Chapter 89 - Two-in-One Sweet Pumpkin Pancake
Lin Chuntao looked at Lin Chunxing in front of her. She was young, and even though she had started earning money, she still seemed very naive.
That little stall will definitely grow big if they start selling new products in the future.
If you go too far and can't even read the books, that won't work either.
“I’ve just never seen a girl go to school,” Lin Chunxing added. Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and retorted, “Nonsense, how could I never have seen a girl go to school? Wasn’t Meng Yun just now an example?”
Lin Chunxing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe were also nearby. Hearing their conversation, Lin Duo'er asked curiously, "Sister, is studying difficult?"
Lin Chuntao smiled. Whether studying is difficult or not has always been the same throughout history.
"I don't know about that. Some people find it easy, while others find it very difficult. It depends on you."
Lin Duo'er looked at Lin Chuntao and asked with a grin, "Sister, are you learning with us?"
Lin Chuntao wanted to say no, but looking at the little girl's bright, darting eyes, she knew what she was thinking, so she smiled and nodded, "Okay, let's go together."
Lin Duo'er was happy after hearing the news.
Lin Chunxing, who was standing to the side, saw through it but didn't say anything, and just smiled to herself.
"Sis, can you tell if those beans are ready to be cooked?"
Lin Chuntao went to check on the red beans; they hadn't been soaked long enough. "Soak them a little longer. Let's steam the pumpkin first to make the dough."
As they were talking, Lin Chunxing went and brought the pumpkin over.
The melon was quite large and not easy to cut open, so Pei Ying went to get a knife to chop it.
After cutting it open, the pulp and seeds were scooped out and placed in a winnowing basket to dry. The skin was peeled off, the seeds were washed clean, and then the seeds were put into a steamer.
The pumpkin didn't take long to steam. After the pumpkin was steamed, Lin Chuntao went to cook the red beans.
When Lin Jialang and the others learned that Meng Yun and Fan Liniang had gone to find Lin Chuntao, he was very worried and kept pacing around the courtyard gate, afraid that he would affect Meng Yun.
Niu Hongxi was the first to discover where Meng Yun and the others had gone. After seeing Fan Liniang and Meng Yun leave, she noticed Lin Jialang pacing restlessly at the door, glancing in the direction of Lin Chuntao's house from time to time.
Recently, Lin Jiahui has been frequently visiting Lin Chuntao, and he even brings things with him at night, as if he's helping Lin Chuntao carry something.
Today, the village chief's wife and her daughters-in-law also go there every morning and evening. When they pass by the door in the evening, they all laugh so hard they get wrinkles.
It was like finding money.
He looked at Lin Miaomiao and asked, "Do you know what Lin Chuntao and the others have been doing lately?"
Lin Miaomiao hates hearing the name Lin Chuntao the most. Last time, Niu Hongxi even scolded her, saying that it was because of her that Lin Chuntao gave him a bad look.
"Why would I need to know that? If you're so eager to know, why don't you go and ask them yourself?"
"Both the men next door, surnamed Meng and Fan, went. You should go too!"
Lin Miaomiao's words were barbed, and Niu Hongxi glared at her in annoyance.
But Niu Hongxi didn't ask for no reason. Lin Miaomiao saw Lin Jialang loitering nearby as soon as she went out. Lin Jialang turned around when he heard footsteps. The two looked at each other, and Lin Miaomiao turned her head away first. Lin Jialang twitched the corner of his mouth, looked away, and continued to look in the direction of Lin Chuntao's house.
Until Meng Yun and Fan Liniang returned.
He couldn't wait and went to meet them from a distance.
"Auntie, how are you?"
Seeing his uneasy expression, Meng Yun said, "Guess?"
Lin Jialang glanced at Fan Liniang, and his emotions sank.
"Auntie, it didn't work out?"
Over the course of their time together, the group developed genuine feelings for each other. Lin Jialang and his two siblings were quite obedient to her, and seeing Lin Jialang like this, Fan Liniang's heart softened.
"Alright, your cousin isn't an unreasonable person."
Lin Jialang breathed a long sigh of relief, and a smile slowly crept onto his face.
"That's good."
"Is my aunt going to work tomorrow?"
Meng Yun nodded. "Yes, I'll go tomorrow."
Lin Jialang didn't ask how much she earned a day, but Fan Liniang took the initiative to say, "My aunt earns twenty coins a day, but she can't give all of her earnings to our household expenses."
Lin Jialang nodded. She was the main one who did the work among the three siblings. Fan Liniang and Meng Yun were the two adults, and there was only one child, Meng Yue. So, Fan Liniang and the others took care of them more. It was not appropriate to say that all the money they earned was used to subsidize the work.
“Auntie, I know.”
Fan Liniang looked at him and said softly, "I heard from the villagers that it's time to plant buckwheat. I'll go to the village these next few days to ask if we can borrow some buckwheat seeds. We can sow buckwheat in those fields and harvest a crop before the New Year."
Lin Jialang responded, "Then we'll turn over the remaining plot of land in the next few days."
Hearing Lin Jialang and Meng Yun talking, Niu Hongxi peeked out from the yard. Seeing that Lin Jialang was no longer the same as before, she figured that Meng Yun and the others must have settled their matter.
Niu Hongxi felt that all the people coming and going were helping Lin Chuntao with her work, and that they were being paid.
But then I thought, they only run that small stall, why would they need so many people?
These women must be plotting something.
With that thought in mind, he felt relieved.
*
While the red beans were cooking, Lin Chuntao and the others were also busy washing vegetables and chopping meat filling.
By the time everything was almost finished, the red beans were finally cooked.
Lin Chuntao scooped up some flour, quickly kneaded the dough, mixed in the crushed pumpkin she had just crushed, made the dough wrappers, and then went to grind red beans to make the filling.
Lin Chuntao added a little maltose to the filling, but not much, just enough to make it slightly sweet.
This cake is too sweet and cloying, which makes it lose its flavor.
Lin Chuntao was quick at making the filling and shaping the pancakes. It was simple and didn't require any special shapes. Lin Chunxing and the others followed suit and soon filled half a basket. Lin Chuntao said, "You guys do it, I'll go fry them."
Lin Chuntao said this and then went.
Making pumpkin pancakes is quick, and you can make a lot in one batch. By the time Lin Chunxing and the others finished, Lin Chuntao had already made most of them.
They ate a lot of crispy pork for dinner and still don't feel hungry.
When the pumpkin pancakes were freshly fried, none of the sisters rushed over to eat them. They only came over now that they had finished making the pancakes and washed their hands.
Lin Duo'er stood to the side, looking at the two golden pancakes, which looked very delicious.
"I'm still a little full, but I'll have one."
Lin Chuntao raised her chin, gesturing for her to get chopsticks to pick up the food.
Upon receiving the message, Lin Duo'er quickly ran to get chopsticks.
They were only going to try one, but after finishing one, they ate another. After watching them eat three or four in a row, Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "Try two, that's enough. I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep if you eat too much."
While hiccuping, Lin Duo'er said to Lin Chuntao, "If I had known that pumpkin would make such delicious pancakes, I would have brought back both pumpkins that my aunt gave me."
Lin Chuntao hit her.
"We also have pumpkins in our field, they'll be ready in a few days. You should only take one of these big pumpkins, how can you ask for two?"
"I was just saying." She chuckled, and Lin Chunhe asked from the side, "Sister, should we steam this pancake for tomorrow morning?"
"Um."
"Steamed, the skin will be softer; if you pan-fry it, the skin will be firmer."
Lin Chuntao said, "Auntie and Grandma are coming to do chores tomorrow, so steam a lot and share it with them."
Okay, I understand.
After finishing their work that evening, thinking about hiring craftsmen the next day, Lin Chuntao called Lin Chunxing, and the two sisters recalculated the money. The wages for selling soup noodles, mushrooms, and Pei Ying these past few days totaled nearly fifty strings of cash. The fifty taels of sauce advance payment from Chai Xingyu hadn't been included yet.
"Sis, is this enough money?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, "It's definitely enough!" If it were just a simple house to live in, it wouldn't cost much at all. But Lin Chuntao thought that since she was going to build it anyway, she might as well do it properly from the start. After all, building a house isn't something that can be done every few years; once it's built, you'll live in it for many years.
"Let's check the construction schedule later, and then we can go to the shop to make new bedding."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe's eyes lit up instantly, and they tentatively asked her, "Sister, do we each have our own bed?"
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "When we all live separately, it will definitely be one bed per person, otherwise how will you cover yourselves?"
Lin Chunhe, who was standing next to Lin Duo'er, patted her on the shoulder and said, "That's right."
Lin Duo'er smiled foolishly, her eyes full of anticipation.
After counting and putting away the money, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's go to sleep. We'll get up early tomorrow."
The sisters quickly washed up and went back to their room to lie down.
But the younger sisters couldn't fall asleep even after lying down. Tomorrow they would be hiring people to build a house, and not only would they have a new house to live in, but they would also have new quilts. They were so excited that they couldn't sleep at all.
Lin Duo'er was sleeping on the innermost side. She rolled around several times until she rolled to Lin Chunhe's side.
Lin Chunhe was annoyed by the interruption and nudged her.
"Go to sleep now, stop tossing and turning."
It would have been fine if she hadn't made a sound, but as soon as she did, Lin Duo'er leaned over.
"Third sister, you're still awake? I thought you were already asleep."
Lin Chunhe: "How can I sleep when you keep rolling around and making so much noise?"
Lin Duo'er chuckled, "Is Second Sister asleep?"
Lin Chunxing turned to the side and ignored her. Then Lin Duo'er said again, "Third sister, can you see if second sister is asleep?"
Lin Chunhe: "I won't watch."
Lin Duo'er climbed over her and went to Lin Chunxing's side to ask, "Second sister, second sister, are you asleep?"
Lin Chunxing let out a long sigh.
"You woke me up from my sleep."
As soon as you hear that sound, you know the person isn't asleep.
Lin Duo'er giggled and squeezed between the two of them. She wanted to sleep in the middle, and Lin Chunhe was more than happy to oblige, so she immediately made room for her and rolled over to the inside herself.
"Second sister, third sister, I can't sleep."
"What do you think our new house will be like? Will it be like the ones in the county town?"
Neither Lin Chunhe nor Lin Chunxing spoke.
Lin Duo'er: "My sister said she's going to make quilts. What color do you want? I want pink!"
Lin Chunhe: "I want pink one too."
Lin Chunxing: "Whatever."
Lin Duo'er: "Second sister, you can't just do whatever you want. You should get a red one, and I'll swap with you when I want a red one later."
Lin Chunxing: "From now on, I'll use my own and won't exchange it."
The three sisters started chatting, one after another.
Separated by a wall, Lin Chuntao listened to their chattering and sighed deeply.
"They're planning to chat until dawn."
Pei Ying, who was standing next to her, smiled and said, "You're happy, aren't you?"
Lin Chuntao turned over, and just then Pei Ying also moved and turned around.
The two looked into each other's eyes, and even though it was night, they could clearly see each other's eyes.
Pei Ying reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. He whispered, "I can't sleep either."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and smiled, "They're thinking about the new house and new quilts. What are you thinking about that keeps you awake?"
After she finished speaking, Pei Ying didn't reply, but stared intently at her with his unfathomable eyes.
"you……"
Before he could even speak, he was silenced.
His lips were cool and refreshing, making one want to drink more of them.
Her gentle response was like a breach in the other person's riverbank, leaving her breathless in an instant.
After an unknown amount of time, the man finally released her and led her elsewhere. Lin Chuntao took a deep breath; the weather had indeed been too hot lately, making people's hearts easily restless.
People who are supposed to go to bed early end up staying up very late.
The next day, before dawn, while the moon was still high in the sky, Lin Chuntao was woken up by the system, which was chattering away, calling for matsutake mushrooms.
The system only gets this excited when the termite mushrooms are harvested.
Lin Chuntao hadn't had enough sleep yet, so she endured the noise and dozed off for a while longer.
"Host! Host! Get up! It's almost dawn! It's almost dawn!"
Lin Chuntao breathed a sigh of relief. She nudged Pei Ying beside her and murmured, "Has the rooster crowed yet?"
"Not yet, but I estimate it will be soon."
How did you wake up?
Lin Chuntao said, "I'm going to pick mushrooms."
"Don't go today, you'll have a lot to do. Go tomorrow."
As soon as Pei Ying finished speaking, Lin Chuntao sat up despite her drowsiness. "I have a feeling we'll find some termite mushrooms today."
Pei Ying smiled upon hearing this and said, "If it's termite mushroom, then it seems we'll have to go and pick it."
"That's right. I picked up termite mushrooms twice this year, and I sold them all. I didn't get to eat much. If I pick up more this time, I'll keep more to eat."
"Um."
Pei Ying responded and got up. Just as she sat up, the sound of a rooster crowing came from the courtyard.
After the rooster crowed, Lin Chunxing also got up.
The two sisters opened the door together and came out. Lin Chuntao said, "Let's hurry up, I have to go pick mushrooms in a bit."
Lin Chunxing nodded. "Then I'll go start the fire."
"Okay, I'll go wash up first."
When Lin Chuntao returned from washing up, the fire was already lit. She put the steamer on and added some pumpkin cakes. The cakes steamed quickly, and when Lin Chunxing returned from washing up, they were ready.
Lin Chuntao took the steamer off the stove and quickly stir-fried the minced meat in the wok.
The minced meat, eggs, and vegetables made the basket quite heavy, but fortunately, Pei Ying also went to the county town every day, so carrying it with him made it a bit easier.
Once the house is built, she will save money to buy a mule and a mule cart so she can save some effort.
Pei Ying ate the pancakes as he walked. He had only eaten one last night and was still a bit full then. Now, he didn't know if he was hungry or what, but he suddenly felt a bit addicted to the pancakes and could eat another one after finishing the first one.
The pumpkin and red bean flavors are very rich, and the sugar that Lin Chuntao added is just the right amount of sweetness. I ate several and they weren't too sweet.
Lin Chunxing ate three in one go.
After finishing her meal, she exclaimed, "Sister, let's save more pumpkin in the future so we can make it for breakfast."
Pei Ying nodded in agreement.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Sure, just cook the beans early so it will be quick."
After eating the pumpkin pancakes, Lin Chuntao walked for a while before finally entering the mountains.
Half-opened termite mushrooms covered the ground, a sea of white blossoms.
Lin Chuntao held the short bamboo tray and gently pried it open, one flower after another, without getting tired.
Today she carried a bamboo basket on her back and a small bamboo basket, both of which were full when she finished picking.
She doesn't even want to sell these termite mushrooms today; she plans to take them back to make meat sauce and extract oil.
She cut some grass and spread it on her back basket and bamboo basket, covering the termite mushrooms completely.
When we arrived at the market, there were already many people there for the early morning market.
There was a long queue in front of the stall, one line for buying rice noodles and another line for children buying braised eggs.
Lin Chuntao then said to Helan with a smile, "Chuntao, all the kids in this area have been captivated by your braised eggs, and they come here every day."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chuntao glanced at the long line of children and teenagers and laughed, "It's mainly just a snack."
Speaking of snacks, Lin Chuntao realized that these kids didn't seem to have many options. Just pastries and candies? She scoffed, "How can childhood be without spicy strips?"
It seems like I've found another small business opportunity.
After she put the mushrooms down, Helan, who had sharp eyes, saw it.
"Did you find any termite mushrooms today?"
Lin Chuntao chuckled: "You could guess how well I hid it? I'm not planning to sell it anymore. I was thinking of taking it back to fry chicken with matsutake oil later."
When Helan heard that she wasn't selling, she looked at the bamboo basket and the carrying basket again, and grabbed Lin Chuntao, saying, "Give me some, give me some, sell me what's in the bamboo basket."
Lin Chuntao burst out laughing when she saw Helan like that.
"Sure, go get a winnowing basket to put it in."
Upon receiving the message, Helan quickly went upstairs to get a winnowing basket. The basket weighed about six or seven pounds. After weighing it, Helan went to get the money for Lin Chuntao.
She laughed and said, "This should be the last batch of termite mushrooms this year."
"Yes, I was thinking that I might not be able to find any more. I didn't get much to eat the first two times I picked them up, so I kept them for myself this time."
Helan laughed and said, "Thanks to you, we've had this meal a few times this year."
The two chatted inside for a while, and as the market became more and more crowded, they went out together to help out.
*
At home, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er, the two sisters, slept until dawn before getting up.
Having gone to bed late last night, Lin Duo'er turned over and continued to recover, while Lin Chunhe, seeing that it was already dawn outside, quickly got up.
When the chickens in the coop saw people, they started clucking. She scooped up some water, mixed it with some bran, and sent it over first.
After she finished washing up, the chickens had almost finished eating the bran. She opened the courtyard gate, quickly let the chickens out, and chased them away.
After finishing, I came back to light the stove, went back inside to get some pumpkin cakes, put them in the steamer, and put them on the fire to start steaming.
Since the piglets started being fed potatoes, they had to be cooked every day. While she was steaming the cakes, she went to get some potatoes, washed them, and set them aside.
Lin Chuntao had just taken the steamer off the table when she heard the knock on the door.
She was just about to put the earthenware pot on the stove to cook potatoes, but she had to put it down and go open the door first.
Meng Yun arrived first and greeted Lin Chunhe with a smile, "Good morning, Third Boss."
Lin Chunhe's pupils dilated. She said to Meng Yun, "Mrs. Meng, just call me Chunhe. 'Master' sounds a bit scary."
Meng Yun smiled upon hearing this and said, "Okay."
Upon entering the courtyard, they saw Lin Chunhe alone, along with a steaming pot and a blazing fire. Lin Chunhe said to Meng Yun, "Please sit for a while, madam. I'll start cooking the potatoes. We've been buying beans and chili peppers these past few days, so please remember to bring them in."
Meng Yun responded with a sound of agreement but did not sit down.
Seeing Lin Chunhe go to pick up the earthenware pot, she went over and said, "Let me do it."
Lin Chunhe said, "No need for that, madam. It's not heavy, it'll be ready soon." As she spoke, she carried the earthenware pot up and quickly scooped in water. While she was cooking, she asked Meng Yun, "Has Madam Meng had breakfast? My sister made pumpkin cakes last night, saying she would steam them this morning and share them with everyone. They've just been steamed, madam, please wait a moment."
Meng Yun had a little more contact with Lin Chunxing, and Lin Chunhe also followed Lin Chunxing around. She was usually very quiet and didn't stand out much when they were out together. Meng Yun's impression of Lin Chunhe was that she was a quiet little girl.
But at this moment, it feels completely different.
It's not that they were the employers and she was just a worker, but that even though Lin Chunhe was still young, she was very organized and spoke politely and considerately when her older sister wasn't around, making her seem very calm and reliable.
Before Meng Yun could respond, Aunt Guizhi and the others arrived.
The courtyard gate wasn't closed; Grandma pushed it open gently and peeked in, seeing Lin Chunhe and Meng Yun in the courtyard.
Meng Yun and Aunt Guizhi exchanged surprised glances.
Lin Chunhe raised her voice to greet Aunt Guizhi and the others, "Grandma, Auntie! Good morning."
Madam Sun smiled and said, "Good morning, Chunhe, have your older sister and your second sister gone to the city?"
"Yeah, my sister said she'll be back in a little while, I reckon she'll be back early."
Lin Jiahui came along with them, and he brought the mule out with him. It was difficult to tie the mule outside, so he stood outside.
Lin Chunhe saw Lin Jiahui outside the house and called out, "Brother Jiahui, wait for me for a moment."
As she spoke, she quickly went back into the house to get the money, then opened the steamer, skewered three pumpkin cakes with bamboo sticks, and took them with her before heading outside.
"The money is exactly one string of cash; you can count it."
Lin Jiahui counted the money and put it away.
He had previously thought that the money Lin Chunhe and the others had given him must have been counted and was correct, so he didn't need to count it one by one. However, Lin Chunhe disagreed with not counting it and insisted that it be counted and confirmed to be correct before he could take it and leave. She also said that this was what Sister Chuntao had instructed, that all payments and goods must be clear and unambiguous.
No matter how much you received or gave to others, you always made sure to count it before leaving.
After taking the money, he was about to leave when Lin Chunhe quickly said, "These are pumpkin pancakes my sister made last night. They're quite delicious. Have one."
Unlike adults, Lin Jiahui was not polite. He smiled and thanked Lin Chunhe before accepting the gift.
After seeing Lin Jiahui off, Lin Chunhe returned to her courtyard.
She first introduced Meng Yun to the grandmothers.
“Grandma, Aunt, this is Madam Meng. My sister asked her to be our accountant.”
Sun and Aunt Guizhi both gaped in astonishment, and Hu exclaimed, "Madam Meng, you've been to school and can read?"
Meng Yun replied with a smile, "I've read some of them."
"That's amazing."
Meng Yun humbly replied, "I only read some when I was a child and know a few characters."
Sun said, "Being able to work as an accountant is very impressive."
Taking the opportunity, Lin Chunhe said to Meng Yun, "Madam, you should know these three aunts, they've been helping us lately."
Meng Yun said, "I recognize them all."
After the other party finished explaining what they did, Lin Chunhe smiled and greeted them, "My sister made pumpkin pancakes last night, Grandma, please have one." As she spoke, she went to get bamboo skewers, and said to Aunt Guizhi as she walked, "Auntie, this melon is the same one you had Duo'er bring back last night, it's very sweet."
Aunt Guizhi looked at the golden-yellow pancakes that Lin Chunhe had picked out, which emitted a sweet aroma.
Meng Yun also saw it; using pumpkin to make pancakes was truly ingenious.
Aunt Guizhi laughed and said, "Pumpkin can be made into pancakes? I have to try your sister's cooking." As she spoke, she took the one Lin Chunhe handed her. She took it, and Grandma and Meng Yun also took theirs.
I had only thought it was a pumpkin dumpling, but when I took a bite, I found sweet bean paste inside, mixed with the flavors of flour and pumpkin, making it comparable to the pastries from the snack shops in the county town.
After breakfast, everyone got busy with their own things.
Lin Chuntao, too, after working alongside Lin Chunxing through two mini-peak periods, went for a stroll outside.
I bought half a pound of tea and redeemed two notebooks from the system.
The meat stall wasn't particularly busy anymore. After saying goodbye to Helan, she went to find Zhang Dayong, and then she and Pei Yingcai went to find the craftsman.
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