"Great! I'm going right now!" Lin Fengyao said, and prepared to run off.
Song Anxin quickly stopped him: "You child, you're covered in food all over your face like a little kitten, wash up before you go."
Lin Fengyao responded with a "yes" and went to the kitchen to fetch water to wash his face, leaving Song Anxin with a helpless smile.
After eating and resting for a while, duck eggs were delivered from the village to the west. She and Zhang Mei received them, and she stayed in the back workshop to pack salted duck egg gift boxes.
Zhang Mei stayed in the front yard cutting some red paper, while Song Anbang took it inside to write blessings and instruct Lin Fenghe.
Brother Lin has delivered the remaining hundred or so boxes. Song Anxin told him to keep making them and not to stop, and to keep track of the quantities so they could settle the payment later.
Around the end of the 9-11 AM time, Lin Fengnian returned with a bountiful harvest.
Lin Fengshou walked into the courtyard with high spirits and said, "Mother, Mother, I'm back! Where are you?"
Song Anxin and Zhang Mei were preparing a meal in the kitchen when they heard the noise and came out to reply, "Here you are! Why are you so happy today?"
Lin Fengshou ran up to her and said, "Mother, do you know how popular our braised delicacies are? Two other restaurants and taverns also need us to supply them. Today I bought more than 300 catties of goods. Mother, here's the money."
Song Anxin took the order and instructed, "With such a large volume of goods, the accounts must be kept clear. No one's order can be missing. Have the samples of the 'Prosperous Egg' gift box been delivered to these stores today?"
Lin Fengshou said, "Of course we sent them. They all love our gift boxes. Manager Cai even told me that as soon as we delivered them to the restaurant yesterday, a customer ordered twenty boxes that very night."
"Don't worry, your accounting book is very useful. I can calculate it in advance."
Song Anxin thought it was good that he let Brother Lin continue. Everyone has relatives, and there would probably be even more people coming to deliver messages from the restaurant that evening.
"Hey, where's your older brother? Didn't he go with you? Why didn't he come back together?" Song Anxin asked.
"Oh, my brother said he's going to check on the fields."
Song Anxin found it strange. The winter wheat hadn't even been planted yet, and there shouldn't be anything urgent in the fields. Why didn't she rest for a while after returning home before going to check on things?
Before Song Anxin could think further, Lin Fengyao and Lin Erxi Dongzi, along with a group of children around ten years old, came rushing into the yard.
Lin Fengyao happily handed the basket to her mother: "Mom, look how many unripe persimmons we picked! These are all good ones that haven't been eaten by the birds. As soon as they heard about the method of ripening persimmons, they came to our house saying they wanted to see it too."
"Yes, Auntie, I've never heard of persimmons being ripened before. Please teach us!" Lin Erxi said.
"Yes, Lin Erniang, why don't you teach us too?"
"Grandma Lin, I've cooked it and brought it to you to eat."
"......."
The children all called out to Song Anxin. Song Anxin was quite senior in Linjia Village, so some of the children called her Auntie or Grandma. Song Anxin was used to it; as long as she was senior, she didn't feel old.
She said, "Alright, Second Grandma will teach you now."
Song Anxin found a small piece of sesame stalk and drove it into a stake on a persimmon. Then she made a nest with straw, put all the persimmons inside, and covered it tightly with straw.
"Alright, they'll be ripe in three or four days," Song Anxin said.
The children stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Lin Dongzi asked, "Second Aunt, will it get cooked like this?"
"Yes, Mother, this is way too simple."
Song Anxin smiled and said, "Covering persimmons is not difficult at all. You will know in four days."
The principle behind ripening persimmons is that the wounds on the persimmons produce ethylene, which promotes ripening. Once one persimmon ripens and produces a large amount of ethylene, it will promote the ripening of other persimmons.
Simply put, it's about one thing maturing first, which then leads to the rest maturing later.
Song Anbang was looking out the window. He believed that the persimmons would definitely ripen in four days. His older sister had a strange power that made people believe in her from the bottom of their hearts.
A group of children hurried away, all preparing to go back and tend the persimmons. They believed that Aunt Lin, Mother, and Grandma wouldn't lie to them.
After the children left, Song Anxin went back to the kitchen where she and Zhang Mei were preparing to fry meatballs. Lin Fengshou and Lin Fengnian would always buy some meat after delivering goods to the county, so their family could enjoy a big meat meal from time to time.
Of course, she also remembered to ask them to send some to her maternal grandmother at her parents' home. After the autumn harvest, she also asked Fengnian and Fengshou to give her mother about 100 jin of grain.
The fried meatballs were a hit with the younger family members, and even Song Anbang was amazed. She and Zhang Mei fried a lot, which they could save to make braised meatballs, stir-fried meatballs with vinegar, meatball soup, and other dishes later.
However, she sensed that Lin Fengnian's enthusiasm seemed a bit low. Although he was praising the meatballs, it felt like he was forcing himself to be energetic.
From the moment the eldest son returned from the fields, Song Anxin felt that he was acting strangely. Feng Nian was an introverted and honest man. He was not good at expressing himself and always did things for the family quietly.
Even if she asked him directly, she probably wouldn't get any information, so after dinner, Song Anxin went to Uncle Lin's house.
Uncle Lin's house was very dilapidated; he was one of the poorest people in the village. His family had already finished lunch, and Uncle Lin's wife was sitting in the yard with her grandchildren doing some chores.
"Auntie, are you busy? Where's Uncle Lin? I need to talk to him." Song Anxin greeted him with a smile as she walked in.
"Oh my, Fengnian's wife, what brings you here? Your Uncle Lin is feeding the cows water and grass in the back. Songzi, go and call your grandfather." Uncle Lin's wife said warmly as she got up.
Their family has benefited greatly from the bountiful harvests from her maternal family, and now they earn fifteen coins a day, which is enough to pay for her son's medicine.
Song Anxin stopped Lin Songzi, who was about to run off, and said, "Songzi, no need, I can go by myself."
Just then, a man walked out of the inner room, trembling. This man was none other than Uncle Lin's son, Lin Daliang.
"Is this Sister-in-law Lin? Sister-in-law Lin, I, Lin Daliang, thank you so much. You are a benefactor to our family."
Song Anxin turned her head and saw a person who was as thin as a skeleton standing there with a wooden stick. His cheeks were sunken and his face was pale.
Song Anxin was startled. This was so different from the Lin Daliang he remembered. It seemed that years of illness had taken a toll on his health.
Life is tough, life is tough.
"Oh dear, Daliang, why are you up? The doctor said you need to rest more. Quickly, go back to bed," Uncle Lin's wife said hurriedly.
Song Anxin also said, "Yes, Songzi's father, you should go back and rest. There's no need for thanks. Uncle Lin has done a lot for me, and this is the reward he deserves."
"No, no, I know it was Sister-in-law Lin who was helping us on purpose. Mother, I'm fine, I'm much better now," Lin Daliang said, leaning on the wooden chair, slightly out of breath.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com