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Because of Shopkeeper Fang’s “tip-off,” Yan Fang was worried throughout the journey.
Not long ago, those imitators had already made her nervous, and now with a giant like Baiwei Lou getting involved, who knew what the outcome would be?
Yan Fang couldn’t help but glance at Ye Caiping, who was chatting happily with her two maids, laughing as if everything were fine.
Forget it. Her daughter was a woman with plans. She wouldn’t say much.
Upon returning home, Ye Caiping immediately went to her room, closed the door, and began counting.
After deducting some expenses like labor and transportation, she had only 15 taels in hand.
Ye Caiping had already made a decision.
She left her room and went to the kitchen, preparing to make some Hu La Tang.
Soon, the fragrance of the soup filled the air.
Yan Fang, sniffing the scent, came over. “Are we having Hu La Tang for lunch?”
“No.” Ye Caiping smiled and then grabbed three large earthenware pots, pouring the soup into them. “We’re going to give some to Uncle Ye Lizheng.”
Yan Fang thought for a moment, then smiled. “That’s right. It’s time to pay back.”
Carrying a pot of Hu La Tang, Ye Caiping, together with Yan Fang, went to Ye Lizheng’s house.
When they arrived, Ye Lizheng’s family of five was having lunch.
“Ah, Old Sister and Caiping, come, sit down, and eat with us!” Ye Lizheng’s wife quickly stood up to greet them.
“No, we’ll eat later.” Yan Fang politely declined.
Ye Caiping brought the Hu La Tang to the table.
“Recently, everyone knows I’ve been selling Hu La Tang, but I haven’t had the chance to invite you, Uncle. So I made a pot especially for you to try.”
Ye Lizheng hesitated to speak, flustered by her kindness. He could only grin: “Ah… Haha!”
Ye Lizheng’s wife laughed broadly, showing her teeth: “Well, we won’t stand on ceremony then.”
Bajin and his wife grinned widely.
Fubao, an eight-year-old boy, was so tempted by the aroma of the soup that his mouth watered, but he stayed polite, not daring to touch it.
After placing the soup on the table, Ye Caiping took out five taels of silver and handed it to Ye Lizheng’s wife.
“This is the five taels our family owed. Today, it’s all paid off.”
Ye Lizheng was stunned for a moment. “This…”
He thought about all the things Ye Caiping had been doing recently, from digging for cassava to running a business, and heard from Bajin that her business had been thriving.
Ye Lizheng didn’t bother with pleasantries anymore and smiled, “I’ll accept it then. Caiping is really becoming more and more accomplished.”
“It’s all thanks to the kindness and help from my mother, my brother, my sister-in-law, and you, Uncle Ye Lizheng.”
Bajin felt a bit guilty: “Caiping paid back all this money. From now on, I won’t take any payment for delivering the soup.”
Ye Lizheng and his wife, as well as Bajin’s wife, were speechless.
Ye Caiping laughed. “You’re a real simpleton. Paying back money is only right. But you’re still delivering, so of course, you should be paid. Business is business. I have something to discuss with you later, but let’s leave that for later.”
Li Bajin was confused, wondering what she wanted.
After talking briefly with Ye Lizheng and his wife, Ye Caiping and Yan Fang left.
They went to Dr. Zhao’s house next, bringing another pot of Hu La Tang.
Dr. Zhao received two taels of the outstanding debt with a big smile.
He was amazed. In just half a month, the Ye family had managed to pay off the debt.
After tasting the soup, he widened his eyes. “This Hu La Tang is amazing, it’s really good for the body.”
Ye Caiping smiled. “Yes, it warms and dispels cold, especially good for those with a weak stomach or cold constitution.”
After leaving Dr. Zhao’s, they went to Ye Ershu’s house.
Ye Ershu’s family was the largest, as they had four children—one daughter and three sons.
The daughter had already married, and the three sons were named Sanquan, Siquan, and Wuquan, following the naming pattern of Daquan and Erquan.
Sanquan was Ye Caiping’s elder cousin, and Siquan and Wuquan were her younger cousins.
As soon as Ye Caiping entered, she was surrounded by a group of children, calling out loudly.
The noise was so overwhelming that it felt like she had entered a pigeon loft.
She quickly took out the candies she had prepared beforehand. “Alright, line up, it’s candy time!”
“Ye Xing, Ye Wang, Ye Feng, here’s yours.”
These were Ye Sanquan’s children—10, 8, and 6 years old.
“Ye Ji, Ye Xiang, Xiao Hua, Xiao Cao. This is for you.”
These were Ye Siquan’s children—8, 7, 5, and 2 years old.
Luckily, Ye Wuquan hadn’t married yet, otherwise, it would have been even more chaotic.
After handing out the candy, Ye Caiping finally managed to escape from the circle of children.
Watching the kids happily munching on the sweets, a smile appeared on her face as well.
After settling the debts and leaving Ye Ershu’s house, Ye Caiping couldn’t help but sigh with relief.
Truly, living without debt was such a weight off her shoulders!
Back at the Ye household, Wei Shi had already cooked dinner.
Tonight’s meal consisted of brown rice with cassava chips, served with pickled vegetables, chili oil, and stir-fried cabbage.
Although Ye Caiping had earned money and Yan Fang also had some income, their family still ate quite simply.
Occasionally, Ye Caiping would buy some meat to treat them, but this simple lifestyle was enough for Ye Daquan and the others.
After dinner, Ye Caiping said, “Father, Mother, Elder Brother, Second Brother, I have something to discuss.”
Yan Fang paused mid-action, thinking perhaps her daughter had decided to sell her recipes.
Everyone in the family had heard Yan Fang gossip about Baiwei Lou and straightened up, waiting for her words.
Du Shi asked, “What’s up? Has Little Sis decided to sell the recipe? That would make sense. With a hundred taels in hand, you wouldn’t even need to set up a stall anymore.”
Wei Shi looked at Ye Caiping enviously. A hundred taels! With that money, she wouldn’t have to work again for the rest of her life.
“It’s not that,” Ye Caiping smiled. “I want to make more Hu La Tang every day.”
Yan Fang was taken aback. “That… is not a good idea. Three pots a day is just right. Maybe we can make one more, but no more. The town can’t eat too much.”
“It’s not for the town. I want to set up a stall in the county as well.”
“The county?” The entire Ye family looked at her. Ye Youtian nodded. “It wouldn’t hurt to move to the county, after all, Baiwei Lou is here in the town.”
“It’s not because of Baiwei Lou. What I mean is to set up stalls in both places, one in the town and another in the county.”
Yan Fang and her husband exchanged a glance. It wouldn’t be bad to earn more before Baiwei Lou’s soup came out.
Ye Daquan said, “But we don’t have enough manpower!”
“That’s why I want to ask Elder Brother and Second Brother to help, just like Mother. You’ll get thirty wen a day.”