W Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Plan

Shen Hui’s voice was as cold as Ling Xing remembered, his lips tight, and no expression or emotion on his face, looking somewhat indifferent and unapproachable.

Ling Xing glanced at him and then looked away, his neck hurting from looking up.

“What do you want to discuss?”

Xu Youfang brought a stool for Ling Xing and told him to sit down.

Shen Chengshan also looked at Ling Xing, signaling him to speak.

How to explain? Ling Xing had already thought it through. The original owner’s family background had left him room to maneuver.

“Father, Mother, it’s like this. I used to read some miscellaneous books at home and studied some food recipes. I have quite a few snack recipes in my hand, and I’m thinking of using them to go out and do business.”

Ling Xing’s words didn’t arouse suspicion from the Shen family.

On the contrary, they understood him the most.

The Shen family used to be wealthy, and books were controlled by the rich and powerful, not easily circulated.

That’s why, whether in the previous dynasty or the current Yu Dynasty, it was difficult for those from farming families to become officials.

It required generations of accumulation to cultivate a Provincial Graduate. And then even more accumulation to produce a Jinshi, truly changing the family’s fate.

Because books and knowledge were in the hands of those with power.

The miscellaneous books that Ling Xing had read, that allowed him to research food, were likely the Ling family’s collection, their private property.

Regarding Ling Xing having skills and wanting to do business, the three people present all knew why.

It was simply because the family was too poor; they couldn’t even afford to eat without going out to earn money.

Speaking of this, Shen Chengshan felt somewhat regretful.

When he was a young master at home, he loved collecting jade. But he couldn’t polish or carve it, only appreciate it. His other skill was raising birds.

If only he knew how to raise horses, the family wouldn’t be so poor.

Unlike his wife, who could embroider and take on work. His second son could read and write, knew martial arts, and could go into the mountains to hunt.

He also knew how to read, but the family’s farm work always needed someone to do it, and one person in the family writing and reading letters was enough.

Xu Youfang was also happy that Ling Xing could express his thoughts; having discussions was what families did.

She nodded and said, “Okay, the family will go out and chop more firewood these days. I’ll go to the county early and take on some embroidery work. When we save some money, we’ll give it to you to do business.”

Ling Xing was somewhat surprised by Xu Youfang’s answer. He hadn’t even asked the Shen family for money, and they were already thinking ahead for him.

Having only relied on his grandfather in his previous life, Ling Xing felt a pang in his heart at this moment. He raised the corners of his mouth, feeling very happy.

“No need, Mother. I have many recipes; I plan to sell one or two to save up capital.”

Having ideas was a good thing, but Shen Chengshan shook his head.

“Ling Xing, this is not feasible.”

Ling Xing was a little strange, waiting for Shen Chengshan’s next words.

“Actively selling recipes, selling to any family will offend the other families. The one who buys your recipe won’t necessarily help you deal with the others’ troubles.”

Ling Xing thought about it and felt it made sense. Business was business, one hand exchanging money and the other exchanging the recipe. Who would care if you were targeted afterward?

“Then what if I sell to every family?” Ling Xing proposed a solution.

As soon as these words came out, all three pairs of eyes fell on Ling Xing.

Xu Youfang exclaimed, “Ling Xing, when you sell the recipe to the first family, that family won’t allow you to sell it to a second. If you really sell it, you’ll directly offend the first family. People pick on the weak. If other families know the recipe is yours, they’ll naturally only come to you, who would care about your life or death?”

Ling Xing was momentarily lost. He was treating this like a law-abiding society.

But if he didn’t sell the recipes and waited for the Shen family to save money, how long would it take to do business and have enough to eat?

Ling Xing had previously estimated the price based on the cost of goods, thinking that the business could be solved within 500 Wen.

The initial cost of making a clay stove and buying charcoal would be higher, but these two items would also last a long time.

“How much money do you need?”

Shen Hui suddenly asked.

Ling Xing didn’t think much and subconsciously replied with the price in his mind, “About 500 Wen.”

“I’ll figure out a way to get the money.”

Ling Xing was worried when he heard the cold, deep voice promising him, prompting him to look up at Shen Hui.

This voice brought hope to Ling Xing, dispelling his worries, making him stunned and somewhat happy and expectant.

Thinking about how Shen Hui was going to figure it out, the other party turned and left the kitchen.

He was really tall, and had to lower his head when leaving the kitchen to avoid hitting the door frame.

Seeing him leave, Ling Xing wanted to chase out and ask, but was stopped by Xu Youfang.

“If Second Son says he’ll find a way, he must have an idea. Ling Xing, just wait at home.”

Ling Xing looked from side to side, and finally, succumbing to the power of the cold wind, wrapped himself in his leather jacket and huddled in the kitchen.

For lunch, the Shen family ate boiled beans, soybeans boiled directly and eaten with a little salt.

The salt was coarse, with a bitter taste and a gritty texture.

Eating it made Ling Xing’s heart bitter, but he was also hungry and had no other choice.

Especially seeing the younger ones eating so heartily, Ling Xing was even more embarrassed to be picky.

He could only silently shed tears in his heart, when would he be able to eat rice?

He wanted to eat fragrant, soft rice, wuwuwuwu.

To earn more money, Shen Chengshan planned to take Shen Gui and Cao Manyue up the mountain again in the afternoon.

The mountain was sectioned off, with an outer area belonging to the village. No one should keep taking from that area.

To get more, they had to go deeper into the mountains.

The Shen family had originally planned to get firewood once a day, but because Ling Xing wanted to do business, although Shen Hui said he would figure out the money, what if the first time failed? They still needed money.

It was best to start a business early rather than late, so after eating, Shen Chengshan thought about going again to pick up dead branches in the deep mountains.

The Shen elders thought simply: Ling Xing was the husband that their eldest son cared about, and they had to take care of him for their eldest son.

If the child wanted to do it, let him do it. They, as parents, would take care of everything.

In the afternoon, Ling Xing was calculating how to do a long-term business at the lowest cost.

After calculating, there was only one result.

No matter what he sold, he couldn’t sell it for a good price and make money in the village.

He had to go to the town or county to sell.

He grabbed Shen Lai and asked him about the travel time.

The closest town to Xiao Liucun was called Yunxia Town, ten kilometers away, and it took one and a quarter hours to walk.

Ling Xing converted it, which was two and a half hours of walking.

“But the dirt street where the village market is held is quite close, it only takes half an hour,” Shen Lai expanded for Ling Xing.

The village market was mainly for people from various villages to buy things, but some villages were rich, and the villagers had some spare money.

The village market was held once a month on the fifteenth, so going then would be okay.

At other times, according to Shen Lai, there wasn’t much there, and he still had to walk a long way to get to town.

He couldn’t think about the county, it was even further than the town, taking almost three hours to walk there.

Taking an ox cart would take an hour, but only five families in the three villages around Xiao Liucun had oxen.

Going to the county was on a fixed day, paying a fare to be pulled there and back together.

If he was doing business, he would definitely go every day, and they wouldn’t pull an ox cart for him every day.

After comparing, he decided to go to town for the time being.

He would sell steamed buns andmántou, a type of steamed bun. A steamer and clay stove were easy to get, and flour was valuable, so people would pay more for good ones.

There weren’t any of these things here yet, and he looked through the original owner’s memories, and there was no such thing as dough fermentation.

Well-fermented dough was fluffy and soft, which could lower some of the costs.

Ling Xing planned to sell meat buns and mántou first. He couldn’t make much more, and it would cost more money.

He had planned it all out, now all that was left was to buy some ingredients, prepare the utensils, and steam a batch to test the taste.

With pockets emptier than his face, Ling Xing could only wait for Shen Hui.

He didn’t know how long it had been, Ling Xing and Shen Lai were talking about it, and they were both about to fall asleep.

Suddenly, someone spoke outside the curtain, “Brother-in-law, it’s me.”