My domineering ex-husband is living off his wife in ancient times.

Article 109 The family's wealth is just so-so.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "For a wealthy family like Madam Cheng's, drinking only sake is probably not enough to show their status. If you find strong liquor too strong, then a little Golden Dew would be the best choice."

"Golden Breeze and Jade Dew" is the signature wine of this tavern and can also be considered a specialty wine of Huangyang Town.

Sister Cheng and her brother-in-law bought it and tried it. They told Cheng Ruoan that it was a strong liquor with a slight osmanthus flavor, but it was twice as expensive as strong liquor.

After the shopkeeper finished serving the strong liquor, he opened the "Golden Wind and Jade Dew" wine jar and let Cheng Ruoan smell the aroma.

Cheng Ruoan waved his hand with a smile that almost left a blur, "Really, no need, shopkeeper! I don't buy wine to drink. Next time we have a drinking session at home, I'll definitely buy your signature wine!"

After saying that, Cheng Ruoan hurriedly ran away.

Even the hem of her skirt flew up.

She was genuinely afraid of the sour smell of osmanthus-scented wine; the combination of these two scents... Cheng Ruoan always felt it would smell more like vomit.

On her way back, Cheng Ruoan was still thinking that she had to get Si Shaoheng to set up their winery before moving to the county school.

Improving the quality of drinking among the people of Daxia is an urgent task.

No sooner had Cheng Ruoan left the wine shop than the waiter jokingly said, "Manager, is it possible that this second young lady of the Cheng family is too poor to afford our Qingfeng Yulu wine?"

I reckon the Cheng family emptied their coffers to buy that mansion.

After he finished speaking, his gaze fell on a box of pastries on the counter of the tavern.

It was a small box woven from bamboo strips, inside which were pastries wrapped in kraft paper.

The shopkeeper agreed.

Yesterday, the Cheng family sent back a return gift consisting of half a plate of tofu and this box of pastries.

The tofu can be cut into six large pieces, which the shopkeeper and two employees divided up, but they haven't opened the pastries yet.

After all, the bamboo box looked just like the kind a child would use to keep crickets, so it probably wasn't anything expensive.

He had already made a rough estimate of the Cheng family's wealth in his mind yesterday...

Thinking of this, the shopkeeper couldn't help but shake his head: "Last time, when the eldest daughter and son-in-law of the Cheng family came to buy wine, they bought half a pot of Golden Dew. When they heard that it cost three taels of silver, their pained expressions were genuine."

It seems there's no need for us to curry favor with the Cheng family; they're just an ordinary, unremarkable wealthy household.

After saying that, the two of them huddled together and sighed.

Of those who were able to settle down in the north, how many were truly high-ranking officials and nobles?

Wasn't it true that the nephew of the original owner of that three-courtyard house got promoted and made a fortune, and even moved his maternal uncle's family south to enjoy the good life?

The northern lands are a place where war is always a threat, so even the powerful and wealthy wouldn't choose to escape the summer heat there.

Two days ago, the Cheng family bought the only luxury house in town. The news spread throughout the town that day, and many people thought that the Cheng family was a wealthy family or a landlord who bought a house here to escape the summer heat.

So the next day, many people brought housewarming gifts, hoping to make some connections.

The owners of restaurants, taverns, antique shops, and jewelry stores on this street all sent gifts, trying to test the waters.

Unexpectedly, there was no male head of the household, only a mistress named Cheng. She stepped forward and said that the house was not yet properly tidied up, so it was inconvenient to entertain guests.

However, after closing the door, Cheng's mother bought some people yesterday and started making tofu. Before the evening meal, she sent a plate of tofu to each of the families who brought gifts, plus a box of milk chicken cake made by Cheng Ruotong as a return gift.

That's right, this milk-filled steamed egg cake is made to resemble the French soft bread that Cheng Ruoan brought out.

Throughout her journey north, Cheng Ruotong had this on her mind the whole time!

On the way, Cheng Ruoan wrote down and drew out all the recipes she knew, as well as the ovens she needed for making bread and cakes.

Just to make these little cakes, on the very night the house was bought, Cheng Ruotong had already called a craftsman to build one in her own small courtyard in the second courtyard, based on the oven design that Cheng Ruoan had drawn for her.

The northern region is cold and dry, so the oven can be used after being dried the next day.

Just yesterday, Cheng Ruotong baked a batch of eggs according to Cheng Ruoan's recipe.

Cheng Ruoan did not want to rely too much on the existing resources in the space.

Those supplies will eventually run out.

Cheng Ruoan felt it was unreliable to directly use those things to start her own business empire in Great Xia.

So she simply provided the recipe and, based on the available raw materials, gave Ruotong a general guide on how to make it.

Cheng Ruoan said at the time, "Big sister, I only saw this recipe in a travelogue. I can't guarantee that the taste will be the same as the pastry I bought. You'll have to figure out how to make it yourself."

She has always believed that the wisdom of the ancients is no less than that of modern people.

Sure enough, if you use the results to deduce the process, the success rate will inevitably be high.

The first batch of sponge cakes that Cheng Ruotong made was delicious to the whole family.

Although it tastes only slightly different from the soft, fragrant French bread, it already far surpasses any pastry available in the Daxia market.

When Cheng Ruoan was brought here by Si Shaoheng last night, Cheng Ruotong's milk chicken cake had just come out of the oven. Cheng Ruotong pulled her and spun her around several times.

Cheng Ruotong hugged Cheng Ruoan and expressed her endless gratitude, "Little sister, thank you so much! The recipe you gave me worked perfectly on the first try. I can already imagine how popular this sponge cake will be!"

Cheng Ruoan was also happy and generously offered to help her sister out: "If it's hard to buy milk, just come to me, and I'll help you figure something out."

She still has plenty of space left, enough for an emergency.

"Little sister, would you like to make this sponge cake with me?" Cheng Ruotong, her mother, and Shao Yang had already agreed that regardless of whether Cheng Ruoan came to make it together or not, she would give her a 50% cut of the profits.

But if Cheng Ruoan is to do it, she will only take two or three percent herself.

Cheng Ruoan certainly wouldn't come.

"Big sister, I'm going to study medicine now, and I'm also going to research cosmeceuticals with my master. As for the sponge cake thing, I only provided the ideas and the recipe. You came up with it yourself. What's the point of me getting involved?"

"Alright then, if you don't come, I'll take 50% of the profits."

Cheng Ruoan was stunned for a moment, and then she started arguing with Cheng Ruotong, pushing the division of profits back and forth until they settled on a 70/30 split.

"That's settled then, eldest sister, you provide seven parts, I'll provide three. You provide the workshop space, and I'll provide the recipe and the manpower."

This morning, Cheng Ruotong wasn't there. She must have taken the two plump silver ingots that Cheng Ruoan had given her to the brokerage to buy someone.

After jogging back to the Cheng residence, Cheng Ruoan found a secluded corner and took out a bottle of liquor worth thousands of yuan from her spatial storage.

It's not that we're unwilling to give Dr. Hu a better one, it's just... we need to leave some room for the future, right?

She carried the bamboo tube back to the backyard, and Uncle Zhang received two large jars of sake from the tavern at the front gate.

When Cheng Ruoan found her master in the medicine warehouse, the old man was facing away from her, picking out medicine from the medicine cabinet.

“Master, I don’t think the strong liquor in the tavern is very good. Why don’t you try this wine that my husband has been hoarding?” Cheng Ruoan leaned against the door frame, smiling slyly.

As soon as she opened the bamboo tube lid, the aroma of wine filled the air, and Doctor Hu's hand, which was grasping the medicine, paused.

"What a fragrant and delicious wine!"