“Understood, Master.”
Leng Feng and Leng Yu exchanged a glance—no words needed. Their master’s move was quite cunning. Not only did he avoid letting others know he liked snacks, he also used the Duke of Zhenguo’s household quota. Leng Yunmo would probably be furious.
The old Duke would likely suspect his own grandson had bought them. As for the imperial merchant Zhou family, they probably wouldn’t care much for these snacks—they already ran restaurants and pastry shops.
The next day, at the hour of Chen (around 7–9 a.m.)
Uncle Chen heard someone knocking on the door. When he asked, he learned they had come to buy potato chips. He immediately led the customer to the side hall to pack the goods and settle payment.
When asked which residence they were from, the reply was: the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion.
Uncle Chen thought to himself: The old Duke must be afraid of missing out if he comes late.
“Would you like fruit leather as well? As usual—ten packs?”
Leng Feng originally wanted to ask what fruit leather was, but fearing he might reveal his identity, he simply replied, “Same as usual.”
“Alright. The total is 2 liang and 100 wen.”
After paying, Leng Feng used his lightness skill to quickly return to the Second Prince’s residence. At that moment, Leng Yichen had just finished practicing martial arts. Seeing his subordinate return not only with potato chips but also ten large packs of something else, he asked about it.
“This is fruit leather, Master. Please try it.”
Leng Yichen took a piece. It was sweet and sour with a chewy texture, but he still preferred the potato chips. His mother and the Empress Dowager would probably like this more. He planned to bring some for them after court.
“Tell Leng Yu to buy another ten packs later. The four of you can each take a pack to try.”
The master treated his four personal guards quite well.
Su Lele planned to visit an iron workshop that day to have large iron trays and frying pans made. She also needed to build several ovens.
She had heard that the Zhu Family Iron Workshop in the southern district was run by an honest owner whose products were high quality and reasonably priced.
Arriving at the workshop, she saw many people choosing farm tools, iron pots, knives, and more.
A shop assistant politely asked, “Miss, what would you like to buy?”
“Do you take custom orders?”
“Please wait a moment—I’ll ask the boss.”
Soon, a sturdy middle-aged man in black linen clothing came out.
“Miss, you want something custom-made? Do you have drawings?”
“Yes. Qiuyu, show them to him.”
“Sir, I want four large rectangular iron trays and two frying pans. The dimensions are marked on the drawings. Can you make them?”
“Yes, but it will require quite a bit of iron, so the price will be higher.”
“That’s fine—as long as it can be made.”
“Alright. Come back in three days.”
After paying a deposit and confirming the pickup time, Su Lele headed with Qiuyu toward the southern district’s docks.
Hengyun Dock, Southern District
The capital’s only dock was bustling with activity. Ships were moored along the shore, boats moved constantly on the river, laborers carried cargo, passengers hurried ashore, and vendors called out their goods.
Su Lele came for two reasons.
First, to buy seafood—she had been craving it and hadn’t seen any in the market before.
Second, to understand shipping times from nearby coastal areas. She planned to develop seafood snacks in the future: shredded squid, dried small fish, grilled shrimp, crispy fish, kelp, and dried seaweed.
Xu Yijiang stood by his pile of freshly caught seafood, looking troubled. He had shouted himself hoarse trying to sell it, but no one showed interest. Do people in the capital really not like seafood?
He was originally from Hainan County under Pingzhou Prefecture. His family had fished for generations and lived decently.
But a month ago, his mother fell seriously ill. To pay for treatment, he and his brother sold their house and farmland and moved to the capital, now renting in the western district.
His wife stayed home caring for their mother, while he and his younger brother worked as dock laborers. Two days ago, seeing their money nearly gone, they decided to return to fishing, using their only remaining asset—a small fishing boat—to catch seafood and sell it.
His brother Xu Yihe ran over anxiously. “Brother, still no sales? We should’ve sold it cheaply back home. Who knew people here don’t like seafood?”
“Many say it smells fishy and don’t like it.”
Xu Yijiang was already considering returning to his hometown to sell it.
Su Lele walked along the dock but didn’t see any seafood, feeling slightly disappointed—until Qiuyu muttered, “Why do I smell something fishy?”
Looking ahead—finally, there it was.
“Sir, how much for the seafood?”
Xu Yijiang looked at the fair-skinned, smiling young woman and replied, “Miss, shrimp are 15 wen per jin, mixed fish 12 wen per jin, and these crabs are 20 wen per jin. If you buy more, I can give you a discount.”
“I’ll take everything. Also, this looks quite fresh—where was it caught?”
Before Xu Yijiang could recover from his surprise, Xu Yihe quickly answered, “From Hainan County under Pingzhou Prefecture. The round trip takes about four hours.”
Two hours one way—not too far. A long-term partnership might be possible.
“Miss, are you sure you want all of it? Seafood doesn’t store well. With ice, it can last a few days. You can just buy some to try.”
Xu Yijiang spoke honestly despite his financial struggles.
“It’s fine. I’ll take everything—and I’d like to work with you. Every two days, deliver shrimp and fish to the Su residence in the northern district. No matter the size, I’ll take as much as you have at the same price. I’ll also purchase other seafood later.”
The brothers were overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Miss, thank you so much! You can take all this without paying.”
Su Lele refused. “I must pay. You fishermen work hard—I can’t take it for free.”
“Then… just give 1 liang for everything,” Xu Yijiang said, offering a discount.
“Alright—but please deliver it to the Su residence.”
“No problem!”
As they watched her leave, the brothers slapped themselves to check if this was real.
Duke of Zhenguo’s Residence
The place was in chaos.
The old Duke chased Leng Yunmo with a long wooden stick, shouting angrily:
“You brat! You dared to steal the potato chips I bought! And even used our household name to buy more from the Su residence! No wonder you were sneaking around my courtyard yesterday—you had bad intentions!”
“Grandfather, I’m innocent! I didn’t use our name—you must believe me!”
Inside, Leng Yunmo was fuming: Which bastard dared to impersonate my family? If I find out, I’ll deal with him myself!