Chapter 188
Chapter 188: Chapter 188 Joyful Times_1 Chapter 188: Chapter 188 Joyful Times_1 Actually, Lin Yue, at fourteen, was considered mature for a girl in ancient times. By that age, others would have already developed well. Lin Yue’s previous frailty was mainly due to malnutrition and being sick twice in a row, along with exhaustion. Thanks to Jiang Ziqi’s care and Zhao Erhu’s attentive nurturing, she naturally blossomed. Lin Yue herself didn’t feel much different, but it delighted Zhao Erhu immensely. He was thinking, the sooner his little wife grew up, the sooner he could “eat meat.”
The Dragon Boat Festival was only about ten days away. Originally, Lin Yue planned to make zongzi as holiday gifts, but then she thought of it as an opportunity to make money. Nowadays, apart from delivering ingredients to the Government Office every other day, Zhao Erhu also went to the market to sell food on market days. Lin Yue accompanied Zhao Erhu twice, and everyone recognized him, knowing that the craftsmanship was Lin Yue’s. The business was thriving just as well as before, with several taels of silver earned each day. The Government Office now settled their accounts monthly, paying them seventy to eighty taels at a time.
Lin Yue knew that due to past reasons, Zhao Erhu always had some unspoken anxieties and was overly cautious with her. It was less that he didn’t trust her and more that he didn’t trust himself. Lin Yue didn’t feel the need to manage this—she kept the silver in Zhao Erhu’s hands anyway. Besides, she could embroider, and the money she earned from one piece of embroidery after another was not insignificant. However, she would absolutely never hand this money over to Zhao Erhu; she kept it tightly in her own control.
No matter when, relying on others is never as solid as relying on oneself. Besides, Zhao Erhu had not yet been completely “domesticated” by her. Confronted with shameless people like Zhao Yunxiang, he could become soft-hearted and suffer a loss. After all, they were blood relatives, and who could remain entirely indifferent? If that was really the case, Lin Yue would be more worried about whether Zhao Erhu was heartless and cold-blooded, and how he would treat her then.
Since Lin Yue planned to sell zongzi, she had to make some in advance to sell or give away as a promotion. Otherwise, who would know how delicious their homemade zongzi were?
Lin Yue came up with an idea. Whenever Zhao Erhu sold food at the market, he would give away a zongzi for free if a customer spent more than twenty coins. However, these zongzi were made quite small, which made them appear refined and delicate. In the end, they were a freebie, and they were tasty, so everyone happily accepted them.
At that time, there weren’t many varieties of zongzi. They were simply sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed. The zongzi Lin Yue made contained various fillings, sweet and savory, red bean paste, “eight treasures,” fresh meat, egg yolk, and so on. Since they were for giving away, Lin Yue did not specifically sort them; whichever one people got was the luck of the draw. They all enjoyed them, and Lin Yue’s zongzi quickly gained a good reputation.
The zongzi made in the first two days were all giveaways. Some people even bought extra items just to qualify for the free zongzi, effectively making the promotion a success. Lin Yue and her business didn’t lose out since they had anticipated this situation and prepared extra food for Zhao Erhu to sell at the market. The cost of the ingredients used for the zongzi was recouped from these additional sales.
Lin Yue also had Zhao Erhu deliver zongzi to the Government Office. Even the Magistrate, having tried them, found them very good, let alone the servants in the Office. However, the number of zongzi Zhao Erhu brought to the Office was limited, so only the higher-status servants could enjoy one.
Once the Magistrate issued his approval, he decided that this year’s zongzi would all be purchased from Zhao Erhu. The buyer was instructed to place an order with Zhao Erhu, with the quantity and delivery date agreed upon.
The Government Office of Xin’an City was quite substantial, and with so many people, the quantities ordered were huge. Not only that, but after a few wealthy households in Xin’an City got wind of the news and tasted some zongzi they found delicious, they too placed orders with Zhao Erhu, and not in small amounts either. This news made Zhao Erhu very happy; his little wife’s idea was simply brilliant, and he had no idea how her little brain came up with it.
Lin Yue held the orders Zhao Erhu had signed and counted them. “Brother Erhu, you really have some skill, taking so many orders.”
“It’s not my doing, it’s all thanks to Niuniu’s brilliant idea, and these zongzi are indeed scrumptious. No wonder so many people are willing to buy them.” Zhao Erhu, being lavishly praised by Lin Yue, was somewhat disoriented and, feeling a bit embarrassed, scratched his head. Lin Yue seldom saw Zhao Erhu looking so bashful.
“Brother Erhu, have you thought about how we’re going to make all these zongzi? Just making that one basket took me an entire night. With so many zongzi, how long will it take us to wrap them all?”
Zhao Erhu was cheerful for a while, but after Lin Yue brought it up, he suddenly felt as if his joy was turning into sorrow. He had only been thinking that the more people buying, the more silver they would make, and had not considered how they would fill such large orders. Just the two of them, even with the help of a few kids, couldn’t possibly complete the order for the Government Office, let alone the rest. Each house had paid a deposit, and if the zongzi couldn’t be delivered on time, not only would they lose money, if they let down the Magistrate, Zhao Erhu suspected they might even get a taste of the judge’s paddle and end up in jail.
After discussion between the husband and wife, Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu decided to hire helpers. They would pay daily wages, but they had to be careful in choosing reliable people. Ultimately, Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu agreed to ask Zhao Dahuo and his wife to help. Qiuqiu was already eleven and quite dexterous, so she could count as a helper. Wu Qiang and his wife, along with Chunxi and her mother-in-law, would also join. In total, with these additions, they had seven people—enough hands, including themselves.
Once the help was secured, Lin Yue and Zhao Erhu divided tasks to get started. Zhao Erhu went to the city to buy pots and ingredients, while Lin Yue was in charge of recruiting people. Wu Qiang and his wife, as well as Chunxi and her mother-in-law, had no objections and promised to come and assist. The only issue was Zhao Dahuo and his wife. Zhao Dahuo had gone to work in the fields, and when Lin Yue went to the Zhao Family old house, she didn’t find anyone. The people in the old house had witnessed Lin Yue’s mettle, and although they were aloof during her visit, no one troubled her.
Lin Yue didn’t consider the attitudes of Wei Family at all when she couldn’t find anyone and directly asked, “Second Mother, where is my sister-in-law? I have something to discuss with her, can you tell me where she is?” Although their family and the old Zhao house didn’t have much to do with each other anymore, Zhao Erhu still paid maintenance to Zhao Jingen every year. Previously, it was always Zhao Erhu who delivered it to the old house. If Wei Family wasn’t smart enough, the money wouldn’t be so easy to get, and Lin Yue resolved that if necessary, they could withhold the money and when they came asking for it, they’d be met with closed doors, letting them have a taste of their own medicine.
Still, Wei Family was capable of restraining herself, especially since Zhao Erhu wasn’t the same man as before, having made connections with the Magistrate. They also weren’t sure whether Zhao Erhu knew about their schemes against the Lin Family, and offending Lin Yue could result in a reckoning come fall, which would spell trouble for them. Therefore, she quickly adopted a warm and gentle smile, much like the first time Lin Yue met her, appearing kindly and benevolent.