Still Want to Do Business. I Know, Husband, Your Intentions Are…
The matter of clearing wasteland simply faded away.
The silver earned from digging up medicinal herbs finally gave Jiang Queyun a bit of savings. Combined with his habit of observing market prices while strolling around during herb sales, he naturally came to understand just how impressive Lu Hanbai’s monthly salary of eight taels really was.
However, simply hoarding silver was never enough. Having multiple streams of income was the surest guarantee of security.
“I still want to do business.”
Eventually, when Lu Hanbai returned home again, Jiang Queyun voiced his thoughts.
As he said this, he didn’t wear the deliberately ingratiating smile he usually did. His round, clear eyes stared fixedly at Lu Hanbai, filled with anticipation and tension.
After spending this much time here, he had long since learned that the folk customs in Dongling were open and simple, far from being an ultra-feudal society. Women and young men alike were able to go outside and run small businesses.
If others could do it, he naturally could, too.
Lu Hanbai’s deep gaze fixed on him. Without refusing outright, he asked in a low voice, “What kind of business do you want to do?”
“I have plenty of skills. Making some street food to sell should work fine.” Jiang Queyun felt quite confident when it came to his culinary abilities.
Children from orphanages like his often had to step out into society by the time they reached adulthood. After all, not every orphanage received generous funding, especially when there were younger, more pitiful children who needed help.
Ever since he entered society, he had constantly juggled odd jobs and part-time work, pushing everything he could do to its absolute limit. On top of that, to save money, he always cooked for himself. With the internet being so developed back then, mastering culinary skills wasn’t difficult, and he certainly hadn’t let the opportunity to make a living off the internet pass him by.
As for common snacks, starch sausages, grilled gluten skewers, spicy skewers, chicken wing tips, he knew how to make all of those. He could definitely scrape together some money.
He truly hadn’t the heart to let Lu Hanbai shoulder the burden of supporting the family entirely on his own, but more importantly, he needed to integrate into this place. When the man eventually soared to success and prominence, he certainly wasn’t going to take along an extra hitchhiker.
“If it were just ordinary food, the town would already be selling it. You need to come up with something fresh, cheap, and filling if you want to sell it successfully,” Lu Hanbai said practically. Some things didn’t need to be spelled out for the other to understand.
“I can’t explain it in two or three sentences. Aren’t you resting tomorrow? Let me make some for you to try.” Jiang Queyun had made up his mind to do business, and he needed to win Lu Hanbai over first.
Putting aside Lu Hanbai’s identity as the male protagonist, simply looking at him as the original owner’s husband meant they were tied together as a couple. As long as the man gave his nod, no matter the outcome, Lu Hanbai would have a stake in it.
Though it sounded a bit shameless to say out there, in this world, he genuinely needed someone to provide a safety net for him.
Lu Hanbai pondered for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.
He had some idea of Jiang Queyun’s cooking skills. If restaurants didn’t refuse young men from working as cooks, the fellow could surely secure a decent job. As for running a small stall, if he could genuinely come up with something clever, he might as well let him try.
“I want to try some, too.” Lu Yu stared eagerly at Lu Hanbai. Only his dad had a say in whether he went to school or not; the troublemaker had no right to speak on that matter.
“I’ll make some tomorrow and save a portion for you. You can’t skip school just because of this little thing.” Jiang Queyun frowned slightly, showing his disapproval.
Lu Yu instantly fell silent. Even the troublemaker thought he was being unreasonable, meaning he didn’t even need to wait to hear his dad’s lecture.
“If it tastes good, save me a bit more. If it doesn’t taste good, just save me a tiny bit less.” Lu Yu thought it over and spoke up.
He sighed inwardly. He still had to manage the adults; he really was too sensible!
Jiang Queyun lifted his chin, his pretty face beaming with pride and confidence. “I guarantee you’ll want more after one bite!”
To secure Lu Hanbai’s support, Jiang Queyun spared no effort. He woke up early to knead the dough and wash it repeatedly to remove the starch and impurities. The remaining gluten protein formed the raw material, while the extracted starch would come in handy later.
During this process, he prepared all the necessary ingredients beforehand and set up a small pot of oil to heat.
Originally, he had planned to make grilled gluten skewers, but he didn’t have a grill on hand yet. It was safer to stick to a foolproof method to win over Lu Hanbai first, and once he went to town, he could hire someone to make a custom grill frame.
He shaped the washed gluten dough into long strips, pierced them onto pre-whittled wooden skewers, cut them into a spiral shape, and dropped them into the hot oil to fry over low heat. A rich aroma soon wafted through the air.
Once the gluten skewers were fried golden brown and taken out, he dusted them with pre-mixed seasonings and spices. A mouthwatering, fragrant plate of fried gluten skewers was complete.
“The very first skewer goes to you.” Jiang Queyun handed it to Lu Hanbai, adding, “The heat is a bit tricky to control. Try it and see how the texture is.”
Lu Hanbai took it with a hint of skepticism. He truly had never seen food prepared quite like this, but figured the taste wouldn’t be too bad since it was made with decent ingredients.
Looking at the heavily seasoned snack, then glancing up at Jiang Queyun’s round, bright eyes, Lu Hanbai took a deep breath and took a bite with the resolve of someone marching to their execution.
Mhm?
Though deep-fried, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with absolutely no burnt taste. The crunchy outer crust blended seamlessly with the spices, delivering a rich explosion of flavors upon the first bite.
The inside was soft, chewy, and surprisingly gave him the illusion that he was chewing meat.
Thinking it over, there was only one word for it: delicious.
“How is it? My culinary skills haven’t rusted yet, hehe.” Jiang Queyun asked with a smile while continuing to fry the rest. He had previously worked part-time at a barbecue joint and knew exactly how to make these items taste amazing.
He scooped out another freshly fried batch, dusted them with seasoning, and blew on them before popping one into his mouth.
Taking a bite felt like being transported right back to his original world. It seemed that whenever he missed those delicacies in the future, he would just have to make them himself.
Lu Hanbai remained silent throughout, quickly finishing his skewer and devouring the rest left on the plate in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Queyun’s eyes widened. “Aren’t you afraid of burning your mouth? Hurry up and rinse your mouth with some cold water!”
“Though I don’t know what you take me for, I should look somewhat less like a fool.” Lu Hanbai looked at him with mild exasperation. Did he really need to be told whether something was burning hot?
“Alright, alright, pretend I said nothing.” Jiang Queyun hummed twice, then turned back with a mischievous grin. “It tastes amazing, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have pounced on them like a starving tiger!”
Lu Hanbai gave a light cough. “Acceptable.”
Jiang Queyun couldn’t help clicking his tongue. Look at him, already acting all proud and aloof.
Yet, our dear Jiang was magnanimous and refused to argue with a hypocritical fellow!
“Well, you’ve eaten your fill. What’s your verdict?” Jiang Queyun asked.
“Fairly speaking, the taste is indeed quite good, but how many wen are you planning to sell this for?” Lu Hanbai said, his gaze drifting over to the raw ingredients.
Not only did it use fine white flour, but it also required a considerable amount of oil to fry, plus all those seasonings. No matter how he calculated it, it would have to sell for at least ten wen a skewer, otherwise, it was bound to run at a loss.
Yet, which ordinary villager would ever be willing to spend ten wen on a skewer of flour? Even if it did taste exceptionally good.
Jiang Queyun had already figured it out and waited for him to ask before chiming in eagerly, “The sizes of these gluten skewers are all hand-shaped. I’ve thought it through: large gluten skewers will be ten wen for four, and small ones will be five wen for three.”
These numbers didn’t match his calculations at all.
Lu Hanbai’s eyes widened. “You use rich ingredients and a whole pot of oil just to fry them, yet you’re selling them this cheap?”
Jiang Queyun nodded, looking slightly sheepish. “That’s right, this is called small profits and quick turnover. Besides, the oil won’t be wasted either; when we’ve wrung every last bit of use out of it, we can still use it for stir-frying vegetables.”
“What do you mean by wringing every last bit of use out of it?” Lu Hanbai sharply caught the loophole in his words and realized the truth after a brief moment of thought. “You aren’t changing the oil in that pot every single day?”
Now it was Jiang Queyun’s turn to widen his eyes. “Keep your voice down! Ordinary households like ours scrape by earning pennies, how could we afford to ruin our capital like that?”
Other places used gutter oil for months!
His oil was completely clean; using it a few times didn’t hurt at all!
Hearing this, Lu Hanbai was left momentarily speechless.
He could somewhat understand Jiang Queyun’s logic. After all, cooking oil wasn’t cheap for ordinary folk. Replacing a whole pot every day would indeed be wasteful, but reusing it for a few days meant they wouldn’t operate at a loss.
“Do as you see fit.” Lu Hanbai didn’t know what else to say, offering only one last shred of stubborn resistance. “Just make sure I don’t get fed food cooked in oil that’s been wrung dry of every last use.”
“Look at you. You’re the one earning money, you can buy pork fat yourself. Where would I ever give you leftovers?” Seeing him relent, Jiang Queyun immediately switched back to a flattering expression.
He truly knew how to play along with the situation to the absolute limit.
Lu Hanbai let out a soft sigh. “As long as you know. Is this all we’re having for breakfast?”
Jiang Queyun put on a serious face. “There are still leftover steamed buns from yesterday. I’ll whip up a refreshing soup, and that should be enough for you. I’ll finish frying these skewers, and when your son comes back at noon, he can eat straight away.”
Lu Hanbai didn’t care much about what was cooked. After all, he knew Jiang Queyun’s culinary skills; even a clear vegetable soup would likely turn out flavorful.
Jiang Queyun planned to make a simple mantou-version ciabatta. The bread pockets were minor details, but the inner fillings were the most important part: eggs, vegetables, and meat all had to be included.
He ate one, while Lu Hanbai ate three.
He certainly hadn’t grown into such a tall man for nothing.
“It’s your turn to pick him up today.” Jiang Queyun said between bites.
“I remember.” Lu Hanbai replied in a slow, deliberate manner.
This was an arrangement Jiang Queyun had unilaterally agreed upon with him: normally the other would pick him up, but on rest days, it was Lu Hanbai’s turn. He didn’t mind it at all; after all, according to his initial thoughts, he never expected Jiang Queyun would willingly tire himself out like this.
Jiang Queyun drained his vegetable soup in one go, the feeling of fullness creeping up to his throat. He quickly stood up and stomped his feet to help settle the food down.
“Also, I need to go to town to buy some supplies.” He looked slightly embarrassed saying this. He needed to get a portable pot and a pushcart, otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how to transport his setup to town.
This was him reaching out for silver.
Seeing his embarrassed expression, Lu Hanbai felt a strange wave of perverse satisfaction wash over him.
He gave a light cough and tossed the money pouch hanging from his waist straight to him. “There are a few taels of silver inside. Take it and use it.”
Jiang Queyun instantly brightened up. He happily unzipped the money pouch and took a peek; if his calculations were correct, there were four or five taels in here!
The purchasing power was more than enough!
He curled the corners of his lips and clung to Lu Hanbai’s side like a piece of sticky plaster, flattering him while massaging his shoulders. “Husband, I don’t even know what to say. You really are an absolute saint of a man! Once I make some silver, I’ll give you a cut.”
Lu Hanbai found this eager, attentive act of his exceptionally gratifying. He let out a soft hum; the troublemaker buttering him up like this was simply looking for a safety net, and such a trivial task was no trouble at all.
“As long as you know.”
“I know, husband, I’ve kept your kind intentions right here in my heart!” Jiang Queyun spoke affectedly, his shoulder-massage growing even more enthusiastic.
He honestly hadn’t expected Lu Hanbai to be willing to help out.
The truly wonderful people always seemed to belong to someone else.