The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 736 Shameless to Death (9)_1

Chapter 736: Chapter 736 Shameless to Death (9)_1

Feng Bo had worked at Chang Family Store for several years, had learned a bit of the trade and even how to keep accounts. He requested a promotion to steward, to second or third shopkeeper, but was rejected time and again. After listening to his family’s advice for a long time, Feng Bo thought it over, returned to the store, and once again asked for a promotion to steward or shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper conveyed his request to Landlord Chang.

"How has he been performing? How well has he learned?" Landlord Chang asked.

After some consideration, given that he was Pei Qin’s cousin, the shopkeeper replied cautiously, "He has indeed learned a thing or two, but he still needs a few more years of experience to really be effective."

Essentially, he wasn’t very dedicated to learning and had high standards and expectations.

Landlord Chang thought for a moment, "If he doesn’t want to work at this store anymore, ask him if he’d prefer to go to the rice shop or the furniture store."

The shopkeeper nodded and went back to tell Feng Bo.

Feng Bo sneered, "If a place doesn’t keep me, there’s surely another that will!" Believing he was talented and capable, but suppressed and unable to advance, he immediately told the shopkeeper, "I was willing to give it one last chance, but since it’s the same result, I might as well stop here! My family is about to open a store and we desperately need a boss in charge!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper bowed and said, "Then congratulations to Feng the boss! If there’s need in the future, we will surely give you more business!"

Feng Bo settled his wages and went looking for a store to rent.

Finding a suitable store wasn’t easy, the rent wasn’t cheap, and it had to be paid annually.

After searching for several days and keeping in mind the opening date, he finally found a place in a side street for forty taels of silver a year.

Soon, Fang Hui’s family opened a noodle shop in the county city, also selling sesame paste flatbread on the side.

Pei Qian’s Kimchi Workshop was back in business too, hiring more workers, splitting into two teams, one making kimchi and the other making spicy radish.

Mo Heng left on another long journey.

Pei Qin, along with Jiujiu, moved to Fang Family Village to live and taught them how to make sweet potato starch.

The weather became increasingly cold, and water drops soon turned to ice. The freshly made fine starch hung outside and froze in less than half a day.

In the dry, cold weather, the frozen fine starch would dry by the next day.

"This frozen fine starch dries much faster indeed! Just as Lady Mo said, once frozen and dried, it becomes transparent!" The villagers looked at the fine starch with joy.

Pei Qin chuckled, "This fine starch is delicious whether boiled or fried! And it’s especially great for making stuffed buns! Utterly tasty!"

Seeing her crave it, Ma Lizheng and Fang Lizheng exchanged a glance and immediately sent a generous amount to Old Scholar Fang’s house for Pei Qin to eat.

Grandma Fang slaughtered meat, bought tofu, and made pork with vermicelli buns and tofu with fine starch buns, steaming batches of them.

Since it was just a trial batch of starch, anyone who brought sweet potatoes could exchange them for fine starch to take home.

It was their village’s own workshop, their own fine starch, and almost every household had harvested several hundred or even tens of thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes, so they brought them out and exchanged them for fine starch to eat at home.

In no time, all three villages were making and eating fine starch.

Pei Qin, along with Jiujiu and Fang Xin, visited homes in the village, teaching them how to vary their meals with it, boiling, frying, cold dressing the starch, making vermicelli buns, and almost getting enough to eat.

When Jiujiu and Fang Xin returned home, they could no longer eat, their little bellies were full.

Pei Qian came to pick up Pei Qin and Jiujiu with spicy cabbage and radish, "Second sister sent word, she’s pregnant. She conceived when her husband returned home during the Double Ninth Festival."

Grandma Fang and Lady Yu were over the moon; Pei Yuan had been married for nearly two years, and they were getting anxious without any news of a pregnancy.

Pei Qin was moderately satisfied, glad that Pei Yuan hadn’t gotten pregnant immediately after getting married when her body hadn’t fully matured. Seeing the workshop already mastering the process and about to get on the right track, she said, "We’ve stayed for a few days now, let’s head back home! And check up on Pei Yuan as well!"

Grandma Fang also quickly packed eggs, brown sugar, dates, and angelica to prepare for Pei Qin to eat there, all wrapped up, and prepared another portion for Pei Yuan, "I’ll go with you! To see Yuanyuan as well!"

Pei Qin nodded, and they first returned to town, rested overnight, and then went to Qinghe Town to visit Pei Yuan.

Madam Zhao really cherished Pei Yuan, not allowing her to do anything or wander around during the first three months, almost wishing she could rest in bed all day.

Old Master Zhao had already started coming up with names for his grandsons and granddaughters.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was well-treated and not neglected at the Zhao family, they stayed for half a day before all heading home, with both families being very busy.

When Pei Qin returned home and checked the workshop, she saw that Pei Qian had completely ignored her, buying even more cabbage and a large quantity of radishes, all piled up in the workshop.

At Fang Hui’s house, the newly opened noodle shop was gaining a reputation for its delicious Hulatang noodles, while the sesame paste flatbread had been sold by Sun Chao Family for quite a while and had become well-known. The business was fairly good.

But after the busy opening period of the noodle shop, Fang Hui came home to find that Pei Qian had snatched their supply source.

Not to mention being unable to sell the hot kimchi, now they didn’t even have a source to produce it! This infuriated Fang Hui to no end, she was absolutely livid!