Chapter 76 A face showing signs of kidney deficiency
After tinkering for several days, Lin Yuesha was exhausted and could barely lift her hands.
Making caramelized melon seeds is easy and simple, but making amber walnut kernels is much more troublesome.
Peeling the walnuts is all done by hand, and they are then rolled in brown sugar and sesame seeds to ensure they are sweet and crispy.
"It has a unique flavor."
Jiang Huai wasn't particularly fond of sweets, but he couldn't stop praising the amber walnuts, popping them into his mouth one after another.
Amber walnuts are exquisite and will definitely be loved by wealthy families.
Jiang Huai was worried about New Year's gifts. Every year he would send chicken, duck, fish and meat to people he did business with. This year he planned to put these snacks in an eight-treasure box. It would look good and taste good, and it would definitely be a surprise.
"Two taels of silver for a box?"
Lin Yuesha wasn't exactly naive, but she was still stunned by the price.
A box containing eight kinds of dried fruit costs less than two hundred coins, leaving nothing but profit, while Jiang Huai exports fifty of them.
After deducting costs, Lin Yuesha made a net profit of ninety taels of silver. How many years would it take her to earn back that much on her monthly salary of two taels of silver?
"Business dealings are all about personal relationships. In previous years, I would pay about the same amount when I bought pastries from a well-established brand in the county."
Jiang Huai wasn't doing this specifically to take care of Lin Yuesha; rather, he wanted to give the young girl a chance to earn money without suffering any losses himself.
"Master Jiang, you are truly my great benefactor!"
Lin Yuesha was overjoyed. She hadn't stolen, robbed, or cheated anyone; she earned money through her own abilities, which made her feel at ease.
She remembered the Jiang family's help and knew she would have a chance to repay their kindness someday.
After confirming the amount of money she had earned, Lin Yuesha paid even more attention to food. She prepared spicy peanuts, several kinds of pork jerky, hand-shredded pork strips, and the leftover meat was stir-fried into pork floss.
If there's a market, turning these snacks into gift packs could bring in a large sum of money.
In just half a month, everyone in the Jiang family, from the gatekeepers to Jiang Huai and Madam Xu, was won over by the food made by Lin Yuesha, and she became the most popular person in the Jiang family.
"I thought the little girl was clever and loyal, so I wanted her to keep Baozhu company. I never expected such a pleasant surprise."
When Lin Yuesha was mentioned, Jiang Huai sighed with emotion.
This little girl is not only a reincarnation of a culinary goddess, but also a lucky star. Since Lin Yuesha came to visit, Jiang Baozhu is no longer as silent as before, and occasionally expresses her opinions.
"Yes, this girl is so lovable, I wish I were born from her belly."
Madam Xu was all smiles. If it weren't for Baozhu taking a liking to Zhang Jing, she would have loved to arrange a marriage between her and the Chen family. She thought Lin Yuesha's stepbrother was quite good, and he had a good temperament.
"Tingyun is very knowledgeable, but he is too soft-hearted."
Jiang Huai seemed to be deep in thought. The Chen family was just going through a tough time right now, but they would eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was always better to offer help in times of need than to add to their good fortune.
He had an idea in mind: if Lin Yuesha wanted to open a small shop selling snacks, Jiang Huai was willing to sell his own vacant shop in the county at a low price.
After working tirelessly for more than ten days, Lin Yuesha finally relaxed once all the prepared food was delivered to the carriage.
This moment of relaxation caused her backache, leg cramps, and she felt like collapsing on the spot.
"Yue Sha, I'm setting off this afternoon and will be passing by Chenjia Village. Would you like to go back and stay for a couple of days?"
Seeing that the little girl looked listless, Jiang Huai thought that she had never been away from Chenjia Village for so long, and must be homesick.
"Master Jiang, is that alright?"
There has been no news of my elder brother for ten whole days. I don't know if he has exchanged the hairpin for silver, or if Mother Chen's spiced melon seeds have been made.
Lin Yuesha was too busy to think about anything else. She wanted to go to town to find her older brother, but she was also afraid of that white figure. After struggling with this decision, her emotions prevailed over her reason, and her life was more important.
"Of course you can. Your mother was very worried about you when she saw you off."
Jiang Huai instructed the kitchen to prepare marinated cured pork and two dried chickens, along with two packets of brown sugar, for Lin Yuesha to take back to Chenjia Village.
Upon learning that she was going home, Lin Yuesha excitedly packed her small package. Jiang Baozhu watched from behind her, instantly feeling a sense of loss as if she had been abandoned.
"Wait for me for two days, I will definitely be back."
Lin Yuesha missed home so much. She was in town, and her mother was probably too worried to sleep. She didn't want to cause her any trouble, so she refrained from visiting the Jiang family.
Besides, given the current situation at home, we can't do without someone.
“Then it’s settled. We’ll go to Yutan Temple to offer incense on the fifteenth.”
Having been reborn, Jiang Baozhu hadn't yet gone to the Buddha to fulfill her vow, so she needed to make a trip there to donate some money for incense oil.
Lin Yuesha immediately responded, saying she also needed to ask for two amulets, the kind specifically for warding off ghosts and monsters.
As soon as afternoon arrived, Jiang Huai's carriage appeared in front of the Jiang residence on time.
Xiao Qi came to visit Lin Yuesha and happened to run into the two of them.
“Master Jiang, please don’t trouble yourself to take my little sister. I’m going back to the village today anyway, so I can take her with me.”
For the past ten days, Xiao Qi has been feigning illness and taking leave, and has not been in the border town. He rode a fast horse back overnight last night.
"Alright."
Jiang Huai was in a hurry to leave the city before sunset, so he didn't say much. He handed the bundle to Xiao Qi and told the two of them to be careful on the road.
"Big brother, are you here to take me home?"
Upon seeing her family, Lin Yuesha relaxed completely.
Jiang Huai gave Lin Yuesha a deposit of twenty taels of silver to order the Eight Treasures Box. Now that she had the money, Lin Yuesha was unwilling to compromise herself, so the brother and sister rented a carriage.
In just ten days, Xiao Qi had lost a lot of weight, his face was more angular, and there were tired dark circles under his eyes.
Busy dealing with trivial matters, having not slept for two nights, and braving the wind and frost to travel last night, Xiao Qi planned to take a nap in the carriage, but the little girl's gaze was too intense, making him slightly uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Qi opened his eyes and asked patiently.
"Big brother, um..."
Lin Yuesha bit her lower lip. How could she say such a thing? Especially since her older brother was a scholar, and he always appeared very proper on the surface. She was afraid he wouldn't understand.
"Brother, you've lost weight."
Lin Yuesha grinned, pointing to the bundle on the small table, which was full of food, to nourish Xiao Qi properly when they got home.
"The teacher has been assigning a bit more homework lately."
Xiao Qi casually made up an excuse, saying that he was just tired and would feel better after a nap.
You need to take care of yourself.
Lin Yuesha concluded that having a lot of schoolwork shouldn't cause her to look like she had kidney deficiency, and that it was related to the white-shadowed female ghost.
If a ghost wants to roam the world, it must constantly absorb the yang energy of men. The people around him are all strong-willed, and only his stepbrother is a scholar.
Tsk tsk, maybe...
Lin Yuesha's mind wandered, her eyes darting back and forth. She spoke cryptically, "Brother, let's rent a small courtyard after the New Year. Didn't you tell me that men and women must strictly adhere to etiquette? There's a female ghost in the courtyard; it's not appropriate for a lone man and woman to be alone together."
Xiao Qi: "..."
What kind of nonsense is that little girl thinking all day long! The problem is, he can't even refute her. He's finally tasted the bitterness of digging his own grave!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
