After another half hour, as people finished their dinner and headed back, Jing Yi resumed his enthusiastic calls, focusing on selling the sour plum soup. Soon, both the sour plum soup and the mung bean soup were sold out, leaving only about 20% of the herbal tea unsold.

 

It was now the beginning of the afternoon, around one o’clock.

 

Jing Yi calculated that the herbal tea had been made for approximately three hours since its preparation. He knew that soup products like sour plum soup, mung bean soup, and herbal tea, which were homemade without preservatives or refrigeration, could only be stored for about six to eight hours in the summer before the risk of spoilage.

 

Therefore, considering that the next peak period of customers would likely be in the evening when people finished work, he promptly informed his father of the situation and decided to close the stall.

 

Jing Yi’s father, being a sensible person, couldn’t bear to waste anything. So, he and Jing Yi each forced themselves to drink two bowls of herbal tea. When his father wanted to continue, Jing Yi decisively shared some of the remaining herbal tea with nearby stall owners.

 

In the hot summer, anyone would be happy to receive a bowl of free herbal tea. Jing Yi wasn’t foolish enough to think that he was only giving it to them because he couldn’t sell it.

 

His act of giving away the herbal tea was sincere, and Jing Yi didn’t expect gratitude or acknowledgment from others. However, if the beneficiaries started to nitpick and speculate maliciously about his intentions, then it was a problem with their mentality.

 

After a rough calculation, Jing Yi felt that he had made a decent profit today. He happily tidied up the stall, put everything on the cart, and headed home with his father.

 

During the journey back, they had to stop several times to find a restroom. We won’t dwell on that matter.

 

By the time they reached home, Jing Yi felt like he had been baked under the sun, while his father, despite sweating a bit, seemed completely unaffected, his skin looking dark and shiny.

 

From a distance, when they spotted two little ones jumping up and down under the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village, waving their hands, Jing Yi’s heart swelled. He wondered how long the two of them had been waiting, their faces flushed from the scorching sun. He quickly said, “Is it hot? It’s our first day doing business, and I’m in a hurry to get back and prepare. How about in a couple of days, I’ll buy you something delicious?”

 

“That’s great! Big brother is so kind!” “Thank you, big brother! Can I have candied hawthorn too?”

 

The scorching heat couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the little ones. When they approached, they eagerly helped push the cart while chattering away, praising Jing Yi and making requests.

 

Seeing the two little ones, Jing Yi’s father couldn’t help but smile, his face filled with joy. But he still scolded them, saying, “All you think about is food! It’s the hottest part of the afternoon, and you’ve been outside for so long. Aren’t you afraid of heatstroke?” Then he jokingly added, “Xiao’an, why did you bring Xiaoshu to the village entrance? What if you encounter some troublemakers? If they snatch you away, let’s see who will buy you candied hawthorn!”

 

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’m not afraid. I brought my weapon. I have my fire stick with me, it’s right over there by the banyan tree,” Jing’an said, patting his chest.

 

He wasn’t afraid of troublemakers. He had always been taller than other boys his age, although skinny, he was quite strong. Among the kids of the same age in the village, he was basically unbeatable.

 

“Listen to your nonsense!” The father and son joked and chattered as they made their way back home from the east side of the village.

 

“Mother! Father and big brother are back!” Just as they pushed open the courtyard gate, Jing’an shouted at the top of his lungs, breaking the quiet and stagnant air of the summer afternoon.

 

With such excitement, anyone who didn’t know would have thought that Jing Yi and his father had just returned from a long trip.

 

“Here they are, come inside quickly and rest. I’ll tidy up later.” Jing Yi’s mother said as she entered the main hall and poured a glass of herbal tea for the father and son. In the countryside, people loved drinking herbal tea in the summer. It was cheap and helped relieve the heat.

 

Little did Jing Yi’s mother know that as soon as he saw the herbal tea, he quickly asked her to switch it to plain cold water. Jing Yi’s mother was puzzled.

 

“Old woman, don’t even mention it. The herbal tea didn’t sell out. I told Jing Yi to share the leftovers with his elder brother, but after drinking two bowls, they couldn’t finish it. So, we gave the rest to other stall owners.” Jing Yi’s father had a headache whenever he saw herbal tea.

 

“What? It didn’t sell out? Wasn’t our soup delicious?” Jing Yi’s mother was a bit panicked. Although no one in the family mentioned it, everyone knew that Jing Yi had put a lot of effort into this business, hoping it would help them get out of their difficulties. Now that the products couldn’t be sold, she felt sorry for the things they had bought and exchanged, and more importantly, she was afraid that her eldest son would be discouraged and become sensitive and self-conscious again.

 

“Mother, don’t worry. Listen to me. Today’s business can be considered a big success. The sour plum soup and mung bean soup sold out, and only a little herbal tea is left, which we shared with the neighboring stall owners as a gesture of goodwill. Nothing went to waste.” Jing Yi quickly reassured his mother.

 

“That’s good, that’s good. Let your father stay quiet for now. Jing Yi, you continue.” Jing Yi’s mother scolded his father with a glance and turned to look kindly at her eldest son, urging him on.

 

Jing Yi took out the wooden box filled with money, feeling quite proud, as it was heavy in his hands.

 

“Father, mother, there were some things we didn’t plan well enough today. We’ll have to discuss later. But for now, let’s settle the accounts. Once we have everything accounted for, we can feel at ease.” Saying that, he carried the money box and walked into his parents’ bedroom.

 

Counting money in the main hall wasn’t a good idea. People passing by the courtyard gate could easily see what was happening inside.

 

Ancient people valued keeping their wealth discreet, and it was best not to let others see. How much money they earned was their own business.

 

Jing Yi poured the money out of the box onto the table in the window corner of the eastern room. Since they were dealing with small amounts, it was all in copper coins, making a clinking sound as it covered the table.

 

Luckily, Jing Yi’s father quickly blocked it with his hand, or it would have ended up all over the floor.

 

Jing Yi placed the money box to the side and organized the copper coins into three piles, with each person counting one pile.

 

He had roughly calculated that the large wooden barrels they bought for household use were not small. Each barrel could hold about ninety to a hundred servings. Based on the prices of the three types of soups, the gross profit would be around seven to eight hundred wen. The remaining unsold cold tea wouldn’t have a significant impact on the total amount.

 

Sure enough, after all three of them finished counting, the total was seven hundred and sixty wen.

 

“Old man, we made so much money selling just a few cups of water? Am I dreaming?” After hearing the number mentioned by Jing Yi, Jingmu looked at him with a bewildered expression and asked.

 

(T/N: Jingmu referring to Jing’s mother. Mu means mother)

 

She thought they could make some profit from this business, but she didn’t expect it to be this much. She thought it would be similar to selling vegetables at the village market. This was different from the money Jing Yi earned from hunting. It wasn’t dangerous, and they would have income every day.

 

“Yeah, if I hadn’t gone with them, I wouldn’t have believed it either.” Jing father also seemed a bit dazed. He remembered when he used to go to the city as a laborer, doing various tasks like carrying goods, building walls, or carrying sandbags. He would only earn seven to eight hundred wen in a month.

 

“Mother, this is the gross profit. We haven’t deducted the costs yet. You traded the hawthorn and mung beans with polished rice, and we also bought coarse sugar, rock sugar, and osmanthus from the town. I think even the wild plums and licorice we picked in the mountains should be considered as labor costs. Roughly estimated, the net profit should be around six hundred and fifty wen.” Jing Yi remained relatively calm. He knew that if the wild plums and licorice were priced according to their actual value instead of labor, the net profit would probably be between five hundred and fifty wen to six hundred wen.

 

Once again, he marveled at how good it was to rely on the resources of the mountains.

 

“Father, did you notice that some of the people who inquired about the sour plum soup didn’t end up buying it? Some of them were in a hurry, especially those who were doing business or the servants of wealthy families. The second reason was that some of them had higher requirements and didn’t like using bamboo tubes that had been used by others. I’m thinking of going to Uncle Zhang’s house later and buying more bamboo tubes. We can charge an extra wen for those who want to take them away. It would be convenient for the customers, and Uncle Zhang’s business will also increase.”

 

“I agree, it seems that people in town have higher standards.” Jing father agreed.

 

“The cold tea didn’t sell out today because I didn’t consider it well. I guess everyone thought cold tea wasn’t anything special compared to bringing their own plain cold water. I’m thinking of replacing the cold tea with sour plum soup from tomorrow. We can earn an extra three to four hundred wen per day. If the situation allows, we can add a barrel of sour plum soup later.” Jing Yi calculated and realized that by removing the cold tea, they could increase their income.

 

“There’s another thing. Father, you were tired from going back and forth to fetch and carry water today. When I came back, I saw a person near the public well who specializes in fetching water for others. We can hire him for about a quarter of an hour to fetch clean well water for us. We usually sell out in less than two hours, so I think five wen should be enough. We just need to buy a new barrel to replace the old one.” Jing Yi said, emphasizing his point by looking at Jingmu.

 

“Jing Yi is right. Both of you must take care of yourselves.” Jingmu  immediately spoke up, her eyes fixed on Jing father without blinking.

 

Seeing Jingmu sitting there, Jing father swallowed the words of resistance that had reached his mouth.

 

Seeing Jing father’s honest and obedient demeanor, Jingmu  turned her head and continued talking to Jing Yi, “Eldest son, is there anything else we need to pay attention to? Are you too busy with the stall? If you can’t handle it, let your younger brother help.”

 

“Don’t worry, mother. The water-fetching matter has been resolved, and both father and I can handle it completely. The food on the stall is still relatively small for now. When we increase the variety in the future, we can consider adding more manpower.” Jing Yi said.

 

“Big brother, I can help you right now! I can help sell things or wash dishes!” Jing’an and Jingshu, the two younger brothers, who had been hiding behind the door all this time, came out. They claimed they were helping by guarding the door.

 

Now that they were finally mentioned, Jing’an quickly jumped out and offered to help.

 

“I can do it too! I can do it too! Big brother, I want to go too!” Jingshu saw that there was nothing for him to do, and he couldn’t accept that. He also started pestering his big brother.

 

Jing Yi was both pained and delighted by the nagging of the two little ones.

 

In the end, he mercilessly denied their request. The main reason was that the journey would take more than an hour, and it was during the midday period when the sun was at its peak. The young children’s bodies wouldn’t be able to handle it.

 

However, as a supplement, he promised to take them to the town for a day of fun during their rest days.

 

Jingmu looked at the three siblings shaking their heads. Jing Yi spoiled his younger brothers too much. In the countryside, which family would let their children go to the town whenever they wanted to play?