Chapter 55

Elsewhere, Zhong Wenwen and Mu Xuehui finally met in person and hit it off instantly. They found that their interests, values, and outlook on life were surprisingly aligned, making them feel like old friends meeting for the first time. However, Zhong Wenwen was unaware that Mu Xuehui was actually reborn; when Mu Xuehui sought friendship, she naturally steered conversations toward topics that matched the other person’s interests.

Zhong Wenwen was delighted to have made a new friend and thought that Mu Xuehui, who was also a student, would be a better companion for her. Still, her mother insisted that she maintain a friendship with Han Qingqing, hoping to get real-time information about Jiang Ruan through the Han family.

Her mother was also conducting experiments on their pet dog, feeding it diluted samples and three different herbal solutions. The first solution, made from a plant stolen late last year to be used as a seed, showed the best detoxification effects. The second solution, cultivated from the first plant’s offspring, lacked fragrance and any medicinal properties. The third, from the Cheng family in the village, was rumored to have been cultivated from Jiang Ruan’s second-generation seeds, it had some medicinal properties to alleviate toxicity, but its effects were weaker than the original seeds.

Zhong Wenwen saw her mother’s frustration with the results. But what could be done? Jiang Ruan had mentioned in the village that only the seeds she cultivated herself could be grown effectively, and second-generation plants were harvested in a single batch and couldn’t be used as seeds.

Chang Linyan said, “My methods don’t seem to be getting us Jiang Ruan’s seed cultivation technique. You’ll have to figure out a solution.”

Zhong Wenwen was puzzled. “If even you can’t manage it, what can I do?”

Chang Linyan replied, “Qin Ao is Jiang Ruan’s business partner. If you were to marry Qin Ao, you’d be like a sister-in-law to her in the future, and there would always be opportunities to discover her seed cultivation secrets.”

Zhong Wenwen thought her mother’s obsession was terrifying. Their family had once been prosperous, but that was seventy or eighty years ago—before her mother was even born. Her grandmother often reminisced about their former wealth, leaving her mother with a sense of regret and unfairness. Zhong Wenwen, however, felt content with her current life.

She said, “Mom, I’m a university student, and Qin Ao is just a merchant. We come from different worlds and have nothing in common. You’ve already made me do so many things against my will, and I’ve done them, but I won’t sacrifice my marriage for this. I can’t agree to it.”

Chang Linyan responded with a dismissive smile, “If you can take a liking to Qin Yan, you shouldn’t look down on Qin Ao. They’re brothers; there may not be much difference between them. Attending college isn’t the only path to success, and I believe Qin Ao will be no less accomplished than Qin Yan in the future.”

Feeling quite frustrated, Zhong Wenwen decided to speak to Mu Xuehui separately, away from Han Qingqing. She shared her mother’s plans.

“No matter how good Qin Ao is, approaching him with such ulterior motives is something I absolutely refuse to do.”

Mu Xuehui felt uneasy. Qin Ao was her own—he was her husband in her past life. Even though they hadn’t married yet in this life, she found it hard to accept that several people had set their sights on him. Qin Ao seemed to be averse to her presence, and she hadn’t managed to get close to him. Feeling helpless, she wasn’t sure how to marry Qin Ao this time around.

Mu Xuehui wasn’t even sure why she was so fixated on him. In her previous life, she had planned to kick him out after getting married, making him leave empty-handed. But now, knowing that others were interested in him, she was even less willing to consider being with anyone else.

…

Meanwhile, Qin Ao had no idea that he was being discussed by others. He went to meet Ran Xiaorong, who did indeed inquire about his relationship with Jiang Ruan.

Qin Ao said, “You should trust your own judgment. If it’s true, there’s nothing you can do to change it. If it’s false, there’s no need to worry about it. In a few months, you’ll be taking the college entrance exam, and I’m explaining this to you now because I don’t want it to affect your performance. Jiang Ruan is my sister-in-law. Do you really think that if something were going on, Qin Yan would let me off the hook? We’re not even blood-related; he’d certainly make me pay for it.”

“But you see how calm he is. To be honest, even if we don’t end up together in the future, you should always have confidence in yourself and be a self-assured girl.”

Ran Xiaorong thought Qin Ao was truly wonderful. Her father wanted her to apply to a university in a different city, and she agreed since being with her family provided her with the greatest sense of security.

She tentatively asked, “Qin Ao, have you ever considered asking me to apply to a local university? That way, we wouldn’t be separated.”

Qin Ao replied, “Don’t do something that you might regret later. If we don’t end up together, you’d carry that regret for the rest of your life.”

Ran Xiaorong was a bit upset. “Do you not have any faith in me?”

Qin Ao sighed. “Our family backgrounds are worlds apart, and I can tell that your father doesn’t really approve of me. But he’s respectable for not speaking ill of me.”

In truth, Qin Ao knew Ran Xiaorong’s father was pushing her to study elsewhere to keep them apart. There was no need to share that with her.

…

In early April, the chickens at Jiang Ruan’s poultry farm were ready for sale. She roasted one, glazing it with wild honey from the mountains. The tender meat had a subtle fragrance that made each bite taste heavenly—something ordinary chicken couldn’t compare to.

Even after eating half a chicken, she felt like she could keep going. Qin Ao, though tempted, didn’t ask for more, especially since Jiang Ruan, who had a big appetite, had already stopped.

Bringing some water and soap for her to wash up, Qin Ao asked, “How much will you price these chickens per bird?”

An old hen sold for about 1.3 yuan per pound, and these young chickens weighed around two pounds each. Pricing them too cheaply wouldn’t make sense to Jiang Ruan, so she said, “Let’s sell them per bird, five yuan each.”

Qin Ao thought she was out of her mind; no one would buy them at that price. He wanted to dissuade her, but Jiang Ruan had already borrowed a tractor from the village. Qin Ao wanted to go with her, but she needed him to stay and watch over the farm. She excitedly loaded a hundred chickens onto the tractor and eagerly headed into town.

A mushroom and chicken stew typically cost only two or three yuan. What restaurant would be willing to buy a young chicken at five yuan each? Qin Ao was skeptical, he doubted she’d be able to sell even one.

…

Instead of approaching state-owned restaurants, which were unlikely to accept such a high price, Jiang Ruan targeted upscale private eateries to promote her chickens. The lively two-pound chickens looked especially appealing. At first, the restaurant owner intended to buy a few, but upon hearing the price of five yuan each, he thought Jiang Ruan was either crazy or foolish and tried to chase her away.

Jiang Ruan left an address, telling the owner that if he changed his mind, he could find her in Dawang Village.

The owner handed the note to a young worker and said, “Who’d buy chickens that expensive? Throw it away.”

Jiang Ruan had tried pitching her chickens to a few places without any luck. She ran into Xun Li and Cheng Xinwang, who were inspecting a new storefront.

Xun Li greeted her and, upon hearing that her young chickens were ready for sale, said regretfully, “Ours is a pickled fish restaurant, otherwise we could have bought some from you.”

Noticing that the restaurant’s name was the same as Mu Xuehui’s, Jiang Ruan asked, “Are you working with Mu Xuehui?”

Cheng Xinwang quickly explained, “Brother Li isn’t interested in small businesses like this. It’s me. I’m borrowing Mu Xuehui’s brand name, offering her a 20% cut of the profits, and Brother Li is helping me choose the location for the restaurant.”

Mu Xuehui’s name wasn’t even a long-established brand, so Jiang Ruan felt that Cheng Xinwang was getting the short end of the deal in this arrangement.

While others might not know, Jiang Ruan and Qin Yan were well aware that Cheng Xinwang’s sister’s death was linked to Mu Xuehui, and Xun Li’s two previous reports might also have been her doing.

Qin Yan had already advised Jiang Ruan not to get involved in Xun Li and Cheng Xinwang’s business, suggesting they might have other plans.

She said, “The blackfish I’ve been raising will be ready for harvest in about a month. You can try some then.”

Cheng Xinwang was about to mention that he had his own suppliers, but Xun Li spoke first, laughing, “The renovation will take about a month, so the timing works out perfectly. We’ll source our fish from you after that.”

“No problem,” Jiang Ruan replied. “The market price for fish is one dime per pound, but mine will be three dimes per pound. Each fish is only two to three pounds, so you’ll still make a profit.”

Cheng Xinwang was speechless. He glanced at Xun Li, who didn’t even flinch at the price, so he didn’t say anything more, though he felt the deal was a bit unfair.

“It’s almost sunset, aren’t you heading back to the village with all these chickens?” Xun Li asked.

“I haven’t sold a single one yet,” Jiang Ruan replied undeterred. “But Qin Yan has pre-ordered five hundred of them, so I’m heading to the barbecue restaurant first.”

Cheng Xinwang watched Jiang Ruan cheerfully go on with her sales despite not having sold a single chicken. He asked Xun Li, “Brother Li, sometimes I think Jiang Ruan is very smart, but other times she seems a bit naïve. What do you think?”

Xun Li simply said, “Let’s go for some barbecue tonight.”

Jiang Ruan brought the chickens to Liang Yong, who was busy preparing the charcoal grill for the evening. As dusk settled, customers would soon start arriving.

Jiang Ruan handed over fifty chickens, saying, “This should be enough for you to sell for three or four days. Price them at ten yuan each when grilled, or sell them in half portions. If someone buys a whole one, throw in some stir-fried chicken giblets as a bonus. Be flexible.”

Liang Yong was doubtful. Even with flexible pricing, selling half a grilled chicken for five yuan seemed tough. People could buy a stewing hen for that price and make soup instead.

But since Jiang Ruan was like a younger sister to him, he was willing to support her even at a loss. Liang Yong offered to settle the payment, but Jiang Ruan refused, telling him to pay her after the chickens were sold.

Liang Yong was stressed—when would he ever sell them all? He thought he’d end up having to offload them cheaply once she left.

But Jiang Ruan didn’t leave. She asked him to prepare a few chickens for grilling right away. “Grill four for me to take to Brother Qin Yan.”

With eight people in Qin Yan’s dormitory, grilling four chickens meant each person could have half.

Liang Yong instructed the kitchen to prepare the chickens. As soon as the chickens were slaughtered, the kitchen staff noticed an unusual fragrance emanating from the blood. Once marinated and placed on the grill, the aroma was irresistible.

Liang Yong personally grilled the four chickens. As their subtle but potent aroma wafted across the street, curious shopkeepers were drawn over, their appetites piqued.

When asked what smelled so good, Liang Yong told them it was grilled chicken, but didn’t dare mention the price of ten yuan per chicken, instead offering half for five yuan.

Though the price seemed steep, the enticing aroma was too tempting, especially at dinnertime when hunger was at its peak.

Business owners had more disposable income, so they ordered half a chicken to taste, saying, “Liang, if this chicken isn’t good, you’ll have to refund me.”

Jiang Ruan quickly interjected, “These four are mine. Get in line.”

Liang Yong hurriedly ordered more chickens to be prepared, and customers began arriving earlier than usual that evening. He noticed that the newcomers were all eyeing the grilled chickens with eager anticipation.

Even Liang Yong himself couldn’t resist the aroma. Despite being the one grilling them, he hadn’t had a chance to taste the chicken.

After Jiang Ruan took the four grilled chickens, the wonton stall owner across the street bought half of one, and the other half was snapped up by the first customer before it even reached the owner’s mouth.

Being in the food business meant prioritizing customers, so Liang Yong grilled two more chickens, thinking he’d finally get a taste. But just as they were done, new customers immediately placed orders.

He hadn’t considered that while five yuan for half a grilled chicken was indeed pricey for the average income, not everyone ate it every day. Plenty of customers could afford it, and those who came to a barbecue joint were there to indulge in delicious food.

The enticing aroma alone was enough to attract people willing to give it a try.

Liang Yong eventually managed to taste half a chicken. With the first bite, he noticed a subtle sweetness in the meat juices, free of any gamey taste. Instead, it carried a hint of herbal fragrance that made him want to take another bite. Before he knew it, he had devoured every bit, leaving only clean bones.

It was delicious—so delicious, in fact, that the addition of grilled chicken to the menu significantly boosted business that night.