Chapter 107, The 107th Inn: Watching the Dragon Boat Again
The people of Letao Village really didn't say anything; on the contrary, many of them were quite envious. When they saw Zheng Guilan bring Fang He back, they thought Zheng Guilan had been sent back, only to later hear that she was getting married.
Not to mention how surprised the people of Letao Village were, even the Fang family from Dazhu Village were astonished and wanted to come and cause trouble. Unfortunately, Letao Village was no longer the Letao Village of the past. Now that they had made money from selling the fruit, even if they couldn't help Zheng Guilan, they wouldn't let her be bullied.
The Fang family not only didn't get away with it, but they almost came to blows. Besides, they couldn't afford to offend Yunyin, and they had indeed divorced Zheng Guilan and driven Fang He away. They couldn't use Fang He to blackmail Zheng Guilan. Fang San's new wife and child were already born, so they didn't dare to go too far and lose their precious grandson. So, they had to let the matter drop.
Zheng Guilan had long since stopped getting angry over these things. She happily applied rouge, waiting to get married. Even if it was her second marriage, it would be more reassuring than her first.
Yunyin also started helping with the wedding banquet. The banquet didn't cost much; it mainly consisted of steamed and stewed dishes, with very few stir-fried dishes. As long as there was enough oil and broth, the guests wouldn't think Zhang Lin was stingy.
Although Yunyin didn't put up any "double happiness" characters in the inn, she did hang red lanterns, making it look very festive. With the help of Ma Hao, Wu Zhuang, Wu Qiang, and others, and Yunyin and Feng Hai helping with the cooking, the banquet was a lively and joyous affair.
Many of the villagers from Letao Village were visiting Yunyin for the first time. Looking at the increasing number of buildings and the fields that had been cleared, they exclaimed in astonishment, "Is this still the wasteland we knew before? Goodness, Lady Yun is truly amazing!"
Zheng Dong and Zheng Xi, as Zheng Guilan's family members, walked in front and laughed when they heard this, saying, "You just realized that if it weren't for Yun Niangzi's help, our fruit would still be unsold."
A group of people carried Zheng Guilan's dowry, while Zheng Guilan sat on an ox and went to the small courtyard.
The place Yunyin assigned them to stay was quite a distance from the inn in front. To the left was a path leading directly to Pingjiang, and behind it was a desolate open field. This place was full of stones and the soil was very barren. It was considered a waste of water and fertilizer to grow vegetables, so this land had never been used.
The villagers who had come along nodded and said, "This land is not bad for raising chickens."
Zheng Guilan pursed her lips and didn't speak, but Zheng Xi spoke up: "Auntie, this place is not good for raising chickens. Yun Niangzi has many guests in front of her, and she will also plant an orchard in the future. Chicken droppings will be everywhere, and the guests will not like it. So we don't raise chickens."
The aunt clicked her tongue in amazement, "Not raising chickens, just buying them, that must cost so much money! Madam Yun is really rich." She paused and asked curiously, "Is Madam Yun married?"
Zheng Xi: "We're already engaged."
"So that's how it is. What a pity."
Zhang Lin also stopped his breakfast stall today, busy with various wedding-related matters early in the morning. Even though he was very busy, the smile on his face never stopped.
When the people who came to eat at Yunyin Inn heard that Zhang Lin was getting married today, they also offered their congratulations to her, and she thanked them all.
After finishing the lunch at the inn, Yunyin and Fuwang went to ask for a drink. She also gave them a big red envelope, wishing them to be together forever.
Fang He, acting like a little adult, stood aside and thanked the people who came to give gifts. When she saw Yun Yin, she couldn't help but step forward and say, "Master, please sit down. My mother said she wants to offer you a toast."
Yunyin waved her hand and said, "No need for that. I'll just have a drink at the wedding and then leave. I have a lot of things to do ahead of me."
Moreover, she knew that the people of Letao Village were not familiar with her, and she had nothing to talk about with them.
Yunyin and Fuwang drank some wine and left hand in hand. Fuwang looked back at the lively scene and looked on with envy, "When we get married, it will definitely be even more lively than this."
Yunyin also looked back and said confidently, "It definitely will."
Life didn't change much after Zhang Lin and Zheng Guilan got married. Zhang Lin continued to sell breakfast at the breakfast stall in front of the house, while Zheng Guilan and Wu Zhuang went to the county to set up a stall to sell snacks.
Yunyin would finish making the pastries to sell the next day in the evening, and then marinate a few ducks for Sister Aman the next day. She would sell the extras herself. She was busy and fulfilled every day.
The annual Cold Food Festival is fast approaching. This year, Yunyin has prepared not only green rice dumplings but also spring pancakes. Wild vegetables grow very quickly in spring. After blanching them, they are mixed with some chili and garlic and taste especially delicious.
If the wild vegetables have a slightly bitter taste, you only need to blanch them and add some vinegar to remove the bitterness. Roll them up in steamed thin pancakes. Not only Fu Wang likes them, but other people who come to buy qingtuan also like them.
This year's Cold Food Festival not only made a lot of money from green rice dumplings, but also from spring pancakes. While Yunyin was tallying the accounts, Fu Wang came in from outside and handed her a letter: "A letter from Song Shi sent from the capital."
Yunyin opened the channel: "They must have finished their exams, I wonder if they passed or not."
Fu Wang didn't open the letter yet. After Yun Yin opened it, he asked, "What did Song Shi say?"
Yunyin sighed and said, "Xie Yan and Shen Rong passed the exam, but he didn't. He said he wants to stay in the capital to take the Mingjing exam next year and hopes I can help him take care of Sister Aman."
Yunyin carefully put the letter away, still somewhat worried about Song Shi, "I wonder how he is doing now."
Fu Wang comforted him, "Don't worry, Xie Yan is here, he'll always have someone to help him." He paused and then said, "He can take the Mingjing exam, but if he can't pass the Mingjing exam, he can only go back to Long'an County to take the civil service exam. He shouldn't have any problem with that, and he can be promoted from civil servant to chief clerk in the future. But if that happens, it will be even more difficult for him to marry Lady Luo."
Yunyin frowned and said, "Yes, that's why he said he wants to take the Mingjing exam. If he passes the Mingjing exam, at least he can choose a place. He already knows that Sister Aman's shop has opened in Mianzhou. He said that if he passes the Mingjing exam, he will ask for a job in Mianzhou so that he can take care of Sister Aman."
Fu Wang smiled and said, "If he studies hard for the next year, passing the imperial examination should not be a problem."
Yunyin shrugged and said, "That's all we can hope for." She also hoped that Song Shi and Luo Man could have a good outcome.
The Dragon Boat Festival will be just around the corner after Qingming Festival. Yunyin knew half a month ago that Long'an County and Beijiang County would be holding a dragon boat race together again this year, so she started preparing early.
Last year, she made a special trip to the county town to watch the dragon boat races, but it turned out to be less crowded than watching them at home.
After learning about the dragon boat race this year, Yunyin informed her customers early on that she would choose a spot by the river to build a shed so they could come and watch the race.
After watching the dragon boat race, you can come here for a meal and listen to music. It's much more comfortable than staying in the county.
In order to set up the shed, Yunyin found people to work on the riverbank early on.
The shade structure was also carefully chosen; it couldn't be used only once and then discarded. Moreover, since Magistrate Cui was going to build a ferry crossing nearby, she specifically selected a location that was neither too far nor too close to the ferry crossing to be built, so that it wouldn't take up space there and the shed could be left to provide shade for those people in the future.
The shed was quickly built. Fu Wang helped check it and found it to be very sturdy. The straw on the shed was also very thick, which could block out a lot of sunlight. "It's built quite well. There's a lot of straw."
Yunyin looked at the thick layer of straw above her head. "I traded cotton for this. There's still a pile in the woodshed. I'll take some more to grow straw mushrooms after a while. The rest will probably only be enough for our daily needs."
“You don’t need to plant so many straw mushrooms this year.” Fu Wang looked at Yun Yin. “I heard that people in the nearby villages are planning to plant some. Straw mushrooms are not difficult to grow. All you need is a place away from the light and some straw.”
"So they all plan to plant some, even if they can't sell them, it's good to eat them themselves."
Yunyin smiled and said, "That's great. When more people plant mushrooms, I can make more mushroom sauce. You haven't tried spicy mushroom sauce before, have you? It's delicious too."
Fu Wang: "I've never eaten it before. I'll try it when the straw mushrooms come out."
He wanted to ask Yunyin if she was worried that others would also make and sell mushroom sauce. But considering her usual attitude, he felt there was no point in asking. Even if the county didn't buy her mushroom sauce, he could find more buyers for her.
The shed for watching the dragon boat races was quickly set up. Yunyin even asked Fu Wang to apply a layer of clear oil so that it would last longer. She also told other guests that they could come to her place if they wanted to watch the dragon boat races.
As expected, a lot of people came to Yunyin that day. Even Lin Yun brought Huo Yu along. Seeing how lively it was, she couldn't help but sigh, "It really changes every year. Your place is getting more and more lively now."
Yunyin served her tea and snacks, and said with a smile, "I'm alright, it's all thanks to your kindness."
Besides Lin Yun, Wang Yu, whom we hadn't seen in a long time, also came. As soon as he saw Yun Yin, he complained, "Oh my god, I'm so miserable. Shen Rong passed the imperial examination, and my family gave me a good scolding. If I hadn't begged for so long, I wouldn't have been able to come and watch the dragon boat race."
"Miss Yun, quickly bring me a few more portions of your dishes. I haven't had your cooking in so long, I really miss it."
Yunyin smiled helplessly: "It's not lunchtime yet, are you eating so early?" She paused and widened her eyes, "You didn't even have breakfast, did you?"
Wang Yu chuckled and said, "In order to save room for your cooking, I have to not eat anything else, right? I know your breakfast is pretty good too."
Yunyin shook her head and smiled, saying, "Alright, since you're so supportive, of course I'll cook you a big meal. Just wait."
Wang Yu looked left and right, observing the newly rearranged main hall. He walked out to the courtyard and looked around. He passed through the passageway on his left, where it was also quite lively. He went over and found that the private room was even more tranquil than before, with a row of bamboo and many flowers planted not far in front.
It was a time of bright spring sunshine, with flowers of all colors blooming in competition. A grapevine in front of the private room had already sprouted new buds, which made people feel happier.
He stepped forward and smelled the peonies that had already bloomed. Although they weren't a famous variety, the flowers were still very beautiful, a delicate pink, and the branches were well cared for.
When Yinshuang came out of the house, she saw a person squatting in the flower garden, looking at something. She went up to him and reminded him, "My lord, if you want to go to the private room, please come with me."
Wang Yu looked up and saw Yin Shuang. Yin Shuang was also stunned for a moment before she realized, "So it's Young Master Wang. Please come this way."
Just as the two were walking towards the private room, a surprised voice rang out behind them: "Feishuang, what are you doing here?"
Upon hearing that voice, Yinshuang's back stiffened. She was so familiar with that person's voice; just one sentence brought back the pain she had felt in the past.
She didn't stop and continued walking forward. Wang Yu was unaware of this and didn't think she was calling them. The two continued walking forward, but before they reached the private room, they were stopped by a man.
"Gu Feishuang, I'm calling you, didn't you hear me?"
The man grabbed Yinshuang's arm. Wang Yu was startled and quickly shook off the man's hand. He pulled Yinshuang to stand behind him and frowned as he looked at the dejected man. "Who are you? Can you stop hitting me? You can't bully the people here."
Yinshuang kept her head down and didn't look at the person. Only Wang Yu stood in front of her and pointed at the person.
The man looked at Wang Yu standing in front of Yin Shuang, sized him up, frowned, and sneered, "So you've joined this guy now. He doesn't look like much."
Wang Yu was provoked by the contempt in the man's tone and was about to step forward to argue with him when Yin Shuang came out from behind him and coldly looked at the man in front of her and said, "Hu Xiao, what do you want?"
Hu Xiao shook his sleeves and said, "It's nothing, just catching up with an old acquaintance." He looked at Wang Yu and sneered, "I wonder if this young master knows that the woman beside you is a famous socialite in Chang'an, and I wonder if you have ever tasted her."
Upon hearing this, Yinshuang's face turned pale instantly. Before she could react, Wang Yu punched the man in the face.
When Sun Lian discovered that someone was causing trouble for Yin Shuang, she rushed to find Yun Yin. By the time Yun Yin and Fu Wang arrived, Wang Yu and Hu Xiao were already locked in a fierce battle.
The other guests in the private room stopped chatting and rushed out to see what was going on. Yunyin stepped forward to reassure them, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Please continue sitting. We'll take care of it soon."
She grabbed Hu Xiao with one hand, separated the two, and pulled him towards the orchard behind. The man tried to struggle, but Fu Wang quickly stuffed a piece of burlap into his mouth to stop him.
After dragging the person to the orchard, she abandoned Hu Xiao and, seeing that Yin Shuang had something to say, blocked her way, preventing her from speaking, and said to Hu Xiao, "What do you mean?"
Hu Xiao got up from the ground, threw out the burlap in his mouth, patted the dust off his clothes, and sneered, "Rude people, people nowadays are so impolite, I don't know where they learned it from."
Yunyin already knew what had happened from Wang Yu's angry shouts. Without saying a word, she kicked him and said to Yinshuang behind her, "Yinshuang, hit him. We'll take responsibility for any trouble that comes with it."
Fu Wang nodded in agreement, saying, "Miss Yinshuang, there's no need to be afraid. He harmed you back then, so now you're just making him suffer a little. I'm sure he won't mind."
Wang Yu nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, people like that deserve a good beating."
Encouraged by the crowd, Yinshuang mustered her courage and kicked Hu Xiao hard. Hu Xiao didn't expect her to actually hit him. He fell to the ground because he wasn't paying attention. When he tried to get up and beat Yinshuang, Yunyin tripped him, making it impossible for him to get up.
Yinshuang relaxed as she was kicked and punched. The pain she had felt seemed to slowly dissipate as he cried out for mercy. When she saw Hu Xiao lying on the ground, unable to get up and groaning in pain, the anger and resentment in her chest finally subsided a bit.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and said coldly, "Stay away from me in the future, or I'll beat you up like I did today. I can't do anything to you, but there are plenty of martial arts people here who can subdue you."
Hu Xiao was trembling with pain on the ground, completely losing his previous arrogant demeanor.
Yinshuang didn't even want to look at this person, and said to Yunyin, "Yunniangzi, I'm leaving now."
Yunyin was also worried that she was in a bad mood, so she quickly said, "You should rest for the next few days. Leave this to us."
After Yinshuang left, Yunyin and Fuwang pulled the man into the woods and, after a lot of questioning, finally learned the purpose of his visit.
It turns out he came with a merchant caravan and is now a manager there. Because his family offended a powerful figure, none of the family members could take the imperial examinations, and they received little inheritance, so they had to find work.
Many people in Chang'an knew him, after all, many had heard about what happened to Yinshuang back then, and they all looked down on this treacherous person. He couldn't find any work in Chang'an, so he had to work with merchant caravans to make a living.
Yunyin grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the main road. She then went to tell the caravan about the incident. The person in charge was surprised that this man could cause trouble and quickly apologized, saying, "It's my fault for not managing him properly. I'm really sorry."
The manager wasn't stupid. Many of the people Yunyin invited to watch the dragon boat race were well-known locals. He could simply avoid making friends with them, but why would he deliberately offend them?
After resolving the matter, Yunyin finally breathed a sigh of relief: "I wonder how Lady Yinshuang is doing. It was my fault for not protecting her well. Duan Yi was the first to fall, and now Hu Xiao is the second. It seems I need to have someone protect Yinshuang more often."
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Lady Yinshuang will be very happy when she finds out what happened to Hu Xiao."
Fu Wang guessed correctly. Yin Shuang was indeed very happy to learn of Hu Xiao's fate. She drank several more cups of wine, and tears fell drop by drop. From then on, these past events faded away with the wind.
Originally, we were supposed to watch the dragon boat race today, but because of this incident, Yunyin was in a bad mood. Seeing Wang Yu's injuries, she asked someone to get some medicinal wine from Doctor Zhang and had Fu Wang wipe it on his wounds.
Yunyin poured him some water. "Thank you, Wang Yu."
Wang Yu touched the corner of his mouth, and his face twitched with pain as soon as he moved. He hissed and said, "It's nothing. That person was just too rude. Is Lady Yinshuang alright?"
Yunyin said, "Let her calm down first." Seeing that Wang Yu was in a lot of pain, he frowned and said, "Let me get you some better dishes. You're injured, so you should eat something light."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yu felt as if the sky was about to fall. "No! I finally managed to come all this way. It's not easy for me. I wanted to try the new dishes you've been making lately."
After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "How about this, I've recently learned some medicinal cuisine, would you like to try some?"
Wang Yu looked at Yun Yin and then at Fu Wang, "Young Master Fu, is this medicinal food delicious? Is it too strong in medicinal flavor?"
Fu Wang applied the medicinal wine to him and shook his head, saying, "You can try it. The medicinal food that A Yin makes tastes pretty good, and the medicinal flavor isn't too strong."
Seeing his hesitant look, Yunyin smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, you can try it. The ladies of Long'an County all like the medicinal cuisine I make."
Ever since she gave the menu to those ladies, Yunyin's place has been receiving a feast every few days. The ladies who have eaten there all say it's delicious, and a few even say that their complexions have indeed improved after eating it, so they often bring their entourage over.
In Yunyin's opinion, it's because these ladies go out to play, eat well, have fun, are in a good mood, have no worries, and get enough sleep, which naturally reflects on their appearance.
But they insisted that they came to eat Yunyin's medicinal cuisine, and that they were in a hurry to give her money, so Yunyin naturally wouldn't refuse.
After a long silence, Wang Yu finally nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll try the medicinal cuisine made by Lady Yun."
Yunyin went back to the kitchen, and Feng Hai asked her, "Are you alright just now?"
She shook her head and said, "It's nothing, just a troublemaker, we've already dealt with him."
Yunyin took some astragalus and angelica from the storeroom, intending to make chicken soup for Wang Yu to nourish his body.
For the main course, make a ginseng and jujube rice dish, which has the effect of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, making it most suitable for people with weak constitutions like Wang Yu. Finally, have a white fungus, lotus seed, and lily bulb soup, which has a very good effect on moisturizing the lungs.
Looking at the three simple dishes on the table, Wang Yu frowned and said, "Is there only soup and no other dishes?"
Yunyin took a stack of prepared sauces and placed them in front of him, saying, "Isn't chicken a dish? I cooked a whole chicken for you. If you think the chicken has no flavor, just dip it in the sauce."
Helpless, Wang Yu could only pick up his chopsticks and eat with a sense of grievance. The chicken soup with added medicine was indeed different from the one he usually drank, but the medicinal taste was not as strong as he had expected. He picked up a piece of chicken, dipped it in the sauce, and raised an eyebrow. "I must say, it tastes pretty good with the sauce. The chicken is also very tender. Yun Niangzi, how did you cook it? How come the chicken is so tender?"
Yunyin just smiled and didn't say anything. Wang Yu didn't necessarily need to know the reason. As long as the food was delicious, that was enough. Because he hadn't eaten breakfast and had gotten into a fight, he was starving. Even though there was a whole chicken in the pot, he ate it all up.
After eating and drinking his fill, he patted his stomach and said, "Ah, that feels so good. I must say, the medicinal cuisine here is really delicious. No wonder the ladies like it." Having gotten used to eating big fish and meat dishes, it was indeed very comforting to eat some clear soup and hot stew, not to mention that Yunyin had added medicinal herbs.
Of course, the price was quite high, but Wang Yu wasn't one to care about money. He smiled and said, "Alright, I'm full. I'm going to watch the dragon boat races. They're probably about to start."
As expected, Wang Yu was right. He had just sat down when he could already hear the dragon boat coming upstream in the distance.
The dragon boat races held in Beijiang County and Long'an County this year were even more exciting than last year. I heard that there were even people from gambling dens acting as bookmakers, allowing people to bet on their favorite teams. If the team that won in the end, the bettors could receive a considerable sum of money.
However, Yunyin does not host this project, so it is unlikely that you can place a bet.
Fortunately, the food, activities, and scenery at Yunyin were all excellent, so they didn't feel neglected and even made plans to come back next year.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, it was time for another busy farming season. In addition to preparing food for visiting merchants, Yunyin and her team were also busy with the farmhands. The winter wheat was ready for harvest. Although the winter wheat suffered a severe disaster last year, the wheat that survived was growing very well. Yunyin even specially selected the best seeds from the wheat and stored them separately.
After harvesting the wheat, they need to plant beans. Yunyin uses a lot of beans for tofu, so they need to plant more beans to exchange with Aunt Fang. This way, Aunt Fang will have enough beans, and Yunyin can pay less.
When the beans were all planted, the matter of repairing the ferry crossing that Magistrate Cui had mentioned before was also put on the agenda. Yunyin specially went to take a look. They were all strong laborers from nearby villages. Each person would serve for twenty days before another group of people would come to help until the autumn harvest.
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