Chapter 18 – Selling Food
T/N: Forgot to post this yesterday, sorry…
The blacksmith held the blueprints, the tools on them were not difficult to make, and they looked quite interesting. He asked Wei Cheng to come and pick them up in half an hour. Wei Cheng had time to go to a small shop selling sauces and pickled vegetables to buy miso. Compared with doing everything by himself, buying semi-finished products saves him time and effort.
When he bought what he was looking for, he went back to the blacksmith’s shop. The blacksmith made small tools and asked, “What are these small tools used for?”
Wei Cheng, “This is an auxiliary tool for cutting and peeling vegetables.”
Blacksmith, “Can you demonstrate?”
Wei Cheng agreed to demonstrate and asked the blacksmith to prepare several vegetables, and showed the blacksmith the use of the vegetable cutting tool. The peeling tool peeled quickly and the fruit and vegetables remained intact, and the grating tool grated cucumbers evenly and quickly…..it sliced, diced, and cut them into shapes.
“It’s really convenient!” The blacksmith was pleasantly surprised by the use of the small tool. It is not only practical but also has a wide range of uses. Every household and restaurant can use it. “I will pay two taels of silver to buy the blueprint.”
Wei Cheng: “…”
He should be thankful that he was born in the times of technology and came to ancient times. The knowledge he used and learned before has become a tool for making money here.
Okay, he’ll sell it!
It doesn’t cost money to make blueprints and he can get two taels of silver.
He made more money than when he sold food for half a day yesterday.
Every time he comes up with new tricks, he can make money. According to the vast amount of knowledge stored in his head, in ancient times, he felt that he had become a mobile treasure house.
Wei Cheng also ordered iron plates for teppanyaki but the blacksmith was not interested in just one iron plate.
“Husband, what are you buying these things for?” They were just going out for a trip and he bought so many things, Zhou Yuan once again saw his husband’s ability to spend money lavishly.
“I bought these things to make flatcakes. After selling the cold noodle, I will go to the pier to sell flatbreads at noon.”
Ships come and go from the pier of the county town, from the north and south, and there is an endless stream of business travelers. There are also shops selling goods from the north and the south at the pier. Seventy percent of the shops in the county town are here to wholesale goods. The wharf is also the place with the largest concentration of people, and it is absolutely profitable to sell food.
Cold noodles are sold in the morning, and flatbread is sold at noon. The flatbread can be made into a wrap and then filled with vegetables and dipped into sauce or miso.
The vegetables at home haven’t grown yet, so he has to buy them.
“Here, this is two taels of silver.” Wei Cheng handed over the money for selling the blueprints to Zhou Yuan.
“Why do you still have two taels of silver?” He gave his husband two taels of silver to go out and buy things. The money is still there. Where did the things my husband bought just now come from?
Zhou Yuan would not think that Wei Cheng took money from his private stash, he earned all the money in the family, and he can take it directly if he wanted some so there was no need to hide any.
“The blacksmith bought blueprints for my small tools, and two taels of silver is the money from selling the blueprints.”
When his husband goes out, he earns two taels of silver.
Zhou Yuan felt that his husband was very smart, knew a lot of things, and could make money, so he immediately looked at Wei Cheng with adoring eyes.
Wei Cheng was very pleased with his adoring eyes and kissed him. Zhou Yuan was taken aback, and looked around in guilty conscience, afraid of being seen by others. Even though he was in his own yard, someone might peek into the yard.
“This is outside, don’t mess around.” Zhou Yuan covered his mouth and jumped away.
Wei Cheng chuckled, “No one will see it.”
Zhou Yuan glared at him.
“The vegetable cutting tool, do you want to learn how to use it?” Wei Cheng shook the vegetable-cutting tool in his hand to divert Zhou Yuan’s attention.
“…….I want to!”
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Wei Cheng knocked on the door, and a voice came from inside, “Who is it?”
The sound of someone’s footsteps coming over to open the door, Aunt Yang saw that it was the neighbor next door, she was a little surprised, “Wei Cheng, why do you want to see Auntie?”
Aunt Yang knew Wei Cheng, and she had a good impression of this dull and honest man. Although she didn’t know the others well, she would greet them when she saw them on most days.
Aunt Yang is a villager from the original village on the outskirts. Their house was built next to Wei Cheng’s house after receiving compensation for land requisition but the house built by her family was a mud house, not as big as Wei Cheng’s.
Aunt Yang’s family has no land other than a vegetable field. The man in the family has a regular job in the market, and the source of income for the family is part-time jobs.
“Auntie, I’m here to buy your vegetables.”
“You don’t need to buy green vegetables. They are worthless. If you want to eat them, go to the vegetable field to pick them yourself.” In suburban homes, every household has a vegetable field, and they can grow vegetables. If there are too many vegetables, they become worthless, and it is difficult to sell them.
Wei Cheng, “Auntie, I have a small business at home, and I have to use lettuce and carrots every day. I have to give you the money. I will give you five wen for the vegetables every day. You pick them and send them to my house every day.”
Aunt Yang: “This…”
They are all neighbors, and it is difficult for her to get money for vegetables. Wei Cheng also said that he needs vegetables every day so he bought them intentionally.
Wei Cheng handed five Wen to Aunt Yang, and said, “Aunt Yang just agreed, please forgive me for troubling you.”
Aunt Yang took the money and said with a smile, “Wei Cheng, it should be Auntie thanking you!”
Five Wen is also an income.
Both of her sons are not married, and the family has no land to cultivate, and the income is earned by men outside, relying on the county town, and it costs a lot of money for food and clothing, and it is already lucky for them not to starve.
On the surface, it seems that living in the county means that they lead a good life, but they don’t know that if they lose their livelihood, they will not be able to live a good life.
The family eats green vegetables and dregs every day, and life is not easy, let alone letting their son marry a wife.
The next day, at the stall.
“Yuan Yuan, after the finished dough is fermented, divide it into small portions and put them on the table. I’ll bake the flatbreads after I sell the cold noodles.”
“You have worked so hard, you have kneaded the dough, can’t you teach me how to make flatbread?” Zhou Yuan complained dissatisfiedly. He could bake, but he was afraid that it would not be as delicious as Wei Cheng’s.
Wei Cheng put his things into the trolley cabinet and stood in front of Zhou Yuan, “I am a man with great strength, so this kind of work is not a problem. You are weak, and if you are tired, I will feel sorry for you.” He is physically healthy, he can work with great strength all year round, and can easily knead the dough.
He, Wei Cheng, is a man, how can he make his wife work hard, he doesn’t like to see him tired at all, he will feel uncomfortable watching him, and his wife should be taken care of by him.
Zhou Yuan raised his head and looked at him, “I can do it too. I used to have no problem working in the fields at home.” He has done heavy work, so he wouldn’t be tired.
Wei Cheng felt soft-hearted and held Zhou Yuan’s hand. Zhou Yuan’s hand was soft, but the hand skin was rough. It looked like he had been working a lot.
It hurts for him to come home and see his wife having to do heavy work, he said firmly, “I will do the heavy work at home, and you will do the rest, why don’t you let me do small things by myself?”
Wei Cheng stretched out his arms to hug Zhou Yuan, “Okay, earning money to raise a wife is a matter of course, no objections are allowed.”
Zhou Yuan, “……” Didn’t he just want to share more, so why was he not allowed to refute doing the heavy work?
“Stay well at home. Aunt Yang next door will bring vegetables over later, and I will leave the cleaning to you.”
Wei Cheng is going to the stall.
The number of noodles and jelly to be sold increased, and the number of meals to be served has also increased, so it is not easy to bring water for cleaning chopsticks, and a bucket is still required. Water can be obtained in the place where the stall is set up and in the houses of others.
Wei Cheng used five wen to negotiate the fetching of water, and the lady in the house knew Wei Cheng as she also bought cold noodles yesterday, her grandson and the old man loved it, so she gave up the five wen and replaced it with a bowl of cold noodles.
Wei Cheng agreed.
Wei Cheng’s stall opened, and people from the county came out to buy breakfast. People who had eaten cold noodles and those who hadn’t, all lined up in front of the stall.
Many people who bought cold noodles this time came with bowls in their hands. They all saw that the boss gave more to those who brought their own bowls for the cold noodles yesterday, so they brought their own bowls to buy, hoping that the boss would give more.
“Boss, I brought a bowl, you have to give me more.”
“Boss, I brought them too. You gave more to those who brought their own bowls yesterday, and you will also give more today.”
“I bought three servings yesterday. Both adults and children in the family want to eat it. I brought a bowl to buy it again today.”
…
Wei Cheng said that there would be no problem, he now had tools to shred the cucumbers so he brought a lot of them. He couldn’t give more of the noodles but he’ll put more shredded cucumbers, and it seemed like a good portion.
Wei Cheng started to get busy.
The customers who bought the cold noodles ate it on the spot and said it was delicious. Seeing how delicious the food was, they urged Wei Cheng to hurry up scared that they would not be able to buy any. The speed is also limited so they were urging him.
Looking at the long queue, some of them are new customers. They asked customers who have bought it, what kind of food was being sold, and whether it is delicious. Wei Cheng does not need to promote his stall as everyone helps to promote it. They heard that it is delicious, but they have never eaten such food so they had to wait in line to buy it.
“What’s this? This crystal clear thing?” A middle-aged man in charge asked, pointing to the jelly.
Wei Cheng glanced at him and explained, “This is jelly, and it can cool off the heat when eaten cold.”
“How much is a bowl?”
“A bowl is three wen.”
“I want a bowl, and I’ll buy more if it’s really cold.”
He was so straightforward in jumping into the queue, and the customers in the queue didn’t mind. Seeing that the steward was followed by two servants, the other party should have a background.
“Boss, you sell to Steward Wang first, it doesn’t matter if we are later.”
Wei Cheng knew in his heart that Steward Wang definitely had a background, “Then you wait a moment.” After packing the jelly and handing it to Steward Wang, Steward Wang didn’t dislike it even when had no place to sit, so he started to eat after taking it. Wei Cheng ignored him and continued to sell cold noodles.
Steward Wang took a bite of the jelly, which was ice-cold and sweet. He was surprised that there was such delicious food at street stalls.
He originally came out to buy food for the young master at home. The young master was picky about food and didn’t like to eat the rich breakfast prepared by the family. He made a fuss about not eating breakfast at home. He watched the young master grow up and felt sorry for the young master’s poor appetite. He just thought about the variety of breakfast outside, so he found a few to buy back for the young master to eat, if the young master likes to eat, he can also learn how to cook them at home.
This jelly and cold noodles. Steward Wang bought three servings of each, and he brought his own food box.
If the young master really likes to eat, he will come over and negotiate.
Wei Cheng didn’t care, he still had to be busy, and some people even lined up to buy cold noodles when they saw Steward Wang bought them.
Thanks to Steward Wang, there are more cold noodles and jelly sold than yesterday, and they were sold out in just over an hour.
He closed the booth and went home.
He can rest for a while when he goes back, and hug his wife.
Steward Wang is the housekeeper of the Cao family in the inner county. The Cao family does a lot of business in the county, and they rely on officials behind them. They are also a big family in the county.
Steward Wang entered the main hall. The old lady of the Cao family was coaxing her precious grandson to have breakfast. The young master of the Cao family was ten years old.
The young child will not eat, the old lady of the Cao family and the young master and his mother are coaxing him.
“Won’t eat, I won’t eat!” The young master’s voice was crunchy, his tone soft, and he was losing his temper.
Steward Wang saluted respectfully, “Old Madam, Madam, this old servant bought food for the young master. This food is new, called jelly and cold noodles. Many people are queuing up to buy it. I don’t know if the young master will like it.”
Old Madam Cao, “Bring it up.”
Steward Wang, “Of course!”
He asked the servants to bring the food from the food box.
Old Madam Cao saw jelly and cold noodles, but she hadn’t ever seen them either.
That bowl of crystal-clear jelly looks suitable for eating now.
Madam Cao coaxed her youngest son to take a bite of jelly, and the young master pouted and took a bite of jelly. It was cool and smooth, and the young master smiled brightly, “Mother, I want to eat it!” It was sweet, cool, and delicious.
Seeing that the son/grandson has an appetite for breakfast, how can they not feed him? The young master of the Cao family ate it one bite at a time. The young master didn’t eat the cold noodles though.
Old Madam Cao and Madam Cao didn’t eat cold noodles either but they fell in love with jelly. Madam Cao ate two mouthfuls of cold noodles. She said, “The cold noodles are chewy and salty. If you eat jelly, then eat cold noodles, the taste will be different.”
“What’s delicious today?” Old man Cao always likes to take a walk in the morning and eat breakfast when he comes back. He leaned over the table to watch. “Steward Wang, what kind of food is this?”
Steward Wang, “Replying to the old master, this is a new type of food, called cold noodles.”
Old man Cao took a bite with his chopsticks and ate it, “It tastes good!” Then he ate it with a bowl of bird’s nest porridge.
“This cold noodle is not bad, Steward Wang, buy another one tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir!”
Madam Cao, “The jelly that I ate just now is very good. My grandson also likes it. Prepare some tomorrow.”
Old man Cao was puzzled, “What jelly? Why didn’t I see any?”
Madam Cao said with a smile, “You are late, we have finished eating it.”
Old man Cao, “Steward Wang, go buy it tomorrow. I want to try it and see if it tastes good.”
Madam Cao ordered, “Steward Wang, find someone to learn how to cook it at home. No matter how delicious the food outside is, we can’t rest assured unless it is cooked at home.”
“Yes!” Steward Wang took the order to do it.
Wei Cheng didn’t know that the Cao family wanted the jelly recipe. After he returned, he sat next to Zhou Yuan to rest.
Zhou Yuan struggled not to give him a hug, “Aren’t you going to bake flatbread?”
Wei Cheng hugged him tightly, not letting him break free, and said pitifully, “Yuan Yuan, I just came back, let me take a rest.”
Zhou Yuan’s heart softened, “You sit and rest, I’ll go and wash things.”
How could Wei Cheng let go, he wanted his wife to accompany him, and if his wife was busy, how could he sit down and have a good rest?
Wei Cheng put his head on Zhou Yuan’s shoulder on purpose, and said vaguely, “Yuan Yuan, don’t move, I won’t be so tired by resting here.”
Seeing him leaning on his shoulders, Wei Cheng’s tone was tired, so he obediently gave way!
Wei Cheng’s lips hooked up slightly.
His wife just followed his pitiful routine.
With his wife with him, resting was interesting.
Thanks for the chapter! Silly hubby, lol
Aww they’re so cute!! 🥹
omg theyre so cute
Thank You for the new chapter (｢`･ω･)｢❤️