Chapter 2: Made Some Money

Qin Jin returned home and started by washing the corn husks he had picked earlier. Then, he went into his room to grab his carrying basket.

Old Qin had made a new basket for him in his spare time, knowing he wanted to start selling snacks.

Qin Jin first cut the pea cakes in the clay bowl into equal-sized portions, then placed the bowl inside the basket. The basket was wide at the bottom and shallow in height, so he took a coarse clay plate from the cabinet and placed it at the bottom. After that, he wrapped wooden knives, chopsticks, and the cleaned corn husks in burlap and added them to the plate.

Wang Xiuqin had also sewn a new coin pouch for him. It was about the size of a palm, which he hung at his waist. With the basket on his back and a small stool in hand, he set off.

Passing by the old courtyard, he greeted Wang Xiuqin. She tried to give him two coarse grain buns, suggesting he eat them if business was slow and he hadn’t sold out by noon.

He declined and quickly left the village.

Five-Li Valley Village was quite close to the county town, only five li (about 2.5 kilometers) away. Walking briskly, it took just over twenty minutes to reach the town gate.

The county town, Dongyang County, was fairly prosperous. Past Dongyang lay the capital’s jurisdiction, and many traveling caravans stopped here to resupply.

To enter the town and sell goods required paying an entry fee of one wen, which most farmers were unwilling to spend. Instead, they set up stalls right outside the town gates.

Over time, this area near the town gate became a bustling marketplace that opened before dawn and lasted until the afternoon.

Although it was a hot day, the area near the gate was lively, with over a hundred small stalls. Most were farmers selling chickens, ducks, fresh vegetables, or items like baskets, stools, and cloth.

There were also a few food stalls, selling things like fluffy meat buns, oily pancakes, and fragrant mutton soup. Though not expensive, their rich aroma made Qin Jin subconsciously swallow his saliva.

No wonder the original Qin Jin quickly spent his money. Living so close to the county, surrounded by so many food stalls, who could resist the temptation of good food?

The prime spots near the town gate were already taken. After looking around, he finally found a spot farthest from the gate.

It wasn’t the best location, but that was fine—he had a plan for free samples.

Though he was somewhat socially anxious, what was a little shouting compared to being broke?

Placing the small stool on the ground, he set the basket on it. Removing the burlap cover from the pea cakes, he used chopsticks to take one piece and placed it on the plate.

He cut the palm-sized pea cake into small, bite-sized squares. Then, looking at the constant flow of passersby, he shouted loudly, “Golden pea cakes for just three wen apiece! Free samples, free samples!”

Golden.
Free.

The combination of these two words was incredibly enticing. As soon as he spoke, both vendors and passersby couldn’t help but glance his way.

Smiling warmly, he continued, “Golden pea cakes, made with sugar and candied dates. Sweet and delicious! Come try a free piece, fellow villagers—don’t miss out!”

Qin Jin’s good looks and sincere tone drew a crowd.

“Golden pea cakes?”

Curious, people began to approach.

Qin Jin, seeing the first to arrive was a plainly dressed woman with a basket, smiled and greeted her, “Come try some, sister. It’s free!”

The woman switched her basket to her left hand, asking curiously, “Young man, are these made from peas?”

As she spoke, she took a small piece and popped it into her mouth.

Soft.

So soft that she didn’t even need to chew. A light press with her tongue, and the pea cake melted in her mouth.

It was not just soft—it was sweet. Though the small piece she tried didn’t have any candied dates, its subtle sweetness lingered in her mouth, making it clear the cakes were indeed made with sugar.

Her gaze naturally shifted to the clay bowl.

Inside were several pieces of pea cake, each with a visible layer of candied dates. The cakes varied slightly in size and thickness but were reasonably substantial—each likely weighing about two taels.

Peas cost four wen per jin, and a single piece of cake cost three wen.

Still, each piece was about two taels in weight, and they even had a layer of candied dates…

Thinking of the expensive pastries in the county’s bakery, the woman said, “I’ll buy one.”

With three children at home, such a large piece would be enough to share among them.

“Alright, just a moment.” Seeing the woman’s quick decision, Qin Jin was delighted—what a great start!

He placed the plate back into his basket, picked up two corn husks, and wrapped one piece of pea cake. Then he added a few sample-sized pieces with chopsticks and tucked them into the bundle as well.

“Madam, since you’re my first customer, I’ll give you a bit more.”

“Ah, great!” A smile immediately spread across her face as she pulled out three copper coins from her money pouch and dropped them into Qin Jin’s basket.

“Here you go.” Qin Jin handed her the pea cakes.

She took them, carefully placed them into her basket, and squeezed her way out of the crowd with Qin Jin’s polite “Take care!” accompanying her departure.

In the meantime, a small crowd had gathered around his stall.

The onlookers had witnessed the transaction between Qin Jin and the woman, but instead of asking questions, they all turned their eyes toward the tray of sample-sized pea cakes.

Qin Jin quickly raised the plate and cheerfully called out, “Everyone, come try some—free samples!”

At his words, seven or eight hands immediately reached out, and the plate was emptied in moments.

Rather than cutting more right away, he smiled and said, “This golden pea cake is incredibly soft. Adults can enjoy it, and it’s perfect for seniors and children who don’t have strong teeth.”

“And it’s affordable! A piece this size costs only three copper coins.”

He wasn’t exaggerating; his price was genuinely reasonable.

One jin (around 500 grams) of peas cost four copper coins, and one jin of peas yielded two jin of filling. Although the weight doubled, he also used cane sugar and candied dates.

Cane sugar was 40 copper coins per jin, and candied dates were the same price.

Since his funds were limited, he had only bought 10 copper coins’ worth of cane sugar and 20 coins’ worth of candied dates.

Additionally, he spent five coins on gardenia, which gave the pea cakes their bright golden-yellow color.

Altogether, he made six jin of pea cakes, spending nearly all the 50 copper coins he had borrowed from Qin Bing, with only three coins left.

This meant the production cost per jin of pea cake was eight copper coins.

That didn’t even account for labor and firewood costs.

Each pea cake weighed two taels and was sold for three copper coins. Calculated per jin, the selling price was 15 copper coins.

After deducting the cost of eight coins, his profit was only seven coins per jin.

If you subtracted the cost of firewood, the profit dropped to just six coins per jin.

Spending half a day cooking in the summer heat for just six coins a jin—this was truly hard-earned money!

The people gathered around the stall all had their own mental calculations. They knew how expensive cane sugar and candied dates were.

Plus, the pea cakes were genuinely delicious, easy to eat for both elderly folks with missing teeth and young children.

One man, dressed in a plain cotton robe and carrying a basket, pointed at the clay pot filled with pea cakes and said, “I’ll take two pieces. Please wrap them for me.”

“Of course!” Qin Jin quickly grabbed some corn husks, wrapped two pieces, and handed them to the man.

The man accepted them, dropped six copper coins into Qin Jin’s basket, and walked away.

Of the remaining people, some left directly, while others hesitated.

Some asked if he could sell for a lower price.

Qin Jin explained cheerfully how reasonably priced his cakes were and how much effort they took to make, so those people left as well.

In that round, only the well-dressed man had purchased two cakes.

Qin Jin wasn’t discouraged.

This was the town gate, and most passersby were farmers who couldn’t easily spare three coins.

After all, three coins could buy two eggs at one and a half coins each.

With this in mind, he picked up his wooden knife and cut the two-tael cakes into thirds, while also slicing some small, bite-sized sample pieces. Then he started calling out for another round of sampling.

This time, he changed his pitch: large pieces for three coins, small ones for one coin.

Pastries for one coin each?

That price was enticing enough to even draw in a shabby-dressed vegetable vendor from a distance.

The one-coin pea cakes were small, but since everyone had already sampled them, they knew how delicious they were. This time, three people handed over coins to make purchases.

Of course, a few individuals who had already sampled in the first round tried to sample again. Qin Jin didn’t get upset. Instead, he smiled and repeated his rule: “Everyone may sample once for free.”

He said it with a smile, so the rejected customers didn’t feel too embarrassed.

The sales went smoothly after that. Very few people bought large pieces; most only spent one coin for a small piece. Piece by piece, half an hour later, his clay pot was empty.

Packing up, he headed home.

On the way back, he calculated his profits.

He had made six jin of pea cakes. He gave over a jin to Wang Xiuqin, another half a jin to Ye Miao, and half a jin was used for samples. That left only three and a half jin for actual sales.

Three and a half jin, at 15 copper coins per jin.

His coin pouch now held 49 coins.

Adding the three coins he had left over, his total funds amounted to 52 copper coins.

Of course, he still owed the 50 coins he borrowed from Qin Bing. These 52 coins needed to be spent on buying raw materials so he could earn more and repay the debt.

Returning to the village, he didn’t head straight home but went to the old courtyard.

Wang Xiuqin had already prepared lunch and was sitting in the yard stitching shoe soles—new shoes for him.

Seeing him return so quickly, Wang Xiuqin was overjoyed and eagerly asked about his experience.

Just as he was about to recount everything in detail, Ye Miao’s shy voice came from the entrance: “Brother Jin, Auntie.”

He looked towards the entrance.

Ye Miao was standing there, holding a large clay bowl in both hands. As their eyes met, Ye Miao immediately lowered his head and explained, “I made some pumpkin stir-fried with pork. I wanted you to try it.”

He’d been curious to see if Qin Jin had come back, so he decided to deliver the dish himself.

Unexpectedly, Qin Jin was already back.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that!” Wang Xiuqin immediately stood up, knowing how tough life was for Ye Miao and his father Zhao Feng. As Qin Jin got up as well, she lightly slapped his arm. “Quick, take it from him! Don’t let Miao-ge get tired.”

Hearing this, Ye Miao lowered his head even further, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

Qin Jin strode over and took the clay bowl. The bowl was piled high with food, almost overflowing. The pumpkin slices had been dried, soaked, and then stir-fried. While the color wasn’t as vibrant as fresh pumpkin, they looked chewy and hearty.

The cured meat was glossy, with a perfect balance of fat and lean cuts, interspersed with bright red chili peppers. The dish looked incredibly appetizing.

And it smelled even better. Qin Jin hadn’t felt particularly hungry earlier, but as the aroma wafted up, he couldn’t help swallowing involuntarily.

“It looks delicious,” he said bluntly.

At these words, Ye Miao quickly lifted his head to glance at him. A smile had already blossomed on his face. “Did your sales go well?”

“Very well. I only came back after selling everything.”

“That’s great.” Ye Miao let out a quiet sigh of relief. Honestly, with such tasty pea cakes, it would’ve been odd if they hadn’t sold quickly.

“I’ll head back then,” he said, turning to leave after those words.

“Wait.” Qin Jin instinctively called out to him.

“What is it?” Ye Miao stopped and turned around, looking at him.

“I…” Facing Ye Miao’s clear black-and-white eyes, Qin Jin faltered a bit. He remembered how his tone had been less than friendly toward Ye Miao before and found himself thinking about Ye Miao’s shy glances earlier, which he thought were rather endearing.

His thoughts were a mess, and he had stopped Ye Miao purely on impulse.

But what could he say?

Seeing Ye Miao tilt his head, confusion now visible on his small face, Qin Jin cleared his throat lightly and said, “I sold over three jin of pea cakes today and already earned back the costs.”

“Don’t worry. From now on, we’ll have a steady way to earn money.”

We?

Hearing that word, Ye Miao’s eyes widened in surprise, but almost immediately, his face turned bright red. He cast Qin Jin a mixed look of joy and bashfulness and murmured softly, “Got it.”

Those three words were so quiet they could barely be heard, but before Qin Jin could respond, Ye Miao turned and dashed off.

His heart was racing—beating fast, incredibly fast.

When he reached home, he went straight to his room. Leaning against the not-so-sturdy wooden door, he raised a hand to gently pat his chest, as if trying to calm his rapid heartbeat.

We.

That word.

It meant Qin Jin had included him as one of his own. After years of hardship, the person he liked had said “we” to him.

It was too sweet, like honey soaking into his heart. The feeling left his chest warm and soft, like a kitten’s paw was gently scratching at it.

Just then, his dad, Zhao Feng, called out from outside. “Miao’er?”

“Yes!” he answered hastily, snapping out of his reverie. He quickly patted his cheeks, hoping to cool them down.

But the thought of the word we only made his face heat up again.

In the end, he resigned himself to stepping out of the room with his face still flushed.

If he were teased, so be it.

After all, he was happy.

Very happy.