Chapter 10: Going out to visit relatives has different audiences and different pricing. ...

After the sisters came back after walking around, Wei Fuling asked Wei Jinyun to comb their hair.

After all, she was their great-aunt whom they had never met before, so the two of them got up early in the morning and picked out their most beautiful clothes.

Wei Fuling wore a goose yellow skirt embroidered with a few little birds holding flower branches, while Wei Fuqiu chose a light green skirt with a butterfly chasing flowers on the collar.

The two sisters hurriedly delivered the lotus cakes to their elder sister, and their hair was messed up.

Their black hair was soft and fluffy. Wei Jinyun tied two buns for each of them and combed them very neatly. She wrapped each bun with a silk ribbon that matched her clothes and pinned two small flowers on it.

Wei Fuling spun around on tiptoe, and Wei Fuqiu straightened her sleeves for her. The two stood side by side, looking identical, yet one still and the other active. A moment's interaction revealed their differences.

At dinner yesterday, Wei Jinyun had already told Xiao Zhang and Er Niu that she wouldn't be visiting them today. She carefully put her grandmother's property deeds away, locked up the remaining money, and carefully locked the front door before leaving with them.

My great-aunt married in Wujiang County, under the jurisdiction of Pingjiang Prefecture. The journey by water would take at least two hours, so the four of us hired a small boat, paid twelve coins, and set off.

This time, their mood on the boat was quite different from the previous two days. The two sisters stared at the shops and stalls on both sides of the boat, chatting and laughing, and the two hours flew by in a flash.

When they arrived in Wujiang County, the four of them asked around for a while, walked across a winding bridge, and came to an alley before they found their great aunt's house.

When Wang Qiulan was in Gaochun Town and had the idea of ​​returning to Pingjiang Prefecture, she had already written a letter to her sister, saying that she would visit her when she arrived.

Sun Wangshi had heard the news that her sister was coming to see her a long time ago, so she waited at the alley entrance every day with her crutches. Today, she finally got her chance.

Wang Qiulan's older sister is called Wang Chunlan. The two sisters are three years apart, born in spring and autumn respectively. Her husband passed away two years ago, and she herself has poor legs and feet, so she rarely goes out.

She gave birth to a son and a daughter, and currently lives with her son and daughter-in-law, Li.

They hadn't seen each other for over forty years. When her elder sister got married, her hair was long and thick, but now it was all white and in a bun. They looked at each other in silence, unable to exchange a few words of personal conversation, and could only cry.

The Sun family's house was very clean. There were many vegetables planted in the front yard, and smoke was rising from the chimney at the back.

"All good, all good."

Sun Wang patted the back of her sister's hand, holding the handkerchief in her hand, and half of it became wet in a short while.

She wiped her tears and looked at the three sisters, "Oh, this is..."

Sun Wang hugged the two sisters in her arms, gently stroking their heads, tears streaming down her face again. "I've always heard about these twins in your letters. Seeing them like this today, like peeled water chestnuts, they look so much alike. It's wonderful, so wonderful."

"The one wearing the yellow skirt is Fuling, and the one wearing the green skirt is Furu."

Wang Qiulan wiped her tears and introduced her.

"My great-aunt looked alike to my grandmother, too."

Wei Fuqiu raised her head and said in Sun Wangshi's arms.

"Wipe my great-aunt's tears."

Wei Fuling took her handkerchief and gently wiped it under Sun Wangshi's eyes.

"They are all good girls."

Sun Wangshi nodded, then turned to Wei Jinyun and took her hand to look at it carefully.

Wei Jinyun was wearing a half-new green jacket, the cuffs of which were a little worn, and her hair was simply tied up in a double spiral, but it made her skin look white and her eyebrows and eyes look clear and bright.

"Is this Yun girl?"

Sun Wangshi sighed, "Well, she's a good girl too, and she looks very thoughtful... Sit down, everyone. You must be hungry on the way. Wanrong has made lotus root soup and bamboo shoots and braised pork. Your great aunt will serve them for you."

The main room is not big, with a square table and a few benches, but it is wiped clean.

"This cane is only used when going out. There's no use for cooking."

The four people and Li had no choice but to stop her. Sun Wang was so happy that she cooked a few more dishes at the stove.

Li had no choice but to help out. Two quarters of an hour later, the table was filled with shredded pork with water bamboo shoots, fried river shrimp, steamed herring, and topped with braised pork with bamboo shoots and lotus root and pork rib soup.

"Wang Da and Cheng'er are busy with work, so they eat out. You should eat more. Especially Yun girl, you just recovered from your illness, so you should eat more."

Sun Wangshi served soup and put in meat, piling the bowls of rice in front of the four generations of grandparents and grandchildren into several small mountains.

"Mom, please let me do it, you take a rest."

Li served her some soup and seeing that Sun Wang was out of breath from exhaustion, she quickly stood up and patted her back.

"Mom is not tired. I am happy today."

Several people were chatting and laughing at the dinner table. In order to make Sun Wangshi happy, Wei Jinyun and her two sisters ate so much that they were almost full. The food was almost up to their throats.

Mrs. Sun Wang originally wanted the four generations of grandparents and grandchildren to stay for one night, but Wei Jinyun knew that the renovation work could not be delayed any longer, so after much persuasion, they had dinner before leaving.

After dinner, Li brewed a pot of jasmine tea, opened a melon, and had a good chat with a few people.

"The shop that mother left you, I remember it's very old."

Sun Wang took a sip of tea and said, "Those people in the Wei family are really worthless. Fortunately, Wei Qiang treats you well. It's really hard for you guys."

Wang Qiulan's husband, Wei Qiang, had met her when he came to Pingjiang Prefecture to do business. He was the second child in the Wei family, with an older brother who supported him, and his parents doting on his younger brother. He was left out, seemingly unloved by his parents, and so he developed a quiet and honest character.

The Wei family had agreed to this marriage because of Wei Qiang's honesty. The Wei brothers were not easy to get along with, and because Wang Qiulan was marrying far away, her parents had given the shop to her.

"Jinyun is very capable. The shop is in good condition for renovation right now. Sister, don't worry too much."

Wang Qiulan opened the box she brought and said with a smile, "Sister and Wanrong, try her cooking. It's no worse than the dim sum we used to eat."

Inside were the cakes that Wang Qiulan had ordered from the pastry shop, as well as a bag of lotus cakes that Wei Jinyun had made early in the morning.

Since Wang Qiulan praised it, the two of them naturally went to try the lotus pastry first.

The lotus pastry is still a little warm, and the crust crumbles with a bite, soaked in the aroma of oil. The red bean paste inside is slightly sweet, but not greasy. It melts in your mouth as soon as you take a sip, and the fragrance lingers on your lips and teeth for a while after swallowing.

“This dessert is beautifully made and tastes great.”

Li took a sip of tea to moisten her mouth and said in amazement, "Yun girl actually has such a talent! If you had come to Pingjiang Prefecture earlier, it would have been great. I wouldn't have to ask the bridesmaid to order the wedding cake and could have asked Yun girl to make it directly... Unfortunately, I've already paid the money and signed the contract."

"Is Cheng'er getting married?"

Wang Qiulan continued from the side.

"yes."

At this point, Li couldn't stop smiling. "We've decided on the girl from Zhou Tailor's house down the alley. We grew up together, so we're childhood sweethearts. Cheng'er was so excited that he and the matchmaker went to several shops to choose the wedding cakes before finally settling on one... The date is set for March next spring. Auntie Yun will come with her sisters for a feast."

Wei Fuling was napping in a rattan chair nearby. She was so excited to see her great-aunt that she couldn't sleep either. She looked up and said, "That's still more than half a year away. Sister Ling hasn't had a wedding banquet in a long time. I really want to eat one."

The last time she had a feast was when Wei Fuling was five years old. There were so many dishes at the wedding banquet that she couldn't count them all. She really wanted to taste every one of them, but unfortunately she couldn't finish them all.

She is seven years old now, so she should be able to eat it.

"yes."

Mrs. Li continued, "Let's not talk about choosing an auspicious day. We have to wait until the wedding dress is embroidered and the ancestors are offered sacrifices. And as for the wedding cakes I just told you about, this shop is the most popular in Wujiang County, and we're already lining up."

"Marriage is so particular nowadays."

Wang Qiulan laughed and said, "When we got married before, we ordered wedding cakes from ordinary pastry shops or had them made by our family."

"That's different, Qiulan."

Sun Wangshi coaxed the sleepy Wei Fuqiu in her arms, "Everyone's life is getting better and better these days, and who wouldn't want everything to be perfect in a marriage? I've tried all those wedding cakes, and they taste pretty much the same, but they're more expensive. But that shop is famous, just like Xu Ji on Shantang Street, there's a queue every day. Yun girl's pastry is delicious, and maybe people will line up for it in the future too."

"Yes, yes."

Wei Fuling had already fallen asleep, but she was still mumbling in her dream, "My sister's queue."

It seems that the thinking of ancient people is not much different from that of modern people.

Wei Jinyun took everything he said to heart.

Different audiences, different pricing.

She had been to the Grass Market yesterday and had seen plenty of dim sum, and they tasted pretty good. But the same crabapple cake, which cost three cents a piece at the Grass Market, would sell for five cents at Xuji.

People in Pingjiang Prefecture love dim sum, and they can be found everywhere. But Xu Ji alone has a monopoly on half of the famous dim sum.

While making the food delicious, she also needs to be innovative.

As for wedding cakes, Dingsheng cakes, Yunpian cakes and the like, she can also make them.

After the visit, Wei Jinyun began to think again.

The four generations of grandparents and grandchildren originally took some snacks and gifts with them, but when they came back they were stuffed with large and small bags.

In the evening, Sun Wang's son and grandson also came back. After dinner, they not only called a boat for the four of them, but also carried a basket of salted chicken and duck, pickled pork knuckle and a basket of lotus roots.

When they separated, Wang Qiulan and her sister hugged each other and cried again.

Wei Fuling and Wei Fuqiu tried to coax the two grandmothers, "It's only a two-hour journey by water anyway. When we have free time in the future, we can come with the grandmothers to visit our aunt and great-grandmother."

When they got on the boat back, they were not as excited as they were this morning. They quickly asked the boatman to slow down, saying that their stomachs were full and if the boat continued to rock, they might vomit on the boat.

Although they took the boat the whole way there and back, it took almost five hours. When the four generations of grandparents and grandchildren returned to the shop, they fell asleep as soon as they touched the pillows.

The next morning, it was still sunny.

The well water in the yard has been settled and is fully usable, so Wei Jinyun doesn't need to go out to fetch water.

Xiao Zhang and Erniu were waiting at the door early after breakfast. Wei Jinyun chatted with them for a while and thought about going to the grass market to buy some small items.

Zhang Renbai of the stationery store also opened early.

"Miss Wei, the lotus pastry yesterday was delicious."

Zhang Renbai's ears turned red, and he lowered his head, "I really don't know how to thank you."

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