Carrying the food container, Shen Youyou arrived at Mo Yan’s house and saw that they were already up. He was washing the faces of the two little ones.
Shen Youyou waved from outside:
“Mo Yan, Tuanzi, Yuanzi, good morning!”
Little Yuanzi finished washing his face and ran out, smiling at Shen Youyou:
“Sister Youyou, why are you up so early?”
“Yuanzi, after breakfast, you and your brother will go visit Granny Li for your morning meal. Meanwhile, your little uncle and I will go to the town to sell some goods. When we come back with the money, we’ll bring you some treats, alright?”
“Okay! Brother, hurry up. After breakfast, we’ll go play with the little chickens with Shen Nan!”
“Coming, coming.”
With Shen Nan now acting as their little older brother, Tuanzi and Yuanzi had more games to play and were happier than ever. Their meals were better, they were well-fed, and with small animals to play with, they even went to sleep smiling at night.
Seeing them happily heading to the Shen household, Mo Yan came out to help. Seeing Shen Youyou carrying such a large food container, he quickly took it from her, saying:
“Why didn’t you wait for me to carry it? It’s so heavy—you’ll hurt your back!”
Shen Youyou, pleased that he was offering to help, didn’t refuse. She handed it over but teased him:
“I’m not that delicate—I’m quite strong. If you get tired carrying it, you can give it back to me.”
And so, the two of them chatted casually as they walked toward the town.
Before descending the mountain, Mo Yan glanced back at Tuanzi and Yuanzi feeding the little chickens with Shen Nan. He felt relieved—luckily, the children were too young to remember the past events; otherwise, they wouldn’t be this carefree.
The two continued toward town with the food container.
Once they were out of Shenjia Village, Shen Youyou asked Mo Yan to set the container down and opened it, taking out two sesame flatbreads with eggs. She handed one to Mo Yan:
“You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Here, eat this.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Mo Yan was surprised by her gesture—he had expected to eat breakfast in town. But having breakfast now was definitely a good thing. The flatbread with egg looked delicious.
The two of them walked and ate the flatbreads as they went.
These egg sandwiches were made by Shen Youyou in the Mǎnmǎn Mini Kitchen. Since Mo Yan had no idea how much food was in her house, letting him eat from it was low-risk.
Soon, they arrived at Qingyun Town.
When they reached Xu’s Eatery, it was still early, well before lunchtime. The restaurant wasn’t crowded.
As they approached the eatery, a waiter excitedly ran to the inner courtyard, calling out:
“Miss Shen is here! Master, Master!”
Shen Youyou and Mo Yan were stunned—just two days had passed, yet the waiter seemed thrilled to see them.
Soon, Shen Youyou understood why the waiter was so excited. Xu Gang had been just as enthusiastic when she first came, greeting them warmly and leading them to the inner courtyard.
“Ah, Miss Shen, you’ve finally arrived! Come in, please, please.”
As soon as they sat in the main room, Shi Niang brought freshly brewed tea.
Xu Gang took a sip and said warmly:
“Miss Shen, I’ve been waiting and waiting for your arrival! I never expected the braised duck would sell so well. Customers absolutely love it—several even asked about it yesterday! Let’s finalize the contract today. As we discussed before, we’ll split it three to seven. Now, what do you think is a fair price for the duck dishes?”
Hearing this, Shen Youyou finally felt relieved. She had confidence in her ducks, but until she saw customer reactions, she had been a bit anxious.
Thinking for a moment, she spoke honestly:
“Well, I don’t have experience with this. Shopkeeper Xu, based on your experience and the market price of ducks, what do you think is a reasonable price? Here are the five ducks I braised yesterday. Take a look.”
Xu Gang understood—after all, she was still a young girl.
He inspected the container and carefully analyzed the portion sizes:
“An adult duck costs about twenty-five wén. Each of these can make three plates. Considering the seasoning, labor, and restaurant costs, how about setting each plate at twenty-five wén?”
He felt this was reasonable—it allowed them to make a profit without overcharging, and other meat dishes in the restaurant were similarly priced, though not as tasty.
Shen Youyou thought silently and nodded in agreement.
Seeing her consent, Xu Gang immediately recognized her as straightforward and decisive.
He had Shi Niang bring out the prepared contract. Concerned she might not be able to read it, Xu Gang kindly read it aloud for her.
Shen Youyou didn’t say much—she could read the characters, which were similar to modern writing. After listening, she pressed her handprint on the document, officially sealing the agreement.
Thus, their formal partnership began.
Xu Gang admired Miss Shen’s frankness. Despite being a young girl, her skills were excellent, and her character was straightforward—he believed in those he employed.
Laughing, he said:
“Miss Shen, luckily you brought five ducks today. Otherwise, if regular customers came, I wouldn’t have known how to explain—it’s something they’ve been looking forward to!
Here’s two taels of silver as a deposit. Go buy more ducks—these five are too few. If possible, can you supply me with ten per day? We can settle accounts every five days.”
Shen Youyou had been worried about having enough capital, but now Xu Gang was giving her an advance payment.
Both parties agreed immediately, finalizing the arrangement.
Shen Youyou then brought up another concern:
“But if I deliver every day, I’m worried I won’t have time. Braising and handling the ducks takes quite a while.”
Xu Gang waved it off:
“No problem. I’ll have the waiter pick them up every morning. Miss Shen, where do you live?”
“I live near Shenjia Village, but not in the village itself—at the foot of the mountain. You can ask around, only my household and one other live there.”
Shen Youyou stated plainly.