Chapter 58: Let's celebrate the winter solstice and eat hotpot first, and have a good time. Hello, Shopkeeper Wei...

The little donkey likes the name Huihui.

When Wei Jinyun fed it, she only had to call it twice and it would come over affectionately, wag its tail, rub its donkey ears against her palm, and then neigh.

"What secret ingredient is added to this fodder that makes Huihui love it so much?"

Gu Xiang moved the two sacks of new hay into the backyard and twisted the exposed hay with his fingertips. He still felt that it was no different from the hay they had dried themselves.

But every time I feed Huihui, it chews happily and hums.

Yuanbao had a round face, and when he dozed, his chin wrinkled into a ball, not just the fur but also the chin flesh. If he suddenly jumped onto Wei Jinyun in the middle of the night, it would be like a mountain falling down. Both loofah and edamame were already strong dogs.

After all, whenever their youngest brother Lao Si comes to Yunlaixiang, he always takes out some snacks from his pocket in various ways. Sometimes he even brings a bowl of cooked minced chicken and fish, and adds some dried shrimps to it. It is simply delicious!

When they dream at night, they wonder if the fourth little brother can come every day.

Naturally, Huihui, the fifth child, also loved the fodder he brought.

After all, it is my duty to take care of the new kid on the block.

One, two and three still ate rice bran and could not rank any higher. Occasionally, Meng Ge'er would catch a few earth dragons for them to try.

The north wind messed up the bangs of the three chickens, making them look a little pitiful.

There are fewer customers coming to Yunlaixiang for dim sum today.

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice. As the saying goes, "The Winter Solstice is as important as New Year's Day," every household is busy celebrating the festival, so naturally, there's no time for dim sum. The remaining guests are mostly seated at small tables, in groups of three or four, or alone. Most of them aren't from Pingjiang Prefecture, hoping to save some money and return home for the New Year's Day.

Although there are few customers, the waiters are busy and the kitchen is filled with the sound of "dong dong dong".

Wan Wu was standing in front of the stove. On the counter were shredded radish, a batter, and a small dish of chopped green onions. The batter consisted of glutinous rice flour, a little flour, and warm water, slowly stirring until it clinged to chopsticks and dripped in continuous strands. She then added the shredded radish and mixed thoroughly, coating each strand with batter.

She scooped up a spoonful of batter with a large spoon and gently poured it into the pan. The batter slowly swelled in the pan, and when one side was golden brown with a little burnt edge, she quickly flipped it over.

Gu Xiang and Luffa Maodou stood aside, watching the batter swell up and emit the aroma of oil.

"Here we go—freshly fried shredded radish pancakes, who wants some?"

Wan Wu was holding a plate in her hand, with a few pieces of golden and shiny shredded radish pancakes lying on the plate. The crust was translucent and oily yellow, and the edges were fried until slightly burnt.

"It's freshly cooked, still hot."

Wan Wu put the plate on the long table and waved his hand, like a hawker selling fried shredded radish cakes.

Gu Xiang deliberately raised his voice, "Young lady, how much are these fried shredded radish pancakes?"

Wan Wu followed her wishes and gathered his sleeves. "Sir, freshly baked shredded radish pancakes are two for one cent, or five for two cents. Very affordable."

"Hey, your cake looks dry, can it be delicious?"

"Look, sir! This pancake is crispy, the shredded radish inside is tender, and the oil content is just right, not greasy at all! The young man just bought ten of them."

Wan Wu pointed at Chang Siyan.

Chang Siyan also gave face and changed his voice to a male voice, "The young lady has good cooking skills, the cakes are delicious, and she is also beautiful. She is so charming. I wonder if her family..."

"go!"

Wan Wu raised her hand and patted her.

"Is it really that good?"

Gu Xiang rubbed his hands, "Then... give me two cents!"

Wan Wu handed it over, "Here, customer! Eat it while it's hot, it won't be crispy if it gets cold!"

Gu Xiang picked up a piece, blew on it twice, and bit into it, seemingly unfazed by the heat. The outside was a crispy batter of fried shredded radish, while the inside was indeed soft. The shredded radish had a sweet, fresh taste, and the batter had an oily aroma.

"Hey, it's not bad. I'll buy it again tomorrow!"

Gu Xiang brought the plate to Wei Jinyun and said, "Manager Wei, try it. It tastes best right out of the pot. The account book is on the counter. It's not too late to settle the bill later."

"No rush?"

Wei Jinyun was ticking away on his abacus, teasing her without looking up, "Right now I'm calculating how much lucky money to give you for the Winter Solstice. Why, if we don't settle the accounts, then we don't want the lucky money either?"

"Yes, yes."

Gu Xiang held up the plate and said, "Let's do the calculation. I'll keep this shredded radish pancake warm on the stove. I guarantee it'll still be steaming hot when you finish calculating."

Ever since she started working at Yunlaixiang, Shopkeeper Wei had told her that Yunlaixiang offered lucky draws during festivals and holidays. She had been anticipating this, wiping out all the towels in the shop until the winter solstice finally arrived.

"Eat it, Shopkeeper Wei. It won't be crispy if it's warm. Yun Lai Xiang won't run away, so it only takes a little time."

Chang Siyan picked up a piece with chopsticks and handed it to Wei Jinyun's mouth.

Wei Jinyun was persuaded by the two of them and indeed found the lingering aroma of shredded radish tempting. She took a bite and the sweet juice of the shredded radish spread out. She smiled and nodded, "Then I'll pack a big one for you!"

"Manager Wei is so nice."

Gu Xiang was the first to cheer, rubbing his hands on his apron, "I knew that following Manager Wei would be the right choice."

Chaojiu blew on the shredded radish pancake while eating it, "Why should I go home to celebrate the Winter Solstice? I'll just roll up my blanket after work and sleep in the lobby of Yunlaixiang."

"How can this be possible? The whole family should be together during the winter solstice."

Wei Jinyun was only halfway through her words when Chang Siyan spoke first, "But we can celebrate the Winter Solstice earlier. We've already eaten the cakes, so why not celebrate it today?"

"That's settled then."

Gu Xiang's voice was clear as day, and he made the final decision. "Anyway, the Winter Solstice is all about the thought, so it doesn't matter where you celebrate it. I'll celebrate it at Yunlaixiang today, and I'll go home tomorrow. I'll celebrate it twice."

A few people chatted with each other and made up their minds before the real master spoke.

Wei Jinyun walked behind the counter, took out the wages he had prepared long ago, and took out a few lucky money wrapped in red cloth. Each purse was bulging, with a small "Fu" character embroidered on it.

"Stop talking about this and that. Just give out the money."

Several waiters quickly brought a chair over to Wei Jinyun and fanned her with a palm-leaf fan.

"It's so cold, I'm going to freeze to death."

Wei Jinyun sat down on the chair and waved his hand, "Gu Xiang, this is yours."

Gu Xiang strode forward and picked up the two strings of coins. "Manager Wei is both capable and powerful. My mother said that capable people are like stars falling from the sky. You, like a star, can illuminate the entire Tianqing Temple."

She put the money in her arms and carefully took the lucky money.

What a big bag of lucky money!

"Sister Xiang, it would be a shame if you don't go to the palace to serve with such a mouth."

"I learned all this from your storytelling."

Gu Xiang glanced at Chang Siyan and said, "I've even learned your manners and expressions when you tell stories. My guests also like to hear me praise them in this way."

"Wine."

Wei Jinyun handed over the money and lucky money.

He held the wine in both hands and said with a smile, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Wei. It's been a long time since I had so much money at once. It's really heavy."

"Evening Mist, this is yours."

Wan Wu walked forward, bent several times when taking the money, and said softly, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Wei. I will make you whatever you want to eat in the future."

"You are so sincere, Shopkeeper Wei."

Chang Siyan took the money very slowly, his hand trembling slightly as he held it, but he still smiled. "In the future, I'll tell you whatever you want me to say... How about I make up a story about climbing a tree for you?"

“…No need.”

Wei Jinyun glared at her. "Don't talk about me. The Meow Meow cookies are sold out. Now think carefully about the new winter products you're going to release. Just think of a hundred or so jokes first."

“…I’ll return the money to you.”

Chang Siyan rubbed his head and almost couldn't hold the table steady.

“Once the money is issued, there will be no refund.”

After the men received their wages, Wan Wu and Chao Jiu took half an hour off and agreed to go to Dongshikou to buy some vegetables for the Winter Solstice. Of course, Wan Wu also asked Gu Xiang for two cents for some fried shredded radish pancakes.

At the door of Yun Lai Xiang's shop, Wei Fuling was dancing happily on tiptoe. Two thin, soft ropes were tied around Meng Ge'er's calf, with one end tied around the leg of a bench, the other end stretched straight.

She was wearing a goose yellow fine cloth jacket with white rabbit fur trim on the cuffs and collar, and a little sparrow embroidered on the front with vermilion and jet black wool threads.

Meng Ge'er was tied up tightly, but his body was still straight.

He wore a short red jacket and gray trousers, the bottom of which were tied with a rope to prevent him from tripping while running. He was holding a roasted duck leg in his hand, biting it while asking, "Sister Ling, do you want it any higher?"

"Wait until I skip this."

Wei Fuling lowered her head, humming a tune, her toes focused on quickly hooking, picking, and stepping on the rope. She jumped so fast that the soft rope trembled up and down. Meng Ge'er was twitched by the pull, but he quickly straightened his body and stood upright.

Her tunes were all taught to her by Wei Jinyun. Originally, she had mostly danced bamboo poles in Gaochun Town. But now her sister had created tunes that were pleasant to the ears and had many ways to play them. It was much more interesting than dancing bamboo poles.

Wei Fuqiu sat on a stool, looking down at a book. On her same goose yellow coat was a pink butterfly, with the patterns on its wings clearly outlined. It was perched on a branch, as if it was really about to fly.

Around the winter solstice, Su Yuxuan gave them a day off, and the two of them finally had some time to spend more time with their sister and grandmother.

The three people at the door of the shop were all wearing small hats with furry edges covering their ears. There was a small red pompom on the top of the hat, which was bouncing back and forth, so they didn't feel cold at all.

Meng Ge'er's hat was new. His crooked-eared tiger hat had been laughed at by some dim sum diners, so Wang Qiulan made him another one, even though he was feeling wronged and holding back his tears. Now, he had a truly majestic tiger on his head, and he held it high to show off to everyone he met.

He also thought that wearing this hat would scare away the bad guys.

There are fewer big guests, but more small guests are coming.

Wei Fuling was pulling Meng Ge'er to dance another round when she looked up and saw a chubby little figure running in front of her, with the hem of its blue jacket puffed up by the wind.

Zhi Duo Xing had two small tufts of hair tied at the back of his head with a red ribbon.

Behind him followed a young man, about thirty years old, who was staggering a little as his son pulled him. He was wearing a green robe, had a pale complexion, and a light mustache.

"Wei Fuqiu! Wei Fuling!"

As soon as Zhi Duo Xing ran to the door of the shop, he shouted at the top of his voice, and even pulled his father back with his arm, "I'm here, I'm here to buy your Meow Meow Cookies, my father has money!"

Li Ji was dragged to the door of the shop and straightened his clothes.

Su Yuxuan had only had a day off when his son started clamoring for cookies. After asking, he discovered that the boy was eating so many cookies for free every day.

He knew Yunlaixiang. The servants in his house would often talk about which brand of sachet from her shop they wanted to try, so he followed suit.

"Meow Meow Cookies are no longer available, but we still have Maple Leaf Cookies. Do you want some?"

Wei Fuqiu raised her head upon hearing this.

“Eat, eat!”

Zhi Duo Xing turned around and grabbed Li Ji's sleeve, "My father will pay! Father, let's buy all the snacks from her family. Wei Fuqiu said that all the snacks from her family are delicious."

Li Jicai stopped and took a breath, then smiled helplessly, "Buy everything? It will take several days to eat."

Zhi Duo Xing ignored him and approached Wei Fuqiu, pointing to the page. "Do you still want me to teach you? I'm free today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow..."

"Aren't you here to buy snacks?"

Wei Fuqiu didn't look up, but stared at the book intently.

Li Ji stood aside, watching his son chattering over a book, and coughed lightly, "Cheng'er, are you here to buy snacks today, or to be a teacher?"

He really didn't look like he was here to buy snacks. While Li Ji was still standing aside, Zhi Duoxing had already moved a stool and sat next to Wei Fuqiu to give her instructions.

Li Ji had always loved his son. His wife had passed away early, and he hadn't remarried, fearing his son would be sad. Seeing his serious expression, he thought about buying him some snacks during the winter solstice. After all, before he came here today, he had been raving about how delicious Yunlaixiang's snacks were.

He smiled and shook his head, then walked into Yunlaixiang. The shop was warm and cozy. As soon as he entered, he saw a woman sitting behind the counter, looking down at the beads on an abacus.

She wore a pink jacket, her dark hair tied up in a loose bun, with two strands hanging down at her temples. Her almond-shaped eyes were bright, and she frowned slightly at the crucial moment, but she didn't forget to pick up the shredded radish pancake on the table and take a bite.

Li Ji froze in his tracks and was stunned.

"What would the guest like?"

After Wei Jinyun finished calculating the bill, he looked up and saw someone standing in front of the counter, and quickly stood up.

Li Ji was stunned and couldn't say anything.

"Guest, guest?"

Seeing that he was lost in thought, Wei Jinyun called out to him softly.

“Ah…Oh!”

Li Ji finally came back to his senses and quickly looked away, his gaze landing on the small wooden signs on the counter. "What, what's delicious in your shop?"

"Hey, everything in our shop is delicious!"

Gu Xiang came out from the backyard carrying a kettle of hot tea. Seeing the new guest, he immediately greeted him, "Guest, you've come to the right place. Our maple leaf cookies are freshly baked. The filling is made with granulated sugar, which is sweet but not greasy. We also have sesame crisps, each one is wrapped with whole sesame seeds, which are very fragrant! The chestnut cake and poria cake are soft, and there is also a glutinous rice cake that can be stretched into a thread..."

Li Ji hadn't recovered from his shock yet. After listening to Gu Xiang's long speech, he felt that the dim sum in this shop must be as good as the shopkeeper's. He simply waved his hand and said, "Well, then, let's buy them all."

"Buy all? You're a real snob, sir. Are you eating in or taking away? If you're eating in, try our Yunlaixiang clay oven set meal. Tomatoes, rice cakes, cookies, water chestnuts... fragrant and warm."

Gu Xiang had just opened the lottery in the backyard and counted them carefully.

Three hundred coins, exactly three hundred coins!

Manager Wei is both kind and generous.

She wanted to become the big locust tree in the backyard, and take root in Yunlaixiang, never going anywhere else.

Now that the customer wants so many snacks, this waiter is happier than the shopkeeper.

Li Ji's eyes hadn't completely moved away from Wei Jinyun. He glanced at the small table by the window and said, "Then I'll eat in."

"Okay!"

Gu Xiang smiled broadly, and thought of what he had just said, "What about those snacks?"

"The dim sum remains the same. Two portions each, to go."

“Okay, okay!”

Gu Xiang's eyes narrowed into slits, and he quickly and swiftly lit the small clay stove. "Please wait a moment, sir. It will be ready soon!"

Li Ji nodded and walked to the small table by the window and sat down.

Wei Jinyun brought a pot of hot tea, and he thanked her and took it. Through the carved wooden window, he could see Cheng Ge'er outside, huddled beside Wei Fuqiu, pointing at a book and chattering. Wei Fuling and Meng Ge'er were also nearby, no longer dancing, their four little heads huddled together.

Li Ji held the tea bowl and looked at his son who was so lively, which was rare for him, and his heart moved slightly.

His son doesn't like playing with other kids his age, thinking he's too smart to play with them. But recently, he's been talking about how lively and smart the twins are at home.

He turned his head and looked at Wei Jinyun who was sorting the account books behind the counter.

This shopkeeper Wei really has a way of educating children. He has raised his two daughters to be so lovable.

I don't know how old she is.

Wei Jinyun was actually more excited than his friends these past two days, but he kept it to himself and didn't express it.

After deducting the share of profits between Meow Meow Cookies and Shen’s Cloth Shop and the costs, the gross profit was about 330 guan, which brought Yun Lai Xiang 130 guan for dine-in in a month... She wanted to howl!

The four hundred strings of cash were exchanged for silver cakes and hidden in different locations on the second floor.

Now, she is truly worthy of being called Shopkeeper Wei.

She wants to make a fortune quietly.

Li Ji kept looking at her.

When he saw her frown, his heart also felt a slight sense of suspense. When he saw her smile, his heart was relieved. Her bright eyes and the faint dimples on her cheeks when she smiled seemed to have fallen into his heart, making him unable to look away.

The north wind began to blow outside, but the children had already gone to play by the arch bridge, not afraid of the cold at all.

"You're back so soon."

Gu Xiang was standing at the door. Two people had already walked in, carrying heavy baskets of vegetables in their hands.

The evening mist revealed the pieces of mutton in the basket, alternating between fat and lean. "The goat meat from the market just arrived today. I picked a piece with the bone in. It's delicious when stewed and perfect for cooking in a pot."

In Chaojiu's basket was a herring, and next to it were a few pieces of tender tofu wrapped in oil paper, and a small bag of plump white arrowhead mushrooms. "I'll make fish balls for Shopkeeper Wei later. My fish balls are delicious."

Seeing the basket full of vegetables, Wei Jinyun waved his hand and said, "Are you bringing back all the good stuff from the market? Vegetables are so expensive during the winter solstice, and you're willing to spend money on them."

"Manager Wei gave such a big bonus, isn't he going to get rich? Wan Wu and I are planning to celebrate the winter solstice early today and have a hot pot!"

"It's better to eat pot."

After hearing this, Gu Xiang went straight to the backyard and said, "I'm going to find the pot we used to eat mutton and cabbage a while ago."

The air was thick with the smell of smoky kitchen fumes. Wang Qiulan had also returned, still carrying the chill from outside. She took off her cloak and draped it over the back of a chair. She then fished out a small red silk purse from her sleeve pocket, walked over to Wei Jinyun, and gently placed it on the counter.

"Shopkeeper Chen knows it's the Winter Solstice today, so he's given out lucky money to all his employees. Keep it and use it as a small addition to the shop."

Wei Jinyun pushed it back to Wang Qiulan's hand, "Grandma, you forgot, after calculating the bill for Meow Meow Cookies, I'm now a wealthy man. You can keep this lucky money for yourself and buy two pieces of good material to make a new coat. Then give us an even bigger lucky money on New Year's Day. Wouldn't that be even better?"

"You girl."

Wang Qiulan was amused by her and reached out to touch her forehead. "Okay, then grandma should work harder and teach you how to embroider beautifully. I'll give you a full New Year's Eve."

She turned and went to the backyard. In the front hall, she could still hear her repeated instructions, "Stew the mutton until it's tender. Jinyun likes to eat it with tendons, and she won't be able to chew it later."

The copper pot was bubbling with steam. Wan Wu and Chao Jiu worked together to bring it out and placed it steadily on the long table in the middle of the front hall.

The charcoal fire under the copper pot was burning brightly, and there was a lot of food in the pot.

The egg dumplings were tender yellow, the bacon was glistening in the soup, the smoked fish was sauce-colored, and the snow-white fish balls floated on the surface of the soup. There was also salted chicken, white cabbage, bamboo shoots, fried chicken eggs, and vegetarian ham...

Hot steam rose through the gaps in the pot lid, and stewed mutton was buried underneath the ingredients. The whole shop was filled with the aroma.

Li Ji's eyes involuntarily glanced at the pot. Just now he only thought the dim sum was tempting, but now seeing the pot full of hot food, he actually felt a little greedy. The two guests at the next table who were waiting for dim sum also stretched their necks.

"Sister Qi, Sister Ling is back for dinner!"

Gu Xiang shouted towards the arch bridge, and the small figures immediately raised their heads and ran over there.

Wei Jinyun brought over a number of small bowls filled with freshly prepared sauces. She scooped some minced garlic with a small spoon, added half a spoonful of vinegar, a pinch of salt, and chopped green onions, then topped it off with a spoonful of the boiling hot soup. With a gentle stir of her chopsticks, the aroma of garlic and vinegar wafted out.

She pushed the bowl in front of Wang Qiulan first, filled another small half bowl, and handed it to Wei Fuqiu, without adding any ginger or garlic. Wei Fuling was already waiting beside her, and Wei Jinyun smiled and added some bean paste to her Xiaowan.

Wang Qiulan picked up a piece of bacon that was soaked thoroughly and slowly put it into her mouth. She squinted her eyes and nodded.

Wei Fuqiu picked up a fish ball with her chopsticks, blew on it, and took a big mouthful. The soft and tender fish ball tasted extremely delicious. Wei Fuling stared at the egg dumplings in the pot, finally picked up one, blew on it quickly, and stuffed it into her mouth, her face flushed red from eating.

Gu Xiang was the most skillful. He picked up a large piece of mutton with tendons with his chopsticks, rolled it in the mashed garlic and vinegar on his plate, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with big mouthfuls.

The meat tendons were stewed until soft and glutinous, melting at the first bite. The sour aroma of the vinegar just cut through the greasy mutton, and the freshness made her brows twitch. She swallowed the meat in her mouth and picked up a chopstick of white cabbage soaked with broth. The crisp and tender cabbage leaves, with the sweetness of the broth, rushed straight into her stomach.

"tasty."

Chang Siyan picked up a piece of salted chicken slowly and said, "I'll buy a piece of mutton after work today and eat it with Grandpa."

Wei Jinyun replied, "I see there are still a lot of fish balls in the kitchen, you can take them back."

"I work like a slave for Shopkeeper Wei!"

"Then you can go to Huihui later and claim him as your brother, and become his sworn brother."

"...Just ignore me."

Chaojiu and Wanwu were laughing beside them, as if their appetites had increased a lot since Yunlaixiang came.

Yuanbao ate several fish balls, loofah and edamame, and chewed on the sheep bones.

Zhi Duo Xing sat beside the small table, his eyes fixed on the steaming copper pot on the long table. Seeing Gu Xiang pick up a shiny egg dumpling, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva and tugged at Li Ji's clothes with his little hand, "Dad, let's go home and eat pot too?"

He thought about the important matter again and raised his little face to ask, "Have you bought the snacks I mentioned earlier? I also want to eat mutton and egg dumplings. Dad, the egg dumplings you make are also delicious."

Li Ji patted his son's head and smiled gently, "Okay, Dad will make you egg dumplings when we get home. Let's go to the butcher shop first, get some fresh mutton and pork, and buy some cabbage and bamboo shoots. We'll also make a hot pot."

Zhi Duo Xing immediately laughed and put his arms around Li Ji's waist, "Dad is the best!"

Meng Ge'er was leaning against the door frame, his body half hidden behind the door, just sticking his head out to peek inside.

Seeing this, Wei Jinyun smiled and waved at him, "Brother Meng, come and have some food with us. I know you like mutton."

Meng Ge'er quickly shook his head. "No, Sister Wei, Sister Chuntao and Sister Xiaoman are roasting lamb legs in the store. Mother said they should sprinkle some peppercorns on it. It will be very fragrant."

Wang Qiulan smiled and replied, "Oh, Meng'er, your family is quite extravagant in eating this winter solstice, even sprinkling pepper on it."

Meng Ge'er puffed out his chest, his face full of pride. "Yes, my mother said that the roast duck and fried chicken are selling well recently, and we made a lot of money. I bought a large leg of lamb specially for this purpose."

He even sniffed, as if he could already smell the aroma of lamb legs from his own shop.

Wei Fuling was biting half a fish ball when she looked up from her bowl. "Then what are you looking at here? Go back to the shop quickly. It's blowing hard outside. You'll catch a cold."

Meng Ge'er stretched his head forward again and said with a smile, "No. Ling Jie'er, I was just picking up my hat by the arch bridge and saw a big pig floating in the water! I thought I would wait until you finished eating and go see it with you."

"Why is there a big pig in the river?"

Wei Fuling laughed out loud, almost getting burned. "You must have seen it wrong. The pigs are all in the pen. They can't go swimming. It's so cold."

“You’re not mistaken!”

Meng Ge'er was so anxious that he stamped his feet and gestured with his hands.

"It really is! It's floating on the surface of the river, a big, white blob, all bubbled up. I can see it clearly!"

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The author has something to say: Come and eat Suzhou-style hot pot now!

(I don’t want to start school