Chapter 101 - 101: Buy!
The following day, after Yuan Ding carted away the tofu and bean curd with his horse cart, Qiao Changshun also hitched up the donkey cart, taking his family of three towards Bailu Town.
This was a new experience for both Qiao Changshun and Qiao Dami.
In Anping Village, few families owned a ox or donkey cart. Therefore, the donkey cart they were currently riding on was as valuable as the BMW driven by Qiao Xiaomai in the future.
Qiao Dami kept smiling, while Qiao Changshun’s face remained serious, but the sound of his whip was very crisp.
However, all of his whip swings were in vain, not a single one could bear to fall on the donkey.
Qiao Xiaomai found it amusing. She pinched Qiao Dami’s chubby cheeks, and started cracking and eating sunflower seeds from her knapsack.
Interestingly, sunflower seeds were rare , they were not available during the previous dynasty, and were introduced from overseas along with sweet potatoes, costing more than cloud rice cakes.
Seeing her eating sunflower seeds, Qiao Dami also extended her tiny hand to grab some.
The wind blowing gently, sunshine over their heads, the donkey cart leisurely entered Bailu Town.
Qiao Xiaomai first went to see Shopkeeper He.
When Shopkeeper He saw her, his smile nearly turned him into Shopkeeper Zhou, “Miss Qiao is here, please come in!”
When he saw Qiao Changshun, he hastily greeted, “This must be Brother Qiao, nice to meet you.”
It was Qiao Changshun’s first time at Jiwei Residence, so he was slightly restrained. Hearing this, he merely returned a smile, expressed his humility, and then followed Qiao Xiaomai into the building. He was even less relaxed than Qiao Dami.
Shopkeeper He served tea and snacks, then finally turned his gaze to Qiao Xiaomai, “What kind of good money-making scheme do you have this time?”
At his words, a dimpled smile spread across Qiao Xiaomai’s face, making her look both amiable and clever. “Yesterday, Manager Zhou from Zuixian Building came to find me, he said he wants to buy the recipe of tofu and Bean Curd. The price is up to me, as long as it isn’t too outrageous, he will agree.”
“And he also mentioned that I suffered a loss with the previous cold jelly noodles deal, and that you got a huge bargain.”
Shopkeeper He”…”
His smile froze on his face.
After a moment, he smoothed his beard with a hand and said solemnly, “Miss Qiao, there is always a trap underneath a great profitable venture, you should be cautious.”
“I have thought about it a thousand times. If it weren’t for the mill and the donkey you gave us, 1 would have agreed on the spot.” Qiao Xiaomai looked at him with clear eyes, and her expression was very calm. “I’m a country bumpkin, not very knowledgeable, and it’s hard for me to resist the conditions Zhou proposed.”
Shopkeeper He stared at her, took a deep breath, “Alright, how much silver do you want?”
Qiao Xiaomai was too cunning. He wouldn’t be able to fool her in a few words, to might as well state the conditions directly.
“Oh, you also want to buy?” Qiao Xiaomai was surprised. Looking at the previous actions of shopkeeper He, they were not related to the word generosity.
“Buy.” Shopkeeper He nodded with a strained expression.
The tofu and bean curd seemed to be just a dish, but this was not an era of abundant materials like the future. Here, vegetables were scarce, tofu could be mixed with many kinds of meats and vegetables, thus creating many new dishes.
Moreover, it made full use of soybeans. Previously, soybeans were mostly used to make soy sauce, or cooked into bean rice, but due to the bloating caused by excessive consumption, people’s staple food was wheat and Dami and Xiaomi.
Now they have tofu, which really brings out the value of soybeans.
Most importantly, only Qiao Xiaomai knows this method of making tofu and bean curd.
It’s just a small piece of tofu, but if it monopolized the entire Daqi, the profits it would bring would significantly outweigh the amount of silver spent on buying the recipe.
Moreover, such a delicious thing should be brought to the Capital City, where the rich and powerful congregate. It was a waste to just exist in Bailu Town. Therefore, he would buy this recipe!