222: Xiangye (4 Updates)
“Four jins, please!”
“Six jins!”
“Two jins!”
For a bowl of that, it’s truly delicious. Although a bit expensive, it’s worth the taste.
Certainly, there’s a reason for the high price.
Even those selling dried radishes allowed people to sample first.
“Fifty wen per jar, it can last for many days!”
“I’ll take two jars!”
When merchants passing through Fengping County caught the scent of the meat, they came over, tried the meat, and then the dried radishes.
The meat couldn’t be taken away, but the dried radishes could.
“Give me a hundred jars!”
Hearing this, everyone showed surprise.
The shop assistants immediately counted the dried radishes, collected the money, and were very efficient.
Xie Zhinuan was inside her house. When the time was about right, she visited the three braised meat shops and was surprised to learn they had all sold out.
“They sell so well!”
Surprised, Xie Zhinuan immediately ordered more meat, cleaned the pots, and prepared for the new meat to arrive to be cleaned and braised.
She hoped to sell another batch by noon.
What she hadn’t expected was that even the dried radishes would be completely sold out.
Considering that radishes were very cheap, one wen for two jins, she had transformed them with her deft touch and sold them for fifty wen per jar. With labor, spices, and jar costing at most twenty wen, it looked like the dried radishes were also a profitable business.
After braising the meat, Xie Zhinuan sent people to buy more radishes since they could make more dried radishes, especially as Fengping County was a convenient place with many wealthy people.
When the second batch of braised meat was ready, the wealthy families came to buy it in quantities of twenty or thirty jins; there wasn’t enough to go around, and the common folk who wanted just one or two jins were out of luck as it sold out again.
“…”
Upon hearing this, Xie Zhinuan exhaled softly.
“Miss, are we still cooking tonight?”
“No, if we offer too much and people get tired of it, they won’t come back tomorrow. Besides, everyone has been working hard for several days; we can’t work them like mules!”
Upon hearing Xie Zhinuan’s words, everyone was happy and quickly began cleaning up the shop.
Xie Zhinuan rewarded each person with ten wen as a bonus for the day’s work.
The young assistants received the money, not a large amount.
But, this was the first time they had ever held money in their hands, as far as they could remember.
As they looked at Xie Zhinuan, their eyes quietly filled with tears. They turned their heads to wipe them away.
Xie Zhinuan saw this but pretended not to notice.
Back at the posthouse, she also gave a bonus, five wen each, and then had them wash radishes, cut them, and lay them out to dry, preparing for the third batch.
The second batch was already in large jars, ready to be sold at any moment.
With the weather being good these past few days, the dried radishes could be sun-dried in one day and pickled. After being sealed in jars for a few days, they could be transferred to smaller jars for sale.
The roof of the new house had been renovated, and Xie Zhinuan led people to clean it. The rooms needed to be arranged and belongings put away; she was very busy. She planned to move in on the fifth day of the ninth month and then seriously attend to setting up the restaurant in front.
Since she wanted to create courtyards themed around “Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum” and “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,” she had to be a bit more meticulous and thoughtful in their design.
Xuan Residence
Xuan Mu finally met Xiangye.
Xiangye kept her head down, taking a brief glance at Xuan Mu, not daring to look closely or size him up, visibly constrained.
“Don’t be nervous,” Xuan Mu quickly reassured her.
Xu Xuanjin sat to the side, fanning himself and observing Xiangye.
“Master Xuan, I know of you. Nuannuan has spoken of you to me!” Xiangye said softly, very nervously.
In the Liang Residence, her relationship with Nuannuan had been good but private, and not many were aware of it. The few who had openly been on good terms with Nuannuan had now disappeared to places unknown.
She was scared and dared not say anything. With Nuannuan gone, she didn’t even dare to ask after her.
As for going to Master Xuan, she had hesitated for a long time, but after he agreed to help buy her freedom and send her home, she dared to come.
Chapter 223