Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 80 - 80 081 Selling Brine_1

?Chapter 80: Chapter 081: Selling Brine_1 Chapter 80: Chapter 081: Selling Brine_1 The shopkeeper swallowed and exclaimed in amazement, “Please enlighten me, young lady, what is this?”

Muniang smiled, replying, “Luwei brine.”

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened, “Is this a seasoning?”

Muniang shook her head, “It’s not exactly a seasoning, since it is made from a variety of seasonings. It’s particularly good at stimulating appetite, and with just this alone, you could carve out a whole new cuisine.”

“What kind of cuisine?” the shopkeeper eagerly asked.

“Luwei cuisine!”

The shopkeeper couldn’t help but sniff it again, wishing he could drink it all, but restrained himself in front of Muniang, lavishing praise without any stinginess, “This really is a great thing!”

Seeing the shopkeeper’s appetite, Muniang didn’t hold back, taking out several prepared luwei dishes from her basket, “Please try these. They’re a few luwei treats I made myself. See if they suit your palate.”

The shopkeeper quickly picked up chopsticks and started tasting. Muniang had prepared duck necks, chicken wings, and chicken feet—originally planning to include tofu in luwei brine as well, but since it doesn’t taste good cold, she decided against it.

But just these three items alone were enough to dazzle the shopkeeper, who ate several before he finally managed to stop with great effort.

Muniang couldn’t help but chuckle to herself; luwei was inherently appetizing, the more you ate, the more you craved. She had been the same way at first, unable to stop eating. Seeing Shopkeeper Zhang’s reaction, she knew the deal was as good as made.

“Shopkeeper, there’s no need to rush. If you like them, you can keep these to eat. I wasn’t planning on taking them back,” Muniang laughed.

Shopkeeper Zhang said, “Just name your price, young lady. We must have this luwei in our restaurant!”

Shopkeeper Zhang saw the market demand instantly, realizing this stuff was as mesmerizing as poppies. If they could get the recipe for this luwei brine, the restaurant would definitely make huge profits.

Muniang, seeing how straightforward Shopkeeper Zhang was, decided not to play coy and said directly, “Why should I name a price? Isn’t it written clearly on our contract? One hundred silver for each dish.”

Shopkeeper Zhang looked at Muniang with suspicion. Was she really that generous?

The answer—of course not!

Muniang, grinning, said, “However, there are quite a few dishes in the luwei cuisine—kelp, tofu, beef tendons, beef tripe, beef, duck heads, duck necks, chicken feet, and so on. I really don’t know how many dishes there are in total. Dongxing Building and I have a longstanding partnership, so naturally, I won’t overcharge you. Thus, my thought is this: for the entire luwei cuisine, I would ask for a thousand silver.”

Shopkeeper Zhang’s mouth twitched, knowing there was a catch! But he didn’t hesitate for long and agreed promptly. The value of the luwei cuisine was immense, and he naturally couldn’t dismiss it lightly. Furthermore, his boss had specifically instructed that they must secure any new dish idea from this young lady in the future, regardless of the cost, as her new concepts had been big hits over the past few months.

Muniang smiled joyfully, “Shopkeeper Zhang, you agreed so generously, I’m starting to wonder if I priced too low.”

Shopkeeper Zhang’s complexion turned the color of liver in an instant, stammering, “This… ” he regretted. How could he forget that this young lady was so shrewd? How could he have been so excited to agree without a second thought? At the very least, he should have tried to negotiate!

Watching Shopkeeper Zhang’s frustrated demeanor, Muniang burst into laughter, “I’m just teasing you.”

Shopkeeper Zhang wiped his sweat and chuckled awkwardly a few times, “I’m getting old, can’t take such a scare.”

And she quickly instructed a servant beside her, “Go to the account room and get a silver note worth a thousand taels.”

Fearing Muniang would change her mind.

Muniang handed over the previously prepared brine recipe to Shopkeeper Zhang, “Take a look for yourself. Most of the required ingredients are seasonings, and as long as the brine is good, all kinds of marinated dishes are simple and easy. I have written everything down.”

Shopkeeper Zhang nodded excitedly and repeatedly. When Muniang received the silver note, she felt a weight lift off her heart. With the silver, she could now proceed with confidence.

Shopkeeper Zhang escorted Muniang to the doorway, showing great attentiveness.

Muniang had planned to go straight back, but thinking of Madam Liu’s recent circumstances, she couldn’t resist coming up with a way to help her, so she took Erliang to browse the nearby Embroidery House.

The owner of the Embroidery House was also enthusiastic, and as soon as Muniang and Erliang came in, he hurried over to greet them.

Muniang asked, “May I know what sorts of patterns are usually on the handkerchiefs here?”

“Our handkerchiefs come in so many patterns! This way, Lady.”

Muniang approached a rack that was hung with various handkerchiefs. The embroidery was indeed delicate, but the patterns seemed rather monotonous, limited to flowers, ducks, tigers, and the like, lacking originality. Muniang frowned slightly.

Seeing Muniang’s dissatisfied expression, the owner quickly said, “Does the Lady not like this material? We have other materials in our shop, but they are more expensive.”

Muniang waved her hand, “No, no, I think these are quite nice.” She couldn’t very well say she didn’t like the patterns.

Madam Liu’s skills were good, but a finely handmade handkerchief could be sold for only one qian of silver at most, and that was under the condition that she intricately crafted it. One handkerchief might take three to five days of work, hardly worth it. And with four children, three of whom would be going to school next year, how could she save enough silver?

An idea flashed through Muniang’s mind, one that might help Madam Liu, and with that thought, her mood brightened.

“Husband, would you like a pouch? Otherwise, it’s not convenient for you to carry silver,” Muniang said.

Erliang responded with a hint of melancholy, “But I heard Wang Qiang say that his pouch was embroidered by his wife.”

Muniang was momentarily at a loss for words, “Ah?!”

Erliang’s expression grew more melancholic, “He said he and his wife are very affectionate, which is why she embroidered a pouch for him.”

A streak of frustration crossed Muniang’s face. What kind of expression was this?!

“Fine, fine, fine! I’ll embroider one for you!” Muniang said, exasperated.

Only then did Erliang cheer up, “I knew my wife cared about me!”

Dealing with Haoli about hiring laborers turned out to be very simple. A hundred laborers at five taels of silver each were all transferred under Muniang’s command. After all, he had no use for them now that he had sold his land and was ready to let them go.

The quality of Wu Haoli’s fertile land was indeed excellent, but it seemed to have been poorly tended. Even now, in spring, while villagers were busy sowing and nurturing seedlings, he hadn’t planted a single seed because he was planning to sell the land. In a few months, the once excellent fields had grown full of weeds. Muniang ordered the laborers to clear the weeds right away. They were an eyesore!