The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

When Zhuang Jingye returned home, Mrs. Ye had already prepared lunch.

Thick hand-pressed noodles, paired with perfectly fried tofu, accompanied by small green vegetables and chili oil, the appetizing aroma filled the air as soon as he stepped into the house.

“I was just craving this, and you made it,” Zhuang Jingye was in a buoyant mood, he praised, holding a bowl of noodles Mrs. Ye had brought over, and after taking a big bite, “Delicious, your cooking seems to improve every day.”

It wasn’t that her cooking skills had improved, it was just that Zhuang Jingye, cheerful as he was, found pleasure in every detail.

A few days ago when he returned from the county town, with a worried look due to the words of the county magistrate, he called the same lunch unpleasant even though it tasted exactly the same.

“Looking at you, it seems the chat with Ning went well?” Mrs. Ye asked, placing her bowl down and seating herself next to Zhuang Jingye.

“It went well.” A little contentment flit across Zhuang Jingye’s face, “Believe it or not, though this Ning’s straightforwardness can be quite harsh, when it matters, she understands the bigger picture. She’s not some foolish woman who only sees what’s in front of her.”

“Going forward, if the tofu shop expands and can help others in the village make a bit of money as well, this would be considered a virtuous deed for Ning.”

“By the way, I’ve heard that Zhuang Yonghe has been out recruiting in the village lately, claiming that there is work to be done in the tofu house during the day and tofu to be prepared by the afternoon. He’s also mentioned that he has rented a shop in town because there’s not enough tofu to sell, hence the need to produce more.”

“Just look at how busy the tofu shop is. They are hiring staff and renting additional shop spaces, and their business has extended all the way to the county town now. If only the tofu shop could expand to accommodate such volume. If they work hard, the tofu could be sold throughout the entire county.”

“In the future, if the tofu shop could manage to have seven or eight pots producing tofu non-stop and employ more than a dozen people to produce tofu, and hire some more to sell it, then our village could transition from growing beans to producing and selling tofu. Every household could earn money and our village would thrive.”

“I figure we might have to consider renaming our village to something like ‘Tofu Village’ to reflect the unique specialty of our village. Wait, no, that sounds a bit crude, it should be something more elegant…”

“Hmm, or let’s just call it ‘Baiyu Village.’ Tofu is as white and delicate as jade, and it can make money just like jade does, valuable!”

“This is a good name, this is a good name…”

Zhuang Jingye was babbling, his face flushed with excitement.

Mrs. Ye was stunned, even considering faceplaming a little.

It was only the beginning, and he was speaking so far ahead. The future was still uncertain.

However, Mrs. Ye didn’t want to discourage Zhuang Jingye’s current ambition, but she wasn’t quite comfortable seeing him like this. She teased him playfully: “You used to look down on Ning’s tofu shop, didn’t you? And weren’t you the one who said it was just tofu, and it couldn’t get any fancier than that?”

“And what about your comment that she was just a girl and was of no use… You said all of that before.”

Mrs. Ye squinted her eyes, casting a sidelong glance at Zhuang Jingye.

The smile on Zhuang Jingye’s face froze awkwardly. He coughed lightly and said, “How could you bring that up again, spoken words and spilled water can’t be retrieved, can they?”

“Besides, we didn’t know then that Ning was so resourceful. If she has such talent, then forget about being a girl, she should be looked at as a man.”

“Alright, alright, quit your chatter. If you have time to talk, why don’t you finish your meal quickly and prepare some tea to take to your mother’s house?”

“Why should I go to my mother’s house?” Mrs. Ye raised an eyebrow.

“Isn’t your nephew now working as a temporary laborer? He’s gathered quite a few people under him. You can check if they are free and how much they would charge to fill the hole.”

Zhuang Jingye said: “That kid works efficiently, his people are reliable too. We can consider them for the job since we have work for them.”

“But we have to be clear upfront. They must do a good job and not tarnish our name. As for the price, it’s best if it’s a bit lower, then we’ll be seen as generous. Even if we can’t lower it, it can’t be higher than the going rate, otherwise, it would seem like we’re taking a cut from their wages.”

“Don’t worry, I’m old enough to understand these things.” Mrs. Ye rolled her eyes at Zhuang Jingye’s incessant chattering, but she was quite pleased that he remembered her nephew for this job.

“That kid is also very reliable, he will definitely do a good job. After I finish lunch, I’ll go home and check in.”

“By the way,” Mrs. Ye lifted her eyelids, “I’ve not had time recently to visit my mother’s house. Now that I finally have the chance to go home, I’ll bring back a package of those shortbread cookies that were brought back from the county town a few days ago.”

“Take them with you, and when you go back, let your parents know that these were given by the county official, taste the good stuff. Also, remind your family to be more ambitious and learn from our son, at least secure a stable job.”

Speaking of his eldest son Zhuang Gaofeng, Zhuang Jingye beamed with pride: “There are also a lot of vegetables in the field that we can’t finish, take some back as well.”

“Alright,” Mrs. Ye agreed, her smile couldn’t be suppressed and covered her whole face.

The more she brought back to her mother’s house, the more it would show how well she was treated in her husband’s house, this would put her parents’ minds at ease.

After the conversation, the couple resumed their lunch of thick hand-pressed noodles.

Once they finished their meal, they went about their own tasks.

By nightfall, they had sought out Zhuang Yonghe and Mrs. He, discussed the agreement to send Zhuang Jingye a piece of tofu every day, as well as the house building arrangements. Reminding them both that they must keep these mutually beneficial arrangements to themselves.

“With the village chief supervising the house building, it eases our worries.” Zhuang Yonghe said, “This is a good thing for Ning. However, I thought Ning wouldn’t be able to accept the village chief’s help, considering he was so reluctant to allow female household registration.”

He assumed that with Zhuang Qingning’s temperament, she would certainly hold a grudge.

“He might not have liked it, but setting up a female household requires a woman in charge. Many men, of course, won’t like it and I understand that, but it doesn’t bother me..”