Chapter 11: Dragon Boat Festival - Candied Fruit Filling, Red Bean Filling, and Ginkgo Filling...

The sun rises outside the window, parting the morning mist, and the sounds of the streets gradually rise: the sound of wooden doors opening and closing, the cries of peddlers, and the laughter of children...

After moving to Bianjing, they no longer had to get up early to travel. Lu Qiong also got up later than usual today, lingering in bed for a while before getting out of bed, putting on a light blue narrow-sleeved shirt and going into the kitchen.

There was a vat next to the stove. She filled it with water, splashed it on her face, and felt the coolness wash away the summer heat. She sighed contentedly, "So comfortable!"

After Grain in Ear comes Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Midsummer Festival. People hang flowers and plants on their doors in the morning.

After dinner yesterday, Shuangjie was reluctant to leave and played with Xue'er for a long time, which made everyone tease her. Jinniang stayed to help clean up the kitchen and casually mentioned the Dragon Boat Festival, otherwise Lu Qiong would have forgotten.

When she first arrived a few years ago, she didn't understand many of the festivals. First, she got the dates wrong, and then she made a lot of jokes because of the different customs of later generations. Later, Yu Niang would invite her to celebrate festivals together. Now that Yu Niang is not here, she is really not used to it.

Lu Qiong sighed briefly, then quickly cut out a piece of red paper, bundled the mugwort and calamus together, and hung it on the courtyard gate with a straw rope.

Even during festivals, they still prepare to set up stalls. Longjin Bridge is on the Cai River, and the streets will surely be packed with people today for the dragon boat races. When the people watching the dragon boats get thirsty and tired, they will unknowingly spend money at her stall, so she will definitely earn more than usual.

Lu Qiong felt wonderful just thinking about it. How could making money be tiring? She worked even harder.

The fillings for the pastries were steamed well in advance. Since sour plum soup is the easiest to cook, she soaked the herbs in water, drained them, put them in a pot, poured in water so that the herbs floated on the surface, covered the pot, lit a fire, and added firewood. She added rock sugar only after the sour plum soup cooled down. Yesterday at Xiangguo Temple, she asked diners to add sugar according to their own taste, and the response was quite good. She can continue to do so in the future.

It was probably just psychological, but Lu Qiong felt that the kitchen in her new home was much better than her old one. The chimney in Shangyuan Village was often clogged, especially on rainy days, when the smoke would fill the surroundings and often choke her. However, it might also be because it was a relatively new place, but in any case, cooking had been going smoothly for the past few days.

Just a few steps from the kitchen, you can see the courtyard. Xue'er had woken up early and was lying on the blue bricks enjoying the cool air, her fluffy tail following along on the ground, looking very content.

Lu Qiong smiled and poured a spoonful of water into its bowl. She then stroked its fur, which was much smoother than before. After stroking the dog a few more times, she prepared breakfast.

Zongzi are called "jiaoshu" here. They are mostly triangular in shape, wrapped in bamboo leaves, and tied with hemp rope. According to custom, zongzi are eaten for breakfast, but they ate too much meat yesterday, and glutinous rice is not easy to digest, so it's better to eat something light.

Lu Qiong planned to cook some porridge. First, she rinsed the rice and poured the drained rice water into an empty container, which could be used to wash clothes and remove grime. The most inconvenient thing about living in Bianjing was that there was no well in the courtyard, and they had to walk a few steps to fetch water from outside. Fortunately, they lived by the river, and she couldn't imagine how hard it would be to carry buckets for miles.

Soon the rice was added to the pot along with a little salt. After stirring it well, it was placed on a rack on top, and then a few washed eggs were placed on top. The eggs laid by Big Yellow and Little Yellow had long been eaten. These were the ones she bought yesterday on a whim. They were two for one coin, and since they weren't expensive, she spent the money to buy thirty, enough to last her for a while.

More and more neighbors went out, and Lu Xuan got up as well. After washing up, she came over to help make pastries.

To retain customers, Lu Qiong went to great lengths. The previous mung bean cake and Guanghan cake were nothing special. Today, she added yam cake with jujube paste and red bean paste fillings. Steaming only required starting a fire, but the preparation work beforehand was complicated.

Lu Qiong's culinary skills have improved significantly. Yesterday at Xiangguo Temple, some people mistook her for a cook and asked if she could work for their family. She naturally refused; working for someone else is nothing compared to being your own boss. However, she feigned regret and offered some reasons before politely declining.

Lu Xuan was in charge of removing the pits from the red dates, filling a small bowl, mashing them into a paste, adding oil and glutinous rice flour, and kneading them into smooth little balls. The same was done with the red bean paste.

"The porridge in the pot should be cooked. Go and take a look." Lu Qiong's subordinate was still pressing yam paste, adding cooked glutinous rice flour and mixing it well. The mixture was then divided into two portions: one with jujube paste filling and the other with red bean paste filling. They were then pressed into molds to shape the porridge.

Mung bean cake and osmanthus cake are not difficult to make, and she knows them by heart, they have become muscle memory for her. Because of the Dragon Boat Festival, she made more than she needed.

With the addition of jujube paste and yam cake, and red bean and yam cake, four food boxes were quickly filled. Each food box had two layers and could hold about twenty servings of pastries. Each serving cost five coins, and if they were all sold out, they would earn four hundred coins. Sour plum drink also cost five coins per serving.

Lu Qiong chuckled to herself; her stall could be renamed "Five Yuan Store."

However, she used only medium to high-quality materials, so the cost had to be halved, and the remaining amount was the profit. If firewood and rent were included, the cost would have to be reduced even further.

The plum juice was quickly cooked, and Lu Qiong divided it into several containers to cool. Then she saw Lu Xuan sprinkle some osmanthus flowers on the porridge, filling the room with fragrance.

The two sat around the eight-immortal table, ate their porridge, and then went out to set up their stall.

These days, Jinniang sets up her stall late, and the streets are already quite crowded: vendors hawking their wares, boatmen unloading goods at the dock, and pedestrians watching the dragon boat races from the bridge...

She had eaten breakfast before arriving, and she brought Shuang'er with her. Shuang'er had fully recovered from her illness and was able to go out for some fresh air. She was now helping to hold the load, and although she couldn't really help, she was straining with her face flushed, imitating the boatmen shouting, "One, two, lift!"

"Stay close to your mother, don't get separated." Jinniang was also carrying the load with difficulty; she had made an extra slab of tofu today, making it quite heavy.

Shuangjie clutched Jinniang's hem and replied softly, "Okay." She had a round face, a red flower rope tied in her hair, and a "longevity thread" woven by Jinniang with five-colored silk threads around her neck. Her hair was tied in two buns on either side, making her look like a little fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

Longjin Bridge connects the inner city and the outer city, so the flow of people is endless, and the cries of vendors rise and fall in turn.

Lu Qiong handed the packaged pastries to the customer: "Sir, this is fifteen coins in total. Please take your time."

"Sister, when will the dragon boat races start?" Lu Xuan asked, taking a small bite of a zongzi. She was still craving zongzi after eating the porridge, and couldn't resist pestering Lu Qiong for a serving when they passed a zongzi stall.

This shop makes a wide variety of zongzi, including not only horn-shaped zongzi but also cone-shaped and tube-shaped zongzi. The fillings are also diverse, mostly sweet, such as candied fruit, fruit, bayberry, red bean, and ginkgo fillings.

Lu Xuan chose the one with candied fruit inside. One bite and the fruit was sweet and fragrant. The soft and sticky glutinous rice was sandwiched with chewy candied fruit, making it so delicious that she couldn't stop eating it.

Lu Qiong didn't skimp on herself and bought a red bean filling. She hadn't seen zongzi with meat filling before, probably because they weren't popular. She had been busy collecting money all morning and hadn't had a chance to try it yet. When she had a moment to spare, she replied to Lu Xuan, "Sister, I don't know either, but seeing more and more people coming to both sides of the river, it's probably coming soon."

Jinniang arrived just then. The two were busy setting up their stalls and didn't have time to chat, but they nodded to each other as a way of exchanging greetings.

As May arrives, people are growing to love drinks even more. In just over a month, they will be able to use ice, and there will be even more beverage stalls. Even restaurants and shops will start selling drinks. Lu Qiong's business may not be as good as it is now, but there's no need to worry for now.

She sold most of the plum juice shortly after setting up her stall today, which was better than she had expected. In the blink of an eye, she sold several more servings, along with a few pastries. Lu Qiong covered one of the food boxes and put it in her basket.

The people of the Song Dynasty loved sweets so much that few people bought the light-colored Guanghan cake, while the cloyingly sweet red bean and yam cake and the jujube paste cake were very popular and sold out immediately.

Even the sour plum drink needed extra sugar. One young man added nearly ten pieces of rock sugar, which startled Lu Qiong quite a bit. After that, she stopped letting customers add sugar themselves and set a fixed amount of three to five pieces per person, otherwise her sugar would run out in no time.

Their stall was near the bridge, and even craning their necks, they could see dragon boats not far away, six or seven lined up side by side, each adorned with colorful flags and red lanterns. During the dragon boat races, drums thundered and waves splashed, creating a magnificent scene. The dragon boats raced fiercely, only to be overtaken again just as they took the lead, leaving the onlookers on the edge of their seats.

The bridge was packed with people, and Lu Xuan abandoned her stall to join in the fun, shouting along with the crowd. Shuang Jie'er saw this and insisted on going too, so Jin Niang, worried that she would get separated from the group, coaxed her and even bought her a candied hawthorn.

After the dragon boat race ended, the crowd gradually dispersed. Lu Qiong did not forget to promote her sour plum drink during the race, and now there was not a drop left. Just as she was happy, she saw that there were still four or five pieces of Guanghan cake left. She and Lu Xuan were tired of eating them, so they shared them with Shuang Jie'er.

Shuangjie held a candied hawthorn in her left hand and a pastry in her right. Her lips were smeared with sugar, and every time she ate a pastry, a white ring appeared around her mouth, making passersby laugh. They were all happy to buy a serving of tofu from Jinniang. Lu Xuan came down from the bridge, and Lu Qiong packed up her stall, covered it with the wooden lid, stacked the bowls, and was about to leave.

Jinniang took the opportunity to grab her hand and lowered her voice: "Be very careful when you go to the Pei family. Their new wife, Yang Sanniang, is a gossip. Don't let her see you, or she'll spread rumors everywhere."

It's easy for trouble to arise between men and women, and Lu Qiong understands this principle, but she is still grateful that Jin Niang is willing to say a few words to her. She smiled and said, "I know, thank you Jin Niang."

“Young Master Pei is good too,” Jinniang sighed. “He’s cold-hearted, but warm-hearted. He used to work as a porter at the docks and even helped my husband. It’s just that his eyes are too fierce and he speaks coldly. Otherwise, with his skills, he could have taken on apprentices and opened a shop.”

Lu Qiong nodded in agreement again, waved goodbye to Shuang Jie'er, and joined the group crossing the bridge.

On the way back, she bought fish, but because of the festival, the price had increased by five coins. Lu Qiong felt that she would be missing out if she didn't raise the price today.

"Young lady, you are still too naive."

The fishmonger scraped scales with a knife, chuckling, "There are so many people during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's not just people living in Bianjing who come to watch the dragon boat races; many people from outside the city also come. The inns are packed these days, and the brothels and theaters are full. We're not worried about making money. Even if you sell it for a high price, people will still buy it."

Lu Qiong thought to himself that he was a shrewd merchant, but on the surface he smiled and took the straw rope for hanging fish, and asked Lu Xuan to give him twenty-five coins.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard an argument behind me, accompanied by the sound of things breaking: "This is a shop that my mother bought with most of her savings. I can sell it or close it down whenever I want."

Seeing Lu Qiong staring intently at the shop across the street, the fishmonger sharpened his knife and said, "They used to sell soup dumplings, and their skills were excellent. But fate had other plans. The young lady's mother fell ill recently, and all sorts of relatives came out of nowhere to try and take over the shop from her."

Lu Qiong was puzzled: "Isn't there a legal contract? Their tantrums here are probably in vain."

"Hmph," the fishmonger slammed down his knife in frustration. "What's the use? They're making a scene all day long, making it impossible to do business. They cause trouble every few days, affecting us as well. The young lady's mother will need money in the future. Right now, she's holding on with the savings she accumulated over the years, but living in the city means spending more money every day. Sooner or later, she'll be starving. The young lady also has to take care of her mother, so she can't open the shop. She'll have to rent it out, but with her relatives causing such a ruckus, who would dare to take it over?"

The argument was still going on on the street. Lu Qiong pulled Lu Xuan's sleeve and walked towards a less crowded place. She still had to go to the Pei family to have a small cart custom-made, and she didn't know if she would run into Yang San Niang.

A note from the author:

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During the Song Dynasty, sweet rice dumplings were more popular; it seems that meat rice dumplings became more fashionable during the Ming Dynasty, but that's just a fictional story. [rainbow fart]

New Year's Day and the Spring Festival aren't over yet, and I'm already thinking about eating zongzi for the Dragon Boat Festival! [Sprinkling flowers]