Chapter 77 Seeing Each Other Every Day, Flourishing and Uplifting
Ye Li and Jiang Ji moved to the left side of the county school's wall.
After standing still, Ye Li unbuttoned her coat and took out the oil paper package she had been hiding in her bosom.
He handed it to Jiang Ji: "Just make do with this. I came in a hurry and didn't prepare anything else."
Seeing this, Jiang Ji was touched: "This is not just making do. Besides, it's good that you came."
That sounds nice.
Ye Li's heart, which had been empty for a day and a night, was instantly filled with joy.
He not only smiled, but also straightened his back a bit, and his whole demeanor instantly became more energetic.
He urged, "Eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."
Jiang Ji reached out and took the oil paper package.
The pancake was no longer too hot, and it was just right to eat.
The tofu puffs inside were packed full, and there was plenty of chili oil and sesame sauce. One bite, and you'd experience a savory, slightly spicy flavor that was absolutely delicious.
He nodded: "I've learned your secret recipe, it's delicious."
Ye Li smiled upon hearing this, "That's right, every small business owner learned from him."
He asked, "How is the food in the kitchen?"
"It's alright." Jiang Ji nodded again.
He listed out the meals he had last night, this morning, and at noon.
The corn buns were mixed with some wheat flour, and were similar to the ones Liang Erxiang used to make.
Although the stir-fry was a mix of radish, cabbage, tofu, and bean sprouts, the stir-fried cabbage I had for lunch had plenty of chili peppers and vinegar, giving it a very tangy and spicy flavor.
Although it wasn't very oily, it was much better than the food at the private school.
Moreover, he also has walnut powder made by Ye Li.
After hearing these words, Ye Li knew that he had suffered too much in the past and was now very satisfied with the slight improvement.
It wasn't just him; other members of the Jiang family and the Ye family were the same.
But the conditions are different now, so this idea needs to be changed.
Ye Li said, "Don't be stingy with the money I'm given; spend it when you need to."
"Don't worry, there are a lot of things going on today."
Jiang Jidao.
Yesterday, when he came to school, Ye Li put a string of copper coins and a five-string silver note in his book box so that he could have an extra meal and buy books.
In total, he could afford to spend up to thirty coins a day on extra meals.
This is truly unprecedented wealth.
He didn't intentionally try to save money; he was just too busy today to spend it.
Another scholar surnamed Peng enrolled with him yesterday.
This scholar, Peng, had passed the county-level examination a few years ago, but his family was poor and could not afford to send him to the county school.
The Peng family had saved up money for several years, and only yesterday did Peng Xiucai enroll with him.
In the morning, the instructor called the two of them into his office and gave them some encouragement.
Afterwards, he and Peng Xiucai were assigned to the top-tier class, which had more than twenty students. The teacher in charge of the class was surnamed Lin...
He ate the pancake while recounting his experiences of the day.
Finally, he said, "I do need to buy a few new books. I'll go buy them tomorrow. The money you gave me is enough for now."
The books used for the provincial examination were different from those used for the prefectural examination, so he had to buy some textbooks that Lin Xuezheng had specified.
"Alright, then go to the bookstore tomorrow. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll come back tomorrow."
Ye Li nodded.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji couldn't help but smile.
He lowered his voice and asked, "Do you miss me that much?"
Ye Li: "..."
Jiang Ji smiled brightly and proudly. The light from the lantern fell into his eyes, like stars in the summer night sky, making Ye Li's heart skip a beat.
But Ye Li didn't berate herself for being so useless.
He and Jiang Ji are a legitimate married couple. Jiang Ji is outstanding in appearance, so he is the one who benefits from it.
Unfortunately, with people coming and going, he couldn't kiss her like he used to.
However, seeing how pleased her husband was, she smiled slightly and asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji immediately stopped laughing and shook his head seriously: "I tossed and turned all night, feeling empty in my arms, and it took me a long time to fall asleep."
Ye Li snorted upon hearing this, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
Seeing this, Jiang Ji breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Is everything alright at home?"
“Great! Boss Yue is here. He bought more than 40,000 preserved eggs. I got my commission of 4.7 taels today.”
"...He's here again?"
Jiang Ji was taken aback.
What surprised me was Boss Yue's speed.
What surprised me was Mr. Yue's investment this time.
It cost half again as much as last time, and this time it cost more than a hundred taels of silver.
Ye Li explained, "He has a monopoly in the prefectural city, and his family..."
After listening, Jiang Ji sighed, "With Boss Yue's boldness and diligence, if he doesn't get rich, who will?"
"That's right. So you should spend it; our money comes in fast."
Ye Li gave instructions.
Jiang Ji nodded: "Okay."
Previously, they had been building houses and workshops, which nearly drained Ye Li's savings.
A while ago, Ye Li wanted to buy coal but couldn't bring himself to do it.
Fortunately, the workshop's profits increased day by day, and with the income from the preserved eggs, they would soon have some money to spare.
He said, "Get the coal, the puppies, our kang table and kang cabinet ready."
Ye Li responded. Currently, their house, as well as Jiang Mai's and Jiang Ya's, are all empty, and they really need to get some furniture.
The couple chatted about everyday matters until the county school gate became deserted and quiet. Only then did Jiang Ji urge Ye Li to go home.
"It's cold on the road, go back early."
Ye Li said, "I will come again tomorrow."
Jiang Ji smiled upon hearing this, resisting the urge to pull him into her arms. She reached out and took his hand, saying, "I'll wait for you."
Ye Li laughed and said, "Don't bother seeing me off. The kitchen is still open, isn't it? Go and have some hot soup. You can't just eat flatbread."
After saying that, he waved to Jiang Ji, then turned and walked to the right of the door.
Jiang Tong is over there.
Once on the oxcart, he turned around and looked back. Seeing Jiang Ji still standing at the entrance of the county school, he felt a surge of joy and waved to Jiang Ji again.
Jiang Ji also waved his hand.
Jiang Tong, who had originally intended to greet Jiang Ji, swallowed back the words he was about to say upon witnessing this scene.
He was puzzled.
He was somewhat shocked.
But never mind, since Xiao Ji can't see him, he'll keep quiet to avoid disturbing the two of them.
However, shouldn't he seriously consider what the matchmaker said...?
Over the past six months, one stroke of good fortune after another has come his way, and he even built a new house. His heart has been pounding with excitement.
In this situation, although matchmakers frequently visited his home, and he secretly looked at several potential partners, none of them met his expectations.
He could find fault with each one.
Isn't he getting too cocky?
...
If another matchmaker comes to his door, he will definitely calm down and seriously consider whether he can also live the same kind of life as Little Jili, where they can't bear to be apart even if they don't see each other for a day.
Jiang Tong made his decision, and Ye Li didn't realize until the oxcart had gone quite a distance that he had forgotten to give the bag of donkey rolls to Jiang Ji.
He was so engrossed in his conversation that he forgot about the bag of snacks he had placed in his basket.
Fortunately, this is not a big deal.
When he arrived at the village entrance, he gave the bag of donkey rolls to Jiang Tong.
In the dead of winter, these glutinous rice snacks are a bit cold, so he decided to make some cookies instead.
In this way, Jiang Ji can not only add walnut and sesame powder to the porridge, but also soak biscuits in it.
So, the next day, after pressing the tofu into the mold, he didn't rest but rolled up his sleeves and started making cookies.
Since he didn't have any cake flour at home, he put regular flour in a bowl, placed a plate on top of the bowl, and then steamed it in a pot.
Steam for 15 minutes until the flour clumps together. Break it up and sift it to get the low-gluten flour.
He plans to make egg cookies, which will provide both calories and protein.
He cracked a few eggs into a bowl, scooped the yolks into a basin with a spoon, cracked two whole eggs into the basin, added sugar, and then used two pairs of chopsticks as egg beaters.
Stir and mix until the egg mixture turns white, then you can add the cake flour to the bowl.
No oil needs to be added during the entire process.
Without piping bags or an oven, he planned to fry the cookies in a small iron pan.
He heated the small iron pot and then used a spoon to scoop the stirred batter into it.
The small iron pot is round, and when the batter touches the pot wall, it flows uncontrollably to the bottom.
As a result, the cookies that were finally fried were all long and narrow, which was not very attractive.
But the cookies taste amazing, fragrant, crispy, and crumbly, with just the right amount of sweetness, no worse than the cookies he used to buy.
Ye Li ate several in one go, then scooped a few more into a bowl and brought them to Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.
The two little ones' love for the new house remained undiminished, and since it was cold outside, they were reluctant to leave the kang (a heated brick bed).
When he pushed the door open, Jiang Mai was sitting in bed, holding the Three Character Classic in her little hands, reading it softly.
Jiang Ya, however, was admiring herself in a small mirror.
Upon seeing him enter, one put down his book and the other put down his small mirror, and simultaneously called out, "Brother Li."
"Here, have some cookies." Ye Li placed the bowl on the wardrobe at the head of the kang (heated brick bed).
The old table from the east room wasn't moved over, so the two little ones had to use the large box containing their clothes as a table.
Upon seeing the cookies, Jiang Ya showed no reluctance to stay in her warm bed. She immediately got out of bed, her little face beaming with joy: "Brother Li, when did you make these? Why didn't you let me light the fire for you?"
"That's right, that's right, Ya-ge'er isn't reciting his lessons, he's been looking in the mirror the whole time."
Jiang Maidao.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ya looked a little embarrassed and explained, "Brother Li, I forgot how to memorize it."
He didn't take the imperial examinations.
Therefore, when Jiang Ji taught Jiang Mai to recite, he was just doing it incidentally.
He didn't memorize it as diligently as Jiang Mai.
Although Jiang Ji lived at home for a month, he was busy building the house before that, and only spent a week actually teaching Jiang Mai to read.
In such a short time, Jiang Mai did not memorize the Three Character Classic.
As for reading it, he couldn't finish it because Jiang Mai didn't recognize most of the characters.
Therefore, despite Jiang Mai's apparent reading of the book, he was actually unable to match the memorized sentences with those in the book.
If Jiang Mai is like this, then Jiang Ya, who isn't studying very hard, is even more confused and bewildered.
So Jiang Ya just picked up her beloved little mirror and started fiddling with her hair in front of it.
After hearing this explanation, Ye Li saw that Jiang Mai was also a little embarrassed, so she smiled and said, "It's okay. Today we'll go deliver cookies to your older brother, and he can teach you how to make them."
"Are we going today?"
Jiang Mai's eyes widened. So fast?
"Yes, I'll go this afternoon."
Ye Li nodded.
Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya were both happy.
Jiang Ya grabbed a cookie, munching on it while her little body swayed happily: "Zengzi kills the pig, Zengzi kills the pig, Brother Li is so good!"
Jiang Mai also said earnestly, "Brother Li is so nice!"
He truly keeps his promises and never lies to children.
Having received praise from the two little ones, Ye Li was about to pinch their little cheeks when Ye Liang's voice came from outside.
Ye Li then left the house.
Jiang Ya hurriedly put on the new jacket that Liang Erxiang had made for him and ran out.
"Brother, you're here early today. Are you cold? I just made some cookies, come and have a taste."
Ye Li pointed to the kitchen.
"There's nothing to do at home. My dad and Xiaowen are both home, so I never get to do any work."
His family also paid the exemption fee this year and did not have to perform corvée labor.
Therefore, tasks such as threshing corn and grinding flour at home were taken care of by his father and Ye Wen.
He became a very idle person.
After Ye Liang finished explaining, he didn't see his father and asked, "Where is Father?"
“He went to his second uncle’s house to get the lining cloth. He can’t stay idle; he wants to make shoes for Xiaomai and Ya’er.”
The gebei is considered the sole of a shoe.
It involves using a paste to glue rags and scraps together, layering them several times, and then placing them in the sun to dry.
After drying, cut out several pieces according to the shoe pattern and stack them together—this is how the thousand-layer sole came about.
Wrap the folded lining with cloth, and then you can start sewing the shoe soles.
Ye Li couldn't do such delicate work as making a jacket.
Therefore, Ye Adie went to Liang Erxiang's house to get the jacket.
"Let him do it if he wants to. There's not much work in the workshop, so he's just idling around anyway."
Ye Liang said with a smile.
"There's no free time; the workload has doubled."
"Doubling it would be easy," Ye Liang said dismissively.
As he spoke, he washed his hands and then went into the kitchen to eat biscuits.
He was satisfied with the still-warm cookies. He knew that Ye Li made a lot of money every day, so he stopped nagging about it lately. As long as Ye Li made all kinds of delicious food, he would just eat without saying a word.
However, upon learning that Ye Li also planned to make some for Liu Yi and Tang Yu, he quickly shook his head: "No need, no need, they don't need any more food. Didn't you give them walnut powder before? They loved it."
"After packing up and going home, I make myself a bowl of soup, and it warms me up from head to toe."
Upon hearing this, Ye Li smiled and said, "Anyway, we're all family, and I have nothing else to do. I'll make more so that everyone can eat while they work."
"……OK."
Ye Liang said nothing more.
After eating a few biscuits, Ye Liang went to the shed to see if the tofu was ready.
Ye Li started making low-gluten flour again, and this time, Jiang Ya helped him by tending the fire.
A little while later, Father Ye returned.
These days, the tofu is fried early, so lunch has to be prepared earlier too. As a result, Father Ye didn't stop for a moment and immediately put down his frying pan to start making lunch.
Yesterday, Boss Yue had some pork hind legs left, including the bone, which he used to make stew, just like he did at noon yesterday.
When it's cold, you should eat something warm.
There was little meat and plenty of vegetables, but apart from Ye Li, no one complained.
Before lunch was even finished, Liang Erxiang, Jiang Liu, and Jiang Yu arrived.
Jiang Liu was carrying a basket on her back, inside which were half-finished shoe soles.
"Xiao Liu, what brings you here?" Ye Li asked, puzzled.
"It's cold sitting at home sewing shoe soles, so I'm here to soak up the heat from the oil pan."
Jiang Liu said with a smile.
Even in broad daylight, she couldn't bear to heat the kang (a traditional heated brick bed).
Five stoves were burning oil at the same time on this side of the shed, so even though the shed had no door, it wasn't cold sitting in front of the stoves.
Besides, it's more lively with more people.
Of course, there's another point: if Liang Erxiang or Jiang Yu get tired, she can take their place.
Nowadays, tofu puffs are plentiful, and frying them takes three hours. Whether you're standing or sitting, it's quite tiring.
Jiang Liu wasn't the only one who thought this way; when Jiang Dachuan arrived, Gao Jun also came with her needle and thread.
Gao Jun also felt that this place was lively and warm, and also wanted to replace Jiang Dachuan.
So, that afternoon, laughter and cheerful chatter filled the shed.
When Ye Li finished making the red date and egg cookies and sent over a small basket, the laughter grew even louder.
Everyone had a relaxed smile on their face, and they were talking about building a new house next year, arranging marriages, and preparing betrothal gifts and dowries.
Every single one of these events is a joyous occasion and a good thing.
As Ye Liang listened, even though these things had nothing to do with him, he felt warmer than the fire in the stove.
After the tofu puffs were fried, the group helped load them onto the cart, and Ye Li, along with Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, boarded the mule cart together.
Jiang Mai still had the Three Character Classic tucked in his arms, intending to have Jiang Ji instruct him.
Jiang Ji was very satisfied with the little guy's hard work.
But this meant that Ye Li wouldn't have time to be alone with Jiang Ji.
Ye Li had only one thought in mind: just to see people.
Just seeing him once a day was enough to sustain him through the long nights and days.
Sigh, long-distance relationships are tough!
In the following days, Jiang Mai would go to the county school to find Jiang Ji every two days by oxcart, and he worked very hard.
At the workshop, the profits from making tofu puffs have stabilized, and Ye Li can earn over a thousand coins a day.
After saving for a few days, Ye Li didn't rush to buy coal or furniture; he planned to pay off his debts first.
He wouldn't dare to indulge in luxuries until he paid off his debts.
Jiang Ji owed Jiang Fuzheng and Jiang Dahe more than eight taels of silver. Although Jiang Ji was not at home at the moment, Jiang Fuzheng and Jiang Dahe were both of good character, so Ye Li paid back the money before Jiang Ji returned.
After paying off his debts, Ye Li's first priority was to buy coal.
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