Chapter 47 Picking Up People
Lin Yuesha's biological father, Lin Shusheng, was a scholar who had taught Chen to read. When Chen saw the shaped mung bean cakes, she couldn't help but praise, "This little girl is so clever and skillful; she can actually read!"
"Father just taught me this yesterday."
Lin Yuesha was delighted. She had to gain her family's trust step by step, but thinking about it, she knew too many dishes that didn't belong to this era, so it wasn't so easy for her to present them.
"Mom, we don't have any molds, so this is all we can do."
Lin Yuesha frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with her work.
Chen's mouth gaped open, and it took her a long time to find her voice, "This... is already very good."
It was better than she expected. In the villagers' impression, Xiaoya had always been lazy and greedy, and couldn't even light a fire. She never thought that Xiaoya was so good at cooking, and could understand things quickly and even apply what she learned to other situations.
After the mung bean cakes were cooked, Chen broke open the mung bean cakes with the filling removed. They were indeed crystal clear and incredibly beautiful, making her hesitant to eat them.
Chen looked somewhat dazed. More than a decade ago, Xiaoya's father had also gone to the county to buy her some exquisite mung bean cakes. Those were probably the most delicate she had ever eaten, and now, seeing the ones she made herself, they were just as good.
"Mom, do we have oil paper at home?"
Such exquisite mung bean cakes would be best packaged in a box, which would immediately elevate their appearance. Unfortunately, we don't even have a decent box at home. In that case, there's no need to be so particular.
Lin Yuesha took a bite. The taste wasn't overly sweet; it was refreshing. If milk were used to make the dough, the texture would be even better.
"Honey, Tingyun, come and try the mung bean cakes that Xiaoya made!"
Red bean cakes and mung bean cakes have almost the same process, so Chen entrusted Lin Yuesha with the task and guided her from the side.
"It's delicious! Did our daughter make this?"
Xiao Chenggui praised it highly, and Xiao Qi took a piece, his eyes deep and a fleeting look of surprise in them.
Few people could surprise him, and if there were, Lin Yuesha would definitely be the first.
If Lin Yuesha weren't so lazy, Xiao Qi would have seriously suspected that the little girl might have been possessed by some mountain spirit or monster.
"Father, if you eat a piece of mung bean cake after you take your medicine, you won't feel so bad."
Lin Yuesha was especially happy to do what she could. As a member of the family, she just wanted to do her best to make life better for her family.
Although the villagers didn't approve of her family's relationship—the combination of her biological mother, stepfather, and stepbrother—the family loved each other dearly, so why should they care about other people's opinions!
My family is really too poor!
While her mother, Chen, was making mung bean cakes, Lin Yuesha quietly opened the rice jar and discovered that there was only a shallow layer of rice left, almost empty.
The villagers brought some noodles, which Chen kept hanging in a small basket, unable to bear eating them.
"Mom, do you think anyone will buy these mung bean cakes we make?"
"Making money, making money is the only way forward," Lin Yuesha asked tentatively.
This problem stumped Chen. She shook her head; she didn't want to discourage Xiaoya's enthusiasm, but it was truly difficult.
"They're not selling well."
Xiao Qi's voice was gentle yet firm. Lin Yuesha was momentarily disappointed, but still wanted to hear her brother's reasons.
"Making mung bean cakes requires fine white flour, mung bean paste, and white sugar. The cost of all these ingredients combined is too high."
It's winter, not the best time to eat mung bean cakes. With such good ingredients, ordinary families definitely couldn't afford them, while wealthy families usually had their own familiar shops when buying cakes to visit relatives and friends.
If you want to go out and promote your products, you have to offer samples to people. If they don't buy, it's a losing proposition.
When it comes to gifts, the standards are definitely not that high, so the recipient will most likely just try them and offer a few words of praise.
"I see."
Lin Yuesha roughly understood that no matter how delicious the mung bean cakes were, they wouldn't sell in town at this time.
Making a fortune by selling food is much more difficult than you might imagine.
Xiao Qi glanced at Lin Yuesha suspiciously. Ever since he returned home after the heavy snow, he had noticed that his younger sister had suddenly become quite greedy and obsessed with money.
He stroked his chin, thinking that perhaps because the two of them hadn't interacted much before, and Lin Yuesha had always lived at her uncle Chen Tieniu's house, he didn't know much about her personality.
"Little sister, I'll go to town to write Spring Festival couplets when the year ends, and I'll use the money I earn to buy you candy."
When Lin Yuesha heard that mung bean cakes weren't selling well, her face immediately fell. Xiao Qi felt uneasy about this and, almost without thinking, made a guarantee.
Even he was stunned when he finished speaking.
"Brother, you'd better keep your word!"
Lin Yuesha quickly accepted reality. In the north, some businesses are indeed affected by the weather; everything is difficult at the beginning, and it's not too late to make plans after spring.
She currently has two taels of silver, which she will use to buy some food and other necessities. With her stepbrother's willingness to help, it will be enough for the family to have a good New Year, and she can even save some money.
"Little girl, your older brother is a scholar, he needs to study, how can he have time to go to town and show his face in public? Don't be silly!"
Chen's heart tightened. She was afraid that Xiao Qi was too soft-hearted and would be too embarrassed to refuse. Scholars were generally not in good health. If he caught a cold while writing Spring Festival couplets on the street, not only would the copper coins he earned not be enough to buy medicine, but he might also develop a persistent high fever and become mentally impaired.
"Mom, I'll go when the weather is nice, it won't be a problem."
Xiao Qi quickly noticed the worry in Chen's eyes and said understandingly.
The family was chatting when someone arrived at the gate of the courtyard.
"Mother, someone has come to the door!"
The gate to the house was open, and the visitor was very polite, knocking on the door knocker with both hands.
When Lin Yuesha went into the courtyard, she was dumbfounded. The clan chief of Chenjia Village had brought a strange man to her door. The man was dressed in a fur coat that made him look very rich.
"Clan leader, Manager Jiang, my mother and younger sister have just made some snacks, and we were just about to deliver them to them."
When Xiao Qi saw Jiang Huai come to his door in person, he realized that what he had tricked Jiang Huai into thinking was probably still on Jiang Huai's mind.
"Chief, who is this?"
When the clan head came to visit, Chen nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, as she had never dealt with wealthy people before.
"This is my wife's younger brother."
Although he was called Jiang Baozhu's brother-in-law, they weren't actually that close; there were several layers of kinship between them. Jiang Huai personally visited her home, intending to choose a young girl from the village to keep Jiang Baozhu company.
"Well, the reason I came to visit today is that I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Upon learning that Xiao Chenggui had just rested, Jiang Huai did not enter the house, but stood in the courtyard and explained his purpose, "My daughter is a bit strange, she doesn't say a word. These past few years, as she's grown up, she's increasingly avoiding me, her father. Parents always worry about their children, and I don't know how many maids and servants we've had..."
Jiang Huai's visit wasn't a request for help; he wanted to bring Lin Yuesha to town and give her money every month.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
