Chapter 71 - Celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival in Two
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Pei Ying and Lin Chunxing were somewhat skeptical. Lin Chuntao never did anything without being sure of it, so if she said it, she must be able to do it.
Lin Chuntao was helpless in the face of their confidence.
She knew how to dig a cave to burn charcoal, but she had never actually done it herself; she had only seen videos of it.
Watching and learning are not the same thing as actually doing it.
As they were talking, a sweet aroma wafted in from the other end of the courtyard. Everyone at the table turned to look at the stove. They noticed that the flatbread seemed to have puffed up a bit. Lin Chuntao put down her rice bowl, grabbed a bamboo spatula and clean chopsticks, and ran over.
The top of the dough was still raw, but the bottom had already changed color and even started to become crispy.
Lin Chuntao watched the color change, stood by the stove for a while, and then flipped the pancake over. The side that was already cooked was baked to a light golden brown, and the aroma of the filling was overflowing from it. The rich aroma of soybeans, the sweet fragrance of roses, and the crisp fragrance of jasmine intertwined together. Dinner was not yet finished, but everyone was already a little absent-minded.
Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, the group quickly finished their rice and vegetables, washed and cleaned the dishes, and sat in the yard waiting for the sweet pancakes.
As the bread baked, dusk fell.
The four cakes came out together, with three different fillings, and Lin Chunxing and the others were having a hard time deciding which one to eat first.
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Isn't it better to cut one of each kind of filling? Do you think it's enough for the few of us to eat one?"
The younger sisters realized what was happening and chuckled. Although they were full, the pancakes were so fragrant and sweet that one was far too much for them. They were so captivated by the aroma that they hesitated for so long, debating which filling to choose.
All three fillings were cut, and one pancake was cut into five pieces.
The pastry was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. As soon as it was cut open, a rich, sweet aroma wafted out. Lin Chunxing and the others were more curious about what the flower-filled pastry tasted like, so they started eating it first, leaving the bean-filled pastry steaming on the table.
After grilling a few more, Lin Chuntao quickly came over. She was also eager to know how they tasted and whether they were crispy and soft.
The aroma is very authentic, and the taste is not much different from what she made before. You need to taste it to see the texture.
They all chose to try the flower filling first. Lin Chunxing, who ate the rose filling first, was already spinning around in circles. She looked at Lin Chuntao with excitement, like a little child.
Before Lin Chuntao could ask, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er, who had just eaten the pancake, jumped up and down, the three sisters huddled together like little fools.
"Ahhhhh! This is so sweet and delicious!"
Ignoring their childish exclamations, Lin Chuntao took a bite herself. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a blend of floral and honey flavors that was sweet but not cloying. Lin Chuntao was very satisfied with it.
She looked at Pei Ying, who was sitting quietly beside her, and asked, "How is it?"
When Pei Ying first tasted a pastry filled with fresh flowers, she thought it would have a strange taste, but she never expected it to taste so good that it captivated someone who doesn't usually like sweets.
"It's delicious," Pei Ying said. "It tastes even better than the ones in pastry shops."
The younger sisters immediately looked over, nodded in agreement with Pei Ying's words, and their eyes sparkled as if they had been bathed in starlight.
Lin Chunxing said, "I feel like after we eat this cake, we'll never miss the pastries from the pastry shop again."
Lin Chuntao chuckled and said, "That's a bit of an exaggeration."
"No exaggeration, not at all! This is so much more delicious than the pastry from the pastry shop I bought before!"
Lin Chuntao ate a piece of rose petal filling, then tried a piece of red bean paste filling. The red bean paste was homemade, with a smooth texture and a wheat aroma after baking. The sweetness was just right. Lin Duo'er ate two pieces of flower petal filling and then a piece of red bean paste filling. Lin Chunhe and she discussed which one tasted better. The two sisters couldn't tell the difference and both thought it was delicious.
Lin Chunxing asked, "Sister, does this cake have a name?"
Lin Chuntao looked up at the newly risen full moon on the horizon and smiled, "Rose cakes, jasmine cakes, bean cakes are all fine, or we can just call them all mooncakes."
"moon cake."
Lin Chunxing murmured something, looked up at the sky, then looked down at the mooncake in front of her, and smiled, "Sister, you really know how to name things. Mooncake sounds nice."
By the time all the cakes were baked, it was already dark.
After eating the bread, they prepared the vegetables and meat needed for tomorrow's cooking before going back to their rooms to sleep.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the 15th of August. In the village, no matter what festival it is, as long as it is a festival, everyone will put down their work and happily relax to celebrate.
But Lin Chuntao was busy saving money, and besides, they were in the food business, so they naturally couldn't miss such a good opportunity as festivals.
The market was crowded. People were eating meat during the festival, and there were especially many people buying meat in front of the pork stalls. Lin Chuntao and her friends were still giving away braised eggs, and there was a long queue of people waiting to eat rice noodles.
Lin Chuntao found some milk mushrooms today. When she arrived, there was already a queue in front of the stall, so she had to carry the mushrooms inside and put them away while she focused on her work at the stall.
Just as she was busy with work, she looked up and saw the woman who had already lined up in front of her. She was the one who had bought half a basket of mushrooms last time. Qin Suyun had just finished saying "two bowls of braised pork noodles" and was about to pay when she looked up and met Lin Chuntao's eyes.
Their eyes met, and Qin Suyun was the first to exclaim in surprise, "It's you!"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "My sister is looking after the noodle stall, so I came to help."
Qin Suyun glanced at Lin Chunxing, who was busy cooking noodles, and then at Lin Chuntao in front of her. A strange joy flashed in her eyes, which puzzled Lin Chuntao. She could only accept the copper coin Qin Suyun offered and said, "Please sit here, madam."
Qin Suyun nodded and walked to the side so as not to block the people behind her from paying for their noodles.
But she didn't go to sit down next to her; she stood there, staring intently at Lin Chuntao.
Qin Suyun had eaten noodles at the stall several times. She always felt that the noodles and the braised eggs carried the taste of someone from the past. However, she had hinted to Lin Chunxing several times, but Lin Chunxing had not responded. She was disappointed for a few days. Just as she was adjusting her mindset, she ran into Lin Chuntao again. Could it be her? Qin Suyun thought to herself.
Lin Chuntao sensed the man's surging emotions, but was somewhat confused and didn't know where to begin asking.
Once the noodles were cooked, she brought them over. Qin Suyun thanked her, and Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "My lady, please don't be so polite. Just call me anytime if you need anything."
Qin Suyun nodded.
She ate a braised egg and then a bowl of soup noodles. Yao Hong, who came with her, didn't quite like the taste; she found it a bit spicy. But Qin Suyun ate happily.
Moreover, Qin Suyun really liked the food here. Her whole family had come from the Central Plains to Yizhou, and none of them were used to the food, but Qin Suyun ate with great relish. She had already come to eat the braised pork soup noodles at this restaurant several times in a row.
Qin Suyun slurped a mouthful of noodles and a sip of soup. Halfway through her meal, she looked up and saw Yao Hong across from her with red lips. She suddenly realized what she had forgotten and said, "I forgot. Go buy some sweet soup. If you can't finish this, then don't eat it."
Yao Hong did want to drink sweet soup, so she asked Qin Suyun, "Would you like some, Madam?"
Qin Suyun shook her head slightly. Yao Hong got up and went to the sweet soup shop. Qin Suyun looked at Lin Chuntao and said, "Wife, cook me another bowl."
Lin Chuntao responded, took out a number plate and placed it aside. After the previous bowls were cooked, she cooked another bowl and brought it over.
Qin Suyun ate two full bowls of soup noodles. She had only paid for two bowls earlier, and after finishing, she came over to pay for the second bowl.
Lin Chuntao took the money and smiled, "My lady, come again next time."
Qin Suyun looked at Lin Chuntao and said softly, "The rice noodles you cooked are delicious, they taste just like home."
Lin Chuntao's expression froze slightly as she stared intently at Qin Suyun. After a long while, she finally came to her senses, her lips trembling slightly: "Is your hometown far away, my wife?"
Qin Suyun paused slightly, remained silent for a long time, and then said softly, "It's very far."
"It's so far that I can't find my way back at all."
Lin Chuntao felt her heart pounding, and she clenched her hands tightly, not wanting to show anything unusual in front of her younger sisters.
Qin Suyun also looked at her until the maid came to call her away. Only then did she look away. Just as she was about to follow the maid, she suddenly realized and asked Lin Chuntao, "Didn't you go to pick mushrooms today, Madam?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I went and found some milkweed and pine mushrooms, but I didn't have time to sell them. Would you like some, my wife?"
Qin Suyun said, "Yes, I will."
After Lin Chuntao received the money and number from the customer in front of her, she went inside to take out the basket. Qin Suyun bought half a basket, and the remaining portion was divided among the customers waiting for the soup noodles, each receiving two jin (1 kg).
Lin Chuntao was busy, but Qin Suyun hadn't left yet. Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "Wife, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! I'm too busy today. Let's chat again after I'm done with these next two days."
Only after she finished speaking did she ask, "What is your name, my lady?"
"Qin Suyun".
"My name is Lin Chuntao."
Qin Suyun said, "I've got it. I'll come back to have breakfast with you in a couple of days."
After Lin Chuntao agreed, Qin Suyun looked at her with burning eyes and said, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Madam Lin!"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Qin Suyun then left with Yao Hong.
Yao Hong was puzzled. How could Qin Suyun and Lin Chuntao become such good friends in such a short time? They even made plans to meet again and wished each other a happy festival? She had never heard of the phrase "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival" before; perhaps it was a custom among people from Yizhou.
"Madam, you and this lady?"
Qin Suyun looked at Yao Hong, lowered her eyes and smiled: "It's nothing."
Yao Hong frowned slightly and said softly, "You wouldn't be thinking of hiring her to be a cook at our restaurant, would you?"
Qin Suyun lowered her eyes and chuckled, "That's somewhat true, but seeing how well their noodle stall is doing, they might not agree to my offer."
She lied, and Yao Hong was a little displeased. It wasn't that she looked down on people, but no matter how good the stall's business was, the money it earned in a day might not even be as much as the owner's restaurant earned for a single meal. Even if the food at the stall was delicious, it wouldn't catch the eye of nobles. Only ordinary people would flock to it. Their restaurant was meant to entertain nobles, so how could this woman be their restaurant's cook?
Seeing Qin Suyun's happy expression, she bit her lip and didn't say anything more.
Lin Chuntao watched the two women walk away, remaining lost in thought for a long time. Lin Chunxing, standing beside her, said, "Sister, this lady is a bit strange. She always refers to our braised pork rice noodles as something like 'small pot rice noodles.' She's come to eat here a few times before, and she always says that name. I told her it's braised pork soup noodles, but she still gets it wrong. I wonder if she's doing it on purpose."
Hearing Lin Chunxing's words, Lin Chuntao smiled.
"Perhaps this lady felt that our cooking, done in small portions and in small pots, was a good fit for the name."
Lin Chunxing raised her eyebrows slightly. That was the meaning, but she was also a little puzzled by the woman's persistence. The main thing was that the woman always stared at her while she spoke.
He seemed to be expecting her to answer something. When she replied that this was braised pork soup noodles, the woman's expression darkened, and she left in disappointment.
But today was different. She told her sister that her sister not only didn't correct her mistakes, but also chatted with her and even sold her some mushrooms. She happily wished her sister a happy holiday.
Lin Chunxing took a deep breath, thinking that she still had a lot to learn from her sister. She shouldn't be so serious. If the customers are happy with their food, they are happy to receive money. It's not a big deal to mispronounce a name.
Since Qin Suyun left, Lin Chuntao's mood has been somewhat unsettled, but she was still busy today. After the braised eggs were delivered yesterday, even more people came today. There was a long queue in front of the stall, and the area around it was packed with people sitting and standing. When the soup noodles were cooked, she had to shout loudly so that these customers who were chatting enthusiastically could hear her.
Madam Fan, along with Meng Yun and Lin Jialang, carried firewood to sell. After selling it, Madam Fan planned to cut some meat to take back with them. After all, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunion. They had traveled a long way to get here, and although they were poor, they had at least settled down and should celebrate.
After Fan Niangzi and the others came out today, Lin Miaomiao and Niu Hongxi also arrived, both carrying firewood to sell.
After selling the firewood, Fan Niangzi and the others went to the market. Lin Miaomiao wanted to come too, so she followed them not far away.
Lin Miaomiao stopped in her tracks when she saw Fan Niangzi queuing up in front of the meat stall.
Niu Hongxi looked at her and asked, "If Madam Fan wants to buy meat, do you want to buy some too?"
Lin Miaomiao clutched the money in her hand. Chopping firewood wasn't easy, and carrying it to the county town to sell was even harder. A load of 100 jin of firewood only earned 22 wen. Even a man like Niu Hongxi could only carry a little over 100 jin in one trip. She carried half of it in one trip. The two of them had earned more than 30 wen this morning. Buy meat? A jin of meat cost 20 or 30 wen.
But Fan Liniang had already taken Lin Jialang to queue up and buy it. If she didn't buy it, she would feel inferior, which she didn't like. But if she went to buy it, she would lose the money.
"It's a holiday today, let's buy half a jin to treat ourselves?" Niu Hongxi said.
When Lin Miaomiao saw that Niu Hongxi had spoken, she gritted her teeth and followed him into line, with Niu Hongxi following behind.
Pei Ying and He Lan were the only people at the butcher shop. The butcher told Pei Ying what cut of meat he wanted and how many kilograms he wanted. He cut the meat off and gave it to He Lan, who then weighed it and collected the money.
Fan Liniang and Meng Yun recognized Pei Ying, and they looked surprised. However, Pei Ying had never interacted with them before. With Lin Chuntao not around, they were essentially strangers. They recognized him, but did not greet him.
Pei Ying only noticed Lin Jialang following behind her when she looked up after cutting the meat and asking the next customer. Only then did she realize that the person in front of her was Fan Liniang and the others.
"Brother-in-law."
Lin Jialang called out, and Pei Ying responded with a calm "hmm." He didn't say anything more, and his eyes were terrifying. Lin Jialang wanted to say something more, but it got stuck in his throat. Not wanting to block the people behind him, he could only quickly walk over.
Fan Liniang had already paid and was about to leave with the meat when she saw Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing and their sisters next to her. Lin Chunhe was washing dishes, Lin Chunxing was cooking noodles, and Lin Chuntao was collecting money while serving noodles to customers.
They were somewhat surprised to see Pei Ying working at the butcher shop, but they were truly shocked to see Lin Chuntao and the others doing business.
Meng Yun turned around and glanced at Lin Jialang. Lin Jialang also saw Lin Chunxing and the others and felt their gazes. Lin Chunxing looked up and met Meng Yun's eyes.
Meng Yun greeted her, and Lin Chunxing responded in kind. After a pause, she asked, "Are you here at the market today too?"
"Well, we brought some things to sell, and we're about to head back now. Are you going to have to wait a bit?"
Lin Chunxing nodded. There were too many people, so they didn't linger. As they passed by, Meng Yun glanced at the sign hanging on their stall, which clearly stated the stall's name and prices.
Lin Miaomiao and Niu Hongxi followed behind and saw Pei Ying, as well as Lin Chuntao and the others selling soup noodles nearby. Seeing the crowd in front of the stall and Lin Chuntao busy collecting money and serving customers, she felt extremely uncomfortable. She gritted her teeth, pretended not to see them, bought the meat, and walked out.
Niu Hongxi had followed them for quite a while, and kept looking back.
"Your older cousins are so capable? I see their business is doing very well."
As soon as Niu Hongxi finished speaking, Lin Miaomiao snorted coldly, "Who knows if it tastes good or not!"
Niu Hongxi frowned slightly as she looked at her: "If it's not good, why are so many people queuing up?"
Lin Miaomiao couldn't stand these words. She glared at Niu Hongxi, and the two of them stopped talking.
But Meng Yun and Fan Liniang, who were not far ahead, were also discussing. Once Meng Yun started talking, she wouldn't stop. One moment she said it smelled delicious, the next she said that with so many people, it must taste very good, and then she mentioned the price tag.
"Sister-in-law, I see they're selling it for ten coins a bowl. With so many customers, Lin Niangzi and her team must be selling over a hundred bowls a day, right?"
Fan Liniang nodded. "There should be more than that."
Meng Yun sighed, "They must earn a lot of money every day. Those sisters are really amazing!"
Lin Jialang remained silent, unsure of what to say. He only knew that Lin Chuntao and the others picked mushrooms to sell and make money, but he didn't know they were also in business, and that their business was so successful.
He couldn't help but think that if they had a good relationship, Lin Chuntao would have been willing to take them along, and things wouldn't be like this now, right?
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
Lin Chuntao didn't see Fan Liniang and Lin Miaomiao, and Lin Chunxing was too busy to say anything.
They were busy the whole time, and their shoulders and arms ached. They worked until almost lunchtime before the peak period finally passed.
The jar of braised eggs was almost empty. The lady who asked for two bowls yesterday hadn't come yet, so Lin Chuntao still saved the last two for her.
"Sister, I'm afraid that lady isn't coming?" Lin Chunxing asked.
Lin Chuntao looked up in the direction the woman from yesterday had come from, but didn't see her.
"Let's keep it for now, whether she comes or not. There are only two portions. If she's not here by the time we go home, we'll cook it for ourselves."
Lin Chunxing nodded, gathered the bamboo baskets and gauze from the bamboo rack, poured all the remaining vegetables into one basket, and then took the empty baskets over to wash them.
The woman rushed over only after they had almost finished packing.
Seeing Lin Chuntao and the others tidying up, Fu Ling's heart sank; it seemed she was late again.
"Shopkeeper, are you closing up shop?"
Lin Chuntao looked up at the person and smiled, "I accepted it, but I saved some for your wife. I'll cook it for you now."
Upon hearing this, Fu Ling smiled, and the worry in her eyes instantly eased: "Yes, cook it now. Thank you, shopkeeper."
"Of course," Lin Chuntao said, then started cooking. She cooked two pots at once, and they were done in no time. She had brought a second pot, and after cooking, she poured the contents directly into it. She counted the money, handed it to Lin Chuntao, thanked her, and then left.
After seeing off the last guest, Lin Chuntao and the others carried all the things they had just washed into the house, put them down, tidied them up, and then prepared to go home.
Today is a festival, and we should eat well to celebrate.
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked Lin Chunxing and the others, "What would you like to eat today? Lamb or chicken?"
My younger sister had been busy all morning, her face flushed. When she heard Lin Chuntao's words, her eyes lit up, but she didn't answer for a long time which one she wanted to eat.
Lin Chuntao took the initiative to make the decision.
"I'll go buy two pounds of mutton so we can take it back for lunch. Let's kill that big rooster tonight, shall we?"
The younger sisters' emotions fluctuated with her words; first they were happy, then they froze when they heard that the rooster would be killed. Seeing their expressions, Lin Chuntao frowned: "What's wrong? Don't you want to eat chicken?"
Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe both shook their heads in unison.
"I want to eat it, but can we buy another one to eat? Let's keep the one at home to tell the time."
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "I knew it. I thought you didn't want to eat chicken, so you went to buy one? I wonder if anyone still sells them."
"If you can't buy it at the market, you'll have to go to the village to buy it."
But Lin Chuntao didn't really want to go back to the village to buy it. She had a rooster at home that crowed the hour, and if she said she wanted to buy a chicken to eat, the villagers would definitely think they were rich, and there would be another round of gossip.
When the topic turned to buying chickens in the village, Lin Chunxing finally had a moment to talk to Lin Chuntao about it.
"Sister, Madam Fan and the others came to buy meat this morning and saw us."
Lin Chuntao remained calm. "So what if they see it?" They were bound to run into each other since they did business at the market. Besides, many people in the village knew that they did business at the market.
Lin Chunxing nodded slightly, and a hint of disgust arose in her eyes as she thought of Niu Hongxi's constant turning back to look at her.
"Miao Miao and her husband also came."
Her tone was somewhat displeased. Lin Chuntao glanced at her. Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er were there, but she didn't say much, only saying, "Ignore them, let's do our own thing, it's none of their business."
Lin Chunxing nodded, and Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's go buy some mutton first. I don't know if there's any left at this hour."
"Sister, whose store should we buy from?" Lin Duo'er asked, bouncing around beside her.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "The place in this market that sells cooked mutton is the same one that sells mutton soup noodles."
Lin Chunxing felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. Ever since they started selling mutton soup noodles, the business at the mutton soup noodle shop hadn't been as good. At first, the shopkeeper could still look at them with a calm expression, but later he would have a sullen face whenever they met.
If I go to buy something from someone now, will I still see a stern face?
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