Yu Tang rubbed his forehead, and when his father came back, he pulled him to share the mooncakes that Yu Yuan had brought.

People in Lin'an eat mooncakes with crispy skin. Mooncakes in Guangzhou are rare and can be considered a novelty. People like them usually don't eat them themselves, but give them as gifts. But Yu Wen loves children and thinks that since it is a rare and precious thing, if the child wants to taste it, he should give it to the child first.

He immediately ordered Ah Tiao to get a knife and said, "Call Mrs. Chen and the others over, and have them taste it to see if it is any different from the mooncakes we usually eat."

They actually got a share!

Ah Tiao was overjoyed and immediately went to call Mrs. Chen and others.

When Mrs. Chen found out, her eyes narrowed with joy. She personally took a knife and cut the four mooncakes into sixteen pieces. Everyone tasted them.

"Delicious!" The first person to exclaim was Mrs. Chen. She was old and liked to eat soft and sticky things. "How did they make these mooncakes? They are sweet and soft. Thanks to the young lady and the mistress, I have the opportunity to eat such delicious mooncakes today."

Shuangtao, A'shao and others nodded repeatedly.

Chen also thought it was delicious, but she felt that the mooncakes with sesame seeds and rock sugar fillings, which were crispy when you bite them, were even more delicious. However, she was also a spoiled child, and since Yu Tang thought the mooncakes from Guangzhou were delicious, she might as well try making mooncakes like this.

"Then should I make mooncakes with lotus paste and egg yolk specially for you this year?" she asked Yu Tang.

Hey!

Mother's words reminded Yu Tang.

Pei Yan also grew up in Lin'an, so maybe he, like his mother, has chosen puff pastry mooncakes. Instead of making weird dough mooncakes, it would be better to make puff pastry mooncakes with different fillings.

Yu Tang smiled and nodded, saying to his mother, "Okay! We can also make nut mooncakes, date paste mooncakes, red bean and rock sugar mooncakes..."

Mrs. Chen touched her daughter's head and said with a smile, "I'll do everything for you. As long as you can think of it, Mommy will do it for you."

Yu Tang's big almond-shaped eyes turned into crescents when she smiled.

Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen got busy, boiling red beans, buying salted eggs, steaming dates...the house was filled with sweet smells every day.

But before they could start delivering mooncakes to the Pei family, the Pei family’s Mid-Autumn Festival gift arrived first.

Yu Tang got a piece of green material with gold all over it, Chen got a string of eighteen-beaded red sandalwood Buddhist beads, Yu Wen got a piece of Chengxin paper, and a box of Hu brushes.

It was delivered personally by the Third Chief Eunuch Hu Xing.

Visiting cousins ​​is just such a gift.

Yu Wen felt more proud holding the gift slip.

Chen was under a lot of pressure. She felt that the mooncakes she sent to Pei's house had to be taken a look by Pei Yan. It would be even better if he could eat two pieces.

She discussed with Yu Wen: "How about you go out and buy some mooncakes from Beijing and Guangzhou. Although I don't know how to make the dough, we can try to wrap them with puff pastry. Maybe it will suit Master Pei's taste."

Yu Wen felt sorry for his wife and thought this was too much trouble, so he said hurriedly, "You have finally recovered from your illness, so you should stop wasting time. I think it would be better to give her some antiques or something."

Chen disagreed and said, "We gave antiques during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Are we going to give antiques again during the Spring Festival? We are not a wealthy family, so we don't need to do this. Giving small things that we made ourselves can better express our feelings."

Yu Wen scratched his head.

I don't know how many people have received the favor of the Pei family. During festivals, they would try their best to send the Pei family homemade things to express their gratitude. No matter how good the gifts from their family are, they are not rare for the Pei family. But this is his wife's heartfelt gift, and he couldn't pour cold water on her. He could only say: "Okay, I'll ask someone to go out and buy some moon cakes."

Mrs. Chen nodded in satisfaction, and discussed with Mrs. Chen how to make the mooncake filling made of red beans sweet but not greasy. She also said, "The third master eats a lot of fish and meat every day, so he definitely doesn't like heavy oil and sugar. Let's make it lighter."

Yu Tang curled his lips and said, "Mom, Master Pei San is still in mourning. The last time I saw him, he was still wearing plain clothes made of fine cloth."

Chen was stunned and sighed, "It's rare to see someone as polite as him nowadays."

Although the mourning period lasts for 27 months, very few people can actually stick to being a vegetarian and eating simple food during the entire period. After the first anniversary, everyone will relax a little bit in private.

Yu Tang was a little distracted when listening to this, and he didn't know how Pei Yan would dress after taking off the clothes.

Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen tried several methods, and the meals at the Yu family were very simple for several days.

Yu Wen felt a little aggrieved while eating, and tactfully reminded Chen: "Crabs will be available soon, how about ordering some early crabs?"

In the past, Mrs. Chen was in poor health and her family seldom ate crabs.

Chen felt guilty after hearing this and smiled apologetically at Yu Wen, "We need to order some crabs in advance. I remember that Atang loved eating crabs when he was little, but we haven't bought any in the past few years."

Yu Wen smacked his lips.

He was also enduring very hard, but his wife was more concerned about Yu Tang. He had to set up a crab feast for the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner this time to satisfy his craving.

The two were chatting and laughing when Mr. Wu came over to visit Yu Wen with a basket of crabs.

Yu Wen was surprised and delighted. He personally went to invite Mr. Wu in for tea, and asked Chen and Yu Tang to greet Mr. Wu.

This is what it means to be an expert on the subject.

Yu Tang and Chen both changed their clothes and talked with Master Wu in the hall.

Somehow the topic turned from osmanthus flowers to the family's farm.

Mr. Wu lowered his voice and said to Yu Wen, "Have you heard that the Li family, that is, Li Duan's family, wants to sell fifty acres of land?"

Yu Tang immediately pricked up his ears.

Land is a family fortune passed down from generation to generation. A family with no money would not sell it unless they had no other choice. If a family sells land, it means they are doomed.

In the previous life, the Li family only bought land, and had never sold land!

Chen was also shocked when she heard this and nervously grasped her handkerchief.

Yu Wen did not hide his surprise and said, "Brother Wu, who told you this? Didn't Lord Li just retain the official in Beijing? Why would he want to sell the land?"

Mr. Wu said seriously, "You know, we have some spare money. A few days ago, someone came to me quietly and asked me if I would buy it. He also told me not to tell anyone. You know, the Li family has been in a mess for the past few years. Even if the Li Duan family and the Li family clan have split up, they can't write two 'Li' characters in one stroke. If they want to sell the land, the Li family clan must be the one who wants to buy it back the most." Why should I go through this muddy water? But the land they have is really good, the land that produces green rice. I thought about it for a few days at home, but I still couldn't let it go. I thought that you are not just someone else. You always think of me when you have good things, so I can't forget you when I have good things. So I came here to ask you. If you are also interested, our two families will divide this land. What do you think?"

Yu Tang understood after listening.

Because they had invested in Jiang Chao's boat together, Grandpa Wu and her father became closer and closer. The two people who had a good relationship before were now like bosom friends. The Li family had two hundred mu of high-quality farmland, all planted with green stem rice, which tasted better than the tribute June Snow. With these two hundred mu of farmland, the Li family could live a middle-class life. However, these two hundred mu of land had been in the hands of the Li family a hundred years ago, and later the family was divided and given to the Li Duan family. Given the life of the Li Duan family, it was impossible to sell these two hundred mu of land no matter what, so they did not covet it.

Now the Li family is actually selling the land!

And it is excellent land that can grow green-stemmed rice!

If others knew about this, they would definitely raise the land price like crazy and try to get these 50 acres of land.

Compared to selling the land, Yu Tang wanted to know more about why the Li family wanted to sell these fifty acres of land?

Yu Wen was immediately tempted. He asked, "How much is the offer?"

Mr. Wu sighed and held up four fingers.

Yu Wen was stunned, and asked tentatively: "Forty taels per mu?"

Mr. Wu nodded and sighed, "It's a sky-high price."

Yu Wen frowned.

The land price in Lin'an City is eight taels at most for the best farmland. Sometimes, under special circumstances, it can be sold for ten or twelve taels per mu. Fifteen taels per mu is almost non-existent.

Forty taels per mu could only be used by a nouveau riche to buy permanent farmland.

No wonder you want to find Mr. Wu.

Ordinary people really can't afford it.

Of course, he could afford it now. But he spent so much money to buy 50 mu of land. The most important thing was that the 200 mu of land of the Li family was connected. The 50 mu of land sold was next to the Li family's land. If there was a dispute over water sources or insect pests, it would be difficult to explain and manage.

Yu Wen asked Mr. Wu: "What do you mean?"

Mr. Wu said, "I think forty taels is too expensive. Let's see if we can negotiate it down to thirty taels per mu. I'll take forty mu and you'll take ten mu. Then neither of us will be short of money, and we can take care of each other when the time comes."

The main thing is that we can take care of each other, right?

Yu Tang thought about it and was eager to try it.

I wanted to get the land as a revenge, but I also felt that if I got the land, it would be a hassle and would be a hassle.

The most important thing is that she thinks that the main reason why her father and Mr. Wu dared to buy this land is that they thought they could make a lot of money by investing in Jiang Chao's shares. By then, they will be rich and powerful. The Wu family has a brother-in-law who is an official, and Yu Wen himself is a scholar. Even if the Li family wants to cause trouble for them, even if the Li Duan family regrets it afterwards, they have the financial resources to deal with the Li family.

Yu Wen and Mr. Wu really thought so. But Yu Wen was timid. He hesitated and said, "At this price, ordinary people can't afford it. Should we wait a little longer? Let's find out why the Li family wants to sell the land first."

He calculated that the Li family would not ask the Pei family for help because they wanted to save face.

Mr. Wu said helplessly, "Of course I know this. But I asked everyone I could, but I couldn't find out why the Li family wanted to sell the fifty acres of land."

After all, Yu Wenbi has a reputation for his achievements. If he wants to know some news, especially news among scholars, it is easier for him to get it than for Mr. Wu.

This may be another reason why Mr. Wu encouraged Yu Wen to buy land.

Yu Wen nodded.

They looked at each other and smiled.

There is a sense of shared interests in both of our smiles.

But in Yu Tang's eyes, this was a conspiracy between wolves and monkeys.

But she liked this conspiracy very much.

Yu Tang even stood up and told Shuang Tao: "The weather is so hot, go and bring in a bowl of iced green bean soup."

Shuangtao left immediately.

Master Wu smiled and said to Yu Wen: "Your daughter has improved a lot, but it's a pity that our boy is not the same age as your daughter."

Yu Wen smiled and waved his hands. Just as he was about to say a few words of humility, he saw the butler of Master Wu's family rushing in with a pale face, shouting in a hoarse voice: "Master, Master Yu, something bad has happened to Master Jiang!"