Chapter 9

Chapter 9

[Making Money] Half a chicken was used to make soup. A pear was peeled and diced, then added to the chicken soup, and the fragrance wafting in the air had a hint of sweetness. Half a white radish and half a carrot were cut into fine shreds, mixed into the batter with a little salt, and stirred well. Oil covered the bottom of the pan, and the batter was spread out to make pancakes, fried until golden brown on both sides. Half a basin of batter made seven pancakes, enough to eat. As Su Liang lifted the last pancake out of the pan, he turned to see Bai Xiaohu standing at the door with a bowl, staring eagerly at the freshly-cooked radish and carrot pancakes. The poor farmer’s family didn’t spend as much oil on cooking as Su Liang, and the aroma of oil and meat in the air made Bai Xiaohu salivate. “Little Tiger?” At Su Liang’s call, Bai Xiaohu came to his senses and entered a little sheepishly with his bowl, “My grandmother steamed these Steamed Buns for you to take two! Don’t be picky, we only get to eat white flour during the New Year…” Su Liang smiled and took the bowl, “Your grandma’s steamed buns must be delicious, thank you.” He then took out the buns, scooped a bowl of chicken soup with meat, and placed two pieces of pancake on top. With saliva almost dripping from his mouth, Bai Xiaohu waved his hands, “I’ll take the pears back, my grandmother has scolded me! I can’t take this!” “Take it, I’ll have to ask your grandmother for her steamed bun recipe later.” Su Liang smiled. Only then did Bai Xiaohu accept, and said earnestly, “You must definitely go!” … Mrs. Bai’s face darkened when she saw the food Bai Xiaohu brought back. Bai Xiaohu quickly explained that he didn’t ask for it, Su Liang insisted on giving it to him, and said he would come to their house another day to learn how to steam buns. “Who says Mrs. Ning can’t cook? The chicken soup she stewed is so fragrant!” Mrs. Bai tasted half a spoonful with suspicion and was instantly stunned by the delicious taste. She sighed and shook her head, “She must have learned everything while being a slave in that Yuanwai Family. Poor girl!” … Having the chicken soup with pear garnish, Ning Jing complimented Su Liang, “Your cooking skills are quite good.” The chicken leg was Su Liang’s by default, while Ning Jing had an extra pancake. As they both put down their chopsticks at the same time, Ning Jing said before Su Liang could speak, “You cook, I’ll wash the dishes.” Su Liang thought this arrangement was excellent. Returning to her room, she tidied up the luggage she had brought back from Su Daqiang’s house. It was cold, and she needed to buy thicker clothing and socks. Moreover, she had to learn the text of this world as soon as possible, so she had to buy books and writing materials. She didn’t have a single copper coin left and was experiencing poverty for the first time in two lifetimes… Picking up the Plum Blossom Screen that the Original Master had embroidered, Su Liang sighed softly and put it away. This was the fruit of the Original Master’s hard work, and she didn’t plan to sell it for money. If one day she found that “Cloud” gentleman, she could give it to him, which might be what the Original Master had hoped for! Ning Jing boiled hot water, and Su Liang asked him how to brush her teeth. “Wait.” Ning Jing went back to his room and brought back an exquisite wooden box for Su Liang. When Su Liang opened it, she was surprised to see something similar to a toothbrush in this world. The handle had a smooth texture, seemingly made of jade, and the bristles were a bit stiff but neatly trimmed. There was also a small jar of green salt in the box. Ning Jing asked, “Do you know how to use it?” She nodded, “Yes, thank you.” It was a luxurious item, obviously not for ordinary people to use, and must have been Ning Jing’s spare. He also gave Su Liang a new, soft cloth towel with excellent water absorbency. “There is only one bathtub, so we’ll buy a new one for you tomorrow,” Ning Jing said. “It sounds like we have money,” Su Liang said sarcastically. Ning Jing’s handsome eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he said nothing, simply turned and went back to his room. When Su Liang finished washing and came out to pour water, she saw the light in the next room was off and thought he had gone to bed. As Su Liang entered her dreams, a dark shadow easily climbed over the high walls of the Su Daqiang residence. Fifteen minutes later, the shadow left. It returned, then left again… Before daybreak, Su Liang was awakened by a knock on her door. As she rubbed her sleepy eyes and opened it, Ning Jing was already dressed neatly, talking to Bai Xiaohu at the door. What was he doing up so early? Su Liang found it strange when Ning Jing turned to her, “Do you want to go to the market?” “We have an ox cart!” Bai Xiaohu added. Just as Su Liang wanted to say there was no money to go to the market, she turned her head and saw four large bamboo baskets under the eaves, full of golden pears… “Sell them for money.” Ning Jing walked over, and Bai Xiaohu had already run away. With an inexplicable look on her face, Su Liang asked, “Did you… steal these last night?” Seeing Ning Jing nod his head, Su Liang imagined the handsome man climbing walls to steal pears and bringing back basket after basket in the middle of the night, and thought his alternative way of making money was… fantastic! Bai Xiaohu’s father came over and helped carry the pears to the cart, his attitude was very friendly. “Are you going to sell them?” Su Liang asked. Ning Jing shook his head, “Little Tiger’s family will help sell them. It’s agreed that they will get 20 percent of the profit.” Su Liang suddenly had an idea, “Can you help me write something?” Ning Jing went back to his room to grind ink, and listened to Su Liang recite, then wrote it down. He quickly realized that it was the recipe for the chicken soup from the night before, but it had additional ingredients that they didn’t have at home, along with two medicinal herbs. He wrote the effects at the end: Nourishes and moisuturizes, beauty and health. “The words aren’t bad.” Su Liang took a look and could probably identify them all, but she couldn’t write the traditional characters. When she finished quickly washing up and went out, Ning Jing was waiting for her outside, locking the door. The ox cart was by the bridge with Madam Bai and Bai Xiaohu sitting on it. “Didn’t Young Master Ning say he wasn’t going?” Bai Xiaohu was surprised. Ning Jing’s expression was calm, “I’m going to buy something.” There was little space on the cart, and the two of them sat down side by side, their shoulders close together. Su Liang didn’t mind, and, seeing that she was very calm, Ning Jing also casually sat down. It looked like they were husband and wife. “Young Master Ning, hold onto your wife!” Madam Bai reminded. Bai Xiaohu snickered, “Hold her tight!” Su Liang coughed lightly, “His face is thin.” The Bai family’s laughter filled the air, and Ning Jing silently glanced at Su Liang… On the way, the villagers they met all stared at Su Liang and Ning Jing. “Why is Young Master Ning riding an ox cart?” “Su Liang is really good-looking.” “Isn’t Young Master Ning avoiding trouble here? Where is he going?” … Su Liang asked in a low voice, “Is it okay for you to be outside?” Ning Jing shook his head, “No problem.” It took an hour for the ox cart to arrive at Luoyan Town. There was a market on the seventh day every month, and at this time, the good spots had already been taken by others. Bai Peng, Bai Xiaohu’s father, unloaded the items from the cart, and Madam Bai let Ning Jing and Su Liang go shopping on their own, with them helping to sell the pears. “Which is the biggest restaurant in town?” Su Liang asked, picking up a pear. “I know! Feiyan Restaurant! I heard that their dishes are expensive!” Bai Xiaohu pointed in a direction, looking envious, “Are you going to Feiyan Restaurant for dinner?” Madam Bai glared at Bai Xiaohu and told him not to be nosy. Seeing Ning Jing and Su Liang really heading towards Feiyan Restaurant, Bai Xiaohu sat on a stone with his hands on his face, lamenting, “They’re so rich!” In fact, the penniless Ning Jing and Su Liang were on the streets, attracting a lot of attention. It’s just that their appearance and temperament were too outstanding in this remote small town. It was also for this reason that when Su Liang entered Feiyan Restaurant and asked to see the manager directly, the waiter did not dare to neglect them, fearing to offend some big shot. The manager of Feiyan Restaurant was a short, fat old man. As soon as he saw Su Liang and Ning Jing’s overall bearing, he was quite polite, thinking they were friends of the owner. When he learned that Su Liang was there to sell a medicinal diet recipe, the cunning sparkled in the manager’s eyes, “First, take out the recipe and let’s have a look. It must be something fresh, delicious, and suitable for our price.” Su Liang’s expression was indifferent, “No matter what I bring out, I’m sure the manager will say, your Feiyan Restaurant already has it.” Being exposed, the manager laughed awkwardly and waved his hand, “In that case, just go sell it somewhere else!” “I’ve heard that Luoxia Restaurant is not bad. Farewell.” Su Liang turned around and left. When the manager heard of Luoxia Restaurant, his expression changed, “Wait!” Su Liang wasn’t surprised. On the way, she had overheard some passers-by saying that the business at Luoxia Restaurant was getting better and better, so she figured Feiyan Restaurant would be under pressure. … Half an hour later, Su Liang reappeared at the market. Bai Xiaohu complained to her with a bitter face, “Our pears are too expensive, no one is buying.” But selling them cheap was unbearable. Su Liang rubbed Bai Xiaohu’s head, “I’ve sold them all.” The restaurant’s waiter came with a cart and loaded all the pears onto it. Madam Bai hurriedly asked what was going on. Su Liang explained that she had sold all the pears to Feiyan Restaurant. “You’re really something.” Madam Bai’s gaze towards Su Liang changed. Su Liang gave Madam Bai 20% of the original total price for the pears as agreed with Bai Xiaohu and Ning Jing. Madam Bai kept pushing the coins back, saying that they hadn’t sold the pears. Su Liang insisted on giving it. In cooperation with the Bai family, they had helped with a lot of hard work. It was her and Ning Jing who had changed their minds, so it was only right to give the money. But she didn’t give more than that. Unable to resist, Madam Bai accepted it and said that in the future, Ning Jing and Su Liang wouldn’t have to pay to ride their cart. Seeing Su Liang walk away, Bai Xiaohu muttered, “Selling the food to Feiyan Restaurant must be more expensive, right?” Madam Bai twisted Bai Xiaohu’s ear, “No matter how expensive it is, it’s their ability! What are you judging for?” Bai Xiaohu was just curious as to how Su Liang managed to sell the pears, and he didn’t think much of it. However, Madam Bai still warned him not to think always about taking advantage of others. … The medicinal diet recipe and the pears were sold together for a total of forty-three silver taels. The manager was well-informed and was impressed with the effects of the medicinal diet. Su Liang asked for fifty taels, but he haggled down to forty taels and agreed to buy all her pears for three silver taels. He said repeatedly that if there were new recipes, they must be sold to Feiyan Restaurant, and the price was negotiable. In a good mood, Su Liang went to the bookshop where she had agreed to meet Ning Jing. “I don’t know where this little white-faced guy came from, even daring to compete with Master Huang’s son for a woman! He’s looking for death!” Amid the noise, Su Liang turned her head, curious to see how white the little white-faced guy’s face was. But when she looked closely, her face was full of black lines. The person who should be helping her pick out books, Ning Jing, was surrounded by four strong men wielding clubs…</p