Chapter 011: A Good Start

Early the next day, when Liu Xiaodao and a few others knocked on the door of the Lu family, Xiao Mi had been busy all night and was too lazy to go back to the backyard to sleep, so she just leaned on the stove and slept for an hour.

When the others came in and saw the black soot on her nose, they all laughed.

"Xiao Mi, did you help Grandma Zao Wang last night?" one of them asked.

Xiao Mi wiped her nose with her sleeve and didn't have time for jokes. She just took out some candied haws and gave one to each person.

"Xiao Dao, try this. These are the candied haws I made. Today, I need you to help me sell them in the city. One candied haw for three wen, and if someone buys a lot, it's four for ten wen. Of course, it's freezing to go into the city, so I can't let you go for nothing. I'll give you twenty wen for the day's work, how about that?"

The young men, munching on the candied haws, found them novel and delicious. They had thought they were just helping out for free, but now they were surprised to hear about the payment. They quickly declined, "Xiao Mi, we're all from the same village, it's not right to ask for payment for a small favor. If word gets out, we might get a beating at home!"

"Brothers, don't worry, I have my own reasons. These candied haws won't be sold in just one day. If my estimate is correct, they should sell for at least half a month. If you help me and miss out on your own work at home, how can I not pay you? Don't think it's too little, save it up and buy some silk flowers for the unmarried sisters-in-law at the New Year."

Most of the young men were either married or engaged, and hearing this, they blushed and smiled.

They didn't refuse anymore. They often sold game in the city, so they weren't afraid of shouting along the streets. Besides, if the candied haws didn't sell well, they could just forgo the payment.

Thinking this way, they quickly helped to tie the candied haws to the grass stems and harnessed Lu Wu's plow. The red horse from the Feng family was also borrowed, and the group of young men rode the two plows into the city.

The mischievous north wind blew on the plows, carrying a hint of sweet and sour fragrance back to the old Bear Ridge, causing the children to run to the Lu family's gate to look.

Unfortunately, Lu Xiao Mi couldn't resist her weariness and, after hastily making breakfast, went back to her room and fell into a deep sleep.

Man proposes, God disposes. She had done what she could, and whether the small candied haws would sell well depended on luck and the abilities of the young men.

Moreover, when Lu Wu and Liu Xiaodao and the others entered the city, the dozen or so grass-stemmed candied haws caused quite a stir.

The gatekeepers had seen all kinds of goods entering the city, light and heavy, long and short, alive and dead, but they had never seen anything like these grass-stemmed candied haws, resembling hedgehogs.

Liu Xiaodao was clever and gave each soldier a string of candied haws. The small candied haws might not be very popular, but his respectful and humble attitude was appreciated, so for the first time ever, the group entered the city without spending a penny.

The snow had just stopped, and the city was bustling, especially near the commercial street. Women came out to buy fabric for new jackets, men strolled into teahouses to listen to music, and children from the alleys ran in and out, making it lively.

The young men gathered to discuss for a few moments, then dispersed. Some stood under the teahouse, some went to the street, and some went to the pastry shop.

When the shouting began, the bright red candied haws quickly caught the attention of everyone, especially the women and children.

When they heard that they were only three wen each, people quickly bought them to try.

The sweet and sour taste, with a hint of honey, was not to the liking of the gatekeepers, but it was welcomed by all the women and children.

Three wen could only buy a meat bun, or not even cover the city entrance tax, but buying a candied haw, holding the small red fruit in their hands, was novel and beautiful. Occasionally biting into one, the sweet and sour taste made their mouths water, and the flavor was truly wonderful.

The beginning is always difficult, but once the first person bought one, the second and the hundredth followed.

Ten grass stems, each with a hundred candied haws, a total of one thousand, were sold out in just two hours.

The young men were overjoyed and couldn't believe it. Lu Wu saw that it was already noon, and he wanted to buy some dry food to fill his stomach, but Liu Xiaodao dragged him out of the city.

They had come quickly, eager to share the good news, and on the way back, they were even faster.

Lu Xiao Mi slept until midday, waiting for news from the city, feeling a bit anxious. She patiently kneaded the dough she had prepared the night before, getting ready to make buns filled with pickled cabbage and pork.

The wild boar from before, after treating everyone to a meal, had only a quarter left, which she had stewed and given as a thank-you gift to Uncle Bi. The remaining fat, she had cut out and fried a half jar of lard.

The lard scooped out from the jar still contained some fat, and when bitten into, it was fragrant. Mixed with the chopped pickled cabbage, it made the buns especially delicious.

Lu Lao Da was chopping wood in the yard, sweating profusely on this cold winter day. Lu Lao San, who usually studied hard, was not as diligent as usual and came to help his sister in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, as a man who had never cooked before, he was more of a hindrance than a help.

Lu Xiao Mi could naturally guess that her two brothers felt guilty about what had happened the day before. She wanted to refuse, but was afraid of making them feel worse, so she could only send the eldest brother to fetch water and the third brother to make a fire.

Lu Lao Da heard the commotion in the house but closed the small window crack with his hand. Lu Xiao Mi continued to work busily, as if she hadn't noticed, but in her heart, she sighed.

Some things, some deep feelings, she understood, but she couldn't help but feel resentful...

It's often said that it's better to be lucky than to be early. When the first pot of sour cabbage dumplings came out, Lu Wu and a group of young men returned triumphantly.

The copper coins, bright and shiny, filled three cloth bags. As they poured into the willow basket, Lu Xiaomi was almost ecstatic.

"Wow, we made so much money!"

The young men all raised their chins, puffed out their chests, and couldn't stop smiling.

"People say the candied haws are delicious. Some even bought three or five strings. Those who missed out asked if we would go again tomorrow!"

"Of course we will!"

The copper coins in the basket amounted to less than three thousand wen, which would only be a few taels of silver when exchanged. But it was the first bucket of gold that Lu Xiaomi had earned using her memories from her past life.

A good start is half the battle. It seemed that the rest of her plans would also go smoothly.

This good omen kept the smile on her face. So, with a wave of her fair little hand, she said, "Second brother, take the others to wash up. I'll cook seaweed and egg soup for dinner. The sour cabbage and oil-sauteed stuffing in the white buns will be enough to eat!"

"Wow, we get to eat buns!"

"That's great! I was craving the buns being sold in the city, but now I can have them here!"

The young men cheered and rushed to the well to wash their hands.

The winter well water was bone-chillingly cold, but the boys were already fired up and eager to eat the buns, so they didn't feel the cold at all. Two mischievous ones even splashed each other in the face.

With the addition of these young men, the atmosphere in the Lu family's courtyard became lively.

Old Yang lifted the door curtain and watched for a while, then went back inside with a smile to report to the master, "Young master, Miss Lu's candied haws have all been sold. It seems the business is doing well."

Feng Jian nodded, his eyes also showing a hint of joy. Those who are not daunted by difficulties and are willing to try have always been more likely to earn the respect of others. Moreover, she was just a young girl...

Lu Xiaomi was not stingy, and the buns she made were very affordable, each about the size of a small bowl. The young men didn't hold back and grabbed the buns to eat eagerly.

Lu Xiaomi busied herself with cooking another pot of hot soup for them, and then she brought the bone broth porridge that had been simmering in the earthenware pot all morning, along with the buns and a few pickled dishes, to the eastern wing.

She didn't have time to chat with Feng Jian's servants, and quickly went to find a rope to string the copper coins.

Twenty wen for a string, a total of ten strings. Liu Xiaodao's string was given an extra twenty wen as a thank-you to Uncle Liu.

Soon, the young men were full and had drunk the soup, and they were almost too full to walk.

When they received the wages that Xiaomi had given them, they all blushed a little and wanted to refuse but felt reluctant. Fortunately, Xiaomi instructed them to come back early the next day.

So everyone promised eagerly to come back early the next day to sell even more candied haws, and then happily went home.

Hearing Lu Er talk about the good business during the day, Lu Lao Da and Lu Lao San both decided to go into the city together the next day.

Lu Xiaomi hastily ate two buns, but adamantly refused to let Lu Lao San go into the city to sell candied haws.

Although she didn't think there was anything shameful about selling things, in this place, merchants were looked down upon. If Lu Lao San's classmates saw him, he might be scorned and criticized behind his back in the future.

It goes without saying that the Lu family's kitchen was brightly lit again that night.

Fortunately, this time all three brothers of the Lu family came to help. Lu Lao Da strung the haws, Lu Lao San helped to boil the sugar syrup, and they had made over a thousand strings of candied haws before midnight.

The next day, the young men gathered early as usual, each with a happy expression on their face, and some even brought dry rations prepared by their mothers or wives.

The villagers were simple-minded, and in their view, the young men had already earned wages from the Lu family, so they shouldn't eat the Lu family's food again, otherwise it would seem like taking advantage.

Lu Xiaomi made a list and carefully instructed Lu Wu to buy everything, then sent them on their way.

As expected, they all returned at noon, with another basket of copper coins in hand.

But on the third day, they didn't return until the sun was about to set, and on the fourth day, everyone carried back half a basket of candied haws.

As expected, Lu Xiaomi had anticipated this and welcomed them in with a smile, asking, "Business wasn't good today? Did someone else start selling candied haws too?"

The young men felt guilty for taking Xiaomi's wages without completing the task, and when they heard this, they exclaimed, "Xiaomi, how did you know someone else was trying to steal our business? Many people bought candied haws and then secretly copied our style and sold them all over the street, even cheaper than ours by a penny!"

"Yeah, we didn't want to lower the price, but we lost a lot of business."

Lu Xiaomi waved her hand to reassure them, "Brothers, don't worry. Take a few strings of candied haws back for your families to eat, and sell the rest tomorrow."

This time, when they received their wages, they were even more embarrassed.