After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

84. Fish Soup for Treats
Han rubbed her hands together, her breath steaming in the cold. "We mainly brought Yongnian here to buy materials. Show us any nice materials you have, we need to hurry back soon!"

Seeing everyone shivering from the cold, Su Tai quickly asked Shen Yi to go to the backyard to get the ingredients, while she herself rushed to the kitchen, slipped into the Wood Dimension Vegetable Shop, and bought 100 catties of ginger and 10 catties of Sichuan peppercorns, spending 600 coins.

After pestering the boss to give her a scallion, she immediately went back.

Slice the ginger and cut the scallions into sections. Put them into a boiling pot, along with a handful of Sichuan peppercorns and a little maltose.

Maltose was a precious commodity that ordinary people couldn't bear to eat and saved for entertaining guests, while honey was the exclusive property of wealthy families.

Besides that, they can't buy any other sugar here. They've heard that Longxia Kingdom has brown sugar, but Langya Kingdom and Longxia Kingdom are too far apart, and the two countries don't get along, so things from there can't be transported over.

She had also tried to buy things like brown sugar from seed and vegetable shop owners, but every time she mentioned items other than what was sold in the shops, her requests would be automatically blocked, and her messages could not be accurately conveyed.

If she repeated herself to them, they would get impatient, and from then on she realized that taking shortcuts wouldn't work.

If you don't have brown sugar, maltose will do just fine; at least it will have a sweet taste.

When she carried a large pot of scallion and ginger water into the main room, everyone looked over curiously.

Su Tai poured a bowl for everyone and said gently, "Drink some, everyone. It's good for warming up and dispelling the cold. Having a bowl occasionally in the dead of winter can help prevent catching a cold."

Han was freezing, so she immediately picked up the ceramic bowl, took a small sip, and stared in surprise, "It's sweet and spicy, and tastes pretty good."

"Mom, it smells so good!" Su Ming said loudly, taking another big gulp.

Seeing this, the others also picked up their bowls.

After drinking a bowl of scallion and ginger water, everyone let out a comfortable sigh.

Han clearly liked the scallion and ginger water with maltose, and poured another large bowl of it.

Just then, Shen Yi came out carrying a pile of fabric, which attracted everyone's attention.

Su Tai took the opportunity to go to the kitchen and cook them a pot of fish soup.

First, she poured oil into the pot, then put in the three prepared crucian carp, each weighing over a pound, and fried them until golden brown on both sides. Then she added boiling water, scallions, ginger, and Sichuan peppercorns, and simmered them for a while. During this break, she ran to the main room to take a look.

Song Yongnian was happily touching a large piece of red cotton cloth, reluctant to put it down. "Brother Shen, this material is even thicker and softer than the fine linen in town. Is it really only fifty coins per foot?"

Shen Yi nodded with a smile, "It's always been this price. If you're getting married, bright red is the most suitable color. Our family has the most red and blue fabrics, but we have fewer other colors."

“Red and blue are enough! Yongnian, listen to your aunt. This year you’ve bought land, built a house, and gotten married. You probably don’t have much money left. Buying a few feet of cloth to make clothes is about right. You can buy more next autumn when you have some extra money,” Han Shi advised.

Shen Yi agreed wholeheartedly, "There will be thinner cotton fabric available next spring, which will be cheaper, so you don't need to buy too much now."

Under their persuasion, Song Yongnian ultimately chose only ten feet of red cotton cloth and ten feet of blue cotton cloth.

Seeing that they had almost finished discussing, Su Tai hurried to the kitchen, put in some greens to blanch, and the fish was finally ready. The rich aroma wafted from the kitchen into the main room, and the people sitting there all swallowed hard.

Su Chunlin asked, "What did Xiaotai cook? It smells incredibly delicious!"

"Dad, I've made some fish soup for you all. Everyone, have some." Su Tai brought the fish soup in and invited everyone to start eating.

Su Chunlin and the others stared intently for a moment, and then they all gasped in shock.

"Brother-in-law! Has your family struck it rich? My sister made a whole pot of fish soup with just one dish, and there were three fish!" Su Zhan looked incredulous.

Madam Han was heartbroken and couldn't help but scold, "As expected, you can't manage a household without your mother-in-law's help. Who lives like you? You've bankrupted the Shen family in less than a year!"

Seeing that Madam Han was about to touch them, Shen Yi quickly shielded Su Tai behind him. "Mother-in-law, don't be angry. These fish were caught in the Da Xun River with fish traps. It didn't cost any money or take much effort. Before I married Xiao Tai, I couldn't catch any fish at all. After I married Xiao Tai, we have more fish than we can eat. She is blessed and never lacks food or clothing. I am only benefiting from her. Please don't scold her."

Madam Han was stunned by Shen Yi's words and blinked hard before she reacted. She was speechless, but she couldn't continue to scold her daughter. After all, her daughter was already married and her son-in-law had no objections, so it would be inappropriate for her to interfere.

Su Chunlin was both pleased and helpless. "Shen Yi! Tell me honestly, since Xiaotai married you, have you had a lot more places to spend money?"

Shen Yi shook his head without hesitation. "Father-in-law, I've made a lot of money since I married Xiaotai. Not to mention anything else, just selling oil and raw materials, and the wild boar meat I sold before, I've made quite a bit of money. You know all of this. If it weren't for Xiaotai's idea, I wouldn't have been able to do these businesses. She just wants to eat something good, so of course I have to satisfy her. Otherwise, what's the point of me making money?"

Han was envious of Su Tai. "Alright, alright, since you two are so willing, let's not interfere. Let's eat!"

She's never eaten fish in her life, and she's never tasted a fish this big before. She's heard that big fish are good for your health, so she'll have to eat a lot today.

The Han couple started eating, and the others followed suit.

After just one sip, the bathhouse fell silent, with only the sound of slurping remaining.

Crucian carp has many bones, and with Su Tai's reminder, everyone ate with great concentration, not thinking about anything else. They only realized it when the fish soup in the pot was gone, and they looked at each other awkwardly.

Su Tai smiled and said, "Mother, I've prepared a few fish for you, all alive. I'll take them back with me later. Please give the rest to Su Yan as a small token of my appreciation."

There's still some fish soup left in the pot. I'll put it in an earthenware pot for you to take back to Xiaoyu and your cousin.

Having tasted the delicious fish soup, Madam Han couldn't bring herself to refuse this time. She just looked at Shen Yi and asked, "How much do you sell your fish for?"

“Mother-in-law, the price of fish depends on their size. Fish under two pounds cost forty coins per pound. The larger the fish, the more expensive they are. Since we are eating them ourselves, fish under two pounds is enough,” Shen Yi replied readily.

Han silently did some mental calculations, then clapped her hands excitedly, "Okay, after the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month, send me some fish, this size, forty coins per pound, as many as you can get."

"Mother, what are you going to do?" Su Tai asked, puzzled.

Han shook her head smugly, "Of course we'll sell! There must be a lot of families in your maternal grandfather's area and Ximen Village who want to buy a fish for the New Year. In the past, even if you had money, there was nowhere to buy one. Once I announce it, won't everyone be scrambling to come to my door?"

I won't ask for much; forty-five coins a pound isn't unreasonable, is it?