Chapter 75 Dried Vegetables [First Update]

On the first day of school after the holiday, Wen Fan carried two huge paper bags. He didn't use plastic bags because he felt that plastic bags would trap moisture and make the sesame cakes lose their texture, so paper bags were better.

The large paper bag contained two items: one bag contained fresh meat sesame cakes, and the other bag contained persimmon and osmanthus cakes.

Wen's mother got up early to find clothes for her daughter and urged her to go out as soon as possible.

"The weather doesn't look too good, so I put a folding umbrella in your backpack. If it rains heavily after class, wait a while before coming out."

Wen Fan hummed in agreement, looking at herself in the mirror with a touch of vanity. Several months had passed, and perhaps because she had spent so much time with people her own age, Wen Fan had developed a bit of an aesthetic sense when it came to clothes.

The orange-yellow windbreaker was something Wen's mother hadn't originally intended to buy for her, but Wen's mother noticed it only after she looked at it several times with reluctance. Thus, after various styles of dresses, Wen Fan's wardrobe welcomed coats of various colors.

With a pair of sneakers on her feet and her hands full, Wen Fan walked briskly to school.

As Wen Fan approached the school gate, he looked back and saw that his stall was among a group of breakfast stalls. Although there wasn't a long queue, there were seven or eight students gathered there, which meant that business was good.

Wen Fan felt relieved and went into the classroom with two bags of sesame cakes.

As soon as Wen Fan entered the class, his classmates were like weasels in an animal documentary, suddenly raising their heads at the sound of movement, their eyes fixed on his hands.

After a brief silence, it became as noisy as a vegetable market.

"I knew Wen Fan wouldn't lie, hahaha, luckily I didn't eat breakfast this morning."

"La la la, persimmon cakes! I can already smell them!"

"Don't fight over it, let the class monitor distribute it!"

"I'll take it! I'll take it!"

The squad leader rushed forward and took the paper bag from Wen Fan.

"I'll divide it! I'll divide it!"

Wen Fan handed over the items, kindly reminding, "There's not much; it's just enough for the number of people who went the day before yesterday."

Mornings are so rushed! This morning, my parents went to the stall together and started cooking ten minutes early to make two batches of sesame cakes. The two batches were made according to the number of people, not a single one more.

The class monitor enthusiastically distributed the pancakes, and soon the classroom was filled with the rich aroma of sesame seed cakes.

Those who received the sesame seed cakes couldn't wait to start eating them, taking a bite of sweet and a bite of savory. Compared to the sesame seed cakes on the market, Wen Fan's sesame seed cakes were a bit smaller and thinner, but the taste was undeniable.

The persimmon cakes, in particular, are sweet and delicious, with peanut, sesame, brown sugar, and osmanthus flavors that are sweet but not cloying.

"Mmm...so sweet."

"Wow, it smells so good and tastes so sweet, I love it!"

"Hey, hey, hey, why do you all love sweets so much? Fresh meat sesame cakes are clearly tastier."

"Exactly, the meat is very flavorful, and you can't taste any scallions or ginger in it."

You know, he hates scallions and ginger the most, and he picks them out bit by bit when he eats. But this meat filling is so delicious that you can't feel anything other than meat in it. Take a bite and look inside along the opening, and you can see a whole meat patty. There isn't much filling, but it's very juicy, and it's not greasy at all.

More than half of the class were eating pancakes and exchanging their preferences, leaving the rest of the class feeling both regretful and annoyed.

There were many people here who were close to Fu Chuan. Some of the more shameless ones went to ask their friends for pancakes, while others kept a straight face, thinking to themselves, "It's just a pancake, who cares?" But even so, their ears were perked up more than anyone else's, and their minds were filled with thoughts of pancakes, pancakes, pancakes...

Jin Rui was one of them. He had long ago made up his mind never to eat anything from Wen Fan's family, but as he sat there, the aroma of the sesame seed cakes wafted in and permeated his nostrils.

"...This is so annoying! Don't you guys have any sense of public decency? Eating in the classroom, don't you mind the smell? It's just a rotten pancake! Haven't you ever eaten a pancake before?!"

Jin Rui slammed the book on the table and loudly berated everyone.

Jin Rui's personality is characterized by his sharp tongue. However, he used to be sarcastic towards the shy boys or girls in the class, often making them cry, and he was fearless about it.

But today, when Jin Rui said that, the atmosphere in the class froze, and soon someone retorted. Han Lulu spoke first, followed by Qin He and several other girls.

"Who are you calling inconsiderate? If you don't want your mouth, donate it to a public toilet. Stop spewing nonsense all day long!"

"You can't even get a rotten pancake, so why are you worrying about it!"

"Let's go outside, so that no one will be jealous. It's a pity he'll never get to eat this in his life."

Han Lulu carried her own sesame seed cake and reached out with her other hand to pull Wen Fan.

Wen Fan, holding his English book, glanced silently at Han Lulu.

Han Lulu: "It's so annoying. I wish the final exams would come soon so that some of these foul-mouthed people could get out of our class."

Wen Fan: ...You speak with great force, don't let your hand shake!

Han Lulu excitedly pulled Wen Fan along, forcing herself to stare at Jin Rui. Jin Rui glared at her, and she glared back defiantly, rolling her eyes to show her disdain.

After walking quite a distance, Wen Fan noticed that Han Lulu let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping.

Most of the students came out and gathered under the trees outside the classroom, happily eating pancakes.

A little while later, Fang Weiyue also came out, holding two mooncakes and eating them alone a short distance away.

Qin He mumbled as she ate the sesame seed cake, "I never thought the persimmons we ate the day before yesterday could be cooked like this."

To be honest, when we saw the ten baskets of persimmons at Wen Fan's feet at the village entrance, everyone had the same reaction: how are we going to eat so many persimmons!

I didn’t expect Wen Fan’s family to find the recipe so quickly. This persimmon cake tastes just as good as the signature products of some popular online stores. Especially when eaten hot, it’s sweet, fragrant and crispy. If you put it in a tourist attraction and it doesn’t sell for more than ten yuan, you’d be losing money!

He Yuzhen was also stunned. She ate while wondering, "Is this really the Lou family's persimmon?"

It's fake!

If persimmons are this delicious, then what about all the persimmons that the Lou family hasn't had time to sell over the years?

He Yuzhen squeezed in front of Wen Fan, who was reciting his lessons.

"Wen Fan, how long do you plan to sell your persimmon cakes?"

Wen Fan didn't even look up: "Sell until we can't supply the raw materials anymore. By then it will probably be cold, so we'll bring in new products."

He Yuzhen: "...The Lou family's persimmons?"

“Oh,” Wen Fan turned a page of the book, “Our family has taken care of it all, it’s just being delivered in batches.”

He Yuzhen was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, and the classmates around her who heard Wen Fan's words also looked at Wen Fan.

The day before yesterday, everyone knew that the family couldn't sell their persimmons, but apart from sighing a few times and thinking about donating money to the family, no one knew what else they could do.

However, Wen Fan took the initiative to come up with a way to break the deadlock for the other party.

Looking back on my previous misunderstandings about Wen Fan, they all seem so shallow now.

What kind of person is Jin Rui? Everyone knows he has a foul mouth, yet it's this kind of person who makes everyone hate Wen Fan.

Then think about Fu Chuan. He's supposed to be from a wealthy family, but we've been classmates for over a year, and I've never seen him help anyone.

Yes, we can't use moral blackmail. Fu Chuan's family has money, and it's their own. But being led astray by Jin Rui, criticizing Wen Fan, and then looking up to Fu Chuan in a higher regard now seems shameful.

"...Wen Fan, if you're too busy at home, you can ask us for help."

He Yuzhen spoke softly.

As if a switch had been flipped, the others also said they were free over the weekend and would be willing to go if Wen Fan's family needed them.

Wen Fan: "...No need, my family can manage."

As the college students once again left home like migratory birds, Wen's parents breathed a sigh of relief.

Other shops near the school gate are deserted on holidays and weekends, but this shop is always busy on holidays.

Especially with Yang Tao's live stream during this holiday, the store's reputation has soared, and it's expected that many people will come to visit on weekends from now on.

The Wen family now runs a small food stall outside and a shop inside, occasionally adding new dishes depending on Wen Fan's mood. With Wen Fan's parents and Yao Qingqin, the three of them are busy but manage to get by.

Wen Fan thanked his classmates for their kindness, then glanced at his watch and realized class was about to start.

"Eat quickly, there are only eight minutes left."

The group of people, who were cherishing each bite, quickly stuffed the food into their mouths after hearing this.

As the bell rang, everyone entered the classroom. Jin Rui, who had been keeping an eye on Wen Fan, suddenly noticed...

It seems like Wen Fan is more popular when we go out for breakfast!

Not only Han Lulu, but everyone else also greeted Wen Fan warmly and friendly.

Jin Rui was furious, so she secretly went to see Fu Chuan again.

Fu Chuan was looking at Fang Weiyue.

Fang Weiyue rarely eats this much. Her family has controlled her figure since she was a child. She had to learn dance and piano. If she gained a little weight, she would have to go hungry for two meals to get back to normal.

This was the second time she had tasted Wen Fan's cooking.

Fang Weiyue's act of going out with her classmates without telling her family the day before yesterday was already a rare act of rebellion.

Especially when they were eating and drinking on the mountain, everyone was worried that she would have a conflict with Wen Fan at first. But once the food was ready, no one cared about that anymore. The girls and boys fought over the ribs and chicken in the pot, laughing and pushing the burnt meat around, and then scrambling to eat the ones that weren't burnt.

Fang Weiyue was so full by the end that her stomach was really uncomfortable. When she got home, she lied and said that she had a stomachache. She didn't eat anything that night or the next morning, which made her stomach feel better.

This morning, the class monitor gave her two sesame seed cakes. Fang Weiyue didn't want to take them at first, but she eventually did. The rich aroma made her come out involuntarily, and she ate both cakes outside.

Fang Weiyue knew that Fu Chuan was looking at her.

She could certainly sense the doubt in Fu Chuan's eyes.

but……

Fang Weiyue quietly hiccuped.

When she was full, she didn't want to think about anything.

Some say that you can touch the sky when you go to the plateau, while others say that it's because the air is thin at high altitudes and you feel dizzy from altitude sickness, so of course the sky feels very close.

That's what Fang Weiyue is thinking now.

Faced with altitude sickness from food, she preferred to believe that she was closer to the sky.

****

Lou Da and Feng Huijuan started sorting persimmons early in the morning.

Lou Heng and Lou Yue have both been sent to school. Last night, the two children were even more excited than their parents, jumping around on the freshly dried quilt. Lou Heng is thirteen or fourteen years old, and he even brought his younger sister along.

"Does that lady really want to buy all the persimmons from our family?"

After Lou Yue asked her parents for the nth time and received an affirmative answer, she clutched her chest and squinted her eyes.

"I'm so happy..."

How happy is it?

Lou Yue waved her arms, forming a round ball.

"It looks like a balloon!"

If we don't keep an eye on her, she's going to fly away!

Feng Huijuan's forehead wrinkles have loosened considerably as she watches her children playfully antics with a smile.

That's great, even better than she imagined.

If all the persimmons in the family can be sold gradually, it will bring in at least 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. The proprietress also said that she would buy other mountain products as well.

Feng Huijuan and her husband spent the whole night reluctant to sleep, discussing what they could sell.

The more I think about it, the more plausible it seems.

"We still have some yams that haven't been dug up yet. Go back up the mountain and check on them, keeping track of the time."

"Didn't Old Zhu's family lease a lotus pond? Go and harvest some lotus roots in a while, and remember to pick the good ones."

"Oh right, go ask the landlady tomorrow if she wants pork."

Lou Da: "Yes, the pork here is good. We'll take some pictures of our two pigs and show them to people. If they think it's good, we won't send any more to the pork shops at the end of the year."

Feng Huijuan hugged her husband's arm and said, "I can't believe it, you pinched me."

"...You actually pinched me!"

Feng Huijuan patted her husband a few times, then laughed.

very nice.

"Let's go together tomorrow."

It's my first time making a delivery, so I should at least go and meet the person in charge.

Early in the morning, Feng Huijuan not only packed up the persimmons she had selected, but also wandered around the house trying to deliver something to someone. However, the house was bare, and after searching around, she could only find dried vegetables that were drying in the sun.

Feng Huijuan gritted her teeth. "It's a small gift but a big sentiment. It's never wrong to give a lot of gifts. I'll take it!"

The two of them carried their loads on a shoulder pole, took a bus, and got off at the intersection near Qunying Middle School.

Following the address given by Wen's mother, they quickly found the shop.

"Hello, we're here to deliver persimmons."