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墨書 Inktalez
Xie Youshun pointed to the kitchen and realized, saying, "Are you talking about the sauce you made?"
Xie Youshun thought about how his wife’s Pickled Eggs and Tea Eggs had indeed made money. Those were things that could easily be learned once mentioned by her, which is why they sold cheaply. If this sauce could be made, it would be even more profitable. If that were the case, then there would indeed be money to repair the bridge.
"Wife, repairing a bridge costs four to five hundred taels of Silver. Even if it's done poorly, it still costs three to four hundred taels. Are you really willing to spend that much money? Besides, can that sauce sell for that much?"
Xie Youshun knew his wife had changed, but he didn't expect her to have changed so much. Just thinking about spending so much Silver made him feel pained. That was several hundred taels; some families might not see that much Silver in their lifetime.
Xiao Lihua sighed and said, "How could I bear to? That’s Silver! But I want to continue living in this village. For our convenience in the future, this bridge must be built. Do you think the people in the village can manage to build this bridge? Right now, everyone in the Village is holding their breath. Not only do they lack Silver, but even if they had it, they wouldn’t be willing to spend it."
Xie Youshun nodded, realizing that everyone would certainly be reluctant to spend that money. Shangqiao Village wouldn't contribute; they only expected the people from Xiaqiao Village to pay. Each family would have to contribute about five taels of Silver. A large portion of families in the Village couldn't afford that five taels of Silver, which led to their men being forced into hard labor. How could they have money to repair the bridge? Even those who had money at home wouldn't want to spend it after having already spent so much Silver before.
Xiao Lihua said, "If we have money, we could move out and live elsewhere. With enough money for a bridge, we could buy a house in the city and start a business there. But I prefer it here; I don’t want to move away."
Xiao Lihua had considered moving to a town or county seat but ultimately gave up on that idea. She grew up in the countryside, and her happiest days were spent there. Countless times she looked at the bustling city streets and thousands of lights at night and longed for the vast fields and the sounds of insects at night. Now that she was in Xiaqiao Village, which resembled her hometown memories somewhat, she felt reluctant to leave.
Buying many fields in Xiaqiao Village would allow her children to run joyfully through the fields and live a pastoral life by the mountains and rivers. She envisioned making money through partnerships with others while only needing to handle profit-sharing—counting money until her fingers cramped—that was the happy life Xiao Lihua envisioned.
Now just one bridge was forcing her to give up this place and this leisurely pastoral life; Xiao Lihua was unwilling.
"After I finish making that sauce, I plan to find Hua Heng and the others. This time we won’t sell them the Secret Recipe; instead, we will partner with them. If it works out, we will have money every year from now on. This matter won’t stay hidden for long; I don’t want to live a life where we have money but can’t spend it. Besides, I have other ways of making money too, including some farming methods. We can’t hide everything away forever. If we make money, people will definitely get envious. Moreover, my reputation wasn’t good before; even if I’ve changed now, it still doesn’t sound good when people talk about me."
At this point, Xiao Lihua spoke up, and Xie Youshun patted her hand and said, "If anyone says anything about you, I'll go find them."
"They're speaking the truth; what can you do about it? Besides, can you manage one person let alone ten or a hundred?"
Xiao Lihua smiled at the man beside her and felt grateful for his protection.
"I just think if we build a bridge, it will benefit everyone. In the future, everyone will remember our kindness; if someone speaks ill of me then, others will defend me without us needing to say anything. And when we do something else to make money later on, even if others are envious, they won’t dare speak ill of us."
Xiao Lihua thought this was the importance of reputation; if someone suddenly became rich overnight, there would surely be envy and jealousy. But if he contributed part of his wealth for a good cause for everyone’s benefit, he would be praised by others. If a good reputation could be gained with just a bit of money—laying a solid foundation for future wealth—she would gladly spend that money and feel it was worth it since they would also need to cross that bridge!
Xie Youshun nodded, thinking what his wife said made perfect sense. With what she learned from that old lady, she would definitely earn more money in the future; they couldn’t keep pretending to be poor forever. It was indeed necessary for the people in the Village to benefit from them so as to avoid some troubles. Plus, it could cover up his wife's previous bad reputation—killing two birds with one stone.
"Since you want to do this, then let's go ahead. But I need to tell you first, if we get rich, the Parents over there probably won't stay quiet. Don't come complaining to me then."
Xie Youshun reminded him, as he knew his Parents too well. Xie Shengcai was a nice guy who always hoped that those with ability would help those without it to live well. The Wang Clan would love to grab all the money for themselves. Except for Second Brother and Second Sister, the other two brothers and two sisters would definitely come to take advantage of the situation, and it would surely cause chaos at home.
Xiao Lihua also thought about this.
"We've already split the family; how can they still take from us? Besides, I have other ways to deal with them."
"What methods?"
Xie Youshun genuinely wanted to know. He thought about how troublesome it would be later on. For the sake of his wife and son, he could try not to let them take advantage, but who could stand being pestered by them one after another? His mother and brothers-in-law were full of ideas; just their crying and fussing at home would be annoying enough, and if things went wrong, they might even tarnish the family's reputation.
Xiao Lihua said, "Once we build the bridge, the Villagers will remember our kindness, but that's only temporary; it won't last forever. The best way is for everyone to prosper together. If we make money, the Villagers will also make money. Our family won't lack Silver to spend, and we'll be able to help them live a good life. Who would still say bad things about us then? Even if our in-laws can't make a lot of money, at least they won't go hungry or cold. We'll do everything we can for them; how can they still cause trouble? If they do, the Village people won't side with them and will say they're in the wrong."
"Wife, can you really help everyone make money?!"
Xie Youshun was a bit excited. He grew up in this village and had a good relationship with the Villagers. He knew they lived quite hard lives—working tirelessly in the fields just to have enough to eat throughout the year. Saving any money was only possible by pinching pennies or selling things at the market. If he could help everyone live a little better, he would feel happy inside.
Xiao Lihua nodded and said, "I haven't figured out exactly how yet, but I’m sure I will think of something. We need to take this slowly."
Xie Youshun also nodded; this wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight. However, he was still quite happy thinking that if this worked out, the Village people could live better lives. Even if their family lived well, it wouldn't make others envious anymore. Most importantly, his wife's reputation could improve; seeing her happy every day made him feel good too.
The couple decided on this plan and began looking forward to the day when their sauce would be ready.
Finally, that day arrived—the sauce was finally done! Xiao Lihua said it turned out very successful. Xie Youshun tasted it and found it quite delicious. Shitou and Mutou stared wide-eyed; they had heard Xiao Lihua say that once it was ready, she would make delicious food for them, so they were especially eager.
Mutou swallowed hard and said, "Mom, I want to eat sauce."
Shitou also widened his eyes and said, "Mom, Mom, didn't you say this can be used to make Zha Jiang Mian? Can you make that for us? I want to eat that noodle dish."
Mutou chimed in, "I want to eat knife-cut noodles."
Xie Youshun said from the side, "I can eat anything, but it has to have this sauce. Just the smell makes me want to eat it, even though it doesn't look very good."
Xiao Lihua laughed out loud; the sauce really wasn't very appealing, but Xie Youshun was being honest.
Since she confirmed that the sauce was ready today, Xiao Lihua had already planned what to make. Zha Jiang Mian was a must, and she also prepared Fish-Flavored Tofu and Stir-Fried Pork Cubes. She washed a lot of fresh green onions to dip in the sauce later.
The whole family enjoyed the meal, not to mention that Xie Youshun and the two sons had never eaten this sauce or these dishes before. Xiao Lihua hadn't had them in a long time either, and now they were eating so much that they couldn't stop. Everyone's stomachs were round, and they didn't even clean the table; they just lay down on the kang without moving.
Shitou kept rubbing his belly, and with his short arms, he asked Xiao Lihua to help him massage it.
"Next time, eat a little less. It's not like I won't make it for you again."
Xiao Lihua smiled as she rubbed Mutou's belly and patted it twice on top. Hearing the sound, she laughed and said, "Hmm, this big watermelon is ripe; we can cut it open to eat."
"Mom, it's not a watermelon; don't cut it open to eat."
Mutou said playfully, squinting his eyes and humming comfortably.
Xiao Lihua kissed him and said, "Okay, we won't cut it. If we want to eat watermelon, we'll go buy some. We won't cut our Mutou's big watermelon."
Shitou's eyes lit up as he said, "Mom, are we really going to buy watermelon? That's so expensive! I heard Iron Egg say that when he went to his aunt's house, one watermelon costs five hundred wen!"
Xiao Lihua knew watermelons were expensive too. With summer being so hot, she naturally thought of watermelons. She had only mentioned it casually but was surprised to learn how costly they were. At that moment, she thought growing watermelons could be a way to make money. She considered how much sandy land there was in the village; growing watermelons would be ideal. However, no one was doing it; it was such a waste. She had asked around and found out that someone had tried growing them before but failed miserably, so no one attempted it again. Within a hundred miles, there were only a few people who grew watermelons.
"As long as you want to eat them, we'll buy them no matter how much they cost."
Xiao Lihua said with a smile, thinking about buying several when the time came and trying to grow some next year. Her parents had grown watermelons before; she thought if they could grow them well, even if they didn't make money, at least the kids could have enough to eat. If they succeeded in growing them well, maybe others in the village would follow suit. Since she wanted everyone in the village to earn money, action was necessary.
Shitou and Mutou were thrilled at the prospect of eating watermelon; if their bellies weren't so full, they would have jumped up in excitement.
Hearing Xiao Lihua say she wanted to try growing watermelons in the future, Xie Youshun didn't oppose her idea either. He now felt that as long as his wife wanted to do something, it could definitely be accomplished.
The Bean Paste is ready, and Xie Youshun is sure that no one has ever made such a food item. Xiao Lihua plans to continue with her money-making scheme.
The next day, the two of them left the child with Zhang Lianxiang and hurriedly took the Ox Cart to the town, heading straight for the Flavor Fragrance Tower.
In Fortune Town, there are two restaurants: one is Cloud Pavilion, and the other is Flavor Fragrance Tower. Cloud Pavilion belongs to the Gao Family, while the boss of Flavor Fragrance Tower is Hua Heng.
Xiao Lihua naturally wouldn't have any dealings with Cloud Pavilion since it belongs to the Gao Family; her target is Flavor Fragrance Tower. Last time she provided Hua Heng with a method for making eggs, so this time, being familiar with him, she would still seek him out.
Upon arriving at Flavor Fragrance Tower, they found that business was booming, with customers coming in and out energetically. The waiter at the door was continuously greeting customers with a bright smile and welcomed Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua inside.
The author has something to say: Thank you to Lin Si for the support.
Thank you to Yu Xue Fei Fei for the support.
Thank you to Nuan Yu for the support.
Thank you to Ping Zi for the support.
Thank you to 8829183 for the support.
Thank you to Mantou for the support.
Thanks to everyone for their support. I noticed some readers think that repairing bridges is being overly kind-hearted and showing off wealth, so I explained a bit in this chapter. It can be quite painful not to spend money when you have it, and earning a good reputation isn't bad either. Being overly kind-hearted is proactive; if one doesn't want to be taken advantage of, then they certainly won't be. Everyone should not worry; our Li Hua is definitely not someone who will be taken advantage of.
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