Song Anxin carefully examined the bag the young man was holding, then picked some out and smelled it. Her eyebrows immediately lit up. That's right, these were chili seeds. She hadn't expected to find chili seeds instead of potatoes and sweet potatoes.
She asked excitedly, "Young man, are you selling this bag of seeds?"
The young man looked bewildered: "It hasn't even grown yet, so I don't know what it is. Auntie, I'll give it to you if you want it."
Lin Fengyao, puzzled, asked from the side, "Mother, do you recognize this kind of seed? Why do you want to buy it?"
The young man was also very curious: "Yes, Auntie, do you know what kind of flower this is?"
Song Anxin smiled and replied to the two of them, "This isn't actually a flower; it's a vegetable called chili pepper. It's delicious when cooked with other ingredients."
Although this era has dogwood and spicy food, she always felt that nothing was as satisfying as chili peppers.
"Young man, I can't take advantage of you. Here's a tael of silver for you, and I'll take this thing with me."
Without waiting for the vendor's reaction, he grabbed the goods and pulled Lin Fengyao away.
When the vendor finally realized what was happening with the huge sum of money, he quickly called out, "Hey, auntie, you haven't taken your flowers yet."
But Song Anxin and Lin Fengyao had already gone far away and didn't hear it at all.
When Song Anxin and Lin Fengyao returned to the grain shop with the chili seeds, Lin Fengshou was already there with Old Madam Song and her entourage.
Upon seeing Song Anxin and Lin Fengyao return, Song Mei immediately went to greet them: "Mother, Fengyao, you're finally back."
Song Anxin walked over and said, "I've been strolling around with Feng Yao for a while. Have you been waiting long?"
Song Mei went up to them and replied, "We just arrived a little while ago. Feng Nian was worried because he saw you and your fourth brother disappear so quickly."
“Mother, Fourth Brother, why didn’t you tell Eldest Brother before you went out? Look how worried he was. But I know you wouldn’t take Fourth Brother out to run around, Mother. He’ll definitely be back soon, so I told Eldest Brother and the others to wait here,” Lin Fengshou said.
Song Anxin then remembered that Lin Fengyao had run too fast, and she hadn't even had a chance to tell Fengnian when she caught up with him. The boss was chatting enthusiastically with the young man at the time, and he must have panicked when he turned around and saw that they were gone.
She apologized to Lin Fengnian, who looked worried, and said, "Fengnian, it's my fault for making you worry. I promise I'll let you know in advance next time."
Lin Fengyao knew it was his fault, so he stuck out his tongue and said, "Big brother, don't blame Mother. I ran too fast, so she didn't have time to tell you."
Lin Fengnian was finally relieved to see his mother and fourth brother return safely. Although Fengshou said that his mother and Feng Yao would be back soon, he was still worried. If he had lost his mother and fourth brother, he would have no face to face his maternal grandmother, uncles, and brothers.
He said, "Mother, Fourth Brother, I'm so glad you're alright. I wouldn't blame you." He noticed that his mother was carrying a gray cloth bag, which seemed quite heavy, so he immediately took it from her and carried it for her.
"Mom, what did you buy?"
Lin Fengyao immediately replied, "Brother, Mom said this is called chili pepper, it's a kind of vegetable, and it's delicious."
Lin Fengnian has been farming for so long, and the Lin family village has been farming for generations, but they have never heard of chili peppers as a vegetable.
"Mother, I've never heard of this dish before. Have you ever eaten it?" Lin Fengnian asked.
Song Anxin coughed awkwardly: "I think your maternal grandfather took me to one of his friends' houses before, but it was too spicy and your maternal grandfather and his family didn't like it. But Mother thought it was okay. I heard it's not from this dynasty, but from another country, so it's not commonly seen."
She quickly changed the subject: "With such a good harvest, I'll give you these chili seeds. Mother happens to know some things about planting chilies, and I'll tell you about them on the way back. Let's load the grain onto the cart and head back to the village first."
Upon hearing this, Lin Fengnian thought, "What could be more important than farming?" He didn't press the matter further and called on Fengshou and the others to load the goods onto the car together. Along the way, they bought some meat and vegetables.
Upon returning home, Song Mei immediately went to inspect the duck egg workshop, while Lin Fengnian and the others moved their belongings home and then went about their own business.
During a bountiful year, after taking good care of the cattle, Fengnian would go to the mushroom house to check on the development of the mushrooms, while Lin Fengshou would go to check on the braised dishes in the pot.
Since the family wasn't home, the braised food was entrusted to Sister-in-law Lin, who would prepare it and then check on the cooking process from time to time.
Lin Fengyao had already taken several packets of pastries to the workshop courtyard in the back room and distributed them to Lin Erxi, Dongzi, and A Si. They had been helping to make gift boxes these past few days, and Song Anxin had bought each of them a small packet of pastries. When Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe returned, they went straight into the house, which now served as their living quarters and study.
She then took her mother to rest in the main room, as it was not easy for the elderly to travel such a long distance.
"Mother, have some tea. This is a new tea I bought in the county. What do you think?"
She bought tea, a specialty of Ningdu County. The tea had a delicate aroma and was reasonably priced locally, but it would be considered a high-end tea elsewhere. Due to the inconvenience of transportation in ancient times, ordinary people in some places could not buy it at all.
Old Bai also really likes this kind of tea, and most of his tea is made from this variety.
Grandma Song took a sip and squinted her eyes in satisfaction. She hadn't had this tea in a long time. Her daughter was doing even better than she had imagined. She was quite taken aback when she first came in. Not only had she built two rooms, but they were all tiled, making them incredibly beautiful. A workshop had also been built in the back, with dozens of workers toiling away. The gift boxes were piled up to the brim, a truly impressive sight. It was clear that her daughter's business was thriving.
However, everyone in the family was busy, so she said, "Xin'er, I can't just eat and stay at your house for free. If you need anything, just tell me."
Song Anxin chuckled: "Later, the whole family will have to pack the braised delicacies gift boxes together. Mom, if you can't stay idle, why don't you help us out?"
Grandma Song repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, yes."
As evening approached, the workshop closed for the day. Sister-in-law Lin arrived with Lin Erxi and Dongzi, while Brother Lin and Uncle Bai were still busy at work.
“Aunt Song, I heard from Meizi that you came here to stay for the festival. Oh dear, you should have arrived earlier. Anbang is here too. It must be so lonely for you to be alone at home.”
Sister-in-law Lin didn't think anything of it at all that Old Mrs. Song was coming to stay.
Lin Erxi and Lin Dongzi both greeted her politely: "Hello, Grandma. Hello, Grandma."
There were still crumbs of pastry around their mouths.
Sister-in-law Lin said to them irritably, "You two should hurry up and thank your second aunt. Sister-in-law, you really are something else. Why did you bring them anything? Look at these two gluttons, they ate their whole mouths without even trying to be careful. They finished it all in one meal. Let's see if you can still eat later."
As he spoke, he knocked a screw into each of the two men.
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