| TBBOTOF | 208
Everything was going smoothly for Wei Dong, contrary to his own expectations.
Even though he was confident, he never imagined that the dried braised duck would be so popular.
Traveling north from Jiyang City, they reached Yongzhou, a large prefectural city close to the capital.
The city walls were towering, with soldiers standing straight as arrows. From a distance, the walls of Yongzhou seemed endless, which made them all both excited and nervous.
The leader of the caravan rented a small courtyard here, and it was said that even a small place like this cost over a hundred taels of silver. The courtyard wasn't large, with only four rooms in total.
They were away from home so they weren't too particular about living arrangements. Wei Dong, Wu Hong, and Fourth brother Pan, along with a few others, all shared one room, sleeping on a large shared bed.
They slept so close to each other that if the weather had been any warmer, the smell in the room alone might have knocked them out.
Wei Dong was a man of action, so early on the second day after arriving in Yongzhou, he took his money pouch and went out to explore the streets.
First, he went to a clothing shop to buy a set of plain clothes. Then, he inquired about the local distilleries, sampling the wine and asking about prices, before buying a small jug to take back.
He then visited the livestock market, where chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, sheep, rabbits, and dogs were all available, though prices were higher. There weren't many small food stalls around; most were pastry shops, various eateries, and taverns.
After three days of wandering, Wei Dong had a good grasp of Yongzhou's prices.
Upon returning, he checked his stock and set the price for the dried braised duck his family intended to sell.
"Half a tael of silver each?" Wu Hong's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the five fingers Wei Dong held up, so shocked that his scalp tingled.
Fourth brother Pan also thought the price was a bit high, but Wei Dong insisted, "It's not expensive."
He didn’t explain why, but he was firm that half a tael of silver for a dried braised duck was a fair price.
A jar of sorghum wine cost ten copper coins, including the weight of the jar, which was about three jin (around 1.5 kg).
"Isn't the wine priced too low?" Fourth brother Pan felt that Tang Xu's sorghum wine was particularly strong and suited to the cold weather in this region.
Wei Dong shook his head. "It's our first time selling it. Even at ten coins, people might not buy it."
Although their wine was strong and fragrant, it wasn’t well-known, so there was no guarantee it would sell.
To find out if anyone would buy their products, Wei Dong set up a small stall by the roadside that very day and began to shout out to potential customers.
"Dried braised duck~~ Half a tael each~~ Savory and delicious~~ Free samples available~~"
"Sorghum wine~~ Rich and potent, warms you up with one sip~~"
With his tall stature and rugged voice, Wei Dong's shouts echoed through the street. Whether pedestrians or vendors, everyone’s attention immediately focused on him, ignoring everything else around.
Wu Hong and Fourth brother Pan, who had come to help, were so embarrassed that they dug their toes hard into their shoes, wishing they could hide back in the mule cart.
But Wei Dong had already made up his mind that to make money, you had to have thick skin.
Wearing his original clothes, he continued to shout while brandishing a cleaver, swiftly chopping up a whole dried braised duck and placing the pieces on a large bamboo tray beside him. He then glanced at Wu Hong, signaling him to get ready.
Wu Hong took a moment to understand what Wei Dong meant, then quickly carried the bamboo tray toward the crowded area.
For people to sample the food, they needed to actually taste it.
Wei Dong continued chopping the dried braised duck with his cleaver, placing the pieces into a large earthenware pot on a small clay stove. The water inside the pot was already boiling.
Before long, the aroma of the meat began to waft through the air, growing stronger as time passed.
Those who had already sampled the meat had their mouths full of its rich flavor. Moreover, the taste had a lingering sweetness, with tiny bits of meat still sticking to their mouths, making them want to smack their lips for more.
Drawn by the scent of the meat, people began to gather around the stall selling the dried braised duck.
He was selling it at a price of fifty wen for half a piece and five hundred wen for a whole one—no partial sales.
Additionally, for purchases of twenty pieces or more, each piece would be ten wen cheaper.
On the first day, he prepared three hundred pieces, expecting to sell them slowly. To his surprise, business was so good that they sold out in less than half an hour.
Some latecomers, who missed out on buying, asked if he would be back the next day.
Wei Dong had rented the stall for ten days and had already paid in advance, so he definitely planned to return.
On a side note, the five jars of sorghum wine he had placed beside his stall also sold out, all purchased by a single customer.
Originally, the stall was rented for ten days, but by the fourth day, he had sold out of everything, so he sublet the remaining time to other members of the caravan.
Wei Dong deposited the silver he earned directly into the government bank, keeping only a hundred taels of small silver pieces on hand.
He then gave two taels of silver to each of the men who had been working with him, telling them to go out and enjoy themselves for half a day.
“This trip has gone pretty smoothly,” Fourth brother Pan remarked, pocketing the silver and standing next to Wei Dong. “Since the chests are empty, why don’t we buy some local specialties to take back? Maybe we can sell them for a good price.”
Wei Dong agreed but declined Fourth brother Pan’s suggestion to purchase goods locally.
“There are plenty of good things in the city, but the prices are too high. If we buy them here, we won’t be able to sell them at a profit back home. We’d end up losing money.” His plan was to buy seeds and fruit tree saplings that weren’t available back home.
Once he brought them back and planted them, his husband, who loved gardening, would be happier with that than with gold or silver.
Fourth brother Pan, considering the spending habits in their home county, nodded in agreement with Wei Dong’s reasoning.
“Then aren't you planning to buy some things for Brother Xu and the kids to take back? It's rare to come all the way here, and it might be another four or five months before you get another chance.”
The journey was long; just getting here had taken a month, and counting the time spent away, it would be at least a month and a half for the round trip.
“When we came, we were still wearing padded jackets. By the time we go back, we'll be in lighter clothing,” Fourth brother Pan remarked with a sigh.
Despite the challenges, he was quite happy to have had the chance to see the world on this trip.
Wei Dong nodded and then asked him, “So, are you planning to come with me again next time, or stay home and make money selling ducks?”
Fourth brother Pan was puzzled by the question. “Selling ducks?”
“You’ve seen how popular the ducks my husband makes are. Next time we come, we’ll need to bring even more; otherwise, it won’t be enough. Just relying on three households isn’t sufficient—we’ll need to scale up production. You live with your mother, right? If you don’t want to go through the hardship of traveling again, you could stay home and make dried ducks, and I’ll buy them from you when I come by.” Wei Dong rarely spoke at length, but he did this time, waiting for Brother Pan’s response.
Brother Pan was conflicted, unsure of how to reply.
Wei Dong patted him on the shoulder. “You can let me know when we get back.”
Not staying in the room any longer, Wei Dong hurried out to the mule cart and set off to make some purchases.
He had already scoped out the places that sold fruit trees and vegetable seeds during his earlier walks around town, so this time he headed straight there. In addition to these, he also bought some slightly green crabapples, which were said to keep for a long time without spoiling.
Wei Dong also bought a considerable amount of fabric from the area, which was indeed of much higher quality than what he could find in his home county, and the prices weren’t too steep either.
After finishing his shopping, he returned fully loaded.
But on the way back, he was suddenly stopped.
"That's him! He's the one selling the wine!" An excited voice called out as five or six people quickly surrounded him.
Wei Dong frowned, his expression turning cold and indifferent.
What’s this? A robbery?
The man who was shouting excitedly looked familiar to Wei Dong. He quickly recalled that this was the same person who had bought five jars of wine in one go a few days earlier.
However, the man hadn’t shown up again in the following days.
What happened?
Did something go wrong with the wine?
It didn't take long for Wei Dong to realize why this group was looking for him.
They wanted to buy more wine.
A group of drinking buddies had tried the sorghum wine that one of them had purchased from Wei Dong.
They were so captivated by it that they couldn’t stop, and the five jars were completely emptied in one sitting. They ended up passing out drunk, but fortunately, they were used to heavy drinking and had servants at home to care for them.
Otherwise, it could have ended in a tragedy.
Hearing that they were here to buy more wine, Wei Dong remained cautious and said, "I don’t have any more wine right now."
"I know, I know," the man who initially bought the wine said with a cheerful smile. "I sent my servants to buy more."
Wei Dong simply nodded, not surprised.
He then waited for the man to speak further.
"I run a tavern—well, that’s not entirely accurate, but my family does sell alcohol. Your wine is really something special. Is there any way I could source it from you? I really love that strong kick! That burning sensation as it goes down the throat all the way to the stomach—it's just incredible!"
Wei Dong shook his head apologetically. "My husband didn’t make that much, and even if you want a larger quantity, I probably wouldn’t be able to deliver it. I’m just a traveling merchant, and you know how complicated it is to manage a trade route like this."
"No worries, no worries! Next time you come around, just sell all the wine to me!" The man’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
Wei Dong frowned and shook his head. "I can't do that. The wine from my family isn’t expensive, and if you turn around and sell it at a higher price, what's the point of me selling it to you?"
The man realized Wei Dong had a valid point, but he was still craving more of that wine.
Wei Dong politely nodded to him. "In a few days, our caravan will be heading back. It’ll probably be half a year before I return. If I have more wine then, I’ll set aside a jar for you."
Since the man was a fan of his family’s sorghum wine, Wei Dong thought it would be fair to reserve a jar for him to ensure he wouldn’t miss out.
After a brief exchange, Wei Dong continued on his way, driving the mule cart, leaving the group of men behind to exchange helpless glances.
When Wei Dong returned to the small courtyard where they were staying, he carried his purchases into the house. The others who had gone out earlier had also returned, and a few of the men were sitting on the kang, chatting animatedly.
As soon as they saw Wei Dong come in, they quickly invited him to join the conversation.
Wei Dong waved them off, focused on unpacking his purchases. He placed the items into a chest, organizing everything carefully.
Wu Hong, curious, came over to see what Wei Dong was up to. He watched as Wei Dong unloaded piece after piece of fabric from the mule cart—seven pieces, and he was still going.
“Brother Dong, did you buy all that cloth to sell back home?” Wu Hong asked.
“No, it's for making clothes for your brother-in-law and the kids,” Wei Dong replied.
His plan was to distribute the fabric among his family, making sure everyone got a little something. With so many people at home, the cloth would quickly be used up, with each household receiving a share.
Wu Hong couldn't help but twitch slightly at the thought. Well, it seemed he didn’t really understand the dynamics between a married couple.
To him, buying such an expensive amount of fabric to gift to one's spouse felt like a waste. He thought it would be better to buy a large silver bracelet instead!
Meanwhile, back at the large Wei family estate, Tang Xu was seeing off Liu Qiaoniang, who had come over to help make the marinated ducks. "Auntie, you'll need to prepare at least three hundred ducks," Tang Xu reminded her.
Liu Qiaoniang nodded, a hint of excitement in her expression. "Can I really do it? Can I really earn over twenty taels?"
"Yes, I'm offering you the same purchase price for your ducks as I do for anyone else," Tang Xu assured her, understanding her concerns. "Even if Brother Dong doesn’t take them to sell elsewhere, I can still supply them to Fuyun Restaurant. They sell well there, too, so there's no way I’d shortchange you."
Liu Qiaoniang quickly clarified, "Oh, I know, I know! That’s not what I meant."
"I understand, Auntie. I want to make more money too, but I don't have enough time to make all the ducks myself, so I’m sharing the workload with others." Tang Xu gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you definitely won’t lose money."
Liu Qiaoniang felt much more at ease after hearing this and agreed with a nod, expressing her gratitude.
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