It is already autumn. Early autumn in the southwest is much more comfortable than in other places. Other places are still experiencing the hottest autumn weather, with hot days and nights, but here in the southwest it is only slightly hot during the day, and you have to cover yourself with a thin blanket when you sleep at night.
Xu Qinyu has been busy making persimmon cakes recently.
Tao Qi and his friends picked a lot of wild persimmons in the mountains. These wild persimmons were not big in size and very sweet when ripe. After removing the stems, they tore them open a little and sucked the flesh inside into their mouths. The flesh was fine and the juice was sweet. However, wild persimmons were relatively small and could be eaten one in one bite.
When persimmons are not fully ripe, they taste astringent.
There are many wild fruits on the mountain, and the children nearby often run to the mountain to pick wild fruits to eat. These wild persimmons grow in the belly of the mountain, which is a bit deep, and most children cannot go that deep into the mountain.
It was already late summer, and there were not many wild grapes on the mountain, so Tao Qi and his friends did not continue picking with the winery, but went hunting in the mountain. They encountered wild persimmons while hunting. There were many wild persimmon trees in that area. The persimmons on one of the trees were already ripe, while the others were not yet ripe. They were specially sent to Xu Qinyu for her to taste. After tasting them, Xu Qinyu missed the sweet, sticky and soft persimmon cakes, so she asked Tao Qi and his friends to pick some unripe persimmons.
Persimmon cakes are also a kind of dried fruit preserves, but they don’t seem to be available here.
Most of the preserved fruits here are pickled in honey and sugar, but the method of making persimmon cakes is slightly different, as they are air-dried.
The method is actually simple, but most people don’t do it well because even if it is air-dried, there are still many things to pay attention to.
To make persimmon cakes, you need to choose persimmons that have turned red but still have hard flesh. After peeling the skin, do not remove the stems. Place them in a dustpan and expose them to the sun. At night and on cloudy days, you need to put them in a ventilated place, because the persimmon cakes cannot be exposed to any water or dew when they are air-dried. During the drying period, you also need to pay attention to squeezing the persimmon cakes from time to time, so that they can be better shaped by the sun and the flesh inside can be softened to become a runny persimmon cake.
When the flesh is exposed to the sun until it turns slightly white, the persimmon cake is almost ready.
But there is still one last step, which is to put it in a jar, seal it and wait for it to frost. In this way, a thick layer of white frost will condense on the surface of the sealed persimmon cake after a period of time. The persimmon cake with frost will taste sweeter and softer.
The persimmon cakes made in this way are not astringent at all, because the icing is from the fruit pulp itself, so you won’t feel greasy when eating them.
Making persimmon cakes was not too troublesome for Xu Qinyu. Someone helped her peel the fruit and someone else helped her dry and press the fruit.
When she smelled the sweetness, she knew it was done drying, and then she instructed them to put the persimmon cakes in a jar and seal it so that they would really frost.
When Xu Qinyu taught her apprentices, she also told them that the sense of smell is also very important in cooking.
For example, when drying persimmon cakes in the sun, they were taught what kind of sweetness they would emit depending on the sugar content.
The same is true for daily cooking.
Xu Qinyu made a lot of persimmon cakes. Tao Qi said that although there were only a few persimmon trees in that area, because not many people picked the fruits, each tree was full of fruits, with at least hundreds of fruits on each tree. Even the unripe persimmons were picked by them, so Xu Qinyu made at least several thousand persimmon cakes.
Persimmon cakes also cost nothing to make and do not need to be soaked in sugar. Tao Qi and his friends picked them and bought them at the price of one cent per two pounds, which was very cheap.
After Xu Qinyu dried the persimmon cakes and put them in cans, she gave one can to each of Tao Qi and the other two. The three of them thanked him repeatedly and went back with the cans.
Xu Qinyu also told them, "Although the persimmon cakes in the jar are edible now, it is best to wait another half a month. The persimmon cakes will be frosted with sugar. When they are eaten, the skin will be fragrant and glutinous, and the inside will be like honey juice. So it is best to wait another half a month."
The persimmon cakes she dried were different from the ordinary persimmon cakes of later generations. The best time to make persimmon cakes was around the time of Frost Descent. This way, the icing on the persimmon cakes would be better, the taste would be better, and the cakes would become soft and glutinous.
Tao Qi and the other two listened to Xu Qinyu's words and nodded, "Don't worry, Boss. We will definitely keep it for half a month before eating it."
Xu Qinyu was a little amused and helpless when she saw how serious they were.
There were still several thousand persimmon cakes left, and the family couldn't finish them all.
As the weather will get colder, there will be no problem keeping these persimmon cakes until next spring.
But if there are thousands of them, they can last until next spring, and my family will be hurt after eating thousands of them.
No matter how delicious something is, eating it every day will hurt you, and I won’t be willing to touch such things in the future.
So Xu Qinyu kept three or four hundred persimmon cakes. She gave a few jars to the county magistrate's family, Xu Kongmu's family, the Xia family, the third branch of the Pei family, and Old Lady Zhu. There were more than three thousand persimmon cakes left. She planned to sell them as snacks at the door of Xu's shop after they were frosted, at five cents a piece.
In fact, five cents is not cheap, but it is not expensive at all either.
Even if a family is relatively poor, they can still grit their teeth and spend five or ten cents to buy one or two for their children.
The persimmon cakes she made could be sold for a few dozen coins each, not a lot. But even if they were sold for a few dozen coins, she could only earn an extra 120 taels of silver, so it was better to sell them at a lower price and let the children in Yuanbao Town have a taste of them to satisfy their sweetness.
The children from poor families here are suffering a lot, even more than she had when she was in the welfare home.
A small piece of maltose that you can buy for five cents is not as big as her persimmon cake, and her persimmon cake tastes much better than maltose.
By the time the persimmon cakes were frosted and ready to eat, it was already after the Descent of Frost and my fourth brother had been away for more than three months.
Xu Qinyu went home at night and chatted with her family, "Fourth brother said he was away for more than three months. Now it's almost four months. Will fourth brother be back soon?"
Mrs. Wen was also a little worried. Her son had been away for more than a year on his first business trip, and he had even gone overseas. She couldn't help but worry.
Unexpectedly, Pei Weixuan returned in the middle of the night. After selling the glass, he did not return to the island, but went straight back to Yuanbao Town.
It was already dark when he came back. The door was closed, and he didn't want to knock on the door and wake up the people at home, so he just jumped over the wall.
After entering, I saw Bai Yu coiled up in a snake shape, with its head raised and squatting under the wall, looking at it.
Jumping off the wall, Pei Weixuan touched the white jade.
Bai Yu's big head also rubbed against Pei Weixuan, making a soft hissing sound, which was the sound of a snake spitting out its tongue.
Bai Yu grew very fast. It was much taller than when it scared Tao Qi and the other two at the beginning of the year, and its body was also thicker and stronger.
With its size, it can scare people when it goes out.
Last time, Tao Qi and his men were frightened by Bai Yu, but they did not spread any rumors after returning. The yamen runners who saw Bai Yu were also ordered by Yang County Order not to spread any rumors to outsiders, so as not to cause panic among the people.
In fact, the people of the Dasheng Dynasty were very respectful to white animals and believed that they were the guardian gods of the mountains. They would be more awed when they saw a white python and would not think of reporting to the authorities to capture and kill the python.
But County Magistrate Yang was worried about causing trouble for Xu Qinyu, so he told several yamen runners not to tell anyone about Bai Yu.
Otherwise, knowing that Mr. Xu also raised a very spiritual big white snake, there would always be curious people who would run to Miss Xu's house to see what was going on, which would cause Miss Xu a lot of inconvenience.
After touching the white jade, Pei Weixuan returned to his room. When he returned, he glanced at Yu Niang's room.
Because there are Baiyu and Moyu at home, Yu Niang leaves the door ajar when she sleeps at night, allowing them to come in and out as they please. She is not afraid of thieves because there is always one of Baiyu and Moyu guarding the house, and they will come out if there is any movement outside.
After taking a look at Yu Niang's room, Pei Weixuan went back to the house to get some clean clothes, then went out to the well to fetch a bucket of water. He took a bath in the cool autumn air, changed his clothes, and went back to his room to rest.
…
Xu Qinyu got up the next day, put on her clothes, sat in front of the bronze mirror, tied her hair into a bun, and inserted the silver hairpin given by her fourth brother. This hairpin is beautiful and casual, and she has been wearing it recently.
She is obviously a good cook and is quite dexterous, but she just can't tie her hair properly. So she just doesn't care, as long as her hair doesn't fall apart.
After tying her hair into a bun, Xu Qinyu went to the kitchen to prepare some water for washing.
In autumn, it was cooler in the morning, so she had to use warm water instead of hot water to wash. Before she entered the kitchen, she saw the light of an oil lamp in the kitchen, and thought it was Wen who got up first and boiled water in the kitchen.
Usually, she and Wen were the first to get up. Sometimes Wen got up earlier than her and came to the kitchen to boil water first.
Xu Qinyu walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She was about to say, "Mom, you got up so early." But as soon as she opened her mouth, she saw the tall man sitting by the stove and was stunned.
After a moment's pause, Xu Qinyu said in surprise, "Fourth brother, you're back."
Pei Weixuan nodded and said, "I came back at three o'clock last night. I climbed over the wall because I didn't want to wake you up."
Seeing that Yu Niang's eyes were still clear and full of smiles as she looked at him, Pei Weixuan's throat tightened and he said hoarsely, "The hot water is ready, Yu Niang, wash up first."
"Okay." Seeing her fourth brother reply, Xu Qinyu felt very happy for some reason. She came over with a copper basin, scooped some hot water, and then went to the water tank to add half a basin of cold water before taking it back to the room to wash. After drying her face, she applied cream.
These creams were made by the fourth brother for the family. They are very easy to use. Xu Qinyu feels that they are better than those skin care products that cost tens of thousands of yuan a set in later generations. They can nourish the skin. Even though she is busy in the kitchen and is often exposed to oil fumes, her face is still white and tender, like a peeled egg.
She not only uses these creams on her face, but also applies them to her neck and body.
Fourth brother made his own cream, which contained medicinal herbs and was good for the skin. It was not expensive and he even made several large jars of it, enough for the whole family. That’s why she used it to apply on her body.
She is also a girl, and girls love beauty and hope to have fair and tender skin.
After Xu Qinyu applied the cream and felt her smooth and tender face, she went to the kitchen again and saw that her fourth brother had turned off all the fire in the stove, leaving only the hot water in the pot, which would be enough for the family for a while.
We don’t cook at home in the morning, so we eat breakfast at the restaurant.
Xu Qinyu touched her smooth face and went into the kitchen, "Fourth brother, let's go to the restaurant to have breakfast later."
As she was talking, she couldn't help but say, "Fourth brother, this cream you made is really useful."
Pei Weixuan saw that her face was as smooth as jade, with a natural blush on her cheeks from the rubbing she had just done, and said, "If it works well, I'll make more tomorrow."
She doesn't use rouge or powder on a daily basis, just some cream.
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Fourth Brother. I'll give you something delicious later."
The first batch of persimmon cakes she made has been frosted and is ready to eat.
Half of the finished persimmon cakes are placed at the house, and the other half are placed in the backyard of the restaurant.
Xu Qinyu went to the storage room in the back room and opened a can of persimmon cakes. The rich, sweet smell immediately overflowed.
She picked up a plate of persimmon cakes and went to the kitchen, handing them to Pei Weixuan, "Brother, have a try. These are persimmon cakes made from wild persimmons from the mountains. They have just been frosted over the past two days, so they are ready to eat."
The persimmon cake in front of you is golden and translucent, and you can even see the sweet flesh inside.
Pei Weixuan picked up a persimmon cake. He could smell its sweet aroma before he ate it. It was soft and sticky when pinched. After he put it in his mouth, he found that the skin was also sticky, but with a hint of crispness. When he bit into it, the flesh inside seemed to flow into his mouth. The flesh was sticky, soft and sweet, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth.
Pei Weixuan's eyebrows moved slightly, and he praised: "Sweet, sticky and soft, sweet but not greasy, very delicious."
He used to think that he didn't like sweets, but after eating the sweets made by Yu Niang, he realized that it was not that he didn't like sweets, but that the sweets made by others were not very good.
The desserts made by Yu Niang taste just right, sweet but not greasy. Even the persimmon cake, which is already a bit sweet, will not make you sick of it. It will only leave a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth, and your mouth will be filled with a sweet taste.
Pei Weixuan ate five in one breath. Xu Qinyu didn't let him eat more because eating persimmon cakes would easily cause indigestion.
Xu Qinyu also tried one herself. She found that eating sweet and sticky food can make one feel better.
Wen also got up and went to the kitchen to see Pei Weixuan. She was also surprised and said, "Brother Xuan is back."
Pei Weixuan called out "Mom", and Xu Qinyu also picked up a persimmon cake and handed it to Wen, "Mom, the persimmon cake is ready, Mom, please taste it, it's so sweet and sticky."
When Wen tasted it, he found it was indeed delicious. Nothing Yu Niang made was bad.
After eating the persimmon cake, Wen thought of the letter from the third room of the Marquis of Dechang Mansion to Xuan Ge'er, so she told Xuan Ge'er about it, "It's been almost two months, and I still have the letter in the box. I'll go get it, Xuan Ge'er, take a look yourself."
Wen went back to her room, got the letter, and went to the kitchen to hand it to Pei Weixuan.
Pei Weixuan took the letter, but there was not even a signature on the envelope.
Pei Weixuan didn't even open the letter to read it, but threw it directly into the stove. The remaining charcoal fire rolled up the corners of the letter, and the flames gradually devoured the envelope and the letter inside.
Wen couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xuan, aren't you afraid of what important content is inside?"
That's why she kept the letter.
Pei Weixuan said: "It's not an important letter."
It was obvious that it was not an important letter, and it was even very likely a letter written to him by Xu Qinhui.
When his eldest brother got into trouble, he was also imprisoned. Xu Qinhui and the third branch of the Marquis Dechang's Mansion avoided him like a snake or a scorpion. Now they suddenly wrote to him, so something must have happened in the Marquis' Mansion.
But the only variable in the Marquis' Mansion was Xu Qinhui.
Even if Xu Qinhui regretted the engagement and pushed the matter of Yu Niang marrying into the palace onto the head of the old lady of the Marquis of Dechang, Pei Weixuan knew very well that it was Xu Qinhui who asked to go to the palace and hooked up with the new emperor, which made the new emperor write the edict. It was not that he understood Xu Qinhui, but that he understood the new emperor's personality too well. The new emperor valued beauty and liked gentleness. Whether it was the old lady of the Marquis of Dechang or the old concubine that the old lady knew in the palace, it was impossible for the new emperor to write the edict. There was only one reason, the new emperor coveted Xu Qinhui's beauty, so according to this, Xu Qinhui should have been contemplating entering the palace to be the new emperor's concubine.
However, Xu Qinhui was supposed to enter the palace for selection a year and a half ago, but something happened and she injured her face and legs, so she did not enter the palace to become the new emperor's concubine.
The black-armored guard had been asking about the situation in the capital, so he knew everything that happened in the capital.
Xu Qinhui's broken leg and injured face were too coincidental and were obviously intentional.
Then the biggest variable is Xu Qinhui.
What made her change her mind and no longer want to enter the palace to be a concubine and enjoy the glory and wealth? She even wrote a letter to him to make peace?
Pei Weixuan lowered his eyes and knocked on the edge of the table with his hand.
Xu Qinyu felt a little sorry when she saw that her fourth brother burned the letter sent by the third room at once. She was actually very curious about who in the third room had delivered the letter to her fourth brother.
But it's okay to burn it. The letter from the third room must have had bad intentions.
Xu Qinyu didn't feel sorry for long. When she went to the restaurant in the morning, she received a letter from the third room of the Marquis Dechang's Mansion.
It was the same middle-aged man who delivered the letter to the fourth brother last time. It was obvious that the man recognized her and handed the letter to her personally.
Pei Weixuan was also there at this moment. When the middle-aged man saw Pei Weixuan, he bowed to him and whispered, "Meet the Fourth Prince."
He called him the Fourth Prince instead of the Prince Shu conferred by the new emperor, which showed his change of mind.
Pei Weixuan didn't even pay attention to him, and the middle-aged man didn't get angry either. He asked respectfully, "Did the Fourth Prince receive the Third Lady's letter?"
Xu Qinyu, who was picking up the letter nearby, widened her eyes when she heard this. The letter to her fourth brother was actually written by Xu Qinhui?
I can’t believe it.
Didn't Xu Qinhui deliberately let her original body marry in place of her, and she wanted to sever all ties with Fourth Brother? Why is she writing to Fourth Brother again now?
She never mentioned the third room in her letters to the second room, and her parents never told her about the third room, so she didn't know that Xu Qinhui was still at home and had not entered the palace to become the new emperor's concubine.
Xu Qinyu stopped opening the letter and listened to her fourth brother talking to the middle-aged man.
She didn't recognize the middle-aged man, but he ran errands for the third wife. He should be Xu Qinhui or the third wife's master Xu Shuping's man, or an unknown confidant.
Pei Weixuan's brows were cold and he didn't respond to the man.
The middle-aged man glanced at Xu Qinyu, and then whispered, "Second Miss, it was not Third Miss who asked you to marry the Fourth Prince. It was the old lady who went to the palace to ask for it. Third Miss has always felt very guilty. She was too ashamed to face you and the Fourth Prince in the first year, and she stayed in bed for a year. Because of guilt, the palace held a beauty selection, and Third Miss even deliberately injured her face and legs to avoid the selection. She did not enter the palace to be a concubine. It was also in these few months that Third Miss felt that she should not be so cowardly and wanted to explain it clearly to Second Miss and the Fourth Prince, so she asked me to send letters to the Prince and Second Miss respectively."
Xu Qinyu had a strange look on her face, she didn't believe it.
That was an edict issued by the new emperor. How could an old woman in her teens have the power to make the new emperor issue such a foolish edict that would be reported to the emperor by civil officials?
Seeing that the two still didn't say anything, the middle-aged man couldn't help asking, "Your Highness, have you received the letter from the Third Miss? The Third Miss apologized to you in the letter and said that if Your Highness is willing, she is even willing to exchange the Second Miss back and stay in the border to take care of the Queen, the Sixth Princess, the Seventh Prince, and the Little Princess."
Pei Weixuan said calmly, "I haven't seen it. I burned it. Please respect yourself, Miss San. My wife is Yu Niang."
Hearing him say in such a serious tone that his wife was Yu Niang, Xu Qinyu's heart skipped a beat for some reason, and something soft gently touched her heart.
But the next moment, Xu Qinyu thought that she was not the real Yu Niang, but just a fake, and she couldn't help but pursed her lips, feeling depressed.
She took over the body of the original owner, who was the fourth brother's wife.
So she is not, and will only be, Fourth Brother's younger sister.
The middle-aged man didn't know what to say, so he just exchanged a few words of greeting. When he saw that His Highness and the Second Young Lady ignored him, he left.
After everyone left, Xu Qinyu said something to Pei Weixuan and went to the kitchen to make breakfast.
However, she still opened the letter Xu Qinhui gave her and read it first. The letter Xu Qinhui gave her was similar to what the man had just said. She first apologized and blamed herself, and also said that if she didn't like the Fourth Prince and still liked Song Bingjian, she would be willing to help convey this message to Song Bingjian, and Xu Qinhui would be willing to come to the border to take care of the Fourth Prince's family for her. She also encouraged her to pursue her own happiness, saying that she could open a restaurant in the border town first, and maybe she would have a chance to meet Song Bingjian in the future.
Song Bingjian?
Xu Qinyu racked her brain and finally remembered who this person was.
Before being exiled, my original body had fallen in love with a poor boy, Song Bingjian, and they were almost engaged.
The original body had a good relationship with Xu Qinhui at that time, and would talk to his cousin about anything that was on his mind.
I recalled Song Bingjian's appearance in my mind, and he did have a good-looking appearance.
But what does Song Bingjian have to do with her now?
Even if she is still her original self, this Xu Qinhui instigated her to wait for a scumbag in the capital who had never written to her in two years. It was a mutual affection between them. However, after her exile, Song Bingjian never wrote to her at all. If he wasn't a scumbag, what else could he be?
After reading the letter, Xu Qinyu couldn't help but mutter, "What the hell, it doesn't have any good intentions at all."
After saying that, he threw the letter under the stove and burned it.
She had no plans to reply to Xu Qinhui, and next time she wrote to her parents, she would ask them to be on guard against Xu Qinhui.
I always feel that Xu Qinhui is weird.
Pei Weixuan outside had almost guessed something.
Xu Qinhui probably already knows what will happen in the future.
I just don't know whether she was dreaming, or had experienced it before, or was possessed by a strange spirit like Yu Niang.
Thinking of this, Pei Weixuan's eyes were filled with gloomy murderous intent.
If both of them were possessed by alien spirits, Pei Weixuan only wanted to protect Yu Niang, but he wanted to chop off Xu Qinhui's head immediately, for fear that her abnormality would affect Yu Niang.
After burning the letter, Xu Qinyu no longer cared about Xu Qinhui.
After breakfast, all the customers left the restaurant and the shop became quiet again. Fourth brother did not leave the restaurant all morning and stayed in the backyard to help.
Now that she had some free time, Xu Qinyu brought the frosted persimmon cakes over and asked Gongger to help sell them.
Although it was past breakfast time, there were still quite a few people strolling around the market on West Street. In addition, there were various small vendors doing small businesses nearby, so the place was bustling. There was a dustpan on the table at the door of Xu's shop. In the dustpan were pieces of golden and translucent things that looked like cakes, pastries, and a bit like candied fruit. Many people gathered over.
Because they all know that Xu Ji’s new food will not disappoint.
Especially those sold at doorsteps, the prices are usually not expensive and they can afford them.
Gong Ge'er immediately said, "Sweet, soft and glutinous persimmon cakes that melt when you bite them. They're five cents a piece. There aren't many. Buy first and eat first. I'll buy two dustpans of them today. If you buy later, they'll be gone."