Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 50

After packing everything up, Li Dalang carried the wooden frame while Ying Su and the others held the smaller odds and ends. Just as they were about to head down the mountain, a breathless young servant blocked their way, gasping for air. 

“You… you all… wait… wait…”

Li Dalang thought something serious had happened. His face paled as he asked nervously, “What do you want?”

The servant, dressed in a blue cloth shirt, caught his breath and then smiled kindly. “That candied fruit you’re selling, right? Our steward would like to discuss a business deal with you.”

So it was about business, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

The servant assumed Li Dalang was the one in charge, so he smiled at him. “Our steward is waiting for you down at the teahouse at the foot of the mountain. Let’s head down together.”

Li Dalang nodded. As a farmer, he had never done business with anyone before and had no experience. Nervous, he kept glancing at Ying Su along the way.

Ever since that time Ying Su handled herself calmly and gracefully in the magistrate’s hall, Li Dalang had unconsciously developed a trust in her. Ying Su, on the other hand, felt nothing unusual. Business coming to her door simply meant more money to earn.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, a shabby teahouse came into view. A middle-aged man in a fine cotton blue robe was sitting there sipping tea. When he saw Ying Su and her group, he immediately stood up.

The servant led them over and introduced them with a smile, “This is our steward.”

“Please, sit.” The middle-aged man had small eyes that gleamed sharply, though his smiling expression made him look quite amiable. Since Li Dalang was the only man among them and looked like the head of the household, the steward addressed him directly.

“My surname is Zeng. I run a pastry shop on Southeast Street in Ten-Li Town. Today, my family’s nanny came to the temple to offer incense. She brought back some of your candied fruit for my daughter, and I must say, the taste was excellent. Our shop also sells candied fruits, so I’d like to discuss a business deal with you.”

Li Dalang sat awkwardly on the chair, sweating as he listened. Seeing Steward Zeng watching him closely, his heart skipped a beat. After hesitating a moment, he said, “To be honest, this candied fruit recipe was created by my younger sister-in-law. She’s right here, so you’d better speak with her.”

He looked at Ying Su. Though he was a bit slow, he wasn’t foolish. He knew which matters were important. Negotiating this deal was beyond him, so it was best to let her handle it.

Following his gaze, Steward Zeng turned to Ying Su. He wasn’t the least bit surprised and still smiled warmly. “So it was made by the young lady. I failed to recognize your skill.”

Ying Su’s phoenix eyes curved slightly as she smiled. “It doesn’t matter. May I ask how Shopkeeper Zeng wishes to conduct this deal?”

“If you’re willing, would you sell me the recipe for making this candied fruit? I’ll pay you directly for the method.”

Liu Chuncao’s expression shifted slightly, tugging discreetly at Ying Su’s sleeve. Li Dalang, however, managed to stay calm. Since the recipe was Ying Su’s idea in the first place, if she truly wanted to sell it, they had no grounds to object.

But once it was sold, they could no longer sell the candied fruit themselves. Though not the easiest product to sell, it had indeed been profitable. In fact, most of today’s earnings came from it. Could Shen Cuihua, a widow, truly understand the pros and cons of this? The thought made Li Dalang more anxious.

Ying Su, however, remained as calm and unhurried as ever. She smiled lightly at Steward Zeng. “There’s a saying, ‘Better to teach a man to fish than to give him one.’ I can understand your wish to buy the recipe, but mine isn’t cheap. You see, this method can be used not just for hawthorn but for other fruits as well. I just don’t have any on hand right now. Otherwise, I could make candied fruits of all sorts of flavors.”

Steward Zeng also smiled. “How much would the young lady ask for it?”

Ying Su raised a single finger.

He chuckled knowingly. “One tael?”

Ying Su’s smile turned faint. “Shopkeeper, you jest.”

Zeng smoothed things over quickly. “Don’t mind me, just a joke. But one hundred taels, that’s rather steep. Don’t you think you’re asking a bit much?”

Both Li Dalang and Liu Chuncao were startled. Even Li Jinfeng, who usually understood nothing, was shocked. A hundred taels? That was far too much!

Fortunately, they remembered how Ying Su had asked for fifty taels when she made the wheelchair. Though stunned, they managed to keep their composure.

“Whether I’m asking too much, Shopkeeper Zeng should know best,” Ying Su said steadily. “If you buy this recipe, you’ll be the only one in the world who has it. The taste of my candied fruit has clearly moved you, otherwise you wouldn’t be in such a rush to come here.”

Zeng frowned slightly. “Tempting as it is, that price is still too high.”

Clearly, he wasn’t going to give in easily. Though wealthy enough to run a pastry shop in Southeast Street, one hundred taels was no small sum, it was equal to three months of his shop’s income. He had to consider it carefully.

Ying Su lifted the teacup on the table and drank slowly, waiting patiently for him to decide.

Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Li Jinfeng with a smile. “Bring out the hawthorn cakes for Shopkeeper Zeng to try.”

Li Jinfeng quickly fetched the leftovers. Zeng tasted one, and a flicker of delight crossed his face. “This hawthorn cake is soft, tangy, and quite good!”

“Hawthorn is actually a medicinal ingredient,” Ying Su explained with a smile. “This cake aids digestion, strengthens the stomach, relieves diarrhea and abdominal pain, clears blood stasis, and even helps pregnant women with poor appetites. It’s very popular.”

She spoke with the confidence of someone promoting her own wares.

“The flavor is indeed good,” Zeng admitted, “but it’s still only a snack. Our little town doesn’t have many wealthy patrons. Business isn’t easy. Could you lower the price a bit?”

Ying Su shook her head lightly, her stance unwavering.

She had never truly planned on selling the recipe anyway. This was an unexpected opportunity. If it worked out, she’d make some money; if not, she had plenty of other ways to earn. Either way, she wouldn’t lose much.

Zeng’s expression shifted several times before darkening. At last, he let out a long sigh. “In that case… I’ll grit my teeth and offer a hundred taels. But… I also heard from my daughter’s nanny that you have a few other recipes as well. You must include those in the deal.”

Ying Su’s lips curved into a carefree smile. “Agreed.”

Liu Chuncao, however, felt uneasy. She wasn’t keen on Ying Su selling the recipes. They had made a good profit today, though she didn’t yet know exactly how much. If they gave the recipe away, they’d lose their exclusivity.

After all, selling a recipe was like taking dead money. If they continued producing candied fruits themselves, they could easily earn more than a hundred taels over time.

But this matter wasn’t hers to decide, so she could only watch as Ying Su struck the deal.