Speaking of firewood, given how much Ye Li’s family uses these days, he certainly wouldn’t feel at ease unless the firewood was stacked all the way to the base of the courtyard wall. Besides, they could also store some firewood in the two workshop sheds to prevent it from getting damp after the snow falls, which would make it hard to burn.

They’d also need to buy some coal.

Compared to firewood, coal has its own advantages; paired with a stove, it ensures a constant supply of hot water. That way, whenever guests come over, they can have a cup of hot tea right away.

Given Ye Li’s current financial situation, he can certainly afford to burn coal.

So he decided to build another shed alongside the two workshop sheds, specifically for storing coal. He wouldn’t buy too much—just two thousand jin to start with.

After hearing his plan, Jiang Ji supported it, but suggested he sell off the fried tofu puffs first. This expense was simply too great!

It would drain their savings dry.

Selling the fried tofu puffs was simple enough;  at first, Ye Li planned to go into town himself to promote them.

However, the last time Boss Yue came to buy century eggs, the villagers had tasted the century egg and lean pork congee. When they delivered the century eggs to restaurants in the county town, they told the small business owners to come to Yezaopo to learn how to make the congee when they had time.

But at the time, the cold-served century eggs were selling quite well, so no one came to learn how to make the congee.

A few days ago, when Ye Li and Jiang Fuzheng were discussing the workshop, Jiang Fuzheng immediately thought of this.

Since these small business owners would have to come over to learn how to make congee anyway, they could promote the fried tofu puffs while they were there—that way, Ye Li wouldn’t have to make the trip to the county town anymore.

This was a great idea; Ye Li didn’t want to go into town just to sell either.

As luck would have it, the temperature had dropped, so it was about time these small business owners came to learn how to make century egg and lean pork congee. The first to arrive was Gong Lisheng.

He arrived the afternoon after the rain stopped.

Since the start of autumn, business for stir-fried cold noodles had gradually picked up, but sales of cold-tossed century eggs hadn’t dropped much, so Gong Lisheng was quite busy. Even though he’d long heard of the fame of century egg and lean pork congee, he’d never gotten around to learning how to make it.

He just hadn’t had the time!

It wasn’t until the rain two days ago—when sales of the cold century egg salad plummeted—that he came as soon as the rain stopped.

Now, he’s rented a detached house near the cold noodles shop and settled his parents, his child, and his two younger brothers there. When he first started selling cold-tossed century eggs, he paid his two younger brothers a wage.

Later, his two younger brothers struck out on their own.

But as the eldest brother, he’d also inherited the noodle shop. Besides, at the current rate, he’d be able to buy a house in a few years, so he decided to cover the rent all by himself.

When it came to the big project of buying a house, he was anxious if business was slow! That’s why he was the first to rush out. He even bought an entire pork hind leg, weighing about twenty jin.

Seeing him carry such a huge hind leg into the courtyard, Ye Li hurriedly said, “Brother Sheng, you could’ve just bought a couple of jin of meat—why buy so much?” Gong Lisheng chuckled and replied, “It’s not that much; it’ll be gone in no time once I stew it.”

He’d already saved up several dozen taels just by selling century eggs, so now that he was learning to make congee, he felt too embarrassed to show up with just two jin of meat.

“All right then. You take a seat. I’ll go get Big Brother to fry the fried tofu puffs, and I’ll make the congee.”

Knowing how busy Gong Lisheng was, Ye Li didn’t stand on ceremony with him. Gong Lisheng nodded and followed him to the west side of the courtyard. The five new rooms had already been built.

Work on the large shed was nearly finished; Jiang Ji was helping the three members of the Ye family—father and sons—erect the roof trusses.

Jiang Dahu and Jiang Tong had gone into town to buy a stone mill and an iron pot.

Seeing him arrive, the group greeted him one after another.

Afterward, Ye Liang climbed down from the scaffolding, preparing to deep-fry tofu puffs. Meanwhile, Ye Li rolled up his sleeves, brought out a small stove, and set about making congee.

He hurried back to the kitchen to lend a hand—this was serious business. He’d also brought news about Bao Beiyuan.

Half a month had flown by since Bao Beiyuan left last time. During that period, Ye Li and Jiang Ji had been too busy building the house to go look for him, so they could only ask Gong Lisheng to keep an eye on him.

The last time Bao Beiyuan returned to the county town, he first stopped by the noodle shop to say hello to Gong Lisheng.

Gong Lisheng had actually gone looking for him the night before but hadn’t found him. He was just getting worried when he learned that Bao Beiyuan had been ill, which left him both shocked and frightened.

Ever since then, Gong Lisheng had been urging him to stop by the cold noodle shop every day he set up his stall, just to make sure he was safe and sound. He agreed readily, without any pretense.

Later, he hired a quick-handed middle-aged woman to help him out. As the weather turned cooler, his business selling herbal tea and beverages remained booming; he made daily deliveries to his regular customers, which accounted for more than half of his sales.

He’d take the rest for a walk around the noodle shop, and it would sell out just as quickly.

Learning that Bao Beiyuan’s life was back on track, Ye Li and Ye Liang, who was standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief. Just as they were talking, the rice porridge in the small cast-iron pot began to boil.

Ye Li stood by the stove, stirring back and forth with a spoon; he’d used very little water, afraid it would burn.

Thinking of Bao Beiyuan’s plans to get married, he asked Gong Lisheng, “Brother Sheng, has Xiao Yuan mentioned to you that he wants to get married?” 

“He wants to get married?”

Gong Lisheng, who was sitting in front of the stove tending the fire, was taken aback.

Ye Li smiled and explained, “He was so sick that day… so he asked me to keep an eye out for him. I don’t know that many people, Brother Sheng, so could you help keep an eye out too?”

“Sure thing!” Gong Lisheng was so delighted he kept slapping his thigh.

Once this kid gets his head straight, it’ll all work out!

“He’s educated and has a good temperament. Though he doesn’t own a house or any land, he has savings, and by serving herbal tea or beverages, he can earn several taels a month! I’ll definitely find him a suitable match!”

“Jiang Ji and I think so too. Actually, he’s not a bad catch.”

Ye Li nodded.

In fact, after Bao Beiyuan had asked him to keep an eye out for a suitable match, he had considered setting Bao Beiyuan up with Jiang Liu. Although Jiang Liu was uneducated, she perfectly met Bao Beiyuan’s criteria: she was hardworking, capable, and virtuous.

However, the reason Bao Beiyuan had considered marriage was to put his father’s spirit at rest in the afterlife; he intended to observe the full three-year mourning period for his father, and so far, only a little over half a year had passed.

As for what might happen two years from now, that was anyone’s guess. So he didn’t bring up the subject with Jiang Ji.

Now that he’d learned Jiang Liu was looking for a son-in-law, if Bao Beiyuan were to become a son-in-law living in his wife’s family’s home, wouldn’t that be enough to bring his father back to life with anger? Therefore, it was best to let it go; he’d just let Bao Beiyuan take his time looking.

After discussing Bao Beiyuan’s situation, Ye Li brought up the fried tofu puffs again.

Since Gong Lisheng had come by, he was bound to try to sell some.

Although Gong Lisheng doesn’t make stir-fries or stews, he could learn from Ye Liang and sell pancakes stuffed with vegetables. That iron griddle used for stir-frying cold noodles is perfect for making pancakes.

Of course, if he really couldn’t handle the workload, he could make them into skewers of fried tofu puffs in chili oil, so customers could enjoy them alongside stir-fried glass noodles or congee. After hearing Ye Li’s suggestion, Gong Lisheng hesitated briefly before nodding. “Alright, I’ll buy a few jin to try it out when the time comes.”

He knew Ye Liang’s business was doing well.

“Alright, once the workshop is up and running, I’ll deliver the goods over there.”

Ye Li was delighted.

Given the workshop’s current staffing, producing two or three hundred jin of fried tofu puffs a day was the absolute limit.

With a market as large as Beiyang County’s, if each of the small restaurants selling century eggs bought three to five jin a day, the daily output would be sold out in no time.

Things turned out exactly as Ye Li had anticipated: as sales of cold-served century eggs plummeted, the small business owners grew anxious and soon came to Yezaopo to learn how to make the porridge.

Ye Li seized the opportunity to promote his fried tofu puffs to them.

These small eateries sold a wide variety of dishes, so Ye Li recommended ways to prepare fried tofu puffs based on what they served. For those selling stir-fries, he suggested stir-fried fried tofu puffs—everything can be stir-fried with fried tofu puffs.

For those selling noodle dishes—whether noodles or steamed buns—he recommended stuffed flatbreads.

Out of respect for the century eggs, these small business owners were all willing to buy three to five jin to test the waters; with such a small quantity, even if they didn’t sell out, they could use it up at home. So, by the time Ye Li had the stone mill and stove set up, he had already sold over a hundred jin.

This came as a huge relief to everyone in the Jiang family.

Finding buyers before they’d even started production instantly relieved more than half the pressure. Before the workshop opened, Ye Li and Jiang Ji moved into their new home with Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.

After the heated brick bed was built, they had to heat it for several days because the house was newly built and very damp. Now that Ye Fulang was coming to visit, they moved to make room for him.

The new house was several square meters larger than the one Jiang’s father had built back in the day.

The floor was paved with two layers of bricks; the base of the walls showed no signs of weathering from wind and rain, and the corners were clean and free of spiders and other small insects. Upon entering, there was none of the damp chill found in the east room.

The room was spacious, bright, warm, and tidy. Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya loved it so much that even though the desk and wardrobe Ye Li had promised them hadn’t been set up yet, the two of them still stayed in the new room and didn’t want to leave.

Jiang Mai had even neglected his slingshot.

He insisted on sitting on the kang and reciting the *Three-Character Classic* that Jiang Ji had taught him.

However, since Jiang Ya was still young and didn’t want to sleep apart from Jiang Mai for the time being, Ye Li let the two of them stay in Jiang Mai’s room for now.

As for Ye Li and Jiang Ji’s new room, the two of them liked it quite a bit as well.

Just inside the door was a small living room; beneath the window stood a high table and stools, which the couple had moved over from the west room. Against one wall stood the five-drawer chest from the west room, containing daily necessities and silver coins.

The wardrobe remained in the west room.

Further inside, past another door, was their bedroom. The bedroom was small, and the kang took up most of the space.

The back wall had no windows; Ye Li had only cut a window between the living room and the bedroom, so the bedroom was somewhat dim—suitable only for sleeping, not for any work that strained the eyes.

With time so tight, Ye Li hadn’t yet had a chance to furnish the room with a kang table, kang cabinet, or nightstands. But this was his and Jiang Ji’s new home.

A real new home.

So, on their first night there, he brought out some rice wine to share a ceremonial toast with Jiang Ji. His reasoning was quite legitimate: their wedding night had been too rushed, so they were making up for it now.

Hearing this, Jiang Ji’s heart swelled with sweetness. Absolutely! His first night with Ye Li, though wonderful, hadn’t been perfect. They absolutely had to make up for it!

So, even after brushing their teeth, the two of them still shared a cup of wine. After finishing, they climbed onto the kang.

Given the current weather, it wasn’t quite time to heat the kang yet, but since the bridal chamber was damp, they had lit the fire under it during dinner. As soon as they got on the kang, they stripped each other’s clothes off and slipped under the covers.

The temperature under the covers was just right, and both of them let out contented sighs. Glancing at each other’s faces, mere inches apart, they smiled, and then their lips met.

Ye Li was incredibly aroused. Taking advantage of the fact that it wasn’t too cold inside, he tried several positions—like “Navel Orange” and “Slipping Wine”—which drove Jiang Ji wild as well, causing him to hold Ye Li tightly in his arms and move vigorously.

The immense pleasure made him even more excited, and caught up in this virtuous cycle, he slept in again the next day.

Fortunately, the workshop wouldn’t start until tomorrow, so Father Ye wouldn’t arrive until this afternoon.

When Ye Li’s little father arrived that afternoon, he carried the bundle straight into the east room; from now on, he would be staying there. In the evening, before making dinner, Ye Li soaked the beans.

Now that it’s getting colder, the beans need to soak longer. It’s the first day back at work, so he couldn’t rush things.

Based on the order volumes from each household, he planned to produce 160 jin of goods.

That night, since the workshop was set to open the next day, the two of them didn’t fool around anymore; after washing up, they went straight to bed. Early the next morning, Jiang Dahu arrived right on time to knock on the door.

The fried tofu puffs workshop officially opened for business.