CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 68: HER DETERMINATION TO FIND A BACKER MATCHES MINE

Yu Xiaolian read the pricing on the sheet to Madam Sun, who was so shocked that she couldn’t close her mouth, calling it sky-high.

"A cream roll for two taels of silver?"

She didn’t understand the world of the wealthy.

Yu Xiaolian nodded, "Yes, but we only get half, one tael."

"One tael is not a small amount. If we deliver ten cream rolls to Mingxiang Pavilion every day, that’s ten taels of income. Plus the snow skin cakes and waffles, and... Lian’er, quickly help your mother calculate how much we can earn in a day?"

Yu Xiaolian calmed down the excited Madam Sun, "Mother, calm down. The days of making big money are yet to come. Do you know who the owner of Mingxiang Pavilion is?"

"Who? Could it be someone we know?"

"Of course we know. He’s the young doctor, Zheng Yuanfeng. My brother told me in a dream that Zheng Yuanfeng will become the richest man in our Great Liang Country. If we follow him, how could we possibly do poorly?"

Thinking of Zheng Yuanfeng not wanting too many people to know his true identity, Yu Xiaolian reminded Madam Sun not to mention anything about the young doctor.

Madam Sun nodded, vowing not to speak of it, muttering that next time she sees the young doctor, she should treat him well.

Yu Xiaolian chuckled to herself, it seemed her mother had the same awareness of holding onto coattails as she did.

Madam Sun thought for a moment and decided to invite Zheng Yuanfeng to their home for a meal in a few days to deepen their relationship.

Thinking of some items from the Future World in the house, Madam Sun decided to replace everything with ancient items, since they couldn’t always have an empty house without guests.

No sooner said than done, Madam Sun decided to go out that afternoon to buy some wooden basins and barrels, as well as bamboo mats for the bed.

The rice and flour bags also needed to be replaced with ordinary cloth bags.

Listening to Madam Sun’s constant chatter, Yu Xiaolian didn’t object. As for the items on display, it was fine for Madam Sun to replace them, since no one knew what surprises the future might bring.

Yu Changhe was in the backyard, leaning on a cane, already able to feed the horses hay and water.

Yu Xiaolian was unwrapping mung bean cakes and chestnut cakes in the supermarket, while Madam Sun went out shopping.

The family was busy running around but enjoyed every moment of it.

In the afternoon, after buying the items, Madam Sun asked Yu Xiaolian to put away the moisture pads and replaced them with bamboo mats.

"This is much fresher. That cartoon pattern gave me a headache every day."

Madam Sun was very satisfied with the bamboo mat she had chosen.

After changing the east room, she changed the west room, seeing the face wash and toothbrush on Yu Xiaolian’s windowsill, Madam Sun told her to put them in the cabinet.

Yu Xiaolian pouted, "Zheng Yuanfeng hasn’t even come yet. Putting them away now means I’ll have to take them out again in the evening. How troublesome."

But obediently, she placed the items into the side door compartment of the wardrobe.

She also replaced the rice and flour bags with cloth ones and switched the soybean oil to a porcelain jar.

All the plastic buckets and basins were put away, to be replaced with the wooden basins and barrels Madam Sun bought.

The plastic water ladle was also switched to the gourd ladle Madam Sun purchased. Once everything was tidied up, and no future items could be seen, Madam Sun finally smiled with satisfaction.

And told Yu Xiaolian that wealth should not be flaunted. These special plastic items in their house were essentially their wealth.

She also mentioned how during her outings she often encountered their neighbor with a general store across the street, who would cheerfully greet her, but she dared only nod slightly, not daring to be too friendly, fearing the neighbor might want to come over.

Madam Sun advised Yu Xiaolian that maintaining good neighborly relations shouldn’t be neglected, and it’s not good to be too different.

Yu Xiaolian understood; her mother wanted to make friends.

Keeping Madam Sun cooped up at home all the time indeed seemed a bit boring, making a friend for some chat was good.

Upon hearing Yu Xiaolian’s words, Madam Sun was immediately pleased, even saying that once they’re wealthy, she would like to open a general store selling toothpaste, laundry powder, and the like, believing they’d surely sell well.

Yu Xiaolian affirmed and supported Madam Sun’s ambition, assuring her that she’d be the first to back her idea and help her open the store once they had money.

With Madam Sun’s efficiency, Yu Xiaolian believed she could definitely run a general store successfully.

However, they couldn’t open it in Yangcheng. After the New Year, the Northern Land would grow drier by the day, with no harvest in autumn.

By the spring of the year after next, a massive uprising and migration would occur throughout the Northern Land due to the drying up of water sources, with Yangcheng becoming nearly deserted.

It’s more critical to save money, so by next summer, she could take Yu Changhe and Madam Sun to a safer place with water.

Where would be a good place to go?

The Capital, Yu Xiaolian was a bit hesitant about going there, fearing she’d be walking into the lion’s den, but to achieve great things and make big money, only the Capital would suffice.

She needed to think carefully.

Recently she’d been wearing colored contact lenses every day, causing some discomfort in her eyes, so whenever not going out, she decided not to wear them, as no one would come by anyway.

...

Yu Xiaolian, wearing a black bucket hat and a white cotton mask, pushed a cart to the examination venue of the autumn tests.

Today’s exam was the children’s exam. Once passed, one could attend Qingquan Academy in Yangcheng.

Many candidates’ parents brought baskets with food prepared for their children, like buns and flatbreads, to stave off hunger.

Yu Xiaolian shouted loudly, "Crispy cookies, freshly fragrant and crispy cookies at a bargain! They won’t harden even after a few days in the exam hall.

Auntie, buy some cookies for the child. After three days of exams, the buns and flatbreads will be rock hard, and the child can’t even bite them. These cookies remain crispy and soft, with sugar filling, which can replenish energy when eaten!"

The aunt Yu Xiaolian was frantically marketing to seemed tempted but hesitant.

Just then, a scholar directly asked Yu Xiaolian, "How much are the cookies?"

"Four coins each, ten coins for three." Yu Xiaolian, aiming to benefit the students, didn’t raise the price and kept it at the original rate.

That scholar, well-off on usual days, hearing the cookies were so cheap, immediately ordered, "Give me thirty cookies."

Yu Xiaolian pointed to the other items in the pastry box, "Do you want all cookies? There are also honeycomb cakes, chestnut cakes, mung bean cakes, and osmanthus cakes, all equally good. Want to mix them up a bit?"

"If they’re all the same price, then give me a bit of everything; much appreciated."

After Yu Xiaolian finished wrapping for the scholar, the hesitant aunt also approached, but to Yu Xiaolian’s surprise, she came to haggle.

"Meat buns are only two coins each; you’re charging over three coins for a small cookie. Isn’t that too much? If they were two coins each, I’d buy ten coins’ worth."

Yu Xiaolian looked up and saw a boy of about ten behind the aunt, tugging at her clothes, perhaps embarrassed by his mother’s behavior in public.

"Auntie, these pastries are made from fine ingredients, after deducting costs and labor, there’s really not much profit, so I can’t go any lower."

As soon as Yu Xiaolian finished speaking, another parent of a scholar pushed the aunt aside, "If you’re not buying, don’t block the way."

"Give me a hundred coins’ worth, and like the previous order, wrap a mix of everything."