Chapter 137: One Duck, Two Ducks, Three Ducks
“Grandpa, are you sure this is going to work?”
“Second Uncle, it’s crooked—it’s crooked!”
In the back courtyard of the new house, where a large open space had been reserved, Wen Yao picked a corner and had Old Man Wen lead Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing in building a roasting oven for her.
The three of them were working, and Wen Yao was pacing around nearby.
Old Man Wen held a brick in his hand, unsure whether to place it or not, nearly driven mad by the girl’s non-stop chatter.
“I’m not doing this anymore. Do it yourself.” Old Man Wen tossed the brick and turned to leave in a huff.
Wen Yao quickly begged for mercy.
“Grandpa, I was wrong, I was wrong, I’ll shut up, really. Please keep going, I swear, once the duck comes out of that oven nice and tasty, you’ll be the first one to try it.” She grabbed his arm and made a zipping-mouth gesture.
She honestly didn’t know how to build the thing.
Only then did Old Man Wen shoot her a glare and grumble at his two sons, who were chuckling beside him, “Laugh, laugh, laugh—what are you laughing at? Get back to work.”
Being at the bottom of the family hierarchy, the two sons had no choice but to shut up and keep working.
After a full half day of dismantling, rebuilding, adjusting and perfecting, the roasting oven was finally done. All that was left was to light a fire and dry it out to see if it would work.
“Is this thing really going to work? I mean, what is this? It’s not a room, not quite a stove—what does it even do?” Old Man Wen asked, full of doubt.
Wen Yao circled the oven twice, inspecting for any flaws, and replied, “We’ll see once we dry it out. Grandpa, come on, I’ll whip up a couple of dishes and pour you a drink.”
Too bad the peanuts had just been planted and weren’t ready yet. Otherwise, she’d definitely fry up a batch for her grandpa to snack on with his liquor.
Old Man Wen patted the dirt off his clothes and said to his two sons, “You two keep an eye on this. Watch the fire—don’t let it crack.”
“Okay,” they agreed, pulling up stools to keep watch.
Back at the front of the house, Old Man Wen and Wen Yao ran into Old Madam Luo coming out of the kitchen.
“It’s done?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, it’s done. Second and Third are watching it dry,” Old Man Wen replied, heading to the water vat to wash his hands.
Wiping her own hands on her apron, Old Madam Luo turned to Wen Yao and asked, “Yao Yao, what are you up to now? Can you finally tell me?”
Wen Yao leaned in and asked, “Grandma, do Second Aunt and Third Aunt know how to raise ducks?”
“Raise ducks?” Old Madam Luo paused, thought for a moment, and said, “We’ve never raised ducks before, but if we really want to, we can ask Tie Niu’s mother. Worst case, we pay her to teach us. But are you planning to raise ducks?”
Wen Yao nodded. “Yeah. If this roasting oven works out, we’ll need more ducks. Instead of buying them elsewhere, why not raise our own? That way we’ll also have a steady income.”
Old Madam Luo was skeptical. “You think it’ll work? Will that duck roasted in your oven really taste that good?”
Wen Yao was full of confidence. “You can rest easy, Grandma. I guarantee the demand will be greater than we can supply.”
Thinking about her granddaughter’s skill and track record, Old Madam Luo gritted her teeth and said, “Alright. When your aunts come back from the fields tonight, I’ll talk it over with them.”
Old Man Wen, who had been listening the whole time, suddenly straightened up and said, “Hey, could you two maybe show a little respect to the head of this household? Can’t we talk these things over with me first?”
Old Madam Luo shot him a disdainful look and sneered, “What, you’re going to cut grass? Clean the duck pen? Or herd ducks to the river? What’s there to talk with you about—what part of this concerns your mouth?”
Old Man Wen choked. “You old hag…”
Old Madam Luo hummed a victory tune, tucked Wen Yao’s arm in hers, and strutted off to the kitchen like a triumphant rooster.
Old Man Wen muttered a few things under his breath, but no one paid attention.
When it was just the two of them again, Old Madam Luo asked earnestly, “Yao Yao, will this really work? You know the family’s situation. If we’re really going to raise ducks, we’ll need a decent investment. If it works, great. But if it doesn’t…”
If it worked, her second and third sons would remember it as a good thing. But if it failed, they might end up resenting the eldest branch for the idea.
Wen Yao currently had a share of the profits from Zui Xian Tower. Though she hadn’t received the money yet, judging by the restaurant’s recent business, the payout should be decent.
“Grandma, if it comes to that, I’ll cover the initial investment. You and my aunts can handle the raising. When we sell the ducks, we’ll split the profits. I put in the money, they do the labor, and we split fifty-fifty,” Wen Yao offered.
Old Madam Luo slapped her gently. “You little rascal, you think you’re made of money? Fifty-fifty—my foot. Grandma doesn’t want a share. Just pay your aunts some wages. Don’t ever mention splitting profits again, understand?”
Wen Yao was touched. Her grandma’s heart was still firmly with their side of the family.
“I’m serious, Grandma. Once things pick up, the demand will only grow. If we raise a few hundred ducks, just paying wages won’t cut it.”
Old Madam Luo froze. “How many? A few hundred ducks?!”
She had expected maybe a few dozen, but Wen Yao was talking hundreds. Never mind whether they could raise that many—where would they even put them?
A few hundred ducks. This girl really dared to dream.
Wen Yao didn’t bother explaining. Once the roast duck came out right, everything would be clear.
Wen Xiuzhu and Wen Xiuqing took turns tending the oven, and after two full days, they finally got it dried inside and out.
As for the duck Old Madam Luo had been raising, it was honorably sacrificed under Lady Li’s cleaver. On top of that, they bought two more from Tie Niu’s family at one hundred coins each. Three ducks were now laid out on Wen Yao’s chopping board.
Cleaned, marinated, the whole process done in one go.
Then came the roasting. She tried three different temperatures.
The first duck: skin burnt.
The second duck: undercooked, skin not crispy.
The third duck: just about right—but still missing something.
And then—they were out of ducks.
Old Madam Luo silently handed Lady Li another two hundred coins. “Second daughter-in-law, go buy two more ducks from Tie Niu’s place.”
Lady Li licked the lingering roast duck flavor off her fingers and left without a second of hesitation.
The Wen family had already divided up and eaten all but one of the ducks—the last was saved for the three students and Wen Jun and Wen Nong when they got home from school.
Wen Yao squatted in front of the oven, frustrated, tugging at her hair.
“Stop pulling at your hair. I thought the last one came out pretty well. What’s still wrong with it?” Old Madam Luo grabbed her hand to stop her.
Wen Yao shook her head. “Still not quite there.”
While no one was looking, Wen Xiuyi leaned over and whispered, “Didn’t you used to have a thermometer in your oven? Can’t you use that?”
Wen Yao pointed at the crowd around them. Wen Xiuyi immediately zipped his lips.
She did want to use the oven thermometer—but how was she supposed to explain where it came from?
Having a spatial cheat but not being able to use it openly—ugh, so exhausting.
