Chapter 46

Knowing Chen Youtian's character, Sang Luo didn't insist on keeping him for dinner. She used the newly made broom to sweep the courtyard before heading inside to cook dinner.

With all the cooking utensils ready, preparing meals had become much easier. They had been eating well recently, and since there was a feast to prepare soon, Sang Luo simply made some steamed rice, an egg soup, and a mixed fern dish for dinner.

That evening, they moved to the kitchen to make sour jujube candy. With the courtyard door bolted from the inside, there was a sense of complete safety in the new house. Shen An and Shen Ning couldn't help but touch the walls several times, appreciating their new home.

"Sister-in-law, our home is really beautiful now."

Indeed, despite only having an old thatched house to live in, a newly built kitchen and a bathroom, and a surrounding wall, life felt completely different. The sense of happiness was indescribable.

Sang Luo smiled, "Then you two take good care of it. If there's nothing much to do at home tomorrow, you can pick up some pretty pebbles. We'll plan a path from the courtyard door to the main house, so our shoes won't get muddy when it rains."

Shen An's eyes lit up, "We can do that? I'll pick up stones tomorrow and wait for your instructions on how to lay them."

"Sure, pick the smooth ones so they're kind of like a foot massage, but not too painful."

The siblings nodded in agreement.

The next day, Shen An's friends had a new task to do, but that's a story for later.

At the moment, Shen An and Shen Ning were helping Sang Luo wash fairy tree leaves and sour jujubes. While working, they wondered, "Sister-in-law, when are we going to sell the sour jujube cakes?"

Although their house had been busy these days, they hadn't stopped making sour jujube cakes, so now there were almost two jars full in the house.

"Tomorrow, I'll take a jar to the town to try selling it. It should sell out in a day."

It was time to buy a stone mill, as well as a water tank and a bathtub. These three major purchases weren't cheap, and the income from the fairy tofu alone couldn't cover it.

They still lacked enough winnowing baskets for drying, and the amount of fruit she could gather from the mountains was limited. After saving up for days, they only had about two jars, and each jar could hold around two hundred pieces.

"Let's try selling a jar of it tomorrow."

Shen Ning had already tasted the sour jujube cakes. She ate them quite frequently, as every day their sister-in-law would give her and her brother two pieces each as a snack, saying that eating them in moderation was good for their health. Now hearing that they could be sold in the town, Shen Ning's eyes lit up, "Sister-in-law, how will we sell the sour jujube cakes?"

Sang Luo was pondering this very question.

Without a scale, selling by weight was impossible, and she didn't plan to sell them too cheaply. Pricing by weight might seem quite expensive to customers.

She thought about the street food vendors from her previous life, who would set their own quantity and sell by portion, making the price seem more reasonable.

Something costing thirty yuan per pound might seem expensive to many, but the same item in a small bag for ten yuan doesn't seem too pricey.

Hence, Sang Luo had already bought some food-grade wax paper in the town a few days ago, planning to package and sell the cakes herself.

She weighed the cost of a popular snack cake in her mind for comparison.

"How about five pieces for three yuan?"

While the sizes of her sour jujube cakes might not be exactly uniform, they were relatively consistent, making it feasible to sell by the piece.

As for the price, the sour jujube cakes Sang Luo made were quite substantial, containing nothing but sour jujube pulp and sugar. Maltose wasn't cheap, and a basketful of sour jujubes yielded not so much pulp, which became even less once dried.

Sang Luo shaped each sour jujube cake into a round biscuit, each not too small, with a diameter nearly as long as her little finger.

At three yuan for five pieces, this sweet and sour treat wasn't really expensive. Comparable to the price of a single snack cake, one could get five sour jujube cakes. Thinking this way, Sang Luo felt it was quite a good value.

She couldn't base her pricing on the spending habits of villagers; after all, those who could afford to buy snacks weren't the impoverished.

Alright, that makes sense.

Shen An and Shen Ning were left gaping in astonishment, hearing the price of three yuan for five pieces. In one day, they could eat four pieces, which nearly amounted to three yuan just on snacks.

"Sister-in-law, I'll stop eating jujube cakes tomorrow. Or maybe just give me one piece to share with Shen An."

Shen An also nodded in agreement: "I don't need to eat it, just give it to Shen Ning."

What does a boy need with snacks anyway?

Sang Luo: “…”

It's also not good when kids at home are too thrifty.

"Go ahead and eat. This is our selling price, not the cost price for us to buy. We made these ourselves, why hesitate to eat them? Sour jujubes are actually a kind of medicinal ingredient, and these cakes can stimulate appetite, strengthen the spleen, nourish the heart, and calm the mind. It's good for you to eat some every day."

Shen An and Shen Ning had only heard that eating these was good for their health, but didn't know exactly why until now.

Shen An: "I think my health is quite good actually, I don't really need supplements."

Shen Ning nodded in agreement: "I feel fine too."

Sang Luo looked at their blonde hair and clicked her tongue, "How can you say you're fine? Look at your hair. Only when it becomes dark and glossy can you say you’re truly healthy."

This was after she had started paying attention to their diet and provided supplements. While it was not yet clear whether their hair had improved, the two children’s complexions were already much healthier than when she first arrived.

Not just Shen An and Shen Ning, but also herself.

When she first arrived, she didn’t need a mirror to know she looked terrible; not only did she feel her sunken cheeks, but she also received pitiful glances from others, as if they saw a refugee in her.

Some changes happen imperceptibly. Reflecting on it, she realized that recently, she hadn’t encountered looks of pity anymore, indicating that her improved diet had indeed made a difference.

In fact, observing the changes in Shen An and Shen Ning made her aware of her own transformation.

Shen An, looking at his sister’s dry, thin hair and then at his sister-in-law, noticed that even if she had a better foundation, she still looked noticeably better than Shen Ning.

“Then we should eat it. Sister-in-law, next time you go to pick sour jujubes, take me with you? We can pick more and make more.”

Sang Luo glanced at his trousers hanging far above his ankles: “Let’s wait a bit. Once we’ve bought the water jar and bathtub, and saved some more money, I’ll make new clothes for all three of us. Then I’ll take you to the mountains.”

Shen An immediately understood the reason: she was concerned about snakes.

Adults always secure their trouser legs tightly when going into the mountains.

Shen An nodded: “Okay.”

Remembering the recently purchased wax paper, “Sister-in-law, isn't wrapping only five pieces in one sheet of wax paper a bit wasteful?”

After all, buying wax paper costs money, unlike lotus leaves.

Sang Luo hummed in agreement, “That’s why I plan to add an extra piece for those who pay six yuan.”

Three yuan for five pieces, six yuan for eleven – most people would opt for the six-yuan option to get the extra piece. Perfect!

And so, the price was decided.

……

The next morning, Sang Luo replaced one of the ceramic pots in her carrying basket with a terracotta jar.

When loading the cart, Qin Fangniang noticed the change and curiously asked, “Switched to something new for transporting the immortal tofu today?”

Sang Luo pondered for a moment and didn’t hide it from her: “No, this is a new delicacy I’ve made.”

She opened the jar’s lid and handed out two pieces, one each to Chen Youtian and Qin Fangniang, “Uncle, aunt, please try this.”

Chen Youtian waved it off, “I don’t eat these things, keep it for selling.”

Qin Fangniang, however, took it. Although it was dim, she could make out a round cake-like shape. She pressed it slightly, noting its soft texture, then took a small bite and relished the taste...

Her eyes widened in surprise: “Is this a dessert?”

Or is it candy???

Sang Luo smiled, “It’s called crystal cake, my new creation. I’m planning to try selling it in the county.”

“This must be expensive, right? You're just giving it to me to eat?”

Holding the remaining pieces, she felt unsure whether to eat or not.

Everyone knows that sweet delicacies aren't cheap. Rural families rarely buy such treats, and anyone able to afford a piece of dessert can boast about it in the village for a long time.

“Eat it, it’s homemade.” As she spoke, Sang Luo wrapped a few pieces in wax paper. “Take these back for the grandparents and little Yierlang to try. It's appetizing, spleen strengthening, heart nourishing, and calming – eating it is beneficial for health.”

She didn’t offer any to Chen Youtian, knowing he wouldn’t accept it, and instead placed it directly into Qin Fangniang’s hands: “Please take it back for Uncle Youtian.”

Qin Fangniang squeezed the wax paper package, estimating about five or six pieces inside, and marveled, “This must cost you a lot!”

Even though Sang Luo didn’t mention the price, Qin Fangniang knew it wouldn’t be cheap.

“Why mention that? I didn’t pack much; it’s just for tasting. Uncle Youtian is still helping me with furniture work at my place. If you talk like that, I ought to pay him a proper wage.”

Qin Fangniang was immediately at a loss for words.

Over these days, the two of them had been regularly traveling together to and from the county, and their relationship had deepened significantly from the initial days. Hearing the benefits of the food for health, Qin Fangniang no longer refused and gratefully said, “Then I’ll accept it. It’s nice to let the elders and kids at home taste such fine delicacies usually only available in the city.”

Saying this, she stuffed the wax paper package into Chen Youtian’s hands.

Chen Youtian took the package, feeling its weight. He wasn’t one for empty pleasantries. After a silent moment, he tucked it into his pocket and went back to pulling the cart.

Speaking of Chen Youtian, whether carrying loads or pulling carts, he hadn’t missed a single day lately, always ensuring to accompany them part of the way before heading back at dawn.

……

The markets in the east and west were still bustling. Today, Sang Luo introduced a new delicacy called "Crystal Cake," a name that suggested a dessert. Coupled with her reputation for selling immortal tofu, it attracted many inquiries.

This time, Sang Luo didn’t use free samples as a selling point because this delicacy, made with sugar, was truly expensive. Sweet treats are indeed costly, and offering them as free samples would attract a crowd in the market, but not necessarily buyers due to the price.

Therefore, when someone inquired about the price and hesitated, Sang Luo would then use a bamboo knife to cut a small piece for them to taste. This way of filtering customers often resulted in successful transactions. She managed her two businesses lively and efficiently.

Her eloquence in presenting her food made people's mouths water, and she always managed to sell faster than Qin Fangniang. Today, adding sour jujube cakes to her offerings was no exception.

A pot of sour jujube cakes, with many buying five pieces each to taste the novelty. Most of those who bought the immortal tofu were also fond of delicacies, spending three pennies to try a new treat without any reluctance. Many, having tasted a sample, spent six pennies to buy eleven pieces. The pot contained around two hundred sour jujube cakes. After setting aside some for the Chen family and a few for tasting samples, the remaining amount sold brought in over a hundred pennies.

Including the income from the immortal tofu and the previous balance, Sang Luo's money pouch was stuffed to the brim, even filling her sleeve pocket.

Speaking of which, she had been selling these small items for a while and had never received any silver, only copper coins.

Probably because the unit price was indeed too low.

After packing up her stall, Sang Luo first bought three ducklings in the west market, then went to a cloth shop, spending thirty-six pennies on four pieces of filter cloth. After having the shopkeeper cut them to size, she proceeded to the east market to meet with Qin Fangniang and buy a stone mill.

Standing outside the stone shop, Qin Fangniang was astonished to learn that Sang Luo was purchasing a stone mill. "Why are you buying this? It's not commonly used at home, right?" she questioned.

The stone mill is typically used for grinding wheat, and though wheat is cultivated here, it's in smaller quantities compared to millet, which is the staple.

In the south, unlike the north, most people aren’t adept at making wheat-based foods. Furthermore, it's rare for several villages to have a stone mill. The little wheat harvested is usually used to make wheat rice, which frankly isn't as tasty as their regular rice.

Therefore, most of the wheat harvested by each family in the village is usually given up for taxation, and any surplus is bought by grain merchants who visit the villages, leaving few families to keep any.

Sang Luo patted Qin Fangniang's hand, reassuring her, "It'll be useful. You'll see in a couple of days."