Chapter 26: Look at My Cured Meat, and I’ll Let You Buy It

Shen Xuezhu didn’t want to stay here any longer, so she decided to leave.

…

At breakfast, Shen Xuezhu said to her two daughters, “After we finish breakfast, we’ll head to the town to deliver the cured meat to Xuan Yun Restaurant.”

“Also, take fifty eggs with us. I think Xuan Yun Restaurant might accept our eggs.”

“That means we’re going to earn some more money!” Lu Xiaoli thought to herself. Once Shen Xuezhu made a lot of money, she could eat candied hawthorn every day.

“Mm, today I’ll take you two to the town to buy some new clothes. The ones you’re wearing now have patches all over them. You shouldn’t wear them anymore.”

“Mom, your clothes look old too. You shouldn’t wear them either. You should buy some new clothes today as well,” Lu Xiaoyue said, glancing at Shen Xuezhu.

Shen Xuezhu nodded, “I’ll think about it later.”

After breakfast, Shen Xuezhu counted fifty eggs and placed them in a basket in the kitchen, preparing to sell them to the restaurant.

They didn’t have to wait long in the yard before Zhao Lao Er arrived, driving the ox cart.

“Xiaoshan’s wife, is it time to leave?”

As soon as Shen Xuezhu heard Zhao Lao Er’s voice, she went to open the yard gate.

She said while walking, “We can leave now.”

Zhao Lao Er got off the cart.

Shen Xuezhu opened the door, and Zhao Lao Er entered.

“I’ll help you move the cured meat.”

Shen Xuezhu didn’t decline or feel embarrassed. She thanked him for his help.

…

When they arrived at Xuan Yun Restaurant, Shen Xuezhu asked the staff to move the cured meat to the back kitchen.

She told Zhao Lao Er to wait for her outside and assured him that she would be out shortly.

Zhao Lao Er agreed.

Then, Shen Xuezhu went inside with her two daughters.

At the counter, Shen Xuezhu greeted the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper handed her a ledger.

She, along with her daughters, went to the back kitchen.

“Today, you brought so much cured meat,” Li Qingshu remarked, looking at the two baskets of cured meat.

Shen Xuezhu nodded, “Yes.”

Li Qingshu had someone weigh the cured meat. It totaled 128 pounds.

Li Qingshu recorded 128 pounds in the ledger, signed his name, and handed it back to Shen Xuezhu.

She thanked him, took the ledger, and went back to the counter.

She handed the ledger to the shopkeeper, who flipped through it.

“Shen, why did you bring so much cured meat today?”

“I found two trustworthy people in the village to help me make the cured meat.”

“I see,” the shopkeeper said, continuing his calculations.

Soon after, the shopkeeper handed Shen Xuezhu six taels and sixteen wen.

Shen Xuezhu thanked him, accepted the money, and asked, “By the way, do you accept eggs at your restaurant?”

The shopkeeper glanced at her and replied, “Our restaurant has a contract with a village to buy their eggs. We only accept eggs from them. We don’t take eggs from other sources.”

This answer caught Shen Xuezhu by surprise.

Well, she could take the eggs to the market and sell them herself.

Although she didn’t enjoy setting up a stall to sell eggs, it seemed like the only option.

She said to the shopkeeper, “Oh, I see. Well, I’ll be on my way then.”

She then left with her two children.

“You’re already out so quickly!” Zhao Lao Er called from the ox cart.