After reading the two letters, Xu Qinyu felt warm in her heart. No matter her original father, mother, brother or uncle, they were all very good people. All she could do was to help them live a better life. Now her uncle had an income of several hundred taels of silver a year, which she could save to rent a bigger shop to expand the store. She would make more and more money in the future. Her uncle also gave one-tenth of the share to her mother, so her mother would no longer have to worry about money.
When Xu Qinyu thought of this, she finally felt at ease.
She smiled and said, "Sixth Brother, are you the same as last time? Will you leave for the capital tomorrow? Then I will write two letters tonight. Please help me take them back to my mother tomorrow."
As for the three hundred taels of silver, she would definitely not want it. As long as she put a silver note for two thousand taels in the letter, her mother would understand everything and would no longer worry about her having no money to spend and try to give her money.
Ma Liu smiled and said, "Yes, then I'll do the same as last time. I'll find an inn to stay in. When Sister Xu finishes writing the letter tomorrow and gives it to me, I'll follow the leader and the others and take the waterway back to Beijing."
Xu Qinyu thanked him and chatted with Ma Liu for a while.
Ma Liu talked about some things in the capital. He didn't know what was going on in the court. That is to say, he talked about how the court sent people to massacre the victims of the diarrhea epidemic. He said that there was some chaos in the capital during that period, and it got better later, but the people still had many complaints.
Finally, Ma Liu scratched his head and said, "I also want to thank Sister Xu. I gave my mother and my wife the recipe for the wooden barrel fermented bean curd you gave me. After I got home, I gave it to them and asked them to tinker with it. Now they earn at least 10 to 20 taels of silver every month."
In fact, when she took the recipe back home, her mother thought it was just moldy tofu and wondered how much money could be made from it.
His mother can also make fermented tofu, which is very salty and dry, and tastes a bit bitter in the mouth. This thing is meant to go with rice, so it is naturally salty. However, the wooden barrel fermented bean curd made by Miss Xu is completely different from fermented tofu and looks different, but tastes more delicate and fragrant.
When Ma Liu told his mother about this, she was skeptical.
In the end, it took Ma Liu's persuasion for a long time before his mother decided to try making it according to the ingredients in the recipe.
At the beginning, he sold it to neighbors for one penny and two yuan. Although a large piece of tofu only cost one penny, and one piece of tofu could make thirty or forty yuan of fermented bean curd, this thing needed some spices and wine to make, so it was naturally much more expensive than other people's moldy tofu. Other people's moldy tofu cost one penny and six or seven yuan, but his family could only sell it for one penny and two yuan.
Although the neighbors thought it was expensive, they found it really delicious after trying it once. They could not stand the moldy tofu that was so salty and a bit bitter. When they heard that it needed spices and wine to make it, they didn't think it was expensive. If they wanted to eat it, they would buy a few cents.
At the beginning, he only made a few hundred coins or one or two taels of silver. Later, the reputation of his wooden barrel fermented bean curd spread, and people in all the nearby alleys liked his wooden barrel fermented bean curd. He made two or three taels of silver every month.
His mother and wife were so happy that they said they must let him come to thank Miss Xu.
Later, a chef from a restaurant tasted his wooden barrel fermented bean curd and used it as a seasoning in his dishes. He found it particularly delicious and came to him to buy the recipe, offering one hundred taels of silver.
He is not stupid, so of course he will not sell the recipe. His mother was a little tempted at first, until he explained the seriousness of the matter to her.
If this recipe is sold, someone will definitely monopolize the entire capital city by making it. At that time, only the surrounding neighbors will continue to buy their wooden barrel fermented bean curd. If the recipe is not sold, even these big restaurants can only buy wooden barrel fermented bean curd from them.
Besides, this is the recipe given to him by Sister Xu. He certainly won’t sell it to others unless Sister Xu agrees.
Finally, the restaurant's chef had no choice but to talk to his boss and order a lot of fermented bean curd in wooden barrels from him every month.
Because fermented bean curd can not only be used as a seasoning, diners in restaurants also like to eat it. They order a few pieces for breakfast, and it tastes unique whether it is eaten with noodles or porridge.
Therefore, the supply volume is still very large. Now his mother has even invited relatives to help with the work. The most critical ingredients are kept by his mother and not seen by relatives. The family's wooden barrel fermented bean curd business is getting bigger and bigger. Two or three restaurants have placed orders with his family, and the minimum monthly income is ten taels of silver, and sometimes it can reach twenty taels of silver.
In fact, he had tasted his mother's wooden barrel fermented bean curd, but it was not as good as the one made by Miss Xu. The taste was much worse, but it was still quite delicious. If the people in the capital had tasted the wooden barrel fermented bean curd made by Miss Xu, they would have thought it was delicious.
Earning twenty taels of silver a month was something her family could not even imagine.
After making some money, his mother renovated the house. She also said that wealth should not be shown to others, so she kept the money and planned to make other plans when she made more money in the future.
But he did not hide it from Miss Xu. If Miss Xu had not given him the recipe, he would not have been able to earn so much.
When Xu Qinyu gave the recipe for wooden barrel fermented bean curd to Ma Liu, she knew that she could make some money every month. She might not make much by selling it individually, but if a chef discovered its deliciousness, he would know that it could be used as a seasoning or a side dish.
Fermented bean curd can be used to cook pork ribs, stew fish, and stir-fry vegetables. It can be used in many cooking methods and the taste is good.
She also makes a lot of wooden barrel fermented bean curd every year, but this fermented bean curd is used as a seasoning, and is also served with porridge and breakfast in the morning. Two pieces are given to diners for free. Many people especially like her wooden barrel fermented bean curd. Not only her fermented bean curd, but also kimchi and various pickled vegetables, and they ask her if she sells them.
Of course they don’t sell it. The restaurant has limited staff, and what they make is only enough to supply the customers who eat in the restaurant.
Xu Qinyu chatted with Ma Liu for a few more words, sent him out, and prepared to take him to the inn.
However, Ma Liu refused to let her send him off, saying that he was staying in the same inn as last year and would come to get the letter tomorrow, so he asked her to go back to her room and rest early.
Xu Qinyu did not insist. After Ma Liu left, she went back to the house and began to write letters to her parents and brother, asking them to take good care of themselves. She also said that she no longer lacked money. She could earn several hundred taels of silver every month from the restaurant, and she also worked with others to run a winery business. She would earn more in the future. She also wrote a separate letter to Li Ge'er, just saying that she was living well in the border town and asked the little guy not to worry. She said that he was already a little man and had to take good care of his parents, especially his mother.
Afterwards, she wrote another letter to her uncle, asking him to take better care of her mother. She also said that she could earn a lot and asked her uncle not to give her any more money in the future. She asked her to save enough money as soon as possible and rent a bigger shop to expand the store.
After writing, Xu Qinyu stuffed the three hundred taels of silver notes together with the two thousand taels of silver notes into the letter to her parents, forming a thick stack.
After putting the letter away, Xu Qinyu went to the kitchen and planned to make some dried meat for Ma Liu so that he could take it with him as a snack when he set off on his journey back tomorrow.
To make jerky, she needed pork tenderloin. She had two pieces at home, but it was not enough, so she went out to buy some from the nearby butchers. She went to several butchers before she bought enough. The tenderloin was not easy to sell, so there were quite a few left. Because it is pure lean meat and is tender, everyone prefers the fatter pork belly, which is oily and juicy.
Dried meat is also easy to make. Bring ginger, scallion, Huadiao wine, star anise, bay leaves, pepper and salt to a boil, then add the pork tenderloin and simmer for 15 minutes.
After cooking, take out the meat and cut it into strips as thick as thumbs. Add oil to the pan, and when the oil temperature is right, pour in the meat strips and stir-fry. After the water is dried, add five-spice powder, pepper powder, and dogwood powder. Continue to stir-fry for a while and serve. It tastes fragrant and spicy when hot, and has a rich taste.
After it cools down, it tastes a bit dry, but it is chewy and becomes more delicious the more you eat it.
Xu Qinyu had made this dried meat before. When her fourth brother went out last year, she made the dried meat for him to take with him. While making the dried meat, she couldn't help but think of her fourth brother.
Where on earth was Fourth Brother at this moment? Could he have really been in an accident? But she quickly dismissed the thought. Fourth Brother was a skilled martial artist, a skilled doctor, and an astrologer. She didn't think anything would happen to him.
Sighing, Xu Qinyu only hoped that her fourth brother would return safely.
She went to put the dried meat away. Wen came to clean the kitchen. Xu Qinyu was about to wash up and go to bed when she heard someone knocking on the door. She thought it was Ma Liu who had come back for something, so she went to open the door and said, "Sixth brother, what's wrong with you..."
But when she saw the person outside the door clearly, Xu Qinyu was stuck on the remaining half of her sentence.
She stared at the man outside the door. He was tall and slender, dressed in cloth. He seemed to be darker, but also taller. His face was still handsome, but his features were as sharp as if carved by a knife. When he saw her, this sharpness was restrained.
Xu Qinyu was stunned for a moment, then turned to ecstasy. Without thinking, almost subconsciously, she rushed towards the man in front of her, hugged him, and said excitedly, "Fourth brother, you are finally back."
The moment Pei Weixuan opened the courtyard door and saw Yu Niang, the sharpness around him naturally dissipated.
He looked at Yu Niang in front of him. She seemed to have not changed at all from more than a year ago, except that she looked whiter and tenderer. At that time, the frostbite on her face had not healed completely, but now her cheeks were white and tender, like peeled eggs. Her originally dry and yellow hair had also healed and was now shiny black. It was tied into a simple bun with an ordinary wooden hairpin inserted in it.
His eyes fell on the wooden hairpin for a moment.
He was about to call out Yu Niang, but before he could say anything, she suddenly rushed over and hugged him.
She must have been very excited, and she hugged him in a strange way, wrapping her arms around him completely, including his arms.
Pei Weixuan was stiff for only a moment before his body relaxed naturally.
After hesitating for a moment, he put his arms around her waist and held her tightly in his arms.
After Xu Qinyu calmed down, she found that her fourth brother also hugged her, but she did not think much about it. She thought that her fourth brother had been away for more than a year and was as excited as she was to see his relatives, so he hugged her.
"Fourth brother, you're finally back." Xu Qinyu raised her head and looked at her fourth brother again. Suddenly she realized that they were still hugging each other tightly, so she embarrassedly took a step back.
Pei Weixuan also gently let her go.
Xu Qinyu was excited and happy. "Si Ge came back at this hour, he must not have eaten dinner yet. Go back to the room and wash up first. I'll go make you a bowl of noodles."
"Okay." His voice was a little hoarse, but his eyes couldn't help but linger on her face.
Wen was still washing the pot in the kitchen when she heard Yu Niang say, "Fourth brother, you're finally back." She thought she had misheard and hesitated for a moment. Then she heard Yu Niang say, "Fourth brother, you're finally back." Only then did she realize that it might really be her son who had returned. She hurried out of the kitchen and saw her son standing at the gate. He had grown taller and thinner. Tears welled up in her eyes, "Xuan brother..."
Pei Weixuan looked at Wen.
"Mom, I'm back."
Wen cried, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Nothing is more important than people returning safely.
Xu Qinyu didn't cry, but she felt a little sad when she saw her mother-in-law and fourth brother like this. Her eyes were slightly red. She said, "Mother, please talk to fourth brother for a while. I'll go make him a bowl of noodles."
After saying that, he went into the kitchen.
The mother-in-law had already cleaned the pot. Xu Qinyu fried two eggs, poured water into the pot, brought it to a boil, and then added some noodles. She rolled the noodles by hand and always had them on hand at home. Sometimes when Sister Ning didn't go to the restaurant to serve breakfast, she would make some simple noodles for Brother Feng and Sister Yan.
Sister Ning can now cook some simple meals, although the taste is a bit average.
While the noodles were cooking, Xu Qinyu planned to season the bowl.
Pei Weixuan and Wen had already entered the kitchen. Seeing Xu Qinyu's actions, he naturally took out a large bowl from the cupboard and handed it to Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu took it and smiled at Fourth Brother, "Fourth Brother, sit down and rest for a while. The noodles will be ready soon."
She prepared some seasoning in a large bowl: a spoonful of lard, a little salt, some soy sauce and vinegar, and finally a handful of chopped green onions. After the noodles in the pot were cooked, she poured a few spoonfuls of noodle soup into a large bowl, took out the noodles and put them in the seasoned noodle soup, and finally put the poached egg on it.
There were bean sprouts at home, so she cut some, blanched them in a pot for a few seconds, then took them out and placed them in a bowl and set it on a plate.
A bowl of Yangchun noodles with good color, aroma and taste would be perfect.
Mrs. Wen didn't ask her son where he had been for the past year. She was just busy boiling water. After Xuan Ge'er finished eating, he could go back to the house to wash up.
Ning Jie'er was in the main room with Feng Ge'er and Yan Jie'er. They also heard the voice of the fourth brother. They led the two children out and entered the kitchen to see Pei Weixuan. The three of them were stunned for a moment, and then Ning Jie'er excitedly called out the fourth brother.
Sister Yan also stammered and called out "Uncle".
The little girl's family suffered a great change. She watched her infant brother being thrown to death and her mother hanging herself with a white silk thread. She was so frightened that she refused to speak again. It has been almost two years since she came to the border town. Although her knot in her heart has not been completely untied, she has been willing to speak in the past two months. However, she speaks very rarely. The first person she called was "Auntie", Xu Qinyu. At that time, Xu Qinyu was so excited that she hugged the little girl and kissed her.
The incident started that day when Xu Qinyu was on break and saw Sister Yan looking unhappy during breakfast.
She had been in an orphanage and could best feel the emotions of children. Even though Sister Yan couldn't speak and her expression was not obvious, she could still tell that the little girl was in a very bad mood. After breakfast, she secretly asked Sister Yan what was wrong, but the little girl just shook her head and said nothing. At that time, Sister Yan was unwilling to speak either.
It was still in the afternoon when Xu Qinyu discovered what was going on.
Yan Jie'er was already five years old and had lived in Guihua Lane for almost two years, so she naturally had her own playmates. She became playmates with girls of the same age from several other families in Guihua Lane, and they often played house together.
Occasionally, I would go there to find some playmates, because they were all familiar neighbors. There were always women sitting at the doorsteps working and chatting in the alley during the day, so there was nothing to worry about.
In the afternoon, a little girl named Xiaoxiao from Guihua Lane came to look for Yan Jieer to go to her house to play.
But Sister Yan was not willing to go and just shook her head.
Xu Qinyu remembered that Yan Jie'er had only recently started playing with Xiaoxiao. In the past, Xiaoxiao always seemed to think that Yan Jie'er was too young and was unwilling to play with her. They had only started playing together in the last two months.
Xiaoxiao was two years older than Yanjie'er, already seven years old, and taller than Yanjie'er. Seeing Yanjie'er's refusal, she pleaded, "Yanjie'er, just come and play with me. Let's play house. This time, you be the daughter and I'll be the mother. I'll take care of you."
Xu Qinyu was a little embarrassed when she heard it.
I didn’t expect that little girls, whether in ancient times or later generations, all liked to play house when they were young.
When she was a child in the orphanage, she also liked to play house, but she was only eight or nine years old at that time. Playing house meant real guns and knives. They prepared real firewood and hid in an open woods behind the orphanage to make a fire, roast fish, roast corn, and roast crabs. The fish and crabs were caught in the river with baskets by the group of friends in the orphanage, and they ate happily with a few friends.
After roasting, you should know to turn off the fire.
When she saw Yan Jie'er and Xiao Xiao talking about playing house, she felt quite nostalgic.
Playing house is very fun for children.
Xu Qinyu was originally wondering how Yan Jie'er could refuse. She was very happy to see Yan Jie'er playing house with other little girls in the alley occasionally.
Seeing that Sister Yan was unhappy, Xiaoxiao reached out to pull her.
Then Xu Qinyu saw a bracelet on Xiaoxiao's wrist. The bracelet looked familiar. She bought it for Sister Yan.
Although she was busy on weekdays, she sometimes couldn't rest when she had free time at the restaurant. She would stroll around the South Street Market, look at the rouge and powder shops and jewelry shops, and naturally buy some. She had to work on weekdays and it was not convenient for her to carry jewelry, so she didn't buy much for herself. They were just small silk flower hairpins, not even a silver or gold hairpin.
It’s not that she doesn’t like gold jewelry, but she was not short of money in her previous life and had all kinds of jewelry. She prefers jewelry that is a little special, or simple, or beautiful and stunning enough.
In ancient times, there were many beautiful jewellery items, such as filigree inlaid jewellery. This type of jewellery had intricate craftsmanship, many patterns and very beautiful shapes, but it was extremely expensive. She had no occasion to wear it on weekdays, so she simply didn't buy it.
Although I don’t buy much for myself, I like to buy things for my family, so I have bought quite a few for Sister Yan, all of which are cute ropes, silk flowers, or beautiful and unique little bracelets.
Yan Jie'er used to be the eldest prince's daughter. She lived a life of luxury and had no shortage of jewelry. However, she had a hard time coming to the border. Now that her life is better, she can afford to buy some jewelry. So the little girl also likes this kind of beautiful little jewelry.
The bracelet on the little hand is the one Xu Qinyu bought for Yan Jie'er. It is exactly the same. It is not expensive for Xu Qinyu now, but it also costs one string of coins. It is made of copper wire and strung with a string of tiny jade scraps. These jade scraps are only the size of rice grains and have different shapes, but they are very tiny and the sharp edges have been ground off, so they are not very valuable. They can be strung together into a bracelet and sold. The tiny jades come in several colors and are quite beautiful when strung together. When the sunlight shines on these tiny jades, they are sparkling. Yan Jie'er likes this bracelet the most and wears it on her wrist every day.
When Xu Qinyu saw the identical bracelet on the little wrist, she knew it was wrong at the first moment. It should be Yan Jie'er's bracelet.
It's not surprising that she thought so. She came from a small family, and her parents didn't earn much each month. Most of the meals they ate were bean porridge and bean rice. How could they buy a bracelet like this one-yuan bracelet for a little girl?
Furthermore, the owner of the jewelry shop told her that this bracelet was the only one, and even if it existed, the color would be different.
The bracelet on her small wrist has the same color of tiny jade stones as Sister Yan's.
But Xu Qinyu didn't pull Xiaoxiao over to question her. She just smiled and said, "Xiaoxiao, the bracelet on your wrist is very beautiful. I remember my sister Yan has the same one. What a coincidence."
After hearing this, Xiao Xiao immediately retracted her hand and covered the bracelet with her sleeve. After hesitating for a long time, she said, "This, this is what my mother bought for me."
Hearing her say this, Sister Yan looked at her angrily, and finally turned back to look at Xu Qinyu.
Xu Qinyu understood now. Xiaoxiao must have snatched it from Yan Jie'er when they were playing, or borrowed it forcibly, saying that she would keep it for a few days.
Sister Yan likes this bracelet very much, so it is impossible for her to give it to Xiaoxiao.
Xu Qinyu was a little helpless. They were both little girls, and they were neighbors. She couldn't just scold a seven-year-old girl. She could only say, "It seems that we haven't seen Sister Yan wearing her bracelet these days. Xiaoxiao, this bracelet looks exactly like Sister Yan's. That bracelet cost one or two taels of silver. Xiaoxiao, is this really the one your mother bought for you?"
The little girl was already over seven years old and knew how much one tael of silver was. At home, her mother only earned two or three hundred coins a month working for others. One tael of silver was much more than two or three hundred coins.
The little girl was stunned and no longer dared to say that the bracelet was bought for her by her mother. If Xu Qinyu went to ask her mother, her mother would definitely ask her where she got it. If she knew that she snatched it from Yan Jie'er, she would beat her to death.
In fact, she just thought Sister Yan looked good wearing it, so she asked Sister Yan to borrow it for a few days.
But Yan Jie'er disagreed, and she forcibly pulled the hairband off Yan Jie'er's wrist. This was not the first time this happened. She had just played with Yan Jie'er for a few days before, and saw that the hairband on her head was beautiful. The hairband was also bought for Yan Jie'er by Xu Qinyu. It was made of silk gauze and looked very beautiful. It cost dozens of coins for two hairbands.
Xiaoxiao saw that Yan Jie'er's hairband was pretty, so she asked to borrow it from her, saying that she would wear it for a few days.
Yan Jie'er also disagreed. She directly pulled off the hairband on Yan Jie'er's head. When Yan Jie'er tried to grab it, she pushed her down and finally ran away.
But she didn't dare wear the hairband after she got it back, for fear that her mother would see it and ask her where it came from. She couldn't explain it clearly, so she would occasionally wear it secretly.
After a long time, Yan Jieer still asked her for her hand when she saw her, but Yan Jieer couldn't speak, so she didn't say anything either. When the other girls asked her what they were doing, Xiao Xiao would say, "How would I know what Yan Jieer wants to do? Let's ignore her and go play house."
But the other little girls all liked Yan Jie'er and insisted on playing with her.
Because Sister Yan is generous, she will bring out snacks from home to share with the little girls.
On the day when they snatched Yan Jie'er's bracelet, Yan Jie'er was not playing with her, but with other friends. In the end, the others were called back by their families, so she pulled Yan Jie'er to continue playing. Yan Jie'er still refused to play with her. While pulling, she saw the beautiful bracelet on Yan Jie'er's wrist, and she couldn't take her eyes off it. Her eyes were full of this shining bracelet.
Xiaoxiao used the same method she used to snatch Yan Jie'er's hairband last time, saying that she would borrow it and return it after wearing it for a few days.
In fact, she had no intention of returning them. She hadn't returned the two hair ties for a month because she was sure that Yan Jie'er was a mute and couldn't speak, so she couldn't complain to her family.
Now that the bracelet was discovered by Xu Qinyu, Xiaoxiao was so panicked that she could only stammer, "I, I lied to you. Actually, I picked it up. It should, should belong to Sister Yan. I will return it to Sister Yan now." As she said that, she took off the bracelet from her wrist and stuffed it into Sister Yan's hand. After doing so, she wanted to run home, but she didn't expect Sister Yan to grab her clothes and continue to reach out to her.
Xu Qinyu looked at Xiaoxiao and knew that there must be something else.
Seeing Xu Qinyu staring at her, Xiaoxiao felt flustered and stammered, "Yes, I borrowed a hairband from Sister Yan a few days ago and forgot to return it to her. I'll go back and get it and return it to her."
Only then did Yan Jie'er loosen her little girl's clothes and let her go back to get her hairband.
After Xiaoxiao left, Yan Jieer went to the wooden basin and washed her bracelet in the water before putting it back on her wrist. Finally, she turned around and smiled at Xu Qinyu, calling her "Auntie".
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