Hearing her say that, the second son finally felt relieved.
He had only planned to try selling it as an experiment. Still, the dish tasted great and paired perfectly with alcohol, so tavern owners would likely like it.
What surprised him most, however, was that his mother had actually guessed he intended to sell it. In the past, if he said he was taking some to share with Huzi, his mother would never have suspected anything—she would only scold him for giving the family’s food away.
Compared to before, his mother was completely different now…
Thinking of this, the second son suddenly stared at the air beside his mother. His body stiffened.
Could it be that his father had been following her all along?
When his father was alive, he had been knowledgeable and clever. His little tricks might fool his mother, but they would definitely never fool his father.
The second son’s face changed color. He secretly made up his mind to be filial to his mother from now on. If he somehow angered his father…
He shuddered involuntarily and quickly said, “Mother, whatever you say goes. I’ll listen to you.”
How could he dare not listen? What if his father got angry and took him away?
The second son’s reform progress instantly jumped from 16 to 25.
Seeing that the second son had suddenly come to his senses, Ye Wen nodded in satisfaction. As long as he was willing to listen, that was fine—otherwise, she would have had to use more forceful methods.
Still, she didn’t understand why merely talking about selling the goods had caused his reform progress to increase so much.
Ye Wen didn’t think too deeply about it and simply assumed that the second son had truly taken her words to heart. How could she have known that he was only obeying out of fear that his deceased father might take him away?
Ye Wen portioned out enough eel strips for the family to eat and packed the rest into a wooden tub for the second son to take and sell in the afternoon.
The second son sneaked a glance at his mother. His eyes rolled as he hesitated for a long time before speaking. “Mother, if I really make money this afternoon, should I bring it back, or take it straight to Third Brother?”
Anyway, if his mother had money, she would just give it to Third Brother. He might as well curry some favor first.
Ye Wen looked at him critically. No wonder the original owner favored him—he really knew how to read people. But she was not the original owner. Her face immediately darkened. “Bring the money back. I have my own arrangements.”
Seeing that his mother not only failed to praise him for being thoughtful but even looked displeased, the second son dared not say more. Deep down, however, he became even more certain that his mother truly was no longer the same as before.
At lunchtime, everyone who had worked hard all morning ate ravenously.
Especially Tian Chunhua. When she ate it last night, she had already thought that this dish would be perfect with rice. Today, her wish was finally fulfilled.
Sure enough, the dish went incredibly well with rice.
In the afternoon, Ye Wen followed the two brothers out to the fields again.
The sun at the turn of late summer and early autumn was scorching. Even wearing straw hats, it was unbearably stuffy.
After enduring until mid-afternoon, as soon as the hour of Shen arrived, the second son suggested leaving early.
Ye Wen knew what he was going to do and nodded in agreement.
This scene, however, stung the eldest son. He had thought his mother had truly changed, but it turned out she was still biased toward the second son. It was barely this time of day, yet the second son could leave as soon as he said so.
Looking at the endless rice fields, the eldest son’s heart felt as heavy as the drooping ears of rice, sinking lower and lower.
Ye Wen had things on her mind and didn’t notice the change in the eldest son’s mood.
She was thinking that if the second son’s path worked out, the family would have an additional source of income. As long as there was income, their living standards could improve, and it would be easier to get everyone to obey her.
The rent for the ten mu of land had all been used to pay the third son’s tuition. The family’s daily expenses depended entirely on the remaining fields. This large household was surviving on just this bit of land, with harvests barely enough to get by.
So the family was actually very poor.
If she could find ways to increase income, she wouldn’t have to worry about people refusing to listen to her.
That was why the second son’s actions today were extremely important to Ye Wen. After he left, she became somewhat distracted.
But in the eldest son’s eyes, this only made things feel worse.
As soon as the second son left, his mother seemed to lose her soul. So her so-called change was just empty talk?
Meanwhile, the person Ye Wen was thinking about—Wen Xiangxi—carried the wooden tub all the way to the west side of the city. This area had the most eateries. Compared to the grand taverns in the eastern market, the western market was full of small, ordinary restaurants frequented by common folk.
Wen Xiangxi had already thought it through. Eels lived in muddy swamps, and the dignitaries in the eastern market might look down on such food. The small restaurants and taverns in the western market were much more suitable. Besides, this dish paired best with alcohol, so he specifically chose to hawk it outside taverns.
“Spicy eel strips for sale! Spicy, fragrant, and delicious—you won’t be able to stop once you start eating!”
As he walked and shouted, the spicy aroma wafting from the wooden tub made passersby involuntarily start salivating.
Before long, someone couldn’t resist and stopped him, asking curiously, “Young man, what are you selling?”
Wen Xiangxi immediately stopped, deftly took out a small pinch of eel strips for the person to taste, and loudly promoted it at the same time. “Sir, this is our family’s secret-recipe spicy eel strips—rich, spicy flavor, perfect with alcohol! Care to try?”
The customer tasted it, and his eyes instantly widened. Spicy and refreshing—take a bite, then a sip of wine, pure bliss!
He immediately said, “Young man, how much is this? Give me a portion!”
“Twenty coins a portion. Sir, this dish is heavy on oil and seasoning—twenty coins isn’t expensive.” He took out oiled paper, wrapped a portion of eel strips, and handed it over.
The eel strips were soaked in chili oil, glowing red and looking incredibly appetizing. Twenty coins wasn’t too expensive, so the customer paid without hesitation.
People at other tables saw how happily he was eating and became tempted as well. More importantly, once the aroma spread, the whole place was filled with fragrance. No extra advertising was needed—just smelling it made people sure it was delicious.
As a result, Wen Xiangxi had only gone to two taverns before an entire large tub of eel strips sold out. Customers who arrived later and heard the news came up empty-handed and had to make an appointment to come back the next day before letting him leave.
Wen Xiangxi tightly clutched the heavy money pouch and hurried home.
He never expected that what his mother made would sell so well. In such a short time, it was completely sold out!
The copper coins in his arms felt heavy, but he didn’t feel burdened at all. His mother had said he only needed to hand over five hundred coins; the rest were his.
He had already calculated it—today he had sold at least eight hundred eighty coins’ worth!
As he ran, he thought, if there were this much income every day, wouldn’t the family become rich?
Ye Wen was about to head home with the eldest son to pack up when she suddenly heard the second son shouting from afar, “Mother! I’m back!”
She straightened her aching waist and saw the second son running toward her.
After sprinting all the way, his face was flushed red. Though he was panting heavily, his eyes were shining with excitement.
Seeing him like this, Ye Wen immediately knew the business had likely succeeded. The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously.
He ran up, threw his arms around Ye Wen, and shouted, “Mother! It sold! It all sold out!”
“What sold out?” the eldest son asked, watching the second son cling to their mother and shout excitedly. He felt uncomfortable inside. Since he could remember, his mother had never hugged him.
He had worked hard all day and hadn’t seen his mother smile once. The second son had only run around all afternoon, yet his mother didn’t scold him, let him shout freely, and even smiled when she saw him return.
Seeing that the eldest son’s reform progress had actually dropped by five points, Ye Wen felt confused. What had upset him?
However, the most urgent matter was to ask clearly about the second son’s sales.
“Let’s go home first. I have something important to announce today.”
The mother and two sons packed up their things and headed home.
Along the way, because he was in a bad mood, the eldest son deliberately kept some distance from Ye Wen and the second son walking ahead.
Looking at the backs of his mother and younger brother walking side by side, listening to the second son’s excited chatter from time to time, with his mother frequently nodding and responding—it was a picture of loving mother and dutiful son.
A surge of indescribable discomfort rose in the eldest son’s heart.
He couldn’t understand it. His mother had always favored the second and third sons. Why was it that in the past he could accept it calmly, yet now it hurt so much?
Before long, the three of them arrived home.