Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Just Sugar

Shen Ningning nodded in agreement.

She invited the village chief inside to talk.

The rest of the villagers gathered at the door, watching Shen Ningning and the village chief sitting side by side on armchairs.

The little girl sat up straight, her round face smiling, with the Black Wolf King lying at her feet, exuding a unique presence.

Everyone felt that the village chief was placing increasing importance on Shen Ningning.

"Ningning, you've seen the loquat trees in the village too. They are growing very well. I believe in two or three months, they will bear their first fruits."

"It's all thanks to your blessing and protection that everyone's life is looking more hopeful."

"But now, with the weather being so hot and considering the droughts of previous years, it'll likely stay hot for another two months before autumn arrives, increasing everyone's daily expenses."

"Therefore, after discussing it, we thought of cutting down some unripe fruits and making loquat candy, which is an old specialty of our village."

"Then we can sell it in the city to earn some money for living expenses. What do you think, would your family like to join in?"

The little one blinked, not quite understanding.

Is loquat candy expensive?

In a soft voice, she asked, "Village chief grandpa, just selling candy, how much money can we make?"

The little one really didn’t understand.

Hearing this, the old village chief and the villagers outside laughed together.

"Look at me, I forgot, you are still young and don’t understand," the old village chief thought Shen Ningning was smart and decisive.

So he instinctively consulted her about this matter, but Shen Ningning was, after all, a child, and such matters should be discussed with Granny Qin.

Auntie Liu said with a smile, "Ningning, candy is quite expensive! A tael of loquat candy can sell for twenty taels!"

That much?!

Shen Ningning's eyes widened in surprise.

Afraid she wouldn't understand, Auntie Liu patiently explained, "Think about it, how often do you get to eat candy on normal days? Isn't that sweet stuff very expensive?"

The little one's cheeks puffed slightly as she silently reminisced.

Expensive? She didn't know.

In her fairyland, she had piles of osmanthus honey, which she often moved out jar by jar.

Grandma would make delicious syrup with it.

Like the sour plum soup she cooked before, which also contained brown sugar.

This ingredient was placed inconspicuously in a corner of the kitchen in the fairyland.

Therefore, Shen Ningning never paid much attention to it.

Who would have thought that sugar was a precious commodity?

The little one said softly, "Well, there are few dessert shops in the city, and their products are expensive."

Auntie Liu laughed, "Exactly! Our loquat candy can be used for cooking, dissolving in dishes, and even in medicine, soup making. It has many uses!"

So it's about making sugar from fruit?

Shen Ningning suddenly understood.

No wonder Deng Fugui secretly gave her loquat candy to eat, looking at her with expectant eyes.

It turned out that this thing was very expensive!

Even in the village chief’s household, they only had a few pieces and used them sparingly.

The little girl remembered this too.

Last year, Qin Fangmei returned from Officer Du's house, proudly telling Shen Ningning that Officer Du had let her taste a bit of white sugar.

Qin Fangmei vividly described the sweet taste.

She even emphasized, "This is something only the nobles in the palace can afford!"

At the time, Shen Ningning didn't think much of it.

Speaking of white sugar, her fairyland had jars used for pickling vegetables filled with it, almost overflowing.

She had no idea it was so valuable.

Auntie Liu continued explaining, "Ningning, you're young and might not understand. In our Cangyun Kingdom, the most expensive things are white and brown sugar, affordable only by royalty and high-ranking officials."

"Us common folk mostly use loquat sugar, osmanthus honey, and if a bit more expensive, malt sugar, sugarcane honey, or brown sugar."

"Most of those dessert shops use osmanthus honey for sweetness, and the better ones use brown sugar."

"That's why, before the droughts, Xiangyun Village prospered by selling loquat candy."

Shen Ningning quickly did some calculations in her mind.

She thought for a moment and said, "Village Chief Grandpa, the fruits on my trees are mostly turning yellow, they should be sweeter."

"If I agree to let you use all of them to make candy, how much silver would I get in return?"

The villagers were startled, and the village chief looked somewhat incredulous.

"Ningning, are you planning to use all the fruits for candy making? It might not be the best idea. It's better to leave some fruits to ripen; they can produce more sugar."

Shen Ningning was well aware of this.

However, she was in need of silver for various purposes.

The fairyland required jade, which was expensive.

Moreover, she couldn’t take too many medicinal herbs to the village doctor all at once, as Grandma Qin worried it might attract unwanted attention from malevolent people.

Therefore, she wasn't too concerned about the few fruits in her land since she could grow many loquats in the fairyland.

The only issue was that she didn’t possess the skill to make sugar, so she still had to rely on the villagers of Xiangyun.

The little girl, with her round, bright eyes, stated determinedly, "I want to earn more silver."

The village chief was silent for a moment, chewing on a tea stalk.

He knew that, although Grandma Qin and Shen Ningning lived on the mountain and had no worries about food and drink, Shen Ningning was now attending private school, which required more money.

It was normal for the little girl to think this way.

So, the village chief said, "You're the younger one here, and I can't take advantage of you."

"We initially agreed that each family would get a tenth of the profits, but since you're contributing more, we can give you thirty percent. Does that sound fair to you?"

Shen Ningning thought for a moment and then nodded decisively, "Yes, that’s fine!"

But in her dealings, she was meticulous and insisted on proper procedures.

"Village Chief Grandpa, let's draw up a contract."

The village chief was taken aback, then laughed, "Ningning, would your grandpa cheat you?"

The little girl sweetly replied, "Grandma said that agreements should be put in writing and stamped for better assurance."

"It’s not just for my sake, but also to be responsible to you, Village Chief Grandpa, and the uncles in the village."

"Otherwise, what if one day I don’t produce as many fruits but still want to claim thirty percent of the profits?"

Her words left the villagers speechless, even pausing the village chief.

She had a point.

Now that Shen Ningning had the backing of the Crown Prince, any future disputes would be challenging to resolve without a contract.

Moreover, her reminder made everyone realize something.

The biggest fear wasn’t Shen Ningning changing her mind, but the unpredictability of human nature. What if other villagers ended up having a falling out?

Having a contract was a guarantee for everyone.

Auntie Liu immediately said, "Village Chief, we haven’t thought as clearly as Ningning. Let's draw up the contract and finalize this happy event!"

The village chief chuckled and stroked his beard, "Good! Jixiang, go prepare the paper and pen."

With black ink on white paper, the village chief personally wrote the contract, while Shen Ningning supervised and checked with her head tilted to one side.

Once the contract was deemed satisfactory, both parties signed and stamped it, and representatives from each family in the village came forward to press their fingerprints.

With the contract signed, smiles appeared on the faces of every household.

The village chief was the happiest, his cheeks flushed with joy.

He probably reminisced about the prosperous days when Xiangyun Village sold loquat candy.

"Quick, set off a string of firecrackers at the village entrance. Auntie Liu, lead a few women to prepare a big pot meal. Ningning, go fetch Grandma Qin. Let's have a grand celebration!"

Shen Ningning immediately nodded, "Alright!"

She mounted the Black Wolf King, ready to go up the mountain to find Grandma Qin.

Suddenly, the son of Uncle Liu, limping, ran over, exclaiming in alarm —

"Disaster! The mad scholar has fallen into the well!"