Chapter 8 TGBW

 FlamingoBees 

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 The General's Buddhist Wife

 Chapter 8: 

Lou Jian Jia's Egg Noodles

 

In that moment, Luo Jian Jia felt a twinge of discomfort in her heart, but gradually, it subsided.

What they were selling now didn't require much technical skill, so it was inevitable that they would be copied. She had anticipated this day would come. However, when it suddenly arrived, it still made her uneasy.

During the hour of selling food, another idea began to take root.

She had always wondered if her cooking truly had a magical quality to it. Wasn't this a perfect opportunity to find out? If her food did have a magical effect, those who were accustomed to eating her dishes would surely come back.

Even if her cooking didn't possess any special power, she still had confidence in it. If those people didn't return, she could think of new ways to stay competitive or perhaps sell elsewhere. There was always a way to earn money.

© 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.

She never liked worrying about things that hadn't happened yet, so she remained calm and composed.

However, it was evident that Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao weren't as optimistic as her.

After returning home, Madam Zhao sighed and said, "Ah, it seems we've attracted jealousy again. We've only made money for a few days, and now this. How could these people be like this..."

Old Master Chu remained silent, just sighing heavily.

"Today we had so many fewer customers. Will it be even fewer in the coming days?" Madam Zhao asked worriedly.

Old Master Chu furrowed his brow but still didn't speak.

Although they both felt annoyed and frustrated by the sudden competition, they wouldn't do anything against them, only stewing in their frustration at home.

Seeing this, Luo Jian Jia said, "Mom, Dad, don't worry. Our rice is good, our dishes are flavorful with plenty of oil, and the taste is great. I'm sure the customers will come back."

Luo Jian Jia thought that the key was whether her cooking had that magical effect. If it did, the customers would surely return.

Madam Zhao's expression eased a bit upon hearing this.

"You're right. Your cooking skills are excellent. Others can't match them."

Seeing that Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were not in high spirits, Luo Jian Jia said, "Mom, Dad, now that there's one imitator, there will likely be a second. Whether we can retain customers or not remains uncertain. Let's not worry too much for now and just observe."

"That's all we can do," Madam Zhao said in a low voice, sounding a bit disheartened.

After busy morning, Luo Jian Jia was already hungry. Thinking about the leftovers from today, she suggested, "Today, we can eat something good."

Although Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao also wanted to eat, they hesitated at the thought of spending money.

"How about we save it for tomorrow?" Madam Zhao suggested.

Luo Jian Jia shook her head and disagreed, "No, it won't be fresh tomorrow, and the customers will notice. Saving money is one thing, but if it ruins our reputation, it will be trouble."

Madam Zhao was about to say something else but was interrupted by Old Master Chu.

"Listen to our daughter-in-law. Let's just eat it ourselves."

"Alright."

Although everyone's mood wasn't the best, they had a hearty meal of white rice. After eating their fill, there was still plenty left.

The next morning, Luo Jian Jia cracked an egg into the rice, added some diced carrots and greens, and made fried rice.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao enjoyed it thoroughly.

"If we can't sell the set meals, making fried rice isn't a bad idea," Madam Zhao suggested.

"Mom, the cost of making fried rice is too high. If we want to make a profit, we'll have to sell it for three wen. Many people might hesitate to buy fried rice alone," Luo Jian Jia reasoned.

Madam Zhao thought about it and had to agree with her.

They had already increased the amount to twelve catties of rice, but fearing wastage, they reduced it to ten catties that day.

Today, there were even fewer customers coming to eat compared to yesterday.

Seeing the familiar customers heading to the opposite side, Madam Zhao said anxiously, "Jian Jia, why don't we add more vegetables for the customers? After all, these vegetables are all from our own garden, it won't cost us much."

Luo Jian Jia whispered, "Mom, we don't have many vegetables left in our garden. It won't be long before we have to buy more. Then the costs will increase, what will we do then?"

© 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.

"How about... we add more for now, and then raise the prices later?" Madam Zhao suggested.

Luo Jian Jia shook her head. "No, we can't. It will be difficult to raise the prices later, and the customers will find it harder to accept."

"But... the customers aren't coming anymore."

"Don't worry, many people came here because it was cheap. We'll see which way they choose in a few days."

Seeing her daughter-in-law's firm gaze, Madam Zhao gradually calmed down.

Returning home, the whole family enjoyed another delicious meal of rice.

Self-deprecatingly, Madam Zhao remarked, "Although we're earning less, at least we're eating well."

Luo Jian Jia nodded. "Exactly, eating well gives us the energy to work."

Hearing this, Madam Zhao said, "You know what, I've been feeling more energetic these past few days. It's true that we need to eat good food."

Madam Zhao had already prepared herself for the possibility of fewer customers, but to her surprise, they gradually started coming back the next day.

Luo Jian Jia paid special attention to what these customers had to say.

"Boss lady, your dishes here are really good, but the portions are smaller compared to other places. It would be great if you could give us a bit more," one customer remarked.

Seeing Madam Zhao smile, Luo Jian Jia quickly pulled her aside and whispered something in her ear.

Madam Zhao immediately changed her tune and said, "It's not that we don't want to give more, but the ingredients we use have a special recipe, and they're quite expensive. Giving more would mean losing money."

Curious, someone asked, "Does that mean you add meat broth?"

Madam Zhao glanced at her daughter-in-law, who remained silent. She smiled but didn't say anything.

The customers seemed convinced and said, "It must be meat broth, otherwise, how else could eating here make us feel so energetic?"

"Maybe it's some kind of precious herbal medicine."

"Just as long as it tastes good, we don't need to worry about what's in it," someone remarked.

Listening to these words, Luo Jian Jia was now completely sure that the food she prepared could indeed increase people's strength.

As for why this was happening, she didn't know. Just like she didn't know why she inexplicably found herself in this unfamiliar era, or how she became as strong as a warrior. The miraculous things happening to her didn't stop there.

Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it anymore. She would just go with the flow.

After returning home, Luo Jian Jia suggested going to buy some large bones to make broth.

After returning home, Luo Jian Jia suggested going to buy some large bones to make broth.

Since everyone felt energized after eating, she felt compelled to do something. Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao had simpler minds for the time being and hadn't suspected anything, but over time, doubts might arise.

So why not use meat as an excuse?

Moreover, large bones were inexpensive, and you could get a lot for just a few coins. The taste was good, and it wouldn't increase costs too much.

Using the excuse of retaining customers, Luo Jian Jia quickly gained the agreement of Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao.

Since using broth made from large bones for cooking, the number of customers stabilized, with about thirty to forty people coming to eat each day, earning around thirty wen daily. The new restaurant that had opened remained consistently at around ten or so customers.

After a few days passed, some people in the village, intentionally or unintentionally, asked Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao how they made their dishes.

Even if Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were honest, they wouldn't directly reveal their secret recipe. They hesitated and avoided disclosing the exact details, which only made everyone more curious.

There were no secrets in the village, and soon everyone learned that they had bought large bones. However, even if others tried to replicate their method, they couldn't recreate the same taste.

At this point, Luo Jian Jia truly felt relieved and relaxed.

After about a month of this, their income gradually stabilized, earning around thirty to forty wen per day, amounting to about one or two silver coins per month.

Seeing Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao's mood improving, Luo Jian Jia proposed something she had wanted to say for a while.

"Why don't we have three meals a day?"

Although Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were no longer as impoverished as before and could eat their fill at each meal, Luo Jian Jia, who was accustomed to having three meals a day, still felt uncomfortable.

"Three meals a day? That's something only well-off families do. We'll stick to two meals," Madam Zhao insisted.

© 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.

"But don't you feel hungry in the morning?" Luo Jian Jia asked.

Madam Zhao pondered for a moment before hesitantly replying, "Yes, I do get hungry, but it's not necessary to eat three times a day."

She had lived like this for so many years. In the past, they would only have three meals when their son returned home from the Wang Mansion to rest. Now that their son was away, they had become accustomed to having two meals a day.

Luo Jian Jia argued, "Being excessively hungry isn't good for the body. Now that our income is stable, we can afford to have three meals. In fact, eating three meals won't cost much more than eating two, and sometimes eating only twice a day can lead to indigestion."

With that, Luo Jian Jia looked towards Old Master Chu. She knew that he was the true decision-maker in this household.

"Eat more, so we'll have the energy to work," she insisted.

The difference between having money and not having money seemed like night and day. Now that they had money, they felt much more confident.

Old Master Chu agreed, saying, "Let's eat three meals then."

Hearing Old Master Chu's words, Luo Jian Jia finally felt relieved. She had worked so hard for this moment, to finally be able to eat a full meal.

The next morning, Luo Jian Jia woke up early to prepare breakfast.

It had been a long time since she had eaten breakfast this early. Remembering her preference for noodles for breakfast and the scarcity of them here, she decided to cook noodles.

For the noodles, she would make them herself.

She deliberately cracked an egg into the noodles, creating egg noodles, and dropped them into the pot. Then, she picked some greens and tossed them in.

As it was almost ready, she added seasoning.

Soon enough, a pot of fragrant egg noodles was cooked.

Now that their living conditions had improved, although Madam Zhao felt a bit distressed about such things, she wouldn't say much about it.

By the time she thought of helping out, Luo Jian Jia had already finished cooking.

Breakfast consisted of egg noodles and the pickled vegetables she had processed.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao rarely ate noodles, so they were quite surprised by the noodles Luo Jian Jia had prepared. They were only familiar with steamed buns and dumplings when it came to wheat-based foods and didn't know how to make these.

"Really delicious, how did you make these noodles?" Madam Zhao asked.

Luo Jian Jia explained the process.

"You added eggs to the noodles? You can do that? No wonder they taste better than what we've had before," Madam Zhao praised.

Old Master Chu also nodded in agreement.

Seeing Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao enjoying their meal, Luo Jian Jia felt very satisfied.

© 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.

She hadn't expected that being able to eat a satisfying meal after waking up would become a luxury for her. After eating, her mood improved significantly.

When they arrived at the dock at noon, another food stall had appeared. Because of the incident last time, Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao had a bit more confidence in their own food and enthusiastically promoted their offerings.

The area around the dock became even more lively.

However, when a merchant glanced at their plain dishes and walked away, Luo Jian Jia wondered if they needed to improve.

Now that they could eat satisfying meals, she began to consider if she should have new aspirations. Moreover, with her newfound ability, she didn't need to worry about not being able to sell her food. Before Chu Wei Leng returned, she could earn more money.

On the way back home, Luo Jian Jia kept pondering this issue.

As they were approaching their doorstep, Madam Wang, the neighbor, came out of her house and greeted Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao.

After exchanging pleasantries, she glanced at Luo Jian Jia.

After hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly said, "Today, I went to the market and ran into your mother. She asked me to deliver a message to you, asking you to come back home."

The Luo family...

Luo Jian Jia furrowed her brows slightly.

趙氏 heard this, paused for a moment, then warmly said, "Daughter-in-law, you don't need to tidy up. I'll go pick some eggs for you to take to your parents."

With that, she headed towards their house.

Soon enough, she emerged with a basket containing over twenty eggs laid by their chickens over the past few days.

This gesture was quite significant, giving face to the daughter-in-law when returning to her parents' home.

Although Luo Jian Jia didn't really want to go back, family ties couldn't be ignored.

Thus, she accepted the basket from Madam Zhao and started walking towards Luo family village.

© 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.

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