Wang Youbao said, "Nine-Tiered Pavilion is the biggest tavern in Hecheng County. Their boss noticed that Shuangji Tavern was doing well selling dishes flavored with fermented tofu in the county, so they inquired about who made the tofu. Somehow, they tracked it down to me. Just as I happened to have some on hand, I sold it to them."
It seemed that Shuangji Tavern was the tavern jointly operated by Xing Cashier and his two partners.
An Jingxin understood and joked, "You sold it to them at a high price, didn’t you?"
Wang Youbao chuckled sheepishly, "Yes, it was quite a bit higher than the price you sold it to me."
"Tell me, so I can learn something."
Wang Youbao held up a finger, "A hundred coins."
Seeing that An Jing didn’t speak, Wang Youbao became somewhat anxious and asked in a low voice, "Did I sell it too cheap?"
An Jing: "..." She had sold it to him for just ten coins a pound, and now he was reselling it for a hundred coins a pound and asking her if he had sold it too cheaply? Clearly, it was she who had sold it too cheaply!
However, as an ex-special forces soldier who once fought for the country and the people with integrity, she could not bring herself to make such an excessive profit like he did.
Not wanting to dwell on the resale price issue with Wang Youbao, An Jing changed the subject, "Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for lunch?"
Since they were friends, Wang Youbao didn’t decline and happily agreed, "Alright."
Wang Youbao’s gaze caught sight of the rice threshing machine in the courtyard. He walked over, examining the machine with curiosity, and asked, "What is this?"
An Jing also came over, "It’s a rice threshing machine for processing rice. My husband and I just figured it out. It’s much faster than using the traditional rice beating method."
Wang Youbao’s eyes immediately lit up.
Without Wang Youbao having to say anything, An Jing knew what he was thinking and said irritably, "I think you can forget about it. This rice threshing machine business isn’t easy. Even if you made them, no one could afford to buy them. It cost me over twelve taels just to make this one. Tell me, which farmer’s son could afford it? If you hadn’t bought so much fermented tofu from us, I wouldn’t have been able to afford to make this machine."
Wang Youbao had the intention to mass-produce the rice threshing machines to sell, but upon hearing what An Jing said, he immediately dismissed the thought.
At this moment, Wang Youbao also realized that a lot of iron had been used in the rice threshing machine, and iron was much more expensive than wood. Even if he did manage to make them, indeed no farmer could afford them.
Since it was a losing business, of course, he would not pursue it.
Seeing that Xiao Changyi had chosen the right rice seeds, An Jing suggested, "Husband, Youbao will have lunch at our house. Let’s go catch a couple of fish from our fields."
"Hm," Xiao Changyi had no objections.
"You have fish in your fields?" Wang Youbao was very surprised. "Can fish survive there?"
"Yes, they can. At first, we didn’t expect them to survive, so we just gave it a try, and it turned out they really can live," An Jing lied.
After thinking it over, An Jing laughed and said, "We’ve raised quite a few. Although they’re not as big as the ones raised in ponds, the fish meat is a lot fresher and more tender. Plus, there’s a hint of rice flower aroma when you eat them... Young Master Youbao, would you like to buy some?"
Wang Youbao’s eyes lit up again at An Jing’s words, "If they’re as you described, of course I would want to buy them. They’d be perfect to sell in my tavern, and I’m sure I could make another fortune."
"Well, you can decide after you’ve tried them at noon."
Having finished speaking, An Jing was ready to head to the fields with Xiao Changyi to catch fish, and Wang Youbao, curious to see the fish farming in action, also followed them to the fields.