Chapter 80

Those who had tried hong couldn’t stop raving about it. After all, ordinary beastmen rarely had the chance to enjoy sweets—let alone something with a honey-like richness.

And after drinking hong, they felt wonderfully warm and comfortable.

Madam Ye had warned customers when buying it: hong should be consumed in moderation—no more than one piece per day. She cut each piece small, carefully controlling the portion. This way, even daily consumption stayed balanced and beneficial for the body.

While sweets were typically expensive on the Beast Continent, Ye Baizhi priced each piece of hong at ten blue spirit stones. Not exactly cheap—but affordable enough when sold individually, allowing people to try one or two pieces without much burden. Those with better means, of course, could buy more.

She also offered fruit preserves—just a small jar cost twenty blue spirit stones. Customers who trusted her stall would occasionally buy a jar to taste. And once they’d tried her food, they were full of praise.

This created a positive cycle—even new items launched by Ye Baizhi were trusted solely through word of mouth. Even if people hadn’t tasted it yet, they believed it would be delicious—and were eager to take a chance on something new. After tasting it, people were more than happy to buy it again.

That’s why her offal soup and scallion pancakes were selling so well now.

Ye Baizhi noticed how simple-hearted the beastmen here were. If they liked the food, they’d praise it openly—and happily recommend it to others around them.

Hearing everyone’s comments, Ye Baizhi smiled and said, “Starting tomorrow, we’ll be selling something new—malt! It’s sweet and not expensive.”

Besides managing soup and pancakes, she’d also been soaking wheat grains to sprout. Seeing they’d germinated well that morning, she could start making malt that afternoon.

She’d soaked quite a bit, so she planned to prepare a large batch—enough to display on the shelves tomorrow.

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“As long as it’s tasty, we’ll definitely come try it.”

This settlement was like a small town, now home to thousands of beastmen from all over. It hadn’t always been this crowded, but more and more had gathered over time. Some lived quite comfortably, and there were plenty of business-minded beastmen. They didn’t hesitate to spend—dropping spirit stones on preserves and sweet blocks without a blink.

Of course, Ye Baizhi’s offal soup and scallion pancakes were reasonably priced—affordable for everyone.

“Madam Ye, I’ll take six bowls of soup and twelve pancakes to go.”

A customer near the front of the line pulled out a container and said,
“Perfect—I’ll take it home to eat.”

Some didn’t want to stand out in the cold, so they brought their own containers to take the food back.

Hearing this, someone further back in line asked curiously, “You can take it home?”

Ye Baizhi smiled and replied, “Yes, as long as you bring your own bowl or container, we’ll pack it up for you to take home.”

With the weather growing colder, eating outside at the stall was indeed a bit chilly. Bringing food home was warmer—and likely to become more popular as the cold deepened.

“This is great! I thought the soup had to be eaten here. Next time, I’ll bring a jar to take some home.”

“A bowl of offal soup with a scallion pancake—that’s the taste of heaven.”

“No kidding—ever since my kids tried it, they’ve gotten picky. They won’t touch the soup we make at home anymore. I still don’t know how Madam Ye does it.”

“Haven’t you heard? Madam Ye uses a secret family recipe—that sort of thing stays within the family, definitely not shared.”

“And honestly, after drinking that offal soup, the flavor’s so good that my own cooking just doesn’t compare anymore.”

After tasting something truly delicious, everyone’s palate had definitely been spoiled. Only then did people realize—there were flavors in this world they’d never imagined. The offal soup utterly outshone every other meat soup sold at the market. Not a trace of gaminess, and yet the taste was rich and savory.

Ye Baizhi and Ye Wulan stayed busy until early afternoon before finally selling out and packing up.

Just then, someone hurried over and asked, “Are you still open?”

“We’ve already closed for the day,” Ye Baizhi replied.

“Really? Not even a little left? I brought spirit stones.”

“Truly, there’s nothing left,” she said kindly.

“If you’re hoping for the soup, best come early tomorrow.”

“What about the scallion pancakes?”

“Those were gone ages ago too.”

The person looked disappointed. “Ah, I see…. I guess I’ll just have to come earlier.”

“Your scallion pancakes are so good. My sister bought some with the soup and shared it with us—my kids and even the elders at home loved it. That’s why I made the trip over.”

“I hurried all the way here… didn’t expect to miss out.”

Even though she’d been running the stall for quite a few days now, hearing everyone’s praise still filled Ye Baizhi with joy.

This was the meaning behind making food. Every time someone exclaimed how delicious it was, a quiet sense of accomplishment bloomed in her chest. She exchanged a few warm words with the female beast, and once the customer left, Baizhi turned to Jian Ping and handed him forty blue spirit stones.

“Thank you for your hard work today. These are your and Zhu Ling’s wages.”

Jian Ping was genuinely flustered and waved his hands. “Not hard at all.”

“Madam Ye, you know how it is—beastmen like us can rarely find work, and even then, no one pays on the same day.”

“This kind of work isn’t tiring at all, and yet you’re giving us so much.”

He was keenly aware that Madam Ye and Brother Ye were lending his family a helping hand. He wasn’t blind to his own situation either.

For a job like this—simple, safe, with no heavy lifting—plenty of people would jump at the chance if word got out. All he had to do was clean and wash dishes—nothing exhausting in the least.

In the afternoon, his wife was busy cleaning wild pig offal. Each of them—he and his wife—earned twenty blue spirit stones a day. They already felt more than content.

That made forty a day, which added up to 1,200 blue stones a month—the equivalent of one purple spirit stone and 200 blues. Enough for the whole family to stay warm, well-fed, and live comfortably. Plus, he could still go hunting from time to time and forage for wild greens and mushrooms.

The hillsides were covered in edible plants and fungi—things they had never even known were food. It was Madam Ye who had taught them. And truly, ever since learning what could be eaten, he’d gathered plenty.

Now, the whole family could eat their fill. The feeling of being full—it was incredible. Their stomachs felt warm and at ease.

And when they followed Madam Ye’s recipes to make mushroom and wild herb soup? It was delicious.

Ye Baizhi smiled and said, “This is what you’ve earned.”

“And here’s a bowl of offal soup and a scallion pancake to take home for the children.”

Jian Ping was overwhelmed with gratitude, his eyes misting as he carefully tucked away the spirit stones. Without fuss, he accepted the food.

Once home, he would add more water to the soup and reheat it in the pot. There was enough for the whole family to have a hearty meal. There was plenty of meat inside.

“Thank you, Brother Ye. Thank you, Madam Ye.”

Jian Ping had no idea how to repay them.

In truth, all five families who’d first learned to make shoulder poles from Brother Ye felt incredibly lucky to have met such kind people as him and Madam Ye.