Chapter 20: Making Money

Tang Lvwun and Tang Yixiao exchanged bewildered glances.

Sold out?

So much stock, all gone in just half an hour?

They felt as though they were dreaming. Yet, many people nearby who had just bought the cold noodles hadn’t left; they found empty spots to squat and eat, singing endless praises of the delicious taste.

They knew the cold noodles were good, but they hadn’t expected such a crowd of buyers.

“It’s a shame; tomorrow the price goes back to five coins.”

“Even at five coins, I’ll still buy it.”

“The owner said that tomorrow the price will return to five coins, but the portion will be bigger. And tomorrow, there’ll still be free meat. But after tomorrow, the meat will cost extra.”

The siblings hurried over to the butcher’s and saw Li Peachblossom and Qin Huiyin bargaining with the plump butcher for scraps.

The mother and daughter worked together, coaxing the butcher until his smile stretched from ear to ear. He nearly gave them the scraps for free.

“You’re back,” Qin Huiyin greeted the siblings with a sweet, beaming smile. “I have good news: our cold noodles and the meat are all sold out.”

“We just heard,” Tang Lvwun replied, noticing how radiant Qin Huiyin looked, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Happiness is contagious, and with Qin Huiyin’s sweet and lovely appearance, even Tang Lvwun, a fellow girl, couldn’t help but be affected.

“Tang Yixiao, go to the town gate and look for Third Uncle. If he’s there, ask him to bring the ox cart in. We have a lot to buy, so it’ll be easier if we hire his cart to take everything back,” Li Peachblossom instructed.

Tang Yixiao answered and set off.

He’d been taking his medicine regularly these days and was much better. Li Peachblossom only sent him on errands; she never asked him to do anything difficult, so he could manage this much.

“Do you have any pig’s feet left?” Qin Huiyin asked the butcher. “If you can collect more, we’ll buy them at five coins apiece.”

“No one wanted those before; folks used to take them home for their dogs. But if you want them, I’ll save them for you. Next time you come, I’ll have some,” replied the butcher.

“You’re truly a kind man,” Qin Huiyin said sweetly. “From now on, we’ll buy all our meat from you.”

Soon, Third Uncle arrived with the ox cart, Tang Yixiao seated by his side.

He got down and helped them load their purchases onto the cart.

Next, they bought quite a lot more. First, they stocked up on peas and seasonings. Then came household essentials: they’d run out of lamp oil, Tang Yixiao’s clothes needed replacing, and both siblings needed new shoes. As for the rest of the Tang family, they didn’t need anything for now.

“How much is this wine?” Qin Huiyin asked the shopkeeper.

“The cheapest is ten coins, the most expensive is thirty. There’s also fifteen and twenty coins. Which one do you want?” the shopkeeper replied.

Qin Huiyin pointed to the twenty-coin wine and had him pour half a jin.

These were all for future use.

Third Uncle drove the Tang family back to the village.

On their return, villagers saw the fully loaded ox cart and headed toward the Tang household, curious to see if they’d struck it rich.

Li Peachblossom closed the gate to the yard, shutting out prying eyes.

“Uncle, where are you going?” a woman stopped Third Uncle.

He tightened the reins, pretending innocence. “Back to town. The others aren’t back yet, so I need to fetch them.”

“Uncle, what’s going on with the Tang family? Weren’t they broke? How did they buy so much? I saw your cart, and it was overflowing. What did they buy?”

“You ask strange questions. I’m not part of the Tang family—how would I know what they bought? I just help them move things; I never look inside the packages.”

“Qin Huiyin’s mother hired your cart first thing this morning, and made you take them to town alone. If anyone knows, it’s you! Why are you protecting them?”

“I’m a man. Not as curious as you lot. I never ask about other people’s business, so of course I don’t know,” Third Uncle said, and drove off.

A few women watched the Tang house with scornful expressions.

“Owe fifty taels of silver, and they still dare buy so much? If I owed even a coin or two, I’d lose sleep. How do they have the nerve?”

“They’re not worried. At worst, she can marry again. If no man wants her, she has two daughters! Especially that Qin Huiyin—Steward Jiang is willing to pay fifty taels as a betrothal gift!”

“That much? Li Peachblossom is so greedy—she’ll never refuse such a good match, will she?”

“Steward Jiang is old enough to be her father. If she gives her daughter to an old man, won’t people talk behind her back?”

“She’s done enough shameless things already. A woman like that will do anything for money. If Steward Jiang wanted both mother and daughter, I bet she’d agree.”

…

The women’s words grew increasingly outrageous, so much so that even the men frowned. These women really had no filter—maligning a widow was one thing, but they wouldn’t even spare a young girl.

Naturally, Li Peachblossom had no idea the villagers were slandering her precious daughter. Had she known, she’d have rushed over to tear their mouths apart.

Right now, she was sitting at the table, counting their earnings.

“Sixty portions of cold noodles, gave away six, sold fifty-four. At three coins each, that’s 162 coins. Most of the marinated meat was given away, only a little was sold—about seventy coins earned. We also bought ingredients for tomorrow, seasonings, lamp oil, shoes, and clothes, which all together cost four hundred coins. So, we made about two hundred and thirty coins, but spent four hundred and seven. But these were all necessities, so they shouldn’t count toward expenses. For profit, we only subtract the cost of goods.”

Li Peachblossom and the others didn’t understand terms like cost, profit, or necessities. They just waited for her final summary.

“In short, we spent more than we made—today was a wash,” Li Peachblossom concluded, not very pleased.

“Mother, household items are necessities—we can’t skimp on them. We can make the money back, and it’s not like we buy so much every day,” said Qin Huiyin. “I’ll make lunch now. After we eat, we’ll get busy again. We have to make more pea starch today so the business can continue. And the meat—we’ll need to braise that too.”

Tang Yixiao sat by the stove, tending the fire, watching Qin Huiyin bustling at the counter. His mouth opened and closed a few times, his little face turning bright red.

“What is it you want to say?” Qin Huiyin asked, cracking eggs as she spoke. “Are you trying to thank me? You don’t have to. You’re my brother—it’s only right for me to look after you.”

Tang Yixiao stared at her in a daze.

Brother?