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The Hu Family—
When Matchmaker Huang entered, Xiuxiu’s mother was visibly shocked.
The two of them sat in the main room, and Matchmaker Huang said, “Cai the carpenter said the match-making appointment has been postponed for three months.”
“What?” Xiuxiu’s mother had a bad feeling, and now it was confirmed! She hurriedly asked, “What happened? Why has it been postponed?”
“Well, it’s an odd thing. This morning, Cai the carpenter nearly tripped while going out, and just then a monk passed by. The monk told him that he couldn’t discuss marriage for the next three months, or else there would be bloodshed and disaster.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Matchmaker Huang added. “So, Cai’s family decided to postpone the appointment. Xiuxiu’s mother, just wait a bit longer.”
Xiuxiu’s mother was unwilling and suspicious. She asked, “Aunt, do you think the carpenter is dissatisfied with Xiuxiu and is considering other girls?”
“Hah! They haven’t settled on anything with Xiuxiu yet. If he were to consider other girls, he would just look at them together with Xiuxiu and then slowly choose. Why would he make up an excuse to delay the appointment for three months?”
Xiuxiu’s mother thought about it and nodded. It made sense.
Even if they hadn’t had the appointment yet, or if they had, if the carpenter said he needed more time to think, they’d still have to wait.
“I’ve passed along the message. I’ll come back in three months,” Matchmaker Huang said as she stood up.
Xiuxiu’s mother quickly added, “Since we have more time, matchmaker, could you find a few more for Xiuxiu? If three months pass and the carpenter still doesn’t like her, won’t we have wasted our time?”
Matchmaker Huang gritted her teeth in frustration!
Who knew how long it had taken her to find a fool willing to pay twenty taels for a bride price!
But her professional demeanor kept her smiling. “Don’t worry! Cai the carpenter is the only heir in his family. He wants a girl like Xiuxiu, who’s good for childbearing. His family isn’t lacking in money.”
Xiuxiu’s mother relaxed and sent the matchmaker off after exchanging a few more pleasantries.
Hidden in the corner, Hu Xiuxiu shot Hu Xiaosi a glare. “You little rascal, where did you find that monk?”
“He’s an old troublemaker from He’an Village. I paid him twenty coins to pretend to be a monk and fool Cai the carpenter.”
Xiuxiu couldn’t help but chuckle and affectionately poked Xiaosi’s forehead.
For the next three months, her mother was sure to live in anxiety.
In two months, if Brother Yong gathered enough bride price, all he needed to do was present the twenty taels, and would her mother still refuse?
…
On the town’s main street, four Hu La Tang stalls that had opened struggled for four or five days before three of them shut down.
Two more opened, but they closed in just a few days.
Finally, only one stall remained—the one that knew how to use pepper correctly.
They made one pot of soup a day, but only sold half of it. The stall was barely hanging on, likely operating at a loss.
Ye Caiping’s business was starting to feel the pressure as well. But after some time, her customer base grew, and she began steadily selling three pots a day, finishing them in three hours and always clearing the village by noon.
Baiwei Lou—
In front of Manager Lin sat five bowls of Hu La Tang, which his employees had bought from Ye Caiping.
After the head chef and two assistants finished tasting, they looked thoughtful.
The head chef said, “I’ve never tasted a flavor like this. It’s unique, unlike the typical sweet, sour, bitter, or spicy. The dominant flavor I could taste is pepper.”
The pepper was so strong that it reminded him of when his wife was sick and used pepper in small doses for her health.
“Pepper is a medicinal herb, only available at the apothecary,” the head chef said.
“Medicine?” Manager Lin thought for a moment, and his eyes suddenly flashed with light.
…
That morning, the town was as lively as ever.
Jiaojiao and Zimo got off the ox cart, and a seven- or eight-year-old boy followed behind them.
“Sister Jiaojiao, what are you two doing in town?” the boy eagerly asked.
“Just buying a few things,” Jiaojiao smiled, “I’m buying a silver hairpin for Mother, a set of writing supplies for Father, and some patterned cloth for Grandmother.”
Jiaojiao had two hundred taels in her hand, and the whole village knew.
The Jiao family, proud of their accomplishments, wasn’t worried about anyone eyeing their wealth, so they didn’t hide it.
“Sister Jiaojiao is the best daughter and granddaughter in the world.”
Jiaojiao gave him a playful glare, her heart brimming with happiness.
Although both her father and grandmother weren’t her biological parent/grandparent, they were a thousand times better than her scoundrel biological grandmother.
The love they gave her, she accepted!
As long as they treated her well, she would repay them a hundredfold.
Li Gouwa kept praising her non-stop, and Li Jiaojiao’s ears buzzed from the chatter.
Just then, a sugar-coated hawthorn seller passed by, and she casually bought a string, handing it to Li Gouwa’s hands.
“Quit running your mouth endlessly, you’re so annoying. Here, this should keep your mouth busy.”
Li Gouwa was stunned for a moment, then a warm feeling spread in his chest: “Sister Jiaojiao is the best to me.”
“Stop talking so much.”
“Jiaojiao, I heard there’s a new food in town called Hu La Tang. Shall we go try it?” Li Zimo suggested.
“Sure,” Jiaojiao agreed.
The three of them arrived at the Hu La Tang stall, which was surrounded by a crowd, three layers deep.
They waited expectantly, but the next second, Li Zimo’s expression changed: “Jiaojiao… is that the Ye woman selling the soup?”
Li Jiaojiao took a closer look, and it really was her!
Li Gouwa also recognized her, and his initial excitement turned to disgust.
“Hmph, it’s just some Hu La Tang, what’s so impressive about it? No matter how good she sells it, it’s nothing compared to Sister Jiaojiao, who dug up ginseng and made two hundred taels!”
“Shh.” Li Zimo quickly covered his mouth. “This isn’t the village. The town has complicated people, so we must keep our wealth low-key.”
Li Gouwa was startled. “Sorry, I spoke too hastily. Anyway, Sister Jiaojiao is the best, no one can compare. Sister Jiaojiao, let’s go eat somewhere else!”
Li Zimo added, “Jiaojiao, let’s go!”
Li Jiaojiao didn’t feel any deep enmity with Ye Caiping, but the awkwardness was undeniable. Why go over and make things uncomfortable?
As she turned to leave, she suddenly froze, her gaze fixed on the jade pendant hanging from Ye Caiping’s neck.
“What’s wrong?” Li Zimo asked.
“That jade pendant…” Li Jiaojiao was deeply drawn to it.
Li Zimo followed her gaze, and indeed, Ye Caiping was wearing a jade pendant, but he couldn’t clearly make out its design.
“What jade pendant? I can’t see it clearly.”
Li Jiaojiao actually couldn’t see it clearly either, but for some reason, she felt inexplicably drawn to it. A strange desire welled up inside her—she couldn’t explain it, but she felt like that jade should be hers.
“Jiaojiao?” Li Zimo noticed her odd behavior and grew anxious.
“Sister Jiaojiao, let’s go. We don’t want that woman to think we’re interested in her stinky soup!” Li Gouwa urged.
Jiaojiao snapped out of her trance, still unsure why she felt that way.
Gouwa kept pulling her, so she hesitantly allowed herself to be dragged away.
Ye Caiping’s group had already noticed the trio.
Ye Jin’er’s face darkened: “It’s good they know their place. If they came over, I wouldn’t hold back.”
Ye Caiping tapped her head: “If they don’t bother us, we shouldn’t make a fuss.”
Just then, a slightly plump middle-aged man approached—it was shopkeeper Fang from the apothecary: “The soup today is as good as ever.”
“Thank you,” Ye Caiping smiled.
Shopkeeper Fang suddenly remembered something: “Oh, by the way, Miss, do you know Manager Lin from Baiwei Lou?”
Ye Caiping paused, then nodded: “Yes, I remember. He wanted to buy my recipe last time.”
“Yesterday he came to me, asking me to taste the soup… It was the Hu La Tang he bought from your place, wanting me to check what herbs were in it,” Manager Fang said, shaking his head. “I didn’t agree to it. I don’t want to get involved in this sort of business. He probably hired several doctors for this.”
“Thank you. The soup’s on the house today,” Ye Caiping replied.
Shopkeeper Fang waved his hand: “I was just mentioning it, not intending to offend.”
He insisted on paying for the meal in the end.