Chapter 112 Bread
Yuan Shanting thought for a moment, and finally said: "Okay, I'll keep the money first. If Miss Liang needs anything in the future, you can come to me again. By the way, what do you think of the Weiyang matter I mentioned to Miss Liang last time?"
Liang Jinyu said, "We do plan to go there to broaden our horizons. When will Boss Yuan set off?"
"On the first day of next month, if Miss Liang is sure to go, she can come with me. It will take at least three days to travel from Shaozhou to Weiyang, so we can take care of her on the way."
Liang Jinyu thought about it and agreed immediately.
The journey to Weiyang is long, and having the Yuan family around can save us a lot of trouble.
"By the way, I heard that Miss Liang has some food?" Yuan Shanting asked with interest.
Liang Jinyu told him that all the food had been sold to the Xie family. Yuan Shanting felt regretful for a moment, but didn't say much.
This made Liang Jinyu feel a little embarrassed. After thinking for a while, she reminded him implicitly, "This year, due to the late spring cold, a large area of crops in Shaozhou were damaged. I don't know how other places are. If they are also affected, I'm afraid it will be difficult to survive next year."
Yuan Shanting was equally worried: "The rise in food prices is inevitable, and I am afraid that the food problem will affect other industries. There is no news from the north yet, but there are rumors that the south has also suffered a large-scale cold wave."
"Now that the temperature has not risen, spring ploughing has been completely delayed. Even if we want to replant in May or June, if there is another heavy rain—"
Liang Jinyu was interrupted by Yuan Shanting before she could finish her words.
"Miss Liang, please don't say that." Yuan Shanting waved his hands, looking fearful.
Years of comfortable life have made everyone lose their sense of worry. Even Yuan Shanting does not dare to prepare for the worst. It is conceivable how panicked everyone will be when a greater disaster comes.
That’s all I have to say, Liang Jinyu will not reveal any more.
In addition, she was still worried about what the students of Lushan Academy had said, so she said goodbye to Yuanshan Ting.
...
Liang Jinyu hurried home and just as she entered the yard, she saw Third Aunt coming out of the kitchen. Her apron and sleeves were covered with white powder, and even her hair was covered with it.
"Madam, you're back." The third wife was like seeing a savior, and she started complaining without waiting for Liang Jinyu to open her mouth.
"As soon as the eldest girl came back, she started to make a fuss. She was shouting that she wanted to build a bakery in her yard, and she also asked me for wheat flour and corn starch. She said she wanted to make some kind of bread. What the hell is this? I have never heard of such things in my life. After more than an hour of fussing, I didn't see a single piece of bread. Instead, all the flour in the kitchen was wasted."
"Bread?" Liang Jinyu asked.
Grandma nodded, her face full of distress: "I have seen many noodles and buns, but I have never seen bread. I think the eldest girl made it on a whim. The price of flour outside has risen to 67 wen per dou. How can our family afford such a waste?"
"Third Auntie, Sister Hui wants broken porcelain pieces. If you don't have any, she said tiles will do." Juan'er ran out happily, her little face as dirty as a big tabby cat.
The corners of the Third Granny's mouth twitched, and she finally couldn't help it. She pulled her apron and hit Juan'er in the face: "My dear mother, look at how dirty you are."
Juan'er struggled: "Don't wipe it, Auntie San. I want the porcelain pieces. Sister Hui is still waiting for me."
"Where can I find broken porcelain pieces for you? You don't study hard, but just make trouble!" The third wife scolded, and then said to Liang Jinyu, "Just now you asked for rice husks, and now you ask for broken porcelain pieces. Maybe you will ask for something strange later."
Although Liang Jinyu didn't know what bread was, she could guess that it was probably related to the business that Liang Hui was going to do.
"Aren't there a few chipped porcelain bowls in the kitchen? Take them all out." Liang Jinyu said to the third mother-in-law.
The third wife's frown was so tight that it could kill a fly: "Why is the Madam also making trouble?"
"Hui'er is a woman of her own ideas. Just let her do what she wants. Besides, we don't need a few bowls at home."
No matter how unwilling the Third Granny was, she did not dare to disobey her master. She could only go back to the kitchen and pick and choose for a long time before finally taking out a few chipped and cracked bowls and plates.
Liang Jinyu and Juan'er walked towards Liang Huiyuan, and on the way they met Wang You who was carrying two baskets of mud and sand.
As soon as she entered the yard, Liang Jinyu was stunned.
The originally neatly arranged courtyard was now as messy as a garbage dump. In the southeast corner, a thing similar to a miniature brick kiln was built with green bricks.
Liang Hui raised her hands, her face covered in dirt and sticky mud.
"Sister Hui, these are the porcelain pieces you asked for." Juan'er trotted over with the dishes in her arms.
Liang Hui turned around and saw Liang Jinyu, and said, "I'm not kidding. I'm making a bakery kiln to bake bread. You will know when the time comes."
Liang Jinyu came back to her senses and smiled: "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Ah?" Liang Hui thought she had heard it wrongly.
"Juan'er, give me the dishes." Liang Jinyu picked up a stone from the ground.
Seeing Liang Jinyu take the dishes and smash them into pieces with a bang, Liang Hui finally believed that Liang Jinyu wanted to help her.
"What happens after they're all smashed?" Liang Jinyu turned around and asked.
Liang Hui pursed her lips and pointed at the half-finished bread kiln: "Pile it up there."
Since Liang Jinyu wants to help her, let her do it.
As Liang Hui thought this, the corners of her tightly pursed lips raised in a gentle tone that she herself was not even aware of.
The sun sets in the west, and soon the moon is bright in the sky.
The third wife came over with a lantern and urged them to go to the front hall for dinner. Only Liang Jinyu responded, while the other three children seemed not to hear.
"Everyone is like a possessed person." Grandma San complained, picked up the lantern and looked into the corner, then cried out in surprise.
"What the hell is this thing? How come it has a nose and eyes?"
Liang Hui clapped her hands and came out from behind the bread kiln, her clothes becoming even dirtier and messier.
"This is called a bread kiln, but I spent some extra effort to make it into the shape of a cat's head. How about it? Cute, right?" Liang Hui asked proudly.
Sanpo took a few looks at it and didn't think there was anything special about it except that it looked a little strange. They had been busy with this thing until now.
"The food is ready, ma'am, please go and eat." The third wife urged, without commenting on this so-called bakery.
Liang Hui didn't care, but she was thinking in her heart that when she finished making the bread, it would definitely surprise the third wife.
Liang Jinyu couldn't help but smile knowingly when she saw Liang Hui's confidence.
Due to the bad weather, Liang Hui's bread kiln was never completely dried out. Naturally, this did not shock the third grandmother, but instead aroused suspicion from the Wang brothers and sisters.
*
After raining for more than half a month, the sky finally cleared up at the end of the month, and Liang Hui’s bread kiln could finally be uncovered and see the light of day again!
Early in the morning, Liang Hui took two bundles of straw from the kitchen, and under the resentful gaze of the Third Grandma, she took away a bag of flour, a can of sugar and a few eggs.