My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 20

Chapter 20: Making Money

During a break from class, Song Changxu had chatted with Lin Pu about the significant expenses involved in continuing to study after becoming a xiucai. Relying solely on copying books for money wouldn’t be enough. He could cook some simple home-style dishes, but they weren’t good enough to earn money.

For a while, he had been fond of Bobo Chicken and had memorized a recipe for an excellent seasoning. He could try to sell Bobo Chicken in town to earn money.

Right now, he had saved seven taels of silver from copying books. He needed to have two wooden buckets made to hold the ingredients. To control costs, the initial buckets didn’t need to be too large. Moreover, as the weather grew warmer, the ingredients wouldn’t last long, so it was better to make a small batch to test the waters and try to sell it all on the first day.

Song Changxu wrote down the recipe from memory.

He could give it a try when Scholar Li gave them a holiday in the middle of the month. After class tomorrow, he would first go to Carpenter Hu’s to have two wooden buckets made.

In the afternoon, he went to Carpenter Hu’s to order two wooden buckets. He specified that the two short buckets should have lids, and one of them should be divided into three compartments.

Carpenter Hu took a deposit of fifty copper coins and told him to come back in seven days.

When he got home, he decided to make a small portion for his family to try.

The deliciousness of Bobo Chicken lay in its seasoning. Some spices were not available in ancient times, or were very expensive. Song Changxu found substitutes for some, but for others, he was out of luck. After he prepared the seasoning, he added the pre-blanched vegetables and mixed them.

Chili oil, three spoonfuls of soy sauce, two spoonfuls of vinegar, one spoonful of white sugar, two spoonfuls of salt, a lot of minced garlic, a moderate amount of minced ginger, half a spoonful of Sichuan peppercorns… and a small amount of sesame seeds, finally sprinkled with chopped scallions. It would taste even better if he had chicken broth to simmer it in, but with the current conditions, he had to make do.

Xu Cheng, in the courtyard, smelled the aroma and came over.

“Uncle, what smells so good?” Xu Cheng stared eagerly at Song Changxu.

Song Changxu took a bowl and served him some cucumber slices, cabbage, eggplant, and potato slices.

Xu Cheng took it and eagerly started eating. His mouth was filled with fragrance, the flavor was rich, and the spiciness was just right.

After finishing, he wanted more. The red soup, the fragrance of Sichuan peppercorns, spicy and savory.

Seeing his little nephew’s reaction, Song Changxu knew that the seasoning was a success. He hadn’t been to town yet. He would buy two catties of meat in town and sell meat skewers.

The price shouldn’t be too high. One copper coin for a vegetable skewer, four for a meat skewer, and two for larger vegetable skewers like eggplant.

The corn wasn’t ripe yet. When it was, he could string a few kernels together and sell them for one copper coin. The Song family still had corn from last year, which was used to feed the chickens and ducks, and of course, for people to eat as cornmeal rice.

Song Changxu ruffled his little nephew’s hair. “Go on, eat.”

In the evening, Song Mingyan dug up two wild mint plants from the back mountain, found a broken pot at home, filled it with some soil, and planted them in the courtyard.

When Song Ye and Liang Su returned to their room, they smelled the aroma from the kitchen and saw a basin with something in it. Song Ye opened the lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Song Mingyan had also just returned. It seemed that Changxu had made this.

During dinner, Song Changxu told them about the Bobo Chicken.

Song Ye: “You can give it a try first, but your studies should still be your priority.”

He thought the taste was very good, and it should sell well.

Song Mingyan: “I’ll go with Changxu. If we can really make money, Changxu can go to study in the future, and I can go sell it by myself.”

Song Changxu nodded.

It was indeed necessary to find something to do during the slack season. Song Changxu told Song Mingyan his pricing.

Song Mingyan thought for a moment and said, “I think the price for the vegetable skewers is a bit low. Two copper coins for one, and eight for five. We can give a discount for larger purchases and sell them at the original price for smaller ones.”

Song Changxu took note and said, “You’re so smart, Elder Brother.”

Hearing this, Song Mingyan lowered his eyes, a bit embarrassed. Song Changxu was the smartest person in the family, and he had never praised him before.

“Elder Brother, when the wooden buckets are ready, we’ll make a small batch to test the waters and see how it goes.”

Song Mingyan nodded. “Okay.”

The two of them discussed for a while and then went to their respective rooms to sleep. In his room, Song Changxu thought that his elder brother was so smart and hardworking. If he opened a shop, he would definitely manage it well.

Song Mingyan washed his face to wake himself up. He didn’t know why he needed to wake himself up when he was about to sleep, but he just felt unsettled. When he returned to his room, Xu Cheng was already asleep. Song Mingyan pulled the quilt over Xu Cheng’s stomach, sighed softly, and fell asleep.

.

Within seven days, Song Changxu and Song Mingyan went to town to sell their vegetables and then went to choose some pork.

Song Changxu said, “We can also buy some chicken.”

Song Mingyan nodded. He was better at choosing meat than Song Changxu. They bought three catties of pork for a total of forty-five copper coins, and two catties of chicken for twenty.

They also bought some seasonings and other miscellaneous items, spending a total of fifty copper coins. They had given Carpenter Hu one qian of silver for the wooden buckets. Thinking about it now, the initial cost of starting the Bobo Chicken business was not too high.

Since they had made the trip to town, Song Changxu also bought some sugar cakes to take back.

Song Mingyan noticed the oil-paper package in his younger brother’s hand and said, “You need to be frugal with your money. Don’t buy these things anymore. We have winter melons in the fields and fruits on the back mountain. Those are enough to eat.”

Song Changxu: “I didn’t buy much. At least the family can have a treat.”

Song Mingyan only said one sentence. Seeing that his younger brother’s expression wouldn’t change, he gave up. He put the basket on the ox-cart and looked at a shop with a smile. “In a few days, we’ll have to come to town to buy wedding paper, wedding cakes, and red candles. We’ve already prepared the meat, wedding quilt, and wedding pillows at home. We’ll need to buy a new set of tea utensils. We have red dates, longans, and lotus seeds at home, so we don’t need to buy peanuts.”

Song Mingyan counted on his fingers. “The wooden basin and wedding mirror, we need to sprinkle more peanuts on the bed, and there are still many things…”

Song Changxu almost choked on Song Mingyan’s words.

Why sprinkle more peanuts? I don’t want to know at all.

The thought of getting married and living together, and how difficult it would be without money, made him realize that he couldn’t ask his parents for money. He could only earn more himself. He couldn’t rely on his parents for a living.

Song Changxu pulled himself together. “Elder Brother, I’ll keep your words in mind. I’ll be frugal when I should be, and spend when I have to.”

Song Mingyan: “That’s good too.”

Instead of talking about making a fortune in the future, it was better to start by earning small money now.

Back at home, the two of them prepared the ingredients, planning to get up early to cook them and make the seasoning.

Song Changxu went back to his room to continue reading.

“Nature is the principle that man receives from Heaven; life is the qi that man receives from Heaven. Nature is metaphysical; qi is physical…” [1]

Song Changxu wrote down his understanding.

His book was densely filled with his own interpretations, with questions and points of confusion marked.

His goal these days was to thoroughly understand the Four Books and Five Classics. The more Song Changxu read, the more he realized the vastness and depth of the books. As he gradually got into it, reading articles in classical Chinese became no different from reading in vernacular Chinese.

This was only the most basic level. His classmates read classical Chinese as easily as eating and drinking. Only his brain was not used to it, but now it was.

The Book of Changes was the most difficult for him to read. It was written in the pre-Qin period, and the text was in ancient Chinese characters. Words like “zhen,” “li,” and “heng,” which often appeared in the hexagram and line statements, needed to be understood in context.

The sixty-four hexagrams, three hundred and eighty-four lines, and the combination of hexagram and line images, plus the symbolic system it constructed, such as the extensive use of animal symbols like dragons, phoenixes, and tigers, and the integration of yin and yang, the five elements, and the unity of heaven and man, could drive a person mad.

Cheng Yi’s Commentary on the Book of Changes and Zhu Xi’s Original Meaning of the Book of Changes were helpful for understanding.

“The arrogant dragon will have regrets, for fullness cannot last long.”

Song Changxu calmed his mind.

.

At dawn, Song Changxu saw that the moon was still hanging in the sky. He and Song Mingyan got up and got busy in the kitchen. To ensure the freshness of the ingredients, they had to start early. Song Changxu didn’t hide the seasoning recipe from Song Mingyan.

After a shichen, the seasoning and ingredients were ready. The sky had brightened. The two of them took two buns and went to the village entrance to take the ox-cart.

Song Changxu had prepared a wooden sign and written the prices for the vegetable and meat skewers, as well as the discount of eight copper coins for ten vegetable skewers. The handwriting was fluid and graceful.

The two of them arrived early, found a spot, and set up their stall. The bamboo skewers were already threaded. Song Changxu opened the wooden buckets containing the seasoning and ingredients. The meat skewers consisted of three catties of pork and two catties of chicken, looking fresh and clean.

As soon as he opened the wooden bucket with the seasoning, the aroma spread. Song Changxu called out, “Free samples are available now.”

Inside an oil-paper package were five vegetable skewers coated in sauce.

A middle-aged man with a large belly, walking down the street, was drawn by the aroma and came over.

“You can have a sample,” Song Changxu said.

The middle-aged man glanced at the words on the wooden sign and was surprised. The handwriting was very good. He nodded and took a skewer of potato slices. After eating it, he wanted more. The spiciness was just right, and it was very appetizing.

He looked at the ingredients in the wooden bucket and ordered ten vegetable skewers and five meat skewers.

Song Mingyan quickly prepared the skewers for the middle-aged man, and Song Changxu calculated the price.

“That’ll be thirty-eight copper coins in total.”

The middle-aged man took the skewers and left.

Seeing that someone had actually sampled, paid, and bought the skewers, the people who had gathered to watch out of curiosity were tempted.

A woman came forward and asked, “Is this food clean?”

Song Changxu said, “Ma’am, we’ve washed all the ingredients three times. If you don’t believe me, you can have a look.”

The woman saw that Song Changxu was handsome. She craned her neck to look at the ingredients in the wooden bucket and nodded.

She took a skewer of cucumber slices to sample and thought it was good.

She ordered three vegetable skewers.

“That’ll be six copper coins in total.”

After two people had bought some, the rest of the people came forward and finished the samples. They started to buy skewers. There were no more samples for those who came later.

Song Changxu and Song Mingyan were both busy. Bobo Chicken was a novelty that the people of Shuibo Town had never seen before. The vegetable and meat skewers were generous with the ingredients and tasted delicious. It wasn’t expensive to spend a few copper coins to try something new.

Song Changxu and Song Mingyan’s good looks attracted some people, and the aroma of the seasoning was also very appealing.

“Thirty-six copper coins,” Song Changxu said accurately as he took a skewer out of the seasoning, drained it on a sieve, and calculated the price.

The meat skewers were selling faster than the vegetable ones.

A child, drawn by the smell, sniffed the air and pulled his mother over.

After a while, the crowd around the stall thinned out. Song Changxu and Song Mingyan shook their arms. They were using a jar to hold the money, and now it was half full. Song Mingyan hadn’t expected the business to be so good. He resisted the urge to count the money.

People came to buy skewers intermittently, so it wasn’t too quiet.

Seeing that there weren’t many skewers left in the bucket, Song Mingyan said with regret, “We should have made more.”

It was rare to see his elder brother like this. Song Changxu said, “We should be able to sell out by noon. We can make more tomorrow.”

Song Mingyan nodded. He had been afraid that they wouldn’t be able to sell anything when he had come out to set up the stall with Song Changxu. Seeing that it was selling so well now, he felt relieved.

He smiled.

By noon, they had sold out of their Bobo Chicken. Without counting the copper coins in their hands, the two of them cleaned the wooden buckets and put them in their baskets.

Someone asked, “Are you coming back tomorrow?”

Song Mingyan smiled and nodded. “Yes, we are.”

The person who had asked left after getting a confirmation.

The two of them went to the butcher’s and bought five catties of pork and four catties of chicken, spending one qian and fifteen copper coins.

Seeing this, Song Changxu went to buy some meat buns.

“Elder Brother, have some.”

Song Mingyan was indeed a bit hungry. “Okay.”

In the past, he would have been reluctant to eat meat buns. Although he didn’t know how much money they had earned yet, he estimated that it wasn’t a small amount.

The two of them ate the buns and waited for the ox-cart to arrive to go back to the village.

When they got home, only Xu Cheng was there. The two of them put down their baskets, took out the ceramic jar, and counted the money.

After deducting the costs, they had earned a total of four hundred copper coins.

The meat skewers sold well, and it was the first time the people in town had eaten them, so they were curious. Song Changxu knew that these few days would be the best for sales. After a few days, they would have to gradually reduce the quantity to avoid wasting ingredients.

Song Mingyan hadn’t expected the first day to be so successful. If they continued to sell, they could earn a lot of money.

He was even more motivated.

Song Changxu divided the money into three parts. One part was for their parents, as the wedding had cost them a lot. The other two parts were divided equally between him and his elder brother.

Song Changxu pushed one hundred and fifty copper coins towards Song Mingyan. “Elder Brother, this is what you deserve.”

Seeing this, Song Mingyan pushed it back. “I can’t take it.”

Song Changxu: “Elder Brother, don’t refuse. Having money in hand is more reliable than anything. In the future, if you want to buy something, or if Cheng Ge’er wants to do something, you’ll need money. If you refuse again, I won’t dare to do business with you in the future.”

Only then did Song Mingyan nod and accept. The copper coins left an imprint in his hand.

.

At home, Xu Zhizhou was being pulled by Cao Qin to try on his wedding dress. He put it on and showed it to his mother.

Cao Qin: “Good, good, good. My ge’er is so good-looking. On the wedding day, with a little powder and lipstick, you’ll be a new husband.”

Xu Zhici looked at him and smiled. “You’ll have to come back often in the future.”

Xu Zhizhou: “Of course. In the future, my second son-in-law will also help with the chores at home.”

Cao Qin thought of Song Changxu’s build. “I’m not counting on this son-in-law to help me with the chores. I just hope he treats you well, very well.”

Xu Zhizhou said, “Oh, so Mother is not counting on her second son-in-law, but on her first.”

Xu Zhici’s earlobes turned red. He felt that his younger brother’s words were very embarrassing.

At night, Xu Zhizhou slipped into Xu Zhici’s room again. Xu Zhici was embroidering a purse. Seeing Xu Zhizhou come over, he invited him to sit on the bed.

Xu Zhizhou said, “Elder Brother, did Mother give you a book to read?”

Xu Zhici was confused. “I can’t read. Why would Mother give me a book to read?”

Xu Zhizhou jumped up as if he had been shocked and ran away.

Author’s Note:

Little Song: Mother-in-law, I’m still quite strong. I’ve carried your family’s water vat several times. [Crying] For my peanuts.

Little Xu: Oh my god, what is it? [Pats head]