Chapter 23

The man introduced himself first. “My name is Gu, from Changhe Village. Everyone calls me Gu Da. You can call me that too.” After the brief introduction, Gu Da explained his purpose. “We’ve come to ask you to prepare the feast for my youngest son’s wedding early next month. Chef Li, please help us out.”

Changhe Village? Where was that? Li Hehua had never heard of it. How did this couple know about her? Puzzled, she hesitated to accept immediately and asked, “Uncle Gu, how did you find out about me? I’ve never prepared a feast in your village before.”

Gu Da’s wife answered before he could. “Our neighbor mentioned you. We originally planned to hire Old Zhou for the feast, but things didn’t go so well. Then our neighbor told us about you. She said her relatives in Lianhua Village had your feast last time and it was incredibly delicious—far better than Old Zhou’s. That’s why we tracked you down to ask you to prepare the feast.”

Li Hehua understood. So that’s how it was. The neighbor must have tasted her feast at Old Wang’s house. With that explanation, preparing the feast seemed perfectly fine.

Before agreeing, Li Hehua needed to clarify the price for the feast. She had to ask about the distance first, as charging her usual rate for a place so far away wouldn’t be fair.

“Uncle Gu, Aunt Gu,” she asked, “about how long does it take to walk from your home to here?”

Gu Da pondered for a moment before answering, “It’s about an hour and a half’s walk if you come straight here.”

An hour and a half was quite a distance for Li Hehua. A round trip would take most of the day, and she’d have to leave before dawn to avoid delaying the feast preparations.

That meant she’d have to charge eight wen per table.

Li Hehua decided to discuss the price with the couple first. “Uncle Gu, Aunt Gu, I’m happy to prepare the feast for you. But I need to clarify the price beforehand. Please consider it and let me know if it works for you.”

“Your home is quite far. The round trip will waste most of a day on the road. So I’ll have to charge eight wen per table. Can you accept this price? If so, I’ll go ahead and prepare the feast for you.”

“What? Eight wen…” Gu Da and his wife were shocked to hear the price of eight wen per table. They had heard it was only five wen! They had come specifically because they had heard Chef Li’s food was not only delicious but also affordable. Why were they being charged eight wen?

Gu Da hesitated before speaking. “Um… I heard you used to charge five wen per table. Why are you asking us for eight?” Could Chef Li be like Old Zhou, raising prices on the spot?

Li Hehua understood their confusion. They had clearly inquired about her previous rates before coming, so their question was natural.

She explained patiently, “It’s true I used to charge five wen per table, but that was only for places near my home. I could prepare the feast without disrupting my other work, so I kept the price at five wen. But for distant locations like yours, the journey alone takes up most of a day. That means I can’t do any other work that day. If I still charged five wen, I’d be losing money. It would be better not to take the job at all. Don’t you agree?”

“This…” Gu Da and his wife knew she was right, but an extra three wen per feast was a lot. At eight wen per table, they were reluctant to spend the money.

Seeing their hesitation, Li Hehua didn’t press them. Smiling, she said, “Uncle and Aunt Gu, why don’t you go home and think it over? If you decide to go ahead, I’ll come and prepare the feast for you.”

The couple was undecided and wanted time to consider it properly. They agreed and stood up. “We’ll take our leave now. We’ll discuss it and let you know.”

Li Hehua politely saw them off, feeling neither particularly hopeful nor concerned about the deal. If it went through, she’d prepare the feast; if not, she’d continue selling her pastries—either way, she’d keep earning money.

……

After they left, Cao Simei, who was tending the fire for Li Hehua, said, “Hehua, to be honest, your feasts are incredibly delicious. I think eight wen is a fair price—it’s worth every wen. But I understand why the villagers might hesitate. Before you, Old Zhou charged only five wen per feast. Suddenly adding three more is a big jump, so their hesitation is natural.”

Li Hehua, of course, understood this principle. She smiled. “Sister, I know. But you’ve seen for yourself—I’m making good money selling pastries now. Traveling far to prepare feasts would be exhausting, and I wouldn’t even earn as much as I do with my pastries. Why would I bother? That’s why I’ve decided to charge a flat eight wen per table for distant feasts. If people think it’s too expensive, well, there’s nothing I can do.”

Cao Simei agreed wholeheartedly. “If it were me, I wouldn’t be foolish enough to charge only five wen per table either. That’s practically giving it away! But think about it, sister—eight wen isn’t a bad deal for the hosts.

“Old Zhou’s cooking skills can’t compare to yours, and even if we ignore that, consider his temper. He demands extra things like tobacco and liquor, and if you refuse, he won’t cook for you. By the time you add it all up, his ‘five wen‘ feast might end up costing more than eight anyway!”

Li Hehua raised an eyebrow, offering no comment on Old Zhou’s methods.

Cao Simei continued, “If it were up to me, I’d choose you. You don’t ask for extra things, you’re pleasant to work with, and your cooking is delicious. Choosing Old Zhou over you would be foolish.”

Li Hehua smiled. “It’s alright, Sister Cao. People will make their own choices. If they ask me to prepare the feast, I’ll do my best. If not, that’s fine too.”

…..

After their conversation, Li Hehua put the matter out of her mind and focused on making pastries. The next day, after she and Cao Simei returned from selling their pastries, they encountered Gu Da and his wife again.

Seeing Li Hehua, the couple greeted her warmly and said, “Chef Li, we’ve decided to hire you to prepare the feast for our family. We’ll pay the eight wen per table you quoted.”

Gu Da and his wife had initially found eight wen per table too expensive—three wen more than Old Zhou’s price. For the entire feast, this would add up to sixty wen, a significant sum. They had considered sticking with Old Zhou, figuring they could endure his temperamental attitude and difficult personality.

When Gu Da and his wife returned home and discussed their plan with their sons, the sons were less than enthusiastic. The eldest son said, “Even though Old Zhou charges less, his attitude is infuriating. Everyone knows he makes you beg him three or four times before he’ll agree to cook a feast. And every time, we have to bring him all sorts of gifts. Those gifts alone must cost more than sixty wen!”

The second son nodded in agreement. “Exactly, Father! Old Zhou is too arrogant. We shouldn’t hire him at all—let’s teach him a lesson. Our family can certainly afford the extra sixty wen.”

With all the children voicing similar opinions, Gu Da’s resolve began to waver. He realized they had a point, and the thought of swallowing his pride to beg Old Zhou again filled him with reluctance. In that case, they might as well hire Chef Li.

So, today, Gu Da and his wife returned to ask Li Hehua to prepare the feast.

Li Hehua didn’t waste words. Since they had come back, she naturally agreed. “Alright, I’ll do it. What’s the exact date of the event? How many tables in total? Will it be a two-day feast or just one?”

Gu Da replied, “The feast is set for the first day of next month. We’ll be preparing twenty tables in a single day. The day before, we’ll just have a simple meal at home. The main feast is on the first, so we’ll need your help then.”

Li Hehua appreciated this arrangement. It meant she only needed to prepare the feast for one day and could return home that evening. If she left early and returned late, it would only disrupt her schedule for a single day.

Li Hehua nodded. “Alright, I understand. I’ll arrive early that day. You handle buying the ingredients, and I’ll create the menu based on what you have. We can discuss the details later.”

Gu Da and his wife nodded in agreement before leaving the He Family.

……

Cao Simei had been listening intently. Once they were gone, she remarked, “The first day of the month? That’s only a few days away. Today is the twenty-fifth.”

That left just five days. While this didn’t particularly affect Li Hehua, it did mean she would have to miss a day of selling pastries. If she didn’t go, she wouldn’t earn that day’s income.

Originally, she had planned for Cao Simei to handle the pastry sales alone whenever Li Hehua was preparing a feast. However, her thinking had shifted slightly. Whether this new idea could be implemented would depend on Cao Simei’s agreement.

That evening, after dinner, Li Hehua shared her new idea with Cao Simei. “Sister, I originally planned for you to go alone to sell pastries whenever I was preparing a feast. But now I have a different thought I wanted to discuss with you. Do you think you and Brother He Da would agree?”

Cao Simei and He Da listened attentively.

Li Hehua explained, “I was thinking, on the days I’m preparing a feast, could your children help sell pastries? I’d pay them the same as I pay you—four wen and one copper coin per day. What do you think?”

Li Hehua felt a little awkward suggesting this. In her heart, Daya and the others were still children, and sending young ones out to work for money seemed wrong. But this era was different from modern times. Many children in their early teens already contributed to their families’ income. In town, she often saw twelve- and thirteen-year-olds selling goods on the streets. In this era, children from poor families had to grow up quickly; there was none of the modern coddling of children.

So Li Hehua cautiously floated the idea. If Cao Simei and He Da were protective of their children, she would drop the matter. But if they agreed, it would benefit both families financially.

Before Cao Simei and He Da could even respond, Daya and Xiao San’er had already nodded eagerly. Daya spoke first, “Aunt Lotus, I’ll go! I’ll sell them for you. I used to go to town with my mother to sell eggs all the time. I know how to do this. I promise I’ll sell them well.”

Xiao San’er chimed in enthusiastically, “Aunt Hehua, I’ll go too! I’m good at calling out to customers and doing the math. I’ll sell them just as well as my mother does.”

Li Hehua hadn’t expected the children to be so eager. She was deeply moved by their willingness to help. Such thoughtful children, she thought. In modern times, parents would struggle to get their kids to run out for a bottle of soy sauce. But these children are so eager to help, just to earn a little more for the family.

Li Hehua turned to Cao Simei and He Da, seeking their opinion.

Cao Simei, of course, didn’t share Li Hehua’s sentimental concerns about overworking the children. She was overjoyed that they could take on this task.

Daya was already fourteen, her eldest son Da He was thirteen, and Xiao San’er was nearly ten—considered grown-up enough in the countryside to handle significant household chores. Having taken the children to sell eggs before, she had complete confidence in their abilities.

Li Hehua’s offer to let the children handle the pastry sales meant an extra income for the family. Such an opportunity was too good to pass up, so Cao Simei quickly agreed, “Sister Hehua, of course we agree! Don’t worry, my children are good with numbers and handling money. You can trust them with the business—they’ll do a great job for you.”

Seeing that Cao Simei and He Da showed no hesitation or reluctance, Li Hehua realized she had been overthinking things. With the matter settled, she decided that whenever she was too busy to sell the pastries herself, she would entrust the task to the three children.

……

The first day of the lunar month arrived swiftly. Li Hehua rose before dawn, washed up, ate a quick breakfast, and hurried toward Long River Village.

She wasn’t particularly worried about today’s pastry sales. She had finished baking everything the previous afternoon and carefully explained the sales process to the He family’s three children.

In fact, she had taken them to the market several times in recent weeks to observe how pastries were sold. The children were quick learners and had already become quite skilled. With Cao Simei’s guidance, Li Hehua felt confident in their abilities.

It took Li Hehua over an hour to reach the Gu family’s home. By then, the sun was high in the sky, likely past nine in the morning—just in time to start preparing lunch.

The Gu Family warmly welcomed Li Hehua into their home, led her to the kitchen, and gave her a brief tour, pointing out the locations of various utensils and ingredients. They then showed her the ingredients they had purchased for the feast.

Li Hehua noticed the ingredients were similar to those used in the previous two feasts: chicken, duck, fish, and pork. Perhaps these are the standard ingredients for rural feasts, she thought.

Without further hesitation, Li Hehua quickly devised a menu using the available ingredients. She recited the dishes to the Gu Family, seeking their input.

The Gu Family was surprised and delighted that Chef Li would consult them about the menu. For their eldest and second sons’ wedding feasts, they had hired Old Zhou, who never discussed the dishes beforehand. He cooked whatever he pleased, and the family had grown accustomed to accepting his choices without question. Chef Li’s approach was quite different.

Gu Da exclaimed happily, “These dishes sound wonderful! They’ll certainly impress our guests. We’ve never even heard of many of them, but we trust you completely. Please proceed as you see fit.”

Their confidence stemmed from their neighbor’s glowing recommendation. The neighbor had raved about Chef Li’s innovative and utterly delicious creations, assuring them they couldn’t go wrong by hiring her. After years of neighborly trust, they naturally deferred to her expertise.

Seeing the Gu Family’s approval, Li Hehua immediately put on her apron and began preparing the feast.