The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 33

Chapter 33: First Day on the Official Road

Hu Guiying’s fellow villager was a lean man also surnamed Hu. He was the third in his family, and everyone called him Old Hu the Third.

The next morning, Old Hu the Third arrived at the first quarter of the Hour of the Snake(9:00 AM to 11:00 AM). Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen had prepared the ingredients early in the morning and had done some work in the fields nearby. Seeing him arrive, they stopped their work and went home to get ready to leave.

Seeing them carrying things out, Old Hu the Third quickly came over to help.

The stove, the large frying pan, the dough, the sauce, the charcoal, and two small, collapsible tables and stools.

Lin Shuang said, “Third Master, we don’t know when the flatbreads will be sold out. Please just take us this morning. We can walk back ourselves at night.”

By then, the flatbreads would be sold out, and they would only need to carry back the pot and the stove, which wouldn’t take much effort.

Old Hu the Third had been worrying about when to pick them up. He quickly replied, “Alright. Then it’s one trip every morning. I’ll come here at this time every day.”

He would first take the villagers from his own village to the county seat, then come to Whitewater Village. By the time he arrived, it would be this time. He charged one copper coin per person for the villagers going to the city, so he could earn six or seven copper coins. For this trip, since it was a chartered cart, he could get ten copper coins. In total, he could earn over a dozen copper coins in half a day. In a day, he could earn about the same as carrying sacks at the docks. Even if he didn’t continue to work in the afternoon, he could still do half a day’s farm work at home.

After loading the cart and telling Old Madam Jiang, the three of them set off.

There weren’t many things, and with the two of them, it wasn’t much weight. The thirty-li journey took them less than three quarters of an hour.

The old road from Changping County to the official road was called Tengzi Road. When they reached the three-way intersection, Old Hu the Third said, “This is Zhoutoupo. It used to be very lively. Two years ago, the government opened a new road, and everyone started going that way, so this place became deserted.”

Looking from a distance, there was only a dilapidated tea shed still open.

Lin Shuang had Old Hu the Third drive the cart near the tea shed. She got off and asked the old man at the tea stall, “Old man, how long have you been selling tea here?”

The old man said, “I’ve been selling for four or five years.”

“Everyone has gone to the new intersection. Why didn’t you go?”

“Sigh, everyone is squeezing over there. There are five or six tea stalls alone. I can’t compete with them. It’s better to be the only one here. If there are people, I’ll sell. If not, I’ll rest. It’s more comfortable,” the old man said.

Lin Shuang smiled. “We also want to set up a stall nearby to sell flatbreads. I wonder if it will bother you?”

The old man was unconcerned. “Go ahead. But let me say this first. Although travelers are not particular, if your flatbreads are not delicious, they might not be willing to buy them. There have been people who came to sell flatbreads and steamed buns before, but they didn’t last long.”

His tea could quench thirst, and he had a place to rest. That was enough. It didn’t require any skill.

Lin Shuang said, “Thank you for the reminder, old man. Then we’ll set up our stall near your tea shed.”

With that, she found a spot, and she and Jiang Huaizhen unloaded their things and began to set up their stall.

“Third Master, if you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you wait for a while and have some flatbreads before you go?” Lin Shuang had Jiang Huaizhen pay Old Hu the Third the cart fare and said to him.

Old Hu the Third had already heard from Hu Guiying how delicious these two young ladies’ flatbreads were and was eager to try them. Hearing her say this, he readily agreed. “I’m not in a hurry right now. Guiying always says your flatbreads are delicious. I’ll wait and see.”

With that, he sat down next to the old man at the tea stall and chatted.

Setting up a stall was now a familiar task for Lin Shuang and the two of them. One set up the table and rolled out the flatbreads, while the other set up the stove and started a fire.

When the fire was ready, Lin Shuang’s flatbreads were also rolled out, and she began to make them.

As the lard melted, and the flatbreads were put in the pot, the fragrance began to waft out.

It was fine at first. After all, cooking always had some fragrance. But when she spread the sauce, the two men who were chatting couldn’t sit still anymore and came over to watch her make the flatbreads.

The flatbread was soon taken out of the pot. Jiang Huaizhen cut it into four pieces with a kitchen knife, wrapped two pieces in vegetable leaves, and handed them to Old Hu the Third. She then took the remaining two pieces to the old man at the tea stall, Zhang.

Old Man Zhang quickly waved his hand. “I can’t, I can’t. I can see that your flatbreads are made with real ingredients, and you’re generous with the oil. Just give me a corner to try. You don’t have to give me so much.”

Lin Shuang smiled. “It’s alright. Half a flatbread won’t make us rich. We’re new here, and we might have to trouble you in the future. You can help us try it and see if it’s good, and if our flatbreads can sell on this road.”

Hearing her say this, Old Man Zhang finally took the flatbreads.

Before he even took a bite, it was already fragrant and tempting. It was hot in his hand, and the tempting sauce oozed out from between the flatbread, making one’s mouth water.

After one bite, the rich flavor of the sauce and the oil filled his mouth. It was incredibly delicious.

Old Hu the Third next to him had finished half in two bites and was already full of praise. “When Guiying told me, I didn’t really believe it. Isn’t it just a flatbread? How could she praise it as if it were something from the heavens? Now I’m truly convinced.”

Old Man Liu, who had just taken two bites, quickly chimed in, “The young lady has great skill. These flatbreads are all made with white flour, with enough oil and fragrant sauce. Both sides are fried to a golden brown. Not to mention that travelers who are hungry and thirsty would be drooling at the sight of this, even we can’t resist the taste.”

Seeing the two of them give such good reviews, Jiang Huaizhen was also in a good mood.

Of course, she believed in Lin Shuang’s skills, but hearing others praise it was another matter.

Seeing that Old Hu the Third was still wanting more, Lin Shuang put another dough ball in the pot. He quickly waved his hand. “I won’t eat any more. I have something to do, so I have to go.”

With that, he quickly got on the ox-cart and drove away.

He had heard that a large flatbread sold for forty copper coins. He might not even be able to earn that much driving an ox-cart for a whole day. Besides, the flatbread was made with real ingredients. Half of it was already a full meal, and his stomach was full. How could he have the nerve to continue eating?

Old Man Hu next to him couldn’t bear to finish it and saved half to take back to his grandson.

Having received a favor, he sat down on the side while there were no customers in the grass shed and told them about the flow of people on the official road.

As they were talking, they heard the sound of horse hooves from the northwest, getting closer. Soon, a group of three people passed by on the road.

Seeing that there was a tea stall here, the three of them dismounted, tied their horses to a large tree by the roadside, and walked over. “Old man, three bowls of tea.”

Old Man Liu happily went to get the bowls.

As soon as the leader of the group sat down, he smelled a rich fragrance of sauce. Following the smell, he saw two women making flatbreads next to them, and the fragrance was coming from there.

He couldn’t help but swallow and got up, walking out of the tea shed and toward them.

Seeing him approach, Lin Shuang smiled and asked, “Honored guest, would you like a sauce flatbread? Five copper coins a piece, guaranteed to be delicious.”

The man had been riding all morning, and his stomach was already rumbling. Stimulated by the fragrance, he almost drooled.

“How many pieces in a whole flatbread?”

“Eight pieces in a whole one, for a total of forty copper coins.”

The man’s hand, which was reaching for his pocket, paused. He turned to look at his companions and finally said, “Give us three pieces first.”

Hearing this, Jiang Huaizhen began to cut the flatbreads with a swish.

Seeing her knife skills, the man said with a “heh,” “I didn’t expect you to be a trained martial artist.”

Jiang Huaizhen said, “I didn’t have much to do when I was little, so I liked to play with knives.”

The man laughed heartily. “That’s interesting.”

Today, Jiang Huaizhen’s clothes were not specifically men’s attire, but her autumn and winter clothes were thick and concealed the curve of her chest. On top of that, her clothes were mostly gray, black, and blue, not as bright as women’s clothes, so at first glance, no one would guess her gender. But upon closer inspection, you could tell she was a woman.

With people and carts coming and going on this main road, for two young and beautiful women to be doing business here, if they didn’t have some skills, they wouldn’t have the courage to come out.

When he got the flatbreads, he eagerly took a large bite. After just two chews, his eyes lit up. “My goodness, how can this flatbread be so delicious?”

Hearing this, his two companions in the tea shed shouted at him, “What good thing are you not sharing with your brothers? You’re eating it all by yourself.”

The man paid, grabbed the other two pieces, and strode toward the tea shed, saying as he walked, “Quick, quick, I’ve found some delicious flatbreads. The oily flatbreads are so delicious—”

Hearing this, his two companions took them with some doubt.

“It smells quite fragrant—oh my, it’s really delicious.”

“How much is one piece?”

“Five copper coins.”

“So many ingredients for only five copper coins. That’s really honest. My stomach has been growling for several nights. After this flatbread, my intestines are all lubricated.”

“Last time we came, we passed by a town in front, and the flatbreads there were as hard as a rock.”

“They’re just bullying us travelers. Anyway, they’re not doing repeat business.”

“Who says roadside stalls don’t do repeat business? For us who travel this road all year round, aren’t we repeat customers?”

“Let’s buy one to take with us. When we get to the next county, we won’t be able to eat such delicious things.”

“Second Brother will pay. When we come back, I’ll pay…”

After discussing it, the man shouted at Lin Shuang and the others, “Hey, little lady, make another one for us. We’ll pack it up and eat it on the road.”

Lin Shuang replied crisply, “Alright.”

With that, she rolled out a new dough ball, spread it with oil pastry, and put it in the pot.

The men were in a hurry and didn’t stay long. After drinking their tea and eating their flatbreads, they came over to get the other one.

Jiang Huaizhen cut the sauce flatbread into eight pieces in front of them with a crackle and wrapped it in a large lotus leaf.

Seeing that their first order had brought in over fifty copper coins, a good start, the two of them finally felt at ease.

The customers on the official road came in waves. Most of the time, they were idle, but when they came, it was often in a group, and when they were busy, they were so busy they couldn’t even straighten their backs.

After setting up their stall for half a day, the two of them had roughly figured out the pattern. When there were no customers, they would make a few to have in reserve. For some customers who were eating on the spot, they would make them fresh. For those who were taking them to go, they would use the pre-made ones, which greatly sped things up.

By the Hour of the Monkey(3 p.m. to 5 p.m), a group of two carriages and three or four horses came and stopped at the tea shed. Old Man Hu quickly went forward to serve them tea.

When asked if there was anything to eat, he quickly said, “Yes, yes. Two young ladies just set up a stall today. Their sauce flatbreads are extremely delicious. Every customer who has passed by and tried them has praised them.”

The master of the house then ordered four flatbreads for his servants to share.

This cleared out all the flatbreads that Lin Shuang and the others had left.

Unexpectedly, the servant came back after a little while and, seeing that Lin Shuang and the others were packing up, quickly asked, “Why aren’t you selling anymore?”

Lin Shuang smiled. “This is our first day setting up a stall here. We didn’t know how much we could sell, so we didn’t bring much dough. Those four were the last ones.”

The servant was very disappointed. “Our master originally wanted to buy five more to take back. I didn’t expect them to be sold out so quickly. A flatbread this delicious is unforgettable once you’ve had it. You should bring more next time, little lady.”

With that, he left with regret.

Seeing that this group of customers had left, Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen discussed it and went to the tea shed to find Old Man Liu. They said that if he was willing, he could take their flatbreads and sell them in his tea shop in the future.

He would get a commission of two copper coins for every flatbread sold.

According to Lin Shuang, there were only the two of them with stalls here now. If someone saw that they were doing well here and also came to set up a stall, they might go to Old Man Liu to cooperate first, and they would lose the first-mover advantage.

And today, when Old Man Liu was selling tea, he had also recommended their sauce flatbreads to his customers.

And another thing, if they went back early one day, they could just leave the remaining flatbreads with him to sell.

“Don’t worry. If you can’t sell them, you can return them to us.”

Old Man Liu said, “Girl, there’s no way your flatbreads won’t sell. Our two stalls are so close. It’s just a few steps for people to get to you. Are you sure you still want me to earn this money?”

Lin Shuang smiled. “We have to earn money together to earn more.”

“But I have to be honest with you first. My companion is an executioner at the yamen. Others find it unlucky. I don’t know if you mind.”

Hearing this, Old Man Liu turned to look at Jiang Huaizhen, who was standing under a tree, and said in surprise, “Is she the son of that Jiang Gui from our county, the one who beheads people at the yamen?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

Old Man Liu slapped his thigh. “Do you remember that Zhao Mei’er? The child who was beheaded a few days ago for killing her master. Her grandmother is my older sister. She told me about Little Jiang before. If I had known it was you, I wouldn’t have gone to this trouble. You can just leave your flatbreads with me to sell. I won’t charge you.”

Lin Shuang was also a little surprised to hear about this connection and smiled. “One thing is one thing. She just did what she was supposed to do. Business is business. We can’t mix them up.”

“That won’t do—” Old Man Liu quickly waved his hand.

“Uncle Liu, if you don’t agree, then we won’t leave them with you to sell.”

Old Man Liu was helpless. “Alright, alright. Then this old man will shamelessly take advantage of you. By the way, I heard you say your surname is Lin. Are you Little Jiang’s wife?”

The two of them looked very close, with occasional physical contact, and they had different surnames. Other than a husband-and-wife relationship, nothing else seemed right.

Lin Shuang smiled. “She’s a girl. She saved me before, and I’m living at her house now.”

“Oh, so she’s a girl, and a kind-hearted one at that,” Old Man Liu said in surprise. “Sigh, then why are you being so polite with me? You can just leave your stove, table, and other things with me. You don’t have to carry them back. You can just get them from me when you come in the morning.”

His home was far away, and he usually slept in the tea shed at night. He could just roll up a tattered mat in the back and sleep for the night.

Lin Shuang was overjoyed. “Then thank you, Uncle Liu.”

With that, she ran to Jiang Huaizhen, told her what they had just discussed. Jiang Huaizhen also looked at Old Man Liu with some surprise. Seeing him smile at her, she nodded slightly and, with Lin Shuang, moved the stove and table to the tea shed.

The iron pot had been used all day and had to be taken back to be washed. And it was their livelihood, so it wasn’t safe to leave it outside.

After arranging everything, she put the large frying pan in a bamboo basket, then put it in her basket and carried it on her back, walking in front with a carrying pole.

Lin Shuang quickly chased after her. “Why are you carrying everything yourself? It’s heavy.”

Jiang Huaizhen said, “There’s only one frying pan. The other two baskets are empty. It’s not heavy.”

“An empty basket is also heavy,” Lin Shuang said.

Jiang Huaizhen then handed her the carrying pole in her hand. “Then you take this.”

Lin Shuang was at a loss for words and retorted with a hint of reproach, “What is this?”

In her past life, those people had tormented her to death. In this life, someone was treating her so carefully.

The heart that had died once was slowly coming back to life.

She couldn’t win against this woman. She leaned on the carrying pole, and the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder toward Whitewater Village.