The fire was too big, and the meat was burned until it became muddled. However, it also had a muddled taste. The thin streaky pork was rolled up in pieces, and there was a lot of oil and juice. When the garlic sprouts were sprinkled down, the entire courtyard was filled with the strong fragrance of crispy meat.
Yu Feng who walked out of Ah Wan's house frowned. He actually thought it would be very delicious when he smelled this burnt fragrance? Yu Feng scoffed at himself and quickened his pace.
"Is it good?" Yu Wan asked Little Bruiser.
Little Bruiser stuffed the hot streaky pork and garlic sprouts into his mouth and bit down. The fat and juice oozed out from the corners of his mouth. He sucked on it and said with satisfaction, "Delicious! Sis's cooking is the best!"
Was it really that delicious? Yu Wan chuckled. She picked up a piece of pork belly and ate it. Although it was burned, it tasted especially delicious. It was better to not forget to add salt.
Today, the firewood and water were full. Yu Wan heated a large pot of hot water and gave Little Bruiser a comfortable hot bath. After soaking it, the little black egg became a little white egg. Her brother changed into the cotton shoes that Yu Wan had bought for him and ran around the house excitedly, not even letting his hair be properly wiped.
"Sis! These shoes are so warm!
"So soft!
"It's so soft!" He was only wearing a thin inner garment. Although the brazier in the room had been lit, it was not warm enough for him to strip naked. Even so, he was still sweating from running.
The shower was wasted.
Yu Wan caught him and held him in her arms to dry his wet hair. After all, he was a child who did not know the taste of sorrow. He had meat to eat, shoes to wear, and his sister cherishing him. On the days when Mom was unconscious, this was his greatest peace.
"Sis, you're the best." He leaned his head on Yu Wan's shoulder and breathed in Sis's scent before falling asleep.
Yu Wan pinched his red cheeks and stuffed him under the blanket.
...
The market was not open for the next two days. If she wanted to sell the fishes and winter bamboo shoots, she would have to go to a bigger market.
Yu Feng came early to wait for Yu Wan. It was obviously impossible for her to collect all the money. He did not even know why he accompanied her.
Yu Wan left Little Bruiser alone and went out with Yu Feng.
The siblings had not appeared together in front of everyone for many years. They did not have to go marketing today so everyone was still asleep. If they woke up and saw this scene… No, they have seen this scene when they returned to the village yesterday.
How did those people talk about them? Didn't they say that the Yu siblings had a fall out? Are they back on good terms again?
Yu Feng subconsciously distanced himself from Yu Wan.
Yu Wan walked calmly, as if she hadn't noticed Yu Feng's movements.
Yu Feng took a deep look at her and suddenly realized that no matter how cold he was towards her, she was always calm and collected. Did she not notice or did she not care at all? Yu Feng shook his head. A great disaster was imminent, so why would he care about a girl?
"Big Brother." After entering Lotus Flower Town, Yu Wan suddenly asked, "Is the biggest restaurant in town called White Jade Restaurant?"
Yu Feng said, "Yeah, why are you asking this? You wouldn't be thinking of selling the ingredients to their restaurant, right? Don't blame me for not reminding you, but that's absolutely impossible. Even though your ingredients are good, White Jade Restaurant isn't an ordinary restaurant, and the customers that it receives aren't ordinary customers. Compared to whether the food is good or not, they're more concerned about whether they'll be fine after eating it. The ingredients of unknown origins can't be sold to their restaurant." At this point, Yu Feng seemed to have thought of something and a trace of disappointment flashed across his face.
"What about the second largest restaurant?" Yu Wan asked again.
"You're talking about the Jadeite Pavilion? Don't even dream about it." Although the Jadeite Pavilion was a new shop that had only been open for less than half a year, it had relied on a royal chef who had left the palace to steal a lot of business from the White Jade Restaurant. Recently, there were even signs of surpassing the White Jade Restaurant.
The ingredients in the Jadeite Pavilion were of a higher grade than those in the White Jade Restaurant. Not to mention that she had only dug up some winter bamboo shoots and caught some carp, so what if she had obtained the tiger and bear items? The Jadeite Pavilion was rich and overbearing that they do not lack these!
"I see," Yu Wan murmured thoughtfully.
"What did you say?" Yu Feng didn't hear her clearly.
Yu Wan smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. Big Brother, are you sure our things can't be sold?"
Yu Feng indifferently said, "If you don't believe me, you can try."
"Not today," Yu Wan said.
What did she mean? Did she want to try it tomorrow?
As they talked, the two arrived at the busiest street in town. This place was much more upscale than the market. The prices were high, so the stall fees were high too.
"I don't have any money left," Yu Wan said.
The stall fees here could not be exchanged for ingredients. Yu Feng took out a money bag and rented a small stall expressionlessly.
The town was just like the town. No matter how rare the thing was, they could still be sold. Yu Feng looked over, even the winter bamboo shoots that were difficult to dig out, he had found two to three stalls of it. From the looks of it, things would not go too smoothly today. Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Yu Feng heard a shrill voice. "Aiya, you're here! I've been saying that I won't see you for a few days!"
It was the first auntie who bought the ingredients yesterday.
She bought two live fish and two winter bamboo shoots. When she got home, she stewed them all in one pot. Her husband, who suffered from gout for two years, did not have a good appetite. Last night, he praised her for the freshness of the fish soup and even fought with her son to drink it!
She knew what her cooking was like. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. She didn't even dare to add too much salt, but the soup was fresh. How long had it been since she last smiled at the dinner table?
This morning, she came to buy fish and winter bamboo shoots again. Of course, she wanted to buy from the same stall, but the market outside the town was only held once every three days. She planned to settle for second best, but coincidentally, she met this lady! She said, "I want two more fish. More winter bamboo shoots. Your bamboo shoots are cheap and big. If you come often, I'll buy them from your stall!"
Yu Wan asked Yu Feng to ask around and found out that her winter bamboo shoots were two coppers lower than the market price. However, other people's winter bamboo shoots were wholesale and she dug them herself. Thinking about it this way, she still earned more.
The auntie introduced a few familiar faces to Yu Wan. The more people bought, the busier the stall became, and the more customers they attracted. There were two times more ingredients than yesterday, but they were sold out in less than half the time.
It was true that the ingredients were good, but this girl's eloquence wasn't bad either. "My winter bamboo shoots are also very delicious when stir fried", "stewed chicken soup, nourishes the yin and yang, and can also improve one's appearance", "Mine is wild carp, and it will make milking more effective. Let your daughter-in-law drink more and I ensure that the milk is abundant. Your grandson will eat until he's fair and fat!"
What the heck! Yu Feng's face turned red as he listened!
Excluding the stall fees, he earned a total of one tael today. If it was in the past, Yu Feng would have praised her for being able to earn a month's worth of money in one day. However, when he thought of the huge debt of twenty taels, Yu Feng could not praise her anymore.
In the afternoon, Yu Wan went up the mountain again.
Yu Feng called Yu Song along. The two brothers somehow managed to get a fishing net and caught quite a lot of fish. Including the winter bamboo shoots that Yu Wan dug up, they sold a total of two taels the next day.
The third day was also two taels.
Seeing that tomorrow was the appointed day and they only had five taels on hand, Yu Feng's heart sank to the bottom.
The last fish was also sold out. The business was done… They had no choice…
"Who said we're done?" Yu Wan looked back with a smile and murmured, "Business… has just started."