Translator: Fan Translation Studio

  Proofread by Claire.KK

  Ye Xiaoxian stared at him boldly with a pair of half-smiling eyes. Her lips were slightly curved and her head half raised, which made her little face looked irresistibly charming.

  Xiao Baoshan pondered for a while and finally spoke up. “Yes, your cooking is delicious.”


  Ye Xiaoxian continued, “So does this mean that I’m half way to stealing your heart?”


  “.……” Xiao Baoshan was swallowing his meal and eating so fast that he choked on it, causing him to cough severely.

  Ye Xiaoxian hurriedly patted him on the back until he could breathe normally.

  “Alas, it’s impossible for someone like me to get on your good side. I give up. Take your time eating in case you die choking!” After she had finished talking she left the room.

  ‘Humph, I’m in a good mood so I was just teasing you. That’s all. You really think I like you that much?’


  Meanwhile, Xiao Baoshan, sitting inside the room, gazed dumbly towards Ye Xiaoxian’s back. He seemed to have missed something……

  It would only take two days for Xiao Baoshan’s rice grain to be dried and the break from the busy farming season had ended. Although Xiao Baoshan was just a handyman he was supposed to go back to work.

  Ye Xiaoxian and Li Hongmei went to town to sell cold jelly as usual.

  Xiao Baofeng’s break had not ended and Xiao Baozhu was busy learning how to read, so the two siblings were staying at home.

  Since Wong Mudan’s rice crop had been harvested she was also now preparing to dry her rice grain. Before going out she saw Xiao Baozhu reading a book under the eaves, so she said sourly, “Ah, Baozhu is also reading a book. Could it be that your second brother asked you to do this? The one who’s gone out and seen the world is indeed different from us.”


  Xiao Baozhu always hated this elder aunt and hated her even more after having lived apart. “It’s my sister-in-law’s idea.”


  “Little Ye? No way! What’s she after? She just let you idle about at home while she exhausts herself to death with your ma? Is it worth it?”


  Xiao Baozhu thought, ‘Is this any of your business?’


  Still, she replied insincerely, “It was not that busy selling cold jelly.”


  Since they spoke about selling cold jelly Wong Mudan’s interest had been aroused. “Baozhu, you must have made a lot of money selling cold jelly, haven’t you? You’re eating fish and meat everyday.”


  Xiao Baozhu knew that she should not reveal the truth to others so she answered, “Not really. We can at most afford some meat.”


  “You’re kidding. Aren’t you all wearing new outfits?”


  “Maybe some clothes, but that’s all.” Xiao Baozhu just hoped that Wong Mudan would leave right now.

  Wong Mudan’s questions were endless, however. After inquiring about the cold jelly stand she inquired about Liu Qianqian. “Baozhu, who was that rich young lady that came the other day? She seemed very wealthy. She was riding in such a luxurious carriage, with even five or six servants accompanying her.”


  “That was Lord Liu’s elder young lady!” Xiao Baozhu started feeling very proud of herself after speaking about Liu Qianqian.

  She had not only gone to town to the see the world but also talked to young Lady Liu.

  “How did you manage to get involved with young Lady Liu?” asked Wong Mudan confusedly.

  “What do you mean by saying managing to get involved with her? It was young Lady Liu herself who managed to know us, okay? She likes our cold jelly and asked my sister-in-law to cook for her. That’s why we are familiar with each other.”


  “It still shows how successful your cold jelly is.” Wong Mudan was back to the topic of selling cold jelly again.

  “It’s OK.” Xiao Baozhu did not want to talk to Wong Mudan at all. She was reading very intensely. She had learned far more characters than before and even when she occasionally came across a few that she did not know, she could still manage to read along.

  Wong Mudan stopped her inquiring. After listening to what Xiao Baozhu said she suddenly had a brilliant idea……

  Wong Mudan went to the grain-sunning ground to guard her rice, but she had not been there long until she was told that someone back home was looking for her.

  She hurriedly asked some nearby people to keep an eye on the grain while she went back home in a rush.

  “Zhu? How come you’re here?” Wong Mudan saw her second younger brother, Wong Zhu, who was sitting in the courtyard just as she arrived home.

  “We slaughtered a pig a couple of days ago and ma asked me to take some pork to you,” said Wong Zhu.

  “Pork!” Wong Mudan exploded with joy. “We’ve slaughtered a pig back home?”


  “The boar we kept the year before last.”


  Wong Mudan was feeling pleased. They could have plenty of pork for dinner tonight.

  “Sister, I heard that the second household of your family has lived apart?” Wong Zhu asked.

  Wong Zhu was about thirty-five years old with an intelligent appearance and was a jack of all trades in his daily life. Despite not being in the same village as his sister he had long since figured out what happened there.

  “Yes, they brought it up and it benefits us. They won’t get a chance to eat our pork this time,” said Wong Mudan.

  “But I heard that they’ve been better off and even gone to town to sell cold jelly. Is this true?” asked Wong Zhu.

  Once Wong Zhu mentioned this matter, Wong Mudan lowered her voice. “Zhu, come inside, I have something to tell you.”


  “What’s up, sister? It’s getting mysterious,” enquired Wong Zhu once they were in the room.

  Wong Mudan still looked as if she was afraid of being overheard and stuck her head out to check again before closing the door. After she had made sure that there was no one eavesdropping she then shut the door.

  “Zhu, since you already know that the second household go to sell cold jelly in town, I’ll let you know that they’ve made quite a lot of money doing so. They not only have meat to eat everyday but have all got new clothes.”


  Wong Zhu said, “That’s something!”


  “There’s far more. They even know a rich lord in the town and the lord’s daughter rode into our village in a horse-drawn carriage the other day and all the villagers saw it. It was quite a scene and they were so proud of themselves.”


  Wong Zhu’s attitude appeared quite indifferent. “If they want to be proud of themselves, just let them be. If they are better off, maybe you can gain some advantage from their profit, right?”


  “Zhu, why are you so slow-witted? I’ve told you so much. Do I look like I only want to gain some advantage from their profit?”


  “What do you want then, Sister?” asked Wong Zhu.

  Wong Mudan seemed as if she were telling an extraordinary secret. “Zhu, I’ve been watching them make cold jelly all the time. It’s actually very easy to make. I’ll tell you how to do it and you can find a time to open up a shop in town to see if you can replace them.”


  “Are you sure it will work?”


  “Why not? They are not the only ones allowed to sell cold jelly, are they? As long as you can make cold jelly you can sell it, but don’t tell others that it was me who taught you this,” Wong Mudan urged solemnly.

  “Sister, if I go to sell cold jelly do you think others won’t know it’s you who taught me this?”


  “If they ask you, just tell them you’ve taught yourself.”


  Wong Zhu scratched his scalp and hesitated.

  Wong Mudan was disappointed with him being like this. “Zhu, think about it, if you sell it well all the other rich people in town will be queuing up to buy your cold jelly and you’ll be proud of yourself by then, so you won’t worry about Lan looking down on you.”


  In speaking of Lan, Wong Zhu was tempted to go for it. Lan was his wife and her parents were somewhat well off, so she somewhat looked down upon Wong Zhu. Every time they had an argument she would say that she married Wong Zhu because she had been blind. Especially when Wong Zhu was almost middle-aged now and he could only make ends meet with rice grain in the field and peanuts planted in the mountains.

  “Fine, I’ll go back and talk to Lan. Sister, tell me the method of making cold jelly first.”


  Wong Mudan answered right away. “Okay, I’ll teach you but we have to make a deal first. After you make some money you have to share some of your profit with me so I can save up and buy meat for the kids now and then.”


  “Sure!”
……

  Two days later, there was a new cold jelly stand being opened up near Ye Xiaoxian’s and a couple were touting loudly. One bowl of cold jelly was just one copper coin and they were obviously here trying to undercut Ye Xiaoxian’s business.

  Li Hongmei looked at the owner of this stand and said, “How come they look so familiar?”


  “Ma, You know them? Are they from our village?” Ye Xiaoxian asked.

  “It’ll come back to me,” said Li Hongmei. Then she explained, “I’ve met so many people. I really can’t recall who they are at the moment.”


  Ye Xiaoxian smiled. “Ma has indeed seen the world.”


  “No matter who they are, they are some thick-skinned bitches, that’s all. They’re coming to undercut us but haven’t they heard of the bridgehead old man’s miserable end?” said Li Hongmei sulkily.

  However, Ye Xiaoxian had been silent for a while and her face was rather grave.

  “Little Ye, why are you being silent? Is there anything on your mind?” asked Li Hongmei.

  Ye Xiaoxian said, “The bridgehead old man cannot compete with us because the cold jelly he sells is junk, but what the newly opened stand sells is identical to ours.”


  It was, after all, not difficult to make cold jelly. As long as one used the right ingredients with the correct method of rubbing the Chinese mesona, the cold jelly would turn out similar.

  “Identical? Have they watched us make it? Do they know how we make it?” Li Hongmei was taken aback.

  “All in all, they are a threat to us.”


  “What should we do then?”


  Ye Xiaoxian clenched her jaw. “We’ll reduce the price as well!”


  “Then we won’t make any money today.”


  Ye Xiaoxian said, “We have no option but to hold onto our customers first.”


  Ye Xiaoxian thought for a while and chose to do “two for the price of one”. Naturally, the touting thing was still left to Li Hongmei.

  The couple shouted around, “Everyone come and taste our cold jelly, two coins for others but only one coin for ours!”


  Li Hongmei also shouted at the top of her lungs. “Cheaper price for better produce. Classic and tasty. The Xiao’s Cold Jelly, two for the price of one today!”


  Li Hongmei and Ye Xiaoxian had been selling cold jelly here for a long time and they had many regular customers. Li Hongmei would tout heartily to every familiar face she saw and also chatted with them.

  “Ah Aunt, your grandson seems even taller. Do you fancy a bowl of cold jelly? Two for one today. One for you and one for him, isn’t that nice?”


  “Uncle, you’re earlier today, aren’t you? Do you want two bowls of cold jelly? Enjoy yourself to the full.”


  “Uh, aren’t you the boss selling cloths? Anything good happen to you today? And look at you, you’re radiant. Want some cold jelly? Two for one.”


  The customers would prefer to see the traders being passionate and sweet. Even if some people were not very thirsty at the moment, they could not resist Li Hongmei’s hospitality and her “two for one”, so they might as well buy two bowls to enjoy.

  Wong Zhu and his wife Lan did not expect that Ye Xiaoxian actually would be willing to reduce their price and that Li Hongmei’s fighting capacity was so formidable. Their original ambition had been gradually worn away and they ended up feeling quite upset.

  Lan’s parents were from a well-to-do family and she was used to ordering others around back home, so she could not get into the cold jelly business as passionately as Li Hongmei. After Li Hongmei snatched two of her customers she could only feel angry.