Chapter 48 On the day the results were announced, roasted chestnuts needed charcoal burned with chrysanthemum branches.
On the day the results were announced, everyone in Bianjing was talking about the autumn imperial examinations, and even Lu's Restaurant was bustling with activity. To bring good luck, many diners ordered several servings of Guanghan cake. In short, Lu Qiong was the one who benefited the most.
Sister Yang didn't understand what the provincial examination or the imperial examination were, but she did know that passing the exam meant becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), with unlimited prospects. Many families in Bianjing (Kaifeng) were desperate to save up money for the imperial examinations.
But she still didn't understand: "Young lady, why don't you use this money to do business?"
Lu Qiong also stopped what he was doing, thought for a while, and then said, "Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, 'scholars' are the first, even the wealthy merchants in Bianjing. After the imperial examinations were opened, they still flocked to enter. Their status has never been equal."
Sister Yang seemed to understand, but didn't ask any further questions. After all, these words had made her ponder for a long time, and she just silently murmured the words "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants."
Seeing that she was still hesitant, Lu Qiong didn't want to delve any deeper. After all, the chestnuts she had chosen today were excellent, and she couldn't let them go to waste.
Recently, roasted chestnuts have started to be sold at the night market in Zhouqiao, and Lu Ji certainly couldn't be left behind.
Last night she bought a new spiral-patterned iron axe, specifically for roasting chestnuts. After wiping the water stains off the inside, she carried it with great effort to the stove; it was quite heavy. Moreover, this axe is twelve inches deep, which can hold many chestnuts, ensuring even heating and preventing them from popping out.
Before the Double Ninth Festival even arrived, there was already a considerable amount of charcoal made from chrysanthemum branches. Lu Ji also purchased a batch to roast chestnuts, which not only gave them a light fragrance but also removed any burnt taste.
"Sister, I just saw Du Zai." Lu Xuan came in under the scorching sun, but fortunately it was cool today, so basking in the sun made it a little warmer.
Lu Qiong was making a cut on the chestnuts, using a bamboo knife to make them easier to stir-fry and peel: "What happened when you saw Du Zai?"
Lu Xuan moved a low stool and sat down in front of him. As she spoke, her two long hairs swayed from side to side with her head: "He looks gloomy and doesn't greet people when he sees them."
She got angry as she spoke, and snorted, "I won't talk to him next time either, so he'll ignore me."
"Sigh, Pan'er is right..."
Seeing her propping her head up with her hands, her face bulging out, Lu Qiong couldn't resist wanting to pinch her cheeks. But as soon as she reached out, she remembered that she was still processing chestnuts and had to give up.
"What did Pan'er tell you? She's keeping things from you now, Sister."
Lu Xuan put her feet back, sat up straight, and tilted her head back smugly: "I just didn't want to bother you with everything, sister. Besides, Pan'er has many things she keeps from her parents, but she told me everything."
Perhaps this is what they call a secret affair between women in their boudoir?
Lu Qiong suddenly felt a sense of pride, as if she had a daughter who had grown up, and even felt a strong sense of the role of an elder sister in her mother's life.
After the chestnuts were opened, they were placed in a wooden basin and soaked in cold water for a while. During this time, Lu Qiong chatted with the diners and subtly inquired about their preferences. There was no difference; they all preferred sweets.
In addition, they talked about the upcoming Double Ninth Festival, including activities like climbing mountains, appreciating chrysanthemums, bidding farewell to spring, and making glutinous rice cakes...
However, for Lu Qiong, the most important thing right now is to roast chestnuts!
The spatula is made of three-year-old locust wood with a three-pronged tip so that the shells can be broken without damaging the kernels when stir-frying. First, put in charcoal, and when it starts to smoke, add the chestnuts. While stir-frying, sprinkle a pinch of light yellow medicinal powder, and the aroma gradually spreads.
Many chestnuts had even burst open, revealing pale yellow chestnut kernels, making one immediately want to take a bite to experience their soft and crumbly texture.
There's also a game called "listening to chestnuts and betting on tea," where you're blindfolded and listen to the sound of chestnuts cracking to guess how well they're cooked. However, this is just a pastime for scholars.
Unlike pastries, roasted chestnuts are wrapped in mulberry paper to dissipate heat and prevent moisture. They also need to be tied with cattail grass and used as soon as possible within three days, otherwise they will lose their crispness.
Lu Qiong deliberately roasted chestnuts by the stove near the door, and the aroma could be smelled from ten streets away.
Seeing the owner of Chen's Fish Shop across the street craning his neck, Sister Yang couldn't resist any longer. Clutching the hem of her skirt, she wanted to buy the first serving of roasted chestnuts, saying she would take them home for her family to try.
Lu Qiong chuckled to herself, while only Sister Yang thought she had hidden it well.
The diners ordered wine, and after only a few drinks, they started arguing with the people around them: "'Jieyuan' is remarkable, but 'Wenkui' who might have 'Kuixing Pointing at the Dipper' circled in red ink by the chief examiner is even more special."
Upon hearing this, the diner in the dark robe immediately put down the half-eaten Guanghan cake in his hand: "What do you mean? Isn't the top scholar better than the sixth?"
Before the diners could speak, the young man beside them chimed in, "If we're talking about good fortune, it has to be 'sitting on the red chair,' which means he came in last place in the provincial examination. That's really good luck... I wonder who will be at the bottom of the list this year?"
The other two diners were speechless. But not everyone could sit on the red chair. They were not allowed to attend the event for three years and had to pay a "name protection fee" to prevent being removed from the register.
When the number of customers in the shop decreased, Lu Qiong opened the ledger to make up for yesterday's expenses, but found that the ink was gone: "Sister Yang, you watch the shop for now, I'll go to East Street to buy some ink."
Sister Yang smelled wonderfully of chestnuts as she handed freshly wrapped chestnuts to the customers, her hands and feet busy as she said, "Alright, young lady, go ahead without worry!"
Lu Qiong took a small handful of loose silver and went out.
The shops on East Street mainly sell antiques and calligraphy and paintings, along with some small pharmacies. She randomly went into one, where a wide variety of goods were displayed on the wooden cabinet, but for her, as long as they were usable, that was fine.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw a familiar figure, who seemed to be Jiang Su? There was also a strange man with her, who must be her fiancé.
It was still the direction of the city gate, but today was also the day she returned to her parents' home.
...
Twenty miles away from Bianjing, Yu Niang's family was also roasting chestnuts, and the whole courtyard was filled with the aroma of chestnuts.
On the day she saw Qiong and the others off, Jiang Su came to visit them and told Li Jie that she would no longer pursue the matter of the broken hairpin, but this made Li Jie feel guilty. Originally, Li Jie could still feel angry about how Granny Liu treated her, but now that anger had dissipated, and she was the only one who felt wronged.
Li Jie'er is very similar to Yu Niang when she was young. She is righteous but also impulsive. Now, because of this incident, she has calmed down and become more stable. Therefore, when she said she wanted to do business, Yu Niang agreed and told her to go for it.
Li Jie'er was fiddling with her roasted chestnuts, and Yu Niang was also busy.
These days, the millet has been thoroughly dried, and once it's harvested, it can be hulled. She scattered the millet into the stone mill trough, gripped the jujube wood pusher, and the outer side of the stone mill wheel crushed the millet husks with a crunching sound, sending grass clippings flying.
If the sound of the impact is crisp, it means the rice needs to be crushed and millet needs to be added. If it sounds muffled, it means the millet is too thick and needs to be broken up.
Now the courtyard smells of both millet and chestnuts...
Unable to find mulberry paper, Li Jie'er wrapped several bundles in banana leaves, selling each bundle for twenty coins. She could earn six or seven coins, which didn't sound like much, but for Li Jie'er, it was a huge sum of money!
She carried a bamboo basket filled with freshly baked, still-hot chestnuts and walked down the stream.
But then I saw Jiang Su!
Li Jie rubbed her eyes, and as the blurry vision cleared, the pale blue figure became clear—it really was Jiang Su!
She had just made some roasted chestnuts, so I thought I'd bring her some. I grabbed a bamboo basket and ran over.
In the Song Dynasty, the auspicious time for returning to one's parents' home was the Chen hour (7-9 AM) on the third day after the wedding, which signified "the beginning of prosperity." However, Jiang Su was delayed on the way and missed the auspicious time.
Bringing some reunion cakes, a wine jar with "three-colored ribbons", and a box of dried fruit is considered a homecoming gift.
Granny Liu was delighted to see the two of them and finally managed a smile. She quickly asked them to sit down, and Jiang Sheng brought them some tea that had been kept warm.
Jiang Su's husband runs a business in Bianjing and owns a shop. He is not wealthy, but he lives a more comfortable life than most people in Bianjing. Granny Liu likes the two of them more and more.
Thinking it was time for lunch, she pulled Jiang Su to the stove in the backyard. Unlike other families who fenced off land in the front yard, Granny Liu's family grew vegetables in the backyard, dug a well, and built a thatched shed next to it, with the stove underneath.
Jiang Su squatted by the well, picking vegetables, chatting with Granny Liu about everything from Bianjing to home. Before she knew it, the topic of the hairpin came up: "Grandma, have you gone to see Li Jie'er?"
"Didn't we agree not to mention this again..." Granny Liu's smile vanished.
Even knowing she was unhappy, Jiang Su still said, "This was your fault to begin with, it clearly has nothing to do with Li Jie'er..."
When Granny Liu was pointed out for her mistake, she actually got angry, ripped off her patched apron, and threw it onto the stove: "I was bewitched, I didn't know what was good for me, I deserve it, okay..."
Turning around, she was startled to see Li Jie'er standing at the back door. Liu Pozi unconsciously took a step back, looked away, and walked past her into the house.
Jiang Su also sensed something was wrong. When she saw Li Jie'er arrive, she couldn't see her expression clearly, perhaps because of the backlight. Before she knew it, all the vegetables in the wooden basin had been lumped together, and even the ones she had just picked were mixed in.
Jiang Su put her thoughts aside and simply brought all the dishes to the stove, greeting Li Jie'er: "What brings you here today?"
Li Jie'er stared at her for a moment, then smiled and picked up the bamboo basket: "I just roasted some chestnuts. I was going to sell them for money, but since you're back, I thought I'd give you some first."
"So that's how it is," Jiang Su thought, looking at her smile, noticing a small dimple at one corner of her mouth. She was lost in thought, and only managed a forced smile when Jiang Su called her again: "Why did you think of doing all this? Weren't you the one who hated trouble the most before..."
Li Jie put down the bamboo basket, spread out her other hand, and pretended to be relaxed: "I just wanted to do this. Everyone around me has something to do. Do you expect me to go down to the river to catch fish and climb trees to pick fruit every day?"
Seeing that she seemed alright, Jiang Su was relieved, and the two chatted about the past in the backyard.
Once, when Li Jie'er led everyone to the back mountain, it suddenly started raining. The grain that had been drying at home hadn't been collected yet, and several children who had run with her were beaten by their parents. Only Lu Qiong escaped unscathed. Later, she asked Jiang Su to get some medicated oil for everyone...
...
When Lu Qiong returned to the shop, there was still a little while before closing time, but the chestnuts that Sister Yang had bought earlier were nowhere to be found.
"Sister Yang, were you slacking off just now? You ate an entire bag of chestnuts?"
With the large pot pressed down, Sister Yang hurriedly tried to prove her innocence. Seeing her so flustered, Lu Qiong covered her mouth and laughed for a while before letting her go.
Then a deep voice came, tinged with laughter: "After coming down from the bridge, I heard Manager Lu's laughter. Is there some good news?"
Seeing that it was Xie Xun, Lu Qiong smiled and met his eyes, tilting her head slightly: "We were talking about the results being announced today. So, Mr. Xie, you seem quite happy, did you pass the exam?"
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