Chapter 89 Chapter 89-Two-in-one sweet pumpkin cake
Lin Chuntao looked at Lin Chunxing in front of her. She was young and seemed to be still very simple even though she had started making money.
That small stall will surely expand in the future if it introduces new products.
If you become big and can't even look at the accounts yourself, that won't work.
"It's just that I've never seen a girl studying," Lin Chunxing added. Lin Chuntao frowned slightly and retorted, "Nonsense! How could you have never seen a girl studying? Wasn't Meng Yun the one just now?"
Lin Chunxing was stunned for a moment, then started laughing.
Lin Duoer and Lin Chunhe were also nearby. Overhearing their conversation, Lin Duoer curiously asked, "Sister, is studying difficult?"
Lin Chuntao smiled. Whether studying is difficult or not has always been the same.
"I don't know about that. Some people find it easy, while others find it difficult. It depends on you."
Lin Duoer looked at Lin Chuntao and asked with a smile: "Sister, will you study with us?"
Lin Chuntao wanted to say no, but seeing the little girl's eyes rolling around, she knew what she was thinking. She smiled and nodded, "Yes, together."
Lin Duoer was happy after hearing what was said.
Lin Chunxing saw through it but didn't say anything. She just smiled to herself.
"Sister, can you take a look at the beans and see if they are ready to be cooked?"
Lin Chuntao checked on the red beans; they hadn't been soaked long enough. "Let's soak them a little longer. Let's steam the pumpkin first and make the dough."
As she spoke, Lin Chunxing went to get the pumpkin.
The melon was quite big and not easy to cut, so Pei Ying got a knife to cut it.
After cutting it open, take out the pulp and seeds and put them in a winnowing basket to dry. Peel off the skin, clean it and put it in a steamer.
It didn't take long to steam the pumpkin. 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 Li'niang had gone to find Lin Chuntao, he was worriedly hanging around the gate of the yard, always afraid that he would affect Meng Yun.
Niu Hongxi was the first to discover where Meng Yun and the others were going. After watching Fan Li'niang and Meng Yun leave, he saw Lin Jialang fidgeting and wandering around the door, looking in the direction of Lin Chuntao's house from time to time.
Recently, Lin Jiahui has been going to Lin Chuntao's place frequently, and even brings things with him at night, as if he is helping Lin Chuntao to pull something.
Today, Muramasa's wife and several of her daughters-in-law also went there in the morning and evening. When they passed by the door in the evening, they were all laughing so hard that their eyes were wrinkled.
It's like finding money.
He looked at Lin Miaomiao and asked, "Do you know what Lin Chuntao and the others have been doing recently?"
Lin Miaomiao hated hearing the three words "Lin Chuntao" the most. Last time, Niu Hongxi scolded her, saying that it was because of her that Lin Chuntao treated him badly.
"Why should I know this? If you want to know so much, why don't you just go and ask yourself?"
"Meng and Fan from next door are both there, you should go too!"
Lin Miaomiao's words were full of thorns, and Niu Hongxi glared at her unhappily.
But Niu Hongxi did not ask for no reason. When Lin Miaomiao went out, she saw Lin Jialang hanging around nearby. When Lin Jialang heard the footsteps, he turned around and looked over. Their eyes met. Lin Miaomiao turned her head away first. Lin Jialang curled his lips, retracted his gaze, and continued to look in the direction of Lin Chuntao's house.
Until Meng Yun and Fan Li Niang came back.
He couldn't wait and went to meet her from a distance.
"Auntie, how is it?"
Seeing his uneasy expression, Meng Yun asked, "Guess?"
Lin Jialang looked at Fan Li'niang and his mood subsided.
"Auntie, didn't it work?"
During these days of getting along, they developed some real feelings for each other, and Lin Jialang and his two siblings began to listen to her. Seeing Lin Jialang like this, Fan Li'niang felt soft-hearted.
"Okay, your cousin is not an unreasonable person."
Lin Jialang breathed a long sigh of relief, and a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"That's good."
"Are you going to work tomorrow?"
Meng Yun nodded and said, "Yes, I'll go tomorrow."
Lin Jialang didn't ask how much money she earned per day, but Fan Li Niang took the initiative to say, "My sister-in-law earns 20 cents a day, but she can't fully subsidize our family expenses."
Lin Jialang nodded. She was the main one doing the work among the three siblings. Fan Li Niang and Meng Yun were the two adults, and Meng Yue was the only child. It was Fan Li Niang and the others who took care of them more, so it was not a big deal that all the money they earned had to contribute to the family.
"Auntie, I know."
Fan Li Niang looked at him and said softly, "I heard from the villagers that it's time to plant buckwheat. I went to the village these two days to ask if I could borrow some buckwheat seeds. We can sow buckwheat on those fields and have a harvest before the New Year."
Lin Jialang responded, "Then let's turn over the remaining land in the next few days."
Hearing the voices of Lin Jialang and Meng Yun, Niu Hongxi peeked out from the yard and saw that Lin Jialang was no longer the same as before, so he thought that Meng Yun and the others' matter must have been settled.
Niu Hongxi felt that these people coming and going were all helping Lin Chuntao do things, and they were getting paid for it.
But then I thought, they only have that small stall, why would they need so many people?
These women must be thinking about something.
Thinking of this, he felt relieved.
*
While the red beans were cooking, Lin Chuntao and the others were busy washing vegetables and chopping meat.
Everything was almost done before the red beans were cooked.
Lin Chuntao scooped up some flour, kneaded the dough quickly, and mixed in the crushed pumpkin. After making the dough and setting it aside, she went to grind red beans to make the filling.
Lin Chuntao put some malt sugar into the filling, but not much, just a little sweet.
This cake is too sweet and it is greasy, and it loses its flavor.
Lin Chuntao was very quick in making the filling and kneading the pancakes. It was simple, without any special shapes. Lin Chunxing and the others followed suit, and soon they had kneaded half a basketful. Lin Chuntao said, "You guys do it, I'll go fry it."
Lin Chuntao said this and left.
It’s very quick to fry pumpkin pancakes, and you can fry many in one pot. By the time Lin Chunxing and the others had finished, Lin Chuntao had already fried most of them.
They ate a lot of crispy meat for dinner and still don’t feel hungry.
When the pumpkin pancakes were just fried, none of the sisters rushed to eat them. Only after they finished making the pancakes and washed their hands did they come over.
Lin Duoer stood by and looked at the two golden cakes. They looked very sweet.
"I'm still a little full, try one."
Lin Chuntao raised her chin and motioned her to get chopsticks to eat.
Lin Duoer received the message and quickly ran to get chopsticks.
Originally, they only wanted to try one, but ended up eating one after another. After watching them eat three or four in a row, Lin Chuntao hurriedly said, "Just try two. If you eat too much, I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep."
While burping, Lin Duoer said to Lin Chuntao, "If I had known that pumpkin cakes were so delicious, I would have brought back the two pumpkins my aunt gave me."
Lin Chuntao hit her.
"We have pumpkins in our fields too. We'll just have to wait a few days. You can just take one of these big pumpkins. How dare you ask for two?"
"I'm just saying." She chuckled. Lin Chunhe asked from the side, "Sister, do we need to steam this pancake for tomorrow morning?"
"Um."
"It will be softer if steamed, but the skin will be harder if pan-fried."
Lin Chuntao said, "Aunt and Grandma will come to work tomorrow, right? You can steam some more and share it with them."
"Okay, I know."
After finishing work that evening, thinking about hiring a craftsman the next day, Lin Chuntao called Lin Chunxing over, and the two sisters recounted the money. The wages from the soup noodle vendors, the mushroom vendors, and Pei Ying's wages totaled nearly fifty strings of cash. This didn't include the fifty taels of advance payment for the sauce that Chai Xingyu had given them.
"Sister, this money is enough!"
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "It's definitely enough!" If you just build a house to live in, it won't cost much money at all. Lin Chuntao thought that since it was already built, it might as well be done in one go. After all, building a house is not something that can be done every few years. Once it's built, it will be lived in for many years.
"When the time comes, we'll see how long the project will take, and then we can go to the shop and make new quilts."
As soon as she finished speaking, the eyes of Lin Duo'er and Lin Chunhe beside her lit up instantly, and they asked her tentatively: "Sister, can we each have a bed?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "When we all live separately, we'll definitely each have our own bed. Otherwise, how will you cover yourself?"
Lin Chunhe, who was standing next to her, patted Lin Duoer and said, "That's right."
Lin Duoer smiled foolishly, her eyes full of anticipation.
After counting the money and putting it away, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Go to bed. We'll get up early tomorrow."
The sisters quickly washed up and went back to their room to lie down.
But the sisters couldn't fall asleep even after lying down. They were going to hire someone to build a house tomorrow. 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 Duoer was sleeping in the innermost bed. She rolled over and over several times and finally rolled to Lin Chunhe's side.
Lin Chunhe was a little annoyed by the interruption of her thoughts and pushed her.
"It's time to go to bed, stop tossing and turning."
It would have been fine if he hadn't made a sound, but as soon as he made a sound, Lin Duoer came over to him.
"Third sister, you haven't fallen asleep yet? I thought you were asleep."
Lin Chunhe: "How can I sleep when you're rolling around and making so much noise?"
Lin Duoer chuckled, "Is Second Sister asleep?"
Lin Chunxing turned sideways and ignored her. Lin Duoer said, "Third sister, can you see if Second Sister is asleep?"
Lin Chunhe: "I don't want to watch it."
Lin Duoer climbed over her and went to Lin Chunxing's side and asked, "Second sister, second sister, are you asleep?"
Lin Chunxing sighed deeply.
"You woke me up even when I was asleep."
When you hear this sound, you know you are not asleep.
Lin Duoer smiled and crawled in between the two of them. She wanted to sleep in the middle. Lin Chunhe was more than happy and immediately made room for her and rolled in herself.
"Second sister, third sister, I can't sleep."
"What do you think our new house will look like? Will it be like the ones in the county town?"
Lin Chunhe and Lin Chunxing didn't say anything.
Lin Duoer: "Sister said she wants to make a quilt. What color do you want? I want pink!"
Lin Chunhe: "I want pink too."
Lin Chunxing: "I don't care."
Lin Duoer: "Second sister, you can't be so casual. You should get a red one. I can exchange it with you when I want a red one."
Lin Chunxing: "From now on, you can use your own and not exchange them."
The three sisters started chatting one after another.
Listening to their chattering through a wall, Lin Chuntao also sighed.
"They are planning to chat until dawn."
Pei Ying beside him smiled and said, "Happy, right?"
Lin Chuntao turned over, and Pei Ying happened to move and turn around as well.
The two looked at each other, and although it was night, they could see each other's eyes clearly.
Pei Ying put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms. He whispered, "I can't sleep either."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and smiled, "They're thinking about the new house and new quilt. What are you thinking about that keeps you awake?"
After she finished speaking, Pei Ying didn't respond, but just stared at her with a pair of bottomless eyes.
"you……"
Before he could even utter a word, someone stopped him.
His lips were a little cold, making people want to take more.
She just responded softly, but it was like breaking the other party's embankment, and in an instant she was unable to breathe.
After an unknown amount of time, the man let her go and went somewhere else. Lin Chuntao took a deep breath. The weather was indeed too hot recently, and people were easily restless.
I was supposed to go to bed early, but ended up staying up late.
The next day, before the hour of Yin, when the moon was still high in the sky, Lin Chuntao was woken up by the system, chirping and calling out "chicken mushroom".
This system will only get so excited when the chicken mushroom comes out.
Lin Chuntao hadn't slept enough yet, so she suppressed her anxiety and continued to take a nap.
"Host, host! Get up quickly, it's almost dawn! It's almost dawn!"
Lin Chuntao breathed a sigh of relief. She nudged Pei Ying beside her and murmured, "Did the rooster crow?"
"Not yet, but probably soon."
"Why did you wake up?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I'm going to pick mushrooms."
"Isn't there a lot going on today? Don't go. Go tomorrow."
As soon as Pei Ying finished speaking, Lin Chuntao sat up despite her sleepiness and said, "I have a feeling I'll be able to pick some chicken mushrooms today."
Pei Ying smiled when he heard this and said, "If it's chicken mushroom, then it seems we have to go pick it up."
"That's right. I picked up chicken mushrooms twice this year, but I sold all of them. I didn't eat much. If I pick up more this time, I'll keep some for myself."
"Um."
Pei Ying responded and stood up. As soon as he sat up, he heard the sound of a rooster crowing in the yard.
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 some mushrooms."
Lin Chunxing nodded and said, "Then I'll go light the fire first."
"Well, I'll go wash up first."
When Lin Chuntao came back from washing up, the fire was already lit. She put the steamer on and put some pumpkin cakes in. The cakes were steamed very quickly. When Lin Chunxing came back from washing up, the cakes were ready.
Lin Chuntao took the steamer down and quickly put the meat filling into the pan.
The meat filling, eggs and vegetables were quite heavy when put into the backpack. Fortunately, Pei Ying also went to the county town every day, so it was a bit easier to carry the things with him.
While waiting for the house to be built, she saved money to buy a mule and a mule cart to save some effort.
The cake was eaten while walking on the road. Pei Ying only ate one cake last night. He was still a little full then. Now he didn't know if he was hungry or what, but suddenly he felt that the cake was a little too filling, and he could eat another one after finishing one.
The pumpkin and red beans have a strong aroma, and the sugar Lin Chuntao added is just the right amount of sweetness. I never get tired of eating a few.
Lin Chunxing also ate three in one breath.
After she finished eating, she sighed, "Sister, let's save some pumpkin and make it for breakfast later."
Pei Ying also nodded in agreement.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Sure. Just cook the beans early so it will be quicker."
After eating the pumpkin pie and walking for a while, Lin Chuntao finally entered the mountain.
The ground was covered with white, half-opened cocklebur flowers.
Lin Chuntao took a short bamboo plaque and pried the flowers gently, one after another, without getting tired.
She carried a backpack and a small bamboo basket today, and both were full when she finished picking up the rubbish.
She doesn't want to sell the chicken mushrooms today, and plans to bring them back to make meat sauce and extract oil.
She cut some grass and spread it on the backpack and bamboo basket, and covered the chicken mushrooms tightly.
When we arrived at the market, there were already a lot of people coming to catch the early morning market.
There was a long queue in front of the stall, one row for those buying noodles, and another row for children buying braised eggs.
When Lin Chuntao came, Helan laughed and said, "Chuntao, all the kids in our area are captivated by the braised eggs you make. They come here every day."
Lin Chuntao looked at the long line of children and said with a smile, "It's mainly a snack."
Speaking of snacks, Lin Chuntao thought about how these kids didn't seem to have many snack options. Just candy, I guess? She hissed. How could childhood be without spicy strips?
It seems like I have found another small business opportunity.
After she put the mushroom down, the sharp-eyed Helan saw it.
"Did you pick up any chicken mushrooms today?"
Lin Chuntao laughed: "I hid it so well, and you could guess it? I'm not going to sell it. I'm thinking of taking it back to fry chicken in fir oil later."
When Helan heard her say she was not selling, he looked at the bamboo basket and backpack again, grabbed Lin Chuntao and said, "Give me some, give me some, and sell me what's in the bamboo basket."
Lin Chuntao laughed out loud when she saw Helan like this.
"Okay, okay. Go get a dustpan."
After hearing what was said, Helan quickly went upstairs to get a winnowing basket. The bamboo basket was about six or seven pounds. Helan picked it up and weighed it, then went to get the money for Lin Chuntao.
She laughed and said, "This should be the last wave of chicken mushrooms this year."
"Yes, I also thought that I might not be able to pick it up later. I didn't eat much the first two times I picked it up, so I left it for myself this time."
Helan smiled and said, "Thanks to you, we have eaten there several times this year."
The two chatted in the house for a while. As more and more people came to the market, the two came out to work together.
*
At this time at home, sisters Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer slept until dawn before getting up.
Having slept late last night, Lin Duoer turned over and continued to relax. Lin Chunhe looked at the dawn outside and got up quickly.
The chickens in the chicken coop started clucking when they saw people. She scooped some water and mixed it with some bran and sent it over first.
By the time she finished washing up, the chicken had almost finished eating the bran. She opened the gate and quickly let the chicken out and drove it out.
After finishing the work, I came back to light the stove, went back to the house, took some pumpkin cakes, put them in the steamer, put it on the fire and started steaming.
Since the piglets started feeding them potatoes, they had to be cooked every day. While steaming the pancakes, she went to get some potatoes, washed them and set them aside.
Lin Chuntao had just taken the steamer down when she heard a knock on the door.
She was just about to put the clay pot on the stove to cook potatoes, but she had to put the pot down and go to open the door first.
The first to arrive was Meng Yun. After seeing Lin Chunhe, he smiled and said, "Good morning, Third Master."
Lin Chunhe's pupils trembled. She said to Meng Yun, "Mrs. Meng, just call me Chunhe. It sounds a bit scary to the boss."
Meng Yun smiled when he heard that, "Okay."
Entering the courtyard, they saw only Lin Chunhe, the steaming steamer, and the fire on the stove still burning brightly. Lin Chunhe said to Meng Yun, "Madam, please sit down for a while. I'll boil the potatoes. We've been buying beans and peppers these days, so I'll trouble you to remember them later."
Meng Yun responded but did not sit down.
Seeing Lin Chunhe go to fetch the clay pot, she went over and said, "Let me do it."
Lin Chunhe said, "No need, ma'am. It's not heavy and will be ready in no time." As she spoke, she brought the clay basin over and quickly ladled water into it. As she cooked, she asked Meng Yun, "Ma'am, have you had breakfast? My sister made pumpkin pancakes last night and said she'd steamed them this morning for everyone to try. They've just been steamed. Ma'am, please wait for me for a moment."
Meng Yun had a little more contact with Lin Chunxing, and Lin Chunhe also followed Lin Chunxing. She spoke very little on weekdays and had little presence when they played outside together. Her impression of Lin Chunhe was that she was a quiet girl.
But at this moment it feels completely different.
It’s not that they are the boss and she is the one doing the work, but although Lin Chunhe is still young, when her sister is not around, she is very organized and speaks politely and considerately, making people feel calm and reliable.
Before Meng Yun could respond, Aunt Guizhi and the others arrived.
The courtyard door was not closed, and the grandmother pushed it open gently. When she looked in, she saw Lin Chunhe and Meng Yun in the yard.
Meng Yun and Aunt Guizhi looked at each other in surprise.
It was Lin Chunhe who raised her voice to greet Aunt Guizhi and the others, "Grandma, Auntie! Good morning."
Sun smiled and said, "Good morning, Chunhe, have your elder sister and your second sister gone to the city?"
"Well, my sister said she'll be back soon. I guess she'll be back early."
Lin Jiahui came with us. 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."
As she spoke, she quickly went back to the house to get some money, opened the steamer, skewered three pumpkin cakes, and took them with her, then walked out.
"The money is exactly the same. Count it."
Lin Jiahui counted the money and put it away.
Previously, he thought that the money given by Lin Chunhe and the others must have been counted and was correct, so he didn't need to count it one by one. However, Lin Chunhe disagreed and insisted on counting it and confirming that it was correct before she could take it and leave. She also said that this was Sister Chuntao's instructions, and that the payment of money and goods must be clear and there must be no ambiguity.
No matter how much it is, whether you get it or give it to others, you must count it clearly before leaving.
He took the money and was about to leave. Lin Chunhe hurriedly said, "This is the pumpkin pie my sister made last night. It's delicious. Try one."
Lin Jiahui was not as polite as the adults. He smiled and thanked Lin Chunhe before accepting it.
After seeing Lin Jiahui off, Lin Chunhe returned to the yard.
She first introduced Meng Yun to her grandmother and the others.
"Grandma, Auntie, this is Madam Meng, my sister asked her to be our accountant."
Sun and Aunt Guizhi were all stunned. Hu exclaimed, "Mrs. Meng, have you ever been to school and can read?"
Meng Yun smiled and replied, "I've read some."
“This is amazing.”
Meng Yun said modestly, "I only read a little when I was a child and know a few words."
Sun said, "Being able to work as an accountant is quite impressive."
Lin Chunhe took the opportunity to say to Meng Yun, "Mrs. Meng should know this grandmother and these three aunts. They have been helping us recently."
Meng Yun said, "I know them all."
After the other party finished introducing what they were doing, Lin Chunhe greeted them with a smile: "My sister made pumpkin pancakes last night. Grandma, you guys should try one." She went to get bamboo sticks and said to Aunt Guizhi as she walked: "Aunt, this pumpkin is the one you asked Duoer to bring back last night. It's very sweet."
Aunt Guizhi looked at the cakes that Lin Chunhe had made. They were golden in color and exuded a sweet aroma.
Meng Yun also saw it. It was a clever idea to use pumpkin to make pancakes.
Aunt Guizhi smiled and said, "Pumpkin can be used to make cakes? I have to try your sister's cooking skills." As she spoke, she took the cake handed to her by Lin Chunhe. She took it, and Grandma and Meng Yun also took it.
I originally thought it was just a dumpling made of mashed pumpkin, but when I took a bite, I found that there was sweet bean paste mixed with the taste of flour and pumpkin, which was comparable to the dim sum in the dim sum shop in the county town.
After breakfast, everyone started to get busy.
Lin Chuntao did the same. After she and Lin Chunxing were busy with two small peak periods, she went out for a walk.
I bought half a pound of tea and exchanged two notebooks from the system.
The meat stall was no longer particularly busy. She said hello to Helan and went to look for Zhang Dayong. She and Pei Yingcai went together to find the craftsman.
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