Chapter 73: Let's Cooperate

The shopkeeper grabbed Sang Luo's arm before she could steady herself, her eyes immediately darting to the two baskets Sang Luo carried.

“Miss, you’ve kept me waiting. Are you here in the county today to sell your crystal cakes?”

Sang Luo's eyebrows twitched, and she smiled, "Yes, I just arrived in town and was planning to inquire at two other pastry shops. Were you looking for me, shopkeeper?"

Planning to inquire at other pastry shops!

The female shopkeeper's grip on Sang Luo's sleeve tightened as she heard this, instantly becoming alert.

Catching her breath, she smiled and said, "Don't go just yet. Come, sit in my shop first, and we can talk at leisure."

Sang Luo felt she might not need to pitch her products elsewhere today; a buyer was already interested.

Smiling, she agreed and followed the shopkeeper, only then realizing that she had unwittingly passed by Yongfengzhai, which explained the shopkeeper's pursuit.

Inside Yongfengzhai, the shopkeeper invited Sang Luo to the back courtyard of the shop, even offering tea and snacks.

This gesture made Sang Luo suspect that this was about more than just buying or helping someone buy crystal hawthorn.

Sure enough, the shopkeeper began, "Miss, are you truly unwilling to sell the recipe for crystal hawthorn? We can negotiate a good price."

Sang Luo was tempted by the offer, but having arrived in ancient times with no support and two children, she preferred a steady income over a quick payout.

Selling recipes might bring quick money, but what about the long term, after selling one or two recipes?

There were many resources in the mountains, but without venturing deep, few were reliably profitable, and even those were seasonal.

There were potential profits in medicinal herbs, but Sang Luo didn't know them well. Her one attempt at selling medicinal herbs - hawthorn fruits - to an apothecary didn't bring in much. They only bought a few times before saying they had enough, and Sang Luo had to discard the rest back into the mountains. Fearful of revealing her hawthorn cake recipe, she even avoided using the remaining hawthorns for any purpose, like making beaded curtains.

Therefore, Sang Luo intended to hold onto and maximize what she knew as much as possible.

So, even though the shopkeeper's offer to negotiate a price was tempting, Sang Luo shook her head, "I'm sorry, shopkeeper, but our family relies on this skill for our livelihood."

The shopkeeper had already guessed it was unlikely to happen, as valuable recipes in these times were often closely guarded, passed down through generations as a means of livelihood. Unless one was in dire straits, such recipes were not easily sold.

With a sigh in her heart and a slight hint of regret on her face, she said, “I bought your crystal cakes a few days ago and after packaging them, delivered them to the Dong family. The ladies, misses, and young masters of the Dong family really liked them, even the old lady kept two jars. Therefore, our Dong family has been contemplating buying the recipe to refine it and sell it in our shop.”

Sang Luo smiled, waiting for her to continue.

Seeing Sang Luo’s composed demeanor, the shopkeeper had no choice but to offer the Dong family’s alternative proposal: “If you really don’t want to sell the recipe, perhaps we could talk about a collaboration.”

Sang Luo asked with a smile, “What kind of collaboration?”

The shopkeeper outlined the terms, essentially involving making the product according to their specifications using their provided molds, ensuring steady supply exclusively for them.

Sang Luo could agree to the first and last points, but the middle condition was unattainable for her.

"Sour dates naturally grow in the wild and are not cultivated by her; how could she guarantee their consistent availability? Considering the local climate and season, in another month and a half, they would no longer be available."

"Of course, she couldn't speak plainly about this. Revealing the real reason would make the recipe easier to decipher."

Consequently, Sang Luo simply shook her head: “I can make them using your molds, and exclusively supply you; these two conditions are manageable. However, a stable supply isn’t feasible. Besides making these crystallized fruits, our family has several other businesses to attend to. We're too busy to keep up, and hiring outsiders risks the leakage of the recipe, so we only produce them when we have spare time.”

The female shopkeeper: “……”

“You mean you’re too busy to make money?”

She looked doubtful.

Sang Luo frankly explained: “The immortal tofu and tofu recently sold in the county are also part of our family business, and we have some collaboration with Dongfu Tower. We truly are swamped with work, so please understand, shopkeeper. Of course, I will try my best to make some batches intermittently and bring them over.”

Hearing about the immortal tofu and tofu, the female shopkeeper showed a hint of surprise in her eyes.

That finally convinced her of Sang Luo's words.

"Alright then." With the conversation reaching this point, the shopkeeper had no other option. The pastry chefs in her shop had spent days pondering over the half-jar of crystal hawthorn Sang Luo had provided, trying over a dozen times without success to replicate it.

She then turned her attention to the basket Sang Luo had brought: "How much crystal hawthorn have you brought today?"

"Eight hundred and thirty-six pieces."

Sang Luo reported with remarkable precision.

The reason Sang Luo remembered the exact number was that when she packed the jars, there were thirty-nine extra pieces. She initially planned to leave nine as snacks for the younger siblings and bring eight hundred and thirty to town. However, the children, concerned about the family's debts, refused to keep more than three, insisting the rest be packed.

So, Sang Luo was particularly clear about this number.

In the past few days, she and either Shen Ning or Shen An scoured dozens of nearby mountains. They only picked the fruits that fell naturally, as sour jujube trees are too high and their branches too brittle to climb. The fallen fruits, unharmed by the impact, could last a few days, giving people enough time to collect them, which is why they mainly picked the overripe ones that had fallen naturally.

The eight hundred plus wen sounds like a lot, but it was hard-earned. They spent every day in the mountains, running back and forth several times. Once the nearby fruits were picked, they had to venture further, spending most of their time on mountain trails.

At night, they made jujube cakes at home. Days with a big harvest meant working late into the night, which was exhausting.

Now, even Shen An and Shen Ning had become adept at peeling and mashing the jujube.

The female owner laughed, "I'll take them all. Remember, in the future, only sell these crystal candied fruits to Yongfeng Zhai."

Sang Luo was more than willing, and immediately asked the owner to have them counted.

The female owner was prompt in her actions; she had the fruits counted and handed Sang Luo eight strings and thirty-six wen. She also gave Sang Luo time to count the money.

Sang Luo did not hesitate this time, as she had specific plans for the eight hundred plus wen she earned. She even asked the owner for a few strings to tie the money.

With each string costing eighty-eight wen, she strung nine strings, leaving only forty-four wen, which she strung into a smaller string.

Before leaving, the female owner asked Sang Luo to wait a moment and went inside to bring out a small box for her.

Sang Luo realized they were molds for making desserts. If she used them for her sour jujube cakes, they would not only come out uniform and neatly shaped but also bear the Yongfeng Zhai imprint.

"For future orders, could you kindly use these molds? What do you think?" the owner asked.

The imprint from the bamboo winnowing basket on the desserts would certainly make them less appealing.

After examining the molds and seeing they were similar in size to her current ones, Sang Luo nodded, "Alright, I'll use these for future batches."

She carefully inspected the molds, noting each was a rectangular shape with two rows, capable of making twenty pieces. The owner had brought out ten molds, meaning Sang Luo could make two hundred crystal candies at a time. Sang Luo frowned slightly, "If you have more molds, I would appreciate a few extra. These candies, if stored properly, last quite well. We don’t make them often, so we usually produce more in one batch."

The sour jujube season was short, so Sang Luo needed to plan and preserve a stock. This way, she could continue supplying Yongfeng Zhai even after the season, reducing the likelihood of people associating her crystal candies with wild sour jujubes from the mountains.

The female owner frowned, understanding that fresher products were preferred for her shop. But recalling how the six hundred pieces she sent to her boss’s family vanished almost instantly, despite their large family size, she knew her clientele at Yongfeng Zhai were mostly from similar wealthy households.

She realized her mistake in limiting the number of molds.

If Sang Luo got too busy with tofu and her deal with Dongfu Lou, and only made the crystal candies infrequently, how far would two hundred pieces go?

"Isn't this limiting myself indirectly?"

The female shopkeeper immediately agreed with a smile, "Certainly, please wait a moment while I fetch some more."

Eventually, she brought out another ten molds, allowing for the production of four hundred pieces in one batch.

Once business matters were settled, the shopkeeper invited Sang Luo to sit and have tea and snacks. She introduced herself with a smile, "My surname is Yan. You can call me Manager Yan. May I ask for your name and where you live?"

She began to inquire about Sang Luo's background.

Since they were now in a partnership, Sang Luo saw no harm in sharing. "My surname is Sang, just Luo for the first name. Manager Yan can call me Mrs. Sang or Luo. I live in Qingpu Township, Shili Village."

Manager Yan noted this information and then asked, "May I know when Mrs. Sang can deliver the first batch of goods?"

After pondering, Sang Luo replied, "I should be able to deliver the first batch in about four days."

The production time of these items was weather-dependent. They could be dried in two days under good sunlight, but they required longer if they had to be aired indoors during rainy days.

Having agreed on a rough delivery schedule, Sang Luo gathered her jars and the dessert molds given by Manager Yan and prepared to leave.

Manager Yan, being hospitable, accompanied her all the way to the shop's entrance.

After leaving Yongfeng Zhai, Sang Luo decided not to visit anywhere else and headed straight to the grain shop where Chen You Tian and others were lining up.

It was still early, and a long queue formed outside the grain shop. Chen You Tian and others were mid-way in line. Sang Luo approached, pulling money strings from her pouch and handed three to Chen You Tian, Shi Er Lang, and Lu Da Lang, along with a grain bag each: "Thanks for your effort, please buy three dou (a unit of volume) of grain for me, each string of money is exactly eighty-eight wen."

Assisting Sang Luo with buying grain was prearranged; Chen You Tian and the others could only buy about one to one and a half dou per trip due to purchase limits. Sang Luo was too busy selling goods to queue, so she had asked them to buy grain on her behalf.

They nodded, pocketing the money, and Sang Luo waited aside.

Zhou Village Chief had noticed Sang Luo's bulging purse on his way here in the morning, not realizing that she had earned the money by selling goods in town. He was rather curious about the confectionery molds in Sang Luo's basket, several of which couldn't fit into the jars and were left outside.

……

By mid-morning, they had bought the grain and proceeded to purchase salt, priced at twenty-four wen per liter. Zhou Village Chief directly bought five liters, prompting Sang Luo to gaze at him several times in surprise – that amount could last well over a year.

Sang Luo recalled that Zhou Village Chief’s family was quite large, but with careful usage, the salt should indeed suffice for more than a year.

Sang Luo also considered stocking up on salt, a commodity well-known for its long shelf life, easily lasting two to three years. But feeling the weight of her money pouch, she pragmatically asked the shopkeeper for just one liter.

That was all she could afford – purchasing this one liter left her with only twenty wen in hand.

The Chen, Shi, and Lu families were in a similar situation to Sang Luo, each buying a liter of salt with gritted teeth.

Having completed their purchases, everyone was in a hurry to return to their fields, opting not to wait for Qin Fang Nü and her group. They hoisted their bags and set off.

For Chen You Tian and the others, carrying their own purchases was no trouble; it was easily manageable by hand. Sang Luo's rice, however, totaled nine dou and was divided into three bags. Thankfully, Chen You Tian and his companions assisted with carrying them.

The group of five, with Sang Luo carrying a load on a shoulder pole and the rest shouldering grain and carrying bags, unavoidably drew attention as they returned to the village.

"Really buying high-priced grain, huh? What's the point? It’s just for this year's tax. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to sell some to the grain merchant," someone commented.

"Tsk, really earning money by setting up a stall in the county."

"Chen You Tian, what does your wife sell in the county? She must be making quite a bit, right?"

Chen You Tian: "Wild greens, mushrooms, whatever vegetables we grow at home. Whatever we have, we sell. If you're hardworking, you could also carry your goods to the county to sell."

The person sneered, speaking to Chen You Tian but his eyes were fixed on the carrying basket Sang Luo was shouldering, especially those covered jars.

The dessert molds were no longer visible, as Sang Luo had placed the bag of salt on top, partially concealing them.

Sang Luo noticed these reactions and put on a worried face, forcing a smile as she responded, "Uncle You Tian and the others are helping me carry grain. This year, our family has to pay a tax of four shi and four dou of grain. We're still far from meeting that amount."

Chen You Tian and the others had indeed helped Sang Luo carry grain and knew that she had already stored enough grain for her tax and even for consumption until next autumn. The nine dou she purchased today was just her being cautious and wanting to store some more.

On their way back to the village, they deliberately did not take the mountain path but went through the village to show off their haul. Otherwise, how could they suddenly produce four shi of grain when it came time to pay taxes?

Shi Er Lang, quick-witted, immediately played along with Sang Luo's reaction, saying, "Don't worry too much. If you haven't gathered enough grain by September 14th, our families will help you out."

Chen You Tian and Lu Da Lang were momentarily stunned but quickly caught on, nodding in agreement, "Yes, yes, each family can contribute a little. You can return it once you've earned enough to buy grain."

Zhou Village Chief, unaware of the pretense, took their performance seriously. He knew tofu-making was profitable but also required capital. With Sang Luo also supporting three other families and considering the costs of building a house and other expenses, it seemed plausible that she might struggle to buy grain.

Thinking of how Sang Luo still had to pay her deceased husband's share of the tax and considering the similar situation of the Chen, Shi, and Lu families, Zhou Village Chief felt heavy-hearted. He couldn't interfere when the Shen family split, but now he felt he could lend a hand with the tax payment.

With this thought, Zhou Village Chief offered, "If you're short by a lot, my family can help contribute as well. Just make sure to replenish the grain later."

Sang Luo, originally just acting, was momentarily taken aback by his offer, then smiled graciously, "Thank you, Uncle Zhou."

Although Sang Luo didn't actually need this help, Zhou Village Chief's offer, whether it was a sincere desire to help or an investment in her tofu-making skills, was a gesture she appreciated.