During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

Upon hearing Ye Dazhuang say that "the restaurant isn't profitable," Ye Qingqing's eyes widened immediately. She poked his back with her slender finger and said irritably,

"Brother Dazhuang, what are you saying! What do you mean there's no profit? Fushunlou restaurant dares to sell a plate of dandelion for one tael of silver, while our shepherd's purse and purslane are so fresh they could be squeezed for juice, are they really not as good as that stuff?"

Ye Dazhuang drove the oxcart with his head down, the oxcart creaking and grinding two deep ruts in the snow.

He tilted his head and said in a low voice,

"Fu Shun Lou is the best restaurant in town. Those rich people go there to show off. No matter how good the vegetables are, they are just wild vegetables and can't be served at a formal table."

The restaurant owner is shrewd. He knows that scarcity increases value, but he also knows that once this dish leaves our hands, he can resell it for several times the price.

"Hey! You..."

Ye Qingqing was taken aback by his business acumen, but after thinking about it, she realized it made some sense. She then laughed heartily and kept asking him questions.

"Well done, Ye Dazhuang! I didn't know you were good at business. So, tell me, how can we sell it for a high price?"

"Don't go to the back door of the restaurant, go to the front hall."

Ye Dazhuang smiled faintly.

"lobby?"

Ye Qingqing was taken aback.

"Hmm." Ye Dazhuang cracked his whip, and the old ox slowly quickened its pace.

"Let the diners see it and let them grab it. When the shopkeeper sees people grabbing it, he'll naturally panic."

Ye Qingqing narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the always taciturn man in front of her.

This cryptic bottle is quite clever!

Half an hour later, the carriage arrived in town.

The town is small, with a main street running east to west.

Ye Qingqing didn't let Ye Dazhuang drive the cart to Fushunlou. Instead, she parked the oxcart directly on the street corner opposite the main entrance of Fushunlou.

It was just past 9 AM, the time when the restaurant was full of customers.

Ye Qingqing jumped off the car but didn't rush to unload the vegetables. Instead, she lifted the thick cloth covering the basket, revealing the neatly arranged, lush green wild vegetables inside.

Its vibrant green color, when it appeared on the gray winter streets, was simply like a pile of priceless jade.

"Oh my god, what is this thing?!"

A diner who had just come out of Fu Shun Lou was quite drunk. He slipped and almost fell, only managing to steady himself by holding onto the carriage with one hand. His eyes were fixed on the basket of vegetables.

When he saw it clearly, he gasped and said in shock,

"Where did you find such fresh green vegetables in the dead of winter!"

That shout was like an explosion.

A crowd of seven or eight people gathered around Fushunlou, eager to see the wild vegetables on the carriage, and some even reached out to touch them to make sure they were real.

"My goodness, is this really shepherd's purse? Isn't this something we eat in early spring?!"

"This purslane looks like a jade carving! Look, there are even water droplets hanging on it!"

"How rare! Where can you find such fresh wild vegetables on such a cold day?"

……

Ye Qingqing crossed her arms and leaned against the carriage, a beautiful smile curving her lips, but she didn't rush to say anything.

Ye Dazhuang stood beside her, like a guardian deity, his gaze sweeping over the people with a deep look.

If anyone tries to reach out too far to touch the vegetables, he will give them a cold stare, which will scare them into quickly withdrawing their hand.

"Young lady, how much are your vegetables?"

A middle-aged man dressed in a silk cotton robe squeezed forward, and judging from his black mink fur coat, he was a man who was not short of money!

Ye Qingqing held up one finger and smiled faintly.

"Half a coin per pound."

"Half a coin?!"

Before he finished speaking, a collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.

Half a coin of silver, that's 500 copper coins!

Although grain prices have risen sharply, even 100 grams of rice and wheat flour only cost 70 or 80 copper coins per kilogram.

These wild vegetables are picked from the sky, they're more expensive than grain!

"Little girl, you're so heartless!"

Someone retorted indignantly, "Half a tael of silver? Why don't you just rob us!"

Ye Qingqing glanced at him, a half-smile on her face, and said slowly and deliberately,

"Is it expensive? I don't think it's expensive at all."

This guy probably hasn't eaten at Fu Shun Lou before, so he doesn't know how much a plate of dandelion costs there.

These wild vegetables I picked were dug up from deep in the mountains and forests, completely natural. You wouldn't be able to find them even in the dead of winter, would you?

As soon as he finished speaking, the guy's face turned red, and he stiffened his neck and shouted.

"You've never eaten at Fu Shun Lou? I'm a regular here!"

"Regular customer, didn't you know that a plate of dandelion at Fushun Restaurant costs one tael of silver?"

Ye Qingqing retorted without hesitation, "You think it's expensive when I only ask for half a coin?"

The onlookers burst into laughter. Feeling ashamed, the guy glared at Ye Qingqing and stormed off.

The person who had just inquired about the price had a brightening look in their eyes.

To be honest, he was eating at Fushunlou Restaurant just now, and a plate of pickled radish shreds cost twenty copper coins. This incredibly fresh wild vegetable, at half a tael of silver, is indeed not expensive...

"Little girl, is this for the restaurant to deliver, or for sale?"

His eyes darted around, and he said with a grin, "If they're selling these vegetables, I'll take them all!"

"It was a gift! This girl is a regular customer at my house; she delivers vegetables to us!"

Before Ye Qingqing could speak, the manager of Fushunlou rushed over, glanced at Ye Qingqing, and looked at her with a resentful expression.

But when he saw the basket of wild vegetables, his eyes widened.

"Miss Qingqing, this...this is..."

"Girl, I'll take all of this food. Name your price!"

The buyer crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow, and said, "What difference does it make who I sell to?"

How could the shopkeeper allow someone to steal his food?

His eyes darted around, and he quickly bowed and smiled apologetically, saying repeatedly...

"Sir, this dish was specially delivered to our shop by Miss Qingqing. You can ask her if you don't believe me."

"If you buy all these dishes, how am I supposed to keep my small shop running!"

The buyer scoffed, "Did you sign a contract? No, they can sell these vegetables to whomever they want. I'll pay six qian of silver, miss, give it to me."

The shopkeeper was dumbfounded. "Sir, what you're doing..."

Ye Qingqing was overjoyed to see the two arguing.

Big Brother Zhuang's idea is really good; every penny earned is a penny earned!

She cleared her throat and deliberately spoke slowly.

"What a pity, fresh vegetables are a rare commodity in the dead of winter, and I only managed to dig up this one basketful after a whole day of climbing the mountain!"

It's only about a hundred kilograms; it'll just have to go to whoever offers the highest price.

The buyer silently calculated that a hundred catties or so would only amount to sixty taels, which was not even as valuable as a jade bracelet that his newly acquired concubine had bought.

But if this rare item is taken out, it will become a hot commodity!

He happened to have an important business to attend to in the prefecture, to seek help from the Chen family, a prominent clan in the prefecture, and was wondering what kind of generous gift to give them!

These wild vegetables are quite presentable!

Upon hearing that it cost six coins, the shopkeeper's face immediately contorted with pain.

But then he thought, a plate of dandelion can sell for one tael of silver, so it wouldn't be expensive to sell this dish for two taels of silver, right?