My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Aunt Jin explained, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Yang, for your concern. We've found a few jobs to make ends meet. My eldest daughter came here today because she wants to see you, Shopkeeper."

"Oh?" Shopkeeper Yang looked at Si Muyan curiously, "What is it that this young lady is looking for me for?"

Si Muyan gestured to Aunt Jin to pass the pumpkin cake over: "Shopkeeper Yang is in the county town. I wonder if he has ever eaten this."

Shopkeeper Yang opened it and took a look: "What is this?"

“It’s pumpkin pie.”

Shopkeeper Yang was surprised: "I've never eaten it, but I heard diners ask about pumpkin pie. But I was too busy yesterday and didn't ask what pumpkin pie is. This is..."

He thought about what Aunt Jin had just said about finding a job, and then he realized that Aunt Jin and her team were the ones who made the pumpkin pie.

Si Muyan nodded: "Yes, this pumpkin cake is made by us. It's not difficult to make. I think if Shopkeeper Yang asks the chef to come over and taste it, he will know how to make it."

Shopkeeper Yang is not only the shopkeeper of Jixiang Restaurant, but also the owner. He has been fond of cooking since he was a child. After taking over the shop, he also likes to find delicious food. The business of this shop has been booming.

He took a bite of the pumpkin pie. "It's just flour and sugar, so it's not difficult to make. So, why did Miss Si come to see me?"

Shopkeeper Yang is a businessman. He knows that there is no free meal in the world. The little girl in front of him took the initiative to hand over the pumpkin cake, which must be her ulterior motive.

Si Muyan also enjoyed talking to such intelligent people. More importantly, she had been observing the restaurant and had even seen the menu on the table. The dishes were good, but the prices were quite ordinary. In other words, even though the Jixiang Restaurant had grown so large, Shopkeeper Yang had remained true to his original intention and had not turned it into a luxurious place that only the wealthy could afford.

Such a person has a kind heart and it is easy to interact with him.

"Pumpkin pancakes are not difficult to make. Here's the recipe." Si Muyan took out a few pieces of paper and handed one over. This was the recipe she had copied down from the recipe last night. "Also, I have several other pumpkin pancake recipes that are not difficult either. You can give them all to Shopkeeper Yang."

Shopkeeper Yang looked at the remaining papers in Si Muyan's hand—there should be four. A normal recipe, if ordinary, would generally sell for eight hundred coins. A special recipe, depending on the rarity of the ingredients, could fetch several taels or even more. Because pumpkins had only recently arrived in Fenghuang Town, many ways to prepare them were unknown. However, if one diligently studied them, it wasn't impossible to figure them out.

but……

Si Muyan continued, "Everything depends on being first. Just like why our pumpkin cakes sell so well, it's because we seized the opportunity first. I have what others don't, so if you want to eat it, naturally you can only buy from us. But pumpkin cakes are actually the most delicious when they're freshly made. Our current situation doesn't allow this, so this business is destined to not last long. It's better to sell it out sooner rather than later."

Seeing that Shopkeeper Yang seemed to be lost in thought, Si Muyan smiled.

"These four recipes for pumpkin pie and pumpkin balls cost a total of one tael of silver."

Aunt Jin's heart tightened, and she subconsciously pulled Si Muyan's sleeve: "One tael of silver? This..."

They can earn nearly one or two taels of silver just by selling pumpkin cakes today, which means they still have six hundred coins after deducting the cost. Why don’t they make it themselves?

Si Muyan continued, "I have another request. This year, the Jixiang Restaurant will take away all my pumpkins at the price of two cents per three pounds."

One ounce of silver for four pumpkin dessert recipes? That was a bargain, and judging by Aunt Jin's expression, it was obvious they could earn it themselves.

Shopkeeper Yang frowned: "Why don't you do it yourself?"

"As I said, our situation doesn't allow it. Besides, the autumn harvest is coming up and we're busy at home. It's too cold in winter, so I'm afraid it's not convenient to get up early and go out."

This is true.

Aunt Jin pondered and said, "We have about 150 or 160 pumpkins this year."

The pumpkins were all about the same size, and based on eight pounds, the remaining pumpkins could be sold for over eight hundred coins. That's less than two ounces of silver, and getting all of that was a good deal no matter how you factored it in. Besides, buying pumpkins outside wasn't much cheaper, and with the pumpkin dessert recipe, the amount of pumpkin he'd need would definitely increase.

Shopkeeper Yang nodded, took the menu, and took out another ounce of silver and handed it to Si Muyan.

When I met up with Si Xingzhi's younger sister and brother, the younger sister's face didn't look as good as when we first met.

Si Xingzhi explained: "When we were almost sold out, we found that some people were also buying. They had set up a stall on the side of the road and were making them hot for three cents each."

The younger brother sighed: "Fortunately we came early, otherwise we probably wouldn't be able to sell out."

The younger sister muttered, "We'll have to come earlier tomorrow."

The younger brother asked, "But no matter how early we go, there won't be many people at the morning market, so it's useless."

Aunt Jin said, "You don't have to get up early tomorrow. The eldest lady has sold all the pumpkin cake recipes to the owner of the Jixiang Restaurant."

Si Xingzhi was stunned: "Sold it? Don't we make it ourselves?"

The younger brother asked, "Did you sell it? How much did you sell it for?"

My younger sister's eyes widened. "What do you mean by 'selling them all?' Isn't this the only way to make pumpkin pie?"

"Not only that, this is the simplest one. There are several more complicated ones, and I gave them all to Shopkeeper Yang." Si Muyan said, "I sold them for one or two taels of silver, and they will buy all the pumpkins produced this year."

"One tael of silver for one recipe?" The younger sister was not giving up and kept asking.

Aunt Jin said, "No, it's one ounce of silver in total, and with the pumpkin it can be sold for nearly one ounce of silver."

The younger sister was about to jump up and down: "No, big sister, why do you want to sell your recipe? We can earn back one tael of silver in two days, right? Woo woo woo, I was thinking of buying ten pounds of flour later, and we can sell it all together tomorrow!"

Si Muyan explained to her seriously, "Do you think we can sell all the ten kilograms of flour tomorrow? There are already other shops selling it. Even though there's only one today, there will probably be several tomorrow. How much can we, who are carrying baskets on our backs, sell?"

"This..." The younger sister was still unwilling.

Si Muyan continued, "When I went to buy the recipe today, I didn't think I'd get even a tael of silver. This is a pastry recipe, and it doesn't require any advanced techniques. Anyone who can mix pumpkin puree with flour can make it. How can anyone who wants to make a living not be smart? A couple of days I can make pumpkin pie, and a few days later I'll be making other kinds of pumpkin balls. It's nothing special. We don't have much ingredients, and our cooking skills aren't particularly good, so we can only sell it as a novelty. Restaurant people will know how to make it after just one bite, and they're even more innovative than us. It'll only be a matter of time before they can make what I've written down."

Although my younger sister was unwilling, she agreed with what he said.

"Okay, I've already sold the pumpkin pie recipe, and I can't get it back. Now let's go to the casino and return the money."