Chapter 92: The Price Is Really Expensive!

At noon, Lu the Shopkeeper stayed at the Qiao Family for a meal; the Kitchen Maid prepared six dishes, and she devoured half of them.

"Your Kitchen Maid's skill is truly excellent, it can match yours."

"Of course, once we live together, you'll get to eat it every day."

"On the day Xin'er has the engagement ceremony, we can't move there, can we?"

"It's already August; after the building is finished it's the rainy season, so we have to let things dry a bit, buy some furniture and set it up, right? Otherwise moving in will be too damp and harm the body."

"Indeed, once the construction is mostly done, shall we go together to take a look?"

"No problem."

Lu Third Daughter also looks forward to the house being completed early, so that Ruxin can get married from there; although it's not her own house, marrying out of the master's residence is the same, as long as it's splendid.

April 15, the shop's renovation was finally completed.

Qiao Mai arrived at the shop, looking at the large sign above the door, "Qiao Ji Snack Puzi,"

Lu the Shopkeeper responded earlier, "It's paid off; now the shop belongs to Qiao Niang."

Thinking of the Mind Technique, she grew worried; the next time she sees Miss Wang, she'll ask her to help inquire whether it can be bought with silver.

Garlic shoots, one bundle per jin, cost one hundred Wen; scallions, one bundle per jin, one hundred Wen; fresh ginger, one jin for one hundred Wen; after hearing this, the pharmacy Shopkeeper sent someone to purchase ten jin at once.

At the entrance there is a front desk, which is the Shopkeeper's counter.

Her body has already recovered, her skills from her previous life have returned, and practicing the Mind Technique is now urgent.

It's not just those; for example, when chive flowers appear, she will also make some chive flower sauce—basically, whatever comes down, she makes.

So far only the townsfolk have come to buy; on the first day of opening, many passing merchants didn't know about it. If they keep learning about it over time, what will become of this shop?

Tian Sanzhuang has been gone for almost two years; she wants to become strong within these three years, both economically and militarily.

The Ming Imperial Court conscripts each year; the typical enlistment term is five years. After five years, those who wish to stay in the army receive a monthly stipend, while those who do not may return home, and the court also provides a certain stipend.

The sound of firecrackers rang out, and the town's old diners came over to support the shop.

In that case, she only said it after discussing with Qiao Mai; the debt is indeed cleared, but Qiao Mai still lives with the Lu family.

Those green, unblemished vegetables—once he sees them, he can't move.

Now her skills are adequate against ordinary people, but still fall short against martial artists.

"The price is really high; the poor can't afford it and eat cabbage and radish, while the rich buy it back only for the Master to eat; the servants never get a chance to taste it."

In fact, none of the goods cost a single Wen; they're pure profit, and she knows that better than anyone.

After deducting purchase costs, she can earn twenty to thirty Taels of Silver.

"Scarcity makes things valuable; if you want to buy, it's available—how can it be expensive?"

Chives are sold a bundle per jin, clean and soil-free, one hundred Wen per bundle—expensive, but they must be bought.

Niu the Shopkeeper, puzzled, asked, "Sir, why not sell more?"

Black background with gold lettering, shining brightly; inside, the shelves were all empty, but they were cleaned very neatly.

It's precisely to prevent those people from causing trouble; the Qiao and Yuan families certainly aren't content, and the Tian family has never had a reason to cause trouble. No one knows whether Tian Sanzhuang is alive or dead; if he returns alive, there will surely be another entanglement.

Especially now that it's hot, you can cut open a Watermelon and eat a few slices, or buy some dried fruits and snacks to eat on the road.

She had already prepared the goods, leaving the Shopkeeper to watch the shop; she brought two assistants and five Cushi Popo, and began moving items from the house's warehouse into the shop.

In short, Qiao Mai had Niu the Shopkeeper arrange all this, all for the shop's business.

Items like boiled Corn, roasted Sweet Potato, Five-Spice Quail Egg, Five-Spice Edamame, Five-Spice fried Sunflower Seeds, pepper‑salt peanuts, fried chestnuts, Watermelon, Sweet Melon, Strawberry, ice, etc., were still sold at the old prices, unchanged.

"It's from my Lu family; from now on she will live with me."

The remaining time, she will stay at home with Ling'er, doing embroidery during the day, returning to her space at night to plant and prepare stock.

After the shop opened, she would go out to "procure goods" every five days.

In half a month it would be May; many places in Nanfang were also producing fruits and vegetables, so her space's fruits and vegetables now had a good reason to be sold.

She doesn't sell them when they're cheap after being prepared; she waits until the spring and winter seasons to sell at high prices.

"It seems Lu the Shopkeeper hasn't earned little these years, has she?"

Niu the Shopkeeper, who has also seen the world, was somewhat surprised but said nothing.

Fresh garlic, one jin for one hundred Wen; any vegetable that has ever appeared in Fucheng, she will sell.

April 16, over the next two days, they hired people to set up a beautiful sturdy canopy in front of the shop, with exquisite tables and chairs beneath, for passing merchants to rest temporarily.

Seven people went back and forth moving items more than a dozen times, still using hand carts for transport, showing how much stock the warehouse held.

Although the two didn't bring gifts, they still gave a great showing, buying many items and leaving; the money, of course, was not lacking.

"Indeed, thanks to everyone's blessing, business is good; the young lady is getting married, so she must leave the New Residence, right?"

Tong the Shopkeeper from Jingtai Restaurant also came over; seeing so many varieties of vegetables, he immediately packed up the vegetables on the shelves.

Of course, displaying these is also for business; some wealthy merchants who rest here will look into the shop and buy any items they like.

She no longer has to spend time cooking, washing clothes, or looking after children, so her time has increased.

Cucumbers, by the stalk, cost thirty Wen each; two stalks are roughly a jin, which is truly cheaper than chives.

Lu the Shopkeeper and Qian the Town Mayor also came over, entered the shop and gazed at the dazzling array of goods, their eyes narrowing with pleasure.

Moreover, Qiao Mai gave Niu the Shopkeeper orders that a certain quantity must be sold each day, and sales stop when it's sold out; for example, chives—only twenty bundles per day, then none left.

When it came to Qiao Mai opening the shop, someone asked, "Has Qiao Niang cleared the debt?"

Niu the Shopkeeper couldn't imagine; not to mention supporting a dozen people now, adding another dozen would still be no problem.

Seeing so many fresh fruits and vegetables, everyone, driven by the desire to try something new, was eager to get their hands on them.

Besides the few items previously sold at the stall, many more varieties of fruits, vegetables, and roasted snacks were added.

She had been hesitant, not wanting anyone to know she was practicing internal cultivation, which is why she hadn't yet spoken to Miss Wang.

There was also a row of counters up front; when customers arrived, they could select goods up close, and the assistants would retrieve items for them at the counter.

Most people, once their five‑year term ends, will return.

Shopkeeper Niu thought for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"And the Zhai behind the shop, what is it?"

These goods were all moved to the warehouse behind the shop, and the Shopkeeper personally tallied them into the account books.

The small shop was tidied and ready, and on the eighteenth day of the fourth month, it finally opened for business.

On the first day the shop opened, Shopkeeper Niu was stunned by the revenue—a single snack sold more than a hundred taels of silver in one day.

Qiao Mai, standing nearby, pointed it out to him and told him the purchase price of the goods.

This seemingly unremarkable small shop could actually earn nearly a thousand taels of silver in a month.

Openly, it must be made known to the world that her goods are not just wind‑blown; if anyone were to inquire, Shopkeeper Niu could explain.

She also brought out the Persimmon Cake she had made years ago; this year she bought a New Residence, now has a place, and when the season arrives she will make many more.

The small shop offered free tea; the leaves weren't particularly high‑grade, but the point was that it cost nothing.

Qiao Mai didn't keep the shop opening under wraps; within two days the news reached the Qiao Family.

When the Qiao Shicheng couple heard, they were angry for several days; just as they were regaining their vigor, word arrived that Qiao Mai had already repaid Shopkeeper Lu's silver and had obtained the Sale Contract and a loan note.

The two instantly fainted, and Qiao Jiang, Qiao He and the others pinched their philtrums for a long time before they managed to wake them.

Qiao Niang's sales earned Lao Qian, and everyone who mentioned it turned green with envy; previously she owed silver that needed repaying, the Qiao Family was jealous but dared not speak up.

(End of chapter)