Chapter 300: Being Beaten
Translator: Henyee Translations | Editor: Henyee Translations
It was at least 20 days’ journey from Fortune Village to the outside of the pass on a fast horse. After such a long journey and no special preservation, Xiaoxiao’s dried vegetables could still maintain a fresh taste. If they could be used widely…
Yun Er was extremely excited. “Wow, I really admire Miss Ning. If she starts this business in the future…”
Rong Yan interrupted him. “I’m afraid it won’t be peaceful.”
Yun Er didn’t understand. He was his man after all, so Rong Yan explained to him patiently, “Think about it. Which of her recipes didn’t cause a commotion in the past? It’s just a simple pickled vegetable recipe, but the Lei Family shamelessly tried to take it for themselves, let alone this vegetable that can maintain its freshness and texture and is easy to store?”
Yun Er was suddenly shocked after recalling. That’s right. Moreover, they were all outside the pass now. She didn’t know if Yun San could protect Miss Ning alone.
“Master, why don’t we quickly write a letter to Miss Ning and explain the pros and cons?”
Rong Yan shook his head and smiled. “Do you still remember what Li Muyan said when he gave us the things just now?”
Yun Er thought for a moment. “Trivial things?”
Rong Yan nodded. “Xiaoxiao is much smarter than you.”
Yun Er:… Although this was the truth, why did it sound so uncomfortable?
Miss Ning clearly had no intention of sharing her secret with the Li Family. “That’s true. Even if the Li Family opens this sack to take a look, they will only think that these are the common dried vegetables of the farmers. At most, they will wonder if the portion is too small.”
They had tried just now. A small handful could make a large bowl of vegetables. This sack could let Master eat it for a month!
However, Rong Yan said, “Add these to the soldiers’ food.”
He remembered Xiaoxiao saying that it was easy for people to fall sick if they didn’t eat vegetables for a long time.
There was a lack of food at the border, but there was also a lack of doctors and medicinal herbs. Many people would never have the chance to recover their health once they fell sick.
Yun Er wanted to persuade him, but seeing Master’s serious expression, he could only do as he said.
He was thinking about whether he should secretly write a letter to Yun San and ask Miss Ning to get someone to send some more over.
However, he did not know that the moment Xiaoxiao made these dehydrated vegetables, she was already thinking about how to produce and supply them in large quantities without causing trouble.
Initially, she had two candidates in mind, Li Muyan and Mrs. Shen. However, after the Emperor became obsessed with farming, he called her into the palace from time to time. This caused her to be unable to return to Xijiang County in a short period of time, let alone Fortune Village. After writing a letter to her family to explain the situation, she was actually a little anxious.
She could wait, but she couldn’t bear to let Little Big Brother starve in that arduous place.
The earlier the dehydrated vegetables were sent to the border openly, not only Little Big Brother, but also the soldiers who protected the country would also suffer less.
They had fought against foreign enemies at the border and shed their blood for the country, but in the end, they could not even eat their fill. Was this appropriate?
Her anxiety reached its peak when she heard that more than half of the rations at the border had been destroyed. She was even a little distracted when cooking.
County Magistrate Shen didn’t hide anything from her, so she heard that the grain issue might be related to the Yan Family.
Because Little Big Brother Ah Yan got in their way, they disregarded their country and the people and used this method to vent their personal grievances? They were simply a group of scum and troublemakers!
Ever since she heard about the border, Xiaoxiao had left a message for Li Muyan at the Li Family’s shop.
She had gone to several escort companies to send food to the borders. Even if her small amount of money was just a drop in the bucket for a 100,000-strong army, it was better than doing nothing. However, the escort companies in the Imperial Capital were unwilling to take on the work at the borders. She could only see if the Li Family dared to take on this business.
At the same time, she realized that many grain shops were starting to run out of food, but the prices were quietly rising.
The news of the border could not be hidden from everyone. At least, some merchants had already received the news and were prepared to make a huge profit.
Xiaoxiao did not have the time to despise and condemn these profiteers. Instead, she wrote a letter and asked Yun San to find someone to send them back to Fortune Village as soon as possible.
Of course, she had also thought of the problems that Rong Yan could think of. Not only did she hide the secret of dehydrated vegetables from Li Muyan, but she didn’t even mention it in front of her family. Everyone thought that she had only made some ordinary dried vegetables and even laughed at her for giving these to Little Big Brother. How could he take a fancy to them?
Most of the borders were sand fields, so there were not many things that could be planted, let alone vegetables. However, they were an important source of vitamins and trace elements that the body could not lack.
Otherwise, constipation would not be the biggest problem. As time passed, anemia, night blindness, and scurvy would appear. Their immunity would also be greatly reduced. If they got sick at the border, they would die regardless of their size.
Not only that, but Xiaoxiao had also tried to make some other things, but she couldn’t take them out directly without being conspicuous.
She was not afraid of the formula being coveted, but she was afraid that the things she made would not reach Little Big Brother and the rest at all.
If people like the Lei Family and the Yan Family obtained the formula, they would probably only profit at a high price and pocket it, right?
She did not develop these things to let those heartless dogs earn money.
Then the question was, what kind of backer should she find to stop all shameless people from spying on her?
Knowing that the guest went to the kitchen again, Old Master Shen looked at his youngest son with a dangerous look. County Magistrate Shen raised his hands in a hurry. “It’s not me, it’s not me, it’s really not me!”
Some people liked to sleep when their thoughts were in a mess. Some liked to listen to music, some liked to read books, and Xiaoxiao liked to cook.
Over the past few days in the Shen Residence, she had already prepared the ingredients she often used. She had obtained the help of the Shen Family and Miss Gu Ruoruo for the racecourse and was about to find an opportunity to treat them to a meal to thank them.
County Magistrate Shen’s favorite prawn dumplings, small and cute Ruyi buns refreshing and appetizing Pickle Boiled Fish, refreshing and fragrant pan-fried mushroom stuffed shrimps, thick and fragrant “Stuffed Yellow Croaker”, low-key braised tofu with unique tastes, colorful Nine-Layered Three-Colored Threads Pagoda and Shredded Chicken with Pea Sprouts, green “Jadeite Fan”, and double boiled winter melon soup engraved with auspicious clouds…
The Shen Family and Gu Ruoruo, who was asked to stay for dinner, were stunned. This, this, this! This was all the imperial banquet could do, right?
When they heard that these dishes were all created by Xiaoxiao, they were even more shocked!
“Father and Mother often say that some people are born geniuses. I didn’t believe it in the past…”
The elders of the Shen Family did not expect the brat to understand the reasons from dishes. However, they couldn’t care less about lecturing their children now. They picked up their chopsticks and began to think about which dish to start with.
Tonight, everyone sat at the same big table. Xiaoxiao raised her glass and used tea to toast. “Today, I finally found an opportunity to thank everyone for taking care of me. Xiaoxiao is not talented. I only have this bit of culinary skills. I hope everyone doesn’t mind.”
Mind? What a joke! Do you believe that I won’t even leave soup for you at this table tonight?!
Halfway through the meal, someone suddenly mentioned, “By the way, I heard that the young master of the Xu Family was beaten up on the streets recently..”
