Chapter 128 Eating Persimmons Persimmons are delicious

"This rain, it just won't stop..."

Around nine o'clock in the morning, a small, somewhat mournful sound came from the living room window.

The continuous rainy days made He Meng feel a chill even when holding a small cup of hot water, so she quickly wrapped her small blanket tighter around herself.

Even though I was wearing two thick skirts and thick stockings and felt warm, the gloomy weather gave me a chilling feeling from the inside out.

Bai Su sat beside her, also cupping her peach-shaped face and sighing:

"I wonder how Xuecao is doing out there?"

"She knows the way and can read, she must have found your little tree hole a long time ago, don't worry."

He Meng reached forward, stepped over the small persimmons from the small plate on the small wooden table, took a piece of black sesame and walnut cake the size of a sugar cube, and began to chew it with squinted eyes.

The sesame seeds and walnuts smell wonderful, and the texture is soft and chewy—it's so delicious!

"...Yes, I also think she should be fine."

Bai Su, wrapped in a small blanket, stood up, ignored the small persimmons on the plate, picked up a small piece of dried pear, and slowly ate it.

It's getting cold, and there's no sun, so even fruit feels a bit chilly. I can only eat some dried fruit.

The two little ones chewed on their snacks with their cheeks puffed out, while looking out the window.

He Meng: "Dao Ya and the others...why do they still plant vegetables even when it's raining?"

Bai Su: "It's raining, but the plants are still growing!"

He Meng: "It's raining quite heavily outside, you must be having a tough time."

Bai Su: "Luckily, they're wearing raincoats, so they shouldn't get wet."

Under the continuous drizzle, rice sprouts, quartz, orange leaves... all dressed in disposable raincoats made of plastic bags, diligently caring for each lettuce seedling in the thick, dense rain.

However, as the rain intensified, they soon returned to their warm home.

After taking off their wet raincoats, Daoya and Juye changed their clothes and wrapped themselves in soft little blankets before heading to the relaxation area under the windowsill.

The two of them took small cups, poured some hot water from the thermos on the windowsill, and then sat down in the empty seats next to Bai Su and He Meng. The little ones sat in a circle around the small wooden table.

"Ugh, this rain just won't stop!"

As soon as Daoya swallowed a mouthful of hot water, she began to complain.

Juye didn't complain about this. Her stamina wasn't as good as Daoya's. She felt that all the energy in her small body had been burned up in the rain, and she was really exhausted!

Holding the steaming cup, she ignored the small persimmon cakes beside her, picked up a piece of ginger and jujube candy the size of a candy bean from the table, put it in her mouth, and then took a sip of hot water. Instantly, a warm and sweet feeling spread throughout her body, her face gradually turned rosy, and her big eyes became brighter.

"Mmm, ginger and jujube candy is really good."

Over there, He Meng, who had already eaten and drunk her fill, was full of energy, chattering away, and quickly shifted from the weather to gossip:

"Hey, don't you guys think Ning Jia seems to have changed lately?"

Inagi immediately nodded and said, "I think so! She's been acting really strange lately!"

Bai Su and Ju Ye didn't speak, but they both nodded.

He Meng has been observing Ning Jia a lot these past few days, and now he speaks with great insight:

“In the past, Ning Jia wanted to take care of everything at home, but recently, apart from cooking, she seems to care less about other things.”

Inayama also said:

“Yes, yes, she suddenly asked me before if I wanted to be the team leader of the sachet packaging group. Although I am very strong, Ning Jia did all of this herself before.”

"She had no choice, right?" Ju Ye guessed. "She was sick recently and is still very weak."

"The clan chief said that illnesses usually come on quickly but leave slowly. Ning Jia must still have some lingering illness to cause this."

But when she thought back to Ning Jia's lively and rosy appearance, she couldn't quite convince herself.

He Meng, the part-time kitchen helper who witnessed Ning Jia flipping a wok in the kitchen, blinked and decisively shook her head, saying:

“Ning Jia is not weak at all; she is very strong.”

Ju Ye recalled Ning Jia's feat of lifting a large cardboard box with one hand while packing that morning, and she was speechless.

Bai Su then said, "Regardless of whether Ning Jia is weak or not, there are many things that she shouldn't have to do entirely. We should do what we can ourselves."

“However, He Meng’s words also make sense,” she said thoughtfully. “Ning Jia has indeed been acting a bit strange lately.”

"I always felt that she seemed to want to gradually reduce the time she spent on the sachet business."

He then gave an example:

“Recently, she has started to let the planning team work independently, saying that she will not participate in the discussion unless there are special circumstances, and that we will decide on the rest ourselves.”

"Also, she said she wanted me and Xuecao to manage the accounts together, so that we could manage our clan's money ourselves in the future."

She then looked at Inaya, "She suddenly put Inaya in charge of packing the boxes, which should mean the same thing."

"But weren't these things all handled by Ning Jia before?"

Bai Su nodded, "That's why I said she's weird."

"In short, the main point is that she seems to no longer want to manage Ning's sachets."

Real or fake? That can't be!

The little figures all stared wide-eyed.

"And that day, I also heard her talking to the clan leader about... something about a grain powder transfer contract?"

"It means that the money earned from selling sachets will no longer be split, and we will get the lion's share. She will only receive a small reward, which is her salary... However, the clan chief did not agree and said that we would discuss it after this winter."

No profit sharing, just a salary? What does that mean?

Everyone else was dumbfounded. "What is Ning Jia trying to do?"

...

At this moment, Ning Jia, who was sitting by the bedroom window doing accounts, also had a question in her mind:

What do I want to do in the future?

Since Ning Fang's health improved and she no longer needed to take expensive imported medicine, she never asked Ning Jia to transfer a single penny to her.

Now, in addition to her pension, Ning Fang also receives consulting fees for improving the dishes at other restaurants every month. Furthermore, since Wang Lin moved in, she has shared some of the daily expenses. Not only does she not have many expenses, but she can also save a lot of money, so she has no financial problems.

As for Ning Jia himself...

The rent for the apartment she's currently renting is still a long way off, and her daily expenses aren't high. With her spending habits, she could live comfortably for a year or two even if she did nothing and just spaced out all day.

As a result, she, who had been working hard to earn and save money, was at a loss and didn't know what to do next.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the more confused I get. In short, when you're feeling lost, just make more money. You can't go wrong."

No matter how confused she felt, there was one thing Ning Jia had to do before winter arrived: continue making and saving money with the little people to prepare for the upcoming winter.

...

The recent bad weather has been putting people in a bad mood, but unexpectedly, it has led to a second boom in the sales of sachets.

Due to excessive rainfall, mosquitoes are even more rampant in autumn than in summer, and mosquito repellent sachets are in short supply.

Due to the continuous rain, many people are feeling listless, but those who need to go to work still have to go to work, and those who need to study still have to study. So, the refreshing sachets have become their lifeline.

The "ugly-cute" series of sachets has unexpectedly continued to sell well.

After the cat and dog sachets were discontinued, customers lamented the extinction of the ugly cat and dog sachets. Some people even casually listed the cat and dog sachets on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace) and they were resold for two or three times the original price.

It was thought that the sales of sachets would decline as a result, but unexpectedly, Ning's Sachet's new model, the Ugly Duckling Sachet, which was launched in a low-key manner, became popular again, even more so than the cat and dog sachets!

It can only be said that people are fickle and easily bored, and this applies to sachets as well.

Orders started pouring in again, and the little people resumed their busy but happy work schedules.

At this moment, the little people are all sitting in the work area, wearing warm vests specially made of licorice and sappanwood, sitting together and carefully sewing various sachets.

Everyone gathered together to work. It wasn't cold, but some people regretted not listening to Ning Jia's advice to take fewer orders.

But what can be done?

Upon hearing that the Ugly Duckling was selling so well, everyone became greedy and couldn't help but want to earn more and more, hoping to make a big profit before winter. As a result, orders kept increasing.

Only then did they realize a truth: you can never earn all the money in the world, and greed only leads to suffering...

Fortunately, there are plenty of able-bodied men in the family. These orders look daunting, but when divided among everyone... it's still a staggering amount!

In short, thanks to the combined efforts of the little people, more than a hundred packages were sent out this morning alone, and Ning Jia spent an hour packing them.

Of course, such hard work paid off, and the profits were substantial, bringing in more than 20,000 yuan.

If this continues, the dwarfs' accounts will rise back to their previous all-time high.

According to Ning Jia, if they were frugal, this money would be enough for their family of over thirty to live comfortably for several winters.

When the little people realized this, they were both surprised and delighted, and the Ning family's sachet order processing speed slowed down.

...

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the autumn rain was still falling outside, and the little ones all went back to their rooms to sleep.

Now their lunch break has been extended from one and a half hours to two and a half hours, and they won't get up until they've had enough sleep.

This kind of rainy weather is indeed suitable for sleeping, but Ning Jia is the kind of person who can't take a nap for more than half an hour or she'll feel dizzy and lightheaded, so she woke up early, sat in the kitchen, listened to the soft sound of rain, and made herself a cup of coffee.

Why does this rain just keep going on and on?

Ning Jia frowned, also finding the awful weather of the past few days unbearable.

Since the weather is bad and there's no sunshine, we can only cheer everyone up with a delicious afternoon tea.

After finishing her coffee, Ning Jia put on an apron and her gaze fell on the pile of persimmons in the corner, which seemed to be more than enough to last forever. She began to plan the details of her afternoon tea.

The day after Ning Jia returned was actually a bright and sunny day.

But when they learned that the weather forecast predicted rain for the next week, the little people became nervous. Fruit picked on a rainy day wouldn't taste good. So everyone pitched in and spent half a day picking all the ripe persimmons from the persimmon tree.

The picked persimmons not only filled the small carts, but also took over Ningjia's dining table, making the table full of bright yellow lantern fruits.

The abundance of persimmons naturally made them a popular afternoon tea treat and snack.

However, while persimmons are delicious, eating too many can become cloying.

Yesterday afternoon, when Guoguo and Xingxing came to help in the kitchen, they saw Ningjia immediately grab a big persimmon, and the two little ones sighed in disappointment:

"Huh? Why are we eating persimmons again..."

Ning Jia couldn't help but chuckle. "What? Are you already tired of it?"

"Um, I never want to eat persimmons again."

"You really don't want to eat anymore?"

"It's true, everyone says so."

Remembering Guoguo's declaration that she "never wants to eat persimmons again," Ning Jia suddenly smiled slightly:

Don't want to eat persimmons anymore? That won't do! You must eat persimmons; eating more persimmons will bring you good fortune in everything!

...

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the little ones, having had enough sleep, started to wake up one after another.

Perhaps because they had slept for too long, everyone was a little hungry and rushed to the coffee table.

Afternoon tea, afternoon tea, they want to have afternoon tea~

When everyone climbed onto the coffee table and saw the neatly arranged persimmons in several large plates, they gasped in shock, their little faces filled with despair.

Good heavens! Why are there persimmons for afternoon tea again today?!

But since Ning Jia had worked so hard to prepare it, everyone felt bad about complaining and had to eat it anyway.

Everyone nudged and pushed each other, and soon He Meng was chosen by his friends to be the first to taste the persimmons today.

"Just eat them, it's no big deal. It's good enough to have persimmons to eat."

He Meng held up her little spoon, speaking casually, but actually frowning and struggling for a long time before hesitantly choosing a persimmon that looked plump. She walked forward, resolutely reaching out and pulling off the stem—

Huh?

He Meng's expression froze for a moment. This persimmon... something seems off!

What appears to be an ordinary persimmon actually hides a secret inside!

After removing the stem and the top of the persimmon skin, the cream inside the persimmon was revealed, leaving He Meng speechless with amazement.

"So? Are you satisfied with what you see?"

Ning Jia arrived unnoticed, arms crossed, and introduced with a smile:

"The one you picked is persimmon daifuku, with lots of cream on it, it should suit your taste very well."

He Meng immediately scooped some out with a spoon and tasted it, her eyes lighting up instantly:

"Wow, it really is! This daifuku is so delicious!"

Ning Jia smiled without saying a word.

The persimmon that He Meng picked looked like an ordinary persimmon at first glance. In fact, it was a whole persimmon that had been hollowed out, the persimmon flesh was chopped up and mixed with slightly sweet light cream, and then put back in to disguise it as a persimmon. It took her a lot of effort.

The other little figures also curiously gathered around, stretching out their eager little spoons, and soon they too let out joyful exclamations of praise:

"Wow, this is delicious!" "So good, so good, so good!" "It's absolutely delicious!"

The "persimmon flesh" inside these persimmons melts in your mouth, is chewy and soft, and even has a stringy texture. Although persimmons are still added, the flavor is completely different. It has a unique flavor compared to eating persimmons directly, which is really a pleasant surprise.

After discovering that "persimmon" didn't just refer to persimmons, everyone realized what was going on:

So these things that look like persimmons aren't actually persimmons! You should have said so earlier; you gave them quite a fright!

Seeing that He Meng had "opened" a delicious persimmon daifuku, the other little people also sprang into action, excitedly observing the persimmons that looked exactly the same. After choosing the ones they thought were good based on their intuition, they began a delightful culinary adventure.

Amidst laughter and cheers, the mysteries hidden inside the persimmons were revealed one by one.

Some persimmons contain smooth and delicious persimmon pudding, some contain crystal clear persimmon cake, some contain rich and creamy cheese and nut persimmon jam, and there are also persimmon egg tarts, cheese persimmon puree, and so on.

The little people kept exclaiming in surprise, each exclamation signifying that someone had discovered a new persimmon dessert.

This afternoon tea, with its mysterious atmosphere, is so interesting!

It's not only delicious, but also beautiful and incredibly fun!

Of all these, the last persimmon is the most eye-catching.

This persimmon was chosen and opened by Daoya. Inside the persimmon peel, instead of the previous snacks, were small persimmons, each as small as a pomegranate seed!

This immediately caused an uproar!

Although no one knew how Ning Jia made them, everyone held the perfectly sized persimmons in their little hands, their eyes wide with wonder.

Everyone commented, "This little persimmon is almost too cute!"

This "little persimmon" feels soft to the touch and smells sweet; it must be both cute and delicious!

This is a "mini persimmon" specially made by Ning Jia for the dwarfs, based on the size ratio of a giant and a persimmon, using persimmon juice and dough. It almost completely replicates the appearance of a persimmon and is very realistic. Only when you hold it in your hand will you realize that it is a fluffy little dough.

Everyone admired Ning Jia immensely. The little ones were so captivated by the tiny persimmon buns that they almost couldn't bear to eat them.

Bai Zhi picked up her easel and started painting quickly, while Yun Zhu had a sudden inspiration and led everyone to take some beautiful photos of the persimmons from various angles with their phones. After making a fuss for a while, everyone reluctantly ate the persimmons.

Meanwhile, Ning Jia had just uploaded the video she filmed while making desserts to her computer.

After all, she had spent a lot of time and effort today, taking an entire afternoon to make so many varieties of persimmon desserts.

Such exquisite results deserve to be photographed; it would be a disservice to all my hard work.

Since we've already taken the photos, why not...

Ning Jia casually opened a video editing software, did some simple editing, added some cute music and on-screen text, and then uploaded the video to a certain website.