The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Let’s Hope So

After dinner, once Shi Yong had left, Widow Xie helped clean up before taking Xiao’an and Hua home as well.

Hu Ximei and Hu Dacheng had already left earlier. They had to deliver a meal to Granny Xie.

Hu Liang stayed behind. It seemed he had something to say to Ji Huan.

However, he sat there for quite a while in complete silence.

Ji Huan pretended not to notice his troubled expression and didn’t press him.

"Wan, I... It seemed to me that you didn’t really like doing business before."

After hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out that sentence.

This was clearly not what he really wanted to say.

She had no idea what was weighing on him so heavily that he couldn’t bring himself to say it, beating around the bush even when the words were on the tip of his tongue.

Ji Huan saw through him but didn’t expose him, simply playing along. "It’s not that I love it, but I don’t hate it either. As long as I’m not spinning like a top all day, it’s acceptable."

Since she had transmigrated, aside from the initial hardship, she had managed to earn a bit of money here and there. Life wasn’t fantastic, but it was passable.

But all her ventures had been haphazard and inconsistent.

Whether it was the hand cream or the dehydrated vegetables, they were either one-time deals or limited by the season. None of them offered any stability.

That was right. If her initial goal was simply to live freely, she now had to add "stability" to her criteria.

One person was different from two.

If she were the only one in this family, she could do anything just to get by.

But after starting to raise a child, her mindset had slowly changed.

Even if she couldn’t give Dabao the best of everything, she still wanted to provide him with the best possible environment to grow up in.

And a good environment was often inseparable from comfortable material conditions.

She had considered her partnership with Yide Hall, but the cycle was too long, and the results were still uncertain.

Relying on just copying books could cover daily expenses, but that was it. If they encountered some unavoidable disaster, natural or man-made, that little bit of money would be useless.

So, she couldn’t always scramble at the last minute or work so inconsistently. She needed a stable livelihood she could depend on.

The spice business, at least in most of the northern regions, was still an undeveloped blue ocean.

If she entered the industry now, she would have an exclusive business.

She didn’t plan to monopolize the market before more people discovered this opportunity. But at the very least, she had to secure the most advantageous position before the blue ocean turned into a red one. That way, no matter how many competitors came later, she would always have a firm foothold.

This might sound like a pipe dream, but her foreknowledge was her greatest advantage—her ace in the hole, you could say.

For example, the secret spice packet recipes she had memorized were things she had known by heart since childhood.

Five-spice powder, thirteen-spice powder, hot pot bases, sausage seasonings, ham seasonings, barbecue rubs, and seasoning for soy-braised pig’s head... not to mention fillings for steamed buns and dumplings, as well as marinades for braising and stewing meats...

There were also exclusive recipes for things like spiced braised chicken, braised pig’s trotters, braised duck necks, braised beef, and meat in gravy.

She could even branch out from the main spice business into side ventures like brines and sauces.

With all this, even if she entered the Southern market where spices were already common, she should still be able to compete.

Moreover, growing spices had its particulars, but it wasn’t overly complex. Most had short growth cycles and could be harvested multiple times from a single planting. For her, it was much easier than farming crops.

Besides, she had grown up surrounded by these aromas.

It was just like the old oil seller said: "It’s nothing special, merely a matter of practice."

Besides being practiced, there was another important factor—it made her happy.

’Why not earn money doing something I enjoy?’

Ji Huan selectively explained her general reasoning to him.

After listening, Hu Liang was impressed, and the anxiety in his heart eased a little.

’Ji Huan is about to start her own business, and with such a grand vision. She definitely won’t care about my trivial little problem.’

"Wan, uh, there’s something I need to tell you."

’He’s finally going to say it?’

Ji Huan raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"It’s just..." Hu Liang’s hands rested on his knees, unconsciously wringing themselves.

"Yunyun has been helping at the stall recently, right? She saw that my mother and I are sometimes too busy to cope, and Dacheng and Ximei can only clear tables and wash bowls..."

At this point, Ji Huan already had a good idea of what was coming.

"So she asked you to teach her how to make the hot and spicy soup and the fried dough sticks?"

Hu Liang nodded, praising Ji Huan for being so smart and guessing correctly right away.

Ji Huan cut him off. "Have you already taught her, or were you just planning to?"

Hu Liang looked a little embarrassed. "Yunyun is a fast learner. She’s pretty much mastered it by now."

Ji Huan’s heart sank. "Liangzi, you..."

Belatedly, Hu Liang finally noticed the change in Ji Huan’s expression.

"What’s wrong, Wan? Are you unhappy? I... I wasn’t really thinking..."

Ji Huan said helplessly, "I remember telling you in private that the key parts of the recipes for the hot and spicy soup and fried dough sticks absolutely couldn’t be leaked before your fiancée officially joined the family. You agreed to that."

When Cao Yunyun started helping at the stall, Ji Huan had spoken with Widow Xie and then sought out Hu Liang.

It wasn’t that she was being petty; it was just that the Cao Family had left such a terrible impression on her that she couldn’t help but be wary.

After interacting with Cao Yunyun, this wariness had only grown.

Hu Liang grew even more guilty. What Ji Huan said was precisely the reason he’d had such a hard time speaking up earlier.

Cao Yunyun rarely asked him for anything, and she had been in a bad mood for a few days. Wanting to make her happy, he had agreed in a moment of weakness.

Cao Yunyun was indeed happy, and she became exceptionally proactive, practicing anything she didn’t know until she got it right.

For example, how to make the seitan for the hot and spicy soup, or why those powders were added to the fried dough sticks...

Seeing his fiancée so eager to share his burden, Hu Liang felt a warmth in his heart and let his guard down completely, teaching her everything he knew, both what he should and shouldn’t have said.

He had completely forgotten Ji Huan’s warning. When he remembered it afterward, he grew uneasy, which was why he had come to confess.

But what was the use of confessing now? Ji Huan didn’t know what to say anymore.

"Liangzi, you can’t be too careful."

Hu Liang said defensively, "I’ve always remembered that. Many people in the village and town have tried to ask me about it, and I haven’t revealed a single word."

’But you still taught Cao Yunyun,’ Ji Huan thought.

Hu Liang’s face flushed red. "I-I just thought that Yunyun isn’t an outsider. We’re getting married soon, so teaching her... is fine."

What else could Ji Huan say?

This was also why she had only been able to give indirect reminders to Widow Xie and Hu Liang, rather than being too blunt.

Because in Hu Liang’s eyes, Cao Yunyun was no longer an "outsider." If she, a true outsider, rashly interfered, she would only end up being blamed by both sides.

It was her own carelessness. Although Hu Liang was usually reliable, he was bound to be influenced by his feelings when dealing with his soon-to-be wife.

He was too busy trying to please her to even think of being on guard.

’Men and women in love... their IQs are always in the negative.’

Seeing Ji Huan’s grave expression, Hu Liang quickly promised, "Don’t worry, Wan. I’ve already told Yunyun she’s just learning for herself and won’t teach it to any outsiders."

What was done was done. There was no turning back.

’I can only hope that Cao Yunyun genuinely wants to help Hu Liang and isn’t being manipulated by someone behind the scenes...’

Ji Huan forced a smile. "Let’s hope so."

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