The South Mansion Academy housed around two hundred students, the oldest barely in their early twenties—all refined young scholars.

These scholars had money to spend, mainly on ink, paper, and brushes.

A single inkstone cost about five hundred copper coins, and even the cheapest brush was at least one hundred. Compared to these prices, ice jelly seemed incredibly affordable.

“Free samples! Choose between sweet or sour flavors!” Cheng Wanwan called out with a bright smile. “Selling cheap today—only three copper coins per bowl!”

Zhao Sanniu, who was scooping ice jelly, nearly dropped the ladle. Wasn’t it two coins per bowl before? Why did the price go up just by moving to a new place?

He already felt that two coins were hard to sell—raising the price might mean they wouldn’t sell anything at all.

While Zhao Sanniu frowned in concern, the sound of clinking coins startled him.

A pile of copper coins had been tossed onto the table.

A refined young scholar, looking confident and charismatic, waved his hand dramatically. “Honored friends, I am grateful for your companionship. I cannot afford to buy you fine wine, so please accept this humble ice jelly instead. I hope you will not find it lacking.”

“Nonsense, brother, your generosity is appreciated.”

“We couldn’t possibly let you spend so much on us…”

The scholars exchanged pleasantries, humbly pushing the kindness back and forth.

Meanwhile, Cheng Wanwan was already counting the coins.

She called out cheerfully, “That’s thirty copper coins in total. Sanniu, serve ten bowls of ice jelly!”

Energized by the order, Zhao Sanniu moved like lightning, swiftly scooping out ten bowls.

Ten young scholars stood in front of the stall, each holding a delicate white porcelain bowl decorated with plum blossoms. They began to eat right there.

Cheng Wanwan wasn’t sure if ice jelly existed in this era, but she was certain that in Hekou Town, she was the only one selling it.

“This refreshing taste is no worse than the iced drinks from Huzhou.”

“I was feeling sticky and overheated, but after one bite, the heat seems to have vanished.”

“One bowl to cool the body, two spoonfuls of syrup to soothe the soul!”

“What a wonderful little poem!”

That offhanded verse quickly spread through the academy. Before long, more students came, eager to try the famous ice jelly.

Cheng Wanwan took orders and collected money, Zhao Sanniu focused on scooping, and Zhao Dashan added sugar syrup or crushed hawthorn while keeping the dishes clean.

Though it was their first time working together, the mother and sons were in perfect sync.

In less than half an hour, they had sold seventy to eighty bowls—completely selling out.

The nearby vendors selling ink and paper were dumbfounded.

They had been setting up stalls here for years, and if they sold even one item in a day, they considered it a blessing. But this woman had sold everything in just half an hour.

Were they just too reserved, or was this ice jelly really that good at beating the heat?

A few curious vendors peered into the bucket—completely empty.

Cheng Wanwan smiled at the students who had arrived late. “We’re sold out for today! Come early tomorrow!”

After packing up, returning the rented table, and loading their belongings onto their shoulders, the mother and sons set off to buy supplies.

As they walked, Zhao Dashan couldn’t hold back his curiosity. “Mother, why did we sell it for three coins a bowl here?”

Zhao Sanniu guessed, “Maybe because those scholars looked rich?”

Cheng Wanwan shook her head. “If we raised the price just because they had money, wouldn’t that make us no different from dishonest merchants? I increased the price by one coin because we carried the ice jelly here on foot. That adds labor costs. If we were selling in the provincial capital, we’d have to price it at five coins a bowl to cover the longer journey.”

The boys nodded, somewhat understanding.

When they reached a small alley, Cheng Wanwan poured out the money—two hundred and seventy-seven copper coins in total.

She handed twenty coins to Zhao Dashan. “Buy as many peanuts as you can—it’s an important ingredient for the ice jelly.” Then she gave him another thirty. “We’re out of brown sugar at home. Get more.”

Turning to Zhao Sanniu, she counted out thirty coins. “See how much meat you can get with this.”

Zhao Sanniu’s mouth started watering before he even saw the meat.

“After you’re done shopping, you can wander around the town for a bit. Meet me back here in half an hour.”

With the boys off on their errands, Cheng Wanwan still had nearly two hundred coins left—plenty for her to make some personal purchases.

She walked out of the alley and headed straight to the fabric store.

Her family of six only had two sets of clothes each.

The patches on their garments were overlapping at this point.

After two weeks of wearing tattered clothes, she had reached her limit.

Worse still, this era didn’t have proper undergarments—she had to find a way to make some.

Inside the fabric shop, the cheapest cloth—coarse hemp—was stacked near the entrance. Despite rising food prices, fabric prices remained stable.

Two coins bought a full foot of material.

She quickly calculated in her head: a man’s outfit required about six or seven feet of fabric, while a woman’s took around five.

She bought ten feet each of gray, blue, navy, and black cloth, plus ten feet of light brown and pale pink—spending a total of sixty coins.

After leaving the fabric store, she spent twenty coins at the market to buy four pairs of cotton underwear—two for herself and two for her daughter-in-law, Wu Huiniang.

She would just say she got them at the fabric store.

As she wandered through town, she finally found a stall selling chicks.

Several dozen chicks huddled together in a cage, looking half-dead from the heat. Another cage held ducklings, their soft yellow feathers looking much healthier.

“Madam, buying some chicks? Six coins each!” The seller boasted, “Our chicks are the best, all guaranteed to be hens that will lay eggs! If you end up with a rooster, we’ll refund you. If it dies, I’ll compensate you ten times over—”

Before he could finish, one of the chicks suddenly flopped over, dead.

Cheng Wanwan: “…”

It was too hot—these chicks were too fragile.

Fortunately, water was abundant in their village, so raising ducks was a safer bet.

Ducklings were also six coins each.

She carefully picked twenty lively ones and placed them in her basket. The little ducklings quacked as they moved, filling her with unexpected joy.

After buying fabric and ducks, she had nearly spent all of her two hundred coins.

Returning early to the alley, she used the marketplace to buy staple foods.

The grain she had previously “bought with silver hairpins” had long been eaten. If she hadn’t been secretly supplementing their supply, her family would’ve been starving by now. Her simple-minded daughter-in-law, Wu Huiniang, had already questioned how they still had food, but Cheng Wanwan had managed to brush her off.

Thankfully, today’s earnings gave her enough to restock.

She bought thirty pounds of millet, twenty pounds of rice, twenty pounds of white flour, and ten pounds each of black flour, buckwheat, and cornmeal.

She also picked up some pastries, soap for bathing, a wooden comb, and a pair of plain cloth shoes.

After splurging on these necessities, she still had 118 coins left.

When Zhao Dashan and Zhao Sanniu returned, they were greeted by a pile of food, fabric, and twenty lively ducklings.