Chapter 55, The 55th Inn, Strolling Through the Market
Wan Leqiao bowed and said, "I am so sorry that my wife is unable to come today. She specially sent me to deliver a gift to her and to ask when Lady Yun's restaurant will open."
"Miss Xia still brings so many gifts." Yunyin looked at the gifts laid out on the ground and said with a smile, "The inn will open a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival. I will prepare the banquet menu and send a copy to Miss Xia. If she has time, she is welcome to come and visit."
Wan Leqiao agreed, "Then I won't disturb Lady Yun any longer."
Yunyin stopped her and took a basket from the kitchen: "These are watermelons I grew myself. Take them back and let Miss Xia try them. It's a token of my appreciation."
Wan Leqiao took the basket, thanked him, and turned to leave.
After seeing Wan Leqiao off, Yunyin went to the side room. Fu Wang and Song Shi were still discussing. She asked, "How is it? Can it be painted?"
Song Shi nodded and said, "No problem, I'll have Shou'er bring it to you after I finish drawing it."
Yunyin said there was no problem.
With all the molds arranged, Yunyin also needs to prepare the fillings for the mooncakes. The weather has been bad lately, so she hasn't made many pastries, and there aren't many red bean paste and mung bean paste either. She needs to make some more of these, as many mooncakes require this kind of filling.
It's lotus seed season now, so it's perfect to make a lotus seed paste mooncake. As for the salted egg yolks, Yunyin made a lot in advance and stored them away. She'll just take them out and use them. After she finishes making the mooncakes, she'll make another batch and store them.
Thinking of this, Yunyin couldn't sit still any longer. Taking advantage of the food stall's break these few days, she asked Zhang Lin to go to the county to buy things. Seeing this, Fu Wang said, "I'll go with you."
He drove out a carriage from the back and gestured for Yunyin to get in, saying, "Didn't you want to buy something? Renting a carriage is inconvenient, so I'll take you there."
Yunyin sat in the carriage and asked, "Why did you bring a carriage? Didn't you always ride a horse before?"
Fu Wang smiled and said, "It's getting hot, so it's better to take a carriage." Of course, he wasn't telling the truth. He just thought it was better to be prepared, in case Yunyin needed it. Sure enough, it did come in handy. He didn't tell Yunyin these things, not wanting to burden her.
Yunyin asked Zhang Lin to put the baskets and carrying poles into the cart, while she sat on the cart shaft, watching his actions with curiosity and asking, "Is it difficult to drive the cart?"
Seeing her eagerness to try, Fu Wang handed her the reins. "It's not difficult. You learned archery quickly, so this won't be hard to learn."
This month, Yunyin would spend her afternoons teaching Fang He martial arts, while Fang He learned archery from Fu Wang. After a month, she had already made some progress. Hearing Fu Wang say this, she followed his instructions and slowly drove the car towards the county town.
She wasn't very skilled yet, and even with Fu Wang watching over her, she didn't dare to speed up, arriving in the county town much later than usual.
However, the effect was remarkable. By the time they reached the county town, she had almost mastered how to catch a carriage. It was indeed not difficult. Her eyes curved into crescents as she said to Fu Wang, "I've learned it. I can catch a carriage by myself from now on."
Fu Wang nodded and said, "Congratulations." He asked Zhang Lin to store the carriage and said to Yun Yin, "After I leave, leave this carriage at your restaurant. It will also help me take care of the horse."
Yunyin looked up at him: "Aren't you taking this horse with you?"
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "It's too old to travel long distances. I'm at ease leaving it with you. You can also use the carriage; it won't be a waste."
Yunyin looked at the brand-new carriage road and said, "How about I pay you rent? That way I won't be taking advantage of you."
Fu Wang feigned anger and said, "Aren't we still friends? Why are you being so polite with me over something like this?"
Seeing that he seemed genuinely angry, Yunyin quickly said, "Hey, that's not what I meant, I just..."
Before she could finish speaking, Fu Wang patted her head and said, "I know you're just not used to owing favors, but this isn't about owing me a favor. I'm the one who asked you to take care of things for me; it's me who owes you a favor."
Yunyin was persuaded by him and finally agreed to leave the carriage behind. The three of them carried baskets and headed to the market.
Although it wasn't Mid-Autumn Festival yet, street vendors were already preparing for it, offering a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Common fruits like pomegranates and pears were readily available, as were less common ones like grapes. Yunyin went up and asked about the prices. The pears were only two or three coins, and the pomegranates weren't expensive either, so she bought some. As for grapes, she didn't need to buy any; Zheng Dong would send her a basket of grapes every ten days, enough for her shop.
Yunyin was about to continue browsing when she suddenly saw a purple melon. She looked closely and realized it was indeed an August melon. She asked the stall owner, "How much is this melon?"
The stall owner said with a fawning smile, "If you want to buy this melon, madam, it's very cheap, only 1 coin per pound."
Yunyin looked at some of the already cracked August melons and nodded, saying, "I'll take all the melons here."
The stall owner didn't have many August melons to begin with, but Yunyin bought them all. He happily said, "I'll pack them for you right away."
Yunyin put the melons into a basket, took out one that had already burst open, and asked, "Would you like to try some?"
Fu Wang: "This melon is all seeds, I don't like it."
Zhang Lin agreed, saying, "Wife, these are just wild fruits. If you want to eat them, you can find them in the mountains. Why spend money to buy them?"
Yunyin picked one up and started eating it. Although it was all seeds, it really brought back childhood memories. Seeing this melon today, she had to buy some to try.
She took a bite. There wasn't much flesh, but lots of seeds. However, the taste was pretty much the same as she remembered. The melon hadn't changed despite the change of time and space; it still tasted like bananas, and it was very sweet and delicious.
She clearly didn't like eating this melon when she was little, complaining that it had too many seeds, but now she misses the taste.
After she finished eating, she had a handful of seeds left. She collected them and planned to throw them into the mountains later, hoping that one year, a patch of August melons might grow on that mountain.
After buying fruit, they went to a dried fruit shop and bought a large bag of lotus seeds, red dates, and other dried fruits. As they were about to leave, they saw the shopkeeper take out a basket of oranges, and her eyes lit up. She asked, "Shopkeeper, how much are these oranges?"
When the shopkeeper saw that the customer had just bought a lot of dried fruit, he quickly said in a solicitous manner, "These fruits are very expensive. It took me a lot of effort to buy them."
"I won't rip you off. Each one costs at least ten coins. If you think it's too expensive, wait until oranges are in season and they will be cheaper then."
Ten coins each is indeed quite expensive, but it's just right for her to use in cooking. She said, "Give me twenty."
The shopkeeper glanced at the basket and realized that was all the oranges he had. He simply handed the basket to her and said, "These are all the oranges we have. You can buy them all."
Seeing that it wasn't much different, Yunyin bought the basket of oranges. After buying the fruit and dried fruit, she bought a large piece of ham, then went to the carpenter's shop to order what she needed. She then took the things and drove the carriage home.
The inn was now fully completed. When Qian Si saw Yun Yin return, he called out, "Miss Yun, come and see if there's anything you're not satisfied with. If everything is fine, then our contract is complete."
Yunyin stood on the freshly whitewashed wall and looked at it. The pristine white wall was spotless and stood out in the area. She touched the wall and found that it didn't shed any plaster. She said with satisfaction, "I'm quite satisfied. It doesn't look like a mud-brick house at all."
Qian Si said, "If this wall is properly maintained, it can remain in good condition for ten years. If Lady Yun needs maintenance in the future, you can also come to me."
Yunyin nodded and said, "I understand, thank you." She checked everything inside and out, even the oven that had just been built. Seeing that there were no problems, she handed him the remaining money and said, "Then let's sign the contract."
After signing the contract, Yunyin put the things she had bought into the warehouse and said to Fu Wang, "My house is finally finished." She then pointed to a small room next to the main gate and said, "Zhang Lin, this room is for you."
Qian Si said she only built three rooms, but in fact, including the kitchen, storeroom, and the room next to the main gate, there are a total of six rooms. The side rooms on both sides are also very large. She divided the right side into five rooms and the left side into two rooms. One room was made into a large dormitory, and the other was her living room.
She brought Fu Wang over to see her house, and was very satisfied with it from all angles. She smiled and said, "I don't need to live in the mountains anymore."
Fu Wang looked at the empty room and said, "Perfect, the bed I made for you before can be put in now."
Yunyin nodded and said, "There are still many things to set up. After I finish making the mooncakes, we'll decorate these rooms. There's still a lot to prepare before the opening."
Fu Wang asked, "Have you chosen a name yet?"
Yunyin said solemnly, "Of course, how about the name Yunlai Inn?"
"Guests come in droves, a wonderful omen, and it also subtly alludes to your name."
Yunyin: "Right? I think this name is especially suitable."
"Have you prepared a signboard?" Fu Wang asked curiously, remembering that she hadn't asked him for help. "Who did you ask to make the signboard?"
Yunyin smiled shyly: "Aren't you very busy lately? Besides making molds for me, you also need to prepare my luggage for departure. So I found a craftsman in the county to make them, and they will be delivered in a couple of days."
Fu Wang said, "It's good that you have made arrangements. Master Xu in the county is indeed very skilled. It would be good for you to ask him."
Yunyin said, "This craftsman was recommended by Qian Si. I've seen his work, and it's very good." She rolled her eyes and said, "Of course, yours is very good too. I'm just worried that you're working too hard."
Fu Wang said, "I know, you don't need to explain."
After viewing the house, Yunyin took her things into the kitchen, soaked the dried lotus seeds she had just bought, and called Fu Wang and Zhang Lin to set up the kitchen.
The two stoves in the kitchen are connected together. On the side closer to the main room, firewood is neatly arranged behind the stove for easy addition when starting a fire. On the other side, there is a long table where you can usually chop vegetables and make pastries. Behind it is a row of cabinets containing pots, pans, and some precious seasonings.
On the other side of the wall were jars of pickled cabbage and soybean paste. Of course, not all the pickled cabbage and paste were here; some were kept in the storeroom. The ones stored here were the ones that could be used immediately.
Above these sauces was a rack with washed fruits and vegetables on it, so they could be used quickly when cooking.
After Yunyin and the others finished setting up and cleaning the kitchen, she looked at the neat and tidy kitchen and felt a great sense of accomplishment. She said, "Alright, the kitchen is done. I'm going to make mooncake fillings. You can go and set up the tables and chairs in the side room. I'll ask the sister-in-law from Linjiang Village to help me make some bedding tomorrow."
After asking the two of them to leave the kitchen, Yunyin took out the soaked lotus seeds, intending to make lotus seed paste first.
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