Chapter 97, The 97th Inn, Sesame Candy
There were so many stalls in the county town. Yunyin saw a stall covered with red paper-cut "Fu" characters and peach charms. She went up and took a closer look. Although the peach charms at this time were not the Spring Festival couplets of later generations, they already had a rudimentary form.
A peach charm is a wooden board made of peach wood. A set of peach charms consists of two boards, each with a door god painted on it. Next to the door god, there are also some poems with auspicious blessings written on them. Yunyin didn't know what these two door gods were. She looked at the door gods, who were painted very majestically, and after thinking about it, she bought a few. She also bought a lot of paper cuttings.
After buying the peach charms and paper cuttings, Yunyin went to the grain shop to buy sesame seeds, the main New Year's goods. During the New Year, everything was more expensive, and sesame seeds were no exception. Normally, sesame seeds cost a maximum of 6 coins per pound, but now they cost at least 8 or 9 coins, which was much more expensive.
Yunyin usually keeps sesame seeds on hand when making desserts, but the sesame seeds she has left at home can't make much sesame candy, and she also needs to buy some maltose. After thinking about it, she still bought some. Next year, she can grow some sesame seeds in her own field, which will be useful for both pressing sesame oil and making desserts.
After buying sesame seeds and sugar, Yunyin and Fuwang carried their bags back. There were far fewer people in Long'an County now, and it wasn't as crowded as before. Yunyin smiled and said, "It seems they all went outside the city."
Fu Wang smiled back at her, "Since there are fewer people now, do you want to go shopping somewhere else? You should buy some new clothes for the New Year. How about we go to the fabric store?"
Fu Wang looked at the simple peach wood hairpin in Yun Yin's hair. It was a gift from him before, and he had put a lot of effort into carving it. Although he had put a lot of effort into it, it still couldn't compare to the exquisite ones sold in the store. He pursed his lips and said, "How about we go to the jewelry store and buy you some more jewelry?"
Yunyin turned to look at Fu Wang and saw that he was very serious. She reached out and touched the hairpin in her hair and smiled, "I think the hairpin you gave me is very nice. I like it very much. As long as the hairpin is useful, there's no need to be so particular."
You should know that Yunyin used to just tie her hair up with a hair tie or wrap her hair up with a headscarf. This would make it much more convenient when she was eating, and guests would feel more at ease seeing her like this.
It was only recently, after she had been going out with Fu Wang a lot, that she specifically sought out Yinshuang to learn some hairstyles and used the hairpin that Fu Wang had given her. She really didn't need to use them on ordinary days.
Yunyin lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and whispered, "If you really want to give it to me, how about carving another peach blossom for me? I think peach blossom hairpins are pretty too."
Fu Wang's eyes lit up when he heard this. He smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll carve another peach blossom one for you." He turned to look at Yun Yin and saw that her cheeks were still flushed. He put down what he was holding and took her hand with his free hand. "You like plum blossoms too. I'll carve another plum blossom one for you so you can wear it alternately."
Yunyin felt a gentle touch in her hand. The two were very close, and she could almost hear their hearts pounding. She pursed her lips, clenched his large hand, looked up at him, and smiled, saying, "Okay, then I'll be waiting to receive your gift."
The two exchanged a smile, appearing as if they were a still painting amidst the constant hawking noises of the market.
Just then, a voice rang out behind them. Yunyin and Fuwang turned around and saw that it was indeed Cui Jing.
Beside Cui Jing was a beautiful young woman. When she saw Yun Yin looking over, she smiled at her, her beauty as lovely as a peony in full bloom. Even Yun Yin was momentarily dazzled by her smile.
It was Cui Jing's introduction that brought her back to her senses. It turned out that this woman was his wife, named Wang Jun, who had come with him to take up his post in Long'an County. The two of them had come out for a stroll together today.
Yunyin bowed and greeted Wang Jun, then asked Cui Jing, "Is Magistrate Cui not on duty today?"
Cui Jing: "Of course I have to be on duty. We just finished the Nuo opera ceremony. I'm taking my wife for a stroll now, and I'll have to go back to my shift soon." He raised an eyebrow and said, "When I have some free time in the future, I'll take my wife to your place so she can have some company."
Yunyin smiled and said, "That's wonderful! I'm very happy to welcome the magistrate's wife. I'll be waiting for you to come." She smiled at the two of them, bowed, and took her leave. "Then I won't disturb you any longer. We'll be going now."
Fu Wang also bowed to Cui Jing and Wang Jun, and the two left hand in hand.
Seeing that Cui Jing was staring at the two of them from behind, Wang Jun looked over curiously. Not finding anything amiss, she asked, "Husband, what are you looking at? What's wrong with them?"
Cui Jing shook his head and said, "I'm just a little curious. I always feel that Madam Yun is unusual, but I can't quite put my finger on what makes her so." He turned around and continued walking forward, saying as he went, "You'll know once you've tasted Madam Yun's cooking. Her cooking is extraordinary. If you said she came from a noble family, I would believe you."
Wang Jun was quite surprised by this assessment. After all, aristocratic families possessed many valuable treasures, including not only the most cherished books but also numerous records of delicacies—things that ordinary people could not possibly know.
She raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Then it seems I really need to see Lady Yun's culinary skills." As if she had thought of something, she asked Cui Jing, "If that's the case, she's quite an extraordinary person to be able to run a shop here safely."
Cui Jing smiled and explained, "As far as I know, they are not only familiar with Zhou Chang, but they are also on good terms with Xie Yansong. There are no prominent families in Long'an County, mostly just local gentry. Since they are on good terms with Xie Yansong, naturally no one will cause her any trouble."
Wang Jun: "I see."
On the other end, Yunyin and Fuwang put the things on the carriage. Yunyin sat back on the carriage shaft and said to Fuwang, "Let's go home quickly. It's more comfortable at home. I'll make you sesame candy when we get home."
Fu Wang glanced at the crowd gradually returning outside the city and asked, "Aren't you going to eat in the county?"
Yunyin shook her head and said, "Manxiangju is closed. We don't want to eat at other restaurants. Let's go home and eat."
Seeing that Yunyin was settled, Fu Wang called out, "Alright, let's hurry home."
When Yunyin arrived home, it was still early. Feng Hai and the others had just finished lunch. Seeing Yunyin return, they hurried out to help carry things and casually asked, "Has my wife eaten?"
Fu Wang took something out of the car and handed it to Ma Hao beside him, saying, "We haven't eaten yet. Could you make us something to eat? Ayin just got back and is a little tired."
Yunyin also came over carrying a bag of things, and smiled at Feng Hai, saying, "Then I'll trouble you. I'll rest for a while and make sesame candy for you later."
The other children also ran out to help Yunyin carry her things. Yunyin spotted Luotian coming from behind and asked Ma Hao, "When did Luotian arrive?"
Ma Hao turned around and beckoned Luo Tian over, then said to Yun Yin, "He came over early this morning. You just left a little while ago, and he's already finished with everything at home. Hurry up and come help your wife."
Yunyin looked Luotian up and down. Not only were his clothes neater, but his face also had a touch of joy. When he saw Yunyin, he greeted her and said, "Miss Yun, is there anything I can help you with? My mother said that I don't need to go home for the New Year and that I can come and help you with the chores."
His dark face flushed red as he grinned and said, "My family wanted to help me find a husband before, which delayed things for a while. Now that the marriage is settled, I can finally free up some time."
Seeing his apologetic expression, Yunyin waved her hand and said, "It's nothing. You've been away for a long time, you should get some rest." Thinking that he had already arranged his marriage, she put down what she was holding and asked him, "When is your wedding date? I'll give you a big red envelope too."
Luo Tian scratched his head and said, "My mother means that the wedding will be held during the off-season for farming, and we will need to ask for leave from you. I wonder what your plans are, my wife? Will I still be going out to work as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) next year?"
Fu Wang also sat down next to Yun Yin. Hearing Luo Tian's question, he looked at Yun Yin to see what she thought.
Yunyin thought for a moment and asked Luotian, "If I asked you to continue as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), would you be okay with it?"
Luo Tian nodded and said, "Of course, I quite like it."
Yunyin looked at Fu Wang, wondering what he meant. Fu Wang replied, "I don't care. One more or one less won't make a difference. If he's willing to come with us on the escort mission, I can accept it. The price will remain the same as before, 200 coins per trip."
"As for your two remaining brothers, I can't offer that much. If they still want to come along, then it's only 100 coins."
After thinking for a moment, Luo Tian said, "Okay, I'll go back and ask them."
After Luo Tian left, Yun Yin looked at Fu Wang and asked, "Did his two brothers cause you trouble?"
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "It's not much of a problem. They're just not very alert and their martial arts aren't as good as Luo Tian's. Anyway, I had a lot of people with me before, so it was okay for the two of them to help carry some goods."
Yunyin pursed her lips and said, "Luotian is a relative of Sister Aman. At the time, I helped her solve a problem out of respect for Sister Aman, and I also thought that he was quite talented and that I could use him in future business dealings."
“I signed ten-year contracts with them. If the remaining two are not suitable to follow you, you can leave them here with me. Anyway, I have plenty of work to do. If all else fails, let them go farm. I have a hundred acres of land.”
Fu Wang looked at the two people feeding the horses in the courtyard outside and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, those two shouldn't stay here with you. You should only keep people you know well." Fu Wang knew how important the recipes Yun Yin had. He had already heard about the incident where someone came to her to steal the recipes. It was better to let Cheng Yong and the others take these people he didn't trust with them.
Fu Wang recalled Yun Yin's earlier statement about wanting to engage in trade in the future, and he couldn't help but ask her carefully, "Do you plan to form a caravan to trade in the future?"
Yunyin smiled and said, "Yes, I see that the people in the caravan really like the mushroom sauce I make. I can also make other pickles, such as radish sauce, cucumber sauce, and eggplant sauce. I can also make pickled vegetables, which would sell well in other places."
Seeing that Fu Wang was frowning and hadn't replied for a while, Yun Yin whispered, "Is my idea a bit inappropriate?"
Fu Wang, seeing Yun Yin's dejected expression, comforted her, "It's not that simple, it's just that these things aren't suitable for large-scale transport." He pulled Yun Yin to sit behind the screen, then brought out the tea stove and set it up, explaining to her, "Merchant caravans mostly sell goods like grains, cloth, and porcelain, which are easy to sell. These things are valuable, and you can make a lot of money selling them. If you're only selling things like pickles, it's not worth making a separate trip."
"These pickled vegetables were taken by traveling merchants to eat on the road. Of course, pickled vegetables are salty and contain a lot of salt, which is good for places where salt is scarce, but it's not enough to just carry this much."
Fu Wang paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover, you need to use trustworthy people when doing business. Although you have signed a contract with Luo Tian, it is a flexible contract after all, and you do not trust him enough. You cannot entrust this kind of thing to him for the time being."
Fu Wang looked at Yun Yin, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Why did you suddenly think of this? Do you want to go into business in the future?"
Yunyin scratched her face and smiled sheepishly, "It wasn't something I suddenly remembered. I haven't told you, have I? My father left a wish that I could revitalize the family's martial arts school. I'm not very interested in it, but I did promise him, so I still want to do it."
She looked up at the children picking vegetables outside the house, pointed at them and said, "I bought these children not entirely because I pitied them, but also because I wanted to train them and revitalize the family martial arts school so that more people could come to the school to learn martial arts."
"Even if someone can come to the martial arts school to learn martial arts, they may not earn a lot of money. Long'an County is still too small. Wealthy families have their own channels for learning martial arts, but ordinary families, unless they are rich, will not come to learn martial arts. Moreover, as you know, those families would rather let their children study and take exams. At least taking exams can change their social status. What use is learning martial arts? It can only protect oneself. Not many people are willing to join the army."
Yunyin put down her teacup and looked at Fu Wang: "So I was thinking that when they grow up, whether they go into business or escorting goods, at least they can support themselves."
After hearing her words, Fu Wang raised his eyebrows and said, "Since it is my future father-in-law's last wish, I will naturally fulfill it for him. How about this, I will help you find some children with good aptitude in the future. You can teach them with peace of mind. I will let them join our escort agency and go on escort missions with us. That way, they won't have to worry about anything."
Upon hearing his words, Yunyin spat at him, "Who's your father-in-law? How indecent!"
Fu Wang: "What do you think, Ayin?"
Yunyin pursed her lips and didn't say anything more. After they finished eating, she asked Fu Wang, "What about those girls? Can they come along?"
Fu Wang looked at the children and shook his head, saying, "You should leave these children at the inn. When the inn gets bigger, it will be inconvenient for girls to accompany you on your escort missions, and they will encounter many problems."
"Not to mention that some of the girls are quite good-looking, so we definitely can't let them go out with us. If you really want to take them with you, you can let them come along when I take you out."
Yunyin's eyes widened in surprise, and after a long while, she finally managed to utter, "How did you know I wanted to go out?"
"How could I not know?" Fu Wang smiled and looked at Yun Yin. "Not long ago, you received a letter from Madam Xia. Weren't you very envious? You even said that you must go to Chang'an to see it in the future. I heard all of that."
Yunyin pursed her lips and said, "I really long for Chang'an. You've been there so many times, but I've never been. I really want to go and see it. I also want to go to the seaside. I want to eat seafood. You mentioned to me before that you ate abalone and sea fish. It made my mouth water."
Fu Wang patted himself and apologized with a smile, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have tempted you. I'll take you to Chang'an and the seaside someday so you can eat your fill."
After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, "Ayin, are you willing to marry me? If so, I will send a matchmaker to propose marriage in the spring."
Upon hearing this, Yunyin blushed and said after a long while, "We can settle it first, but I don't want to get married so soon." She looked at Fu Wang, "I want to finish repairing the house before we get married."
When Fu Wang heard that she had agreed, he smiled broadly and said, "Okay, no problem. Then I'll have a matchmaker come to propose marriage in the spring, and we'll settle the marriage. As for the wedding date, we can discuss it later."
Seeing how happy he was, Yunyin couldn't help but smile. She hummed in agreement and said, "I'll go make some sesame candy now. You can sit down and rest for a bit."
Fu Wang watched Yun Yin rush out of the hall, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Never mind, let's not push too hard."
Yunyin, who had run out of the lobby, stopped at the kitchen door. Her face was flushed, and even her neck was red. Feeling the heat emanating from her body, she took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and then, with a slight smile, took out the sesame seeds she had bought to make sesame candy.
She bought two kinds of sesame seeds, black and white, and naturally planned to make some of both. Yunyin took a non-stick iron pot and placed it on the stove. Since she had just cooked, the stove was still warm, so she added some firewood, and soon the temperature rose.
She took some firewood and put it into another stove. Roasting sesame seeds doesn't require a high heat; just a low heat to slowly roast them. Yunyin poured the white sesame seeds into the pot and stir-fried them over low heat until the surface of the sesame seeds turned golden and the aroma of the sesame seeds became more and more intense. She then scooped them out and put them into a small pot, placing it on the stove next to her to keep them warm. The hot sesame seeds would dissolve better in the syrup.
She started a separate pot, poured in white sugar, maltose, and water, and simmered it over low heat until the syrup was completely cooked. Yunyin dipped her chopsticks into the syrup and put them in cold water. The cooled sugar quickly solidified and crumbled easily when broken. At this point, it was considered cooked.
Yunyin poured the roasted white sesame seeds into the syrup and quickly stirred them evenly so that each sesame seed was coated with syrup. While it was still hot, she poured the sesame candy into a mold that had been coated with a little oil, rolled it out with an oiled rolling pin, and then cut it into small pieces.
Sesame candy must be cut while it's hot, otherwise it will crumble when it cools down. Yunyin looked at the large plate of sesame candy she had cut and put it aside to cool. Once it cooled down, it would become fragrant and crispy, and very delicious.
After finishing the white sesame candy, she continued to make black sesame candy. The whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of sesame and sugar. Fu Wang, who felt that Yun Yin had recovered, washed his hands and went into the kitchen, standing aside to watch her make sesame candy.
Yunyin already knew Fu Wang was coming, but she didn't have time to pay attention to him. After mixing the sesame seeds and sugar, she put them into a mold that had been freshly greased and cut the sugar into pieces as before.
She put the sesame candy in a basket, took the previously cooled candy, and handed a few pieces to Fu Wang, saying, "Try some."
Fu Wang took the sesame candy, looked at the sesame seeds covering it, and said to Yun Yin, "The sesame candy I ate before was like this. So that's how it's made."
Yunyin also put a piece of sesame candy to her mouth and nodded, saying, "Making sesame candy isn't difficult. As long as you keep track of the time and coat it with sesame seeds and cut it before the candy cools down, you're good to go."
After she finished speaking, she took a bite of the sesame candy on her lips. With a "crack," the sesame candy broke in her mouth. The candy was crisp and sweet, and the aroma of sesame mixed with the aroma of maltose spread around her mouth. Because white sugar was added, it was sweeter than plain maltose.
The two of them munched on the sesame candy, and Fu Wang nodded and said, "It's delicious, even better than the ones I've had before, and it's sweeter."
Yunyin swallowed all the sugar and smiled, "Because I added white sugar. What you ate before probably only had maltose. White sugar is expensive, but maltose is different. As long as you have wheat, most people can make it themselves after it sprouts. But maltose is still pretty good."
"I only added white sugar because I made it for myself. If I were to sell it, I wouldn't add white sugar, it's just too expensive."
Yunyin packed up the sesame candy, added two more plates, and walked outside. She said to Fu Wang, "Sesame was expensive before the New Year, so I didn't buy much. This is enough for us to eat during the New Year. When the price of sesame drops next year, I'll make more and sell it."
"This kind of snack is easy to make, and it's also a good snack to eat on the go. It's not expensive either."
Fu Wang nodded and said, "Indeed, we can make more. These snacks can also be stored, at least until before summer."
Yunyin nodded repeatedly: "That's right."
Zhang Lin happened to be returning from the front. Hearing that there was candy to eat, he immediately put down the food and came over to try it. He took a bite and nodded, saying, "It's so sweet." When he heard that it was made with sesame seeds and maltose, he rolled his eyes and said, "Wife, let's plant more sesame seeds and wheat next year."
Yunyin nodded and said, "We need to plant more; we'll have to trouble you then."
Zhang Lin was also very happy. Thinking about how much candy he would eat in the future, he became even more excited. He took some and planned to share it with Zheng Guilan and Fang He later. He waved his hand at Yun Yin's words and said, "It's not troublesome at all."
After speaking with Zhang Lin, Yunyin called over a few children outside and said to them, "Come over here and I'll give you some candy."
Fang Tang pulled Fang Meng to Yun Yin's side, looked at the plate in Yun Yin's hand with starry eyes, and bowed to Yun Yin, saying, "Thank you, my lady."
Yunyin raised an eyebrow at their demeanor, which was more refined than before. She handed the candy to them, "Has Lady Yinshuang taught you manners again?"
Fang Tang handed the candy in her hand to the other girls and nodded, saying, "Yes, Lady Yinshuang not only taught us etiquette, but also how to read." Her big eyes sparkled with gratitude as she said, "I never thought we could read too."
Yunyin patted her head and said, "It's my fault. I've been so busy lately that I forgot about it. I should thank Yinshuang properly. You guys eat first, I'll go find her."
After the group of children left, Yunyin gave Fu Wang a plate of sesame candy and said to him, "Give this to them. I'm going to talk to Yinshuang."
Fu Wang took the plate, nodded, and said, "Okay, go ahead."
Yunyin looked around and walked towards the private room. Sure enough, she saw Yinshuang squatting in front of the flower bed in front of the private room, observing the flowers growing in the flower bed.
Hearing footsteps, Yinshuang stood up and looked at the person who came. Seeing that it was Yunyin, she smiled and said, "Madam Yun, you've come to see me?"
Yunyin handed her the plate and said, "Here's some candy for you."
Yinshuang took the plate and walked with Yunyin to the stone benches and chairs nearby. She put down the snacks and invited Yunyin to sit down, asking curiously, "What brings you here, my lady?"
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