Chapter 122
Chapter 122: Chapter 122 Psychological Effects_1 Chapter 122: Chapter 122 Psychological Effects_1 After a busy round, it was not until nightfall that Lin Yue counted out the bag of Copper Coins she had earned from selling food at the morning market. She had more than 1,200 coins, and after deducting the cost, she had a pure profit of at least 1,000 coins, which was one tael of silver. Lin Yue was overjoyed; she was right in thinking that selling food was quite profitable. Today, with just a few items, she had made more than a tael of silver, and she was certain she could earn even more in the future.
This time Lin Yue planned to add a few more items: mung bean sprouts, pan-fried bamboo shoots, steamed buns, as well as braised pig stomach, pig heart, pig liver, and stir-fried pig lungs. As for pig intestines, Lin Yue could only save them for her own family to eat, as the local people all considered them filthy things, which even the poor rarely wished to eat. Removing the smell didn’t change that; it was purely psychological.
Early the next day, Lin Yue got up at dawn and, with a hoe and a basket, went to the valley where she had last harvested wild vegetables. She had not searched carefully before and so had not discovered it, but it was only after seeing a Perilla Sprout mixed amongst the wild greens they had picked from Dalang and the others that she learned there was a small patch in the valley. Lin Yue was delighted and decided to dig up the sprouts to plant in her own yard.
It was a valuable plant, good either for medicine or as a seasoning for dishes. Just the other day, she had thought that the pan-fried bamboo shoots lacked a certain flavor, missing the perilla leaves, and she didn’t know where to find them. Now, fortune presented itself without any effort. Perilla was not only suitable for bamboo shoots but particularly for cooking fish. Adding perilla could remove the fishy smell and impart a unique flavor that was delicious.
When Lin Yue went to dig up the perilla, she also found a small patch of purple perilla nearby, which was another pleasant surprise. Lin Yue didn’t dig up everything at once but left a small portion of each, allowing them to continue propagating and growing there.
These days, besides being busy selling food in the market, Lin Yue was also embroidering night and day, working under an oil lamp until the third watch of the night.
Lin Yue was working on a set of four double-sided embroidery screen decorations, selecting the traditional motifs of the Four Gentlemen among flowers: plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Although not very novel, her embroidery skills were superior, bringing the patterns on the fabric to life, as if they were real. However, the work was both mentally and time-consuming; several days had passed, and Lin Yue had yet to complete even one of the four pictures.
Thinking about finishing the embroidery pieces early, Lin Yue worked even harder, and her bright eyes developed bloodshot from the effort. What’s more, she also had to busy herself selling food at the market. With continuous hard work day and night, her cheeks, which had only recently been plumped up by Zhao Erhu, became increasingly gaunt and pointed.
Lin Yue herself did not notice, only feeling the silver in her hand gradually accumulating. She became more confident and energetic with each passing day. Once she had saved enough silver, her first goal was to repay the six taels of silver she had borrowed from her third uncle. Moreover, what she wanted and needed most now was to buy a bullock cart.
Selling food at the market had become the main source of income for her household, and Lin Yue had made it a fixed routine to go there every three days. On market days, she would always go into the city to sell her food.
Lin Yue’s food was tasty and clean, cheaper than the stores’, and offered a wider variety. As she frequented the market, she gradually gained some fame, and more people came to buy her food. Each time, the food she brought was sold out, far exceeding the two large back baskets of goods she and Dalang had carried on their first visit. In the subsequent market visits, Lin Yue could fill half a bullock cart with her goods. The village women, seeing her bring so much to sell each time, became curious. Their eyes roamed, wondering what mischief they might be brewing in their minds.