Chapter 26 Chapter 26 "Additional Update"
"Egg cake?" Zhao Jufang looked at it curiously. Out of habit, she sniffed it. "So sweet! Sugar in it? That's too expensive."
Song Zhuo smiled again: "Grandma Zhao, you guys eat first, I'm going home."
Zhao Jufang quickly put down the small bamboo basket and handed him a bag of green tomatoes. She smiled and said, "These are freshly picked dates. Take them home and eat them. If you don't have enough, come back and ask the small tree to pick some for you. There are still plenty on the tree."
The red dates are crispy and sweet at this time.
Song Zhuo took it back.
Song Mian ate two egg cakes and just wiped his hands when Lu Jinshu washed a plate of red dates and brought it over.
"Thank you." She said thank you habitually.
Lu Jinshu pursed his lips and chuckled, but said nothing.
"Do you think I can bake egg cakes at home and sell them?" Wenlan asked hesitantly.
"Of course, my aunt is so capable, it would be a shame for her to be stuck at home doing housework. I can hire someone to do the housework, it's okay."
Song Mian held Wenlan's hand, his voice gentle.
She admired Wenlan very much. It was said that dying for love or dying for one's country was a sign of courage, but scratching one's cheek just to take care of one's young son was even more courageous than dying for love.
Wenlan stared into her eyes, afraid of seeing something bad in them.
But she didn't know, and Song Mian wouldn't think too much about it. After all, for modern people, regardless of gender, they all need to work and earn money to support themselves.
"Then ask Grandpa Song to come and build a bigger oven so we can bake a lot at a time."
Song Mian also thought that baking egg cakes was feasible. This thing was novel and had never been seen before. However, it was full of eggs and sugar, so the price was relatively much more expensive.
But there are always many rich people in this world.
Wenlan looked at her with gratitude.
"Auntie, you can try making a batch first. When I sell pies tomorrow, I'll cut them into small pieces and give them to people to try. It'll build up some momentum. No one else knows how to make them except us anyway."
Song Mian said with a grin.
Adding a drop of spiritual spring water is enough to make this egg cake invincible.
Wenlan looked around at the other family members and felt relieved when she saw that no one objected.
"Yeah." She said and went to get busy.
Song Fuxue was so angry when she was marking homework a few days ago, but now she has become calm and can accept the freshmen's awkward handwriting.
He looked at the egg cake in front of him, took a bite when he got angry, took a bite, looked at the words on it, got angry again, and took another bite.
A whole plate was eaten quickly.
He felt sad when he thought that the girl would get married in a few years after she reached the age of 15, and he would never be able to eat such delicious food again.
Song Fuxue sighed.
He really couldn't bear to leave.
He put down the pen in his hand, stood in front of the thatched cottage, and looked at the girl in the yard who was teaching Wenlan how to make egg cake in a gentle voice, his eyes full of admiration.
She is a girl from the Song family.
Song Mian watched Wenlan spinning the bowstring seriously and beating the egg whites diligently. It was really funny to see her puffing up her cheeks and working hard.
"Auntie, your technique is amazing."
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
She praised him non-stop until Wenlan felt a little embarrassed, but her anxiety disappeared and she became calm.
The two of them made another pot of honey egg cake. The surface was golden brown and the taste was sweet. It was obviously a success.
Wenlan was full of confidence and made two more pots, using up all the sugar in the house.
"How should we price the sugar if we need so much?" she wondered.
"One penny each." Song Mian said.
All in all, I only made about half of my profit.
That sugar is really too expensive.
Wenlan counted the egg cakes in front of her and felt happy. She thought they could be sold for a lot of money.
The next day.
Song Mian brought egg cakes and a pie cart to the sycamore tree.
She had been coming late recently and felt a little embarrassed, so she came early today, but she didn't expect that there were already many people waiting.
Seeing her coming, he greeted her with a smile.
"You're finally here. We've been chatting for a long time."
The woman said happily.
They used this place as an early morning gathering place. They had no appetite after waking up, so after washing up, they came here to chat. It was almost time to set up the stall, so it was just the right time to eat a pie and drink some porridge. It was a very clear arrangement.
Song Mian smiled and put out the basket of egg cakes, and asked Lu Jinshu to cut it into small pieces with a knife, giving each person a small piece to satisfy their taste buds.
"My new pastry is made with sugar and eggs, without adding a drop of water. It is very nutritious and suitable for children." She promoted it one or two times without stopping the pie in her hand.
"But you should eat less sugary foods. Eating too much will make you fat and rot your teeth."
This is a disease of affluence, and only the powerful and wealthy can get it.
Most wealthy people don’t have a chance.
Everyone burst into laughter when they heard this: "It's a rare opportunity to eat this, and you still want to eat it as a meal? This won't rot your teeth."
"That's right, just eat it during festivals."
"But how did you make this egg cake? It's so sweet and delicate, and I've never tasted anything like it before."
“It makes people want to eat more.”
"How much do you sell this egg cake?"
Amidst the chatter, Song Mian sensed the purchase intent and quickly said, "They're all made with white flour, sugar, and eggs, so they cost a penny a cake."
If it were modern times, when eggs and sugar beans are cheap, and you offered someone an egg cake for one dollar, they would definitely ignore you. But in ancient times, resources were really scarce, and only towns and villages would sell eggs for one cent each.
"I knew you were a good person. Give me ten first and take them home to feed the little brat at home."
"I want twenty and a few to send back to my parents' home."
"If you all buy it, I'll buy it too."
"That's all you've done?"
"Then buy more. Mr. Song's products are all good, but he has limited stock. The demand really exceeds the supply."
Lu Jinshu was so busy collecting money that he was overwhelmed. It was only during this period of time that he had practiced and could quickly remember how much each person wanted. Otherwise, it would be so dizzying and difficult to handle.
"Would you like more pie?"
"Eating egg cake doesn't prevent me from eating pie, I want it!"
"Why don't you open a small shop and supply more goods so we can eat our fill."
"That's right."
Song Mian smiled but said nothing.
Her pies sold well, perhaps because of hunger marketing. People never cherish things that are easily available.
"It's really because everyone in my family has to study and doesn't have time to do these things."
"Where's your father? Why isn't he here?"
"My father opened a private school and is teaching children to read."
"Is your father a scholar?"
"I passed the exam before, and now I am just an ordinary citizen. I am grateful that the villagers don't look down on me."
Song Mian answered, and no one cared. The reason why people remembered her father was simply because the family was good-looking and stood out in Qinghe Town.
Egg cakes are as popular as pies.
It didn't take any effort at all, I just started sharing a few pieces and then I didn't have to worry about them anymore, they were sold naturally.
Her stall emptied out quickly.
Sun Erya: ...
Although she is also very popular selling pan-fried buns every day, it is undeniable that she cannot compare with Mianmian.
She is so amazing.
"Erya, I'm leaving first." Song Mian waved to Song Xiaoshu and Sun Erya, then left happily.
She had visited the convenience store yesterday, and her task today was to go to the cloth shop to buy cloth.
As expected, she went to Zhao Bosheng's cloth shop.
"Boss." She called out crisply.
When the shopkeeper heard her voice, he turned around and immediately laughed: "Young boss, you're here."
He smiled and said, "What are you buying today? My student has been eating your pie lately. He said it was a good morning, made him feel better all day, and even improved his memory. He asked me to give you a bigger discount."
Song Mian curved his lips and smiled.
"It's such an honor that my pie is liked by Mr. Zhao."
She looked at Cotton.
"You want to buy cooked cotton? Do you want to make a cotton-padded jacket or a quilt?"
Hearing the shopkeeper's question, Song Mian said seriously: "I want to make a cotton-padded jacket and a cotton-padded quilt. I want both."
Hearing her say this, the shopkeeper immediately understood. He took her to the cotton and said with a smile, "Look, this is even softer and more delicate. It's all top-quality cotton. It makes a cotton-padded jacket and is the warmest."
"The ones here are more economical to make into quilts."
"And this fabric, the lining, interlining, and outer fabric, all have differences. Let me tell you, this one is good for the lining of a cotton-padded jacket; it's very soft, and this one is good for the outer fabric; it's strong and wear-resistant."
The shopkeeper then asked about the family's stature and number of people, and roughly what style they wanted to make, and quickly calculated the amount of cloth.
"The cotton is four strings of cash, one hundred and sixty-five copper coins, and the cotton cloth is one string of cash, four hundred and sixty-three copper coins." The shopkeeper, calculating on his abacus, lowered his voice and said, "Just give me five strings of cash."
Song Mian was very happy with the benefit he gave her and said with a smile, "Thank you so much."
It's really a lack of money.
"My family has just made some egg cakes. I'll send you a box tomorrow for you to try." Song Mian said with a smile.
She is also willing to give back to those who are good to her.
Seeing that she was willing to return the favor, the shopkeeper immediately smiled and said, "Young Master, it would be a pity for a talent like you not to go to school. Why don't you save some money and I will recommend you to Bo Sheng Private School."
Song Mian: ...
"Thank you so much, boss. There are too many scholars in my family. Now I just want to sell more pies."
She had studied for more than twenty years in her previous life, and the original owner had also studied for ten years in this life. That was enough, enough, enough.
"Okay, if you want to go, feel free to tell me. Bosheng thinks you're good. I think you're a good person, and you're a kind person. You definitely have a bright future."
The shopkeeper praised him highly.
Song Mian was delighted to hear this and learned another move.
Never mind, just praise him with your eyes closed. No one doesn’t like to hear nice words.
As soon as she made the decision, Shopkeeper Zhao immediately started having people weigh and pack the cotton. The soft cotton was compressed into burlap bags.
"These cloth bags are very good, I'll give them to you as well." Shopkeeper Zhao was chubby, and his belly trembled when he laughed.
As he was speaking, Zhao Bosheng came back for lunch.
As I passed the front hall, I saw a familiar figure.
"Brother Song!" Zhao Bosheng's eyes lit up, and he rushed over happily, saying with a smile, "Are you coming to my house to buy cloth?"
He asked, and immediately turned back to look at his father: "You have to make concessions."
Shopkeeper Zhao: "...Give way to me, give way to me! You little brat, you're still not trusting your father with his work."
Zhao Bosheng chuckled and stepped forward, begging, "I've wanted to get to know you for a long time, but you're always busy with business, which is inconvenient. Today is a good opportunity. Let them put the cotton aside first, and come and have dinner with me."
Song Mian scratched his head, not knowing how to deal with this enthusiasm.
"Brother Song, I feel like I've known you for a long time. I can't refuse!"
"Dad, quickly ask Mother Wang to kill the chicken."
Zhao Bosheng was a little anxious.
Seeing his sincerity, Song Mian nodded: "Don't worry, I'll stay."
As soon as she said that, Zhao Bosheng immediately became happy. "Well, cooking sheep and slaughtering cattle is fun!"
"We must drink three hundred cups at the party!" Song Mian replied.
Zhao Bosheng's eyes lit up instantly: "I said you are different from others. I usually think you are very talkative when I buy pies for you."
"Brother Zhao, thank you for your compliment." Song Mian clasped his hands together, with a teasing smile on his lips, and slowly bowed.
She is learning this from Zhou Zheng.
He saluted in this serious manner.
But Song Mian didn't know that she was wearing a straight gown, with delicate features, and she looked quite elegant when she smiled and joked like that.
Zhao Bosheng burst into laughter.
He knew that she was educated, so he didn't choose his words carefully when they started chatting. Who knew that Song Mian could respond to everything, which was really amazing.
"Mr. Song, what kind of tea would you like to drink?" Zhao Bosheng asked.
Song Mian didn't know what kind of tea ordinary wealthy families drank, so he said bluntly: "You see, my research on tea only stopped at Lu Yu's The Classic of Tea. I have never tasted it in real life."
The original owner's family fell into poverty before he was old enough to drink tea.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Bosheng quickly said, "Yes, I just started tasting tea this year too. I like Longjing tea. It has a light and sweet aftertaste. How about you try it?"
Song Mian nodded.
Lu Jinshu sat silently by the side, listening to the two people chatting about all sorts of things.
"Have you ever learned about Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind?" Zhao Bosheng asked with interest.
"Unity of knowledge and action?" she said hesitantly.
I used to be very interested in history, and learned about Qin Shi Huang, Emperor Wu of Han, Li Erfeng, and some ministers such as Yu Qian, Zhang Juzheng, Wang Yangming, Yue Fei, etc.
"When you say the knowledge that integrates knowledge and action, do you mean knowing, knowledge, or conscience?" Zhao Bosheng asked uncertainly.
He had only vaguely read some of the books and heard people talk about it, and was very interested.
Don't know all.
"It's conscience, people's innate sense of morality and judgment. Let things follow your inner conscience and don't listen too much to the outside world." Song Mian said slowly: "If you consult your conscience about something, it will become particularly clear, and then make a decision, and you will win the decisive battle."
Zhao Bosheng widened his eyes.
He had thought of many explanations, but this was the only one he hadn't considered.
“When things come, they are illuminated.”
“When things come, they are illuminated.”
Zhao Bosheng held the teacup and muttered to himself. He was unaware that his hand was scalded by the tea.
His foolishness actually makes him look a bit like a scholar.
Song Mian smiled and held the teacup to accompany him in a daze.
"Brother Song, you have a broad mind, like the bright moon and clear sky." Zhao Bosheng bowed deeply.
Song Mian: ...
At this moment, she really wanted to say "thank you, thank you".
The two were chatting, and Manager Zhao watched from afar with a doting smile on his face. Scholars have different temperaments and different ways of speaking. No wonder his son wanted to make friends with them. He really has good vision.
"It's time to eat." Shopkeeper Zhao called out.
Since we were entertaining guests, the dishes were served in an exceptionally beautiful manner, and we even ordered signature dishes from a large restaurant.
Song Mian felt embarrassed for a moment. Just for a few polite words, the other party was willing to treat him to a feast of chicken, duck, fish and meat, which showed that he valued it very much.
If the other party is willing to value her, she will be willing to raise Zhao Bosheng's position in her heart.
It can be regarded as recognition of this kid.
"Shopkeeper Zhao, thank you for the expense." Song Mian said shyly.
During the meal, it was inevitable to exchange pleasantries. Someone asked how many people were in your family and what you did for a living. Song Mian answered all the questions one by one.
"You have so many educated people in your family!" Shopkeeper Zhao was surprised when he heard that all the men, women, young and old were educated.
He had studied for a year and learned a few words and could understand account books. After saving some money, he opened a cloth shop and made it so big.
Shopkeeper Zhao's surprised expression was quite amusing.
However, when Song Mian learned about Manager Zhao's age, he was also surprised.
He was round and fat, like a smiling Maitreya Buddha. Unexpectedly, he was the same size as her great-grandfather.
"Shopkeeper Zhao is so lucky."
"Mr. Song is very smart."
As several people were chatting, Shopkeeper Zhao was also ambushed by Song Mian. He was talking about some business matters, and the kid actually knew about them. It was really rare.
"When I was young, I traveled to the south. The mountains there were very steep and high. I climbed two and then gave up."
Shopkeeper Zhao smacked his lips and spoke with a smile.
"Guangxi?"
Song Mian asked with a smile.
Shopkeeper Zhao was surprised. He had even read the local chronicles. It was really amazing.
After chatting for a while, Song Mian reached lunchtime and felt a little sleepy. He said quickly, "I've been delayed for so long and haven't told my family yet. I should go back now. Thank you, Shopkeeper Zhao and Brother Zhao, for your hospitality. Come visit me when you have time. My home is in Songjia Village, in a thatched cottage at the west end of the village. Ask the private school; everyone knows the place and will give you directions."
Shopkeeper Zhao suddenly raised his eyes.
"Songjia Village? Thatched cottage?" He instantly became excited, his face flushed, "But the Songjia Village that Prime Minister Song is talking about?"
Song Mian nodded.
Shopkeeper Zhao patted his round belly and laughed: "That's right, it's not surprising that you have so many scholars in your family."
Song Mian: ...
Seeing him so excited, I thought he had guessed that her family was a descendant of the Prime Minister.
It scared her.
"Well, I'll go back first. My family has a collection of books and some rules about the imperial examination. If you have time, come to my house and chat with my father, you will definitely benefit a lot."
Song Mian said sincerely.
Zhao Bosheng agreed, his handsome face glowing in the sunlight. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you under the sycamore tree at noon. We can go home and play together."
Song Mian hummed softly.
Zhao Bosheng said, "Then don't take the cotton back with you. When I go there, I'll get a bullock cart to deliver it to you. It's a simple matter."
Song Mian agreed.
"Let's go."
"See you tomorrow, Brother Song!"
After leaving Zhao's house, Lu Jinshu pushed the cart and walked on the official road with Song Mian.
On both sides of the official road, there are farmers working in the fields. There was no rain in the autumn, except for the occasional fog and rain, which did not alleviate the drought at all.
If you want the seeds to germinate, you can only turn the soil, water it, sow the seeds well, and lightly cover the surface with a layer of soil before planting the seeds.
If you sow seeds first and then water them over a large area, the seeds will easily become compacted and die, which is not good.
At this time, farmers were carrying water to irrigate the fields.
As long as there is hope, everyone is willing to work and no one rests. Even the lazy people in the village don't rest at this moment.
Song Mian thought that it was time to hire a few idle people to help water the land at home.
Otherwise, when others are sowing seeds, his family can only watch.
The land is in such a state that it is impossible to grow wheat.
Who knew——
As soon as I got home, I saw the house was bustling with activity.
Song Mian was full of questions. After listening carefully, she realized that her family's land had been divided up. The families of so many students and neighbors divided the responsibility areas in a few words and left with their own buckets.
I came to her mainly because I didn't know where her land was and couldn't help her.
Song Mian: ...
Who says human nature is evil? She thinks this is pretty good.
When you are useful, everyone is a good person.
After resolving another worry, Song Mian felt obviously much more relaxed.
"Sister, have some water." Song Chi handed her the tea bowl, raised his head, and asked in a childish voice, "Sister, you came back very late today. Xiao Chi must be hungry, so we'll eat first. There's some rice left for you in the stove."
Song Zhuo brought her water to wash her face.
Song Mian tidied up and pinched Song Xiaochi's round little face. It seemed that they had recovered during this period of time. The two children were no longer as skinny as before.
"Mianmian, do you think I should make the egg cake in the afternoon?" she asked with some hesitation.
Song Mian pondered, in fact, it tastes best when it is freshly cooked, but it also has a unique flavor when it is cooled. Even though the temperature is suitable in autumn, it is easy to spoil, so it is better to cook it later.
"Auntie is in control of time. Just make sure it's ready before dinner."
She said casually.
Wenlan now took her words as her guiding principle and immediately went down with a smile.
"Zhao's Cloth Shop will come to deliver cloth and cotton the day after tomorrow. Put them in the warehouse first. After the busy farming season is over and before the weather gets cold, ask a few women who are good at sewing to come and help make quilts and jackets." Song Mian instructed.
There is so much to do. If Wenlan relies on herself alone, she will be exhausted to death.
"Okay." Wenlan agreed.
The weather is getting colder.
The leaves are turning yellow, and the weather is getting colder faster than it is today. It is indeed the Little Ice Age.
When she got up in the middle of the night, she couldn't get up as quickly as she did in the summer. As soon as her bare arms came out of the quilt, she could feel the cold, which made her involuntarily pull back into the quilt.
Song Mian went to Qinghe Town twice to sell pies and egg cakes. When he came back, Zhao Bosheng came with an ox cart pulling a cart of cotton.
"I also secretly gave you a lot of cloth and needles and thread, enough to make a few pairs of beautiful shoes."
Zhao Bosheng lowered his voice, like a thief.
"Good brother!" Song Mian also lowered his voice.
Because there was a new friend visiting, Song Fuxue came over immediately after class to entertain the guest.
He had experienced a lot and had a calm demeanor. He spoke slowly and steadily. In addition, he was the first friend Song Mian brought back, so he paid even more attention to it.
Not only did he lead the conversation, he also answered some of his questions about psychology very well.
The more Zhao Bosheng asked, the deeper his questions became, and the more excited he became. He always felt that the man in front of him with a gentle smile was like a mountain or a deep pool. His knowledge was so broad that he admired him immensely.
"You know so much."
He couldn't help sighing.
No wonder he could open a private school. He seems even more powerful than his teacher.
Zhao Bosheng wanted to ask why he didn't take the imperial examination but instead became a private school teacher here. He always felt that his talent and knowledge were enough.
His mind raced, he thought a lot, but in the end he swallowed it.
Even though he was still young, his family was in business after all, so he naturally knew that everyone had difficulties.
He thought that it would be better to help out more if he had the chance, rather than asking about other people's scars.
"This is the Chengwen I compiled last year. The ones from the five years before that are all in it. Go back and take a closer look." Song Fuxue handed over a scroll of books. It was prepared for Song Zhuo. He had already passed the examination and became a scholar, so he didn't need it much.
Zhao Bosheng thought, Brother Song is worth it!
His family is so nice that they are willing to give out such a precious Cheng Wen. It can be seen that they really treat him as a brother.
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