Transmigrated into a Blacksmith’s Husband

Chapter 33

Bonus chapter for Shirayaki. Thank you for the birthday greeting!

The shop was busy all morning, with people coming in non-stop. Yu Dameng was in charge of collecting payments, while Lin Cuifen and Ming Xu were busy packing orders. The twin brothers kept a close eye on the taste-testing area to prevent anyone from taking more than they should. Qiao Yuan and Ming Chen were responsible for introducing the products. Qiao Yuan did most of the talking and ended up with a hoarse voice.

Yu Dameng poured him a glass of water. Qiao Yuan drank it and felt better in his throat. He said, “I didn’t expect to sell so well.”

The egg cakes and meat floss cakes, which were in short supply, were sold out early. The dried sweet potatoes and hawthorn slices were originally made in limited quantities, and Qiao Yuan sold them at a discounted price. The fifteen pounds that were put out today were all sold out. The rice crackers and peanuts were the best-selling products and sold quickly.

The rice candy and pancakes were the only ones left, and he estimated that they would be sold out when he sold the second batch of egg cakes in the afternoon. The flower buns were bought by a servant from the Lu family an hour ago.

Ming Chen asked, “Boss, do we need to make some more?”

Qiao Yuan shook his head and said, “No, just prepare more meat floss and sweet potatoes in the afternoon. The rest will be made fresh tomorrow morning.”

Everyone was tired, so they didn’t cook for themselves at noon. Yu Dameng took Yu Shanwen and Yu Shanwu out to buy food. They bought the mutton soup and flatbreads that Qiao Yuan praised highly but couldn’t eat the day before yesterday. They bought a whole bucket of it.

Qiao Yuan knew what he was thinking and secretly squeezed his hand.

Ming Xu and Ming Chen were also very happy. Since they came to Yu Qiao Ji, they could eat whatever the boss ate. The boss also said that they could eat as much as they wanted in the shop as long as they didn’t waste it. He also gave them twenty wen each every ten days for living expenses.

In the afternoon, Lin Cuifen saw that they could handle the shop, and said that she would take Liu Ge’er back home first. There were a lot of chores piled up at home in the past few days.

Qiao Yuan was worried and asked Yu Shanwen to go back with her. “Mom, you can tell the villagers that we are buying red mountain fruits, at one wen per two jin. We’ll take however much they have – just be sure to tell them not to wash the dates, they will rot easily if they do. And peanuts and sweet potatoes are one wen per jin, buy two hundred jin for each first.”

The shop had been using the ones bought from the county town recently. Things like white flour were still finely ground from the grain shop, and he had to buy them from there. The village had sweet potatoes and peanuts, and Qiao Yuan thought it was better to let the villagers earn money first.

Yu Dameng also had to go back to the iron shop to work. Qiao Yuan hurriedly said, “Then you go to Butcher Zhang’s place and buy sixty jin of meat, just the tenderloin.”

Three jin of meat only made one jin of meat floss, and this sixty jin of meat was only enough to make a hundred meat floss cakes.

Ming Xu went to the back kitchen to prepare to make meat floss. Ming Chen looked at the sun and thought that Meng Bei should be back soon, so he went to prepare to make egg cakes. Qiao Yuan and Yu Shanwu were watching the shop and peeling peanuts at the same time.

“I forgot to tell Mom to buy ducks. I said I wanted to make roast duck for you, but I was too busy and forgot.” The oven at home had already been built for several days.

Yu Shanwu’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “Then I’ll go and tell Mom now. I can still catch up!”

Qiao Yuan was amused by him. “Forget it, we don’t have time to clean up even if we buy it today. We’ll go to Yishi Fang and buy roast goose when we finish work. Father said it tasted good before. We’ll make roast duck another day.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Shanwu began to look forward to the roast goose for dinner. Ever since his Brother Yuan came to their home, they were able to enjoy delicious meals every few days, which made Zhao Laifu and Zhang Dabao envy them.

In the afternoon, as soon as the fragrance of the second batch of egg cakes came out, there were many people waiting in line with their children.

“What did you buy this morning?”

“I bought everything except for the one called meat floss cake. My favorite is the mixed-flavor peanuts, they go well with alcohol! The rest are for my wife and children for their sweet tooth.”

“I didn’t get to buy the egg cakes this morning, and now the children at home are still crying!”

“That egg cake is really delicious. My child gave me a taste, it’s soft, sweet and fragrant! There’s nothing wrong with it, except that it’s expensive!”

Qiao Yuan listened to their idle chatter and felt even better, it’s all about money!

As expected, the remaining rice candy and pancakes from the morning were also bought by the people who bought the egg cakes. He sold out all the goods he prepared today!

Qiao Yuan happily gave Ming Xu and Ming Chen fifty wen. “The roast goose from Yishi Fang is good, you can buy it and eat it tonight.”

Ming Xu was still hesitant, but Ming Chen took it smartly and said, “Thank you, boss!”

Qiao Yuan mentioned tomorrow’s plan again: “We need to increase the rice crackers and peanuts to eighty jin, and everything else will be the same as usual.”

Ming Xu and Ming Chen nodded and went back to their work.

The shop closed, and Qiao Yuan and the others went home. They carried four steaming roast geese in their baskets.

Lin Cuifen had already cooked the meal at home. When she saw them coming back, she hurriedly arranged the dishes. Qiao Yuan washed his hands and went to help her.

“I’ve already told the villagers that we’re buying red mountain fruits, at one wen per two jin, as much as they have. Shanwen just went out for a walk and said that many people went to the mountain. I thought we’d buy the peanuts and sweet potatoes from An Ge’er’s family first, to give them some money to buy winter clothes.”

Qiao Yuan nodded, “Mom, you arrange it well.” Lin Cuifen was better than him at handling the human relations, and Qiao Yuan planned to let her take care of the buying in the future.

Lin Cuifen readily agreed, “You just tell me what to do, and I will make sure it’s taken care of properly for you!”

Qiao Yuan laughed and brought up the topic of steamed cakes again. “Mom, you have to agree this time.”

Lin Cuifen’s eyes were a bit sour, and she told the truth, “Mom always feels sorry for you.”

Among the siblings in this family, the third child had contributed the most and had been the most filial in front of them. The husband he married was even more so, always thinking of them whenever he had something good. The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt.

Qiao Yuan knew what she was thinking, and also said what was in his heart, “I never had parents to love me when I was young, so I have always treated you as my own mother and been filial to you.”

Lin Cuifen paused and wiped her eyes before laughing, “That’s it! If Dameng ever bullies you, just tell me and I’ll take care of him!”

Qiao Yuan imagined the scene of Yu Dameng bullying him and couldn’t help laughing, “Dameng won’t do that.”

Yu Dameng happened to enter the kitchen to see if there was anything he could help with, “What are you saying about me?”

Lin Cuifen avoided him and carried the plate out first.

Qiao Yuan stuffed the torn roast goose into his arms and kissed him, “We’re talking bad about you!”

Yu Dameng scratched his face, wanting to get closer to his little husband, but his husband was busy and had no time to pay attention to him. He waited for a half a day, and had to go out with the plate first.

During the meal, they inevitably talked about the things in the shop today.

Lin Cuifen exclaimed happily, “I was kept busy all morning. I didn’t expect so many people, and they all scared me. Our Yuan Ge’er is really capable.”

Yu Shanwen said, “Many people try the samples but don’t buy them. Fortunately, we cut the hawthorn slices and sweet potato chips into small pieces!”

Yu Laoda listened to their descriptions of the bustling scene at Yu Qiao Ji in the morning, and said, “Then you have to go and help them tomorrow. There are only three people working in the shop and they can’t handle it all.”

Qiao Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Just help for two more days, then we can cancel the taste test and I won’t have to keep introducing the items. Three people will be busy enough.”

The family chatted and laughed while eating a meal, but as soon as they put down their chopsticks, someone came to the door to sell red mountain fruits.

The two people were very nervous. They picked about sixty jin. They knew that Baohe Hall only bought about a hundred jin a year, and they didn’t have much interaction with the Yu family. They were afraid that the Yu family wouldn’t buy them, and they were anxious in their hearts.

After they weighed them and got the copper coins, they still felt unbelievable. They made thirty wen?

“We’ll buy as much as you have.” Lin Cuifen repeated again.

The two people heard this and quickly left with their baskets. They could still pick some more on the mountain!

In just a short while, several more people came to sell red mountain fruits. Qiao Yuan wanted to stay and help, but Lin Cuifen chased him away. “You’ve been tired all day, go home and rest. Your father and I will take care of things here, it’s no problem.”

Qiao Yuan was hesitating, but Yu Dameng pulled him home. “You have to drink the tonic today.”

The medicine that Baohe Hall prescribed for the cold had to be drunk for seven days. Qiao Yuan didn’t want to drink it after he got better, and he was a little angry with Yu Dameng for this. Now that Yu Dameng brought it up, he was a bit nervous.

Qiao Yuan pouted and snorted, like an empress giving an order, “Then you boil it!”

“Okay!” Yu Dameng was overjoyed and went to wash the pot and prepare to boil the medicine.

Qiao Yuan couldn’t help but laugh and went back to his bedroom to count the money. Today’s net profit was a total of four taels and one qian. After increasing the quantity of meat floss cakes, rice crackers, and peanuts, even if the flower buns displayed daily didn’t sell out, maintaining a daily profit of over three taels shouldn’t be a problem.

After counting the money, he was happy and went to find Yu Dameng to act coquettishly.

Yu Dameng was busy at the moment, boiling the medicine and washing the clothes at the same time.

Qiao Yuan hugged his neck from behind and leaned his whole body on him, “So hardworking?”

Yu Dameng’s ears were slightly red and he made a sound of agreement before saying, “Later, you check on the medicine and I’ll go fetch some water.”

Qiao Yuan kissed him and took over the fan and sat on the small stool to boil the medicine, letting Yu Dameng focus on washing the clothes. “While it’s not yet winter and the ground is still easy to dig, let’s dig a well at home, so we don’t have to go out and fetch water every day.”

Yu Dameng nodded, “Tomorrow I’ll talk to someone in the town and ask someone to come and see if we can dig a well at home.”

“Ask someone to look at the old house too.” Qiao Yuan instructed.

Yu Dameng sneaked a glance at his little husband, not knowing what to say. He just felt that his husband was so good, good to him, good to his parents, and he felt more energetic washing the clothes.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter.