Traveling through time and space to meet a replacement bride? But I’m a man!

Chapter 489 Watermelon Jelly

Last night, Bayibu communicated with the villagers.

When Xu Wenyan went there in the morning, there were already thirty strong men waiting there, most of them were from the village patrol team.

Xu Wenyan took out the agreement and asked them to sign and put their fingerprints on it.

The village chief had already told them yesterday.

No one would refuse such high wages, and as for the risk, they don't care. Every year, too many people die of starvation, freezing, or because of illness and lack of money for treatment.

Today Xu Wenyan is going to prepare a big tent, as well as some food and other things.

The team will go tomorrow, and today will give them some time to prepare.

After returning home, Xu Wenyan asked the five of them to pick watermelons while he stayed at home thinking about it.

He took out all the pots and pans in the house and steamed some red beans in a pot.

After a while, several people brought back the watermelon.

"Cut the watermelon into pieces and squeeze it into juice in a bucket." Xu Wenyan just told them to do as he said.

Xiaoman and Luo Feng were more careful. They were responsible for cutting the fruit into pieces, while the other three used pestles to squeeze the pink flesh into juice, which was then filtered again.

Then he asked them to pour the watermelon juice into the pot, and Xu Wenyan added some starch and sugar and stirred it thoroughly.

This watermelon juice doesn't need to be boiled, just keep it hot.

When the time is right, put it into wooden barrels and wait for it to cool.

After cooling and solidifying, it becomes watermelon jelly.

Xu Wenyan filled up the ten wooden barrels at home, and there were also several basins filled with cooked sweet red beans.

While they were busy, Xu Wenyan cut the cucumbers into cubes and put them into two buckets.

That's about it.

This jelly cannot be preserved for too long, so Xu Wenyan didn't delay and went into the city with Chen Sanlin.

"Brother Chen, aren't you selling vegetables today?" The guard at the door just took a quick look and asked with a smile.

"I'm going to make something new today. Come to my stall later and I'll make you a bowl to try."

The guard nodded expectantly: "Okay, we'll go after the shift change."

Xu Wenyan’s stall is quite fixed, right in the corner next to Uncle Mulati’s house.

It's facing away from the sun, so it's relatively cool. I used to sell vegetables there, and some old customers would give it face.

Before Xu Wenyan even set up his stall, several people came to watch the fun.

"Brother Xu, what dishes do you have today? The little pumpkins you planted are so delicious. Do you have any more today?"

"Auntie, I'm not selling vegetables today. I'm selling jelly."

Xu Wenyan set up two tables and placed eight benches, and that became the stall.

It’s not that I don’t want to bring more, but there is only so much space in the carriage.

The condiments were all on the carriage, and Xu Wenyan served the meal in the carriage as well. After all, after the jelly was made, it only needed to be cut and mixed.

It was still the same big wooden sign as before, and Xu Wenyan hung it directly on the carriage.

"Watermelon jelly, twenty cents a bowl! Cool and refreshing, with a pleasant fragrance!" Xu Wenyan also drew some small illustrations on the wooden sign.

It looks quite presentable.

There were already seven or eight people watching in front of the stall, and Xu Wenyan made a bowl on the spot.

Cut the watermelon jelly into pieces, add cucumber cubes and red beans, and top with a little ice water.

As for water, Xu Wenyan brought two iron buckets, which were wrapped in wooden barrels filled with saltpeter, which was constantly cooled.

"Boss Chen, your twenty cents is a bit too expensive." A middle-aged man in a long gown came forward. Just from his clothes, one could tell that he was a businessman who came here to do business.

"Let's not talk about Beijing. The jelly I ate in Suzhou was only 15 cents and had a lot of ingredients. Yours doesn't seem to be any different except for the color."

Xu Wenyan smiled slightly, it seemed that someone who knew the business had come.

But it’s okay this way. After I explain it to him, he will most likely buy a bowl to try.

Xu Wenyan was also very happy to have someone to promote it.

"Hey! Our jelly is different. I use a rare fruit. You have never tasted this flavor."

"I don't believe that. I've been doing business for decades and I've seen all kinds of things. You must have dyed it with some flower."

Speaking of this middle-aged man, I feel dissatisfied. He was recruited to this place outside the Great Wall because of his experience in business.

Of course, with his wealth, he could easily refuse the government's request this time.

But he had come to this frontier of his own accord.

It's just because he has never been here. As a knowledgeable merchant, his wealth may not be as rich as a country, but it is enough to live a worry-free life for several lifetimes.

"Give me a bowl, let me try it first."

A smile appeared on Xu Wenyan's lips. He didn't expect that this guy would be so easily fooled.

"Please."

A bowl of pink and green jelly was served.

The rich businessman first tasted this unique jelly, which smelled faintly of winter melon, but was sweeter than winter melon.

When you take a bite of the pink jelly, you feel its coolness at first, and then a hint of sweetness gradually appears in your mouth.

The texture of the jelly is similar to regular jelly, but the taste is very different.

The rich businessman opened his eyes wide and took another bite, his eyes full of disbelief.

He had indeed never tasted the flavor of this thing. Was there anything in this world that Jiang Wanru had never tasted?

Could this be a tribute to the emperor?

Apart from the royal items, Jiang Wanru really couldn't think of anything else he hadn't eaten.

"It's really different. The texture of this jelly is delicate and it tastes icy cold." Soon, Jiang Wanru also noticed this problem. Why is this jelly icy cold?

Could it be possible that a guy selling things on the street like this had saltpeter?

But if you think carefully, you may find some saltpeter if you have the chance.

"The red beans are very tasty, sweet but not greasy. Twenty cents is worth the price."

Listening to Jiang Wanru's comments, the merchants who came with him also ordered a bowl.

After all, there aren't many things that can be called strange and delicious by their big brother.

"Yeah! It's really good. It has more layers of flavor than the jelly I had in Suzhou."

"Yeah, even I, who likes salty and spicy food, am impressed."

"Another bowl, boss!"

If the residents around here hadn't recognized them as businessmen, they would have thought they were hired as agents.

Twenty cents is not particularly expensive, but it is not cheap either.

I gritted my teeth and bought it. After all, I wanted to try it and see what this good thing that everyone says tastes like.

Compared with the evaluations of professionals, these ordinary people are more down-to-earth.

"Ouch! Why is it still cold? This ice water and ice jelly are really good for cooling off."

"Yes, this is the first time in my life that I have tasted something so cool and delicious in the hot summer."

“Although it’s a bit expensive, it’s really worth it!”

Jiang Wanru quickly finished a bowl of jelly and took out a copper token and one or two taels of silver from his pocket.

"My dear, my last name is Jiang. If you are interested, you can come to Jiang Mansion and find me with this token."

Jiang Wanru placed the token on the carriage with a kind tone.

"Even if we can't come to an agreement, we can still be friends. These people's jelly is mine. I look forward to seeing you next time."

Xu Wenyan wiped his hands.

"Mr. Jiang, please give me some face. I will definitely go."

"Hahaha, you're so sweet. I'll just wait for you to come."

How could Xu Wenyan not cherish such an opportunity to curry favor with someone so powerful?

This is how this opportunity came about.

If I don't have the opportunity, no matter how well I make the jelly, I will only make little money. But if I encounter this opportunity, things will be very different.

"Shopkeeper! My jelly!"

"Hey! Here we come."

Xu Wenyan tidied up and continued to make the jelly. It was made very quickly, but it also sold very quickly.

When one wave of people finishes, another wave comes.

Xu Wenyan saw that they all seemed to be a little unsatisfied, but with the prices here, being able to eat there once or twice a week already makes one considered wealthy in the area.

I had no choice but to lick my lips and leave, but this heat relief did relieve my body and mind.

Most people think that the twenty cents are worth it.

While Xu Wenyan was making jelly, Chen Sanlin was responsible for serving the dishes and also had to find time to wash the dishes.

Selling this jelly today is really tiring.