Chapter 185 Divination of Good and Bad Fortune

The next batch would take a long time to arrive, so Zhang Qing'er hesitated for a moment, then broke the rice candy in half and handed it to the little child.

"Waaah, you're mean, sister! I want the whole piece!"

The little boy couldn't be soothed and continued to cry. He also had a younger brother, and if there was only half a portion, he wouldn't be able to eat more than a few bites before it was gone. He didn't want that!

"No, it's first come, first served. I still want to eat!"

Zhang Qing'er had no intention of bullying the little child; giving half was her biggest concession.

Seeing this, the baby cried even louder, making Lin Yuesha's head ache.

You can't reason with little kids. This little kid in front of you, still snotty-nosed, is only three or four years old. His parents are really carefree to let him go out alone.

"Sister Qing'er, give her the rice candy, and I'll make you something different, how about that?"

Lin Yuesha tried to discuss it with Zhang Qing'er, but Jiang Baozhu shook her head helplessly from the side.

"What's different?"

Hearing that there was something different, Zhang Qing'er immediately gave the rice candy to the baby, and the baby's crying stopped abruptly.

With the surroundings much quieter, Lin Yuesha finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sometimes she wondered if her parents would be lonely since it was just her and her older brother at home. Her mother, Chen, was still young and could have more children, and she would like to have more younger brothers and sisters.

However, it can be quite a headache if a baby cries frequently. You can't hit them, so you have to soothe them.

“I saw small kernels of corn in the vendor’s cloth bag. I’ll make you caramel popcorn.”

Back in modern times, baby corn was a new variety. Lin Yuesha had no in-depth knowledge of the crops of that era and didn't know how it came to exist.

She no longer dwelled on the source.

"Grandma, could we borrow your pot for a moment?"

Lin Yuesha discussed it with the elderly couple who owned the stall. The two old people were very easy to talk to, and seeing that the money was sufficient, they readily agreed.

Lin Yuesha put on an apron and asked Xiaoxi to help start the fire.

The iron pot was heavy. After pouring in the hot oil and corn, Lin Yuesha gripped the handle and shook it in circles to ensure that the corn kernels were heated evenly.

Then, a series of crackling sounds came from the pot. After a while, the crackling sounds gradually weakened. When there were almost no more corn popping sounds in the pot, Lin Yuesha took the iron pot off the stove, let it simmer for a few seconds, and lifted the lid under everyone's curious gaze.

Great, most of the corn has popped open and looks very nice.

She washed the iron pot with water, wiped it clean with a cloth, poured oil and sugar into the cooled pot and mixed them together. She then had Xiaoxi add firewood and heat it over a high flame. The sugar quickly melted and changed color, gradually turning golden yellow. Lin Yuesha picked it up with chopsticks and found that it was very good; it had formed threads.

Finding the right moment, Lin Yuesha poured in the popcorn, letting the caramel roll around on the egg yolk popcorn, filling the air with a sweet aroma.

"Very good!"

Zhang Qing'er disregarded her image and started eating. She nodded repeatedly, saying that the caramel popcorn was much tastier than rice candy!

The method is very simple. Lin Yuesha doesn't mind people watching. It doesn't require any special skills. Ordinary people can do it as long as they are willing to spend the materials.

Zhang Qing'er made too much caramel popcorn and couldn't finish it all. She originally planned to take it all with her, but at Lin Yuesha's urging, she left some for the stall owners.

"It's so delicious, I wish I could eat it all."

Even after walking quite a distance, Zhang Qing'er kept turning back to look at herself, extremely reluctant to leave.

"This is too sweet. If you eat too much, you'll feel full and won't be able to eat anything else."

Lin Yuesha learned that small corn kernel shops sell them, so she could buy some and make them again without much trouble.

The lantern festival was bustling with activity, and there were also regular stalls on both sides selling roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, as well as baked flatbreads and baked buns. Almost every stall was doing good business.

Making some money during the Lantern Festival and setting up a stall at home was a wise move. If it weren't for the fact that one can't get rich overnight and that there are limited manpower in the family, Lin Yuesha would really like to set up more stalls.

"There are a lot of girls gathered up ahead, let's go take a look."

Jiang Baozhu preferred small personal items for women. The stall owner was surrounded by people; he might be a peddler from the south.

The three of them reached an agreement and scrambled to squeeze in.

Rouge, face powder, hairpins, silk flowers, face wipes, hand wipes, various purses and embroidered handkerchiefs, and several bottles of lightly scented perfumes were all vying for among the girls, who pushed and shoved each other, none of them willing to give in.

"Girls, this perfume will leave you with a natural fragrance; it's an absolute treasure."

The peddler exaggerates the value of the perfume, charging two taels of silver for a bottle, more expensive than silver hairpins and bracelets.

Zhang Qing'er opened it, smelled it, then frowned and whispered, "This piece of junk costs two taels of silver!"

This is a total rip-off!

Fragrant perfumes are commonplace in the capital; every young lady from a prominent family owns several bottles of them, each with a different scent. Zhang Qing'er also has some.

So-called body odor is simply a fragrance when applied, but it only lasts for a short time.

"I have a few bottles left, but I don't like using them, so I'll give them to you."

Zhang Qing'er was very generous to her sisters; those items were all sent from Kyoto, and she had no use for them at all.

These purses and handkerchiefs are better than those from the North, but they're only slightly new. Only the music box with a mechanism is decent.

"Fortune telling, fortune telling, character divination, honesty and integrity!"

Beside them stood an old man waving a large flag, his voice booming, as if he were shouting at the group of people.

Lin Yuesha turned her head and took a closer look. The old man's hair and beard were white, and he looked somewhat like a hermit.

However, having been divined by the master of Yutan Temple, Lin Yuesha believed that there was a master among them, and she needed to keep her disguise tightly to prevent being seen through.

"Young lady, how about having your fortune told?"

Bai Ying was very frustrated. He found it really difficult to be his master's subordinate. He was constantly playing roles, such as a female ghost, a stable boy, and now a fortune teller.

The problem is, he's not used to the role yet and knows nothing about it. How is he supposed to write it?

"No money required if you don't comply."

Seeing that the other party was showing signs of wavering, Bai Ying immediately added.

Anyway, he wasn't after the money; he just wanted to trick the little girl into believing his master's message.

"Then let me calculate it."

Zhang Qing'er wanted her palm read, so she spread out her palm and asked the white-bearded old man to calculate it.

"Oh my, this young lady has an extraordinary background. Is she perhaps the daughter of an official?"

Bai Ying touched his fake beard. This time, his beard was glued on securely and couldn't be easily pulled off.

The county magistrate's daughter, Zhang Qing'er, revealed a mysterious smile in the white shadow; he knew the answer to this question.

How did you find out?

Zhang Qing'er looked down at her palms but found nothing different. The other person had so easily discerned she was from an official family; they might truly be a master.

The Buddha said, "It cannot be spoken."

Bai Ying shook his head, as if everyone already knew what he had said. "Miss, you may be facing a little trouble right now, but remember, every cloud has a silver lining!"