Chapter Ten: Selling Vegetables

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This time, Zhao Guoji returned to the Jia residence close to the end of the year, carrying two large baskets of New Year’s gifts. The gatekeeper casually rummaged through them and found they were just ordinary homemade rural foodstuffs. After taking a jar of wine Zhao Guoji handed over, he let him pass.

“Auntie, I hope you are well. With the New Year approaching, my family asked me to bring some New Year gifts for you to see,” Zhao Guoji said, noticing other maids in the courtyard. He suppressed his excitement and bowed politely.

“Brother’s here. You all go see what food there is and pick some out. Que’er, prepare some New Year gifts,” Qin Mingyue, understanding Zhao Guoji’s purpose for coming, found an excuse to send the maids and servants away.

“Auntie! The courtyard is already set up. The batch of flower seedlings planted is growing well, especially the vegetables. We can sell a batch before the New Year. Do you have any other plans?” Zhao Guoji said as he lifted the lids of the two baskets, pulling out a basket of fresh, vibrant vegetable leaves from the bottom.

“Send a basket to Yunxiang Pavilion first. If they want it, send it to them first. The current yield is not high, so prioritize the old customers. Maintaining good relationships is most important,” Qin Mingyue suggested after seeing how well the vegetables had grown.

“All right, I’ll follow your instructions,” Zhao Guoji said. Having successfully grown vegetables and flowers in the greenhouse, he had grown increasingly confident in Qin Mingyue. With her orders, he was now even more determined to sell their home-grown vegetables at a good price.

Qin Mingyue was not worried about the vegetables being hard to sell. In the Jia residence, only the matriarch, Jia Zheng, and Jia She could eat fresh vegetables, and even then only once every few days. In her small courtyard, being able to eat fresh vegetables once or twice a month was considered a luxury.

Near the capital, few families owned hot spring estates. Even if they could grow vegetables, the quantity was small. Scarcity made their value high, and such fresh vegetables were naturally reserved for family use. Consequently, fresh vegetables appearing on the market were scarce and costly, beyond the means of most families without deep roots.

Thus, when the steward of Yunxiang Pavilion saw the two large baskets of fresh vegetables Zhao Guoji brought, his eyes lit up.

“How many more do you have? Send them all here; our restaurant wants them all!” The steward didn’t wait for Zhao Guoji to speak before making the demand.

“There’s enough in this batch for two carts. The next batch won’t be ready for about ten days. How do you want to price them?” Zhao Guoji, pleased by the steward’s decisiveness, didn’t waste time beating around the bush.

“As long as you can grow them, our restaurant will take them all. But you must promise to supply only our restaurant. How about three hundred taels per cart? The price will stay the same for the following batches. I’ll have someone draw up a contract soon,” the steward said eagerly, afraid the deal might slip away.

“Agreed!” Zhao Guoji was pleasantly surprised by the price and quickly decided to sign.

The vegetables were soon delivered to the Prince Gong’s mansion. When Xiao Junchi ate his meal, he finished a plate of vegetables in no time.

Savoring the crisp sweetness of the greens, he felt a warm surge throughout his body, a lightness he hadn’t experienced in days. He had been busy handling disaster relief funds for several days and was exhausted, but now the fatigue was gone.

“Who cooked the meal today?”

“It was Chef Zhu, Your Highness. Is something wrong?” the steward asked.

“Send him here. I have questions for him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

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“Where did these vegetables come from today?” Xiao Junchi asked before anyone could bow.

“Your Highness, this batch was delivered by the steward of Yunxiang Pavilion. I rarely see such fresh vegetables in winter, so I had them made into a dish for you to try. Is it not to your taste?” Chef Zhu was worried something was wrong. He thought: this is rare fresh produce, not wilted like usual; the flavor shouldn’t be off!

“Have Yunxiang Pavilion send more over,” Xiao Junchi ordered his attendants.

“There’s only one cart left. The steward said the next batch will take over ten days. But the seller is an acquaintance, Your Highness,” the steward handed a letter to Xiao Junchi.

“Last time, even though the mansion built a greenhouse, the results were poor. Why is his produce so different?” the steward was puzzled.

“We overlooked one thing: the only difference is the vegetable seeds. Forget it; pay more attention to his produce from now on and prioritize him,” Xiao Junchi commanded. He sensed these vegetables were different from what he usually ate.

“Rest assured, Your Highness. Yunxiang Pavilion has signed a contract with them. This batch and those to come will be given to us first,” the steward replied.

Meanwhile, Xiao Junji also noticed the difference when tasting the vegetables. Learning they were sent by Yunxiang Pavilion’s steward, he quickly grew restless.

“These vegetables were sent by Zhao Guoji again? Interesting. This man not only grows good flowers but also better-tasting vegetables than others,” Xiao Junji said, increasingly curious.

“Prepare the carriage. I want to see how Zhao Guoji grows these things,” Xiao Junji, always restless, was eager to investigate something that piqued his interest.

Zhao Guoji never imagined selling vegetables would attract such an important figure. He pulled out the two hundred taels in silver bills that Qin Mingyue had given him from his pocket, feeling very pleased.

When he saw Xiao Junji arrive at his courtyard with several attendants, he immediately felt uneasy. Why was this noble guest coming to his home?

“Zhao Guoji, your courtyard is quite nice,” Xiao Junji said casually, though his noble bearing was unmistakable.

“I wasn’t expecting such an honored guest. Please forgive the humble hospitality!” Zhao Guoji hurriedly said as he welcomed them.

The Zhao family had once served as servants in the Jia household and had seen many noble guests. Naturally, they knew the boy’s noble status and treated him carefully.

“Perhaps you want to see where you grow the vegetables?” Xiao Junji, aware that arriving unannounced was impolite, had brought some gifts along.

“You’re too kind. The vegetable garden is behind the house. I’ll take you there,” Zhao Guoji said with relief.

Soon, the group arrived at the back of the house and saw the greenhouse.

Inside, Xiao Junji immediately sensed the greenhouse’s purpose. The temperature was warmer than outside, but that alone couldn’t explain the abundance of vegetables. Curious, he quietly followed Zhao Guoji to observe.

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The greenhouse was well-lit, made with breathable materials Qin Mingyue had found. Rows of vegetables were neatly planted, with some young seedlings sprouting tenderly. In winter, they looked especially delightful.

Xiao Junji, having spent his life in the palace, had rarely seen such plants. He leaned in to examine the seedlings closely.

“What is this?” He noticed a layer of dry hay beneath the seedlings, but under the hay was a layer of black material with a strange smell.

“Oh! Be careful not to dirty your clothes! This is fertilizer made from livestock manure, used for growing vegetables,” Zhao Guoji quickly pulled him back, not wanting the nobleman to get his hands dirty.

“What? Ugh!” Xiao Junji was suddenly nauseated at the thought of livestock manure so close.

“Your Highness! Are you all right?” his attendants hurried over.

“I’m fine! Since we’re here, I can handle it! Zhao Guoji, you use this... manure to grow your vegetables?”

“Yes! It’s the secret to the vegetables’ good growth. Rest assured, they’re thoroughly washed before sale, absolutely clean!” Zhao Guoji hurried to explain, fearing the nobleman would be disgusted and lose interest.

“Enough. This is my first time seeing vegetables grown like this. Naturally, I had a strong reaction. Carry on,” Xiao Junji said, trying to steady himself. Though unsettled by the farming method, his tolerance was good, and he continued the tour.

After finishing the greenhouse visit, Xiao Junji took a deep breath of fresh air outside and finally relaxed. He had to admit that many of the farming methods challenged his previous knowledge. Zhao Guoji’s explanations introduced him to agricultural knowledge he didn’t know. He listened intently, and by the time they left, it was nearly dark.

“Guests should eat first. These are simple dishes. Please forgive the humble hospitality!” The elder Zhao family members quickly invited them in upon their return.

“Well... then we won’t be polite!” Xiao Junji had wanted to leave early but the aroma of the vegetables made his stomach growl awkwardly, so he accepted.

Knowing the young man’s noble status, the Zhao family prepared a separate set of dishes just for him.

Xiao Junji noticed three different kinds of vegetables on the table, a rare sight. Even as a prince, winter vegetables were limited.

Soon, after having those around him test the food for poison, he began eating, completely forgetting his earlier discomfort about the manure.

After the meal, Xiao Junji left contentedly with a basket of fresh vegetables and slipped some silver to Zhao Guoji before departing.

When Xiao Junchi heard the news, he was speechless about his younger brother. Well, as long as the Zhao family didn’t make any foolish mistakes, he would naturally protect them in the future.