The other two children said nothing, yet they kept swallowing, unable to hide their hunger.
Xu Chunhua's previously gentle expression twisted as she glared at her eldest son and daughter.
"Useless things! Were you starving ghosts in your last life? Don't you know how filthy the food next door is? Eat that and you'll rot your stomach and your mouth!"
Then she instantly changed her tone, turning toward her youngest son with indulgent affection.
"Tiger Bao, wait a bit. Mama will boil an egg for you. Eggs are fragrant, hm?"
"Mmm-hmm!" The boy nodded eagerly.
The aroma drifted into Zheng Xiaoyue's home as well. Her husband, Wang Dazhuang, took a deep breath and exclaimed in surprise,
"Did a cook move in next door?"
"What cook?" Zheng Xiaoyue rolled her eyes. "She's just a poor young woman with a hard fate. Still, her cooking really is impressive. I should ask her how she does it. Yesterday I only saw her buy cabbage and pork, yet it smells this good."
Just as Jiang Huaiyu had seen in her dreams, the people here weren't exactly destitute—but both material and spiritual pleasures were sorely lacking.
Something as simple as using pork cracklings to bring out the fragrance of bland cabbage had never crossed their minds. Instead, they treated pork cracklings as a standalone meat dish, reheating them dry and forcing them down no matter how greasy they were.
After feeding her son, Jiang Huaiyu finally sat down to eat a hot meal herself. Once she was full, she cleaned up and coaxed Tangbao to sleep.
When Tangbao fell asleep sucking on his thumb, Jiang Huaiyu stepped into the yard. Beside the chicken coop, she used a hoe to open up a small vegetable plot—no more than three meters wide and five meters long. In a couple of days she could buy seeds at the market; for now, loosening the soil would do.
After that, she cleaned the chicken coop while pondering how to earn her first pot of gold.
"I really envy novel protagonists," she sighed quietly. "They plagiarize a couple of poems and instantly dominate the world."
Opening a teahouse or selling recipes required capital. Jumping into partnerships too early would only get her swallowed whole. Jiang Huaiyu knew well that in any era, a man without guilt may still be punished for possessing treasure.
But maybe… handmade soap and bathing beans?
Her eyes lit up. This truly was a huge opportunity.
In the Great Yun Kingdom, even nobles could only afford to boil fragrant herbs for bathing. The scent lingered briefly, but the cleansing effect was nothing compared to soap or bathing beans. The climate here was humid, and even wealthy households struggled with lice. Daily combing was necessary, and grime could be scrubbed off the skin in handfuls.
Her excitement quickly faded.
Handmade soap required pork fat. Bathing beans needed medicinal herbs and soap pods. Soap also had to cure for a long time after being made. Whether in cost or time, none of it suited her current situation.
"Forget it. I'll see what the market has first."
After finishing the coop, sweat clung to her body. She quickly drew several buckets of well water and wiped herself down in the bedroom.
The icy water chased away the heat and stickiness. As the coolness spread, Jiang Huaiyu made a silent vow: I must make soap and bathing beans someday.
Bathing without them always felt incomplete—especially in summer, when sweat came at the slightest movement. She refused to live grimy and cracked-skinned.
"Aah—ah!"
Tangbao woke up and cried softly. Jiang Huaiyu rushed in and lifted him into her arms. The little boy immediately broke into a sweet smile, grape-like eyes curving happily. Her heart melted.
After playing with him for a while, Jiang Huaiyu began repeatedly recalling the ancient texts she had read in her past life, afraid those memories would fade with time.
Tiangong Kaiwu, Qimin Yaoshu, Suiyuan Shidan, Xiangcheng—their importance to her future was beyond measure.
In a world that didn't even know how to braise food, there were countless seeds waiting for her to plant.
After two busy days—and a solid understanding of the village—Jiang Huaiyu finally joined Zheng Xiaoyue and Xu Chunhua to go to the market.
Wangjia Village lay at the foot of the mountains, less than a hundred li from the capital and only twenty-plus li from the county town. Villages nearby were relatively worldly.
The market was held in the county town. Riding in the donkey cart, Jiang Huaiyu deliberately smeared a layer of burnt ash on her face. Her looks were simply too striking, and with bandits known for abducting women, caution was necessary.
Tangbao was still young, so she carried him on her back.
Zheng Xiaoyue first had her eldest son sell the eggs they had saved, then sent her daughter to exchange braided cords for money at the fabric shop. Only then did she pull Jiang Huaiyu into the market.
As they walked, Zheng Xiaoyue whispered,
"Yu-niang, if you trust me, let me do the talking. Liu Laosan's chicks are the sturdiest here, but he's slippery. You're too honest—open your mouth and he'll charge you half again."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled. "I trust you, Sister-in-law. With you bargaining, I feel at ease."
Zheng Xiaoyue wasn't foolish, but somehow when Jiang Huaiyu praised her, it felt sincere. She felt pleased. When they reached Liu Laosan's stall, she wiped away her smile and reverted to her sharp-tongued, fearsome bargaining self.
In the end, she secured six pullets at eight copper coins each—and even got a free cockerel and a chicken cage.
Liu Laosan clicked his tongue while packing the chicks.
"Brother Wang's wife, next time I can't sell at this price. You're bleeding me dry! Still, Brother Dazhuang is blessed to marry you. If I weren't thinking of costs, you'd have talked me into giving them away!"
Zheng Xiaoyue grinned. "Oh please. In a few days I'll introduce you to a proper maiden. You're honest—this could work!"
"Then I'll wait for good news!" Liu Laosan laughed.
As they walked back with the cage, Jiang Huaiyu marveled at Zheng Xiaoyue's bargaining prowess. But she had another goal today.
The market bustled with stalls selling poultry, eggs, grain, fruits, and vegetables. Snacks existed too—steamed cakes, wontons, spring rolls—but anything better required a tavern.
As she walked and looked around, Jiang Huaiyu suddenly spotted Xu Chunhua scolding her daughter.
The girl cried breathlessly.
"Mother, can't we eat rice? Beans make me fart all the time—no one wants to play with me!"
Xu Chunhua felt people staring and lashed out, striking the girl hard.
"Who told you to drink cold water after eating beans? Eating nonsense makes you fart! Rice, rice—eat all you want! You can't even braid a cord!"
Jiang Huaiyu felt a headache coming on. She was just a child—teach her at home. Beating her in public destroyed all dignity.
She didn't step in. From Xu Chunhua's behavior, she seemed two-faced and difficult.
"Ignore her," Zheng Xiaoyue said with disdain, pulling Jiang Huaiyu away. "She's stupid. Always beating her kids outside. Only her youngest son is treasured."
Jiang Huaiyu smiled faintly. She disliked such favoritism.
Then her thoughts returned to the beans that had caused the beating—yellow soybeans.
Families who couldn't bear to eat rice mixed beans into meals. They filled the stomach but caused bloating.
Wait.
Jiang Huaiyu halted and grabbed Zheng Xiaoyue's hand, barely containing her excitement.
"Sister-in-law, is there anywhere in the county that sells tofu?"
"To…fu?" Zheng Xiaoyue blinked, utterly confused. "Never heard of it. Is it food? A person's name?"
"No!" Jiang Huaiyu laughed. "Come—buy two sacks of soybeans with me!"
There was no tofu here.
Of course. Tofu was invented by Liu An of the Han dynasty—but there was no Han dynasty here, no alchemy craze, no conditions for tofu's birth.
Soybeans cost only three copper coins a sack and were mostly used as animal feed. Only the poorest families ate them.
The more Jiang Huaiyu thought, the more excited she became. She bought two heavy sacks of soybeans and loaded them onto the donkey cart. Zheng Xiaoyue hesitated several times but stayed silent.
She assumed Jiang Huaiyu was short on money and bought beans out of embarrassment.
Such a hard life…
Unaware of Zheng Xiaoyue's imagined tragedies, Jiang Huaiyu ignored Xu Chunhua's glances and calculated profits.
Tofu wasn't the only option—there was sweet tofu pudding, savory tofu pudding, dried bean curd, tofu skin.
Cheap ingredients. She had discreetly bought gypsum from a medical shop. Two sacks of beans could yield a whole vat of tofu. At one copper coin per bowl, that was over a hundred coins—ten days for a tael of silver.
A single tael could support a family of four for one to two months.