Before leaving, Li Xingyue bought some medicinal herbs—soap pods, soapnuts, arborvitae leaves, he shou wu, safflower, angelica, tea bran, and ligustrum berries. She planned to return to the mountain later to collect other herbs. Her goal was to make her own shampoo, body wash, and skin cream.
She also purchased some herb seeds, such as ginseng, notoginseng, and angelica. She had three plots of land in her space, and she intended to dedicate one plot entirely to growing medicinal herbs.
After leaving Xinglin Hall, Li Xingyue took Gu Wan’er to a fabric shop so she could choose cloth, while Li Xingyue herself went to the bun shop.
Gu Wan’er had wanted to follow her sister-in-law, but the dazzling colors and the countless fabrics and ready-made clothes left her staring in awe, unable to leave.
Li Xingyue reached her destination and immediately turned to leave—there was still so much to do.
Near the bun shop, she found a secluded spot and began pulling vegetables from her space.
This time, she not only brought out cabbages and carrots but also half a basket of tomatoes.
The bun shop was still busy, but since the restaurant hadn’t started serving lunch yet, Li Xingyue pushed the cart toward Fumanlou.
In the Fumanlou kitchen, preparations were already underway, and the front hall was nearly empty. A waiter spotted Li Xingyue from afar and came to greet her.
“Madam Li, you’ve finally arrived!” the waiter said with a smile.
Li Xingyue stopped and looked at him. “Brother Waiter, are you looking for me, or is the manager?”
The waiter naturally took over the cart and began pushing it toward the kitchen, chatting as he went. “Madam Li, the manager said he wants all the cabbages and carrots you have. Our restaurant needs them.”
“Oh, and the eggs too! Madam Li, your eggs are large and taste much better,” he continued, speaking as if she weren’t there.
Li Xingyue smiled politely but didn’t respond.
The cabbages, carrots, and potatoes in her space were piled high like mountains. What Fumanlou wanted was just a fraction of it.
After pushing the cart into the back courtyard, the waiter said with a smile, “Madam Li, please wait here. I’ll call the manager.”
Li Xingyue nodded.
Manager Wang soon arrived at the courtyard. Seeing Li Xingyue and the cart full of cabbages and carrots, he smiled and said, “Madam Li, we’ll take all these cabbages and carrots. How many more do you have at home? You can send them together.”
Li Xingyue smiled. “Manager Wang, I can deliver fresh vegetables to your restaurant every two days. This ensures your dishes are always fresh and delicious.”
Manager Wang thought for a moment and nodded slightly.
Li Xingyue handed him a tomato from the basket. “This is called a tomato. Manager Wang, have you seen one before?”
In the original timeline, tomatoes were only introduced from the Americas at the end of the Qing dynasty. In this era, they didn’t exist.
As expected, Manager Wang shook his head.
Looking at the bright red tomato in her hand, he asked, “Since it’s called a tomato, does it come from a foreign land?”
Li Xingyue nodded. “You’re quite worldly, Manager Wang. Yes, tomatoes do come from afar. They’re sweet, soft, and juicy. You can cook with them or eat them as fruit.”
“Oh?” Manager Wang was curious. “Madam Li, how should we cook them? Could our chefs try?”
Li Xingyue agreed.
Tomato scrambled eggs were the classic dish, of course. There was also candied tomatoes, tomato and egg soup, tomato egg noodles, and more.
She briefly explained the recipes to the chefs, who quickly began preparing the dishes.
Manager Wang took a bite of the tomato scrambled eggs and his eyes lit up. “This flavor is incredible! Sweet and sour, with a rich texture. If we add this to the menu, it will surely attract many customers.”
He and the waiter immediately reached for the candied tomatoes. The waiter tasted one first and exclaimed, “Madam Li, this tomato is excellent—refreshing, delicious, perfectly sweet and sour.”
The chef nodded in agreement, praising it highly.
Li Xingyue smiled. “Manager Wang, I can supply tomatoes to your restaurant at a reasonable price as well.”
Manager Wang’s eyes lit up. “Madam Li, how many tomatoes can you supply? What price?”
Li Xingyue had already calculated it. “Manager Wang, tomatoes are slightly more expensive than cabbages and carrots—fifteen wen per jin. How does that sound?”
Manager Wang considered it. Foreign produce was naturally more expensive, and with such delicious tomatoes, new dishes would certainly attract customers. He nodded. “Agreed. Deliver every two days, including tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, and eggs.”
Then he asked, “Madam Li, do you have any other fresh items? If so, bring them—we at Fumanlou are willing to try anything.”
Fumanlou had branches not just in Xinghua Town, but also in the county and prefectural capitals.
Li Xingyue smiled and agreed.
After settling prices and delivery times, Manager Wang had the vegetables weighed and paid. The total came to one tael, six mace of silver.
Li Xingyue received the silver, exchanged a few pleasantries, and left, pushing the cart.
She found another quiet alley, filled the cart from her space with cabbages and carrots, and headed back to the bun shop.
By then, the shop was no longer as busy. Madam Yun stood at the door, scanning outside, and brightened immediately upon seeing Li Xingyue.
“Sister, you’ve finally come!” she exclaimed, smiling at the cart full of vegetables. “These cabbages are excellent. I used your cabbages and carrots in our buns, and the customers said they’re tastier than ever.”
Li Xingyue smiled and nodded. “Sister-in-law, how many do you need per day? I can deliver every two days.”
Madam Yun thought for a moment. “Every two days, ten jin of each should be enough.”
“Good.”
Li Xingyue had over a hundred jin of vegetables in her space. She measured out ten jin of each for Madam Yun, leaving a bit in the basket for her own family to eat.
The total was eighty jin, costing 210 wen. Madam Yun paid Li Xingyue promptly.
Li Xingyue left the bun shop, unaware that a man not far away was watching her with curiosity.
He wore a washed dark blue robe, tall and slightly thin, with regular features and a cold gaze.
This man was Gu Shao’an, the eldest son of the second branch of the Gu family, and the family’s only scholar.
Li Xingyue didn’t realize that her movements in town had been noticed—soon, someone would begin watching her.
After leaving the bun shop and storing the cart in her space cabin, Li Xingyue went to the fabric shop to meet Gu Wan’er.
Gu Wan’er had already chosen her fabric, waiting eagerly.
“Sister-in-law, I’ve chosen! This goose yellow will look beautiful as a dress.” Seeing Li Xingyue, her face lit up with joy.
Li Xingyue smiled at her.
She looked at the goose yellow cotton fabric and liked it too. The weather was getting warmer, and one dress each for Gu Wan’er and little Yanran would look lovely.
Little girls in goose yellow were naturally charming and cute.
Thinking of the baby in her belly, Li Xingyue also bought half a bolt of goose yellow, half a bolt of pale green, and half a bolt of lake blue, all fine cotton fabric—enough to make the baby’s clothes in advance.
The total cost was one tael, two mace of silver. In this era, fine cotton was already a luxury for ordinary people.
After paying, the two headed home, unaware that someone was tailing them from a distance.