Xia Li smiled and said, “Add another ten taels, and I can tell you a few more delicious flavors.”
Manager He’s pricing had already exceeded Mrs. Xia’s expectations. Seeing her daughter still bargaining, she disapproved internally but wisely kept it to herself.
Before Manager He could speak, Zeng Lizhang eagerly asked, “There are even tastier ones? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I agree, hurry up and make them for me.”
Since his master had spoken, Manager He had no choice but to consent.
Manager He led Mrs. Xia and her daughter to a small room downstairs. Accompanying them was a maid named Xiao Mei, who was Zeng Qingqing’s chief maid, there to learn the recipe to prepare it later for Old Madam Zeng and Madam Zeng.
Manager He only called one chef to learn the recipe.
Not daring to reveal the Lan Deng Long Zi openly for fear of unfavorable pricing and arousing suspicion, Mrs. Xia and her daughter had divided the ounce or so of Lan Deng Long Zi into four small portions and hidden them in their sleeves beforehand.
When Manager He and the others saw that the ingredient was Lan Deng Long Zi, they were all astonished.
Xia Li looked at Manager He and asked, “This ingredient is quite inexpensive, right?”
Though possessing a merchant’s cunning, Manager He had principles and was relatively trustworthy. Nodding, he said, “Lan Deng Long is found everywhere by roadsides and fields—it’s indeed cheap. This recipe is worth the price.”
Hearing this, Xia Li and Mrs. Xia brought out a bit of lime and began making the Icy Jelly.
She had held back initially, not revealing the lime earlier. Lime was even cheaper, practically negligible in cost.
During the process, listening to Manager He and Xiao Mei converse, Xia Li learned about Second Miss Zeng and Fourth Young Master Zeng. This restaurant was part of their mother Madam Zeng’s dowry properties. Their father held a high official position, and the family lived in Jin’an Prefecture, the provincial capital. They had come to Tongning County to attend the temple fair at Guwang Temple and were waiting at a villa here for a cousin from Xiangshan Prefecture…
Guwang Temple was located northeast of Sanhua Mountain, about ten li from Xiaowa Village. Whenever the temple held a fair, many villagers from Xiaowa Village would go there to sell goods and supplement their household income.
Xia Li wasn’t particularly impressed by the Zeng family’s prestige. Such wealthy, influential families were beyond her reach, and she doubted there would be any future interactions. As for Manager He, he was decent among merchants. Building a good relationship with him might lead to future cooperation if opportunities arose.
Once the Icy Jelly was ready, Xia Li suggested several flavors and mentioned that adding ice would enhance the taste. The restaurant had ice, strawberries, osmanthus honey, and other ingredients on hand. Manager He had them brought over and drizzled on top, and the flavor indeed improved significantly. Xiao Mei happily brought two bowls to the Zeng siblings.
Manager He retrieved five large silver ingots of twenty taels each and ten small silver ingots of one tael each from the cabinet. Without signing a contract, he sternly said, “Your home is in Xiaowa Village, right? This recipe must not be shared with others, and you yourselves are not to make or eat it. The method is simple and must not be observed by anyone.”
Mrs. Xia and her daughter naturally agreed.
Manager He’s attitude softened as he added, “If you come up with any other good recipes in the future, come find me. Our restaurant is fair to all, young and old.”
Mrs. Xia and her daughter assented, packed the silver into a bundle, and Mrs. Xia tied it securely to her body with a tight knot. She then slung a basket on her back, perfectly concealing the small bundle.
Just as they were about to leave the room, Xiao Mei returned. She handed over two sachets and said with a smile, “These are gifts from my young lady and young master. They said they really enjoyed the sweet soup.”Mrs. Xia and Xia Li expressed their gratitude, then discreetly squeezed the sachet—it contained four Silver Bullets weighing two qian each.
They left the restaurant in high spirits.
Xia Li said cheerfully, “Mother, we’ll earn even more in the future. You just wait to enjoy a life of comfort.”
Mrs. Xia replied with a smile, “Good, I’ll be waiting.”
Xia Li continued, “This time when you submit your embroidery work, take on less. Don’t embroider at night anymore, and rest more during the day.”
Mrs. Xia nodded in agreement. She truly couldn’t embroider at night anymore, but she still wanted to do more during the day.
Though it was just past noon, having eaten breakfast early, both were already hungry. They spent twenty-four coins at a noodle stall for two bowls of wontons—thin wrappers with tender fillings, quite delicious. Afraid of revealing their small bundle, neither dared to remove their back baskets.
After the meal, they went to Chun Niang’s Embroidery Workshop to submit finished pieces and pick up new assignments.
Chun Niang’s Embroidery Workshop was also a two-story building. The ground floor sold various embroidered items, from large Screen Panels and Pit Screens to small Round Fans, Sachets, Silk Flowers, and handkerchiefs—a dazzling array of brilliant colors. Mrs. Xia’s embroidery skills were average here, limited to medium and small pieces.
No woman is indifferent to beauty, and Xia Li’s eyes sparkled at the sight of these items.
Mrs. Xia whispered, “After I sell these embroideries, I’ll buy you some pretty hair flowers, a Round Fan, and a few feet of silk to make clothes.”
She greeted the shop assistant with a smile and led Xia Li upstairs to find Manager Wang.
The second floor sold fabrics, embroidery threads, needles, hoops, and other supplies.
Manager Wang was a woman in her thirties, appearing shrewd and capable.
She first complimented Xia Li, “What a lovely child—rarely seen in all of Tongning County,” then told the assistant beside her, “Go downstairs and bring four Silk Flowers as Aunt Wang’s greeting gift for her niece.”
Xia Li thanked her with a smile.
Manager Wang inspected Mrs. Xia’s embroidery, nodded approvingly, and gave her three strings of coins.
Mrs. Xia accepted the payment humbly and said, “Lately, my eyes often tear up, and I can’t see clearly at night, so I don’t dare take on too much work. I’ll take fewer assignments this time and do more once my eyes improve.”
Manager Wang nodded, “Then rest more. You’re still young—don’t strain your eyes.” She assigned Mrs. Xia only four Round Fan projects, saying they could be submitted in one or two months.
Mrs. Xia expressed profuse thanks. Just then, two other embroiderers arrived, and they began discussing embroidery techniques and stitches.
Bored, Xia Li wandered to the window to look outside.
There were few multi-story buildings on this street, mostly single-level houses. With no obstructions, her view was expansive.
Layers of dark gray tiled roofs with upturned eaves, bustling traffic on the street, and streams of diverse pedestrians…
Suddenly, she spotted a comical dog in the distance—it would walk a bit, stop and stand on its hind legs, then repeat the motion, amusing passersby who laughed heartily.
Why did that posture seem so familiar? Oh heavens, this was Xiao Shuai’s favorite trick in their previous life.
A possibility struck Xia Li, her heart leaping into her throat. She rushed downstairs and sprinted toward the spot.
After nearly a quarter-hour, she finally caught up with the dog.
The dog continued its “comedy routine”—walking then standing repeatedly, delighting onlookers who followed it for entertainment.
Xia Li intuited that this dog was almost certainly Xiao Shuai, guessing it might be behaving this way to find its lost owner, since only its owner would recognize this distinctive mannerism.
This was a black and yellow dog, robust and handsome, with glossy fur and perked-up ears, wearing a black linen collar around its neck. It bore a striking resemblance to the marshal from its previous life, except its coat had more yellow and it was slightly smaller in size.
Its current owner was a young nobleman of about fourteen or fifteen, tall and handsome, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a golden crown, with several servants holding horses gathered around him. They followed behind the dog, laughing heartily, immensely proud of having such a clever pet.