Chapter 37: A Great Windfall

After the group tidied up the stall, Shopkeeper Liu arrived fashionably late. Seeing them, he chuckled, "What were you all selling over there? It was so packed with people that I didn't even dare to squeeze through."

"It was cold-tossed dishes. You should try some, Shopkeeper," Wen Ye said, pulling a large bowl of the dish from her basket. She had set it aside just before they sold out.

Shopkeeper Liu’s eyes lit up. He didn't stand on ceremony and took a few bites. "Delicious! Who would have thought that simple vegetables could taste this good when tossed with seasoning? It’s even more savory than meat. How exactly does your brain work, girl? You’re always coming up with such novel ideas."

Wen Ye laughed, "I have no choice. Life forces one to think of ways to survive."

Shopkeeper Liu didn't press further; he offered a few more warm compliments, paid for the goods, and took his leave.

Wen Ye had Lin stay behind to watch the stall while she took Wen Lan and Wen Yuan to purchase ingredients. Cold-tossed noodles had been the most popular item today, so Wen Ye bought 20 catties of white flour and 20 catties of dark flour. She bargained with the grain shop owner, promising long-term business if he lowered the price by two wen per catty, bringing the dark flour to 8 wen and the white flour to 18 wen. The shopkeeper stroked his beard and nodded in agreement.

By 1:00 PM—

Old Man Wen stood at the doorway, craning his neck in anticipation. Seeing the figures of Lin and the others in the distance, he rushed over impatiently.

"You’re finally back." As he spoke, he took the basket from Wen Ye. His heart sank—it was so heavy... they must not have sold anything. He shouldered the basket and reached for the ones Lin and Wen Lan were carrying as well.

"Quick, let’s go inside and eat," Old Man Wen said, forcing a smile.

"Father, we’ve already eaten," Wen Yuan laughed. "We had steamed rice dumplings! Everything was sold out, and second sister even let me have a double portion."

"Sold out?" Old Man Wen asked in disbelief. "Then why are these baskets so heavy?"

"We bought lotus roots and flour. Plus, there’s the leftover soy sauce and the plates and bowls. All of that is heavy!" Wen Lan explained.

Old Man Wen finally remembered and grinned sheepishly. "I forgot about the bowls and the small clay pots. Come on, get inside."

Once the family was indoors, Lin pulled a small plate of steamed rice dumplings from her basket. "Husband, this is for you. I know you love the pork and pickled vegetable filling the most."

Old Man Wen grunted in satisfaction, took the plate, and sat on a small stool to eat.

***

Wen Ye and the others went to wash the dishes. Once everything was settled, they closed the door and sat around the table to count their earnings. With a clatter, Lin emptied a large bag of copper coins onto the table. It was the first time Old Man Wen and the others had seen so much money, and their eyes widened.

"String them up into bundles of 50 wen," Wen Ye instructed.

The family worked for a quarter of an hour. Though their hands grew tired, Wen Lan and the others were beaming with joy.

"A total of 1,050 wen," Wen Yuan announced. "Wow, that’s one tael and 50 wen!"

Wen Ye took out a small notebook. "After deducting the cost of 550 wen, we have 500 wen left."

"We earned 500 wen in a single day?" Old Man Wen’s tongue felt tied. "When I go out to carry heavy loads, I only make 600 wen a month... This... this is too much." Although Wen Ye had brought home over forty taels last time, they saw that as a stroke of luck that wouldn't last. Earning 500 wen in one day through their own hard work held a much deeper significance.

"If we sell twice as much tomorrow, will we earn a tael a day?" Wen Yuan’s eyes sparkled.

Old Man Wen tapped him on the head and laughed, "You silly boy, we can't just double our sales like that."

"We definitely can. Father, you don't know—we sold out in just over two hours today, and there were so many people who didn't get any and said they’d come back tomorrow."

Old Man Wen smiled, feeling a stir of excitement, though he was cautious not to expect too much.

"Second sister, don't you think so?" Wen Yuan looked at Wen Ye. "How much should we make tomorrow?"

Wen Ye thought for a moment. "Let’s make 300 catties!" Based on today’s sales, and considering they were the only ones selling, the market could handle that volume. Wen Yuan was thrilled, while Old Man Wen and Lin felt a bit anxious, unable to shake their unease.

Lin said, "Let Ye Ya keep the money!" She had lived for half a lifetime and had never handled so much cash; she didn't dare hold onto it. Besides, this was all Ye Ya’s doing. Ever since she fell into the water and received guidance from an immortal, Ye Ya had become more composed than anyone else. It was best if she managed the household finances.

Wen Ye was happy to oblige. "Alright, I’ll keep it then."

***

"Ye Ya—" At that moment, Wen Yu'er’s voice rang out from outside.

Wen Ye opened the door to find Wen Yu'er and Auntie Guihua standing by the gate.

"Auntie Guihua, you’ve come at just the right time. I was just about to pay you for the vegetables from last time," Lin said with a smile.

"What vegetable money?" Auntie Guihua asked, momentarily confused. As the mother and daughter walked into the room and saw the pile of coins on the table, they gasped, "Oh my, where did you get all this money?"

"It’s from the small dishes we make, called 'cold-tossed.' I’ll make some for you to try in a bit," Wen Ye said with a smile.

Auntie Guihua finally remembered.

"I bought cucumbers from you last time, and I’m settling up now," Lin said, looking at Wen Yuan. "How much was it?"

Wen Yuan flipped open the notebook and read aloud, "20 catties of cucumbers, 10 catties of carrots, 15 catties of garlic... a total of 123 wen."

"123 wen? That much?" Auntie Guihua was stunned. "Cucumbers are only 1 wen per catty..."

"They aren't 1 wen per catty," Wen Ye interjected. "If you buy them elsewhere, cucumbers cost 2 wen. We wouldn't want to shortchange you, Auntie."

"Well... if you insist, I’ll take it." Auntie Guihua was a practical woman, and her family was in dire need of money; she hadn't saved enough for her son’s wedding yet.

"We’ll be needing a large quantity of vegetables later on. If you have more, we’ll take it all."

Auntie Guihua replied, "You’ve already picked through nearly half of my cucumbers. I only planted those two rows. But I have plenty of carrots in the field; you can pick as many as you need. Do you want bamboo shoots? I have a grove by the edge of my field at the foot of the mountain, and there are so many of them. I was planning to take them to town to sell tomorrow!"

"Bamboo shoots? Of course we want them!" Wen Ye said. "We’re just lacking those. They’re so crisp and refreshing."

Auntie Guihua’s eyes lit up. "Bamboo shoots sell for 1 wen a catty outside. How about 2 wen for 3 catties?"

"How about this: raw bamboo shoots with the husks sell for 1 wen a catty. Auntie, if you peel them, slice them, and blanch them to remove the bitterness before weighing them, I’ll pay 5 wen a catty. That saves us the labor and lets you earn a fair wage for your hard work." As everyone knew, a catty of spring bamboo shoots yielded less than half a catty of meat after peeling, so 5 wen was very reasonable.

"That sounds wonderful!" Thinking of the extra income, Auntie Guihua beamed. "How many catties do you need a day?"

"Let’s say 30 catties a day!"

"Deal. After we finish picking the cucumbers and carrots with you, I’ll go up the mountain with your Uncle Shengli to break off some bamboo shoots."