The days were gradually warming, and the sun rose earlier each morning.
By dawn, the Tile Market was already buzzing with activity. The two other pancake stalls had arrived before Ye Jia and Zhou Jingchen, and were already serving customers. The couple exchanged a glance, then methodically set up their own stall.
One of the other stalls, tucked away at the far end by the deer fence, was run by a burly, dark-skinned middle-aged couple. The other was managed by an old man with a five- or six-year-old child trailing at his heels.
Their pancakes were nothing like the ones Ye Jia made. They used large, deep-bottomed woks, whereas Ye Jia used a flat-bottomed frying pan—a rarity in the market.
Her pan heated evenly, producing pancakes with a golden, crispy exterior and a tender, savory interior. The other vendors couldn’t replicate her method; instead, they made stuffed pancakes, folding the dough over a minced radish filling like dumplings, then deep-frying them in oil.
Ye Jia glanced over. The old man’s pancakes looked similar to the chive boxes she remembered from her own time. The middle-aged couple was too far away to see what they were making.
Timing is everything when it comes to street vending, she thought.
The morning rush was the most critical window. Once the early morning hunger subsided, the crowds thinned. If a new stall arrived late, customers wouldn’t have had a chance to discover its quality. Those who were starving by dawn would simply eat at the first fragrant stall they found, missing out on any new arrivals.
Business was sluggish today, far from the usual bustle. While a few loyal customers who craved the Xi Shi Stall’s flavors waited for Ye Jia, most people had already bought food elsewhere to stave off their morning hunger. By the time the deer fence was opened, they had only sold about forty pancakes.
Ye Jia frowned. Zhou Jingchen patted her shoulder. “Let’s go inside.”
The early bird catches the worm, and those who arrived late simply couldn’t compete with the first customers of the day. Still, Ye Jia had built a good rapport with the gatekeeper, so Wusu and Sile naturally reserved the best spot for the Zhou family.
They had made over three hundred pancakes a few days ago when it rained.
Normally, they’d sell out in two hours, but today, they’d only sold half their stock by the time they were supposed to close. They couldn’t take the rest home—the heat would spoil them. The batter had already been kept for two days, and another day would mean it would sour. Fortunately, Zhou Jingchen’s handsome face still drew in the town’s women, who continued to buy from the Xi Shi Stall.
The two of them worked until nearly noon before finally selling the last of the three hundred and forty radish pancakes.
The old man who sold chive boxes had packed up early. He always made a small batch and left as soon as he sold out. In contrast, the middle-aged couple was still there, stubbornly competing with Ye Jia. No one knew how many pancakes they had made, but they were still cooking long after the Xi Shi Stall had closed.
Ye Jia took the opportunity while carrying the goat milk to steal a glance.
The couple was clearly inexperienced. Their pancakes were nothing more than a simple home-style version—shredded radish coated in batter. The poor-quality pan and what looked like a coarse multigrain flour resulted in an unappealing color. Still, they sold them cheaply, just three wen each.
Though similar in size to Ye Jia’s pancakes, they lacked her kind’s thickness and substance. Those who couldn’t afford the more expensive ones flocked to their stall.
With a better understanding of the situation, Ye Jia turned to leave with the goat milk. Just then, she spotted someone approaching from a distance.
A familiar face.
Zhang Chunfen was walking over, cradling a large bowl—clearly delivering a meal. Ye Jia glanced at the stall and remembered the dark-faced man. Wasn’t he one of the Zhang brothers who had sold radishes at the tile market the other day? It all clicked.
Zhang Chunfen, oblivious to Ye Jia’s presence, set the food down and immediately turned to flee. But the burly, dark-complexioned woman grabbed her by the arm.
The woman’s voice boomed, her words laced with venom. She unleashed a torrent of abuse on Zhang Chunfen right there in the middle of the street.
“You lazy, gluttonous little brat! All you do is run away the moment I ask you to do some work! How can it take you until dark just to deliver a meal? Don’t you see your brother and I have been working all morning without a bite to eat? Instead of helping out, where are you off to flirt with men now?”
“Who am I flirting with? You’re lying to ruin my reputation! If I can’t get married, it’ll be your fault!”
The woman’s accusations hit home, and Zhang Chunfen’s face flushed crimson.
But her sister-in-law wasn’t buying it. Her retort was even more vicious. “How else do you afford such fine clothes? Who do you think pays for you to dress up like a peacock every day? You trick your foolish brother into buying you makeup behind my back! I’m too kind not to beat you. Look at that ghastly paint on your face. Anyone who knows you is a girl might recognize you, but anyone else would think you’re a whore from a brothel!”
A crowd gathered, pointing and whispering as the argument escalated. Overwhelmed with shame, Zhang Chunfen collapsed to the ground, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed.
Ye Jia had heard that Zhang Chunfen and her sister-in-law didn’t get along, but this was the first time she’d witnessed it firsthand. She hadn’t expected Zhang Chunfen to meet her match. The older woman’s insults were precise and devastating. It was no wonder Madam Ye had sent her to the Ye family; Zhang Chunfen stood no chance against her sister-in-law.
With no interest in their family drama, Ye Jia turned away and carried the goat’s milk back to her own stall.
Zhou Jingchen had already packed everything up. He was waiting for her outside the tile market with Old Sun.
Seeing Ye Jia approaching from a distance, Zhou Jingchen walked over slowly to take the goat’s milk from her.
His leg had mostly healed over the past two months. He no longer needed a cane, though he still walked with a slow, deliberate pace. As they strolled, he kept his gaze lowered, studying Ye Jia’s expression. He had intended to offer some words of comfort or advice, but seeing her brows smooth and her face untroubled, he let his worries fade.
“Want a bite?” Zhou Jingchen asked, keeping pace with her as he lifted a small, grease-stained paper packet.
Ye Jia, who had been lost in thought, looked up to see two kinds of flatbread wrapped inside. She blinked in surprise—she hadn’t even noticed him buy them.
The man’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. Even in his coarse, plain clothes, he exuded an air of refined elegance. He leaned down to meet her gaze. “The fried one is decent enough. But the pan-fried one is practically inedible.”
He tore off a small piece, popped it into his mouth, and then handed the rest to her.
Ye Jia took a bite. The fried radish cake was made with flour, and the radish inside tasted plain and simple. The seasoning wasn’t great, but it was filled with a hot, savory juice that felt comforting as she ate. The pan-fried one, however, was a disaster. It tasted astringent when hot and turned rock-hard as it cooled.
“Three coppers is too expensive,” the man said, his voice so calm it seemed to soothe the heart.
Ye Jia looked up at him. Their eyes met, and she was the first to look away.
By the time the ox cart reached the Zhou family’s home, it was already noon.
Madam Yu had expected a late return, having sold more than usual today. But she hadn’t anticipated this late. She and Rui’er had waited for a long time, venturing to the village entrance several times to scan the horizon. When they saw no sign of the pair, Madam Yu feared something had happened in town and had nearly gone to look for them.
Now, seeing their grim expressions upon arrival, she immediately asked what had happened.
Ye Jia didn’t hold back. She told Madam Yu about the two new pancake stalls in town.
Madam Yu’s face paled, and a flicker of panic crossed her features. It wasn’t that she lacked composure; she was simply terrified. The Zhou family had finally secured a reliable source of income. How could someone try to steal it after they had only been earning for two and a half months?
During their three years of exile, Madam Yu had ceased to be the aloof Princess Consort Jing, who knew nothing of the common world. In this desolate northwest wilderness, even a dragon had to learn to coil and wait.
No matter how literate or perceptive you were, you’d still starve if you couldn’t put food on the table.
The news that their business had been poached sent Ye Jia’s mother into a panic, her face flushing red. “What are we going to do? Why do they always follow suit? If we sell cakes, they sell cakes. Don’t they have any other ideas?”
“Don’t worry, Mother. It’s not a big deal.”
To be honest, anyone would feel bitter about their monopoly being broken after two months of exclusive sales. But in business, if you couldn’t maintain a monopoly, you couldn’t be too arrogant. They needed to eat, and others wanted a share of the profits too—especially in a place as desperate as this.
Besides, the quality of the business would prove itself. No one had the right to stop others from setting up stalls.
After observing the two competing cake stalls, Ye Jia felt her heart settle. First, her cakes tasted better and used more generous ingredients—they were made with white flour, after all. Second, no matter how good a product was, it always had a novelty period. Once that wore off, the truth would emerge.
The superior product would naturally remain superior, while the inferior ones would fail on their own, without any need for sabotage. This process took time; you couldn’t judge the outcome in just a day or two.
“Whether the food is good or bad, the customers know,” Ye Jia said soothingly. “Our pancakes really do taste good. Besides, we can’t make radish pancakes forever. Once the market runs out of radishes, we’ll have to change the menu anyway.”
That was true. Radishes were already scarce in the market, and any new supply wouldn’t arrive until winter. The ones they were using now had been bought from someone’s cellar—produce stored all winter was never high quality to begin with. They had chosen radish filling because it was cheap, but once the radishes were gone, the business would have to stop even if they wanted to keep going.
With this thought, Ye Jia went to the backyard to inspect the small plots of land.
It had rained a few days ago, and she hadn’t expected Zhou Jingchen to have already cleared the vacant lot. He had even planted the seeds she gave him. The sun was bright today, and several of the fast-growing sprouts were already showing a hint of green.
Madam Yu followed her out. Seeing her daughter-in-law staring at the land, lost in thought, she turned to her son.
Zhou Jingchen shook his head. “Jia-niang has a plan.”
Ye Jia had given Zhou Jingchen three packets of seeds: one for Chinese cabbage, one for radishes, and one for “Wash-Intestine Grass”—another name for chives. Radishes were planted after the autumn chill set in, but the cabbage and chives could be sown now. They would grow rapidly as the weather warmed. The vibrant green shoots currently pushing through the soil were the chives; in her past life, people often spoke of “harvesting chives” as a metaphor for a crop that grew back tirelessly, one harvest after another.
After circling the plot for a long time, Ye Jia brushed the dust from her seat and stood up.
“Mother, let’s have a special meal today.”
Madam Yu watched her daughter-in-law’s smiling face and felt her own anxious heart finally settle. It was strange, but in this harsh northwest region, no amount of reassurance from her own son could calm her as much as a single word from Ye Jia.
Knowing her daughter-in-law had clearly come up with a plan, Madam Yu’s expression relaxed.
“My cooking is nothing special, I’ve only boiled the rice. What new dish are you planning to make, Jia-niang?”
Ye Jia nodded. “I bought some mutton. We’ll have Mutton Saozi Noodles for lunch.”
Madam Yu knew of mutton noodles, but she had never heard of “Saozi” noodles. Still, whatever Ye Jia made, they would eat. She gently pulled Rui’er, who was trying to snuggle closer to Ye Jia, and followed her back to the kitchen.
Outside in the courtyard, Zhou Jingchen remained still for a moment, unsure of what to do. Finally, he announced he had some business to attend to and limped out the gate on his crutches.
Ye Jia found the situation strange and glanced at Madam Yu, but the older woman was just as clueless.
They exchanged a puzzled look but decided not to intervene. After all, Zhou Jingchen was a grown man; he didn’t need a chaperone to go out.
Ye Jia turned her attention to the kitchen, cleaning the mutton before starting on the saozi—a savory minced meat sauce. Madam Yu, now an expert at tending the fire, worked steadily at the stove behind her. Before long, the mouthwatering aroma of the frying meat wafted through the air. It wasn’t just Rui’er who was tempted; even Madam Yu emerged from behind the stove, standing by the pot with longing eyes.
“We’ll sell these for one more morning,” Ye Jia said to Madam Yu as she stirred, “and then we’ll stop making radish cakes. Mother, could you go into the village later and ask around? See if anyone has extra eggs we can buy. We should stock up.”
Rui’er looked up at Ye Jia, her large eyes blinking in anticipation. Unable to resist, Ye Jia scooped a spoonful of the sauce and offered it to the girl for a taste.
Madam Yu watched with envy, but as the grandmother of the house, she would have been too embarrassed to eat it even if Ye Jia had offered. She simply stood by and asked what the eggs were for. In these days, eggs weren’t cheap—a whole copper coin each.
“A new venture, of course,” Ye Jia said with a smile. Radish cakes were easy to make, but she wondered if chive and egg pancakes would sell well.
Ye Jia was still pondering her new business venture when the saozi minced meat sauce finished frying and the dough was ready.
She was preparing knife-cut noodles, having initially wanted to make the hand-pulled style from her past life. But her arms simply weren’t strong enough, so she had to settle for cutting them with a knife.
Just as the noodles were done, Zhou Jingchen returned from outside, leaning on his crutches. Ye Jia didn’t know where he had gone, but his expression was unusually somber.
She watched him quietly. His gaze swept over her, and in an instant, his face softened back into its usual gentle, mild expression.
The mutton saozi noodles were an instant hit. Even Zhou Jingchen, who rarely showed much emotion, praised the dish.
Madam Yu, eating with gusto, had a sudden idea. “Could we sell these noodles in town?” she asked.
Ye Jia immediately shot the idea down.
“The preparation is too time-consuming,” she explained. “And look at the price of mutton. We can afford this for ourselves, but how many people in town could actually pay for it? We’d lose our shirts.”
Madam Yu’s hopes were dashed, and she looked genuinely disappointed.
Ye Jia set down her bowl and was about to speak when someone arrived at the gate. The newcomer’s voice boomed as she pushed the door open and called Ye Jia’s name from the courtyard.
Ye Jia hurried out to see who it was. It was her sister-in-law, Madam Ye.
As soon as Madam Ye saw her, she grabbed Ye Jia’s hand. “Jia-niang, you have to come with me right now! It’s an emergency!”
Ye Jia stared at her, completely bewildered. “What?”