Chapter 176: The Angry Old Man Liao and Lin Zhaodi were so busy that they couldn’t even catch their breath…
Lin Shu looked calm, but two faint blushes appeared on her cheeks.
She put a finger on Zhou Ye's forehead and pushed him back. "Who wants to take a bath with you? Don't you have any shame?"
Zhou Ye was stunned when he heard this, then chuckled. "Ah Shu, I didn't say we'd go down to the river together. I said we'd go to the riverside together. But this couple's bath... if you want, I can—"
Lin Shu realized that she was overthinking it, and suddenly reached out to cover his mouth, glared at him fiercely, and signaled him to shut up.
Zhou Ye's laughter vibrated from his chest, and it was actually a muffled laugh.
Lin Shu: ...
"Aye, are you really not drunk? Otherwise, how dare you make fun of me? When did you become so bold?"
Zhou Ye laughed and said, "I've always been fat, but I hid it before. Also, I'm not drunk. I have a good alcohol tolerance and I won't get drunk even if I drink a whole jar of wine." Lin Shu was dumbfounded: So you are not pretending at all now?
Zhou Ye is not pretending usually, he is just used to silence. He just doesn't say some things, but it doesn't mean he doesn't think about them.
So, Zhou Ye, who had let go, carried Lin Shu to the river this time.
Compared with the previous times, he seemed particularly excited this time. He did not hide his love for Lin Shu at all. He kissed almost every inch of Lin Shu's skin on her face and neck. The kisses were very deep. He also learned to rub Lin Shu without any instruction.
Lin Shu:!!!
By the end, Lin Shu's legs felt sore and painful.
No, is Aye really not drunk?
How can you be so unscrupulous when you are not drunk? Aren’t you afraid that she will be angry?
Zhou Ye was not afraid. Usually, Ah Shu teased him much more boldly than he thought. He was just rewarding himself a little and not going too far.
Lin Shu wasn't angry, either. Afterward, both of them were covered in goo. She had been lying on the tree trunk, shaking her numb legs. Then she turned around, hugged Zhou Ye, and looked up at him. She asked, "I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to ask you, Ye. Hunting the black bear must have been thrilling, right? What were you thinking at the time?"
Zhou Ye slowed his heavy breathing, gently caressing her cheek with his large palm. He hummed, his voice lingering in the husky hue. "At first, I thought the whole hide would be easier to sell, so I couldn't hurt the black bear's chest or back. This inevitably restricted my movements, and I nearly had it claw at my chest. But I reacted quickly and prevented it from succeeding. Later, I saw an opportunity and chopped off half of its head with an axe."
Lin Shu's heart was lifted when she heard this. "Aye, don't do such dangerous things in the future. There are so many ways to make money. If it really doesn't work out, I'll secretly give you the money I make. For now, just consider it yours. Let me tell you, my businesses are all very good. It won't be long before I become a small wealthy woman. It may not be as much as you made from selling black bears in one go, but it's safer here."
Zhou Ye was amused by her, "A Shu, you haven't even married me yet, and you're already turning your elbow outward."
Lin Shu was so embarrassed that she hit him. Who was she doing this for?
Zhou Ye squeezed her fist and said seriously, "Ah Shu, now that I think about it, I'm actually a little scared."
Lin Shu was stunned. She raised her hand and touched his head. "You're right to be afraid. You're such a reckless person. Nothing is more important than your own life. Think more about your family and me when you act in the future. Got it?"
"I understand." Zhou Ye looked at her and smiled.
The two of them took a bath one after another, and it was unknown when they returned to the yard.
…
The next day, Lin Shu thought she had gotten up very early, but she was still the last one.
Zhou Ye came back early from the mountains with a basket of Guanyin wood. Xiao Pu and A Niang had already rubbed the juice and were waiting for it to settle. Yesterday, the villagers exchanged pork, and the family had an extra wooden basin. Both basins were filled with juice, and in time, there would be two full basins of Guanyin tofu.
Zhou Ye also made ice using Lin Shu's wide-mouthed pottery jar. When she got up, she just waited for the water in the wide-mouthed pottery jar to solidify. In addition to the wide-mouthed pottery jar, she also hung two small bamboo tubes. Zhou Ye only needed to shake the bamboo tubes to know whether they were frozen. When the bamboo tubes were completely frozen, the pottery jars would be almost frozen too.
Lin Shu was stunned. "You guys have everything ready? Then why should I get up so early?"
Lin Xiaopu said, "Sister, I just woke up not long ago. It was Brother Aye who got up too early. We picked this Guanyin Chai from the back mountain. Brother Aye was afraid that if we picked all the ones in the back mountain, they would be gone by the time Sister wanted to pick more, so he went deep into the mountains. And as for this ice-making method, I only told Brother Aye once, and he actually learned it!"
Lin Xiaopu felt that she was quite energetic, but still far behind her brother Aye. After getting up, Aye went to the back mountain to fetch spring water, chop wood, and pick Guanyin wood for her. On the way back, he even picked a bunch of wild flowers for her.
Brother A Ye deserves to marry a fairy like A Jie!
Lin Xiaopu was full of admiration.
When Lin Zhaodi and Old Man Liao came to pick up the things, two large basins of "ice jelly" had already solidified, and the ice in the pottery jars and bamboo tubes had also frozen.
"Ashu, Old Man Liao is already waiting at the door. I'll just grab my things and leave." Lin Zhaodi said.
She brought two buckets, a basin, and a large clay pot. She'd bought the basin extra large so it could hold plenty of ice jelly. The ice jelly Ah Shu had made today only took up half the space. After placing the ice jelly in the basin, she poured some mountain spring water into it, soaking it completely. She then dropped two pieces of crushed ice into the water to chill it.
As for the sweet soup, she would listen to Ah Shu and make it in front of the people. She would throw rock honey and ice cubes into the ceramic pot, and the sweet soup would be sweet and icy.
Of the two wooden barrels, one was half-filled with rice husks, and a thick layer of straw was placed on top. The wide-mouthed pottery jars used to freeze the ice were then immersed directly in the rice husks, slowing the melting of the ice. The other barrel was filled with clean mountain spring water, which was used to refill the sugar water once it was scooped out.
"Aunt Lin, I have everything ready. A'ye has to go to town for something today, so it's a good opportunity to ask him to help you." While Lin Shu was speaking, Zhou Ye had helped move all the things to the ox cart outside the door.
In addition to the wooden barrels and basins, there was also a wooden table, four long wooden benches, and a backpack filled with miscellaneous items, such as chopping boards and ceramic bowls.
The tables and chairs were tied together, and the wooden barrels and basins were also wrapped with hemp ropes. Zhou Ye tied them himself, and they were very stable. They would not fall over even if the road was bumpy.
When Lin Zhaodi found a chance to squeeze in, the ox cart was already full and could not hold anything else.
"Aunt Lin, you go first, I will follow you in a while." Zhou Ye said.
Lin Zhaodi quickly responded and said thank you.
With A Ye around, she felt a lot more at ease.
Zhou Ye packed up his things and followed Old Man Liao's ox cart.
After the people walked away, Lin Shu looked at the sky outside which was just beginning to brighten, and decided to go back to the house for a nap.
Lin Xiaopu woke up earlier than usual, but she was too excited to sleep at all. "Sister, how much ice jelly do you think Aunt Lin can sell? My mother and I made the Guanyin Chai together. If there's any profit, will I get a share?"
Lin Shu raised her eyebrows and said, "Okay, I'll give you 10% of the money I earn."
When Lin Xiaopu heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Even ten percent is a lot! If Aunt Lin sells ten bowls of ice jelly, she can get twelve coins, which can buy several pieces of sugar cake!
He Guixiang laughed at her for being a money-grubber, but she was also curious about how much Lin Zhaodi could sell her ice jelly for today.
Lin Shu yawned and said to Lin Xiaopu, "Aunt Lin brought plenty of rock honey and sugar water. It depends on how many bowls you and Auntie can scoop out of those two big pieces of Guanyin tofu. After cutting the Guanyin tofu into pieces, just scoop a large spoonful into the bowl and it's about enough. After all, we have to put some diced fruit on top as a topping, and then pour a large spoonful of ice sweet water over it. How many spoonfuls do you think you can scoop out of those two big pieces of Guanyin tofu?"
Lin Xiaopu immediately said, "If one spoonful can scoop a bowl, then we'll have at least seventy or eighty bowls! If we're lucky enough to sell them all, at twelve cents a bowl, that'll make seventy bowls... Mother, please help me calculate."
While Lin Xiaopu and He Guixiang were counting, Lin Shu could no longer hold on and went back to catch up on her sleep.
I slept until breakfast time.
Lin Shu remembered something and hurriedly asked He Guixiang, "Mother, did Aye take any dry food with him when he left?"
"Take him, take him. How can mother let him starve?" He Guixiang gave her a teasing look.
Lin Shu hugged her with a smile and changed the subject: "Oh, the wooden hairpin on my mother's head is really beautiful. I wonder who bought it for her."
He Guixiang was amused by her. The bracelet she wore on her head was the one that Ah Shu bought for her.
"When I make some money from the ice jelly today, I'll buy a better one for my mother. My father likes to drink tea, so I'll buy him some good tea leaves."
He Guixiang said, "Don't do that. One hairpin is enough. It would be a waste to buy too many. And your father enjoys the flower tea and herbal tea you make. There's no need to buy him any fine tea. Don't spoil his palate."
Lin Shu covered her mouth and chuckled. It wasn't an illusion; A-niang was indeed much more aggressive than when she first met her. And this was the confidence she gave A-niang. Subtly, she was influencing A-niang, telling her that men were not her destiny; she could rely on herself and her children.
After breakfast, Lin Yushu brought his textbook to class. Two days after Uncle Zhao and Aunt Lin's thatched cottage was built, Lin Yushu took the initiative to visit them, saving Lin Shu the trouble of running back and forth.
However, today's class was only halfway through when the familiar sound of an oxcart rang out outside the courtyard.
Zhou Ye came back early, riding on Old Man Liao's ox cart. He was holding a roll of finely woven mat in his hand.
Old man Liao was sweating from driving the cart, so he took off his sun hat and fanned himself.
Lin Shu and He Guixiang were both stunned when they saw the person coming.
He Guixiang asked in surprise, "It's okay for Ah Ye to come back at this time, but Brother Liao, why are you back too?"
Lin Shu went to the kitchen and brought two bowls of mountain spring water. Zhou Ye and Old Man Liao drank one bowl each.
Old man Liao paused for a moment before grinning and saying, "Aye and I have a message for you! Ah Shu, your ice jelly is selling so well that when Aye and I left, your Aunt Lin's bowl of ice jelly was almost sold out!"
She was a stubborn person and insisted that Ah Ye come back to ask if you could make some more and send it over. You said it was so hot, how could I let Ah Ye walk back alone? I happened to have nothing to do, so I took him back with me. If you have ice powder prepared later, I can also use the ox cart to bring it over.
Old man Liao was a man who liked to take some time off. In the past, he only ran one round trip a day. He would feel tired if he made one more trip, not to mention the hot weather. But today he saw with his own eyes how busy Lin Zhaodi's ice jelly stall was!
Lin Zhaodi initially set up the tables and chairs. Since she was unfamiliar with the place, only a few passersby and vendors from nearby stalls glanced over, curious about what she was selling. Then, Lin Zhaodi mixed the sugar water in public. She placed a large, beautiful orange-yellow rock honey out, knocked off a piece with the handle of a kitchen knife, and dropped it into the pottery jar of spring water.
Then she cut the fruits and vegetables on the spot. She cut the fresh melons and peaches into small pieces and put them into bowls so that the people could see them clearly.
Then, the highlight comes!
While shouting about selling ice jelly, she took out the ceramic pot filled with ice from the rice husk, held the wide-mouthed ceramic pot and turned it over, pouring out a whole block of crystal clear ice, which attracted a group of people to gather around and watch, and they all exclaimed in surprise.
"Is this...ice?"
"How could it be ice? How could there be ice in such hot weather?"
"You're so ignorant! The wealthy families in the big states and counties all drink iced drinks and eat iced jian in the summer. This is ice!"
Some people wanted to touch it, but were driven away by Old Man Liao. He took the opportunity to shout out that he was selling ice jelly, and asked the people to pay twelve cents if they wanted to eat it.
Old man Liao was very strong and helped Lin Zhaodi to break the whole piece of ice. Lin Zhaodi then took the smallest piece and asked the people who gathered around to touch it.
After touching it, the people confirmed that it was real ice!
And then... then Old Man Liao and Lin Zhaodi were so busy that they couldn't even catch their breath!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
