Chef Hua-Chapter 681: Episode 360 Wealth-Making Method_2

Hua Xiaomai thought to herself, "Big sister, can’t you be reasonable for once? Originally, Second Mother Hua earnestly wished to take Little Tie Chui with her to the city to earn a living, wasn’t it you who stubbornly refused?

She could only grumble in her heart, but on the surface, she still smiled, "So, does that mean the blacksmith shop has been doing well recently?"

"Well, it’s only in these past one or two months. It’s been passable, at least. As long as they make money and the family isn’t short of anything, I don’t care about other matters!"

Lady Jing said this and quickly ran to pick up Tie Chui, thrust him into Hua Xiaomai’s arms, said "Thank you for your troubles," and then turned back into the room.

The little Tie Chui was already over a year old. His eyes and brows were the spitting image of Jing Taihe, looking very honest. He could say a few simple words and called Hua Xiaomai "auntie" in his baby voice.

Hua Xiaomai didn’t know if it was because she had a child of her own now, but seeing him, she felt even more affection and joy than before. She kissed his face and headed into the city with him in her arms.

This little one didn’t seem all that heavy, but after carrying him for a long while, her arms indeed started to feel sore. When they arrived at the blacksmith shop, Hua Xiaomai set Tie Chui down and led him a few steps forward, peering curiously into the shop.

The large forge inside was blazing fiercely, roaring with heat, but Jing Taihe and Second Mother Hua were nowhere to be seen. Only a strange teenager around fifteen or sixteen years old stood by the furnace, his build sturdy, focused solely on stoking the fire.

"Who are you?" Hua Xiaomai called out to him.

The teenager turned his head to look at her, took a few steps forward, and pulled out a naive smile, scratching the back of his head, "Um... my Lady, what would you like to purchase?"

"I’m not here to buy anything." Hua Xiaomai smiled at him, "I am..."

She hadn’t finished speaking when the sound of footsteps came from the back yard, and Jing Taihe hurriedly entered through the curtain. The moment he saw Hua Xiaomai, his face lit up with a smile, "Little sister, you’ve come? Oh, and you brought Tie Chui with you too!"

Little Tie Chui stretched out his arms, calling "Daddy" over and over, eager to leap into his embrace.

Hua Xiaomai quickly handed the child over to him, half-seriously, half-jokingly said, "And you still ask! Today, I only found out after asking Lady Jing that both you and my sister haven’t been home for a long while. Your son was missing his parents, so of course, I had to bring him over! They say... the shop has been doing good business recently?"

Jing Taihe scooped up Tie Chui with a chuckle, rubbed his hands, and had the young lad fetch a chair for Hua Xiaomai to sit on, "Heh, I’d just say it’s passable, we can get by and even save a bit of money, but I can’t compare to you—news has come from the Provincial City that you have really become a celebrity now! My shop is filthy with coal and iron dust flying everywhere. If you don’t mind, please stay for lunch at the shop today. Your second sister was just about to go out and buy some groceries. If she knew you were here, she’d be overjoyed."

"Brother-in-law, are you scolding me here?"

Hua Xiaomai intentionally grimaced and said irritably, "When I first came to the village, wasn’t it by running the blacksmith shop that you made money to support us? Now that I’m married, if I start despising this place, what kind of person would I be?"

"Alright, I misspoke, so don’t take it to heart." Jing Taihe was even less eloquent than Meng Yuhuai, admitting defeat after a short back-and-forth, waving his hands hurriedly before turning around to take something off the shelf to show her, "Take a look at this, it’s by relying on this that your second sister and I have managed to earn some extra money."

Hua Xiaomai, also curious, couldn’t wait to take a closer look.

It was an extremely delicate wooden box, wrapped in a layer of soft cloth, with a pattern embroidered on it so fine it seemed like it could only have been done by Hua Ermu. When the box was opened, inside there were four or five small tools, such as scissors and knives, each only as long as a finger, crafted very delicately.

"They’re all things that can be used around the house."

Taihe explained from the side, "They’re not much use for big jobs, but for cutting a piece of cloth or trimming a bit of paper and the like, they come in handy. If this were in the village, certainly nobody would buy it, but city folks love it. See this box, just the pattern on the soft cloth by itself, your second sister embroidered it stitch by stitch, rather pretty, isn’t it? She put a lot of effort into it, working day and night on this, how could we have the time to frequently return to the village?"

As he spoke, he pointed at the simple-looking young man beside him, "This lad is called Erzhu; I really couldn’t keep up with the work by myself, so I took him on as an apprentice. On one hand, I hope he can help me out, and on the other hand, he really wants to learn the trade. With him in the shop, your second sister and I can relax a bit more."

Hua Xiaomai nodded, turning the box over in her hands, and praised, "It really is a good thing, brother-in-law, how ever did you think of it?"

"To tell the truth, it was thanks to you asking me to make that little tool for de-shelling gift clouds last year!" Jing Taihe said with a chuckle, "Wasn’t it modeled after Crab Eight Pieces? I figured, if city people can be so particular even about eating crab, they’d definitely need these commonly used tools. When your second sister and I discussed it, she also thought it was a great idea, and in June, we tried making a few sets to sell, wouldn’t you know, business actually came knocking! Everyone... says my craftsmanship is good, and the materials I use are solid, much better than those city blacksmiths!"

Jing Taihe wasn’t particularly fond of boasting, and as he said this, his face went slightly red as he chuckled again.

"It’s also thanks to these gadgets that people see my good handiwork, and gradually, more people are willing to come to me to have their ironware mended or kitchenware made, and our lives have gotten much better."

Hua Xiaomai had always worried about Hua Erniang; not knowing how the two of them were doing in the city, as she often couldn’t find the time to visit. Now hearing Jing Taihe say this, she naturally felt happy for them, clapping her hands, "That’s marvellous! You two earning money should indeed treat me to a fine meal. I won’t be leaving this noon! But as for my second sister’s cooking skills, I dare not trust them, so when she comes back with the groceries, how about I do the cooking, alright?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)