Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 14

Lu Xiuyu’s business has a good start. All the rice and noodles she brings today sell out completely, leaving not a drop of soup left in the two pots of hot and sour pork offal and braised large intestines. The women watching are all red-eyed with envy.

These women make a hard-earned living selling lunch boxes along the official road. Pure vegetarian dishes with sweet potato rice are sold for two cents, while those with meat are priced one to three cents higher. The profit margins are small, but fortunately, since they grow their own vegetables and rice, they manage to save on costs. However, the ordinary taste limits the quantity they can sell each day.

The women setting up stalls here are quite experienced. Typically, they prepare around 20 servings each time they set up shop. If a large caravan passes by, they often find their supplies insufficient. Conversely, on days with no caravans, selling ten servings is considered good. Any unsold portions can be taken home to satisfy their families’ cravings, as the food sold at the stalls tends to be greasier and more aromatic than what they usually cook at home.

Even though the business is modest, it provides these women with an income of one or two hundred coins each month, which is quite significant.

Just moments ago, Lu Xiuyu, the eldest daughter of the Lu family, comes over with a large vat of rice and a huge lump of dough. The women laugh at her youth and inexperience, thinking that with so much food, she definitely won’t sell it all. But who would have thought that it wouldn’t be long before she slaps them in the face with her actual sales figures?

They roughly estimate that Lu Xiuyu sold over 50 bowls of rice and more than 20 bowls of noodles. The sour and spicy pork rice is priced at 6 wen, the braised large intestine at 10 wen, and the combination at 9 wen. The noodles, much cheaper without toppings, still cost 4 wen per bowl. This pricing is not considered cheap, yet Lu Xiuyu has likely earned at least 400 to 500 wen.

Pig offal isn’t rare. In the past, Old Butcher Lu also sold it very cheaply, the seasonings and ingredients alone must’ve only cost dozens of wen, making it a highly profitable venture.

“Lu family’s eldest girl, how do you make your pig offal? They smell so good! I can barely hold back my saliva; why don’t you teach me the recipe?” A woman not far from the Lu family’s meat stall asks Lu Xiuyu with a smile. 

Nearby, a group of people leans in, eager to learn the secret behind Lu Family’s pig offal.

“Grandma Chen, I also want to know your recipe for pickled snow vegetables. I’ve heard that your pickled snow vegetables taste exceptional, especially when stir-fried with bamboo shoots and shredded meat,” Lu Xiuyu responds calmly.

From the memories of the original body, most of the people in Sandangkou Village are kind and friendly. However, even the best places are bound to have difficult individuals, and the old lady Chen standing before her is one of them.

“Hehehe, what good things can my pickled snow vegetables bring you?” Old Lady Chen smiles awkwardly. She indeed possesses a secret recipe for pickled snow vegetables, passed down from her grandmother to her mother, and then to her. The snow vegetables pickled using this recipe are particularly crisp. She relies on this specialty dish to run her stall along the official road all year round, so how could she possibly teach such an important secret to outsiders?

Lu Xiuyu stops her with words. Knowing the value of the secret recipe, why would she ask others to teach her?

Initially, Old Lady Chen thinks Lu Xiuyu is merely a naive young girl trying to extract information from her. However, it becomes clear that this girl is quite cunning and not easy to deal with.

“I envy Grandma Chen. If she pickles more snow vegetables, she could sell them year-round. But pig offal isn’t available every day. I am fortunate today because my grandfather killed a few extra pigs. Otherwise, how many dishes can you prepare with just a pig’s offal?”

Lu Xiuyu’s comment sounds like a complaint, but in reality, it serves as a reminder to those around her.

The Lu family operates the meat stall. While they may have wanted to give away pig offal in the past, it doesn’t mean they are willing to share their secrets now. Even if someone learns the recipe, what good would it do them? The pig offal would still be in someone else’s hands, and they can’t replicate the finished product.

Thinking of this, the people’s little schemes quiet down.

Of course, some individuals with quick minds begin to wonder whether the same recipe that makes pig offal so delicious could also enhance the flavors of pork and mutton. But that remains just a thought. 

Who would be willing to share a secret recipe that could generate substantial income for their family?

******

Lu Xiuyu moves a few empty earthenware jars back to the cart, while Lu Baobao, lacking the strength, helps by collecting the used bowls from customers. 

Once everything is packed up, the two cousins begin pushing the cart home. Technically, it is Lu Xiuyu who does the pushing; Lu Baobao merely rests her hands on the frame, her strength too little to cause the wheels to even budge.

Halfway home, Lu Xiuyu suddenly stops.

“Here, this is your wage for today.” Lu Xiuyu counts out ten copper coins from her purse and hands them to Lu Baobao. “Grandma says that this is my own business. If family members help, they should also be compensated.” Lu Xiuyu speaks seriously.

Lu Baobao does indeed help her a lot today, but could Lu Xiuyu not have found other ways to achieve the same goal? Not necessarily. 

If customers are doubtful about the taste of the food, she can easily cut up some pig entrails and let them sample it; Lu Xiuyu believes the flavors of those two dishes will encourage customers to spend money. Having Lu Baobao act as a “food vlogger” to attract customers and paying her ten coins isn’t the most cost-effective approach.

However, after thinking for several days, Lu Xiuyu decided to do it this way because she understands that Lu Baobao is frail and shouldn’t be doing heavy work. With the two elders at home, everyone might still tolerate it for a while, but resentment will inevitably build over time. 

Especially with the situation of the couple in the second branch being unsatisfactory; if something happens in the future, whether the elders pass away or the Lu family splits up, life won’t be easy for the second branch. Lu Xiuyu doesn’t feel sorry for her second uncle and aunt; she feels compassion for Lu Baobao. 

This arrangement allows Lu Baobao to be self-reliant, which is a positive outcome.

“Big cousin, I can’t take it.” Lu Baobao quickly waves her hand. The bowl of rice and noodles she ate today is worth ten coins; it seems wasteful to ask her cousin for another ten. She genuinely feels she hasn’t contributed much. If she tells others that simply sitting down to eat counts as helping, she is sure everyone would be eager to do it.

“Will you listen to your cousin?” Lu Xiuyu gently touches Lu Baobao’s little head, her heart softening. Only this little one would try to refuse money. If it were another child in the family, they would probably accept it happily. “When does your cousin ever say something wrong?” Lu Xiuyu pretends to be annoyed.

“I’ll listen to my sister and take it.” Lu Baobao hesitates for a moment but ultimately accepts the ten coins. 

Since coming into this body, her thoughts have become slower, and she often finds herself too lazy to think. Yet, she can clearly feel her cousin’s kindness.

“Sister, you were amazing just now! Even someone as fierce as Granny Chen is no match for you.” Adopting a mindset of getting paid for her services, Lu Baobao feels it necessary to flatter her sponsor.

“Sister, you’re so clever! The aunts and sisters looked at you differently just now.”

“Sister, you…”

On the way back, Lu Xiuyu can’t stop hearing those compliments. The corners of her mouth remain turned up the entire journey and never drop. 

Of course, what makes Lu Xiuyu even happier is the change in how Lu Baobao addresses her. Previously, Lu Baobao always referred to her as “big cousin,” which feels somewhat distant. Now, calling her “sister” feels much more intimate.

******

Lu Xiuyu earns a full 527 coins during her first day of setting up the stall. She asks her family for rice, flour, seasonings, and pig offal on credit. After deducting those expenses and the 40% that needs to be handed over to the family, Lu Xiuyu earns 280 coins that day.

Jiang Bai’e, who helps to count the money, takes a deep breath. This income is already close to what they make when the meat stall is doing well, and it is even more than what the Lu family makes during the harvest season from repairing houses and hauling stones for half a month.

Two hundred eighty coins a day means two taels and eight coins for ten days, and twenty-eight taels for a hundred days. 

Jiang Bai’e counts her daughter’s earnings with her fingers until she feels dizzy, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I’ll keep this money for you,” Jiang Bai’e says, starting to put the money away as she counts.

“Mother, these thirty coins are my filial contribution to you and Father. I still have plans for the rest of the money.” Lu Xiuyu stops her mother and counts out thirty coins, reclaiming the other copper coins. 

She needs this money for herself, as the seasonings at home are running low, and the new seasonings found in the mountains are also limited. Lu Xiuyu plans to go to the county town to see if she can find anything new.

Besides, her mother’s earlier optimism is misplaced; it isn’t every day that so much pig offal is available. Lu Xiuyu needs to explore other business opportunities. The money she earns during this period will serve as her capital. More importantly, she also has two younger brothers in this life. 

Although the first person Lu Xiuyu encounters upon entering this body is Jiang Bai’e, the mother who mourns for her original self for several nights, she has felt her parents’ love during these days. However, she also senses their greater preference for the two boys in the family.

Lu Jiafeng and Jiang Bai’e are a competent pair of parents. Lu Xiuyu receives much more care from them than other girls in the village, but she can’t be sure how they will respond to a significant temptation—whether they will choose her or favor the two sons in the family. 

To prevent this affection from deteriorating, Lu Xiuyu decides to eliminate potential dangers from the source.

“You child!” Jiang Bai’e feels somewhat angry. How can her eldest daughter, who is still so young, hide so much money?

“Alright, let’s do as our eldest daughter says.” Lu Jiafeng stops his wife, chuckling. “Our eldest daughter is capable; she can earn money to support her parents at such a young age. This is our blessing, my dear. Tomorrow, you should buy some pastries for thirty coins from the county and bring them home for everyone to share.”

Though Lu Jiafeng appears simple, he understands a lot more than he lets on. “She’s hiding something from me; when did this child become so crafty?” 

After their daughter leaves, Jiang Bai’e still feels somewhat uneasy and wants to have a good talk with her husband. However, all she receives in response is his thunderous snoring, so Jiang Bai’e has to give up.

******

Lu Baobao counts her ten coins over and over again, placing them under her pillow that night and occasionally touching them from time to time. 

Could this be considered her becoming an “eating broadcaster”? 

Are these ten coins like a Ferrari rocket launcher sent by her audience?

So, does that mean her eldest cousin is at the top of her list?

Lu Baobao feels completely awake and energized. 

What does it mean to be at the top of the list? It signifies a true fan, a parent who provides food and clothing, and a sponsor. 

If she thinks about it, has she successfully embraced that support and become the new favorite?

Just thinking about it makes her a little giddy with excitement. ＞△＜