When the other customers heard about the promotion—buying one cookie for one wen—they quickly increased their orders.

What started as plans to buy two or three wen’s worth of snacks suddenly turned into orders of double or triple that amount.

After all, the small cakes and cookies were inexpensive and durable, and the common folks loved to take advantage of a good deal.

When Yang Dahua arrived, she noticed there were quite a few people in the shop.

About ten people were lined up. “Haiyan!”

Yang Haiyan greeted, “Sister Dahua, you’re here! Aunt Hong, please serve Sister Dahua a bowl of milk tea, and pack her one green bean cake and one red bean cake.”

Aunt Hong responded, “Yes, ma’am.”

Yang Dahua quickly said, “No need, no need; I’ve already had breakfast.”

Yang Haiyan pulled her to sit down inside. “These green bean cakes and red bean cakes are freshly made, just like the yellow bean cakes, but with different fillings. You should try them. Also, this milk tea must be consumed within half an hour; otherwise, it loses its nutrition. Today, we’ve prepared twenty bowls, and since no one’s buying right now, you should drink it. Don’t be polite with me.”

Hearing this, Yang Dahua decided to accept.

The creamy milk tea had a fragrant aroma that piqued the curiosity of customers coming in.

However, upon learning it cost three wen a bowl and had to be consumed quickly, many lost interest.

Yang Haiyan realized that milk tea wasn’t suitable for this era; modern milk tea can be made with powdered milk, allowing it to last longer.

Her milk tea was made from fresh goat milk, which could only be kept for an hour.

Based on today’s experience, she decided to remove milk tea from the menu starting tomorrow.

During the Chen hour (7-9 AM), more customers trickled in, a result of Aunt Hong’s earlier promotions and people passing by who heard about the affordable snacks.

The crowd was large since many were out buying groceries.

However, after this hour, the flow of people gradually decreased.

When things quieted down, Yang Haiyan said, “Aunt Fan, please dispose of the remaining milk tea. Starting tomorrow, we won’t be making it anymore. You all can drink any leftover goat milk to nourish yourselves.”

Aunt Fan hesitated, “Should we really throw it away? What a waste!”

Yang Haiyan firmly replied, “Yes, throw it away. Hygiene is the top priority in business. Expired or spoiled items cannot be served. Goat milk loses its nutritional value after half an hour and spoils after an hour. Although it won’t be deadly, it can cause stomach issues. Since we’re running a food business, we must act with integrity.”

Once Aunt Fan heard about the risk of spoilage and stomach issues, she dropped the idea and hurried to pour it out in the backyard.

Yang Dahua couldn’t help but comment, “Haiyan, you’re really particular.”

Seeing so much goat milk being wasted made her feel a bit pained.

But as Haiyan said, one must be ethical in business.

Yang Haiyan smiled, “Sister Dahua, what do you think of this shop?”

Yang Dahua replied, “It’s pretty good; this is a real shop!”

Unfortunately, she didn’t have any skills herself.

If she did, she would also want to open a shop. “By the way, how much did you pay for this shop?”

Yang Haiyan responded, “This shop came with a courtyard; it cost thirty-four taels of silver. You should come see the courtyard in the back!”

Yang Dahua exclaimed, “Sure!”

Yang Haiyan led her to the backyard, which was tidy and well-kept.

Uncle Hong was outside with the children, but he wouldn’t intrude on the women’s conversation.

As Yang Dahua looked around, she felt a deep sense of reflection.

Back at the Yang household, she and Haiyan seemed similar because they both married the same officer, but now it was clear that their lives were quite different. “Haiyan, did Captain Qin give you the money for the courtyard?”

Yang Haiyan thought for a moment, “He contributed some, and I also exchanged money from embroidery I did.”

Yang Dahua remarked, “You really invested a lot; spending thirty-four taels on this courtyard is impressive! I wouldn’t be able to part with that kind of money.”

The truth was, she simply didn’t have the funds.

Even with the silver given to her by Han Zhen, plus what she earned selling embroidered pieces at the county, she hadn’t accumulated even four taels.

Thinking of this, Yang Dahua added, “Haiyan, I want to sell some of your pastries in the county tomorrow; what do you think?”

Yang Haiyan responded, “Of course! Which pastries would you like to take?”

Having been there for over a month, she hadn’t visited the county yet, and was also interested in seeing it.

Yang Dahua said, “I’d like two pounds each of the small cakes and cookies. They keep well, so even if they don’t sell tomorrow, they’ll still be good for the next day.”

Yang Haiyan calculated, “That’s a total of 180 wen. Sister Dahua, please come to the shop tomorrow morning to pick them up. I don’t have any stock left; I make everything fresh early in the morning.”

Yang Dahua nodded, “I’ll bring the money to you.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Sounds good.”

Each pound of cookies would earn her thirty wen, while the small cakes would earn twenty-five wen each.

Two pounds of cookies would make sixty wen, and two pounds of cakes would make fifty, totaling one hundred and ten wen—quite a decent profit.

Just then, Zhang Mu entered the shop.

Yang Haiyan’s venture into the snack business wasn’t a secret, nor was there any need to hide it.

Zhang Mu had overheard her and Sister Lu’s conversation and decided to come check it out today.

“Wow, business is booming!” Zhang Mu exclaimed, holding her grandchild and accompanied by her older granddaughter and grandson.

Aunt Hong stepped forward to greet her, “Hello, customer! What would you like to buy?”

Zhang Mu glanced at Aunt Hong, whom she didn’t recognize, and Aunt Hong didn’t recognize her either.

However, Zhang Mu was good at putting on airs. “Where’s your boss lady? I know her.”

Aunt Hong was momentarily at a loss for words, as the boss lady was in the backyard at that moment.

Just then, Aunt Fan came over to greet the guest. “Madam Zhang, you’re here!”

Aunt Fan knew Zhang Mu well since she delivered groceries to the military family compound daily and prepared their meals there.

They had exchanged pleasantries before, especially after the wild boar incident, so they were familiar with each other.

Zhang Mu felt quite pleased hearing Aunt Fan address her as “Madam Zhang.”

In the eyes of the common folks, being the wife of a captain made her a respected lady.

She nodded and asked, “I brought the children to support your business. Where’s Qin Fang? I haven’t seen her.”

Aunt Fan replied, “The madam is busy in the back. If you need her, I can call her for you.”

Zhang Mu started to respond when her grandson, Zhang Dabo, interrupted, “Grandma, I want to eat this! I want to eat this!”

He pointed at the small cakes, clearly remembering how much he liked them.

Zhang Mu smiled, “Alright, alright, you can have some. Whoever is in charge, bring me a few small cakes; my grandson wants to eat!”

Aunt Fan replied, “Madam Zhang, our small cakes are two for one wen. How many would you like?”

Zhang Mu declared boldly, “Give me ten!”

Zhang Dabo cheered, “Ten! Ten! I want to eat ten!”

Zhang Mu gently coaxed her grandson, “Yes, yes, you can eat them all.”

Aunt Fan said, “Ten small cakes, please wait a moment… Ten small cakes cost a total of five wen, and today we have a promotion: you get five free cookies. Please take care of them.”

Zhang Dabo was eager, “Give them to me, give them to me!”

Zhang Mu quickly accepted the oiled paper and handed a piece to Zhang Dabo. “Here, eat slowly, don’t choke.”

Zhang Dabo grinned, “It’s soft, I won’t choke!”

Nearby, a little girl watched him eat, swallowing hard but saying nothing.

Zhang Dabo devoured the first piece quickly, moving on to the second piece immediately.

“Slow down, slow down!” Zhang Mu admonished. “I’m worried you’ll choke! Let’s go now; I don’t want you to rush and swallow too quickly. We need to get you some water.”

Aunt Fan hurriedly reminded her, “Madam Zhang, you haven’t paid for the small cakes yet!”

Zhang Mu waved her hand dismissively, “I’ll pay Qin Fang later.” With that, she picked up her grandson and hurried out.

Aunt Fan was left speechless, realizing that Madam Zhang seemed to have no intention of paying.

After all, she came from a wealthy family and, having been through various experiences, was more cunning than others.

Aunt Fan rushed into the backyard, “Madam!”

Yang Haiyan and Yang Dahua had just finished their conversation when they heard Aunt Fan’s call and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Aunt Fan relayed the situation about Zhang Mu.

Yang Haiyan wasn’t angry; she found it amusing instead. “No problem, we’ll just wait a few days and see if she has the face to come back.”

Yang Dahua joked, “I bet she has no shame at all!”

Before long, Sister Lu arrived, having heard about the grand opening of the snack shop.

She came to join the fun and bring some joy to Yang Haiyan, buying ten wen’s worth of snacks.

Normally, she wouldn’t spend so much, but having recently sold over a hundred jin of wild boar meat and earned two taels of silver, she felt generous.

….

By noon, it was time for lunch. Qin Fang went to the back door to grab her lunchbox.

As he walked, several captains watched him with envious eyes.

“Ah…” one captain sighed, “Little Qin is really lucky. He used to have his wife bring him food; now he has a servant doing it.”

“Exactly! I can’t even afford to raise myself, let alone hire someone.”

“Yeah, but it’s Little Qin’s wife who’s impressive. What does he have? I look down on men who rely on their wives.”

“Come on, if there were soft rice to eat, I’d take it too!”

“Exactly! Little Qin’s wife is not only beautiful but also treats him well; that’s hard to find even with a lantern.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

Qin Fang was completely unaware of the discussions happening behind his back.

Even if he heard them, he wouldn’t take them seriously.

He knew that being jealous of others was pointless; he recognized that his wife was great, and he needed to work hard to repay her.

Uncle Hong was waiting at the back door.

When he saw Qin Fang come out, he took a lunchbox from the donkey cart. “Sir.”

At just twenty, Qin Fang was still getting used to being called that, but he had grown accustomed to it. “Hmm. How’s the shop doing today?”

He knew his wife was opening the shop and worried that poor business would upset her.

He thought about how he would comfort her when he returned home.

Uncle Hong replied, “Business was good when I got here; the cookies and little cakes sold particularly well. But no one bought the milk tea; the madam shared some with everyone, and the rest had to be thrown away. As for that old lady’s issue…”

Qin Fang nodded, not saying anything more.

After finishing his meal, he handed the lunchbox back to Uncle Hong and went inside.

Since he didn’t have to queue for food, Qin Fang ate quickly.

By the time he finished, there was still a long line at the kitchen door.

In a military camp of fifty thousand, even with several dining halls, the lines were long.

Some people were still waiting in line, while others had already received their meals and were sitting on the ground eating.

Qin Fang looked at them, remembering that he had once been among them.

When he returned, some people started teasing: “Qin Fang, what did you eat today?”

“Qin Fang, show us what you ate?”

“Qin Fang, what does your wife do? Did she buy you a servant to order around?”

Those calling Qin Fang’s name were either centurions like him or ranked above.

“Sure, let’s compare in an hour,” he said.

His wife had told him not to do any heavy exercise within an hour after eating, as it was bad for his health.

In the past, when they were idling, they would compare their meals right after eating, but now he listened to his wife.

“Still got to wait an hour? What are you going to do?”

“Reading,” he said, finding a place to sit.

His wife had bought him three books: the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic.

He hadn’t recognized all the characters yet, but she had promised to buy him military strategy books once he did.

He had no choice about joining the military at sixteen due to the court’s regulations, but over the years, he had genuinely come to love serving, finding meaning in battling on the frontlines.

Of course, he had also found another purpose: to grow stronger, get promoted, earn money, and support his wife.

“… We’re rough men; why pretend to be scholars?” some people scoffed.

“Right? What good does reading more do?”

“Exactly.”

However, there were others defending Qin Fang: “What’s wrong with reading?”

“Exactly, if you don’t want to read, don’t stop others from doing so.”

Qin Fang was never one to talk much.

He ignored the taunts and remembered those who stood up for him.

After finishing his meal, Han Zhen sat down beside Qin Fang. “What are you reading?”

Qin Fang showed him the Thousand Character Classic.

Han Zhen was surprised and joked, “What are you studying for? Are you trying to become a military scholar?”

A military scholar needed not only martial skills but also knowledge of military strategies, making literacy essential.

Qin Fang shook his head. “I didn’t have the chance before, but now I do. It’s great to read more; my wife taught me.”

He felt no shame saying this; rather, he felt proud.

Han Zhen sighed, “You’re lucky; not everyone can marry a literate wife.”

Though their group all knew Qin Fang had a great wife, they truly envied him once they understood just how remarkable she was.

Not only was she virtuous and a good cook, but she also earned money and even bought a servant.

Most importantly, she was beautiful.

People are visual creatures; men are naturally drawn to beautiful women.

Take Han Zhen, for example; he thought Yang Dahua was good, even if she wasn’t particularly pretty.

She was virtuous and often went to town to sell handkerchiefs and pouches to earn money, and he felt content with her as a wife.

But if Yang Dahua were a bit more attractive, he would obviously like her even more.