Chapter 47: Gentle Sister
Lunch consisted of four dishes: a salted duck egg and tofu soup, a steamed cured meat, a sweet and sour carp, and a vegetable dish. It was quite a sumptuous meal.
Lin Shuang smiled. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had fish. Grandma likes fish. Huaizhen went to the city this morning to get medicine for the horse and bought some tofu and fish on the way back. I was originally going to make a fish and tofu stew, but since you came today, and I’ve opened the salted duck eggs, I thought I’d try something different.”
“Come, sit down and eat.”
Hu Guiying suppressed the rumbling in her stomach and sat down with a blush, watching as Jiang Huaizhen placed a bowl of fried rice in front of her.
“Eat.”
The rice in the bowl was piled high like a small hill, the grains golden and distinct, exuding a salty and fragrant aroma. She said in a small, embarrassed voice, “Why did you give me so much?”
Old Madam Jiang said, “A young lady like you, how can you complain about having too much rice? If you don’t eat, where will you get the strength?”
Lin Shuang then gave her an empty bowl. “If you like soup, you can drink it from this bowl. The fried rice won’t be as good if you pour soup over it.”
“Thank you, Sister Shuang.”
With that, Hu Guiying, seeing that the old woman had started to eat, picked up her bowl and took a mouthful of rice.
The salted egg yolk, after being stir-fried in lard, gave off a rich and salty fragrance, which was layered with the fresh scent of green beans and shiitake mushrooms, and finally strung together into a mouth-watering aroma by the pungent fragrance of the garlic sprouts.
The first bite was enough to make one exclaim in amazement.
What was even more wonderful was the occasional bite of the crushed mustard greens, which burst with a sweet and clear juice amidst the salty and savory flavor. The taste was simply indescribable.
Hu Guiying was at a loss for words and finally squeezed out a sentence, “This fried rice is so delicious. Sister Shuang’s skills are amazing!”
Lin Shuang smiled slightly. “Eat slowly. There’s still a lot of fried rice in the pot.”
Seeing her gentle smile, which was more like that of a virtuous older sister compared to Jiang Huaizhen’s, Hu Guiying’s delicate little ears couldn’t help but turn hot.
After the fried rice, there was the sweet and sour fish.
After one bite, she couldn’t help but be taken aback. The signature dish of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the city, which cost half a string of money, was not as delicious as this sweet and sour dish with its crispy coating.
“Guiying, what are you standing there for? Go on, try this cured meat. See how it compares to your mother’s,” Old Madam Jiang said.
Hu Guiying agreed and quickly took a piece of the cured meat.
The fragrance of the fat mixed with the smoky scent of pine and cypress went straight to her nose. The moment she bit down, the rich oil burst in her mouth.
Oily, sweet.
“So fragrant. It’s even more delicious than my mother’s,” she gave a thumbs-up and praised repeatedly.
Seeing her eat with such relish, Jiang Huaizhen couldn’t help but smile and also took a piece.
The rice, coated in oil, slid smoothly down her throat. She couldn’t stop.
Besides the fried rice, Hu Guiying also ate a large bowl of the sweet and sour sauce mixed with rice. She felt that her stomach was about to burst before she stopped.
Old Madam Jiang had eaten a little too much. When Lin Shuang noticed, she quickly stopped her from taking any more food. Only then did she feel a little dizzy and, putting down her chopsticks, she cried out and went to lie down on the bed.
In short, the young people were all very satisfied with the meal.
Jiang Huaizhen cleared the dishes and went to wash them. Hu Guiying, with nothing to do, felt a little embarrassed and followed her to the stove.
As they were talking, she was still savoring the delicious food from the dinner table.
“Sister Shuang’s skills are really good. Sigh, I used to think my sister-in-law’s cooking was alright, but now, in comparison, I’m so envious of you.”
Jiang Huaizhen was washing the dishes and said without looking up, “You can’t be envious of that.”
Hu Guiying hummed a couple of times. “If I were a man, I would marry her and have her cook for me every day.”
Hearing this, Jiang Huaizhen suddenly turned her head and narrowed her eyes at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to keep her from getting married in the future just for a bite to eat?”
“What did I say?”
“You didn’t say it, but I think that’s what you’re thinking. But if it were me, I wouldn’t be willing to let her go either. Sister Shuang is good-looking, has a good personality, is capable, and is never angry. She’s also considerate…”
“She gets angry too,” Jiang Huaizhen said.
“She has such a good temper. How can she get angry? You must have done something bad.”
Jiang Huaizhen remembered how the other had pinched her chin on the first day of the new year, complaining that she had eaten the candied fruit sweet dumpling and hadn’t said anything. She also remembered her angry expression when she had drawn a clear line with her about the money and was unwilling to spend her money.
She said vaguely, “I guess so.”
Hu Guiying snorted. “You’re a guy who doesn’t know how to appreciate what you have.”
After they finished washing the dishes, the three of them gathered together to talk again.
They were talking about what Lin Shuang had just mentioned, about earning some quick money to buy a horse.
“Do you know about mohele?” Lin Shuang asked.
“I’ve seen it. It’s something that just came in from the Nanyang Baiyue region in the past two years. Uh, you’re not thinking of making this and selling it, are you?” Hu Guiying often ran around the city and had some knowledge.
“Mohele was originally the Buddhist god Mahoraga, who was in charge of fertility. I predict that this thing will become popular on the Qixi Festival in the next two years. There are still a few months until this year’s Qixi. If we can make a batch, it will definitely sell well.”
In her past life, the image of mohele had gradually evolved from the initial snake-headed human body to a cute child’s image, and it had become a sensation on the Qixi Festival.
How could Hu Guiying know about her past life? She waved her hand repeatedly. “This thing is a precious item that only wealthy families can afford to worship. It’s made of either ivory or gold foil. We don’t have the capital. I’m afraid we can’t afford it.”
Lin Shuang shook her head, got up, and took out the few clay figurines she had bought in the prefectural city three days ago. “A few days ago, when we went to the prefectural city, we saw someone making small figurines out of clay. If we make them in the shape of mohele, even we common people can afford to play with them.”
Hu Guiying scratched her head. “That might work… but I don’t know how to make this thing…”
Lin Shuang smiled. “You don’t have to make it. You’ll be in charge of helping us sell it and also creating some hype.”
“Hype?”
“Do you think the Heshibi was really worth fifteen cities? It was because of the legends that people gave it that it made a simple piece of jade have a value that could match that of many cities.”
Hearing this, Hu Guiying finally understood.
“You mean, I should go around telling people how good this thing is, and then the common people will rush to buy it.”
“Something like that,” Lin Shuang said. “Anyway, if we don’t seize this opportunity, when the momentum is created by others in the future, we won’t be able to seize it even if we want to.”
In her past life, she had seen this thing at the Qin residence. Qin Wan’er was still young at that time and had been pestering to buy it for a while. But at that time, mohele was a rare item. Even a plain clay embryo could sell for several hundred copper coins.
Old Madam Qin had said that she was not allowed to be obsessed with toys and would not let her buy it.
At that time, Lin Shuang had genuinely treated Qin Wan’er well and couldn’t bear to see her cry. She had even had the thought of pawning her own bracelet to buy a mohele for her. But as soon as she took out the bracelet, it was seen by Matron Lou, who was by Old Madam Qin’s side, and she had snatched it away and never returned it.
Seeing that she had not bought the mohele, Qin Wan’er had been angry with her for a long time.
But in her past life, this mohele had only been popular for two years. With the later crude craftsmanship, it had lost its delicacy and had eventually become a cheap commodity, and no one wanted it even when it was all over the street.
So now, she had to seize the first-mover advantage, seize this opportunity, and earn a wave of quick money.
Last night, she had carefully checked the time. In her past life, mohele had started to become popular this year, had become a sensation next year, and had declined the year after.
If they waited until next year, some sharp-nosed merchants would have already prepared in advance. For people like them, who didn’t have their own workshops and kilns, it would be extremely difficult to fight for that huge fortune next year.
Therefore, by creating the first-mover advantage and seizing it, they would earn a sum of money this year, and next year, they would let the powerful merchants compete with each other.
She looked at Hu Guiying. “Do you know how much we bought this for?”
“How much?”
“Ten copper coins.”
“Then… how much do you want to sell it for?”
“One hundred copper coins, or even higher.”
Hu Guiying was startled. “Are you kidding? Will anyone buy this for a hundred copper coins?”
Jiang Huaizhen seemed to be used to Lin Shuang’s way of thinking. She took out the remaining few figurines from the cabinet and placed them on the table.
“You’ll know when the momentum picks up. We’ll decorate them a little later, with some paint and small clothes, and it will be cheap to sell them for two hundred copper coins.”
Lin Shuang explained to Hu Guiying, her body pressed against Jiang Huaizhen next to her. She would occasionally turn and take a figurine from her hand to demonstrate.
Their shoulders were touching, and although there were no obvious movements, there was a sense of intimacy that a third person could not penetrate.
Hu Guiying looked at the scene before her and felt that something was not right, but she didn’t know what it was.
She hissed. “Can a clay sculpture really sell for that much?”
“The materials that the nobles play with are all calculated by the tael. Two hundred copper coins is already considered cheap. This is what we were just talking about. By creating hype, we give it more value and sell it for a higher price.”
“If it really sells as well as you say,” Hu Guiying slapped her thigh. “Then I’m in.”
“No hurry. There are still four months until Qixi. It’s not good if people know about our momentum too early and take advantage of it. We’ll start when we’re almost ready.”
The momentum was already beginning to show, and it just needed a little push.
“Alright. I’ll listen to you.”
After they had discussed it, Hu Guiying left. Before she left, she whispered in Jiang Huaizhen’s ear, “I’ve found that besides being a good cook, Sister Shuang is also a master at business. Didn’t you see her eyes shining when she was talking about business just now? It’s impossible not to admire her.”
Jiang Huaizhen looked at her with a blank expression. “It’s getting dark. Be careful on the road.”
Hu Guiying looked at the sun hanging in the sky. “It’s not dark. It’s still early.”
But when she turned her head, she found that the door was already closed.
After Jiang Huaizhen returned to her room, she saw that Lin Shuang was still staring at the few clay figurines in a daze and asked, “When did you decide to do this?”
“I had some ideas when I came back from the prefectural city. I only decided today when Guiying came. But this job can only be done on Qixi this year and next year. After that, it won’t be worth much.”
This kind of handicraft was easily replaced. When it was popular, they couldn’t compete with others. And once the popularity passed, there was no market for it.
So they had to be fast, accurate, and ruthless.
The reason she had called on Hu Guiying was because she had considered that when it was time to really do it, she would have to be busy with getting the goods in the back and also with the sales in the front. She and Jiang Huaizhen would probably not be able to handle it, and Jiang Huaizhen’s identity was not good for showing her face outside.
And, if they really earned money in the future, and the profits of this thing were high, there would inevitably be people who would come to cause trouble. Hu Guiying had a slightly wider network, and if they really did it, Lu Qing would definitely help, so this matter would be stable.
Jiang Huaizhen looked at the ordinary clay figurine in her hand and asked, “Is there anything I need to do?”
Lin Shuang smiled. “There are many things for you to do. But we have to take it one step at a time.”
With that, she took out a small dress, about half the size of a palm, from somewhere, put it on one of the clay figurines, and smiled at the woman before her. “What do you think? Is it pretty?”
Jiang Huaizhen looked at the small doll in clothes and couldn’t see anything special about it. It took her a long time to reply dryly, “It’s pretty.”
Of course, Lin Shuang caught the perfunctory tone in her words and chided with playful annoyance, “Don’t you have any taste?”
“I shouldn’t have asked a block of wood like you.” She lowered her head, adjusted the small clothes on the clay figurine, and glanced at her.
She just had a good-looking face.
Otherwise, with this personality, which girl would like her?
Jiang Huaizhen remembered what Hu Guiying had said when she was washing the dishes by the stove just now, took a light breath, and tried to say, “The young ladies like Xue Luan should like it.”
“How do you know?”
“I went to the clinic to get medicine this morning, and she happened to be there. I saw the small bag she was carrying, and the sachet, they were all exquisite and cute little things. She also had a string of tinkling cat accessories and pendants… A girl like that should like this kind of little doll.”
It had to be said that this kind of thing, mohele, was aimed at young ladies like Xue Luan who were waiting to be married, and also some younger girls. But when Lin Shuang heard Jiang Huaizhen say this, she felt a little uncomfortable.
“I don’t usually see you pay attention to these small details. This time, you saw it quite clearly. You even saw the cat accessories.”
After she finished speaking, she felt that her words were a little sour.
Jiang Huaizhen stood there, seemingly not noticing her tone, and replied, “I just glanced at it and happened to see it. I didn’t specifically look.”
Hearing her explanation, Lin Shuang finally felt a little better.
