Chapter 53 Peppermint Water Recipe

This is the eldest nephew from the original body’s maternal side. When the original body was still alive, she loved this nephew the most. Because Jiang Huai was good at studying, he had already passed the examination and became a Tongsheng. Tongsheng is not as respected as Xiucai, but it is not easy to obtain this status.

“Oh, Brother Jiang, you actually have extra money to buy mint water.” A student nearby sneered, “You only get 200 coins for copying a book, can you afford a bowl of mint water for 3 coins?”

Jiang Wan was a little surprised. Jiang Huai was the popular figure in Jiangjia Village, but she didn’t expect that she would be ostracized in the academy.

She thought Jiang Huai would be embarrassed, but unexpectedly, the boy just said quietly: “This is my aunt, I don’t need money for mint water.”

Ye Dahe washed the dishes silently and prepared to serve the mint water.

Ye Erhai had a cold face. This cousin was so annoying, but it would be fine as long as his mother didn’t give the money away.

Ye Sanshu clenched his fists. Damn it, this thing doesn’t cost money, this is all his fucking money! !

To round it off, all of them belong to Ye Sanshu!

The corners of Jiang Wan’s mouth twitched.

I thought she was my real aunt, and I thought she would give her all the good things.

Her family is short of money everywhere, and her children have no money to go to school. Why should she raise the Jiang family’s children and pay tuition?

The previous bad debt has been settled, and she will never let the Jiang family take advantage of her in the future.

Jiang Wan said awkwardly: “Huai’er, it’s not easy for my aunt to run a small business. If you don’t support me, how can I give you mint water for free?”

Jiang Huai looked stunned.

In the past, no matter what he wanted, his aunt would put it in front of him with both hands.

He had never thought about drinking mint water, but since it was made by his aunt, it should be okay for him to eat a bowl of it. Unexpectedly, his aunt refused it.

At the beginning, he gave the eighteen taels of silver as soon as he said he would, but now he is not even willing to give three cents.

Also, whenever my aunt saw him in the past, she would always smile gently and lovingly, but today her smile was filled with a sense of alienation…

He seemed to have heard that his aunt had a falling out with his family, so would his aunt no longer love him from now on?

The students from the nearby academy started to complain.

“Brother Jiang, you are a scholar. A gentleman would not do something that is not in line with etiquette.”

“A gentleman seeks truth, not food. Your behavior is unworthy of the word gentleman.”

Jiang Huai’s face showed embarrassment.

He did not take it to heart when his classmates laughed at him for being poor, because the Jiang family was poor to begin with.

But being accused of being unworthy of being a scholar and a gentleman is more painful than a slap in the face.

He took out three coins from his waist bag and put them on the table: “Aunt, is this okay?”

Jiang Wan smiled and said, “Of course, Dahe, why don’t you quickly serve your cousin a bowl of mint water.”

Jiang Huai is also sixteen years old this year, a few months older than Ye Dahe. Although they are the same age, they are from completely different worlds.

Jiang Huai is a scholar and will soon be able to take part in the college examination. I heard that he has a great chance of becoming a scholar. Even if he ends up as a scholar for the rest of his life, it will be enough for him to break out of the circle of Jiangjia Village and move towards a wider world.

Ye Dahe has already married and will soon be a father. He will probably spend the rest of his life in Lotus Village, facing the loess and back to the sky.

Facing Jiang Huai, Ye Dahe had an indescribable sense of inferiority. He carefully handed the mint water to Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai held the bowl and hesitated to say something. Jiang Wan ignored him and started to serve the next customer.

When all the remaining mint water was sold out, Jiang Huai hadn’t left yet. He stood by the stall and said, “Aunt, my father did go too far and shouldn’t have hit you. I apologize to you on behalf of my father, but your last name is Jiang, and we are a family anyway. We shouldn’t be so estranged.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wan laughed out of anger.

She placed the bowl heavily on the table and spoke word by word, “What do you mean by estrangement? What I mean is that you can drink as much mint water as you want from my house, and all the money I earn will be used to support your studies, right?”

Jiang Huai stuttered: “Aunt, that’s not what I meant…”

“So what do you mean?” Jiang Wan fired at full force, “Let me continue to be a member of the Jiang family, and let me continue to be sucked dry by you, right?”

“Jiang Huai, you know how much I have loved you over the years! But a few days ago, your father smashed my head. Look, there is a scar on my forehead now. If it was a little more serious, I would have died directly.”

“I was injured so badly, and my good nephew, my most sensible nephew, didn’t even come to see me!”

Jiang Huai had never seen such an aunt before. He was completely stunned. After a long while, he explained: “I, I have been studying in the academy. I only found out about this a few days ago…”

“Okay, you don’t have to explain to me!” Jiang Wan lowered her head to pack up her things. “I have severed my relationship with the Jiang family. When you see me in the future, just pretend you don’t know me. There is no need to call me aunt. We in the Ye family can’t afford to marry a scholar like you.”

Jiang Huai said: “Aunt, I…”

Ye Sanshu stood in front of the stall and said, “My mother said that we don’t have a nephew like you anymore. You should leave now and don’t affect our business.”

Ye Erhai said in a cold voice: “If you keep talking, you will soon become a laughing stock in the academy.”

When Jiang Huai turned around, he saw many classmates looking at him curiously and slowly gathering around him.

He had to take a step back: “It doesn’t matter if my aunt doesn’t recognize me, it’s enough for me to recognize my aunt. I will go to the academy first, and I will come to apologize another day.”

He turned and walked into the academy. Many people surrounded him and pointed at him, but he looked calm, as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Wan didn’t show much emotion on her face. She was about to take the children to eat something when a man in his forties stood in front of her and asked, “The mint water that everyone in Ankang Town has been talking about these days is made by this sister-in-law?”

Jiang Wan looked at the person in front of him. He was wearing brocade, with a jade pendant and a waist belt around his waist. He looked like a businessman.

She smiled and said, “Today’s mint water is sold out. Come earlier tomorrow.”

“I’m not here to buy mint water.” The man said with a smile, “I wonder if sister-in-law is willing to sell me the recipe for this mint water?”

Jiang Wan thought that someone would come to buy the house after hearing the news, but he didn’t expect that someone would come so soon.

She had only started selling peppermint water for a few days and had not made much money. Selling the recipe would cut off her source of income, and she had other plans.

She smiled politely and said, “This is a recipe passed down from our ancestors. Our ancestors asked us to pass it down from generation to generation. I’m sorry I can’t sell it.”

The shopkeeper lowered his voice and said, “I can pay this much.”

He held up four fingers.

Jiang Wan thought about it and thought that this probably meant four taels of silver.

According to her current business progress, she can make at least half a penny a day, and five taels of silver in eight or nine days. This hot weather can probably last for more than a month. She may be able to earn twenty or thirty taels of silver by selling mint water, and then she can send Sishan and Xiaofang to learn to read.

In this era, girls can also learn a few simple words, or they can be sent directly to the embroidery room to learn. This child has the right idea, so I will ask her opinion when the time comes.

So she absolutely cannot give me the recipe for this mint water.

(End of this chapter)