Chapter 3: I don't want to live a single day without money while running my stall...

market.

Lin Yao looked at the bustling crowd and the stalls on both sides, considering what she wanted to buy. Lin Song tugged at his sister's sleeve, curiously observing the surrounding scene.

He had never left the village since he could remember, nor had he ever met so many people. Seeing such a bustling market all of a sudden made him a little nervous.

Upon seeing the sugar figurine stall, Lin Song unconsciously slowed his pace, swallowed hard, and quietly loosened his grip on his sister's clothes, wanting to take a look at the bright yellow sugar figurines. But as soon as he lifted his foot, the stall owner glanced at him, and he immediately pulled his hand back, his face turning bright red, and then tightly gripped Lin Yao's clothes again.

Lin Yao keenly sensed Lin Song's nervousness and sighed. The child was pitiful, but in this difficult world, it was good enough to have enough to eat. She bent down and whispered in Lin Song's ear, "When Second Sister earns money, she will buy it for Song'er."

Lin Song's eyes lit up again when he heard this: "Great! Second Sister will earn lots and lots of copper coins to buy sugar figurines for Song'er!"

Lin Yao nodded, which was considered an agreement.

After comforting the little one, Lin Yao continued to plan what she needed to buy.

She had been thinking that if she could use a modern griddle that could heat the pancakes evenly, it would be quicker and better to make them.

After inquiring around, she learned that a small iron plate, no bigger than the palm of her hand, cost eighty coins, far exceeding their budget. Though disappointed, she had no choice but to give up and use a pot from home as a substitute.

If you can't afford the hardware, you still need to prepare the software.

When making pancakes, flour is the key.

White flour is a refined grain and is much more expensive than whole grains. However, if you want to make food that can attract customers and leave them wanting more, you must make a lot of initial investments.

She followed Lin Cheng to the grain shop, which was piled high with all kinds of grains: golden millet, dark brown rice, and the white flour she had been longing for.

Lin Song followed his sister closely, looking at the white flour. He couldn't help but reach out and poke the bag, leaving a small fingerprint. He looked around in alarm, and only after confirming that no one was paying attention did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

After asking the price, Lin Yao gritted her teeth and took out thirty coins to buy a small bag of flour.

Just as Lin Yao was about to leave, she saw a tall young man pestering the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, give me a discount! I bought fifty catties of flour! If you give me a discount of one coin per catty, I'll buy from you again next time!"

Xu Zhiheng had been pestering the shopkeeper for a quarter of an hour, and having already spent all the money for the grain, he could only try to negotiate a lower price.

"No, I can only offer a discount of half a coin per pound, making it twenty-five coins. Any more and I won't do business with you!" the shopkeeper said irritably.

The young man wasn't annoyed at all. He happily bowed and thanked him, showering him with compliments as if they were free. "Thank you so much, shopkeeper. With such a kind heart, you will surely have abundant wealth, a thriving business that will reach all corners of the world, and customers that will flock to your shop. Your shop will become famous far and wide."

Everyone likes to hear nice words. The shopkeeper, who was originally quite impatient, was now coaxed into a smile by his series of words. He raised his hand and waved it, saying, "You rascal, you really will do anything to save a few copper coins."

Xu Zhiheng replied nonchalantly, "Shopkeeper, you flatter me!"

This was the first time Lin Yao had witnessed the ancient people's bargaining techniques. She watched for a while before pulling Lin Song out of the grain shop.

Next, I need to buy pork fat.

There's very little lard left from cooking at home. To make crispy and delicious chive and egg pancakes, lard is essential.

She led Lin Cheng to the pork counter and bought a piece of pork fat of a suitable size for twenty coins.

As for eggs, we have enough saved up at home, so we won't buy any more this time.

After buying the necessities, it was still early, so Lin Yao decided to go up the mountain to pick some more chives. "Brother, I want to go up the mountain to pick some more chives."

Lin Cheng was somewhat worried: "I'll go with you; it's not safe for you to go alone."

Lin Yao smiled and waved her hand: "Brother, you still need to take these things home. I'll be right at the foot of the mountain, I won't go any further in, I'll be back soon."

Upon hearing that his sister was going up the mountain, Lin Song excitedly said, "Second sister, I'll go too! I can help find some chives!"

Lin Yao patted her younger brother's round head, "Okay, Song'er, let's go together."

Lin Song nodded, the little tuft of hair on his head bobbing as he followed closely behind Lin Yao.

After handing the contents of their baskets to Lin Cheng, the siblings headed down the mountain.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Lin Yao squatted down to search for chives. Lin Song followed her sister's example, carefully squatting down with wide eyes as he rummaged through the grass.

Suddenly, he spotted a clump of tender green and was so excited he almost shouted out loud. He quickly covered his mouth with his little hand and whispered, "Second Sister, there's one here!"

Lin Yao turned her head and saw that there were indeed several tender chives. She smiled and praised, "Song'er has a good eye!"

The siblings put the picked chives into their baskets, and soon both baskets were full of fresh chives.

Lin Yao stood up, patted the dirt off her hands, and said, "This is enough. Let's go home!"

Lin Song followed Lin Yao's example, brushing the dirt off his hands before following his sister home, humming a tuneless little tune all the way.

Back home, Lin Yao didn't stop for a moment. She first dumped all the chives from her basket into the yard, then carefully picked through them, removing wilted leaves and weeds. She then washed them repeatedly in a basin of water until each stalk was clean. After draining the water, the washed chives were neatly arranged in a vegetable basket.

Then, she carefully poured the small bag of flour onto the cutting board, and a small wisp of soft white smoke rose from the flour.

Lin Yao used her hands to dig a small hole in the middle of the flour pile, cracked in a few eggs, and then slowly poured in an appropriate amount of water. She skillfully and gently stirred the dough, and soon the batter had a smooth and even texture.

Lin Song watched his sister busy at work and wanted to help, but he was afraid of causing trouble, so he could only stand aside and keep his eyes on his sister's movements.

Lin Yao saw through Lin Song's thoughts and said with a smile, "Song'er, can you help your sister watch the fire and make sure it doesn't go out?"

Lin Song nodded hurriedly, ran to the stove and sat down, staring intently at the flames inside.

Lin Cheng then took over the job of cutting pork fat. He worked quickly and efficiently, cutting the pork fat into small, even pieces in a few strokes. He then put the small pieces of pork fat into the pot, ready to render the oil.

As the temperature rises, the water in the pot begins to boil, and the pork fat sizzles and rolls in the water.

Gradually, the moisture evaporated, the pork fat began to melt, and the transparent oil slowly seeped out, gathering into a small pool of oil at the bottom of the pot.

Lin Cheng stirred the pork fat in the pot from time to time with a spoon. Before long, the pork fat in the pot turned into golden cracklings, and a rich aroma filled the air.

Lin Song swallowed hard, gulping down his saliva repeatedly.

Lin Cheng carefully poured the rendered lard into an earthenware pot, while the remaining cracklings emitted an enticing aroma. He picked up a strainer, scooped out the cracklings, and placed them in a bowl to cool slightly.

Lin Song's eyes were glued to the pork cracklings, and he sniffed them with his little nose: "Brother, it smells so good!"

Seeing his younger brother like this, Lin Cheng felt a pang of sadness.

Before the family was divided, Grandpa always favored Uncle's family, giving them the best of everything. They even got a few pieces of pork cracklings when Dad was still alive, but after he passed away, they all ended up in the stomachs of the eldest son's family.

Lin Cheng picked up the pork cracklings and put them into a small bowl. "Little brother and sister, eat up. I'll make it for you again in the future."

Lin Song's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to grab a piece and put it in his mouth. The crispy texture spread between his teeth, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth. He mumbled, "It's so delicious, brother, you should have some too."

Lin Cheng patted his head and picked up a piece himself.

Lin Yao picked up a piece of pork crackling and put it in her mouth. It was crispy, fragrant, and oily. It was a pity that there was no white sugar here, otherwise it would be even more delicious to eat it with white sugar.

After eating the pork cracklings, the three siblings continued working until evening, when they finally had everything they needed for their stall the next day ready.

Looking at the prepared ingredients laid out in the yard, Lin Yao felt a sense of peace.

The next day at dawn, while the sky was still a faint dark blue, Lin Yao and Lin Cheng got up early.

They tiptoed to the water vat in the yard, scooped up some well water, and washed themselves.

After washing up, Lin Cheng went to the kitchen to cook brown rice and wild vegetable porridge. The porridge in the pot was steaming, emitting a faint bitterness from the wild vegetables. There was also much less brown rice than yesterday, after all, the family had spent most of their savings on the things to set up their stall.

After making breakfast, Lin Yao walked to Song'er's bedside, gently pulled him out of bed, and said, "Song'er, it's time to get up. Today we're going to the dock to sell delicious chive and egg pancakes." Song'er rubbed his sleepy eyes, nodded groggily, and followed his sister out of bed.

After having breakfast and tidying up, Lin Cheng tied all the tools he would need for the food stall to the carrying pole, picked it up, and tested its weight.

Lin Yao carried a basket on her back, which contained the ingredients she had prepared the night before and the palm leaves she had washed and prepared the day before.

She saw many vendors using palm leaves and reeds to wrap food on the road, so she asked Lin Cheng to pick some to wrap food. Lin Yao originally wanted to cut some oil paper to wrap food like in TV dramas, but she found out that paper was not cheap in ancient times. She was penniless now, so of course she wanted to save money wherever possible.

After getting ready, Lin Yao took her younger brother's hand and headed towards the dock next to the village with Lin Cheng.

A note from the author:

----------------------

Please add this to your favorites! [purple heart]