Chapter 7 TGBW

FlamingoBees

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

The General's Buddhist Wife

Chapter 7:

Verification • Appearance of the Imitator

After resting in the house for a while, Lou Jian Jia came out.

Previously, they had bought a total of fifty jin of rice, but now there were only two or three jin left, not enough for selling the next day. Therefore, today she had to go to town again to buy some more rice.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao naturally were aware of this matter.

Upon hearing that Lou Jian Jia was going, Madam Zhao smiled and said, "No need, you can rest at home. Your father and I will go together."

But Lou Jian Jia insisted, "Let me go. It's not much."

Madam Zhao replied, "Business is good now, your father and I plan to buy a hundred jin. That's heavy, we'll have to push the cart."

A hundred jin... Lou Jian Jia felt that carrying fifty jin in one hand was effortless.

Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu hadn't been able to eat a full meal these days, and with Old Master Chu falling ill, their combined strength might not even match half of hers. Considering their poor health, Lou Jian Jia hesitated to let them push such heavy loads back home, fearing any accidents on the way.

However, seeing Madam Zhao's determined expression, it seemed she had already made up her mind. Therefore, after some thought, Lou Jian Jia said, "Let me go with you. It's a good opportunity to buy some things in town, and I can lend a hand."

Madam Zhao pondered for a moment and agreed, "That sounds good. We've collected quite a few eggs from our chickens lately, and it's a good time to sell them together."

© translations belonging to flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

At this moment, it was already approaching dusk, with less than half an hour left until sunset.

Although Lou Jian Jia had gotten used to eating two meals a day, she was already hungry after a long morning of work.

Seeing Madam Zhao's eagerness to go, Lou Jian Jia tried to persuade her, "Why don't we have a meal first before we go?"

Madam Zhao waved her hand dismissively, saying, "No need. We won't stay in town for long. We'll be back in less than an hour, and we can eat when we return."

"After working hard all morning, it's better to rest a bit before we go," Lou Jian Jia suggested again.

Madam Zhao seemed inclined to continue opposing the idea. Normally, she would have outright refused. However, having just counted the earnings with Old Master Chu and feeling pleased, she wasn't so adamant.

Furthermore, the aroma of white rice and watching customers enjoy their meals had already made her hungry.

After hesitating for a moment, Madam Zhao said, "White rice is too expensive. Even if we eat freely, we won't even finish a jin. It costs three wen per jin. Plus, we'll need to spend a lot when we buy rice later. How about we just heat up some steamed buns and make do with that?"

Madam Zhao also wanted to eat, but her frugality had kicked in. Just the thought of spending a few hundred wen later made her reluctant to splurge now.

Seeing Madam Zhao hesitate, Lou Jian Jia thought to herself that they were earning too little money. When they earned more in the future, she vowed that they would eat white rice every meal. Considering the recent increase in customers, Lou Jian Jia felt that day wasn't far off.

"Well, it's settled, daughter-in-law..." Lou Jian Jia began, but was interrupted by Old Master Chu.

"Go steam some rice. It's been a while since we've had white rice at home," Old Master Chu said.

In the past, when their son served as the guard at the palace, their living conditions were excellent. Unfortunately, their son's whereabouts were now unknown, and his health wasn't good, causing their savings to slowly dwindle.

Lou Jian Jia glanced at Old Master Chu and then at Madam Zhao before proceeding.

Madam Zhao finally changed her mind, saying, "Steam a little less. Just enough for you and your father, I'll eat steamed buns. It doesn't matter what we eat, as long as it fills our stomachs."

Lou Jian Jia felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao didn't say anything to her, whether out of guilt or for other reasons, she would always remember this warmth and kindness. Seeing the longing in Madam Zhao's eyes, Luo Jian Jia thought she must come up with more ways to earn money.

"Alright, let me steam a bit less, then heat up some more steamed buns, pour the leftover vegetable soup from lunch over the rice, no need to cook rice soup." Luo Jian Jia said.

Madam Zhao indeed looked satisfied and nodded with a smile.

Afterward, Luo Jian Jia went to cook while Madam Zhao washed the utensils used at lunch. Old Master Chu sat aside making stools. With more and more customers coming in, two tables were not enough, so he planned to make more stools. Even if they couldn't sit at the table, at least they could have a stool to sit on.

Just as Madam Zhao finished washing, Luo Jian Jia had the meal ready.

She didn't make too much white rice, just a small bowl for each person, then one coarse steamed bun per person, with the leftover vegetable soup from lunch in between.

During the meal, each person scooped some vegetable soup into their own bowl.

Surprisingly, the combination of several vegetable soups tasted quite good.

Paired with fragrant rice, it made one feel that life was not so bad after all.

Luo Jian Jia had been smelling the aroma of white rice for several days now, and it had been almost half a month since she last ate white rice. With the first bite in her mouth, she felt that white rice was the most delicious thing in the world.

The joy on Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao's faces couldn't be hidden.

Even when their conditions were good before, they couldn't eat white rice every day. It had been almost half a year since they last had it. Now, eating it, they felt very moved.

"This white rice is really delicious, and daughter-in-law cooks so well. No wonder the workers at the dock love to eat it," Madam Zhao said.

Old Master Chu nodded. "Yes, even the discerning merchants love it. The food is cooked so well." After saying that, he took a couple more bites of rice.

With just a small bowl of white rice, it was quickly finished, even though they cherished it.

After finishing lunch, the three of them pushed the cart towards the town.

On the way to the town, Madam Zhao smiled and said, "No wonder everyone has been saying lately that after eating our food, they have more energy for work. I felt full of energy after eating too. With such precious white rice, how can one not feel energized after eating it?"

Old Master Chu smiled and nodded in agreement.

Listening to Madam Zhao's words, Luo Jian Jia thought again about the question she had just considered.

Ever since she arrived here, her strength had become very strong, and she couldn't feel much difference in strength whether she ate or not. However, she often heard about people feeling stronger after eating.

She wondered if it was because of eating the food she cooked, or as Madam Zhao said, eating well-nourished food gave them more energy.

The town was not far from the village, and soon the three of them arrived in town.

There were too few condiments available at the Chu family's home, so Luo Jian Jia planned to use the money she had to buy some other condiments. Old Master Chu went to buy rice, and Madam Zhao went to sell eggs.

After buying everything they needed, the three of them met at the rice shop.

Apologies for the oversight. It should be "wen" instead of "pennies" to reflect the Chinese currency. Here's the corrected passage:

On the way back, the three of them took turns pushing the cart. Initially, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao didn't want Luo Jian Jia to push, but after these days, they also realized that Luo Jian Jia was very strong, so they didn't refuse too much.

Along the way, Madam Zhao talked to Old Master Chu about selling eggs.

"Eggs are too cheap now. They used to be two eggs for a wen, now it's three eggs for a wen. After working hard to collect more than twenty eggs, we barely make ten wen."

"It's just a normal time of year, egg prices are low. Wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival, and prices will go up," Old Master Chu said.

"Yes, you're right."

Luo Jian Jia was surprised to hear Madam Zhao say that eggs were so cheap. Considering the cost of feeding the chickens, it wasn't very profitable to rely on eggs to make money.

It might be better to do something else with the eggs...

Luo Jian Jia hadn't figured out exactly what to do yet, but before long, they returned to the Chu family's village.

When they came out, it was mealtime, and there weren't many people outside. Now that everyone had finished eating, and the morning's work in the fields was done, they were all chatting outside.

Luo Jian Jia and the others, pushing a cart full of goods, naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.

"Uncle, what did you buy? Why so much?" someone asked.

"Is it flour?" someone with keen eyesight looked at the flour on the cart and asked.

Since they were spotted, Old Master Chu didn't hide it and said, "Yes, we bought some wheat flour."

As soon as they heard this, everyone became interested.

"Wow, is all this rice? Why did you buy so much rice?"

"Looks like the big brother's family is rich now, they're willing to eat white rice."

Madam Wang interjected, "They went to the pier to sell food, of course, they bought rice."

Another person followed up on this and asked, "Right, I saw you guys going to the pier to sell food from afar. There were quite a few people, business must be good, right?"

Before Old Master Chu could answer, someone else asked, "How much money can you earn every day?"

Watching the people around her and listening to their questions, Luo Jian Jia felt a bit helpless. But she also knew that many people were just curious and meant no harm.

Old Master Chu replied cautiously, "Just earn a few wen."

"Really? I thought the business was booming."

"Many customers come, but the prices are low, selling for only two wen per serving. It's hard to make money."

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were honest people, and since they couldn't extract more information, the villagers didn't press further.

However, after they left, the villagers continued to chat among themselves.

"My maternal uncle's brother works at the pier, and I heard their food business is doing really well. There are always many people going there to eat."

"Really?"

"I believe it. I've seen it with my own eyes."

"But the prices are indeed low, and that white rice isn't cheap either."

"Yeah, they're just earning a hard-earned wage."

...

As they continued talking, they shifted to other topics.

"Their family is also having a tough time, and we don't even know if Chu Wei Leng will ever come back."

"That's true. That girl from the Luo family is so pretty, she'll definitely remarry sooner or later."

"Sigh, the elder brother and sister-in-law are also having a tough time."

Most people knew there wasn't much profit in it, so they didn't think much of it. But some people, seeing that cart full of rice and flour and hearing the conversation, started having other thoughts.

Back at home, Old Master Chu's expression wasn't too good. He said, "From now on, let's quietly go to town to buy rice."

Madam Zhao agreed, "Yes, it's attracting too much attention."

Luo Jian Jia nodded in agreement with their words.

Due to the good business in the past few days and the increased number of customers, they made more food the next day.

This time, Luo Jian Jia didn't go to serve the food upfront. Instead, she went to tidy up the tables, listening attentively to what the customers were saying.

"You know what's strange? The dishes here are fried so fragrantly, and after eating, you feel so energized. I didn't come yesterday, and when I had food at home, it wasn't as fragrant, and I didn't have much energy in the afternoon."

"Exactly, I feel the same way. The food here is just excellent. I've been eating here for several days now, and I feel stronger than before."

"Yeah, same here. The dishes here are fragrant, and the rice is deliciously steamed."

"I wonder how they make it."

"I know that. I heard the lady serving the food mention it. It's their family's secret recipe."

"Oh, no wonder my mother-in-law can't cook this flavor."

Luo Jian Jia listened intently to these words, lost in thought. Unaware of her own strength, she accidentally crushed the wooden tray with a "crack".

Looking at the crushed tray in her hand, Luo Jian Jia glanced around and seeing that no one noticed her, she calmly set the broken tray aside and continued tidying up the dishes.

Afterward, she went on to listen to the conversations of many other customers.

While one or two people mentioning feeling more energetic might be dismissed, the fact that so many people were talking about it suggested that something was indeed amiss.

However, Luo Jian Jia didn't jump to conclusions about it being her doing.

Originally, there were only about a dozen regular customers dining here, but now there were around twenty or thirty, which made Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao very happy.

After returning home, Luo Jian Jia thought about the recent ponderings and decided to excuse herself from cooking, claiming that she was tired from too much cooking and handed over the task to Madam Zhao.

In reality, she wanted to test whether the food she cooked really had such great power.

Madam Zhao didn't think much of it and was especially considerate towards her, taking over the cooking duties.

For the next few days, the food sold at the pier was cooked by Luo Jian Jia, but the meals eaten at home were prepared by Madam Zhao.

After a few days passed, Luo Jian Jia saw Old Master Chu returning home with firewood and massaged his shoulders.

"What's wrong with you? Are you tired? I told you your health isn't good, carry less firewood back. What if you get sick again, what will we do?" Madam Zhao said anxiously.

In the past few days, Old Master Chu felt much lighter and thought he had recovered from his illness, so he took on more work. However, these days he found himself feeling tired again. He knew that if he fell ill again, it would cost money and add to the burden on the family. So he said, "Hmm, I won't do so much tomorrow."

Luo Jian Jia overheard this conversation and subtly asked, "Father, have you been feeling tired these past few days?"

Old Master Chu, fearing that his family would worry, replied, "It's alright, not too tired."

Though Old Master Chu didn't say it explicitly, Luo Jian Jia understood. He had previously mentioned feeling lighter and stronger. Today, however, he said he wasn't "too tired," indicating that he was indeed tired, just not as much as before.

Luo Jian Jia said, "Hmm, perhaps it's because of the extra work these days. I feel a bit tired myself. Mother, how about you?"

Madam Zhao straightened her waist, stood up, and said, "I'm alright, I haven't done much, just washing dishes and cleaning, I can manage."

Seeing the reactions of Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao, Luo Jian Jia could almost confirm that the miraculous power of the food customers experienced came from her own cooking.

If she truly possessed such ability, there was no need to worry about selling her food in the future. She could completely rely on selling food to become wealthy and thrive in this era.

With this thought, Luo Jian Jia's mood became extremely good.

After the afternoon nap, Luo Jian Jia went to cook again. After eating her food, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao seemed to feel energized again.

After a few more days, Luo Jian Jia still couldn't fully confirm the effectiveness of her cooking, but she noticed another food vendor had appeared at the dock.

If it had been a different type of food, she might have dismissed it, but this person was selling the same rice and vegetable combo as them.

Luo Jian Jia had considered the possibility of imitators, but she hadn't expected them to appear so quickly, and to be so careless, almost identical to their setup.

Moreover, the other vendor's portion size was larger than theirs.

They served one portion of vegetables and one portion of pickles, while the other vendor offered two portions of vegetables for the same price, and the quantity given was also more than theirs.

That day, there were fewer people coming to eat at their place compared to before.

Madam Zhao was extremely anxious, glaring at the other food vendor nearby, wishing she could rush over. Though Old Master Chu didn't show it as openly as Madam Zhao, his concern was evident on his face.

And what used to sell out in half an hour now took a whole hour to sell. Not only that, there was still some leftover.

Madam Zhao initially wanted to sell the remaining food at a lower price, but Luo Jian Jia stopped her.

That day, when they returned home, both Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were in a terrible mood.

•••

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Chapter 7 TGBW

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