This time, only Sister-in-law Wang and her sister-in-law accompanied Song Xia to the county town. Because Song Xia carried a food basket with her, she queued together with Sister-in-law Wang’s group. Mimicking Sister-in-law Wang’s movements, she handed one wen to the bailiff, who was brimming with impatience. After he roughly rummaged through her belongings, she was finally granted entry into the town.
Apart from that, everything went smoothly.
Song Xia first went to the carpenter’s shop to fetch the curved-shaft plow.
Because she had paid extra, nothing was missed; everything was crafted quickly and well. After inspecting the work, Song Xia felt thoroughly satisfied.
Song Xia thought to herself: You really have to hand it to honest working people!
Once all the components were in her hands, Song Xia held nothing back. Right there at the first carpenter’s shop, she assembled the curved-shaft plow on the spot.
Assembling the curved-shaft plow was no simple task; every joint utilized traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. Song Xia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at this joinery technique she had never witnessed in person before, marveling silently in her heart: Our ancestors really knew their stuff!
Finally, by cross-referencing the diagram with Song Xia’s verbal explanations, the old carpenter assembled the curved-shaft plow into shape.
Once it was assembled, the old carpenter marveled at the curved-shaft plow, remarking that it looked quite similar to a straight-shaft plow, though crafting it had been considerably more troublesome. Although only a few parts had been modified, seeing it all completed and joined together revealed that this curved-shaft plow Song Xia wanted them to make was far more flexible than conventional agricultural tools. However, its other advantages could not be observed directly; one would have to test it in the field in person.
The old carpenter had assumed that after receiving the tool, Song Xia would find a spot to try out this agricultural implement she called a “curved-shaft plow.” Unexpectedly, after just a glance, Song Xia’s face beamed with delight, showing no intention of heading into the field to test it. Thus, he had no choice but to keep his bellyful of questions to himself, quietly planning that when he had free time, he would craft another identical one according to the design and test it himself. If it proved truly useful, he had relatives of his own who farmed!
Seeing that the curved-shaft plow built by the carpenter was virtually identical to the ones she had seen in her past life, Song Xia felt delighted. She gave the carpenter a few extra wen as a tip and requested that his young apprentice help her transport the curved-shaft plow back to the village. The implement was simply too large for her to carry.
Upon hearing this, the old carpenter’s face lit up with joy, thinking that if his young apprentice helped Song Xia carry it back, wouldn’t he get to see how she used it?
Thus, he nodded repeatedly in agreement, directly calling out a strong, sharp-looking apprentice to assist her.
Song Xia did not overthink it. Besides, even if she had seen through the old carpenter’s little scheme, she would not have minded. Since the curved-shaft plow was so effective, she planned to recommend it to Sister-in-law Xing’er, Sister-in-law Wang, and the others anyway. Allowing more people to use better, lighter agricultural tools was a good thing, not a bad one.
After making arrangements with the carpenter, Song Xia took her food basket and headed to the sugar shop where she had purchased sugar last time.
This sugar shop was situated on the most bustling street of the county town, named “Ganwei Pavilion.”
When Song Xia came to buy sugar last time, she had left a deep impression on the shop assistant. After all, in this small county town, many people bought pre-made sweets, but very few bought raw materials to make their own. Good cooks in this small place who dared to use so much sugar to craft pastries were rare indeed. Even the county magistrate himself bought their pre-made pastries to eat!
So as soon as Song Xia stepped through the door, the young assistant recognized her and stepped forward with a smile to greet her.
“Young lady, did you finish using the sugar you bought last time so quickly?” Seeing Song Xia carrying a basket, the young man wondered if she had come to buy sugar again. Wait, no! She looks like she’s here to sell her own pastries!
Sure enough, Song Xia looked at the shop assistant with a beaming smile and said, “Little Shopkeeper, do you accept sugar pastries for consignment here?”
“Aiya! You flatter me too much! I’m just an errand hand, not any Little Shopkeeper.” Flattered and surprised, the young assistant waved his hands repeatedly.
With that said, he politely declined, “Our Ganwei Pavilion is a long-established shop with our own master pastry chefs. We generally do not accept outside sweets.”
“Young brother, don’t be in such a hurry. You can sample what I made first.” Song Xia had already anticipated this outcome in her heart. Hearing the assistant’s refusal, she did not feel discouraged at all. Still smiling sweetly, she lifted the cloth covering the top of her food basket, took out a small piece of reddish-brown pastry, and handed it to the young assistant.
“Taste it. Whether it works out or not, you can try it first—it doesn’t matter,” Song Xia handed it to the assistant, gesturing for him to sample it. “I felt that fate brought us together, which is why I came to our Ganwei Pavilion to ask first. If it doesn’t work out, that’s fine too.”
Song Xia had not expected to succeed outright with such a large shop anyway; she had originally planned to ask shop by shop. However, as Ganwei Pavilion was the largest sugar shop in the entire county town, Song Xia still wanted to seize the opportunity. It was just a matter of popping in to inquire; if it truly failed, she would treat it as a bit of advertising. Letting everyone know she had made a new sweet treat would make it easier even if she sold it at the street market later.
Unable to decline, the assistant took the hawthorn cake and examined it closely.
The headquarters of Ganwei Pavilion was actually located in the prefectural city, but because of its high quality, great taste, and excellent service, business thrived, growing larger and larger to the point of opening a branch even in this remote county town. Therefore, anyone who worked at Ganwei Pavilion, even a humble assistant, possessed a sharp eye.
This piece of pastry was cut neat and square, yet not rigid, featuring wavy edges and a simple flower pattern stamped on top. Through the eyes of a young assistant who worked at Ganwei Pavilion year-round, while it could not be considered exquisite, it possessed a charming, rustic appeal.
However, this pastry was quite different from those in their shop. It had a translucent quality, somewhat resembling a gemstone or crystal.
The assistant tentatively took a small bite. The moment it entered his mouth, he understood why the young lady before him was so confident.
This was a sweet and sour pastry. Upon entry, a intense sourness hit the palate, but this sourness was distinct from vinegar or other sour flavors; it was far from one-dimensional. The layers of flavor were remarkably rich—sour at first, followed by sweetness, and finally a uniquely pleasant, lingering sour aftertaste that was extraordinarily delicious.
Yet as the assistant savored the pastry repeatedly, he still could not discern what ingredient it was made of.
Nowadays, sweet and sour pastries on the market were extremely rare. Many sour fruits possessed a bitterness that was difficult to remove—they were either astringently bitter or sourly bitter.
Furthermore, the proportion of ingredients for this kind of pastry was extremely hard to balance. Unless crafted by an experienced master chef, it could easily turn out either too sweet or too sour, wasting ingredients. Such a perfectly balanced sweet and sour ratio must have undergone countless adjustments and trials to achieve.
The assistant discreetly surveyed Song Xia once more. She was dressed simply and plainly, looking quite young yet wearing a married woman’s hairstyle, with no ornaments on her head. However, her overall demeanor was refined and dignified, radiating an indescribable sense of confidence from the inside out. This is no ordinary person, the assistant thought to himself. I can’t let a sweet treat like this slip through my fingers!
Seeing the assistant look up at her with a surprised expression after taking just one bite, Song Xia thought to herself: Nailed it.
Yet Song Xia remained unhurried on the surface, asking, “What does brother think? Can this pastry be placed in your shop for consignment? If not, I’ll go check other shops. It’s quite alright; don’t feel put on the spot.”
After uttering these insincere words, Song Xia feigned an intention to head for the door. The assistant’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly stepped forward to stop her.
“Hey! Young lady, please don’t be in a hurry! I’m just an assistant; I can’t make the call, right? Please wait here for a moment while I go to the back and invite our shopkeeper out.” The assistant said with a smile.
Hearing the assistant say this, Song Xia’s pounding heart finally settled down. Hawthorn cake truly is timeless!
The young assistant worked very efficiently. Before long, he invited out a middle-aged man with a goatee and a well-proportioned posture.
The assistant had likely briefed him on the situation in advance. As soon as the middle-aged man walked out, he saw Song Xia and the food basket beside her.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, young lady. You may call me Shopkeeper Li. May I ask your honorable surname?” Shopkeeper Li looked exceptionally amiable, with a warm smile constantly gracing his face.
“My surname is Song. You may just call me Little Song,” Song Xia replied.
“Just now, my assistant mentioned that you made a very unique sweet treat and wished to sell it to our Ganwei Pavilion?” Shopkeeper Li’s eyes gleamed with shrewdness as he looked at Song Xia’s small basket. The assistant had recounted the earlier events and his own guesses to him; since he had hired the assistant personally, the lad would never exaggerate carelessly. Therefore, the sweet treat made by this young lady must have something extraordinary about it!
“I did make some sweet treats that I’d like to leave here on consignment.” As Song Xia spoke, she took another piece from the basket and offered it to Shopkeeper Li to taste.
Shopkeeper Li remained silent, taking the pastry and squinting his eyes to examine it for a long moment before slowly taking a bite.
Watching Shopkeeper Li’s reaction after tasting it, Song Xia cursed him in her heart as an old fox—his face remained completely expressionless, making his thoughts entirely unreadable.
“Mm, not bad,” Shopkeeper Li said with a mild expression.
“Shopkeeper Li, do you think my sour cake can be sold on consignment at Ganwei Pavilion?” Song Xia didn’t want to play mind games and asked Shopkeeper Li directly.
A look of difficulty appeared on Shopkeeper Li’s face.
“Since Young Mistress Song can make such delicate food, you must be a person of some experience. Then you should also understand that a shop like ours has its own dedicated pastry masters; we generally do not accept outside sweets.”
“In that case, I’ll go check other shops.” Hearing this, Song Xia did not feel discouraged. She stood up, picked up her basket, and prepared to leave.
“Hey!” Unexpectedly, Song Xia turned to walk out after a single disagreement. Shopkeeper Li grew anxious and quickly called out to stop her.
“You young lady, I haven’t even finished speaking!” Shopkeeper Li could barely maintain his warm smile.
“Ah? My apologies. Hearing you say you don’t accept outside sweets, I assumed you were declining me.” Song Xia couldn’t be bothered to beat around the bush. Coming to their shop first was simply because she had bought sugar here last time, and because their establishment was the largest pastry shop in the county town.
However, if they wouldn’t accept her sour cake, she would try another shop; if that still failed, she would sell them individually at the market. Song Xia was still very confident in the hawthorn cake she made.
“Didn’t I say we generally don’t accept them?” Shopkeeper Li was somewhat speechlessly amused. This young lady looked gentle and soft-spoken, yet why did she act so headstrong and impulsive?
“I’ve tasted your sweet treat, and the flavor is indeed very good. So I have an idea regarding this—would Young Mistress Song care to hear it?” Shopkeeper Li restored his shrewd demeanor as head shopkeeper, stroking his beard with a smiling glint in his eyes as he looked at Song Xia.
“Please speak, Shopkeeper Li.”
“Why doesn’t Young Mistress Song sell the recipe for this sweet treat to me? I can certainly offer you a good price,” Shopkeeper Li smiled.
Song Xia didn’t need to hear further to know Shopkeeper Li’s intentions. Sure enough, she shook her head.
“This recipe was passed down to me exclusively by my mother, who instructed me never to divulge it to outsiders. Therefore, I cannot sell the recipe—I can only sell these prepared sour cakes. I hope Shopkeeper Li can understand my filial piety.” Song Xia lied through her teeth with her eyes wide open.
Shopkeeper Li could tell even more clearly that Song Xia was spouting nonsense. Refusing to sell the recipe is filial piety? What kind of logic is that!
However, since Song Xia adamantly refused to sell, he had no leverage. The moment he declined here, Song Xia could turn around and sell the sour cake to his competitor. For Ganwei Pavilion to reach its current stature, its discernment was top-notch. This sour cake had never circulated on the market, was deliciously sweet and sour, and carried a unique fragrance—it was bound to be popular. If it walked out of his doors today and into his competitor’s shop, that would never do!
Furthermore, if it sold well, he could even bring it to the main shop in the prefectural city to sell. There were far more wealthy people there, so it would surely sell even better, and the master would definitely hold him in higher regard!
With these thoughts in mind, Shopkeeper Li suppressed his various notions and said, “Then for how much does Young Mistress Song wish to sell them to me?”
Seeing Shopkeeper Li relent, Song Xia thought for a moment and spoke up, “I would like to sell them in the shop for eight wen a piece.”
Song Xia’s sour cake was cut to roughly the size of a mahjong tile, so eight wen per piece was quite expensive. But there was truly no helping it—sugar was very expensive as well. In this era, anything with a touch of sweetness did not come cheap.
Shopkeeper Li looked at Song Xia, thought for a moment, and said, “Our shop indeed does not accept outside sweets, but I can purchase them all outright and sell them under our shop’s name.”
Song Xia understood Shopkeeper Li’s meaning as soon as she heard it. Buy them all outright? Wouldn’t that save me even more trouble? It directly eliminates the hassle of sales and unsold stock.
“Young Mistress Song, since I’m taking them all, what about your price?” Shopkeeper Li smiled.
“The price can be negotiated. I brought a total of 300 pieces of sour cake today. Since Shopkeeper Li wants them all, I’ll sell them to you at five wen a piece. How about that?” Song Xia directly lowered the price by one-third. Since she bore no risk of leftover unsold goods, the price could naturally be reduced further.
“Good!” Hearing this, Shopkeeper Li laughed heartily and straightforwardly. This young lady was indeed no ordinary person—she had real bold vision!
“Then I’ll take all these sour cakes. As for future matters, we can discuss them when the time comes.” A shrewd light glinted in Shopkeeper Li’s eyes.
Their shop’s pastry chefs were top-tier talents. Handing this pastry over for them to study would allow them to figure out what it was made of and whether it could be replicated.
If it ultimately proved impossible to replicate, buying from this Young Mistress Song would still be fine.
Song Xia also understood Shopkeeper Li’s underlying thoughts—it was nothing more than taking the sour cake back to let the master chefs study how it was made. However, while hawthorn cake sounded simple, making it for someone who had never done so was immensely difficult. Song Xia was not afraid of them figuring it out; if they truly did, that was simply their talent, and she could just find other ways to make money. Song Xia had never intended to rely solely on this to make a living anyway. Making a living ultimately depended on wheat.
And so, with both parties pursuing their own calculations, the deal was struck.
Shopkeeper Li smilingly retrieved fifteen strings of cash from the back counter and handed them to Song Xia.
Song Xia counted them thoroughly without hesitation. Kidding aside, this is her first bucket of gold in this era! Of course she had to count carefully!
Looking at Song Xia, Shopkeeper Li smiled genuinely this time. Shrewd, straightforward, generous in conducting business without being artificial or pretentious—she was a good business partner!
Once Song Xia finished counting and found no issues, she offered a bashful smile: “Our family is poor, so I had no choice.”
Shopkeeper Li nodded to express his understanding.
Unexpectedly, Song Xia immediately took out ten strings from the fifteen strings of cash: “Shopkeeper Li, I still need to buy some more sugar then.”
After another round of bargaining, Song Xia successfully bought cane sugar at an even cheaper price than last time.
“You really ought to just come do business here at my shop instead,” Shopkeeper Li teased her with a smile.
Song Xia waved her hand: “I can’t do that; I still have land to farm!”
Shopkeeper Li chuckled, taking it merely as Song Xia’s joke. To him, this young lady looked nothing like a farmer—her skin was fair, her hands lacked the calluses carved by years of hard manual labor, her appearance was neat and tidy, her speech logical and clear, and she even knew how to make food he had never seen before. In his view, Song Xia resembled a child from a well-to-do educated family.
Believing Song Xia was simply offering a polite refusal, Shopkeeper Li refrained from bringing it up again.