Chapter 172:

Chapter 172:

At the Lucky Wine House's back kitchen.

Beneath the flickering firelight in the stove, Wu Shengwen tossed vegetables in a large wok. The two kitchen helpers, busy chopping and washing dishes, didn't stop for a moment; today, the restaurant was bustling with customers, and dishes and drinks were being served nonstop.

Finally, after finishing the last dish, he shouted out to the front. A waiter swiftly entered and carried it away, allowing Wu Shengwen to wipe his sweat in relief.

Hardly had he sat down on a bench when another waiter, having cleared empty plates, came in and said, "Old Wu, the egg vendor is here. He was at the entrance earlier, and the manager saw him, so he asked him to come around to the back door to see you."

"Alright, I got it." Wu Shengwen rose and walked outside, opening the back door to peek out. Sure enough, Pei Yan was leading his donkey cart into the alley.

Upon seeing Pei Yan, he laughed heartily. Ever since his second son got married, no one mocked him anymore for his son being a bachelor, which filled him with joy.

Moreover, although Miao Shuer was older and quiet, she worked diligently. She could handle all household chores, from laundry to cooking, and was honest and straightforward, never stirring up trouble or gossiping. His family couldn't be more satisfied.

With the restaurant's recent good business, his monthly wages were secure. Sometimes, when the manager was in a good mood, he would even let him take some meat or vegetables home. With food not being an issue, life was smooth sailing, and he greeted everyone with a smile.

If it weren't for encountering Miao Chengcai and Pei Yan, things wouldn't have been this pleasant.

Wu Shengwen had thought about this many times, deeply believing that these two were his family's benefactors.

Hearing the price of seven coins per egg, Wu Shengwen didn't haggle. It was the market rate, and some sold them even higher. Even if the manager checked the accounts, there would be nothing to criticize.

As for the salted duck eggs, seeing only thirty available, he bought them all, paying the market price of eight coins each. This wasn't a staple dish in the restaurant; sometimes, when customers ordered many dishes, the manager would offer a couple as a complimentary appetizer. They couldn't run out.

Sixty-nine eggs were slightly discounted by Pei Yan, counted as sixty-five. Even if two accidentally cracked, Wu Shengwen didn't mind. If the customers didn't order eggs today, the manager's meal would be prepared separately, and no one would notice if they were made into poached eggs.

Regarding the salted duck eggs, Wu Shengwen waved his hand, not bargaining for any extra. He simply counted them as thirty, acknowledging the difficulty of delivering eggs in the dead of winter.

Pei Yan initially planned to visit Qingyu Lane, but now, there was no need.

Sixty-five eggs cost four hundred fifty-five coins, while thirty salted duck eggs were two hundred forty coins, totaling six hundred ninety-five coins.

Pei Yan accepted seven silver pieces from Wu Shengwen and returned five coins, settling the transaction.

Seven silver pieces plus the three pieces and fifty coins he earned earlier, excluding the fifty coins in change, amounted to a full silver tael.

On the way back, the donkey ran faster. Pei Yan was well bundled up, leaving only his eyes visible, which sparkled with unrestrained joy.

*

In the courtyard, the dogs circled their food bowls, howling incessantly.

Usually, after Gu Lanshi and Pei Yan finished eating, they would give the leftover broth and water to the dogs mixed with coarse steamed buns. Today, however, there was no movement; the dishes with remnants still lay on the table, untouched. All three dogs waited eagerly, constantly gazing toward the window of the eastern room.

Inside, Gu Lanshi and Pei Yan sat facing each other on the edge of the kang bed, pouring out the silver pieces and copper coins from their pouches.

Ten silver pieces, each worth a coin, were neatly collected in Gu Lanshi's palm. He whispered the numbers one through six, occasionally breaking into a silly grin.

Pei Yan counted the copper coins, though it was unnecessary. Excluding the twenty coins he took in the morning, there were forty-five left.

Indeed, after counting, there were sixty-five coins in total. He grabbed them and stuffed them directly back into the pouch, saying, "Let's leave them out. When we accumulate enough to make a hundred coins, we'll put them away."

"Mm-hmm." Gu Lanshi responded absentmindedly, not even looking up. His gaze remained fixed on the silver pieces as he chuckled, "Another tael. Less than two hundred eggs—chicken and duck combined—and we've made this much money."

Pei Yan was also delighted, commenting, "This year, the egg prices have been relatively stable, not reaching ten coins."

"What about before the New Year? Shouldn't they be a bit higher?" Gu Lanshi smiled, looking up at him.

"It's possible," Pei Yan tightened the pouch's drawstring, reaching behind him to feel around. He then directly tucked it under the quilt at the head of the kang bed, adding, "Even if they don't reach ten coins, they should at least be around eight coins."

Gu Lanshi held the silver pieces tightly in his hand, not letting go. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Considering the current laying trend of the hens, with thirty days in a month, there should be roughly one hundred fifty to one hundred eighty eggs. It won't exceed this number, and we'll have to give some discount. Let's calculate based on one hundred fifty eggs. At seven coins each, that's one thousand coins."

"We can earn a tael selling eggs every month." His eyes lit up as he reached this conclusion.

Pei Yan smiled, "In a few days, when the ground hardens a bit more, we can take a pig to town to sell. We still have five pigs left at home; that's another ten taels."

"During the New Year festivities, we'll have various expenses. We also need money for daily meals and buying meat. The few taels from selling eggs can cover those costs and leave us with a little extra. However, the money from selling the pigs can be saved entirely. By the end of winter, with steady progress, we'll have ten taels in our hands."

Gu Lanshi sighed deeply, his eyes filled with a smile. "Last winter, although we made a fortune selling snakes, they were venomous, causing us a lot of worry. Selling eggs and pigs won't make us rich, but it's stable."

"Woof—"

"Whine—"

The dogs, hungry, gathered at the door of the room, staring at the two of them. Dahei was fine, not barking randomly, but Huizhui and Huizi started whining as soon as they noticed the attention.

Gu Lanshi remembered he hadn't fed them yet. Delighted, he carefully stored the silver tael away before heading out to do the chores.

*

The fish and earthworms dried for the hens were ready. The two of them sat in front of a stone mortar, pounding and grinding.

Dried earthworms and loaches were easy to handle; a few strikes softened them, saving effort compared to grinding them into powder.

The dried fish contained bones and spines. Gu Lanshi used chopsticks to scrape off the flesh while removing the bones and larger spines by hand. Since there was a possibility of the hens getting stuck with a bone, he discarded them.

For the smaller spines that were harder to pick out, chickens usually eat small pebbles anyway. Pei Yan pounded the fish meat repeatedly until he could touch it without feeling any spines. Then, he mixed it with crushed bran and chopped vegetable leaves, taking it inside to feed the chickens.

Seeing the hens happily eating without any discomfort, the two of them felt relieved. They changed the water for the chickens, ensuring it was clean, before closing the door and leaving them alone.

*

In the evening, after dinner, which they ate earlier than usual, there was still some time before nightfall. Gu Lanshi washed the dishes while Pei Yan, having some free time, sat in front of the woodpile, twisting rush grass strips. He placed the finished ones under the weight of logs.

Their cloth shoes were fine, but once spring arrived, they would need to wear straw shoes when entering the paddy fields. Shoes that had been soaked in water tended to deteriorate quickly. Preparing two pairs of straw shoes early for next year meant they wouldn't have to rush when the time came.

The dogs, having eaten their fill, had nothing better to do than play-fight. Most often, it was Huizhui and Huizi.

As they fought, something escalated, and one of them yelped in pain from being bitten. Pei Yan looked up, too lazy to intervene and scold them. Instead, he casually picked up a piece of firewood and threw it over.

The piece of wood struck Huizi, who was biting Huizhui, on the head, then clattered to the ground. The two dogs immediately separated.

Huizhui, having suffered a loss today, seemed somewhat indignant. Baring his teeth, he wanted to start another fight but was stopped by Pei Yan's stern voice. Subsequently, both found spots to lie down, ignoring each other.

Gu Lanshi was long accustomed to this; hearing the silence, he didn't even ask, sometimes when Pei Yan wasn't around and Heihei and Heizi fought too fiercely, it was him who would step in to give them a few slaps as a lesson.

"Woof woof!"

The nearest to the courtyard gate, Dahai suddenly barked at the outside, Pei Yan looked over, and a figure appeared at the wicker gate.

Xu Qier didn't dare to enter directly, shouting, "Brother Lanshi!"

After shouting, he only then recognized that in the courtyard was Pei Yan, adding another greeting to Brother Pei Yan.

"Come in." Pei Yan called out, the rush grass strip in his hand had just been twisted, not easy to let go of.

Dahai no longer barked, Heihei and Heizi were on alert for a moment, seeing that their master showed no unusual reaction, they all turned their heads again to sulk.

Gu Lanshi finished tidying up the bowls and chopsticks, seeing Xu Qier arrive, remembering last year's incident, he said to Pei Yan, "I remember there's still six coins?"

"Mm, it's six coins, later he never came to claim it." Pei Yan nodded.

Xu Qier visibly hesitated when Heihei came over to sniff him, not daring to move about randomly.

"Shoo!" Gu Lanshi chased away the dog, smiling at him, "When did you come back?"

"Just got back this afternoon." Seeing the big dog leave, Xu Qier was slightly relieved, accepting the stool Gu Lanshi handed over, he sat down cautiously.

He hadn't seen much of Gu Lanshi in the past half-year, coming straight to ask for money made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Pei Yan saw his hesitation, bluntly asking, "Need money?"

"Mm, I want to take one coin, Rui'er hasn't seen any oil for two or three months, I want to buy a catty of meat tomorrow." Xu Qier was honest and straightforward, subconsciously revealing where the money would be spent.

Now that he had wages every month, he couldn't spend them recklessly either, with no adults left in his family, he could only plan for himself.

This was originally his money, Gu Lanshi had no reason not to give it to him, while giving the money, he also gave a few words of advice, telling him not to spend it frivolously, after buying the meat, remember to render some lard, which would satisfy his craving and could be saved for slow consumption, and he also gave Xu Qier some dried vegetables to take home.