On the way back, Liang Lao Er's wife was indignant. "My dear niece, how can you just let this go like this? We did get the things back, but we haven't caught the thief yet."
Sun Miao'er explained, "Aunt Liang, didn't you realize that Village Chief Li doesn't want to investigate this matter any further?" She hugged Xiaoman and said, "The thief's problem is that he set fire to the village chief's house. The village chief cares about his reputation, and he's getting on in years. If he really gets involved with the thief, all the reputation he's worked so hard to build up over the past half-life will be ruined. Besides, I already know who stole the cloth. Leave the rest to me, Aunt Liang. Don't worry, I'll make sure that little thief gets what he deserves."
"That's right, such a fine thing was almost ruined by Xiao Zhangshi. I still feel nauseous just thinking about how they touched it!" Liang Lao Er's wife touched the fabric, truly loving it.
Sun Miao'er comforted her, "Aunt Liang, don't be upset about anything but money. It was all bought with real gold and silver. Wearing it makes you feel beautiful, and it's the only thing that matters. If it doesn't end up in their hands, it will only make them envious."
"Yes, now that the villagers have seen your skills, they will definitely come to you again in the future." Just now, under everyone's watchful eyes, the villagers saw the satin that Sun Miao'er had personally dyed. It's just a pity that many villagers have only ever seen brown and ochre in their lives. They can only marvel at the beauty of the fabric, but they will not have the desire to want it. Besides, how many people in the village can afford to use it?
Very few.
Sun Miao'er said with relief, "This satin is expensive, and only Auntie is lucky enough to be able to use it. It's not fashionable in Fushui Village. I've come up with another idea. I'll go to the peddler's to buy some cheap white coarse linen, dye it myself, and sell it to the villagers. Only in this way can we open up the market in Fushui Village. As for this kind of satin, I'll go to the city to do business when I've saved up enough capital!"
“My dear niece is so thoughtful. I have some spare money on hand. If you need capital for your business, just come to me. You can pay me back when you make money.” Liang Lao Er’s wife is a straightforward person. She has taken a liking to Sun Miao’er from the bottom of her heart. She is courageous and magnanimous, and she is an extraordinary person who has done what she wanted to do but dared not do.
Although Aunt Liang had made a promise beforehand, Sun Miao'er didn't dare to agree easily. If she took Aunt Liang's money and couldn't repay it, she would lose her friendship. "Aunt Liang, Miao'er doesn't need it for now. Once the village gets going, I'll get you involved!"
"Okay!"
When they arrived at the Sun family home, Fu Yuchi was giving acupuncture to Old Madam Sun. Upon seeing Sun Miao'er, he teased, "My disciple has been so busy these past two days; your master almost starved to death."
"Ah?" Sun Miao'er realized that she hadn't been to the medicine shop much these past two days because she was busy working on the fabric. Remembering her promise to her master, she felt extremely guilty. "Master, it's Miao'er's fault. I'll make it up to you now! You're not really starving to death, are you?"
"You actually believe me when I'm just kidding?" His voice rose slightly at the end, and his tone was very gentle, as if you could tell he was laughing just by listening to him speak.
Sun Miao'er pursed her lips. "Master, is Grandma almost better?"
"Two more treatments and you'll be fully recovered."
Grandma Sun, who was dozing off, woke up when she heard their conversation. "Miao'er, today's events caused quite a commotion. I saw everything clearly from inside the house. It's not easy to handle!"
"It's alright, Grandma, the fabric has been retrieved." Sun Miao'er was busy packing Fu Yuchi's medicine box and boiling a kettle of hot water on the fire.
Grandma Sun sighed softly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "Miao'er, don't think Grandma is nagging you. Grandma just wants you to have a skill to rely on, but doing business in public is not a good idea. Look at you, you've only just started, and people are already envious. If you really succeed, it will be very dangerous later on! Those people outside are all wolves and tigers. Listen to Grandma's advice!"
“Grandma, you know my temper.” Sun Miao’er’s expression was firm, her tone gentle yet powerful. “Now that I’ve chosen this path, I won’t turn back easily. You raised me when I was young, and I will take care of you when you’re old.”
Fu Yuchi listened without saying a word, and after a while he interjected, "It's not a bad thing to have something you like to do. I started studying medicine on a whim, and I haven't given it up yet."
"Grandma, even my master supports me!" Sun Miao'er chimed in, knowing that if she didn't work hard, life would be too difficult.
The water in the kettle on the stove was bubbling and boiling. Sun Miao'er took the kettle and poured a cup of hot tea for Fu Yuchi. Suddenly remembering something, she ran to the yard and came back with a piece of blue cloth in her hand. The blue was deep but not dull, smooth but not slippery, just like the clear sky after being washed by water, or the surface of a lake on a clear, windless day.
"Master, do you like this color?" Sun Miao'er shook the cloth in her hand. The color was lighter after it dried, and it looked much better than the faded indigo blue on her master's clothes.
Fu Yuchi's gaze swept over the piece of fabric. He liked cyan and blue, and most of his clothes were related to these two colors. However, the speed with which Miao'er handled it was something he had never experienced before. After a long while, he uttered two words softly, "Beautiful."
His praise wasn't tinged with much emotion; even if he liked someone, it was only expressed subtly, without excessive surprise or joy. It was still three parts smile and seven parts gentleness, making it hard to tell whether it was genuine or feigned.
But Sun Miao'er felt that the word "beautiful" was enough. This was something she had carefully prepared for her master. "I will use this fabric to make a garment for my master as a gift for becoming his apprentice."
"Alright." Fu Yuchi nodded. "I'm hungry."
Sun Miao'er quickly got to work. It was the height of summer, and the scorching sun made the whole room extremely stuffy.
Several ears of the first batch of corn had already ripened, and Sun Miao'er instructed Xiaoman to pick them from the field.
Peeling back the green husks reveals golden corn kernels, emitting a sweet aroma that fills the entire kitchen.
Sun Miao'er boiled the corn in a pot until it was thoroughly cooked. Xiaoman couldn't resist eating one. "Don't rush, the best is yet to come."
After saying that, he split the cooked corn open with a knife, removed the kernels, and sprinkled a small handful of dry powder on the corn and mixed it in.
After Xiaoman finished eating a corn cob, he knew that his sister was making another delicious dish that he had never seen before.
Heat oil in a wok until it's about 70-80% hot, then add the corn kernels. The wok explodes with a loud bang, releasing the sweet aroma of the corn, which wafts out of the house.
The corn kernels coated in dry powder gather together in hot oil, sticking tightly together to form a round cake shape. Once fully formed, they are ready to be taken out of the oil.
The corn, deep-fried in hot oil, had a rich aroma and was exceptionally sweet. Sun Miao'er sprinkled a layer of white sugar on top. "Master, you should eat first. This is called corn pancake, and it's much tastier than boiled corn!"
Fu Yuchi took a bite of the corn fritter. It made a crispy sound as it was bitten into, but the inside was soft, sweet, and juicy; only the crispy outer layer of fried flour was crunchy.
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