Chapter 38: Continuing to Make Money

Aunt Guihua was chatting happily with Wen Ye, holding her little hand. Wen Yu stood to the side, looking as if she had something to say but hesitated.

Lin brought out a plate of freshly tossed cold noodles, and Aunt Guihua showered her with compliments while she ate. Wen Yu, not having eaten, whispered, "Ye, are you free? About our embroidery..."

Wen Ye suddenly remembered, "Oh, I've been so busy these days that I completely forgot about it."

Wen Yu smiled, "Exactly. I've been practicing for five days now, and Lan has been at it for four."

"Let's go to our room to talk."

The three girls went into the room shared by Wen Ye and her sister. Wen Lan and Yu took out what they had accomplished over the last few days. Both had been embroidering the peach blossoms Wen Ye had drawn; Wen Yu had completed ten pieces, and Wen Lan had finished seven. Each piece was better than the last. With their years of foundational skill, once they understood the secrets and techniques, the quality was naturally exceptional. Wen Yu, in particular, was not only fast but also made her work look more vivid than Wen Lan’s.

"You've embroidered very well, especially you, Yu," Wen Ye said. "Starting today, I will teach you double-sided embroidery with different colors."

"Different colors? I've never seen such embroidery before. Is it really possible?" Wen Yu asked nervously.

Wen Ye nodded, then picked up a plain handkerchief to demonstrate. "First, secure the thread with two stitches, one on each side, focusing on hiding the needle..."

As she explained, she embroidered. Within a quarter of an hour, she had produced a circle: one side was pink, and the other was light yellow.

Wen Lan and Yu were amazed. "Wow, it really works!"

Wen Ye said, "You both understand the techniques and methods I just showed, right? Just keep practicing according to this."

Wen Lan and Yu were excited and nodded repeatedly. "How long do we need to practice this double-colored embroidery?"

"A year is not too short, and ten years is not too long," Wen Ye replied.

The expressions on Wen Lan and Yu's faces changed instantly.

Wen Ye added, "Naturally, the longer you practice embroidery, the better. But since we want to earn money from this now, we don't need to be overly perfectionistic. Now that you know the technique, as long as you reach a standard level of double-sided, multi-colored embroidery, it will be novel enough to sell well."

Wen Lan and Yu were very clear about their goal: "We just want the money!"

Wen Ye laughed. "Then if you practice for half a month, you should be able to master the basic techniques. Yu, you have a high aptitude, so you might be faster." She looked at Wen Lan. "Sister, you are slightly behind, but don't be discouraged. With more practice, you'll catch up."

"I'm not discouraged. Embroidery has always been Yu's strength; she's the best at it."

Wen Lan had always been very self-aware.

"Sister, you and Yu focus on the embroidery. Leave the cold dishes to me and Mom and Dad. If you embroider well, you'll earn even more than selling cold dishes."

Wen Lan giggled. "If I can embroider one piece and sell it for two taels, I'll be thrilled." Wen Yu nodded in agreement.

Wen Ye warned, "From today on, only the three of us know this double-sided, multi-colored embroidery technique. We must not let a fourth person learn it."

Wen Lan and Wen Yu looked solemn. "Don't worry."

After providing a bit more guidance, Wen Ye went out to attend to business. Hearing that Wen Lan was focusing on embroidery, Lin came in with a stack of pre-cut fabric. "I was just about to make clothes for you. We never embroidered anything on them before, but since you need to practice, you might as well use these. It’s good practice, and you can add some flowers to them."

Wen Lan and Yu were overjoyed, as they were running low on plain handkerchiefs and had been worrying about a lack of fabric. Upon hearing that the embroidery would be on clothing, Wen Ye quickly drew a few patterns, including leaves, bamboo, and orchids.

***

The next day, Wen Ye prepared a full 300 catties of vegetables. As soon as the sun rose, she headed to town by ox cart. This time, Wen Lan didn't go, but Wen Laosan did.

They had just set up their stall when someone arrived. "Hey, the cold dish vendor from yesterday is open! Give me a large portion of cold noodles."

"Weigh me two catties, make it spicy! Add plenty of garlic."

"I want three catties!"

The three of them began working skillfully. Wen Laosan watched, dumbfounded—people were actually rushing to buy their food?

"Aren't you two the ones from Duoshi?" Two women from the same village walked over, looking surprised. "We heard yesterday that there was some cold dish for sale here, but we didn't expect it to be from your family."

Wen Laosan smiled bashfully. Lin, while tossing the vegetables, said, "We don't have any fields or land at home, so we have to come up with some small way to make a living."

Wen Ye stepped forward. "Aunties, what would you like to eat? It's on us."

The two village women were pleasantly surprised and sat down without standing on ceremony. "Then we'll have a little bit of everything."

Wen Ye was generous, mixing each of them a large bowl of cold dishes. They were very satisfied with the taste and didn't ask any more questions, leaving after a quick greeting.

As the street became busy, the group didn't stop moving. Most people brought their own bowls and scrambled to buy two or three catties at a time. Within an hour, all 300 catties of vegetables were sold out. Other vendors nearby watched with eyes wide, filled with both envy and jealousy.

A little old man selling steamed buns snorted, "Isn't it just blanching vegetables and mixing them with chili, vinegar, green onions, garlic, and soy sauce? Anyone can do that! I'll sell it tomorrow too."

Lin, who was cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, turned pale.

Wen Ye just smiled, unbothered. "Mom, Dad, what should we have for lunch?"

Wen Yuan raised his hand excitedly. "Wontons! Right over there!"

Wen Ye glared at him. "Dad hasn't eaten in town yet, let him choose." She looked at Wen Laosan.

Wen Laosan was flattered. In his thirty-some years of life, he hadn't eaten out more than five times. He dared not be picky and stammered happily, "Well... let's listen to Yuanbao and have wontons."

They packed up their things and headed to the wonton stall next door. The owner of the wonton stall watched them sit down at his stall with a stiff, insincere smile. This cold dish stall had snatched away a lot of his business, and just thinking about it made him angry.

The owner stepped forward. "We have noodles and wontons. What would you like?"

Wen Ye said, "Four bowls of large wontons, and add noodles to three of them."

Wen Laosan and Lin were manual laborers who rarely had much fat or oil in their diet, so they had hearty appetites. Wen Yuan was a growing boy who could eat his parents out of house and home, so adding noodles was necessary. Wen Ye ate less, so a bowl without extra noodles was enough for her.

The owner brought out the wontons one by one, looking as if he wanted to fish for information, but he was too embarrassed to ask directly, so he just kept offering awkward smiles. "You sure are clever. Making something sour and refreshing in the middle of summer really whets the appetite."

Wen Ye smiled. "Just tinkered with it. I didn't expect it to make any money."

The owner replied, "Maybe I'll tinker with it too, later on."

Wen Laosan and Lin sprayed the savory wontons right out of their mouths.

The owner choked slightly, feeling awkward, and turned back to his stove. Wen Ye found the startled expressions of her parents quite amusing.