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Eagerly, Eunuch Xu quickly picked up another piece and ate it, all while commenting, “Shopkeeper Bai, where did you get this pickled vegetable? It’s truly delicious! I’ve eaten so many delicacies in the palace over the years, but I’ve never tasted anything as good as this pickled vegetable.”
Shopkeeper Bai was somewhat skeptical. “How could that be? It’s just ordinary homemade pickled vegetables. How could they be so delicious?”
As he spoke, he picked up a piece and ate it himself. This time, he was the one who was surprised. “This… this pickled vegetable really is exceptionally delicious.”
Eunuch Xu picked up a few more pieces and continued eating, asking, “Shopkeeper Bai, has a good cook recently come to your household?”
Shopkeeper Bai laughed and said, “There’s no great cook here. It’s just the pickled vegetables made by my apprentice’s family. They’re a poor farming family, using the simplest of seasonings. It’s not something worth boasting about.”
Eunuch Xu waved his hand, “Shopkeeper Bai, this flavor is truly excellent. Don’t be so modest.”
Standing up, Shopkeeper Bai said, “I really wasn’t lying. If you like, I can call my apprentice over so you can ask him yourself?”
Eunuch Xu shook his head, “Never mind, never mind, there’s no need.”
Shopkeeper Bai took out the jar of pickled vegetables that Chen Shian had rejected and said, “Eunuch Xu , if you like it, I’ll give you this jar.”
Eunuch Xu ‘s face lit up with joy. “Really?”
Shopkeeper Bai nodded, “Really. I just happen to have two jars here.”
Eunuch Xu was overjoyed. “In that case, I’ll gladly accept.”
With that, he took the jar of pickled vegetables and held it in his hands, giving it a gentle pat. “Just right to bring back to the capital.”
Shopkeeper Bai raised his wine cup to toast him. “Eunuch Xu , you’ve come all the way to visit me, and I have nothing else to give you. Thankfully, I have this jar of pickled vegetables.”
Eunuch Xu also lifted his cup. “This pickled vegetable? It’s priceless, far more valuable than any gold, silver, or jewels.”
Shopkeeper Bai smiled without speaking, secretly grateful to Tan Erqian. He had been struggling to figure out what to give to curry favor with Eunuch Xu , and unexpectedly, a jar of pickled vegetables had solved the problem. Tan Erqian really was his little lucky star!
And indeed, there was a little lucky star, but it wasn’t Tan Yiliang—it was the little girl from the old Tan family, who was currently sound asleep.
The little girl turned over in her sleep, squinting her eyes as if smiling.
Wan Chunmei sat up, glancing outside from time to time, eager to see if Old Tan had returned.
Tan Yiliang walked into the house with a basket full of vegetables. “Mother, I’ve picked all the ripe vegetables. You can pickle them all now.”
Wan Chunmei snapped back to her senses and replied, “Alright, I’ll get to it right away.”
With that, she handed Little Qiyue over to Tan Sanyuan and went about her tasks.
It wasn’t until nightfall that Old Tan returned.
The next morning.
Wan Chunmei took the freshly made pickled vegetables to the fork in the road at the village’s edge. This was the main route that travelers from several nearby villages took to get to the county, so she hoped to catch anyone passing through who might want to buy them.
The farmers in the village were barely able to make ends meet, so at first, no one was interested in stopping to look.
Old Tan advised, “How about we take them to the county and see if anyone there might want to buy them?”
Wan Chunmei replied, “Dear, these pickled jars are quite heavy. If you drag the cart, you’ll be exhausted. Anyway, I didn’t make too much, so let me try selling here in the village first. If no one buys it here, no one will buy it in the county either.”
Seeing his wife out in the blazing sun trying to sell things, Old Tan felt a pang of pity. He hurriedly found some banana leaves and set them up to provide some shade.
At that moment, Old Master He happened to pass by and saw what was going on.
He smiled and asked, “Girl, what are you doing?”
Wan Chunmei smiled and replied, “I’m trying to sell some homemade pickled vegetables.”
Old Master He, intrigued, came closer and said, “Let me have a taste.”
Wan Chunmei nodded. “Sure.”
She then opened a jar of pickles, smiling as she handed it to him. “Here, try some.”
Old Master He took it, took a bite, and immediately squinted his eyes in pleasure. “Delicious! Girl, your pickled vegetables are truly tasty.”
Wan Chunmei, a little shy, touched her head and smiled.
Old Master He quickly asked, “How much for one jar?”