Chapter 23

Who would hate someone kind like the original owner? It was nothing more than the jealousy of the vendors, the resentment of the Tian family, and the unwillingness of the Qiao family.

Let them be. She would deal with whatever came her way. She was not the original owner and would not be afraid of these little rascals.

The pergola was useful to block out the scorching sun.

Qiao Mai sat down comfortably, doing her embroidery work. When customers came to buy melons, she would stand up and sell them. When there were no customers, she would do her work.

She was at ease. Since she had her melons, the town seemed to have become a little livelier.

They all wanted to have a bite of the watermelon she was selling. Not only was it sweet and juicy, but it was also cold and could relieve the heat. Qiao Mai suggested she could sell some ice.

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In Tianshui Town and the county town, not many shops sell ice in the summer. If she sold ice, would it work?

Why not freeze a few pieces in the freezer tonight and sell them tomorrow?

In the afternoon, Qiao Mai finished her business and returned home. She calculated the bill and realized she had sold twelve watermelons today, two more than yesterday.

When she arrived at the watermelon field, she looked at the fist-sized watermelons on one acre. She thought that in two days, she could sell as many watermelons as she wanted.

She walked to the shelf with a smile and found a few square plastic boxes. She filled them with mineral water and froze them in the freezer.

Yesterday, she had earned eight taels, and today, she had earned more than nine taels. She separated the copper coins and silver and threw them into the toolbox.

Earning money with labor was also a kind of happiness, and she liked it very much.

When Qiao Mai arrived at the house, she saw that Ling’er was still sleeping. She lay beside her and smiled in satisfaction.

Watermelons alone could get her more than two hundred taels of silver a month. Excluding the rainy days, she could still earn two hundred taels of silver.

With the addition of ice cubes tomorrow, would she earn more? After all, ice was rarer than watermelons, right?

The next day, she went to the carpenter’s shop to buy a cart and two wooden boxes.

Qiao Mai placed the frozen watermelon in a wooden box and the ice cubes in another.

She pushed the two wooden boxes to the main road.

Every day on time, Shopkeeper Lu would let the two girls arrange the tables and chairs and set up the awning. Those who did not know would think that it was Shopkeeper Lu’s stall. Even the tax collectors would skip over her stall. This saved Qiao Mai money and trouble.

She pushed the cart behind the chair and moved the two wooden boxes under the awning.

The wooden boxes were wrapped in blankets, afraid the cold air would escape.

The surrounding peddlers were almost dying of envy these days. When they saw that Qiao Mai had packed another box today, they were all extremely curious.

“I say, lady, did you get new stock today?”

“Yes, my shopkeeper said the weather is too hot. There is a lot of ice in her ice kiln, so she wants to sell some ice to relieve the heat.”

“Ice?”

“Yeah.”

“Who will buy it?”

“Why wouldn’t anyone buy it? If you don’t feel satisfied after making green bean soup and letting it cool, you can put a few pieces of crushed ice in it. Herbal tea is also fine.”

“Can we eat the ice?”

“That’s right. My shopkeeper uses the water from the well to freeze it and then hoards it. It’s not river water.”

“I see. Then how much do you plan to sell it for?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know the price of ice either.”

“Let me tell you. The ice in the prefecture costs one tael of silver for a washbasin-sized piece.”

“Is it cheaper or more expensive than watermelon?”

“Of course, watermelons are precious. Watermelons still need to be planted and sold. They only grow once every three to four months. But what about ice? As long as we have the equipment, we can store it in winter. Water is not worth much.”

Qiao Mai thought to herself, water is worthless?

That was in the South. Once the heat wave hits the North, every drop of water would turn into gold. How could it be worthless? It did not matter.

She took a piece of ice from the wooden box and asked, “How much silver would a piece of ice of this size cost?”

“I’m estimating around a hundred coins.”

“Alright, then I’ll listen to the people’s advice and sell it for 100 coins.”

“You don’t need to ask Shopkeeper Lu?”

“Boss said to let me make the decision.”

“Your boss is too kind. You’ve met a benefactor.”

“Of course, our boss is not only a noble person but also kind.”

Qiao Mai quickly put the ice back into the wooden box. If she took it out, it would melt very quickly.

Qiao Mai thought for a moment and made another sign to put on the table. This way, whatever she sold in the future would be written on it. It would be clear at a glance, and she wouldn’t have to shout anymore. Her throat had hurt for the past two days.

She didn’t know the words here. If it didn’t work, she could find a wooden board and ask someone to write the words ‘Watermelon and Ice’ on it. Then, she could stick it on the wooden board.

After cutting the watermelon and putting on the gauze, she stopped shouting. The town was only so big. Everyone knew she was selling melons and came to eat them if they wanted to.

When passing merchants saw it, they would get out of the cart and eat a few pieces.

She sat down and began embroidering in peace.

Shopkeeper Lu had nothing to do today, so she brought a chair over and sat down next to her.

“How’s business?”

“We haven’t opened for business today.”

“I saw you got two boxes. One is watermelon, and that is?”

“Ice!”

“Yo, you even got ice?”

“Don’t we have one in our town? I’ll sell it if it’s out of stock.”

“The prefecture sells it for one tael of silver. Let me see yours.” Shopkeeper Lu lifted the quilt and took a glance.

“Such a small piece?”

“It’s not small. This piece can be used to do a lot of things.”

“How much do you plan to sell it for?”

“The others say I could sell it for 100 coins. I’ll follow suit.”

“It’s already quite a lot.”

Lu Sanniang trusted her very much. She did not doubt where the ice came from. She thought it was a large piece of ice that was cut into such small pieces.

Just as they were talking, someone came to buy melons. When Shopkeeper Lu saw someone had come, she immediately stood up, lifted the gauze cover, and took a piece for the customer. She took the copper coin and put it in her purse.

“When I had nothing to do, I calculated the accounts for you and found that your stall earned a lot.”

“Yeah, isn’t it good to earn more? With more income every month, isn’t it one step closer to buying a big house?”

Shopkeeper Lu rolled her eyes. “If you have the patience to embroider a masterpiece, wouldn’t it be better?”

“My eyes hurt while I embroider. I consider it a break to do business.”

Lu Sanniang had only been sitting at her place for a while when several customers bought a few pieces of melons. She was envious.

“Why don’t I close my embroidery shop and be a vendor with you?”

“Forget it. You should focus on your shop. I’m just making a little money, and you’re jealous.”

“Hehe.”

Qiao Mai took a piece of watermelon and stuffed it into her hand. “Come and eat if you want to. Ruxin and the others are the same. Don’t be embarrassed and wait for me to deliver them. I sell watermelons to pass the time and earn some side income. I don’t care about these watermelons. You don’t have to save money for me.”

“Got it. I’ve eaten a lot of expensive food because of you this year. With your skills, of course, you won’t care about it.”

After a while, the weather became hot. Shopkeeper Lu could not stand the heat on the roadside and the hawkers’ cries. She returned to the shop.

At this moment, Qiao Mai shouted, “Watermelon and ice cubes! If you want to cool down, come and buy them!”

“Lady, do you really have ice here?”

“Yes. Do you want to buy it?”

Qiao Mai put down her embroidery work and looked up to see a middle-aged man. He had a small mustache and looked genuine. He was dressed in refreshing silk clothes and was of medium height. He looked at her with a smile.

“Can I take a look?”

“Sure.”

Qiao Mai bent down and took out a piece from the box. The middle-aged man looked at it and asked.

“Is this river ice or well water ice?”

“Well water ice.”

“How much for one piece?”

“100 coins.”

“It’s a little expensive. Can it be cheaper?”

“How much do you want?”

“How much do you have?”

Qiao Mai opened the box and counted.” Including the one in my hand, there are 20 pieces.”