Chapter 146: All Set Together

Old Wen nodded, acknowledging the logic behind it.

The father and son sat for a while, but knowing they couldn’t delay Carpenter Zhang’s work, they leisurely made their way back along the path. The route conveniently followed the water channel Wen Xiuyi had planned.

Glancing back, from their pond to the riverbank, the slope dropped by about half a person’s height. If they could divert water without digging a deep channel, it would certainly be much more convenient.

In the following days, Old Wen walked the fields daily along this route. Mrs. Luo and Little Mrs. Luo busied themselves for half a month, finally putting their small soy paste workshop into operation.

Returning home, Old Wen could immediately smell the aroma of soy paste. Now, just stepping through the door, the scent greeted him. A day or two was bearable, but every day? No one could stand it.

Enviously watching his grandchildren live at Wen Xiuyi’s house, Old Wen’s heart ached with longing. He too wished to live in his new home.

But whenever that thought arose, the image of Mrs. Luo’s forced smile flashed involuntarily in his mind, and he quickly banished the idea.

“Oh, brother-in-law’s back,” Little Mrs. Luo called out from the workshop upon seeing Old Wen.

Mrs. Luo heard the voice and came out, giving him a glance. Seeing his furrowed brow, she knew exactly what he was thinking—hmpf, it was just that he couldn’t stand the strong smell of their soy paste now.

“How’s it going?” Mrs. Luo asked about the waterwheel’s initial testing. Knowing her eldest son had been working on it, she hadn’t gone to see if it was functional—she was simply too busy.

Qiu Rongrong had sent Dato to bring word to prepare five hundred jin of soy paste. With so much to do, who had time to worry about their waterwheel? That was ten taels of silver.

Old Wen thought of the device his eldest had made. Unexpectedly, it really worked. They found a spot in the river with a gentle current, dug a small channel, installed the waterwheel, and the flow turned the wheel. As it rotated, it scooped water up and poured it into the channel on the other side.

Many villagers helping to move the waterwheel were praising Wen Xiuyi’s clever design.

Old Wen recounted the scene to Mrs. Luo and Little Mrs. Luo, both of whom felt a pang of regret for missing the thrilling moment of the waterwheel turning.

But the waterwheel could be seen anytime; the money earned could not.

“Carpenter Zhang is still rushing to get things done. Eldest said that from the river to the pond, they’ll need to set up at least three waterwheels like this,” Old Wen said.

Mrs. Luo asked, “Does the channel run through the fields? Will it make irrigation much easier?”

“Mm.” Old Wen nodded vigorously. Indeed, it was far more convenient than they had imagined. Who would have thought Eldest had so many ideas in that head of his?

Mrs. Luo didn’t ask further but said, “Since you’re free now, go to the village and ask around who has beans to sell. Tell them our family is buying. If any relatives have beans to sell, they can bring them here.”

Old Wen was taken aback. “Still need more beans? How do they expect a person to live?”

Mrs. Luo gave him a push. “I told you to go, so go. No more talking. Don’t forget, we have no money left—not a single penny. We’re counting on these beans to make the coffin money.”

At the mention of coffin money, Old Wen obediently went off to collect beans.

Once Old Wen left, Little Mrs. Luo curiously asked, “Big sister, haven’t we collected enough beans already?”

Mrs. Luo glanced outside, seeing Old Wen walking far off and villagers greeting him from a distance. She explained, “Your brother-in-law can’t stand the soy paste smell. Sending him out helps air the place out.”

Having been married for so many years, Mrs. Luo knew Old Wen very well.

Little Mrs. Luo teased her with a smirk, taking advantage of no one else being around, “Sis, after all these years, your relationship with brother-in-law is still so good.”

Despite her age, Mrs. Luo blushed at her sister’s joke and shot her a glare. “Get back to work. Seal today’s batch in jars. Tonight, the second and third sons will move them to the cellar. After fermenting for a month, they’ll be ready. Boss Qiu is still waiting for it.”

No matter how fast they worked, this batch of soy paste still needed a month to mature. When Qiu Rongrong requested the soy paste, Mrs. Luo had already contributed all their stored supplies, including Little Mrs. Luo’s. The several large jars barely totaled three hundred jin.

Qiu Rongrong repeatedly emphasized that the demand for soy paste was increasing, urging Mrs. Luo to produce more. Mrs. Luo had taken this to heart and had been exhausted these past days.

She and Little Mrs. Luo now made soy paste every ten days, each time producing five hundred jin. This way, as one batch was ready and taken away, the next batch would be fermenting, ensuring a continuous supply.

Since setting up the small workshop, they had already made a thousand jin of soy paste, all stored in the cellar.

By the time Old Wen returned, the home’s air had mostly cleared, which made him feel more comfortable.

Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing had spent most of the day moving the soy paste jars into the cellar. Wen Xiuzhu then hitched up the ox cart to send Little Mrs. Luo and Jiang Yueniang back to the Cui household.

After these weeks of preparation, Qiu Rongrong’s roast duck restaurant had a new sign and a complete renovation, ready to open.

During this time, Wen Yao had been running to the city almost daily. From renovation to kitchen training and waitstaff, even the specialized duck carving staff—all had been personally trained by Wen Yao.

After about twenty days of preparation, the grand opening was finally imminent.

Only when Yunwu Roast Duck was about to open did Xie Yushan learn that the shop actually belonged to his wife’s family. Furious, he confronted Qiu Rongrong, asking why such a big matter had been kept from him. Since Qiu Rongrong was now part of the Xie family, the shop should be under their name.

In the past, Qiu Rongrong might have obediently listened, but now she didn’t even bother with Xie Yushan.

She shut him down with a single sentence: “I’m using my Qiu family’s silver to open a Qiu family shop. What does that have to do with your Xie family?”

When Qiu Rongrong shared this with Wen Yao, the two sisters laughed uproariously in a private room on the second floor of the Yunwu Roast Duck.

“You should’ve seen his face—it was absolutely disgraceful,” Qiu Rongrong said, her expression full of disdain.

He wanted a share in her business? In his dreams. She was now eagerly awaiting Yunwu Roast Duck’s booming success, hoping it would be a huge hit. When that happened, Xie Yushan’s expression would be priceless.

In fact, she was starting to look forward to it.