Chapter 20: Venturing into the City to Sell

Upon entering the room, Qin Jin sat down on a stool and then raised his hand to pat his thigh.

Ye Miao’s face flushed a rosy red as she placed her hands on his shoulders and sat down.

He drew her into his embrace, slightly lowering his head to kiss her lips.

Ye Miao lifted her delicate face, her beautiful eyes closing gently, her eyelashes fluttering with a subtle tremble.

Though they had kissed many times before, each time enveloped by Qin Jin’s breath, her heart still raced wildly.

As his warm lips descended, she parted her mouth, their tongues meeting. Instantly, she softened, a profound satisfaction filling her heart, and an involuntary smile spread across her face.

Her hands slowly shifted from clutching Qin Jin’s shoulders to wrapping around his neck, gradually resting fully in his arms.

When the tender kiss ended, her eyes glistened with a faint sheen of moisture, yet she gazed steadfastly at Qin Jin, her face clearly radiating affection and dependence.

How could a kiss be so wonderfully blissful…?

Qin Jin looked at the flushed face nestled in his arms, unable to resist, he bent down to kiss those rosy lips once more.

This time, Ye Miao snapped out of his dreamy state, his eyes curving into crescent moons as he hugged Qin Jin’s neck tighter, his slender body pressing into Qin Jin’s embrace, as if trying to merge into him.

Concerned he might slip, Qin Jin tightened his hold, pulling him closer.

Satisfied now, Ye Miao obediently lay against him, calming his overly rapid heartbeat.

Qin Jin quietly inhaled, his large hand squeezing Ye Miao’s shoulder, then slowly sliding down to his waist, giving a gentle pinch. Before Ye Miao could react, Qin Jin said, “You don’t seem to eat less than usual, but where has the meat gone?”

“Hmm?” Ye Miao was startled and quickly asked, “Do I eat a lot?”

“Not really, just a normal amount.”

Two fist-sized steamed corn buns, two per meal, plus some vegetables and soup—that wasn’t a small appetite.

But Ye Miao’s daily activities were strenuous: handling all the household chores and even fetching firewood from the mountain when he had time. With such exertion, after a month of marriage, he still hadn’t gained weight.

In his arms, there was still a bit of hardness, only a little softness around his hips.

But he couldn’t say this outright, lest Ye Miao overeat out of spite.

“Next time, cook with more oil. Don’t be stingy with the food,” Qin Jin advised.

“All right.” Ye Miao nuzzled Qin Jin’s shoulder and agreed promptly.

“Tomorrow I’ll buy a chicken to stew,” Qin Jin added.

“Ah…” Ye Miao was momentarily stunned, not a festival or special occasion—why stew a chicken?

“To strengthen you,” Qin Jin said, then changed the subject, talking about the fields.

Ye Miao couldn’t contain his smile, feeling as if he were soaked in honey. Whatever Qin Jin said, he agreed without hesitation. They embraced and chatted a while longer until dusk, when he reluctantly sat up from Qin Jin’s embrace, knowing it was time to make dinner.

His feelings were so obvious that Qin Jin laughed and kissed him again. “Let’s cook together.”

His eyes lit up, and he gave a hearty affirmative.

So the two of them entered the kitchen. With Qin Jin watching, Ye Miao was generous with the oil while cooking that night—he used a large spoonful of lard to stir-fry a big bowl of winter melon.

The oil shimmered brightly in the sauce.

The entire bowl of winter melon was eaten clean. Zhao Feng wiped the bottom of the bowl with a steamed corn bun until it gleamed, then carried it into the kitchen.

He quietly asked Ye Miao and learned it was Qin Jin’s idea, so he said no more.

If it was Qin Jin’s plan, then so be it.

Though this son-in-law was good, the family was still in debt, and such extravagance couldn’t be allowed to come from Ye Miao.

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Watching his father’s expression, Ye Miao couldn’t keep quiet and told him about Qin Jin’s plan to buy a chicken to stew tomorrow. Zhao Feng was a bit puzzled but, considering their daily income, nodded, “He wakes up every midnight, indeed working hard. It’s right to buy a chicken for nourishment.”

“Brother Jin says he wants to strengthen me because he thinks I’m too skinny,” Ye Miao said, trying to suppress the smile on his face.

Zhao Feng was surprised, but soon laughed and said, “Listen to him more, and work harder.”

Ye Miao nodded emphatically.

He had always been obedient and diligent in front of Brother Jin.

The next noon, Qin Jin indeed brought home a small rooster weighing five jin. After plucking and cutting it into pieces, he stir-fried it in the pot and added water to stew it on high heat. Soon, the aroma filled the entire yard.

Just before it was done, Ye Miao lifted the lid and added plenty of winter melon and tofu, filling the large iron pot to the brim.

They could no longer afford plain chicken soup without other ingredients. To him, this pot was still too small. A five-jin rooster, after plucking and bleeding, still had four jin of meat. With that much meat, more vegetables were needed to make a proper meal everyone could enjoy heartily.

After simmering a while longer, the meat was finally cooked. Qin Jin picked out two drumsticks and served a small bowl to the old courtyard.

When he returned, he placed the two drumsticks into Ye Miao’s bowl, then squatted in the yard and began eating—their only dining table was used to dry fruit leather.

This rooster was grain-fed; its meat was tender and free of gaminess. Combined with Ye Miao’s skill, the flavor was exquisite.

Holding the large bowl, Ye Miao squatted beside Qin Jin, feeling as if he were floating when he walked. Even with his mouth full of meat, he couldn’t stop smiling.

Qin Jin found his silly grin amusing. Seeing him struggling to hold the big bowl with one hand, he got up, fetched a small stool, and brought it out.

The bowl was bigger than Ye Miao’s face; it was too tiring to hold with one hand. Better to set it on the stool.

This made Ye Miao even happier. Though it was midday and hot, he didn’t care; he insisted on snuggling close to Qin Jin.

Zhao Feng sat by the kitchen door, watching this scene, feeling that the meat in the bowl tasted better than before.

Qin An squatted beside Zhao Feng, glancing at the two closely huddled figures not far away. His eyes flashed with envy, but it quickly faded as he focused on the delicious food in his mouth.

That afternoon, after washing clothes by the river, Ye Miao carried a small stool and sat next to the fruit leather, teaching Qin An some needlework while keeping an eye on the dining table.

When Zhao Feng and Qin An were about to go to the fields, Qin Jin finally came out to peel the fruit leather.

This process required great care to avoid breaking the entire sheet.

After peeling the sheet off, Qin Jin rolled it up and cut it into finger-length strips, then handed them to Zhao Feng, Ye Miao, and Qin An for tasting.

Since the apple puree wasn’t made with a blender, it wasn’t fine enough, so the finished product wasn’t very smooth.

But it looked good—glossy and moist—and was soft, chewy, and pleasantly tangy and sweet in the mouth.

“Delicious,” Ye Miao said with admiration as he looked at Qin Jin.

Zhao Feng also said, “The flavor is quite good.”

Qin An chewed his piece slowly, reluctant to swallow. Such a treat was rare for him.

Delicious!

Qin Jin tried some himself. By his taste, it was acceptable—not spectacular, but for now, a decent food.

The first trial was a success.

He packed some fruit leather in clean linen and headed to the Yan family to let Huang Chunlan try it and to discuss purchase details.

To ensure the apple puree set properly, he had used extra sugar, so the cost was higher than for pea cakes.

Pea cakes were already not easy to sell, let alone fruit leather.

If he were to produce fruit leather in large quantities, he would have to go to the city and promote it in pastry shops.

The technique wasn’t complicated, but the fresh fruit season was short. Qin Jin didn’t expect this business to bring much silver, so he wasn’t worried about others discovering the recipe.

At the Yan household, the fruit leather was unanimously well-received.

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The Yan family was wealthy and occasionally bought snacks, but fruit leather was different from traditional pastries—it was a type of preserved fruit candy.

Preserved fruits were expensive, and the Yan family only bought them during the New Year. So now, tasting fruit leather was a novel and delicious experience—refreshing and appetizing.

After receiving praise from the Yan family, Qin Jin began discussing business with Huang Chunlan.

Huang Chunlan’s family had some apple trees planted around their home, producing about one thousand jin annually. The Huang family had already sold two to three hundred jin.

Huang Chunlan needed to ask her family precisely how many jin remained.

This was a major transaction involving several taels of silver. She planned to return home immediately. Her family lived north of the county, requiring passage through the town. Leaving now, she could arrive before dark.

After returning from the Yan family, Qin Jin wrapped some fruit leather in clean hemp cloth and went to the county town.

There were three pastry shops in town, but he headed to the sugar shop he frequented. This sugar shop mainly sold cane sugar and maltose, along with some preserved fruits. The shopkeeper’s surname was Niu, and he seemed quite amiable.

The preserved fruits sold were mostly candied fruits—dates, apples, apricots—while fruit leather was classified as preserved fruit slices, a fresh and novel item for Niu’s shop.

Upon entering, Niu saw Qin Jin and smiled, “Looks like your business is good, Qin. The sugar you bought a few days ago is already finished.”

Qin Jin smiled and shook his head. “Shopkeeper, I’m not here to buy sugar this time, but to discuss a business deal.”

“Business? What kind of business?” Niu was curious.

“Try this first.” Qin Jin handed over the fruit leather from his basket.

Niu took it, examining it carefully before tasting.

After chewing for a while, he smiled at Qin Jin. “Qin, what’s this called?”

“Fruit leather, made from apples.”

Apples?

Niu was surprised and looked again at the roll in his hand. He hadn’t detected much apple flavor at first.

“How do you plan to market this business?”

“I intend to make the fruit leather and deliver it to your shop. I’ll only make a small profit of four to five wen per jin. You can decide the retail price.”

Since the shop was in the city and Qin Jin was a rural producer delivering finished goods, he kept his profit margin low to avoid rejection.

Niu pondered for a moment. Just as he was about to ask about the cost per jin, a figure appeared at the door.

He looked over and smiled, “Gu, you’re here. What are you buying today?”

Qin Jin also looked toward the door, smiling at the coincidence.

“Qin Jin, you’re shopping here too?” Gu Nan wheeled his small cart inside. Seeing Qin Jin, he was curious.

“Oh, Gu, you know Qin Jin?” Niu was surprised.

“Yes, his pea cakes are quite tasty,” Gu Nan said, patting his cart. “This little cart was his idea, pretty impressive, right?”

“Oh, that’s really something!” Niu was genuinely astonished.

The little cart had suddenly become popular in town. From his shop, he saw many people pushing them past the door daily. His grandson even wanted one, and his wife had gone to the carpenter with some money, expecting to get one soon, but it would take several days.

The best-selling cart was invented by this Qin Jin—how surprising.