It was lunchtime, and the crowd in the market showed no sign of thinning. Enticing aromas wafted from the food stalls lining the streets.
They say a growing boy eats his father out of house and home. Su Anyu, just twelve years old, was at the perfect age for a growth spurt. Even back at Yingkelai, his stomach had already begun rumbling like an empty city.
Though the boy had a fiery temper, he was very sensible. Clutching his belly, he stubbornly refused to utter a single complaint about being hungry.
They couldn’t afford the meals at Yingkelai, but surely they could manage something from the food stalls?
Su Zhen led her brother to a noodle stall and, with a bold wave of her small hand, declared, “Boss, two bowls of plain noodles!”
After a moment’s thought, she added, “And add an egg to each!”
Su Anyu quickly pressed down on his sister’s hand. “Sis, don’t add the eggs. They’re expensive!”
An egg cost two copper coins—he couldn’t bear the thought of wasting money.
“Silly boy, your sister is going to buy a lot of things later. You’ll need to eat more to carry the basket for me. This egg won’t be for nothing!”
Only then did Su Anyu break into a wide grin. He patted his shoulder and flexed his arm to show off his muscles. “Don’t worry, these are iron arms. I could even carry a tree stump!”
The plain noodles were soon ready—steaming hot, served in large bowls. Su Zhen quietly marveled at the generous portions before using her chopsticks to transfer some of her noodles to her brother’s bowl.
It wasn’t that she was being deliberately fussy; she genuinely couldn’t finish such a large bowl.
Su Anyu thought his sister was doing this out of affection for him. After refusing for a while, he lowered his head, quietly sniffled, and said in a slightly choked voice, “Sis, believe me, when I grow up, I’ll definitely earn lots of money and take you to Yingkelai every day for good food!”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting!”
Su Zhen replied with a smile. Yingkelai? Just wait. It wouldn’t be long before they could go there and feast to their hearts’ content!
After lunch, the two of them were full of energy and headed straight for the grain shop.
Su Zhen had already made up her mind. Her grand plan for Medicinal Cuisine would start with setting up a stall selling nutritious porridge. Once she had saved up enough funds, built a reputation, and gathered a steady stream of customers, she would open a Medicinal Cuisine shop and expand the business.
For now, it was just the beginning. She couldn’t take too big a step, so she’d start with the most affordable nutritious porridge.
Su Zhen walked around the grain shop, gaining a general understanding of the prices of this era.
Sorghum rice and cornmeal were the cheapest, while rice and millet were a bit more expensive but still considered mid-range.
Japonica rice and wheat flour were the most expensive, reserved for wealthy households. Ordinary folks could only afford them a few times a year.
As for soybeans, red beans, lotus seeds, and the like, they were all priced reasonably.
Although Su Zhen had money, she didn’t dare to spend recklessly. The windows at home still let in drafts, and there were far too many things she needed to buy.
In the end, she bought five catties of rice, five catties of millet, ten catties of cornmeal, and five catties each of red beans and lotus seeds. Aside from the cornmeal, everything else was for her stall the next day.
Perhaps because of the egg, Su Anyu eagerly shouldered the basket. The thirty catties of goods didn’t tire him at all, though he did feel a pang of regret about the money.
“Just this little bit cost three hundred and eighty copper coins. That’s daylight robbery!”
Su Zhen tucked away the remaining copper coins and shook her head. “It’s not robbery. The noodle stall owner said this grain shop is the most honest one around. Cornmeal is eight copper coins per catty, while rice, millet, lotus seeds, and red beans are all fifteen copper coins per catty. Even though the prices are the same as other shops, they give full weight. The boss didn’t try to cheat us just because we’re kids. That’s pretty good.”
If they could negotiate the price a bit more, Su Zhen would be willing to establish a long-term partnership with this grain shop.
Upon hearing this, Su Anyu nodded as well—whatever his sister said was always right. “Then, sis, what are we going to buy now?”
The young man’s eyes sparkled brightly. Indeed, whether male or female, the joy of spending money and buying things was universal!
Su Zhen couldn’t help but tap his forehead lightly and smiled. “Let’s go take a look at the general store!”
The household was lacking even basic pots, pans, bowls, and utensils. To set up a stall and sell nutritious porridge, they really needed to purchase more supplies.
The general store had everything they needed. Su Zhen picked out twenty of the cheapest bowls, ten small spoons, five large double-handled jars, five large ladles, and a spatula, spending nearly two hundred wen in total.
With so many items, Su Zhen found an elderly man by the roadside and bought a large carrying basket. Only then were the two able to haul everything back home.
Although Mrs. Song was gentle in nature, she was exceptionally skilled at farm work.
In just half a day, Mrs. Song had thoroughly cleaned the entire house, inside and out, and had even washed and starched the tattered clothes they had brought from their old home.
Looking at the few ragged garments fluttering in the wind on the clothesline, Su Zhen felt both amused and heartbroken.
Such days wouldn’t last much longer. Once her business was up and running, she would buy new clothes for the family.
“Sister, brother, you’re finally back! Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Mom saved some sweet potatoes for you!”
A-Qiao bounced over excitedly, throwing herself into Su Zhen’s arms. Her big eyes blinked brightly as she stared boldly at the large baskets on their backs.
“Your sister and brother already had lunch, and we even brought something nice for you!”
Su Zhen set down the basket and pulled out an oil-paper package. “Look, your sister bought some big buns!”
Big buns?
A-Qiao’s eyes lit up even more, and she nearly drooled from the corner of her mouth.
Inside the oil-paper package were neatly arranged four meat buns and four vegetable buns, which Su Zhen had bought from a bun stall near the city gate just before leaving town.
Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Song emerged from the kitchen, still holding a rag. When she saw the pile of things the siblings had bought, her jaw nearly dropped in surprise.
Su Zhen and the others quickly went inside and recounted everything that had happened that day in detail.
Mrs. Song’s eyes immediately reddened. She took Su Zhen’s hand and choked up, saying, “A-Zhen, your father and I have let you down.”
How could she not feel heartbroken? Her daughter was only fifteen years old, yet she was already shouldering the responsibility of the entire family.
But Su Zhen didn’t mind at all. In her previous life, she had been fiercely independent. Her biological parents had favored sons over daughters, and if it weren’t for her academic achievements, her father would likely have married her off early to collect a dowry for her brother.
In this life, she was fortunate enough to have a mother like Mrs. Song, who genuinely cared for her, and siblings who adored her. She couldn’t be happier!
Besides, as long as the family worked together with one heart, how could they not be able to build a better life?
It was nearly dark, and Su Zhen couldn’t afford to delay any longer. She tucked some copper coins into her pocket, went next door to Mother Zhao’s house to fetch a pumpkin, and then hurried to the village chief’s home to buy ten catties of peanuts.
Both the pumpkin and peanuts were grown at home and usually kept for personal consumption, but Su Zhen insisted on paying for them.
For dinner, they had yam and lotus seed porridge—a dish that could strengthen the spleen, stop diarrhea, calm the nerves, and aid digestion, making it suitable for the whole family.
With steaming hot porridge and the big buns, the family of four finally enjoyed a satisfying meal.
Although the kang was a bit hard and the quilt was stiff and not very warm, Su Zhen slept exceptionally soundly that night, even dreaming that the nutritious porridge she sold was completely bought up by everyone.
The next day, she was awakened by the sound of Mrs. Song preparing breakfast and quickly got up to prepare the ingredients for the porridge.
Peanuts, red beans, and lotus seeds were soaked in water, pumpkin was washed and cut into pieces, yam was peeled and cut into sections, and both rice and millet were thoroughly cleaned, all ready to be cooked in the pot.
But when she actually started, Su Zhen suddenly realized that she had overlooked the biggest problem!