Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 26

“Damn it, the Lu family is messing with us!”

Liu Xiaodi and his wife return home with the leftover food, angrily throwing the things from the cart onto the ground. The clattering sound startles everyone inside the house.

“Why are you being so rough? Don’t break the bowls!” Old Lady Liu rushes out, her heart sinking at the sight. Many of the bowls and chopsticks have been borrowed from villagers, and she will have to pay for any that are broken.

“Why is there so much leftover food today? Did the Lu family make things difficult for you?”

After collecting the bowls and chopsticks, Old Lady Liu finally notices the large amount of leftover food. Remembering her son’s furious expression earlier, she quickly guesses part of the truth.

“Hmph! They’ve been on guard against us for a long time. Today, the girl from the Lu family sets up a stall again. The food she sells is much better than ours. Customers would rather spend two cents to buy a spoonful of her soup to pour over their own food than pay for our pig offal,” Liu Xiaodi says angrily, and the rest of the Liu family also shift uneasily at his words.

The Liu family has already tasted the sweetness of selling pig offal these past few days. Now that the Lu family has improved their recipe and cut off their source of income, how can they accept this?

“It’s a pity we offended Lanhua,” Old Lady Liu laments. “If we hadn’t had such a bad relationship with Liu Lanhua, we could have found out what seasonings were added to that new recipe.”

“It’s also my second sister’s own fault that the Lu family caught her. But how can there be overnight hatred between blood relatives? She has always listened to you, Mother. Why not lower your head and coax her to see if you can get the new formula out of her?” Liu Laoda interjects. “As for us, we shouldn’t set up a stall on the official road until we figure out the new formula. The market in the county town is lively too; we should still be able to make a decent profit there.”

Liu Laoda’s suggestion is timely damage control, and no one else in the family voices any objections.

“That means we have to take a long detour,” Old Lady Liu replies.

Liu Xiaodi and his wife murmur a few words. Initially, Liu Lanhua had suggested that they set up their stall elsewhere, but they dismissed the market as too far away, thinking that the round trip would take too much time. They choose to lazily set up right under the noses of the Lu family instead.

Little do they expect that, in the end, they will still have to follow the route Liu Lanhua has arranged for them.

“If you’re not happy about it, I’ll just go with your sisters-in-law in the future,” Liu Laoda says, glaring at his younger brother. He is well aware that Liu Xiaodi and his wife have been secretly embezzling some money. It isn’t that they lack charm; they just aren’t as good at attracting customers.

After being chastised by his elder brother, Liu Xiaodi falls silent.

They clearly think things will be simple, but Lu Xiuyu has plenty of tricks up her sleeve.

The Liu family can’t buy pig offal!

In the south of the county, aside from families who have asked Old Lu to set aside the offal when he slaughters pigs, the Lu family has contracted all the offal from the fat pigs. The two elders of the Liu family usually go to the meat stalls in the north of the county to buy offal. Today, they set out at dawn as usual, only to find that the butchers there inform them that the pig offal has sold out.

It is said that the largest restaurant in the north of the county has obtained a special recipe for cooking offal and other pig scraps and is willing to pay a higher price than the Liu family. Furthermore, that restaurant has always been a major buyer of meat from the butcher shop, so the butchers naturally favor them. From then on, the offal from the meat stall is exclusively supplied to that restaurant.

With no pig offal available, the Liu family panics over their lack of the most crucial raw material.

Someone suggests they travel even farther to Lin County to buy pig offal, but that will take a long time. The two elders of the Liu family are old, and a round trip of nearly ten hours will be exhausting for them. The rest of the family is unwilling to take on this burden.

To make matters worse, the secret to removing the fishy smell from pig offal has leaked. The Lu family publicly shares the ingredients needed, such as poisonous fire weeds, mountain roots, and onions. What was once their exclusive recipe is now common knowledge.

People learn that these easily obtainable ingredients can be used not only for cooking pig offal but also for fish, shrimp, and other foods with strong odors.

The Liu family’s advantage vanishes completely, and they are forced back to their original state. Their hopes of using this recipe to cook other dishes are crushed before they can even begin.

All of this is meticulously planned by Lu Xiuyu in front of the Lu family.

She first goes to the north of the county and sells samples of her braised food to the largest restaurant there for 280 taels of silver.

Lu Xiuyu understands that due to the limitations of ancient productivity and purchasing power, it is difficult to make a marinated food business thrive on a larger scale. 

The wealth of the Li Dynasty can rival that of any prosperous dynasty she knows, but even so, the daily consumption of pork in a prosperous county is still limited.

Firstly, the materials are scarce. There are not many farmers who can raise pigs. Wealthy families have special farms for livestock, but they rarely raise them on a large scale for sale. Secondly, purchasing power is limited. Only a few families in the county can be considered rich. How much pork can these families actually consume? And how can ordinary people afford to buy braised food every day just because it tastes good? Purchasing it once every ten days or half a month to satisfy cravings is already considered a higher standard of living.

By selling an upgraded recipe for marinated dishes to the restaurant in the north of the county, Lu Xiuyu can not only instantly create a substantial fortune but also avoid significantly impacting her own business.

The mobility of the population in ancient times is extremely poor. Lu Xiuyu benefits from the main road, which is frequented by merchants throughout the year, but outside of this main road, many people might spend their entire lives without ever leaving their own village or town. Although it is merely the north and south of a county, for the vast majority of people, it is already a boundary they will never cross in their lifetime.

The longer Lu Xiuyu stays in this era, the more she understands this. Establishing a commercial empire in ancient times is not something that can be achieved simply with a novel idea. 

Solid financial backing and powerful allies are both essential.

She should also be thankful that the Li Dynasty is a country that values legal studies, with strict laws and clear criminal penalties. Although it still doesn’t compare to the country she lives in, the living environment in the Li Dynasty is much clearer compared to the feudal dynasties that Lu Xiuyu is familiar with.

At least she doesn’t have to worry about a powerful noble casually robbing her of her wealth.

However, Lu Xiuyu is used to being cautious. In a dynasty with obvious class divisions, without the confidence to protect herself, she dares not stand out too much. 

She is waiting, waiting for an opportunity to truly showcase her abilities.

******

“Did you see that, my dear? Today, Sister teaches you this lesson. Remember this saying: ‘If you don’t remove the roots when you cut the grass, it will grow back when the spring breeze blows.’”

u Xiuyu points at the two people pulling each other in the distance, seizing the moment to impart wisdom to her lovely cousin.

The two people pulling at each other are Liu Lanhua and the old lady of the Liu family. The Liu family is not having a good time. After making some money previously, the men in the family adopt a more lavish lifestyle. Now that their financial resources are cut off, they are reluctant to let go of their days of plenty—full of wine and meat—leading to increased conflicts.

Old Lady Liu appears several years older as she searches for her “filial” second daughter once again. 

Unfortunately, Liu Lanhua seems genuinely hurt after the recent incident. It is unclear what she has said to Old Lady Liu, but her face shows desperation and anxiety before she shakes off her mother’s hand and hurries toward the Lu family.

When she turns around, Liu Lanhua sees Lu Xiuyu, her eyes reflecting discomfort and a hint of panic.

Lu Xiuyu’s series of actions soon makes the Liu family realize that this ten-year-old girl is not someone to be underestimated.

After some time, Lu Miao and Old Butcher Lu gradually catch on, realizing they seem to have fallen into their granddaughter’s trap, being led by her. 

However, the two elders are not particularly angry. After lamenting for a while, they increasingly feel that their granddaughter has great potential. They begin to value her more, no longer viewing her as just a child.

The third branch likely figures it out as well. Liu Lanhua is resentful and angry, but having tasted bitterness once, she dares not go against Lu Xiuyu again; instead, she seeks ways to maneuver around her at home. 

The Liu family is completely suppressed and can no longer create trouble. 

Lu Xiuyu uses them as examples to teach Lu Baobao the art of thick-faced tactics, which only makes her cousin feel weaker, helpless, and pitiful.

She is just a baby and doesn’t understand the things that Lu Xiuyu, at her level, should understand. 

Seeing her cousin’s confused eyes softens Lu Xiuyu’s heart. She doesn’t necessarily want her dear sister to understand these tactics, but it is because her second uncle has foolishly arranged a betrothal for her at such a young age that she feels compelled to consider it.

From an investment perspective, Lu Xiuyu sees no issue in her family supporting a child with potential like Tang Dingyuan. However, from a familial standpoint, she can’t gamble Lu Baobao’s happiness on Tang Dingyuan’s reliability.

Are there not many people like Chen Shimei? Perhaps due to her innate lack of security, it is hard for her to trust others. At least for now, she won’t fully trust Tang Dingyuan.

(Translator’s Notes: Chén Shìměi is a character from a well-known Chinese folktale/opera titled “The Tale of Chen Shimei.” He is portrayed as a man who abandons his wife after achieving success and wealth, choosing to marry a wealthy woman instead.)

“Forget it.” Lu Xiuyu ruffles her dear cousin’s hair, deciding that she will just have to keep a closer eye on things. 

Relying on her second uncle and second aunt is out of the question; they are foolish and think themselves clever, but they are just two fools.

In an instant, Lu Xiuyu feels the burden on her shoulders grow heavier, as if she is raising both a sister and an entire family at the same time.

Amused by her own thoughts, she glances at Liu Lanhua’s hurriedly fleeing back. It seems she has indeed learned her lesson, and her life should be much calmer from now on.

******

Seven Years Later

“Dingyuan, tomorrow is your birthday! I’ll treat you to a vegetarian feast at Sufangzhai!” A young man in a crimson robe stands guard at the door of the academy. When he spots the person he has been waiting for, he jumps up to greet him.

“Brother Xiuyuan.” The young man, stopped in his tracks, wears a light gray robe—the uniform of the academy’s students. Though plain and unadorned, the fabric cannot conceal his slender build, regular features, and fair skin. Instead, it accentuates his elegance and handsomeness, like clear bamboo, exuding a scholarly air.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I’ve asked for a day off from my teacher. I’m going home to celebrate my birthday with my family.” This young man is the grown-up Tang Dingyuan. His expression softens at the mention of his family.

He has previously secured first place in the academy’s exam, earning five taels of silver and two ancient manuscripts from the dean. He uses the five taels to buy a hairpin inlaid with red garnets, wondering if the clever girl will like it. 

That little girl is so clever; tempting her with a hairpin might coax her into saying many nice things. He wonders where she learns so many flattering words; she can go on all day without repeating herself, leaving listeners feeling elated and relaxed.

Tang Dingyuan is eager to go home and see his little flatterer, feeling quite impatient to leave.

“Isn’t your family at Sandangkou? My family has a shop there too. You’ve heard of Tang’s Sweet Water Shop, right? That’s my family’s. My dad is checking the accounts there today, so I’ll go back with you.”

Tang Xiuyuan clearly has no intention of taking no for an answer, pulling Tang Dingyuan into his carriage before he can refuse.

Tang Dingyuan certainly knows of Tang’s Sweet Water Shop; the little girl loves their yellow peach sweet water. Whenever she gets angry, a cup of yellow peach sweet water can cheer her up. If one cup doesn’t work, two do the trick. Once she drinks enough to fill her belly, she turns back into her sweet-talking little self.

To his surprise, the boy he has only recently met is actually the young master of Tang’s Sweet Water Shop!

Suddenly, Tang Dingyuan hesitates about bringing him home. Isn’t this walking yellow peach sweet water just going to tempt his greedy little girl away?