Chapter Bonanza (8/10)

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Aunt He and Niu Fugui’s business was booming—it simply astounded the villagers.

Yan Xiaoyu actually shared such a profitable business with others!

When people from other villages who didn’t know any better came to their house, they even helped direct them to the Liu family’s stall.

As soon as Aunt He’s stall was set up, people started striking up conversations with her under the pretense of buying tofu: “Why did Yan Lao’er’s family just stop running their business out of the blue? You’re running this profitable venture now—didn’t they ask you for a cut?”

Counting her copper coins, Aunt He was a world apart from her dejected state just two days prior, her face beaming with joy.

“Xiaoyu felt sorry for his parents and didn’t want them to get worn out, so he handed the business over to us. He did it out of pity for our family, wanting to give us a helping hand! They’re such kind-hearted people. I’d only spoken up for them a few times before, but they’ve never forgotten it—whenever something good comes along, they always think of me…”

Hearing these words, many people regretted their actions so deeply that they could have kicked themselves.

If only they’d known back then, when Yan Er’s family was being bullied by the eldest branch of the Yan clan, they should have spoken up for them—it would have been nothing more than a few words!

They’d been afraid of offending Yan Xingsheng and his son, so even when they couldn’t stand to watch it, they dared not speak out. Yet Yan Xingsheng and his son didn’t hold that against them!

On the other hand, every single villager who had ever helped Yan Er’s family has now been rewarded.

Just a few days ago, when Liu Xu was sent back home after being divorced, some villagers still had snide remarks to make. Now that the Liu family has taken over Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu stall, the rest of the village can only look on with envy.

The villagers were seething with resentment, but they couldn’t show it; they still had to smile and offer their congratulations to Aunt He.

This woman held considerable influence over Yan Xiaoyu. If they offended her, and by any chance Yan Xiaoyu had more such opportunities in the future, they likely wouldn’t be in line for them.

Meanwhile, Nian-ger and Yu Sanlang were also making a decent living from their business.

The two had followed Yan Xiaoyu and his sister to town early that morning. As soon as they arrived, they were stunned by the line of customers waiting in front of the stall.

Before they had time to marvel, a regular customer who was used to the chicken soup tofu pudding bought some chicken soup tofu skewers nearby. Following Yan Xiaoyu’s instructions, the customer then went over to buy tofu pudding from them.

Before they knew it, business was booming.

Lacking experience, they were inevitably a bit flustered at first, but both brothers were quick-witted and adapted in no time.

After the crowd that had come for the chicken soup tofu pudding dispersed, they found themselves with some free time. Seeing the vendors nearby all shouting out their wares, Nian-ger joined in.

“Tofu for sale! Tofu pudding for sale! Dried tofu for sale…”

At first, they stumbled over their words and could only shout, but later they grew more fluent and even came up with a few witty lines.

Yu Sanlang wasn’t as thick-skinned as his younger brother; at first, he was a bit hesitant to open his mouth, but later, not wanting to be outdone, he started shouting at the top of his lungs.

Yan Xiaoyu watched with great satisfaction.

He had divided the business between the Liu and Yu families, which was a risk in itself. If these two families couldn’t sell their goods, not only would his efforts be wasted, but his family’s income would also take a hit.

The more the Yu brothers sold, the more he earned; he could only hope their business would thrive.

Fifty portions each of chicken soup, tofu skewers, and spicy dried tofu sold out in just over an hour, yet Yan Xiaoyu and his sister hadn’t returned home.

Yan Xiaoyu took the two portions of spicy dried tofu he’d set aside, intending to take them to Yu Sanlang so they could speak a few kind words to the market constable and ask him to look out for the Yu brothers.

Yu Sanlang was quick-witted; as soon as Yan Xiaoyu spoke, he understood his intention—he was helping them establish a connection with the constable in advance, to guard against the Qian family and the other market vendors trying to sabotage them.

To that end, Yu Sanlang ignored Yan Xiaoyu’s protests and insisted on paying for the two portions of spicy dried tofu. He also specially bought a jug of fine wine and wrapped up a tael of silver to present to the constable.

These gifts put a smile on the constable’s face, and before long, he was on such friendly terms with Yu Sanlang that they were calling each other “brother.”

On their way back, Nian-ger was pitching his family’s tofu to a young ger.

“This tofu is smooth and tender—it makes your skin fair and smooth too. Just look at my face—isn’t it fair and smooth? I just love eating tofu and bean curd! Tofu isn’t just good for your skin; it’s nourishing for your body too. People in our village can’t afford meat, so we all rely on tofu to stay healthy. Just look at me and this sister here—aren’t we both in great shape?”

The young man looked at Nian-ger, with his rosy lips, pearly teeth, and radiant complexion, then at Yan Xiaoyue, who stood taller than most men. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out ten wen and bought two blocks of tofu.

After the man left with his tofu, Yan Xiaoyu smiled and gave the Yu brothers a thumbs-up. “No wonder Uncle Niu and Aunt Yu let you two go—you two really are capable.”

“Brother Xiaoyu, you have no idea—my dad’s a real sharp one! ” Nian’er put on a serious expression. “This line of work pays well and is easier than farming. Since neither my eldest brother nor my second brother can do it, if one of us takes the job, the other gets upset. My third brother and I aren’t married yet, so we’re the cheapest labor at home. We can get the job done for just a few coins, and we don’t have to worry about our older brothers taking offense—it’s a surefire deal!”

Yan Xiaoyu couldn’t help but chuckle.

Nian-ger was very proactive and never shied away from a challenge; he had a determination that wouldn’t let up until he achieved his goal. Yu Sanlang was quick-witted and efficient at work.

Seeing that the two brothers were up to the task, Yan Xiaoyu felt reassured and set off back home with Yan Xiaoyue, driving the donkey cart.

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They arrived home just in time for lunch. The family of four had a simple meal, then slept for another twenty minutes before getting up to continue working.

As the weather grew colder, farm work became lighter. After the household business was outsourced, they took on another job, so all four of them had plenty of time to spare.

After Yan Xiaoyu and his sister left in the morning, Yan Xingmao went for a walk in the fields and even cut a couple of baskets of grass to bring home.

The family’s donkey was hard at work, so they had to take good care of it. They never skimped on their daily feed and soybean pulp. Yan Xingmao even helped build a thatched hut for it, so it wouldn’t freeze once winter set in. This autumn, they saved all the rice straw and stalks, drying them thoroughly for future use.

He Qiuhua went up the mountain with Uncle Li and the others in the morning and brought back a basketful of wild vegetables and fruits.

She set aside some wild garlic for stewing with meat later in the day, and turned the rest into dried vegetables, which would come in handy for stewing meat and fish in the winter; she also dried the mugwort, which was perfect for fumigating the donkey shed and for the family to use when bathing or soaking their feet.

The wild chestnuts and persimmons were cleaned and placed in a wicker basket—they’d serve as snacks for her children, Xiaoyue and Xiaoyu…

At noon, Xingmao went up the mountain to chop firewood, while Xiaoyu drove the donkey cart to the village well to fetch water. Four wooden buckets were placed on the cart’s platform; after three trips, both water jars were filled.

After fetching the water, he drove the donkey up the mountain to find his father. It took the father and son over an hour to chop a full cartload of firewood and bring it home.

He Qiuhua and her daughter were in charge of preparing the ingredients for tofu.

By noon, they had finished making the dried tofu, tofu puffs, and tofu skewers to be sold the next day, so they began preparing dinner.

After dinner, it was still early evening, so Yan Xiaoyu and his sister had some free time. They just needed to herd the chickens and ducks back into their pens before washing up and going to bed.

They had to get up early to go to town for business, so they went to bed early to be well-rested for the next day.

Since the weather had turned cold, the tofu puffs in the water buckets wouldn’t spoil for two or three days. That evening, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua would prepare the tofu to be sold the next day, so that when they woke up the following morning, they would only need to make the silken tofu, saving them time.

In the morning, Yan Xiaoyu would cook chicken soup with tofu and stir-fry spicy dried tofu, while Yan Xiaoyue would help her parents prepare the tofu pudding so they could sleep in a little longer. She would also take advantage of the time while the donkey was grinding the beans to prepare breakfast.

To save time, the siblings always ate breakfast on the way. It took half an hour to get from the village to town, so they took turns—one drove the cart while the other ate inside the carriage—and they had plenty of time.

A few days passed like this, and both the Liu and Yu families’ stalls were doing better and better, gradually showing signs of surpassing the business Yan Xiaoyu and his family had previously run.

The growth in customer traffic within the village was limited, and Aunt He’s business didn’t see much increase. However, when Liu Pingshan went to town to sell vegetables, he would bring some tofu along to sell.

Since he had no stall and no livestock for transportation, he simply pushed a handcart through the streets and alleys to sell. He didn’t bring much tofu, so it had little impact on the Yu family’s business.

Fearing Yan Xiaoyu might object, he checked with him in advance and also gave Niu Fugui a heads-up.

Yan Xiaoyu had no objections. Niu Fugui and Yu Chunying already felt they were getting a good deal, so why would they quibble over such a small matter?

Even when Yan Xiaoyu told them they didn’t need to pay for the stall, they still offered to cover half the cost.

First, since Yan Xiaoyu and his sister returned home before noon, his family used the stall more often; second, his family’s business was booming—after deducting costs each day, they still made two or three hundred wen, so they didn’t mind the hundred-wen rent.

If Yan Xiaoyu hadn’t objected, they would have been willing to pay the full two hundred wen in rent.

Nian-ger and Yu Sanlang were quite persistent; they sold until evening every day before returning to the village, and they were willing to put in the effort to improve their business.

Earlier, Qian Hong—perhaps guided by some “master”—had finally perfected tofu with varying degrees of firmness. He also devised a new sales tactic: buy five blocks of tofu from his shop, and receive a free bowl of tofu pudding. The blocks could be combined; every five blocks earned a free bowl.

So, even if you bought just two blocks one time and three blocks the next, you’d still get a free bowl of tofu pudding.

Thanks to this tactic, the Qian Family Tofu Shop managed to win back some business from Yan Xiaoyu. Back then, Yan Xiaoyu and his sister were so busy they barely got three hours of sleep a day and didn’t have the time to compete with them for customers using similar tactics.

After Nian-ger and Yu Sanlang saw this, they picked up on the idea. The two brothers established a rule: at their stall, no matter what customers bought, as long as the total reached twenty wen, they would receive a free bowl of tofu pudding.

As a result, many customers who hadn’t originally planned to spend that much would buy a little extra just to reach twenty wen. Since a bowl of tofu pudding is hard for strangers to share, some people even went out of their way to invite neighbors and relatives to join them.

The brothers made a fortune, returning home beaming with joy every day. The villagers, who gathered near their house in the evenings to chat, watched them with great envy.

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More and more villagers wanted to work for Yan Xiaoyu.

Before long, Uncle Li’s husband, Zhao Yong, also approached Yan Xingmao, begging him to put in a good word so that Yan Xiaoyu would give him a job.

“Uncle Zhao said it doesn’t have to be as good as what the Liu or Yu families get—even just helping us grind grain would be fine.”

Both Yan Xingmao and his wife had soft hearts, and with so many people coming to ask for favors, they were both feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Yan Xingmao sighed: “The villagers have so few ways to make money—they rely solely on that one mu and three li of land. Life is indeed hard, but there are so many people; we just can’t help everyone!”

Yan Xiaoyu thought for a moment: “Uncle Li helped us out before. Since he’s come asking, we should give him a chance. He can go door-to-door selling our tofu and other food just like Uncle Liu does. If he feels that he doesn’t earn enough, he can also sell to the restaurants and inns in town. We’ll give him the same prices as the Liu and Yu families—whether he can sell them or not depends entirely on his own skills.”

When the business was originally divided between the Liu and Yu families, Yan Xiaoyu had informed them in advance that he might bring others into the trade in the future, and neither the Liu nor the Yu families had any objections.

Since the goods belong to Yan Xiaoyu’s family, he is naturally free to choose whoever he wants to sell them to; simply letting them know counts as showing them respect.

Yan Xiaoyu had long considered selling his family’s produce to restaurants and inns. Previously, he hadn’t had the time, but these past few days had been relatively quiet. He’d planned to rest a few more days before heading into town to visit the restaurants, but now that Zhao Yong had approached him, he had a new idea.

He decided to hand this matter over to the Liu and Yu families, as well as Zhao Yong. Since he planned to focus on restaurants in the county seat, even if he took on business in town, he wouldn’t have time to manage it—so he might as well entrust it all to them.

He’d inform all three families; which one secured the business would depend entirely on their own skills.

The town would be left to these three families, while in the county, he might entrust the business to Yan Shaocheng.

Yan Shaoxuan’s expenses for the imperial examinations were covered, and since Yan Shaocheng still had spare capacity running his stinky tofu business, he would likely be quite happy to take on an additional source of income.

However, the prices for selling to individual customers differed from those for restaurants and inns, so separate terms would need to be established.