Chapter 119

　Chen Guizhi smiled and tentatively asked, “What do you think about me and Shun coming over to help you?”

That would be great!

　　Lu Liu’s eyes lit up: “I was just worried about how to handle it. I just told Dafeng that I wanted to liven things up at home, but I don’t know many people, so I can’t gather a crowd. I’ve been running around nonstop, so it would be great if you could come!”

　　Li Feng and the other two were waiting in the kitchen. Once Lu Liu was ready, they would set off.

　　Lu Liu had shown him the sketchbooks, and he had heard that Li Feng had married a fierce man. Since Lu Liu’s personality was outgoing and unconventional, he didn’t hesitate to talk to him about the sketchbooks.

“When we return, I’ll give you back the two books. Don’t worry, we’ve been very careful with them—not a single crease!”

　　Lu Liu replied, “Then I’ll swap two more for you to look at.”

Miao Xiaohu had seen Lu Liu take the art books out of the book covers last time, and there were several more. He asked Lu Liu, “How many do you have in total?”

Lu Liu said, “Nine. They were all given to me by my brother. My brother earned the money for them.”

　　A single art book costs six or seven silver coins. Earning enough for nine art books is truly impressive.

Miao Xiaohu didn’t know that this compensation was proposed by the bookstore owner to save money. The selling price of the art books is one thing, but their cost is another. Using them as compensation for Xie Yan is more cost-effective than giving money directly.

　　He didn’t even ask what Lu Liu’s brother-in-law did for a living; he just said he was capable.

Li Feng heard this and furrowed his brows.

No, I’ll have to go up the mountain another day. I’ve been outdone by a bookworm.

　　Li Feng and Sanmiao discussed the mating of the two hunting dogs.

　　Li Feng wanted to adopt one.

　　They entered the city, where the streets were just beginning to bustle with people, and the shops were opening one after another.

　　Luckily, they didn’t run into Old Mr. Chen either.

　　Li Feng planned to deliver 350 pounds of rice cakes to the rice shop. The glutinous rice he bought last time yielded 380 pounds of rice cakes. He didn’t keep a single pound for himself. The village bought everything they needed, and his family also contributed their share.

A few days late, the proper etiquette must be observed.

　　The glutinous rice had a certain yield rate, and the shopkeeper weighed it to check the quantity, satisfied with the result. At a price of sixteen cash per pound, he gave Li Feng six taels of silver and eighty cash.

　　The shopkeeper knew he was from Li Village. Even though the mountain village was small, people still needed to eat rice and flour. Over time, this wasn’t a small business.

People from the village came to buy rice and flour, but not every household got a discount. Many still bought in small quantities at the market or traded with other households.

When asked for the amount, Li Feng wanted less rice and more flour.

　　They had started farming, and after paying their grain taxes, they kept enough for their own consumption before selling the rest.

It was cheaper to sell and more expensive to buy, so everyone wanted to keep more. His family had millet. There were still some families in the mountain village who didn’t rely on farming to support themselves, but doing business here wouldn’t bring in much.

　　Take less new rice and more coarse rice. Many people in the village keep dogs, and dogs also eat human food. New rice is expensive, coarse rice is cheap, and people only occasionally eat it, let alone dogs.

　　Flour can be more, as each household doesn’t have much flour in stock. When it runs out, they borrow from others and repay when they buy more at the next market. This business can be done.

　　The shopkeeper can’t offer much of a discount, only three coins off every ten pounds. The same applies to rice and flour.

Li Feng asked again to confirm, “Is the discount based on my purchase price?”

The shopkeeper nodded with a smile, “Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have mentioned it to embarrass you.”

　　This can be agreed to. Li Feng told him, “The villagers have just gone to the market. I won’t take too much this time. I still need to visit other places today. I’ll come back again before returning to the village.”

If it doesn’t fit, ask the Sanmiao to help carry it.

After leaving the rice shop, the couple could go to Lu Yang’s shop, which was called “Selling Food.”

　　Li Feng told Lu Liu, “I’ll take you to try the lamb soup another day.”

Lu Liu asked what it tasted like.

Li Feng knew him well. When he offered him a pancake, Lu Liu couldn’t resist, saying how delicious and fragrant it was, so he eagerly agreed.

Lamb soup was much more expensive than pancakes, and if he quoted the price, Lu Liu definitely wouldn’t eat it. Li Feng first described how fragrant it was, and Lu Liu was already craving it.

　　He doesn’t know how they do it, but when they eat lamb at home, it always has a gamey smell.

Li Feng can hunt sheep on the mountain, but his family doesn’t like to eat it. Once, he went to the lamb soup restaurant to sell some goods, and the owner invited him to try a bowl. He couldn’t forget it. He asked his mother to make it at home, but she added a lot of ginger, and it didn’t taste the same.

　　Lu Liu nodded in agreement. He knew the smell of lamb. When he made gloves and hats from sheepskin, the fur was always filled with that lamb scent.

The soup was fresh, and the meat had a good chew to it. To be honest, Li Feng had only eaten it twice.

Once was when the owner invited him, and the other was when he brought a few brothers to chip in and have a meal together.

　　They didn’t want to eat radishes, so the men picked through the soup, each taking half a bowl, paired with a flatbread. Just as they started to savor the flavor, the soup and flatbread were gone.

　　He didn’t say much about the taste this time, but the way they all looked so hungry made Lu Liu envious.

It’s so good, he wants to try the lamb soup too.

This stuff is so delicious; if he could earn enough money, he’d take his family to try it too.

It sounds expensive, but if he could make it himself, that would be great. He’ll ask his older brother later; maybe his brother knows how to make it.

　　Speaking of which, he hadn’t tried the meat-filled buns his brother taught him to make last time.

He had been eating buns for two days, and life was too good to try the meat-filled buns. He would try them when he got home today.

The couple chatted and laughed as they took a detour to the back door of the shop and knocked. Shazhu opened the door.

　　Lu Liu covered his face and obediently followed behind Li Feng.

Shamu recognized them, stepped aside to make way, and welcomed them into the house.

There was no need for him to call out; Lu Liu entered the courtyard and called out to his older brother.

Lu Yang arrived at the shop early in the morning and went to the kitchen to steam the buns.

　　Everyone was in the backyard, and upon hearing the sound, they responded, “Hey! You’re here!”

He had flour on his hands, so he didn’t bother washing them. He sent Lu Lin and Shazhu to the front to help out and called Lu Liu and Li Feng to the kitchen.

Li Feng was a big, clumsy guy, so he was put to work kneading the dough.

　　His younger brother didn’t have to do anything, so he stood in front of the stove and added firewood to keep it burning.

　　Li Feng took the silver without a word and washed his hands to knead the dough.

Lu Yang looked at his younger brother again. The silly younger brother was still smiling.

After finishing the discussion today, Lu Yang planned to accompany Li Feng to Chenjiawan and also visit Lujia Village. The New Year’s gifts had been delivered to both sides.