Chapter 53: Chapter 32: Opening for Business

The group discussed the fight for a while longer.

“Heh heh,” Ms. Zhang chuckled. “When it comes to fighting, who’s tougher than their auntie? She loved a good scrap when she was little.” Her words made Mrs. Yang flush with embarrassment.

Mrs. Wang laughed. “Ain’t that the truth! One time, she pinned down Shugen from our village in a paddy field and beat him black and blue. From then on, he’d run the second he saw Cuizhi—that’s Mrs. Yang’s childhood name. I ended up having to smooth things over with Shugen’s mother, and it cost me a whole basket of eggs!”

Juhua wanted to laugh when she heard this, but she was afraid of embarrassing her mother, so she suppressed a giggle and dashed off to the kitchen.

’She’d never imagined her own mother had such a glorious past!’

’It’s good to have a strong mother. She can protect her daughter and make sure she doesn’t get bullied. This fight with Liu’er’s mother is proof of that.’ For some reason, Juhua’s heart felt more settled than ever.

The adults chatted leisurely, and by noon, the pig offal was ready.

Juhua dished out some of the heart, lungs, and large intestine into a large bowl. Grabbing a few pairs of chopsticks, she brought it out for her grandmother, uncle, and aunt to taste, then returned to the kitchen to cook rice and stir-fry some greens. As she worked, she could hear the occasional cries of praise from the courtyard, which made her beam. ’If they think it’s good, then we should be able to sell it!’

Juhua’s grandmother, uncle, and aunt weren’t the only ones in for a treat—so was Little Shitou! He was trailing behind Qingmu, and the moment he reached the courtyard gate, he yelled, “Big Sister Juhua, I’m here!”

Little Shitou, who was now old enough for school, wore a clean, small, grey robe with a cloth sash tied at his waist. His hair was gathered into a topknot secured with a cloth band, making him look quite scholarly. But the moment he started running, his boisterous energy, like that of a young calf, burst forth.

Juhua was completely surprised. ’This kid must have followed his nose here! How did he know we had something special today?’

Seeing Juhua’s surprised expression, Qingmu smiled. “Uncle Zhao San and Third Aunt aren’t home today, so I brought him back to eat with us!”

’Oh, so that’s why,’ Juhua thought. ’I was wondering how his nose could be so sharp!’

She led Little Shitou to the well to wash his hands, then gave him a piece of peanut brittle to snack on. She told him that lunch would be ready soon and this was just a little something to taste.

Little Shitou never imagined there would be so much delicious food today. The aroma of the pig offal was already making his mouth water, and on top of that, Big Sister Juhua even had peanut brittle! He had been sulking all morning that his parents hadn’t taken him to the market, but now it looked like he’d lucked out.

Everyone was more than satisfied with the lunch!

Although Juhua had cooked things like small fish, small shrimp, and Huang Shan before, country folk preferred meat—it really satisfied their cravings! Meat was expensive, so most people couldn’t afford it. But today’s pig offal had the taste of meat, and was even more fragrant. How could they not love it?

After the meal, Mrs. Yang filled a clay pot to the brim with the braised offal. She asked Qingmu to help Little Shitou take it home for his parents to eat that evening.

Little Shitou was over the moon. He had eaten until his belly was perfectly round at lunch, but he still felt like he hadn’t had his fill.

Once Qingmu had left for the academy, Mrs. Yang carefully explained her idea to her mother, brother, and sister-in-law. She wanted to make this dish and sell it over in Erli Village, but she wasn’t sure if it would succeed.

Before anyone else could speak, Yang Defa slapped the table. “Why wouldn’t it work? I think it’s a great business idea. Just sell it for one cent a scoop, and people will definitely buy it. My shop is about to open. When it does, I’ll light a stove for you every day. You can keep the dish hot on the stove while you sell it. That’ll keep it from getting cold in the winter!”

Mrs. Wang and Ms. Zhang chimed in with their approval.

Mrs. Wang said, “I just want to see you all live a better life! If your lives are good, then I can rest easy. The girl is so capable, so what’s a little hardship in going out to sell this? Isn’t she working even harder at home, washing and cooking all day?”

Mrs. Yang glanced toward the kitchen and sighed, her heart aching. “That’s exactly it. Our Juhua is just so precious. I’m just afraid that people won’t want to eat it once they hear it’s pig offal.”

Ms. Zhang tossed her head back, her loud voice booming, “That’s an easy fix! Just let people try a piece first! Once they taste it, they’ll buy it for sure.”

Zheng Changhe said, “We’ll have to wait a while, though. My leg still hasn’t healed. Once it’s better, I’ll go sell it every day.”

Yang Defa shook his head. “We have a money-making opportunity right in front of us, and you want to wait for your leg to heal? Who knows when that will be? If I wasn’t opening a shop in the market, maybe you’d have a reason to worry about Cuizhi selling there. But I *am* opening a shop, so what’s the concern? She’ll only be selling for a little while around mealtimes. I’ll have Laixi go with her, it won’t be any trouble. What could possibly happen? And, to be a little selfish here, you can just give me some of the daily leftovers to have with my drink.”

Everyone roared with laughter at that.

Ms. Zhang teased him playfully, “You’ve had this all planned out, haven’t you? Just waiting for your niece to shower you with gifts! And you make it sound so noble, saying you’ll have Laixi help his auntie!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep