Half an hour later, Qin Yi sat in the lobby of Ruyi Restaurant, holding a mortar and pestle to make tea.

She instructed Zhuang Qing to retrieve her stall cart.

Zhuang Qing returned to the Bluestone Square, but after circling around several times, she still couldn't find it.

In a panic, I went to the security room in the square and checked the surveillance footage, only to find that it was the owner of the guesthouse on the hill that had pushed it back.

Zhuang Qing rushed to the guesthouse owner's shop again to ask for the stall cart.

The boss didn't quite believe what the young girl said and insisted on making a video call with Qin Yi first.

Qin Yi connected to the hotel's Wi-Fi, and the familiar guesthouse owner appeared on the other end of the line.

"Hi, hello boss." Qin Yi said while pounding the tea leaves and making a video call.

"Hey! Mr. Qin! Look, I've saved your cart. If it were left there, it could easily be stolen!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Oh, we're so close, saying thank you would be too formal. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Qin Yi asked, "What is it?"

The guesthouse owner said, "If it's convenient for you, Mr. Qin, you can put some Lei Cha (擂茶, a type of tea) and tea crisps in our shop to sell. I guarantee they'll sell quickly and well, and you won't have to run away like this every time."

Now I finally understand why the guesthouse owner pushed her stall cart away.

After a moment's thought, Qin Yi said, "The Lei Cha (擂茶) is sold out and there won't be any more for a while. I'll make a new product tomorrow, and I'll have Xiao Qing send some over to try it out."

Pastries take too long to make; just rolling out the dough takes an hour. Qin Yi also feels that she doesn't have enough time each day. If someone could help sell them and complete the task earlier, that would be a good thing.

We've already sold 500 servings of Lei Cha (擂茶). Tomorrow we'll make a new product and try to go back home as soon as possible to take a few days off to handle my own affairs.

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, the guesthouse owner smiled and helped Zhuang Qing push her stall cart to the restaurant, reminding the young girl not to forget to deliver the goods tomorrow.

After working for two hours, they finally finished.

By the time I got home, it was already dark, but the yard was still brightly lit from a distance.

Qin Yi assumed that Zhuang Qing was waiting for the two of them to come home for dinner.

Before they even reached the courtyard entrance, they heard a burst of rousing singing.

"Just as Mulan went to war in place of her father in ancient times, today's women's army carries guns for the people..."

Zhuang Qing and Qin Yi exchanged a glance. "What's going on?"

The little girl shook her head: "I don't know either?"

The two pushed their stall cart and opened the gate.

There were three large tables in the yard; Zhuang Qing had obviously moved all the tables in the house into the yard.

Two large round tables were surrounded by elderly women they didn't recognize at all; some had white hair, and some had slightly hunched backs.

But what cannot be ignored is that they all look energetic and vigorous, old but strong, and still charming.

Seeing the two standing dumbfounded at the door, Zhuang Qing quickly came over to explain: "Shortly after you left today, Old Meng and Old Yang, who came to freeload last time, came knocking on the door. They said that many comrades-in-arms came from the ancient town to visit Old Yang, and the two elders wanted to treat everyone to a special farm-style meal. They wanted to come to our house and set up two tables for a meal."

“I told them I was home alone and couldn’t cook that many dishes. Old Meng and Old Yang said they would take care of the cooking. I just wanted to find a place with a warm atmosphere to entertain my old comrades and let everyone catch up.”

"The eleven dishes on each table were all made by the two elders themselves, who bought the ingredients. I just cooked a wood-fired rice dish and stir-fried three bowls of farmhouse-style pork. That's how it happened. You've come back just in time; the dishes have just been served, so you can eat now."

Qin Yi's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. Today, she would not only be able to eat Zhuang Qing's farmhouse stir-fried pork, but also eleven dishes prepared by the two gluttonous elders!

When Old Man Meng saw Qin Yi return, he came over to greet them: "Young friend Qin, come and sit down. The rest of us will sit at one table, and the ladies who eat quickly can sit together. Today I can finally enjoy a proper dinner!"

Qin Yi, the Zhuang sisters, Old Man Meng, and two family members of the women's army whom she didn't know sat together. The six of them ate twelve dishes and were very satisfied.

After everyone had eaten until their bellies were full, Old Man Meng chuckled and approached Qin Yi.

"Young friend Qin, could you please have some dessert after the meal? Like that bowl of Lei Cha from last time, I still remember it vividly."

"I sold out of Lei Cha today, but I baked one last batch of Qingyun Tea Pastries before I went out to set up my stall. Please have a taste."

Zhuang Qing: "Yes! Sister Qin asked me to watch the oven for her. After they came out of the oven, I sealed them in packaging and put them in the room. I'll go get them now."

While distributing tea pastries to the White-Haired Women's Army, Qin Yi explained, "These pastries are made with Qingyun Oolong tea, a specialty of Qingcha Ancient Town, as filling. I made everything myself, from the pastry to the filling. It's not made with store-bought seasonings, so the sugar content is low. But don't overindulge; one piece after a meal is enough."

Actually, she doesn't have any left to eat if she wanted more.

"Look at this pastry, it's even shaped like a delicate pear blossom. My granddaughter will definitely love it."

"The crust is crispy and fragrant, the filling is refreshing, and the oolong tea leaves a lingering aroma and aftertaste in your mouth."

"It's true that ordinary people are all about drinking, but who understands the true fragrance of tea and snacks?" An elderly woman with graying temples sighed, pursing her cherry-like lips. "These tea and snacks are wonderful. I wonder if the young lady could sell some so we can take them home as souvenirs."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I originally intended to sell these tea pastries, but I'm out of stock today. I'm also a slow worker, producing only a few dozen boxes a day. If you're not in a rush, you can place your order now, and I'll deliver them to you when they're ready. Also, I'll be releasing a new black tea pastry tomorrow, which will perfectly complement this oolong tea."

“That’s perfect! I see you have two green tea pastries in a box. After the black tea pastries are made tomorrow, please tie the two boxes together to make a set of four. That way, it will be more presentable for me to take back as a gift.”

"Yes! That's great! I'll also make two boxes, one green and one red, bundled together as a gift. We're on vacation and not in a hurry to go back. I'll write down my home address for you, and you can send them directly to my house after you've finished making them."

"Me too, just send it to me directly. It's too tiring for an old person like me to carry it back."

Qin Yi: "Okay, okay, you guys count how many boxes of green tea pastries and black tea pastries you want. I'll make sure to send them to each household after I finish making them. Keep my phone number so you can contact me if you don't receive them. Let me tell you the price first: each box is 30 yuan and contains two tea pastries. Grandmas and grandpas who need them can tell me the number!"

"My family doesn't need much, just 10 boxes of green tea pastries and 10 boxes of black tea pastries. Pack them together, tie them up, and send them over."

"I don't have many at home either, 15 boxes of each."

Everyone took turns calling out their numbers in an orderly fashion.

...

When it was Old Man Meng's turn: "Hehe, so you still sell tea pastries? Young friend Qin, if you had told me earlier I would have come to buy some sooner, my family..."

He looked at Old Lady Yang and said, "Let me ask the person in charge of our family."

"Old woman, how many boxes do you want to order?"

"50 boxes each."

"100 boxes in total, old woman, isn't that a bit too many?"

Old Mrs. Yang curled her lip: "Men, don't question my decision."

“I have many comrades who can’t come to the ancient town. Some of them are too old to travel, and some can’t travel far because their families are worried about them. What’s wrong with me sending them some souvenirs back home?”

Old Man Meng: "Baby! Give me your phone, I'll write down the address for you!"