Afterwards, Li Xiuju questioned them with a stern face for the first time.
"Chenyu, Baoyu, what exactly is going on? Why did you two suddenly decide to acknowledge the scholar as your elder brother?"
"Uh... well." Zhou Chenyu was trying to figure out how to get out of this when Zhou Baoyu excitedly replied, "Mother, don't be angry. I know you like Brother Chen and want my sister to marry him. But my sister doesn't like Brother Chen; she likes someone else!"
What?
"Someone else?" Li Xiuju's mood instantly soared from the depths of despair to the heights of elation.
She had just solved the problem with Chen Tongsheng, and this brat dug another big pit for her.
Zhou Chenyu's blood surged, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
She just wanted to live a peaceful single life; men would only slow her down when drawing her sword.
Looking at Chen Yu, Li Xiuju recalled her previous actions of acting first and informing later. She grabbed Bao Yu's hand and asked, "Bao Yu, tell me, whose child is it?"
Baoyu secretly glanced at his sister, and seeing that she didn't react, he grinned and said, "Mother, you've seen that person before. He's the one who dragged you into the dungeon last time, boohoo."
Zhou Chenyu covered Baoyu's mouth, feigning embarrassment and laughing, "Oh dear, this is still far from certain, Grandma, please don't ask. I'll tell you after we're married. Now, I have something even more important to say."
Zhou Chenyu blushed with anxiety, her cheeks and earlobes turning crimson. Li Xiuju noticed that her flustered expression was quite different from her calm demeanor when she met Tong Sheng.
Young women in their prime often harbor secrets and are too ashamed to discuss them in public.
However, knowing that she had someone she liked, Li Xiuju's anxiety subsided, and she playfully scolded, "What important matter do you have now?"
Zhou Chenyu put forward the bold idea of setting up a stall to sell sweet soup, which was initially met with skepticism from Li Xiuju and Baoyu.
Because the Zhou family had been honest farmers for generations, living off their small plots of land, they had never had any business experience. Moreover, they didn't have much money left, only two or three hundred coins. If they invested it all, they were afraid of getting nothing in return, so the risk was quite high.
Zhou Chenyu had these concerns as well, but after careful calculation, she realized that buying red beans, mung beans, and sugar would only cost forty coins. They had grown their own purple sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and taro to make taro balls, and Baoyu was skilled at handicrafts. The back mountain was full of bamboo, so they could make a few bamboo chairs and tables themselves. In the end, all that was left was the money to buy bowls, which would cost at most another ten or twenty coins. The total cost would be no more than fifty coins.
A pound of red beans can be boiled into a large pot of sweet soup, which can make about dozens of bowls. Each bowl is priced at two coins, and if taro balls are added, the price will increase by one coin. If it sells well, there is still a profit.
During the busy farming season, while others are harvesting rice, their family, who have no fields, has plenty of time.
Why not give it a try?
Zhou Chenyu explained the details of the accounts clearly and logically. Li Xiuju was gradually convinced and nodded in agreement: "Chenyu, I don't understand these things. We will do whatever you tell us to do, and we will listen to you from now on."
Baoyu was completely confused by the accounts, but even without discussing the details, just by looking at his sister's expression and tone of voice, he found them convincing.
How could he possibly question his sister's decision?
A surge of energy welled up in Baoyu, and he patted his chest, full of confidence, "Sister, leave the table and chairs to me."
Zhou Chenyu is not afraid of hardship, but he is afraid of a lack of unity among people.
Now that we have the affirmation of Li Xiuju and Baoyu, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!
——
In the sweltering summer, the early morning and evening are the coolest times.
Although it is said that the early morning is the best time to plan for the day, on this early morning, there was no need to go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots or pick summer mushrooms. It was a rare moment of leisure. Zhou Chenyu woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing outside. A chill crept into her bed. She wrapped herself in the blanket, turned over, and lay on the bed, drifting back to sleep.
Seeing that the two children were exhausted, Li Xiuju didn't have the heart to wake them. She got up, washed up, fed the chickens, watered the vegetables, and quietly went into the kitchen with the freshly picked scallions.
I got tired of eating sweet potato porridge for breakfast, so last time I went to the market, I bought a few pounds of noodles to keep on hand.
Li Xiuju lit the stove, fried three eggs and set them aside, then added water, brought it to a boil, and added an appropriate amount of noodles to cook.
Next, put the chopped scallions into a bowl, add a spoonful of lard, a little soy sauce, and salt, then ladle in the boiling noodle soup. Finally, put the cooked noodles into the bowl and place a golden fried egg in each bowl.
When the eggs were sizzling in the oil and going into the pan, Zhou Chenyu had already woken up. Smelling the aroma wafting from the kitchen, she quickly got up, washed up, and rushed to the kitchen with sleepy eyes, followed by Baoyu.
Li Xiuju brought the noodles outside. "You've all gotten up just in time. Here, the noodles are ready. Eat them while they're hot."
"Mmm, it smells so good." Zhou Chenyu couldn't wait to sit down, holding her bowl of fried egg noodles. On a cool summer day, the hot noodle soup first filled her stomach, and she was finally fully awake from her daze. She slurped up a mouthful of smooth and chewy noodles to fill her stomach, and then added a bite of fried egg. In the end, she even finished the soup.
Baoyu ate until his belly was bulging, then let out a burp and said, "It was delicious."
When people are well-fed and watered, they have the energy to work.
Li Xiuju took their clothes to wash, while Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu split up. She went to the vegetable garden to dig up taro and pumpkin, which were essential for making taro balls, while Baoyu went to the back mountain to cut large bamboo.
Digging taro and cutting pumpkins are delicate tasks. Zhou Chenyu returned home in a short while. First, she simmered mung beans over a low flame, then washed the mud off the taro. She also peeled the pumpkin, purple sweet potato, and taro, cut them into slices, and then steamed them in a steamer.
After steaming until soft, mash each ingredient into a paste, add glutinous rice flour and knead into a dough. Let it rest for a while, then roll it into a long strip about two fingers thick, cut it into small pieces, and mix it into a pot to cook slowly.
Seeing her busy in the kitchen, Li Xiuju came over to take a look and glanced at the purple, yellow, and white dumplings in the pot. "Just looking at them makes them look delicious."
Tapioca flour was supposed to be added, but since I couldn't find it, I used glutinous rice flour instead.
Zhou Chenyu never expected it to be so successful. It looked exactly like the taro balls from the snack stall. It looked good, but she didn't know if it tasted the same.
Not sure if she was right, she scooped out a spoonful, added it to the mung bean syrup, and handed it to Li Xiuju, saying, "Grandma, please try it for me."
"Okay, let me try it for you." Li Xiuju held the bowl and took a bite of each of the different colored taro balls. They were chewy and had a soft, sticky texture, much like glutinous rice cakes, but not greasy.
It has the flavor of both pumpkin and sweet potato and taro, paired with sweet and refreshing mung bean soup, it's perfect for hot weather.
Li Xiuju smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, it's really good."
"Really?" Zhou Chenyu stared at Li Xiuju, still somewhat doubtful. Because the old lady never said a bad word about what she made.
While this is encouraging, one should be realistic in life.
"Mother, Sister, I'm back!" Baoyu's panting voice came from outside.
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