Aunt Liang rolled her eyes at him, then smiled, not rebuking him, her tone surprisingly gentle: “Back already? Go wash up quickly, dinner will be ready soon.”
Isn’t it just about the same as finding money.
Liang Lizheng and his two sons: “.”
Looks like Mother really did pick up money.
Later that night, when Aunt Liang quietly told Liang Lizheng the truth, he nearly cried out in shock but quickly covered his mouth. After a moment he muttered: “Heavens, Xu’s family—what a deep secret! Mingxuan is so good at studying, Xu is so good at earning money… their household is truly on the rise.”
Aunt Liang sighed: “If Minglang hadn’t passed, she wouldn’t need to work so desperately. For a woman, doing business is never easy. If there were stable days to live, who would willingly risk this? Who knows how long their trade can last—ah, as long as it lasts, let it last. Earn a bit more while they can. With money in hand, one has courage.”
Liang Lizheng: “That’s true.”
At Xu Zhichun’s home, Xu Zhichun blanched the ribs, simmered them briefly, then lifted them out. Half were braised in soy sauce, the other half made into sweet‑and‑sour ribs. He then stewed a whole piece of pork belly for more than half an hour, rinsed it in cold water, sliced it thin, and stir‑fried it with garlic sprouts and dried chili into twice‑cooked pork.
At this season, the chili plants haven’t even bloomed, so of course there are no fresh green peppers. Otherwise, with fresh peppers, the dish would taste even better.
The braised ribs were cooked together with chunks of radish and tofu.
Then make a soup with ji mao cai (shepherd’s purse greens).
Although there were only three dishes and one soup, the portions were ample, enough for all of them to eat.
Zeng Xiaoyan and her husband arrived even earlier than Aunt Zhu, and Xiaoyan happened to lend Xu Zhichun a hand.
Liang Mingliang was at home, too lazy to move at all. But when he saw the brilliant child prodigy, who excelled at studying, still feeding chickens and pigs, chopping wood, and sweeping the yard, he hurried to lend a hand too.
Even that brilliant child prodigy, so good at studying, still does chores—how could he just stand by and watch?
Soon, waves of enticing fragrance wafted through, almost unbearable. Liang Mingliang’s mind was restless, his stomach seemed ready to reach out a hand. He endured with difficulty, forcing himself to work hard to distract his hunger—otherwise it was too hard to bear! Then he looked at the utterly calm child prodigy, and admired him deeply: no wonder he’s a prodigy, just look at that self‑control!
Three dishes and one soup were served, truly complete in color, aroma, and taste.
Xu Zhichun called out: “Dinner’s ready! Everyone sit down, don’t be shy—there’s plenty for all!”
Zeng Xiaoyan laughed: “Don’t worry, Sister Zhichun—meat and ribs this fragrant, no one could be polite even if they tried.”
Everyone laughed, saying: “Exactly—just the smell is wonderful, imagine how delicious it must be.”
As everyone picked up their chopsticks, Aunt Zhu’s eyes lit up: “This is called sweet‑and‑sour ribs? I never imagined meat could be made sweet—and so delicious! Zhichun, how did you even think of this? You’re amazing.”
Zeng Xiaoyan felt the ribs were so delicious she nearly cried: “It’s been ages since I’ve had ribs this good—no, I’ve never had ribs this good! Even our household cook can’t compare. So tasty!”
Liang Mingliang loved the twice‑cooked pork most of all. With its glossy thin slices, stir‑fried over high heat until slightly charred and curled, he ate in big mouthfuls. Fragrant! So fragrant he wished he had another mouth to eat with.
Xu Zhichun was delighted—she adored sweet‑and‑sour ribs and twice‑cooked pork, and today she finally got to enjoy them piping hot. Even while eating, she didn’t forget to look after her child.
Liang Mingxuan smiled at his sister‑in‑law, urging her to eat too. Standing tall and straight, he was bursting with pride—his sister‑in‑law’s cooking was the best in the whole village!
This meal left both hosts and guests thoroughly satisfied.
The next morning, they loaded the goods they planned to sell onto the cart and continued into town.
After two days, everyone had become much more familiar with the routine. Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhu watched over the stall, while Xu Zhichun and Liang Mingliang went ahead to deliver goods to the Lotus Restaurant.
When it came to dealing with Shopkeeper Tang, of course Xu Zhichun had to take the lead at first.
If any problem arose, she could handle it properly.
Once everything is on track, it will be fine to let Liang Mingliang handle it himself.
Unexpectedly, Shopkeeper Tang of the Lotus Restaurant agreed to buy their ice jelly at fifty coins per pound, thirty pounds a day. If he wanted more, he would notify them in advance. But this meant the ice jelly was monopolized by the Lotus Restaurant—they couldn’t sell it to anyone else.
What was there to hesitate about? Xu Zhichun thought only briefly before agreeing, and signed the contract with Shopkeeper Tang.
This way, they had a fixed income of 1,500 coins a day—it was like silver falling from the sky.
It was obvious the Lotus Restaurant would earn much more, but they had the capital and advantages. Some money was theirs by right to make, and Xu Zhichun didn’t feel resentful at all.
Later, Xu Zhichun learned that the county’s finest Jade Water Teahouse and Lotus Restaurant both belonged to the influential Mo family. Shopkeeper Tang was ordering so much ice jelly because more than half of it was destined for sale at the Jade Water Teahouse.
Once the silky, delicate ice jelly entered the Jade Water Teahouse, it was no longer sold at ordinary prices. The shopkeepers there were inventive, adding not only brown sugar syrup but also sesame, crushed peanuts, walnut pieces, raisins, diced seasonal fruits, candied preserves, milk, and all sorts of extras. Each addition meant a different price.
A simple bowl with just brown sugar syrup cost three coins, while the most elaborate ice jelly could sell for thirty.
And from one pound of ice jelly, at least thirty bowls could be made.
The teahouse was raking in huge profits.
When it came to innovation, the ancients were by no means lacking.
Even if she had known this at the time, Xu Zhichun would still have chosen to cooperate with Shopkeeper Tang. The reason the ice jelly could fetch such a high price was not only the toppings, but also because it was being sold at the prestigious Jade Water Teahouse.
After signing the contract and preparing to leave, Xu Zhichun noticed a worker carrying half a bucket of fish skins toward the kitchen waste bin. She quickly stopped him with a smile: “Excuse me, brother, are these fish skins all unwanted?”
The worker glanced at the shopkeeper, and seeing he didn’t object, explained with a smile: “These are fish skins removed when making fish balls at the restaurant. Sometimes a few of us take some home to eat, but they’re very fishy and not much of a delicacy. Nobody really wants them, so we throw them out and haul them to the master’s estate outside town to feed the pigs.”
Xu Zhichun couldn’t help but feel it was such a waste.
With just one glance, she could tell the person who skinned the fish was highly skilled—the skins were well‑done, good quality.
With simple preparation, these fish skins could become a delicious dish—cold dressed fish skin.
She even had vacuum‑packed ones stored in her harbor space, but could only eat them in secret—they hadn’t yet had a chance to be revealed to the world.
Xu Zhichun considered the feasibility of selling cold fish skin herself, but instantly dismissed the idea.
Where could she possibly get enough big fish to skin every day? Even a grand restaurant like the Lotus couldn’t be making fish balls daily. And even if she bought from them, the supply would be unreliable.
Better to sell the recipe to Shopkeeper Tang.
She told the worker to keep the fish skins for the moment, then turned to Shopkeeper Tang with a smile: “Shopkeeper Tang, may I have a private word with you?”
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