Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Don’t Overreach (Jin Ling Shan rewards 10,000 coins, seventh update)
Translator: 549690339
“Hmm, go ahead.” Mrs. Ruo lifted her hand from the water and used the handkerchief handed to her by the serving girl to dry the droplets, probed the jade vase besides her with a silver pick to scoop out some white jade ointment, polishing it evenly over her ten fingers, palms, and the back of her hands.
She fanned her delicate hands, now more tender and glistening like green onions, emitting a subtle perfume.
Mrs. Ruo delightedly sniffed her hand placed under her nose.
“Your Highness,” Bi Tao came forward, holding a small brocade box. “Here is the item you requested. The messenger insisted that you should examine it personally.”
All for a few strands of hair, to enable a Taoist master’to set some kind of spell to keep that whelp in check, to make him weaker by the day, perhaps to slip away unnoticed, all these fuss seems excessive to her.
Unimpressed, Mrs. Ruo scoffed inwardly but still opened the brocade box.
A white silk handkerchief wrapped the contents neatly inside.
Such pandering is unnecessary. She should be reprimanded even if the task was done well.
A slight impatience drew Mrs. Ruo to unfolding the corners of the handkerchief.
With a sharp scream, the color drained from her face. The box was knocked over to the floor, a shiver washed over her, followed by an angry outcry.
“What is this disgusting thing that has been brought into my house!”
Bi Tao was also taken aback, she quickly examined the fallen object from the floor.
Wrapped inside the handkerchief was not hair belonging to Chu Jinzhou, but a finger, obviously severed brutally.
To avoid decay and odor due to warmer weather, it had been frozen with ice, making it pale, bruised and horrifying.
Bi Tao’s face drained of color, she knelt down, repeatedly pleading. “Please calm down, Your Highness. This alarm is the servant’s incompetence. I will have them all punished.”
Though her terror was unabated, Mrs. Ruo’s countenance seemed to darken.
A finger was delivered, which means?
Had it been discovered by Chu Jinnian, and he purposely sent this as a warning not to overstep her boundary, lest she end up the same way?
Damn, truly ruthless!
Mrs. Ruo almost ground her silver teeth to bits.
Just you wait Chu Jinnian, your end will arrive one day!
At dawn, Zhuang Qingning had started to prepare and load the tofu into the cart.
The tofu quantity for the county town had increased to two hundred and eighty catties, while at the town’s end, because Changji tofu shop was no longer in a business, Zhuang Qingning increased her production by twenty percent, so did Zhuang Yonghe.
Therefore, they had to fill both tofu pots daily to cater to everyone’s needs. If production increased, they might run out of resources at the tofu shop.
Seemed like some solutions needed to be brainstormed.
While taking the bullock cart around the town, Zhuang Qingning had been thinking about this.
But till setting up the stall in the town, she hadn’t come up with a better solution.
She was soon greeting customers buying tofu, so had no spare time to think further.
“Miss Zhuang, could you give me ten pounds of tofu?”
Zhuang Qingning recognized the voice and looked up to see Zhou Xueming pulling out money from his purse.
“Good day, Mr. Zhou.” Zhuang Qingning smiled politely.
Zhou Xueming frequented her tofu stall ever since their first meeting, although he seemed busy and only managed to come every two or three days to buy two or three pounds of tofu.
Having gotten acquainted over time, Zhuang Qingning learned that he was a scholar, tutoring children in their homes.
“Mr. Zhou, you are buying a lot of tofu today. Is there an occasion at home?” Zhuang Qingning chatted as she cut the tofu.
“My mother is going back to her hometown for recuperation, and we’ll be leaving in a few days. Although she is not worried about anything else, she’s concerned about your tofu and asked me to buy more.”
Zhou Xueming smiled and said, “I thought about it, fresh tofu is delicate and difficult to preserve, so I planned to buy more tofu and fry it into pieces at home, where it could last a few more days. You can either stew or have them cold, it’s convenient.”
“Indeed, it is a good method.” Zhuang Qingning responded with a smile, gave Zhou Xueming the weighed tofu and received the money.
Zhou Xueming didn’t stay long. He took his tofu and left for home.
A while later, Zhang Yongchang came and asked, “Girl, are the salted duck eggs ready?”
“Tomorrow, they will surely be ready for you tomorrow.”
Looking at the timeline, the first batch of eggs, brined yesterday, would be ready to unseal tonight, remembering how many times Zhang Yongchang asked, Zhuang Qingning felt like her ears were growing calluses.
“Do you want them boiled or raw?” Zhuang Qingning questioned.
Cooking in a restaurant, sometimes only the yolk was needed. They would break the raw duck egg, take the yolk and steam it. It looked attractive and intact, saving the trouble of peeling the eggs.
“Let’s start with the cooked ones,” Zhang Yongchang thought for a while and said,” Let’s use the cooked duck eggs for now.”
A stack of hot eggs would be easier for Zhuang Qingning to take to town.
“Sure, I will boil them for you.”
“Will there really be salted duck eggs available tomorrow?” someone asked.
The people buying tofu heard this, their eyes lit up.
Few had forgotten about the imminent arrival of salted duck eggs, the specialty of Zhuang Qingning’s tofu stall. The eggs were rumored to be incredibly delicious.
Would they be available from tomorrow?!
They had to try them.
“There might be a few…”
Looking at the excited chatter of those around her, Zhuang Qingning hastily explained, “I can’t guarantee how many there will be. But let’s see. No need to rush though, once the salted duck eggs are brined, there will be more every day.”
After hearing this, the crowd was more at ease. They took the tofu they had bought and went their separate ways, all the while continuing to discuss about the salted duck eggs.
Zhuang Qingning couldn’t resist rubbing her temples. Hearing all the talk about salted duck eggs lately had almost made her ears grow calluses and her heart flutter.
If she introduced new items in the future, she must not bring samples until mass production was possible.
She couldn’t stand the burden anymore.
“Ning girl.”
Zhang Yongchang’s face was filled with joy, “I suggest you rent a shop in the town as soon as possible. That way, your tofu pots can work day and night. You can sell a full pot in the morning and another in the afternoon..”
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