Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The popsicle business was booming, far exceeding Wang Ying's expectations.

He had initially thought two hundred popsicles would last a whole day, but they sold out so quickly. Judging by the demand, even making another two hundred might not be enough.

As the townsfolk put it, what could one buy for just two coins? Even a piece of crispy candy cost five!

On a scorching summer day, a bite of that icy, cool, sweet popsicle was pure bliss.

Upon returning, Wang Ying ramped up production, working through the night to make five hundred popsicles, which he had Dun Zi deliver to town the next day.

In just one month, the shop earned twenty-seven guan from popsicles alone—even more profitable than selling vegetables!

Overwhelmed by the workload, Wang Ying hired several village women to help. They milked goats and boiled malt sugar daily, and with more hands, popsicle production soared.

Any unsold popsicles were stored in the experimental field. While there was enough space for now, keeping them frozen indefinitely wasn't a sustainable solution.

Just as he was pondering this, a sharp young man approached, asking if he could buy popsicles wholesale from the boss to sell in nearby villages.

The young man's given name was Ma Zhandong, but everyone in the village called him Ma Qianzi (Nux Vomica), a nickname he earned because of his shrewdness. He always wore a broad smile, spoke with silver-tongued eloquence, excelled at seizing opportunities, and was a natural-born entrepreneur.

He arrived carrying two chickens. Upon seeing Wang Ying, he bowed deeply and said, "Your humble servant greets the boss. May the boss enjoy fortune, longevity, and good health."

"Rise. What brings you here?"

Ma Qianzi stood up, grinning. "I heard the boss makes popsicles but only sells them in town. I came to ask if the boss needs help selling them in our nearby villages too."

Wang Ying raised an eyebrow. This was indeed a good sales channel. He recalled how, in his childhood, vendors would peddle popsicles and ice cream through village streets.

Selling them wholesale to Ma Qianzi would save a lot of effort, and the popsicles accumulated in the experimental field wouldn't have to stay frozen indefinitely.

"If you help me sell popsicles, how should we handle the money?"

Ma Qianzi immediately replied, "It would be an honor to assist the boss. If the boss doesn't mind, I'd do it even without pay."

"That won't do. How about this: I sell them in town for two coins each, or five coins for three. In the villages, we'll make them cheaper—three coins for two. For every hundred coins you earn, I'll give you twenty coins as wages. For every guan, you'll get two hundred coins."

Ma Qianzi's eyes widened at this. It was far more generous than he had imagined!

He immediately knelt and kowtowed again. "Thank you, boss! I will surely sell as many popsicles as possible for you!"

Wang Ying first gave him fifty popsicles and taught him how to keep them insulated to prevent melting. Ma Qianzi then slung a wicker basket over his shoulder and began hawking them from street to street.

He was quick on his feet. On the first day, he visited two nearby villages and sold a total of one hundred and twenty popsicles, earning one hundred and eighty coins.

As agreed, Wang Ying gave him thirty-six coins as wages. Having tasted success, the young man arrived before dawn the next day to pick up more popsicles, bringing two other young boys with him.

He took three hundred popsicles, planning to sell them in five or six nearby villages. The two boys were his hired helpers, each earning ten coins a day.

The three hundred popsicles sold for four hundred and fifty coins. After deducting the wages for his two helpers, Ma Qianzi netted seventy coins for himself.

Ma Qianzi's ingenious approach deeply impressed Wang Ying. This young man was indeed cut out for business—his mind worked incredibly fast!

*

Days turned into weeks, and soon it was the end of June.

Under the "diligent watering" of the two, the experimental field's experience soared, jumping directly from Level 3 to Level 4 and seemingly rushing toward Level 5.

Upon leveling up, the experimental field unlocked a new feature: it could now be activated remotely by two people. Wang Ying no longer needed to be near Chen Qingyan to activate it.

Similarly, Chen Qingyan, also bound to the experimental field, gained activation privileges but still no usage rights.

Even so, this made things much more convenient. When Chen Qingyan wasn't around, Wang Ying could still use the experimental field anytime.

In addition, the experimental field gained another new feature: automatic sowing.

Wang Ying could select the planting area on the screen, place the pre-prepared seeds nearby, choose the one-click sowing option, and the seeds would be evenly sown into the ground. After setting the weather, he could simply leave it alone.

It was becoming increasingly intelligent—so much so that Wang Ying felt like he was playing a farming simulation game.

That night, the two were in the experimental field, studying the new automatic planting feature. Wang Ying said, "We're just a bit short of experience to reach Level 5. I wonder what new features Level 5 will bring."

Chen Qingyan immediately pounced on him like a puppy, quickly stripping off Wang Ying's clothes and thrusting into him while standing.

"Ah, slow down..." Wang Ying braced himself against the peach tree, his body swaying back and forth from the impact, shaking the peach blossoms loose and covering them both.

Afterward, Wang Ying opened the screen to check the progress bar. The experience was still stuck at 98%, with no progress. This was strange—perhaps the conditions for leveling up weren't fully met.

He activated the automatic rainfall, and the two took a natural rainwater shower. After drying off, they returned to the bedroom and slept until dawn.

The next morning, Wang Ying woke up around the hour of Chen, feeling groggy and listless. Perhaps he'd caught a chill from the cold shower the night before, but he didn't think much of it.

As usual, he stopped by the study and, seeing the three being scolded, tiptoed away quietly.

In the kitchen, Yang Xi's wife and her two sisters-in-law were boiling the base mixture for the popsicles. When they saw Wang Ying, they stood up to greet him. "Greetings, sir."

"Carry on with your work. Just make sure to maintain hygiene and avoid getting any dirt into the mixture."

"We followed your instructions, sir. We washed our hands three times in advance and scrubbed them clean with soap."

Wang Ying nodded. "Anything meant to be eaten mustn't have any contaminants. Otherwise, if people get sick, no one will buy them."

"Understood, understood."

Leaving the kitchen, Wang Ying put on a straw hat and went to the fields. The spring harvest had already ended, and the fields were covered with cut wheat stubble. In a few days, after the field burning was done, they could plant millet.

The weather in June was as fickle as a child's mood. In the morning, the sky was clear and bright, but in the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered.

Wang Ying hurried home but was caught halfway by large raindrops pelting him. In an instant, the dense, pouring rain soaked his clothes completely.

On the way, he ran into Chen Qingyan, who had come out with an umbrella to look for him. "Why did you come out in such heavy rain?"

"Uncle Chen said you'd left, so I came to pick you up because I was worried."

"Let's hurry back. This umbrella is about to be ruined by the rain."

The two jogged home, their clothes drenched. While changing, Wang Ying sneezed six or seven times in a row and felt slightly feverish.

"Did you catch a cold? Should we go back to town to see a doctor?"

"No need. Some hot water will help."

Chen Qingyan was still concerned. "Should I call the village physician to take a look?"

"No, no. Last time Huzi had a fever, I saw that physician perform *gua sha* on him. His skin was all swollen and bruised. It was too scary—I don't dare let him treat me."

Chen Qingyan couldn't persuade him otherwise, so he helped dry Wang Ying's hair with a cloth towel and said, "Then lie down and rest for a while. I'll make some fish soup for you."

"Alright." Wang Ying was indeed feeling drowsy. He lay down on the kang and drifted into a hazy dream.

He dreamed of catching fish in a river, where the water was only calf-deep, clear enough to see the bottom, and filled with fish swimming about.

Among them, a red carp stood out particularly. Wang Ying couldn't resist trying to catch it, but after four or five attempts, he still hadn't succeeded, leaving him breathless and worn out.

The carp seemed to be deliberately teasing Wang Ying; when he stopped, it swam circles around his legs.

Seizing the moment when the fish was off guard, Wang Ying caught it! The half-foot-long red carp thrashed its tail in his hand, then suddenly chuckled like a baby and called out, "Father..."

Wang Ying jolted awake from the dream and, seeing the fish soup Chen Qingyan had brought, immediately felt nauseous. Leaning against the kang edge, he heaved violently.

This frightened Chen Qingyan terribly, who immediately called Uncle Chen to hitch the carriage for their return to town.

"Really, it's nothing... it was just the dream..."

Chen Qingyan said with a stern face, "No! What if it gets worse if we delay?"

"Alright, let's go then."

The rain outside had let up a bit. Wang Ying was helped into the carriage. Liang Boqing and his two younger brothers, hearing the commotion, came over to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Probably caught a cold from the rain. We're going back to town to see a physician."

"Be careful on the road, take care."

"It's fine, you all should go back inside."

Chen Qingyan went with him back to town. Halfway there, the rain came down harder, and the muddy road made the mule cart difficult to navigate. It was already dark by the time they reached town.

The gatekeeper hurriedly opened the gate upon hearing the knock and saw Uncle Chen driving the mule cart into the courtyard.

Li Shi and Chen Rong, hearing of their return, quickly came out with umbrellas. "Why are you back in such heavy rain?"

"A Ying isn't feeling well. We came back to see a physician."

"What's wrong?"

Wang Ying quickly said, "It's nothing, just a slight fever and some nausea at noon, but he rushed me back here in a panic."

Chen Rong said with mild scolding, "Don't take it lightly. What if it's a chill? Hurry and send for the physician."

Back in the rear courtyard, Chen Qingyan first had hot water prepared and helped Wang Ying take a bath and change into dry clothes.

Having eaten little all day, he asked Aunt Chen to quickly prepare a pot of noodle soup.

After the warm noodle soup warmed his stomach, Wang Ying felt much more comfortable. Soon, the physician arrived and took his pulse.

The old physician stroked his beard and asked, "Have you had marital relations lately?"

In front of so many people, Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan blushed instantly. "Yes... we have."

"Then that must be it. It seems it's still early in the pregnancy. Take good care of yourself, avoid cold foods, and come back for a check-up in a while."

Chen Qingyan hadn't quite grasped what he meant. "No medicine needed?"

"No, he shouldn't take any medicine haphazardly now. Just rest well. You two should also be moderate and avoid intimacy if possible."

"Why... why?"

"He's just become pregnant. Intimacy could harm his body."

"Pregnant?!" Both Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan were stunned; neither had considered this possibility.

Third Aunt, standing nearby, clapped her hands and laughed, "Elder sister-in-law, you've finally got your wish!"

Li Shi was also surprised that Wang Ying was pregnant. Overcome with emotion, she quickly called a maid, "Xiao Yue, fetch a reward for the physician!"

"Alright." The maid ran back and brought two strings of cash. The physician happily accepted them—treating affluent families had its perks, especially when there was happy news and generous rewards.

After the physician left, Li Shi pushed her dazed son aside and sat next to Wang Ying. "Are you still feeling unwell? Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll have Aunt Chen make it for you."

"No, I've had enough already."

Li Shi's happiness was evident. "Then rest quickly. I'll come see you tomorrow. You silly children, not realizing something this important! Good thing you came back. Rest at home for a while!"