, then. We’ll take the flour, salt, soy sauce, and sesame oil for now!”

After thinking it over, she also asked for two pounds of white sugar.

Sugar was expensive in this era, costing forty copper coins per pound.

The shopkeeper agreed and turned around to gather the goods.

The ten pounds of white flour went into Wen Ye’s basket.

The soy sauce and sesame oil were placed in separate ceramic jars, while the salt and sugar were wrapped in oiled paper and put into Mrs. Lin’s basket.

Since they had bought so much, the shopkeeper did not charge them for the ceramic jars. He gave them to the family.

The three of them left carrying their heavy loads. Wen Ye sucked in a breath. If she had known, she would have bought these things last!

Next, they went to the pharmacy and bought the spices they needed, spending three hundred copper coins.

After leaving the pharmacy, Wen Ye shook her head. “What a pity there’s no Sichuan pepper.”

“What’s Sichuan pepper?” Wen Yuan asked.

“It’s a little fruit that makes your mouth tingle and go numb when you eat it. It grows in clusters on trees, like strings of tiny beads.”

Wen Yuan paused. “Do you mean numbing berries? They taste awful.”

Wen Ye wondered whether the numbing berries he mentioned were actually Sichuan pepper. “Where can we find them?”

“On the mountain. Second Sister, do you want some? I can take you up there to pick them later.”

“All right.”

“But why did we buy medicine and look for those awful numbing berries?” Wen Yuan asked, his face full of curiosity.

Wen Ye smiled. “They’re useful! When the time comes, they’ll be so delicious you’ll want to swallow your own tongue.”

Wen Yuan listened, his face filled with longing.

Mrs. Lin, who was walking ahead, turned back and smiled. “What are you two whispering about? It’s almost noon. Let’s buy a couple of steamed buns from the stall ahead.”

Wen Yuan looked somewhat disappointed, but he nodded. “All right.”

Wen Ye smiled. “Mother, since this is our first time coming out to buy things, let’s eat something nice!”

Wen Yuan also looked at Mrs. Lin hopefully.

Seeing her two children’s sallow, thin faces, Mrs. Lin nodded. “Then we’ll have something good.”

Wen Yuan was overjoyed. “Wonderful!”

“What would you like to eat?”

“You choose.” Wen Ye looked at Wen Yuan.

Wen Yuan immediately found himself in a difficult position. He wanted to eat everything—wontons, noodles, buns, steamed rice cakes, rice noodles in broth...

After hesitating for quite some time, Wen Yuan finally said, “I want rice noodles in broth.”

Wen Ye smiled. “Then that’s what we’ll have.”

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