Chapter 27

“Haah… Haah” The old man picked up a piece of food, but before he could even taste it, his little grandson suddenly let out a sound, as if he were about to swallow his tongue.

This action startled the old man. He thought something was wrong with his grandson. He set the food aside and hurried over to check on him.

“What’s wrong?”

The little boy was struggling with his tongue and waving his hand to fan himself.

“It’s so spicy!”

The old man realized it was just the spice that had caught his grandson off guard. Although he felt relieved, he was not very pleased with Zhou Jing. It was all well and good to talk flowery words, but didn’t he think about whether a child could handle spicy food?

The old man, feeling angry, pulled the little boy along and said, “Let’s go, we’re not buying anymore!”

However, the little boy refused to comply and insisted, “No, no, Grandpa, I want to eat! It’s delicious, so delicious—much better than what Yun Ji makes!”

Seeing the little boy’s enthusiasm, Zhou Jing quickly interjected, “Actually, this spicy flavor I made might seem a bit hot for kids, but it’s a pleasant kind of spice. It won’t upset their stomachs. The heat level is adjusted just right; children can definitely handle it. They’ll just sweat a bit from the spice, and it’ll even help detoxify them.”

“Why don’t you try it and see if what I’m saying is true?” Zhou Jing then pointed to several other pieces. “Little friend, give this one a try; it’s five-spice flavor, and it won’t be spicy at all.”

The little boy, feeling the heat, didn’t even ask his grandfather for permission anymore.

He quickly gobbled down the five-spice piece, still finding it a bit spicy, and then ate a plain one, which made it somewhat better.

The old man watched in surprise as his grandson devoured the food hungrily. Their family was relatively well-off in town, and buying sausages from Yun Ji two or three times a month was no burden. Yet, he had never seen the boy eat like this before.

Curious about this attitude, he decided to try a piece of the spicy flavor himself. Immediately, he felt the same heat as his grandson. But it was a pleasant kind of spice—addictive, almost—making him crave another bite after the first. Indeed, it was delightfully spicy!

Before he knew it, the old man had finished the few pieces in front of him and when he looked down, he saw his grandson staring at him eagerly, clearly waiting for him to give up his share.

He had never felt so embarrassed to be competing for food with a child. His face turned red, and now it seemed almost shameful to say it wasn’t good.

But it was indeed delicious, even better than what Yun Ji made. Money was not an issue for his family, so if the food tasted good and was clean, he would buy it for the child.

“What flavor do you want?” he asked.

The little boy immediately pointed to the spicy one.

“This one is tasty, Grandpa! I want the spicy flavor!”

“No, that’s too spicy for you.”

“Uncle, spicy food can really stimulate the appetite. You can buy the five-spice or plain flavor to go along with it—one spicy and one not. And then have a bite of rice in between. Before you know it, he’ll be able to eat another bowl,” Zhou Jing suggested.

The old man, always hoping his grandson would eat well, chuckled. “You really know how to make a sale! Alright, I’ll take one pound of the spicy and one pound of the five-spice. If my good grandson really can eat an extra bowl of rice, I’ll come back in a few days and even recommend you to my neighbors; they love this kind of food too.”

“Thank you in advance.” Zhou Jing said as he wrapped the two flavors in oil paper and handed them to the old man. “That will be fifty copper coins in total. Here.”

The old man didn’t blink as he spent the fifty wen, making it clear to the onlookers that he was well-off.

This sparked a crowd around Zhou Jing’s stall, with more people gathering and craning their necks to get a better look.

Although they were from the town and had seen sausages before, they had never encountered such a selling method.

Some opportunistic individuals stepped forward, eager to take advantage.

“Hey, young man, let me have a piece to try!”

Zhou Jing knew they likely wouldn’t buy, but he understood that others might. He lifted the small plate and began to share the sausages with the crowd, letting everyone have a taste.

The man grabbed it as if someone were snatching it away, and hurriedly stuffing it into his mouth without tasting it before it was gone.

He naturally reached out to ask for more, but Zhou Jing, appearing not to understand, replied with a soft refusal, “How many would you like?”

“How many? With just that little bit, I can’t even taste it! Bring me a bigger piece!”

Everyone watched Zhou Jing, eager to see if the owner would give them a bargain.

“Guest, if you want to taste the flavor, you can buy one of each. Take them home and have a small drink to enjoy,” Zhou Jing said. “Otherwise, in my small business, if you wait until you taste the flavor and I’ve lost a few pounds to you, who will pay for it?”

The man’s face turned red, realizing he wouldn’t get a bargain.

With a mutter of frustration, he turned and left.

Among the crowd, some had tried it and genuinely found it delicious, yet they hesitated. “It’s a bit expensive!”

“The sausages are expensive because they’re made of meat, but compared to the town, they’re 5 copper coins cheaper per pound. And you heard what that old man just said—they’re definitely tastier than Yun Ji’s,”

Zhou Jing explained. “Buying a whole pound may be pricey, but how about half a pound? I’ll cut it up for you. You can fry it with some greens, and it’ll be a meat dish that everyone at home—young and old—will enjoy.”

A pound at 25 copper coins felt too expensive, but half a pound for just over 10 copper coins seemed reasonable for a change of taste. If it’s stir-fried with other vegetables, the dish would absorb the flavor of the sausages, making it a way to enjoy them without being too greedy for meat.

“Alright, then I’ll take half a pound.”

“I’ll have half a pound too…”

“I want a whole pound—make mine spicy!”

As soon as someone made a purchase, others followed suit. Before long, the once quiet counter was bustling, and Zhou Jing was overwhelmed with the flow of money.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Shen Mo and Shen Lin finally had a moment to approach. Shen Mo weighed the sausages, knowing exactly how many pounds had been sold, yet he feigned disbelief and asked, “In just this short time, you sold 15 pounds?”

Zhou Jing nodded and replied, “Yes, in just this short time, we sold 15 pounds. We’ve already earned back half our costs. If we buy more ingredients tonight and keep promoting, I estimate we can sell out everything.”

“That’s great!” Shen Mo beamed his earlier gloom lifting. “I was so busy.  Are there any buns left? I’m so  hungry, I could eat two.”

Seeing the profits, Shen Lin also felt happy and realized he was hungry too. “Brother, do you have any buns left? I’m hungry as well.”

Zhou Jing laughed: “Yes, I still have more to fill all of us.”

Perhaps it was because they had truly witnessed the sausages turning into silver, but the Shen brothers were reluctant to be too greedy. They each ate three buns, sharing only half a sausage between them, feeling that even that was a bit of a luxury.

—o—o—o—

By evening, just as Zhou Jing had predicted, the evening market was still bustling, and all of his sausages sold out quickly. Shen Mo was smiling so broadly that his eyes almost disappeared.

Seeing such a successful first day of business, Zhou Jing felt confident that they would gain a good reputation in the future. He decided to increase their supply and bought 50 pounds of meat.

Butcher had kept his promise and gave them a discount; 2 copper coins for every pound.

After a long day of selling sausages, the three of them felt both tired and hungry.

However, none of them had the energy or desire to start cooking.

Instead, they gathered together to count their money. The three of them took turns counting, and after deducting the cost of the meat, they found they still had 731 copper coins left.

In the morning, they had left with a couple of silver coins and a string of copper coins, just in case of emergencies.

When Shen Mo and Shen Lin saw the large pile of money they had in the morning, he couldn’t help but feel discontented upon returning to find so little left.

Not only had most of their money vanished, but they had also lost all the sausages. Although he understood that they had paid the stall fee and bought materials for the next day, it still left an unpleasant feeling in their heart.

Zhou Jing advised, “In the early stages of business, it’s normal to invest without seeing immediate returns. Some families even have to operate at a loss for a while before they start making a profit.”

Shen Lin remained silent, focused on counting the silver and doing the math.

He was slow with numbers, and after a long while, he finally concluded, “Actually, we made over 200 copper coins today. If we calculate it like this, that would be 6 silver coins a month!”

Shen Lin gasped in surprise, “6 silver coins? It takes a whole year of farming to save around 15 silver coins. Are we saying we could earn that in just three months?”

He couldn’t help but feel frustrated. “I ate 2 pounds this morning, which cost 50 copper coins! I used to spend less than 50 copper coins in six months! What a waste!”

Seeing the sausages transformed into real gold and silver, Shen Lin felt a pang of regret, wishing he could turn back time and give himself a good beating for being so reckless.

He couldn’t believe he had dared to eat so much.

Shen Mo chimed in, equally pained, “I ate a pound too. It was so expensive.”

Zhou Jing urged, “We make sausages to earn money, but what is the money for if not to improve our lives and enjoy better food and clothing? Otherwise, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse?”

The farmers of this era struggled to change their mindset.

Shen Mo replied, “But our family has a lot of sausages to sell these days. Just one day’s worth amounts to 557 copper coins, and in six days, that’s over 3 silver coins. We don’t have much money left on hand.”

Zhou Jing said, “Eating well and dressing well doesn’t mean we have to indulge excessively; it just means not neglecting our health. If we become so frugal that we end up malnourished and could faint at any moment, wouldn’t that be counterproductive?”

Shen Mo thought for a moment and replied, “That’s true, but we also can’t go overboard.”

Before long, Shen Mo and Shen Lin stopped dwelling on the matter. They had realized how profitable the sausage business was and were eager to finish dinner so they could get back to making sausages.

Shen Lin said: “Big brother, I’ll go make dinner. We still need to prepare sausages after we eat.”

“Alright, you go ahead,” Zhou Jing replied. “Just cook like I usually do; don’t be stingy with the oil.”

“Understood.”

“We’ll come back tomorrow to buy some ink and paper for bookkeeping. Otherwise, if too much time passes, our accounts will become messy.”

“You can read?” Shen Mo had never imagined that Zhou Jing was so capable and able to read and understand characters.

Zhou Jing said, “Don’t think it’s something remarkable. In our place, nearly everyone can read. Many have studied for ten years, so it’s really nothing special. However, I noticed that the characters on that oil paper wrapper are a bit different from those we use, so I’ll need to learn them again. Since our family will be in business from now on, you should learn too. At the very least, you need to be able to read contracts and keep accounts without any issues.”

“I—I can learn too?” At that time, reading was considered a very sacred pursuit. In fact, schools only allowed boys to attend; girls were not permitted.

Only wealthy families were willing to spend money on educating their daughters.

On the other hand, Farmers believed that only those with money would engage in such a wasteful practice.

“Of course, since we’ll be doing business and probably won’t have time to hire a teacher, I’ll go buy a primer. I’ll ask the literate students how to read it and mark the characters with the ones we use. In time, I’ll get the hang of it, and you can learn alongside me.”

“Mm, I’ll definitely study hard.” Shen Mo hesitated before speaking. “What about Xiao Di? Can he learn with us? You won’t have to worry; once I learned to read and write, I can teach him.”

“Of course, he can. Once he learns, it will be useful for him; even when he finds a husband, he’ll be respected more.”

Zhou Jing counted out twenty coins from the copper coins. “I plan to give Xiao Di twenty coins a day for his wages. What do you think?”

Zhou Jing had expected Shen Mo to agree without hesitation, but to his surprise, Shen Mo shook his head and said: “No, don’t. It was fine when we were young; it was just the two of us, and if I lost out, it was my responsibility as the older brother. But now that I have a family and am the head of the household, everything that happens is no longer just my business; it’s the family’s. I can accept losses because he’s my brother, but you don’t have any responsibility toward him. He’s living in our home, eating our food, and all the expenses are ours. Shouldn’t he at least contribute something to the family?”

Zhou Jing was pleased that Shen Mo thought this way about the family. He didn’t see him as narrow-minded or unkind toward his brother; rather, it showed that he wasn’t the kind of terrible older brother often seen in later generations.

This realization brought Zhou Brother Jingnuine happiness.

Zhou Jing said, “I understand your point. However, wages are a separate matter. Our support for him is based on family ties, and if he is grateful, he will remember that. If we pay him, it would help him; at least he would have money in his hands to do something. When he gets married, having some savings will give him more confidence in his husband’s family. Besides, if he always works for free, over time, even the deepest family bonds can lead to resentment.”

“Think about it, just like the families in the village that haven’t separated, the money is managed by the mother—every branch of the family has private opinions about it, and if things go wrong, even deep feelings can fade.”

“But right now, he’s still being supported by you!”

“That’s the nature of family. In the future, the way he repays us will also be based on those family ties. We can’t confuse the two.”

Shen Mo thought for a moment and nodded: “Alright, I will listen to Brother Jing. I believe that my hard work in raising my younger brother will not go unrewarded.”

Shen Lin prepared the meal and went inside to call the others.

Shen Mo mentioned to him that Zhou Jing wanted to teach him how to read and also provide him with a salary.

Shen Lin was delighted and clapped his hands in joy, but when it came to the salary, he refused to accept it no matter what.

The two brothers kept pushing and pulling for quite a while, and it was unclear how Shen Mo finally convinced Shen Lin, but in the end, Shen Lin agreed to accept it.

Zhou Jing was known for his generous cooking, using plenty of oil and a rich variety of seasonings.

As Shen Lin watched and learned, he became eager to improve and ended up mastering seven or eight dishes.

They prepared three dishes and a soup: stir-fried pig intestines, stir-fried shredded pork with black fungus, and a fried egg.

The soup was made from bones and, following Zhou Jing’s method, included goji berries and jujubes.

“Hmm, not bad. Although it’s not as good as what I make, You’ve already grasped the essence. With some practice, you’ll get better,” Zhou Jing commented.

Shen Lin said, “The taste of your dishes is indeed quite different, but you’re too wasteful. These seasonings don’t fill the stomach, yet they cost quite a bit.”

Zhou Jing said, “Xiao Di, just remember this: you won’t be poor from eating good food or from wearing good clothes, but if you don’t know how to manage your finances, that’s when you’ll end up poor!”

Shen Lin remained silent, feeling that Zhou Jing had his own set of justifications for his “wasteful” ways. However, he also realized that Zhou Jing’s ability to spend money was proportional to his ability to earn it.

Since Zhou Jing wouldn’t treat his big brother poorly and could not provide good meals, Shen Lin had nothing more to say.

After finishing the meal, Zhou Jing began preparing to make sausages, while Shen Mo and Shen Lin continued to help him.

They took turns chopping the filling, but Zhou Jing thought to himself that this method was not efficient. He planned to close the stall the next day and make a meat grinder instead.

On the first day of setting up their stall, all three of them were very tired.

As soon as they lay down, they fell asleep immediately.