Deep down, Jiang Fuzheng actually hoped Ye Li would agree.

But the more people who knew the recipe, the greater the risk of it being leaked.

Even he, as both clan chief and village head, dared not guarantee anything with absolute certainty.

If the secret were to leak, it would be Ye Li’s loss.

Therefore, he didn’t even mention who had asked him to deliver the message; if Ye Li truly refused, he wouldn’t force the issue.

In that case, they would still remain good neighbors.

Ye Li naturally understood this logic.

He gently massaged Jiang Ya’s little head with both hands, but his mind was weighing the pros and cons.

Preserved eggs—it really was a small business.

In this era, there were no large-scale chicken farms, and eggs from other regions couldn’t be transported to Beiyang County.

Relying on the few eggs sold daily by every household in the Beiyang County area, one really couldn’t make much money.

Even if the recipe were leaked, his loss wouldn’t be significant.

What he was pondering was how to charge for it.

He taught Jiang Tong, Jiang Liu, and Jiang Yu—they were family—and charged each of them only a small amount of meat.

As for the others…

Well, this isn’t exactly a model husband saddled with outside debts.

Even if they all share the Jiang surname, they can’t be allowed to learn this method in exchange for just two pounds of meat.

But he couldn’t exactly come across as too greedy either.

The incident with Jiang Tong last time was proof enough that the Yezaopo community could be relied upon in a pinch.

Jiang Fuzheng, serving as both village head and clan leader, really stepped up when needed.

He looked at Jiang Fuzheng: “Uncle Jiang, honestly, making preserved eggs doesn’t bring in much money. If I want to earn more, I need to sell in bulk. Since the villagers have entrusted you to put in a good word for me, I certainly can’t let your words go to waste.”

“But how should I collect the money… well, I’m young and haven’t been through much. I’m worried about causing friction. What do you think I should do?”

His response was so prompt that Jiang Fuzheng was somewhat taken aback: “You’ve agreed already? Without consulting that Ji lad?”

“He’s only responsible for his studies; I handle the household affairs. But, as you know, he’s had a rough time these past few years—he’s taken on some debt to pay for his education, and he’s about to head off to take the imperial exams…”

Ye Li looked earnest, his words trailing off.

But Jiang Fuzheng understood what he meant.

Jiang Fuzheng was very pleased inside.

Since Ye Li was willing to give him face, he absolutely could not let Ye Li lose out.

Besides, Ye Li really had it tough—Ji’s parents passed away early, and the two of them had no elders to rely on.

He paused for a moment, then asked, “If we put all our effort into making preserved eggs, how much profit could we make in a month?”

“If I went all out… it depends on whether I have the guts. Take Brother Datong, for example. He has money, but he doesn’t dare invest it all. He goes to the county seat every few days to buy a few baskets of eggs, aiming to make a little over one tael a month.”

“As for me, I don’t dare make too many either. If one batch fails, the loss would be significant. I do it twice a month, making a total of a thousand eggs, and I can earn over eight hundred wen.”

“So, according to you, under normal circumstances, you can earn one tael a month?”

Jiang Fuzheng looked somewhat surprised.

“Right. And the investment isn’t that much—most of it goes toward buying eggs; the rest doesn’t cost much.”

High earnings.

Low investment.

Jiang Fuzheng didn’t think twice and quickly said, “Hmm… Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll follow the county’s system, where the foreman assigns work and takes a 20% cut. Since we’re fellow villagers, 20% is too much—you take 10%. How about that?”

“If the villagers earn one tael a month, you’ll collect 100 wen.”

Ye Li hadn’t expected Jiang Fuzheng to offer such generous terms—a 10% cut?

He instinctively clenched the lock of hair in his hand, yanking it so hard that Jiang Ya couldn’t help but let out a sharp “Ouch!”

“Oh my, Ya-ger, I’m sorry.” Ye Li snapped back to his senses and hurriedly apologized. He rubbed the sore spot and blew on it gently: “It doesn’t hurt anymore. Just a little blow and it’s fine.”

The cool breeze on his head effectively soothed the pain.

Besides, it hadn’t really hurt that much to begin with.

Jiang Ya tilted his little head slightly: “Li-ge, why don’t you let Second Brother wash my hair? Just a quick rinse will do.”

“No need. I’ll wash it. It’ll be done in no time.”

Ye Li motioned for Jiang Mai to step forward and scoop water to pour over Jiang Ya’s little head.

Jiang Fuzheng added, “Let’s wash Xiao Ya’s hair first.”

With that, he downed the sugar water in the bowl in one gulp, then carried the bowl into the kitchen.

Ye Li rinsed Jiang Ya’s little head as quickly as possible, then pulled him down to sit. While drying Jiang Ya’s hair, he glanced at Jiang Fuzheng: “Is it really once a month?”

Isn’t that a bit too much…

So much so that he felt a little guilty.

“Once a month,” Jiang Fuzheng nodded.

He had a bit of an understanding of the process of making preserved eggs.

After all, he really liked eating them.

“This money is easy to earn. It’s just a morning’s work—counting the time spent buying eggs, it only takes a day or two. Working just a day or two a month to earn nine hundred wen—where else can you find such a good job?”

“This money is practically free.”

“Um… selling preserved eggs takes effort, too,” Ye Li reminded him.

“Even if you factor in the time spent selling them, that money is practically free—and there’s no shortage of buyers.”

“It’s settled then. Anyone who won’t pay this fee won’t be taught.”

Jiang Fuzheng waved his hand, making his decision.

Ye Li thought it over and didn’t object any further.

True, he was taking a bit of a cut, but the work was so simple.

He hurriedly thanked him: “Uncle Jiang, thank you for taking care of this. We don’t have anything special at home. Xiao Mai, go wrap up those preserved eggs and take them over to Uncle Jiang’s house.”

“No need,” Jiang Fuzheng waved his hand again. “I’ll go find those families right now. If they’re willing, they can come to my house after breakfast tomorrow, and I’ll bring them over.”

Saying this, he took a step toward the courtyard gate.

Seeing this, Ye Li had no choice but to shove the cloth into Jiang Ya’s hands. As she saw him off, she said, “Once everything’s settled, I’ll thank you properly.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fuzheng seemed to remember something. He stopped in his tracks, turned his head, and asked, “Is the process for making the ‘preserved eggs’ complicated?”

“Not at all. To be honest, even Ya-ger knows how to make them.” Ye Li pointed to Jiang Ya, who was standing behind him, holding a cloth and drying his hair.

Jiang Fuzheng frowned. “That simple?”

“Indeed.” Ye Li nodded.

“Alright then, I’ll be off.” Jiang Fuzheng stroked his beard and strode quickly out of the courtyard.

Ye Li saw him off to the gate, then turned and walked back into the courtyard.

Jiang Mai immediately called out, “Li-ge, come learn to read.”

After saying that, he instructed Jiang Ya to pour out the water he’d just used to wash his hair.

Ye Li: “……”

He slowly made his way to the well.

Jiang Mai had written the characters very large, so he could read them clearly without having to bend over.

“Li-ge, do you still recognize the characters at the top? We learned these yesterday.”

Jiang Mai picked up the twig he’d been using earlier and pointed to the top characters, asking earnestly.

“……Ye Li, Jiang Ji, Jiang Mai, Jiang Ya.”

Ye Li reached out and tapped each character in the top row one by one.

Jiang Mai was instantly astonished: “Li-ge! You have such a good memory.”

Ye Li looked modest: “It’s because Master Xiao Mai taught me well.”

“It’s because you have a good memory. It took me days to learn those names back then.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m older, so my memory is better than yours was when you were a kid.”

“Anyway, it’s because you taught me well. I’ll make you a bowl of egg water later.”

This little guy had actually learned the characters for “Ye Li” ahead of schedule.

How disappointing his original self must have been after marrying into this family.

Poor little guy.

Jiang Mai, unaware of his thoughts, was delighted at the prospect of egg water: “Thank you, Li-ge!”

Egg water is made by cracking an egg into a bowl, beating it, and then pouring in freshly boiled, scalding hot water.

The hot water cooks the egg mixture.

This egg water tastes good even without any seasoning.

If you add other ingredients, like sesame oil, salt, or just sugar, it tastes even better.

It’s basically a simple version of egg drop soup!

Having received a reward, Jiang Mai taught even more earnestly.

He pointed to the large characters on the ground, reading them over and over again to help Ye Li remember them better.

After pouring out the shampoo, Jiang Ya also ran over to listen.

He knew far too few characters.

If he wanted to earn some egg drop soup by acting as a teacher, he’d have to work much harder!

However, Sister Liu was too busy to find time to learn to read.

While the family of three was earnestly learning to read, on the other side, Jiang Fuzheng had visited several households in quick succession, explaining the terms he and Ye Li had agreed upon to these families.

They had only one night to consider it.

If they were willing to hand over ten percent of their profits, they should come find him the next day.

The next day, after Ye Li had finished breakfast and pressed the tofu—before she’d even had a chance to sweep the yard—Jiang Fuzheng arrived with a few people in tow.

Seeing Wang Qiumei, Ye Li was a bit surprised.

It turned out Aunt Qiumei wanted to learn.

But like the other villagers, Aunt Qiumei had approached Jiang Fuzheng indirectly, rather than asking him directly, so as not to put him in a difficult or awkward position.

He appreciated her thoughtfulness.

He couldn’t help but smile at Wang Qiumei.

But Wang Qiumei was feeling shy and didn’t even look at him.

So he called out directly, “Aunt Qiumei.”

This time, Wang Qiumei looked over.

Seeing him smiling warmly just as he always had, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

She hadn’t wanted to take advantage of a younger person, but these preserved eggs were simply too tempting—not only did they sell well, but they required little effort.

So, after mulling it over and hesitating for several days, she couldn’t resist asking Jiang Fuzheng to come by on her behalf.

Ah, poverty limits one’s ambitions.

Seeing that Ye Li’s attitude hadn’t changed, she felt an immediate surge of gratitude.

Xiao Li is such a good person.

She returned a smile to Ye Li.

The two exchanged smiles, and that slight awkwardness was quickly put aside.

Ye Li looked at the others—there were the two older women who had gone with her to the Wang family’s house to argue last time.

There was also Jiang Fuzheng’s cousin-in-law and his own eldest grandson’s wife.

Including Wang Qiumei, there were six people in total.

Jiang Fuzheng had chosen these people after careful consideration. The method for making preserved eggs was simple and easy to learn, and since these older women had children and grandchildren of their own, they wouldn’t easily favor their own families.

As for his eldest grandson’s wife, with him personally keeping an eye on her, she would certainly not pass the recipe on to her own family.

Even so, after Ye Li had greeted each of them individually, he cut straight to the point: “For the first few times you make these preserved eggs, buy the eggs and bring them over to Ji Xiaozhi’s house to prepare them—that way, no one else will see what you’re doing.”

“And one more thing: keep an eye on each other. If anyone leaks the recipe to another village, I’ll kick them out of Yezhaopo—and they won’t even be allowed to be buried in the ancestral grave after she dies!”

For people back then, this threat was truly terrifying.

Vicious!

Too vicious!

For a moment, all six of them looked rather grim.

Especially Zhang Shi, the husband of Jiang Fuzheng’s cousin—he felt these words were aimed squarely at him.

Wasn’t he just the husband of a village head’s cousin?

Did it really have to be put so harshly?

But he dared only mutter a few complaints under his breath, not daring to speak up in protest.

What’s wrong with being a cousin-in-law?

A cousin-in-law wouldn’t dare act up in front of Jiang Fuzheng, a man who’d actually cut down bandits with his own hands.

Jiang Fuzheng continued, his face stern: “Don’t be upset. Ji’s family is willing to teach you—this is like letting you pick up free money. A tael of silver a month—only in our village could such a good thing happen.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Qiumei immediately said, “Clan Chief, I have no objections. If I were to spread the word about this method, I’d be willing to leave the village.”

She knew the work was easy—it really was like picking up money for free.

Although Jiang Fuzheng’s words were harsh, she had no intention of spreading them.

She’d just pretend those harsh words weren’t directed at her.

In any case, she certainly wouldn’t give up such a good opportunity over a few harsh words. Since Li-ger had agreed, she was just waiting to start earning money.

Jiang Fuzheng’s eldest grandson’s wife, Li Lu, also hurriedly nodded: “We’ll listen to Grandfather.”

As a granddaughter-in-law, she would never dare to disobey Jiang Fuzheng.

Seeing this, the remaining two older women, along with Zhang Shi, all pledged they would never reveal the recipe to outsiders.

Jiang Fuzheng was satisfied now.

Having played the bad guy, he stepped back a couple of paces to let Ye Li speak.

Ye Li stepped forward and said with a smile, “Aunties, Aunt, Uncle, and Li Lu, don’t be upset. The method for making ‘preserved eggs’ is really super simple—even a kid could do it.”

“Although we don’t have trouble selling ‘preserved eggs’ right now, that might not be the case once we have a surplus. If we can’t sell our ‘preserved eggs,’ they’ll just pile up on our hands. In the end, we’ll be the ones who suffer.”

“Li’er, we understand that logic—we really aren’t upset. Just tell us exactly how to do it.”

Wang Qiumei spoke up.

The others chimed in as well.

Seeing this, Ye Li headed toward the mill: “Alright, I won’t beat around the bush. As it happens, I still have some of the lime and sawdust left over from last time. I’ll go get them right now and demonstrate.”

He brought out half a basket of eggs, a small jar, as well as quicklime and sawdust.

Following the steps, he coated the eggs with the lime and sawdust mixture and sealed them in the jar.

After waiting another half a month, the eggs would be ready to sell.

After watching, Wang Qiumei and the others were a bit incredulous: “Li-ger, is that all there is to it?”

“Right. Don’t open it in the middle—don’t get curious. Just keep it in a cool, well-ventilated place and let it ferment slowly. If you’re really curious, you’ll still have to wait thirteen days before opening the jar.”

Wang Qiumei and the others exchanged glances. Finally, Li Lu sighed, “This really is like finding money on the street.”

Zhang Shi’s anger had completely subsided; he no longer felt that Jiang Fuzheng’s earlier words had been too harsh.

It was so simple that if he hadn’t spoken a few stern words, some might not have taken it seriously.

He smiled and said, “Li-ger really is resourceful—coming up with such an easy way to make money. So let’s not delay any further. We’ll head to the county seat right now to buy lime and aim to make a batch today.”

“Alright,” Wang Qiumei agreed immediately.

If you’re not eager to make money, there’s something wrong with your head.

Now that they’ve learned the method, there’s no time to waste!

“Let’s go together—we’ll use my mule,” Zhang Shi suggested.

The others naturally had no objections.

As for the eggs, a single basketful would suffice. Since it’s their first time, they shouldn’t be too ambitious.

The group set off shortly after, and Jiang Fuzheng left as well.

Ye Li placed the newly made jar of preserved eggs in the mill, then swept the yard, washed clothes, and busied himself with household chores.

Before noon, the group returned.

For the first few batches of preserved eggs, they needed to be made at Ye Li’s house.

However, since villagers were coming by to buy tofu at this time, Ye Li closed the courtyard gate—he wouldn’t be selling tofu today.

As a result, the villagers who had come to buy tofu were turned away.

But when he learned that Ye Li was teaching Wang Qiumei and the others how to make preserved eggs, they were immediately intrigued.

Such a great opportunity—they wanted to learn too!

So, when Jiang Ji returned the following evening, he was greeted by a tightly shut courtyard gate.

He stood before the gate and instinctively gave it a push.

But it wouldn’t budge.

The bolt inside had been locked.

He bent down slightly, squinting as he peered through the crack in the door to look inside the courtyard. The sun hadn’t even set yet—why had the door been locked?

Just then, Ye Li’s voice rang out from inside the courtyard: “Who’s there?”

So he wasn’t asleep after all?

He tapped on the gate: “Why did you bolt the door from the inside?”

Ye Li hadn’t expected him to be back; he hurried over and opened the gate.

“Why are you back again?”

Jiang Ji didn’t answer; as soon as the gate opened, he stepped inside.

His dark, piercing eyes darted around the courtyard.

As he looked around, he met several pairs of eyes.

A few uncles and aunts from the village were sitting by the well, smiling at him.

Among them, Aunt Lu—a neighbor of Jiang Dahu’s whom he knew fairly well—smiled and said, “Xiao Ji, coming back at this hour—have you been missing Li-ger?”

Her remark made the others burst into laughter.

Ye Li shot him a glance and curled the corners of his mouth slightly.

Was there even a need to ask?

Coming back this often, he must be missing me.

But didn’t his eyes just dart around a little too quickly just now?

Jiang Ji: “…Auntie, what are you all doing here?”

He forced down his awkwardness, avoiding Ye Li’s gaze, and instead pointed at the eggs, lime, and sawdust by the well.

“We’re learning how to make preserved eggs from Li-ger. Everyone in the village is learning from him right now,” Aunt Lu explained with a smile.

“Oh, I see…” Jiang Ji looked as if it had just dawned on him, then immediately added, “I actually came back specifically for the preserved eggs.”

“Someone in the county seat has taken a liking to the preserved eggs and wants to buy the batch Ye Li has.”

“Who’s interested in the preserved eggs?” Ye Li asked curiously.

“Gong Lisheng. He usually looks out for Bao Beiyuan. He runs a jelly shop, but business has been slow in this heat, so he’s planning to try something new.”

Jiang Ji explained.

Bao Beiyuan had already spoken with Gong Lisheng.

Although Gong Lisheng hadn’t seen the preserved eggs himself, he trusted Bao Beiyuan and was willing to buy the entire batch.

“Oh my, has the fame of preserved eggs spread all the way to the county seat now?” Aunt Lu hurriedly asked.

Their preserved eggs wouldn’t compete with Ye Li’s.

They had to get to the bottom of this—they could only sell their own once Ye Li’s batch was sold out.

“I suppose so. After all, the county seat isn’t that far from Baxian Town.”

Jiang Ji nodded.

“Aunt Lu, this is a good thing. I’ve only made a small batch of preserved eggs. Once people in the county seat get used to eating them, your batch will be ready to sell.”

Ye Li said with a smile.

“Right, right, right. This is a good thing—a really good thing. It’ll save us from having to haggle and hawk our wares on the street.”

Aunt Lu nodded eagerly.

The others thought for a moment and chimed in as well.

As for the taste of the preserved eggs, there was no question about it—in the middle of summer, they were the perfect accompaniment to a drink.

No need to worry about selling them.

Absolutely no need to worry!

Aunt Lu and the others sealed the eggs in jars, then set off with the jars on their backs.

Only a faint glow remained of the setting sun; night was fast approaching.

Jiang Mai had also finished preparing dinner: rice and pumpkin porridge, along with steamed buns.

Ye Li cut a piece of winter melon, brought out a small stove, and made a dish of winter melon stir-fried with eggs.

Jiang Ji’s return had been sudden, and since Ye Li didn’t buy meat every day, she could only fry a few extra eggs to supplement the meal.

But Jiang Ji didn’t mind in the least; he ate heartily, taking a bite of flatbread followed by a bite of the dish.

After dinner, he sent the two little ones off to wash up and helped Ye Li tidy the kitchen.

Ye Li shook her head. “Light some mugwort and go fumigate the house to get rid of the mosquitoes.”

“Got it,” Jiang Ji replied.

He took out the mugwort and fumigated both the east and west rooms.

It was hot, so tonight he couldn’t let Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai sleep with him and Ye Li again.

With so many people crammed onto one kang, they wouldn’t be able to sleep at all!

After taking a bath, the two little ones, Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai, came out of the small shed. As soon as they entered the main room, they smelled the strong scent of mugwort.

However, they hadn’t expected it to be in the east room as well.

Jiang Ya looked a bit unhappy.

Jiang Ji patiently coaxed him for a few moments, and Jiang Mai came up with a perfectly valid reason: “If Big Brother doesn’t sleep with Brother Ye Li, how will they make a baby?”

Jiang Mai’s reasoning was too compelling.

Jiang Ya immediately ran into the east room.

Sister Liu was too busy; she didn’t even have time to be his student. He wanted to teach her to read, but he simply didn’t get the chance.

He still hoped his eldest nephew would arrive soon.

Seeing Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai climb onto the kang, Jiang Ji fanned them for a while. Once he was sure they were both asleep, he blew out the oil lamp and left the main room.

The kitchen light was still on, but the sound of water could be heard coming from the small shed.

Ye Li was bathing in the small shed.

He raised an eyebrow and walked briskly toward the shed.

However, the moment he reached the entrance, Ye Li immediately started shouting, “What are you doing? What are you doing?”

Jiang Ji: “?”

He declared with complete confidence, “Taking a couple’s bath.”

Ye Li snorted, “I’m not bathing with you. I’ll bathe with some stranger instead.”

The moment Jiang Ji walked through the door, his eyes were darting all over the place.

He’s just asking for them to be caught in the act.