The Family Had Split, Why Should I Care if They Go Broke? - Chapter 23

Aunt Liang rolled her eyes at him, then chuckled. Instead of scolding, her voice was surprisingly gentle. “Back already? Go wash up—dinner will be ready soon.”

Wasn’t this just like stumbling upon a pot of money?

The three members of the Liang family—Chief Liang and his sons—were left speechless. “…”

So Mother really had found herself a windfall.

That evening, when Aunt Liang whispered the truth to her husband, Chief Liang nearly cried out in shock and had to cover his mouth. After a long pause, he muttered, “Heavens… Lady Xu really hid this well. Mingxuan studies like a prodigy, and Lady Xu knows how to make money—this family is bound to prosper.”

Aunt Liang sighed. “If Minglang hadn’t passed away, she wouldn’t have to work herself to the bone. For a woman, business is never easy. If she had a stable life, who would willingly take such risks? Who knows how long this business will last… but however long it does, the more she earns, the better. Money in hand—that’s where courage comes from.”

Chief Liang nodded. “You’re right about that.”

Over at Xu Zhichun’s home, she first blanched the pork ribs, gave them a quick boil, then split them in two—half for soy-braised ribs, the other half for sweet-and-sour ribs. She then simmered a slab of pork belly, cooled it in water, sliced it thin, and stir-fried it with garlic shoots and dried chilies into twice-cooked pork1.

This season, chili plants hadn’t even flowered yet, so there were no fresh green peppers; otherwise, the dish would have been even tastier.

The braised ribs were cooked together with radish chunks and tofu.

And she added a simple chicken and vegetable soup.

It was just three dishes and a soup, but hearty enough to feed everyone amply.

Zeng Xiaoyan and her husband arrived even earlier than Aunt Zhu’er, so Zeng Xiaoyan helped Xu Zhichun in the kitchen.

Liang Mingliang, usually too lazy to move at home, but when he noticed the child prodigy—so gifted at his studies—was feeding chickens, tending pigs, chopping wood, and sweeping the floor. Embarrassed, Mingliang quickly joined in to lend a hand.

If such a brilliant boy could still do chores, how could he just stand by?

Before long, mouthwatering aromas drifted out from the kitchen—so tempting it was unbearable. Liang Mingliang’s stomach practically clawed at him from the inside. He forced himself to focus on chores just to distract himself from the hunger. When he glanced at the calm, unshaken prodigy, he was full of admiration: No wonder he’s called a prodigy—just look at that self-control!

When the three dishes and one soup were brought out, they were a feast for the eyes, nose, and tongue.

Xu Zhichun called out cheerfully, “Dinner’s ready! Everyone sit down—eat your fill, don’t be shy!”

Zeng Xiaoyan laughed. “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law Zhichun. With ribs and meat that smell this good, no one could hold back, even if they wanted to!”

Everyone burst into laughter. “Exactly—it smells so heavenly, it must taste even better.”

They dug in. Aunt Zhu’s eyes lit up. “So this is called sweet-and-sour ribs? I never thought meat could be sweet and still taste this good. Zhichun, how did you even come up with this? Amazing!”

Zeng Xiaoyan nearly cried from delight. “I haven’t had ribs this delicious in ages—no, I’ve never had ribs this good. Even our household cook couldn’t compare. So, so tasty!”

Liang Mingliang fell for the twice-cooked pork. He shoveled in rice along with the glistening, thinly sliced pork, stir-fried until just curled and crisp at the edges. Delicious! So good he wished he had another mouth.

Xu Zhichun herself was overjoyed—sweet-and-sour ribs and twice-cooked pork were her own favorites. At last, she could enjoy them hot and fresh. Even while eating, she didn’t forget to tend to the child.

Liang Mingxuan grinned at his sister-in-law, urging her to eat more. Sitting upright, his chest swelled with pride—his sister-in-law’s cooking was the best in the whole village!

That meal left both hosts and guests thoroughly satisfied.

The next morning, they loaded the goods they planned to sell onto the cart and headed toward the town.

After two days, everyone had grown much more familiar with the routine. Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhu’er stayed to tend the stall, while Xu Zhichun and Liang Mingliang went to deliver goods to the Lotus Restaurant.

Since dealing with Manager Tang was naturally Xu Zhichun’s responsibility.

If any issues arose, she could handle them properly.

Once things were running smoothly, Liang Mingliang could take over on his own.

Unexpectedly, Manager Tang of the Lotus Restaurant agreed to buy their ice jelly at fifty wen per jin, roughly half a tael, and wanted thirty jin daily. If he needed more, he would notify them in advance. However, this deal meant Lotus Restaurant would have exclusive rights; they couldn’t sell the ice jelly to anyone else.

What was there to hesitate about? Xu Zhichun thought briefly and agreed, signing the contract with Manager Tang.

This guaranteed them a daily income of fifteen hundred wen—a windfall, practically like silver falling from the sky.

There was no doubt that the Lotus Restaurant would make even more profit, but with their capital and convenience, it was only natural. Xu Zhchun didn’t feel any resentment.

Later, Xu Zhichun learned that the county’s finest Green Water Teahouse and the Lotus Restaurant both belonged to the wealthy Mo family, one of the top local households. Most of the ice jelly Manager Tang ordered was destined for Green Water Teahouse.

Once this smooth, delicate jelly reached Green Water Teahouse, it commanded far from ordinary prices. The teahouse staff creatively added toppings: brown sugar syrup, sesame, crushed peanuts, walnut bits, raisins, diced seasonal fruits, candied fruit, milk, and more. Naturally, different toppings meant different prices.

A simple bowl with only brown sugar syrup sold for three wen, while the most elaborate bowl could fetch thirty wen.

One jin of jelly could yield at least thirty bowls.

The teahouse was making a killing.

When it came to innovation, the ancients were hardly lacking.

Even knowing this, Xu Zhichun would still choose to cooperate with Manager Tang. The high prices weren’t just due to the toppings—they were because the jelly was being sold at Green Water Teahouse.

After signing the contract and preparing to leave, Xu Zhichun noticed a staff member carrying a small half-bucket of fish skin toward the trash. She hurriedly called out with a smile, “Excuse me, young man, are you really throwing all this fish skin away?”

The staff glanced at the manager, and seeing no objection, explained with a laugh, “These are the skins left over from making fish balls. Occasionally, someone might take some home, but they’re very fishy and not much good to eat. No one wants them, so we usually throw them out—or take them to feed the pigs at the owner’s estate outside town.”

Xu Zhichun couldn’t help but think how wasteful!

Just one glance and she could tell the skins were expertly prepared—high-quality fish skin.

Handled simply, these fish skins could become a delicious dish—cold dressed fish skin salad.

She even had vacuum-packed fish skins in her harbor warehouse, but they were only for sneaky personal consumption—she hadn’t had the chance to sell them.

She considered the feasibility of selling cold-dressed fish skin herself—and immediately discarded the idea.

Where would she get so much fish skin every day? Even a big restaurant like Lotus Restaurant couldn’t make fish balls daily, and even if she bought from them, the supply wouldn’t be reliable.

It would be better to sell the recipe to Manager Tang.

Xu Zhichun asked the staff to hold onto the fish skin for now, then smiled at Manager Tang. “Manager Tang, would you care to step aside for a word?”