Chapter Bonanza (9/10)

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After discussing it at home, Yan Xiaoyu’s family finally decided to sell all their goods to restaurants and eateries. As long as they could supply at least sixty catties of a single item per month, they would sell it at the same price he currently offered to the Liu and Yu families.

Those who secured business deals were required to provide a signed contract from the shop; regardless of the type of ingredient, they would receive a bonus of two wenper catty.

As for the villagers that had been causing He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao so much trouble, Yan Xiaoyu also came up with a solution: “For the chores at home—like chopping firewood, sewing clothes, and making shoes and socks—we’ll spend some silver to hire villagers to do them. That way, they can earn money, and we’ll have it a bit easier.” 

“But we must be very selective about who we hire. We can’t take those who’ve been in trouble, nor anyone close to Uncle. Let’s start by choosing reliable people from among those who’ve helped us before.”

He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao looked hesitant.

“We’re not some wealthy landlords, and these tasks aren’t that difficult. If we spend money to hire people, won’t people talk?”

Yan Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. “If anyone dares to gossip, we won’t hire them for any work in this household from now on.”

“Besides, once Aunt He and Nian’er bring in more business from the taverns and restaurants, we’ll definitely be too busy to handle it all. Hiring help is only a matter of time.”

Upon hearing this reasoning, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua agreed.

He Qiuhua recalled how skilled Liu Xu had been at embroidery before her marriage, so she made up her mind to have the two bolts of satin sent to the Liu household and ask Liu Xu to make clothes from them.

Her own dressmaking skills were limited, and her craftsmanship wasn’t particularly good; using such fine fabric for her own work would be a waste. She asked Liu Xu to make a set of autumn clothes and a long winter coat each for her son Yu and daughter Yue—the two children would surely look lovely in them.

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After discussing it with his family, Yan Xiaoyu approached Yan Shaocheng to propose the venture.

Yan Shaocheng was indeed very enthusiastic: “Rarity makes things valuable. These items aren’t available in the county yet, so I’m sure the restaurants and inns will be eager to stock them. If you could bring some spicy dried tofu and chicken soup tofu skewers along for them to sample the finished products, the deal will be even easier to close. “By giving you this work, I’m essentially opening up another avenue for you to make money, so of course I’m willing.”

After agreeing, he wondered aloud, “Logically speaking, since your food and ingredients are selling so well, shouldn’t the restaurants and eateries in town have come to you to discuss business?”

Yan Xiaoyu’s stall had been open in town for over a month. By now, several of his tofu products had made their way onto the dining tables of the townspeople, and some eateries had introduced corresponding dishes—stir-fried, braised, steamed, and boiled varieties. Many imitated Yan Xiaoyu’s spicy dried tofu and chicken soup tofu skewers, but since none could quite match his flavor, it hadn’t really affected his business.

There were indeed those who approached him to discuss business.

A while back, the proprietors of a local eatery and an inn came to see Yan Xiaoyu one after another, hoping to purchase ingredients from him.

The eatery offered a low price and tried to haggle with Yan Xiaoyu; the banquet hall owner wanted Yan Xiaoyu to sell him a combination of dried tofu and spicy dried tofu, offering a higher price, though the order quantity was small. He also demanded that Yan Xiaoyu stop selling the spicy dried tofu to anyone else—a rather harsh condition—so Yan Xiaoyu declined.

He was constantly busy there every day and had no time to go to other shops to drum up business, so the plan to sell ingredients to restaurants and taverns was put on hold.

Now that the plan was back on track, he had also set his sights on the food stalls in the county seat.

The situation in the county seat was somewhat different from that in the town. There were already several tofu shops in the county seat, and since it was quite a distance from Xiling Village, Yan Xiaoyu crossed both tofu and tofu pudding off the list, instructing Yan Shaocheng to sell only three soy-based products: fermented tofu.

Yan Shaocheng had previously worked as a traveling merchant and had experience in this line of business, so Yan Xiaoyu felt completely at ease having him handle it. After a brief discussion, they finalized the specific arrangements.

Once the business matters were settled, Yan Xiaoyu changed the subject: “Second Brother Yan hasn’t been back for several days. Is he busy with his studies?”

Yan Shaocheng nodded with a smile: “Shaoxuan has been studying exceptionally hard lately. I’ve gone to the academy to check on him several times, but he refuses to come back. I haven’t even bothered to ask these past few days.”

“As long as he’s studying hard, that’s all that matters!” Yan Xiaoyu was deeply relieved.

Now that the family was no longer short of money, his only worry was that if Yan Yong passed the provincial examination next year, while Yan Shaoxuan failed to even pass the preliminary exam, he had staked everything on Yan Shaoxuan. If that little Yan Yong were to gain the upper hand, he feared all his efforts would be in vain—all his hard work would ultimately benefit someone else!

With that thought, Yan Xiaoyu gritted his teeth and said earnestly, “Is there anything Second Brother Yan still needs? I have a fair amount of money on hand now. If he needs silver to buy books, just let him have it.”

You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing the lamb; Yan Erlang’s success in the imperial examinations determines his future prospects, and there can be no delays.

“Rest assured, he lacks for nothing at the moment,” Yan Shaocheng smiled. “Thanks to you, that stall has saved up seven taels of silver this past month. I can still cover Shaoxuan’s expenses at the county school for now.” 

After speaking, Yan Shaocheng cast a subtle glance at Yan Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu seems quite concerned about Shaoxuan and takes his affairs very seriously. No wonder Shaoxuan admires him.

The look on this young man’s face when he mentions Shaoxuan doesn’t really seem like admiration; it’s more like he’s checking whether his own backing is solid.

I wonder if I’m being too opportunistic, or if Brother Yu is just thinking too practically.

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Early the next morning, Yan Xiaoyu went to see the Liu Pingshan couple and the Yu brothers, who had come to pick up their goods.

Having more ways to make money is always a good thing. Although they weren’t entirely sure if they could land any business, they figured there was no harm in trying, so both families agreed without hesitation.

As for Zhao Dayong wanting to get involved, since Yan Xiaoyu had mentioned it beforehand, he had no objections.

Zhao Dayong would still have to go door-to-door looking for customers on his own, so taking over the ready-made customer base from Yan Xiaoyu was, by his reckoning, a good deal.

At noon, Zhao Dayong heard the good news from Yan Xingmao and his wife. Overjoyed, he danced with delight and expressed his gratitude once again.

Zhao Dayong had previously worked as a laborer for another family. His former employer wasn’t as exploitative as Yan Xingmao’s previous one, but his wages were never paid promptly—they were always delayed by a few months. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have swallowed his pride and come begging to Yan Xingmao.

When Zhao Dayong came by yesterday, he brought a basket of eggs, but Yan Xingmao wouldn’t accept them. Today, he brought the same basket again, along with some steamed buns made by Uncle Li. This time, he refused to take them back, insisting that Yan Xingmao and his wife accept them.

After he left, Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua looked at the eggs and steamed buns on the table, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

He never would have thought there’d come a day when he’d be the one being asked to do a favor.

In the days that followed, Liu Pingshan, Yu Sanlang, and the newcomer Zhao Dayong would head to the town’s restaurants and taverns whenever they had a spare moment, all hoping Yan Xiaoyu could land their first big deal.

However, since this was their first time doing this, things didn’t go very smoothly for any of them.

Liu Pingshan and Zhao Dayong brought ingredients to the shops, but as soon as they explained their purpose—before they even got to see the manager—they were chased out by the shop assistants.

Yu Sanlang, having seen more of the world thanks to his father, was a bit more savvy than the other two. He used some connections to get the staff to introduce him, but since they weren’t fully prepared, they failed to close a deal after visiting three places in a row.

In the end, it was Yan Shaocheng who took the lead, and Yan Xiaoyu secured the first deal.

Upon hearing the news, the other three sought his advice. Yan Shaocheng was more than willing to share his techniques, carefully explaining his experiences to them.

Gradually, Liu Pingshan, Yu Sanlang, and Zhao Dayong were also able to secure business. Though none of the deals were particularly large, they still earned Yan Xiaoyu some money.

On the day before the Laba festival, Yan Shaoxuan—who hadn’t been seen for quite some time—finally returned from the county seat, bringing gifts for Yan Xiaoyu.

A cookbook and an exquisitely crafted small hand warmer.

“Look at all the snacks you’ve made. This cookbook has been passed down from the previous dynasty; it records the recipes for famous dishes from all over the country. I imagine you’ll find it interesting.”

Yan Xiaoyu was indeed interested. After all, he was self-taught; though his cooking skills were excellent, he mainly specialized in various snacks and home-style dishes. He didn’t have many elaborate or sophisticated dishes in his repertoire, nor did he know what kinds of food were popular outside of Lantai Town. Although he didn’t like reading serious books, he was quite willing to take a look at a cookbook like this.

‌In fact, when he’d gone to the bookstore to help Yan Shaoxuan pick out a gift, he’d asked the shopkeeper if they had any such books. In the end, he’d only managed to buy a travelogue that contained some reviews of local cuisine, but no recipes.

He hadn’t expected Yan Shaoxuan to be able to get him such a professional cookbook.

Yan Xiaoyu was pleasantly surprised, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

After putting the cookbook away, he picked up the handwarmer and examined it.

The handwarmer was made of copper, with two carp engraved on it. The design was exquisitely crafted, and it was clearly not cheap.

Yan Xiaoyu was a bit puzzled. Why had Yan Shaoxuan suddenly decided to give him a gift—and two at that?

Perhaps his confusion was too obvious, so Yan Shaoxuan took the initiative to explain: “Ahem, I’ve understood your intentions. Rest assured, you’ll get what you want.”

After speaking, Yan Shaoxuan looked away, seemingly too embarrassed to meet Yan Xiaoyu’s gaze.

At first, Yan Xiaoyu was puzzled, but after a moment’s thought, it dawned on him—Yan Shaocheng must have told Yan Shaoxuan about his attempt to “sponsor” him.

Yan Erlang was declaring his resolve to him!

Judging by the tone, he should pass next year’s provincial exams, and from then on, he’d have a “Xiucai” as his backer.

Ji Wenyan, the magistrate’s son, was also a sort of backer for him, but unfortunately, the magistrate’s term seemed to be coming to an end, and his relationship with Ji Wenyan wasn’t nearly as solid as the one with Yan Shaoxuan—Yan Shaoxuan was the one he could truly rely on.

Yan Xiaoyu thought for a moment, then clenched his fist to encourage Yan Shaoxuan: “I trust Second Brother Yan—you can definitely do it!”

Just cheering him on wasn’t enough; he needed to offer some words of comfort as well: “Second Brother Yan, take your time. Don’t rush. Don’t push yourself too hard—you need to take care of yourself.”

If the pressure became too much and he underperformed, that wouldn’t do. Thinking of this, Yan Xiaoyu gave him a few more concerned reminders.

When Yan Shaoxuan left Yan Xiaoyu’s house, his eyes were dreamy, the corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably, and he walked the few steps home with a light, floating step, a flush still on his face.

When he got home, Yan Shaocheng was holding a hand warmer, turning it over and over in his hands.

“Shaoxuan, why is your hand warmer different from Yu’s? Look, he has a carp engraved on top and comes with a cloth cover, but this one’s just bare—it has nothing.”

Yan Shaoxuan’s train of thought was interrupted, and the heat finally faded from his face: “You’re a man—why bother with such things? As long as it keeps you warm, that’s all that matters.”