Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside

Boss Hu, upon hearing it was a newly made product, was somewhat hesitant to try it, but intrigued by the unique aroma wafting from the two bowls of preserved tofu, he picked up his chopsticks and tried a couple of pieces.

He fell in love with it after just one taste.

"The preserved tofu is soft and rich in flavor, with an indescribable taste. Is this a side dish for porridge or rice?"

Gu Jin'an said, "It can be a side dish, or used as a seasoning. Adding a piece of preserved tofu when cooking meat dishes enhances the flavor."

"Oh, it can also be used as a condiment." His interest piqued, Boss Hu asked, "Is it difficult to make? And how long can it be stored?"

If it could be stored for a long time, it would be worth purchasing.

Gu Jin'an replied, "About a year."

About a year!

Boss Hu was again surprised: "That's quite a long storage time."

Gu Jin'an smiled and said, "Preserved tofu is like pickled vegetables; it can be stored for a very long time."

"How much does it cost?"

The price had already been set by Gu Jinli, and Gu Jin'an said, "Twenty cents per pound."

Boss Hu was very pleased with this price: "I'll take it, one hundred pounds for a start, and then another hundred pounds of Ba Fu Spices."

The men from several families were pleased to see Boss Hu order so much at once. Just the business with Futai Building alone was enough to bring in a substantial profit for them.

The men thought they had struck a good deal, but in fact, by sourcing directly from them, Boss Hu also made a considerable profit. Just take the Ba Fu Spices, for example; Gu's Workshop sold them for eight hundred cents per pound, while the cheapest price at Futai Building in the county market was a tael of silver per pound.

Those marinated delicacies, Gu's Restaurant sold by the pound, but at Futai Building, they sold by the plate, and the price of one plate was higher than what they would charge for a pound.

After the deal was agreed upon, both parties began to sign the contract. Jiang Qi, being acquainted with Boss Hu, acted as the guarantor.

The contract stipulated that from then on, Futai Building would pick up goods from Gu's Restaurant every day during the morning, with no credit allowed; payment in silver coin was required upon each collection of goods. If either party could not supply the goods or needed to increase the order volume, they had to notify the other party a day in advance. If they wanted to terminate the contract, they needed to give a half-month notice.

After Boss Hu and the owners of Gu's Restaurant, including Qi Panzi, had signed and stamped the contract, it was considered finalized.

Once they had finished signing the contract, Gu Qingtian, who had been waiting by the door, hurried to the kitchen and said to Third Grandma, "Third Grandma, they are finished over there."

"Finished? Then let's hurry and bring out the food." Third Grandma, with Ms. Chu and Mrs. Cui, brought over the various prepared dishes to the large round table in the side room.

Third Grandpa quickly invited Master Tian and the others: "Master Tian, Boss Hu, you've had a long trip. These are some of the dishes sold in our restaurant. Try them and fill your stomachs."

Master Tian came today mainly to deliver the plaque and also to check on Gu Jin'an. He initially didn't want to waste time eating, but seeing the food on the table, he became tempted and simply sat down, saying, "Then we'll trouble you for a meal."

There were plenty of dishes on the table, all specialties from the shop, including Fried Five-Spice Tofu, bean dregs cake, soy milk, roast duck, various marinated meats, and two jars of wine.

The wine was Songhua Wine, sent over by Village Chief Shang.

Third Grandpa entertained the guests in the side room, joining Master Tian and the others for a meal.

Village Chief Shang enjoyed his meal immensely; the dishes were his favorite braised flavors, and the drink was his beloved Songhua Wine. Given his old age and the presence of relatives like Scholar Shang and the Jiang Family, even if he ate casually, Master Tian would not dare to say anything.

In the side room they ate, while Mrs. Chen and Gu Daya were outside entertaining other guests.

Today, with the opening of the shop, there was free soy milk and preserved tofu, so the number of customers kept growing, coming in waves and many wares were sold.

News that the Lord County Magistrate had sent a signboard to Gu's Restaurant spread like wind, and in less than 30 minutes the whole town knew about it.

The townspeople were astounded: "What kind of luck does Gu Family's tofu stall have? How did they get in good with the County Magistrate again?"

"Who knows, they survived the refugee path, they must be blessed with good fortune."

The townspeople were in such envy that many families prepared congratulatory gifts and made a special trip to celebrate the opening of Gu's Restaurant.

...

On the backstreet, upon hearing this, Wan Lifang from Wan's Private School grew restless and went to his father Scholar Wan to say: "Father, Gu Family's tofu stall opens their new shop today, we live in the same town, it's only right that we bring a congratulatory gift to celebrate."

Scholar Wan prided himself as a scholar and disliked associating with merchants. He felt that those who opened stores and conducted business were all merchants, and he was reluctant to go.

Wan Lifang, knowing his father's temperament, immediately told his father about the County Magistrate sending a signboard to Gu Family's tofu stall.

Upon hearing this, Scholar Wan exclaimed, "Really?"

Wan Lifang: "It's true, the noise from the drums and gongs earlier was all for the delivery of the signboard."

"Father, the Gu Family isn't just any merchant family, they have scholars in their household, and now they have caught the eye of the Lord County Magistrate. For the sake of the Lord County Magistrate, we should also go to Gu Family's Shop to give our regards. Otherwise, if Master Tian goes back and says you think too highly of yourself, that would be no good."

Scholar Wan had always dreamed of befriending those in official positions, but he was pedantic and proud, disliked by the county officials. Whenever there was an academic gathering or banquet in the county, he was generally not invited, which meant he never had the opportunity to suck up to the county officials even if he wanted to maintain his dignity.

Wan Lifang, knowing his father cared about face and couldn't lower himself to flatter, quickly came up with an idea and said: "Father, we go to congratulate them because we're from the same town as Gu Family's Shop, not because we want to flatter Master Tian or the Jiang Family."

After hearing this, Scholar Wan didn't immediately agree, but began to ponder.

Wan Lifang grew anxious: "Father, please don't think any longer, if you keep pondering, Master Tian and the others will have left."

Scholar Wan replied unhappily: "Brother Fang, one should be upright and honest, not grovel shamelessly. We are going to congratulate Gu Family's Shop on their opening, if Master Tian wants to leave, let him leave."

Wan Lifang was clever and immediately understood his father's intention, and hastily said: "Yes, father is right."

Then he turned his head and shouted towards the door: "Shuzi, quickly go to the backyard and find your mother, have her prepare a congratulatory gift, I'll go to Gu Family's Shop with father."

Shuzi was Wan Lifang's attendant student. Their family of five was the only group of servants in the Wan Family. Hearing Wan Lifang's words, he promptly replied: "As you wish, young master, I'll go right now."

Shuzi ran off like a shot, and after a short while, finally came out carrying a basket.

Wan Lifang looked at the contents of the basket and frowned: "Why is there only half a piece of gourd cloth, a pack of caramel, and a few eggs?"

Such a meager gift, how could he present it in front of Master Tian?

Shuzi replied with a troubled expression: "Madam said we have almost used up this month's household budget and there are still half a month left until the end, we need to save and be frugal, otherwise, for the remaining half of the month, both you and the master will have to cut down on meat."