Chapter 28 New Arrival: Well-roasted lamb chops are an absolute delicacy!
During the Song Dynasty, the winter solstice, along with the Spring Festival and the Cold Food Festival, was known as one of the three major "golden weeks".
Whether they were officials working in government offices, laborers in government workshops, or soldiers eating rations in military camps, they could all enjoy this long, seven-day holiday without needing to take time off.
Ordinary people in the city also find all sorts of ways to have fun, such as "celebrating winter," "visiting temples," "sending New Year's gifts," and "presenting shoes," with something new to do every day. This lively scene will only gradually subside on the last day of the Winter Solstice Festival.
Yao Ruyi lazily leaned back in the bamboo rocking chair with thick cotton padding, her right ankle, which was wrapped up like a pig's trotter by Uncle Cong, was propped up. While keeping accounts that no one but her could understand, she used a pen to draw several silly and ugly cat and dog heads on the gauze wrapped around her foot.
Watching the groups of young students heading home to school in the alleyways, I could still hear Grandpa Yao calling out from the backyard every now and then: "Mingzhi! Want some fruit?" "Mingzhi! Go for a walk, don't strain your eyes!" "Mingzhi! Come have some tea!"
Four or five days have passed since we returned from the unexpected disaster at Xingguo Temple.
That day, it truly ended like a chaotic and noisy drama.
With Lin Wen'an holding a sword to his neck, Deng Feng, being just a young man, couldn't handle the situation. He was terrified, his bravado masking his inner fear, and he trembled uncontrollably: "Who...who are you...this is under the Emperor's nose, how dare you kill someone?!"
"You know we're under the emperor's nose?" Lin Wen'an coldly remained silent, grabbing Deng Feng's nape with his other hand and kicking him in the back of the knee: "Kneel down and apologize."
Deng Feng was forced to kneel, his neck stiff as he tried to get up, but Lin Wen'an pressed his back down with one knee. He could only yell at the top of his lungs, "How dare you! Do you know who I am? How dare you bully me like this?"
"You humiliated the women of an official's family in the street, so why can't I humiliate you?" Lin Wen'an's tone was very slow, like it was soaked in ice shards, which made Deng Feng feel a chill down his spine.
But he gritted his teeth and remained still. Suddenly, the thin-bladed sword slashed horizontally at his belt, the jade belt buckle popped off, and his robe immediately fell open, revealing his inner garment.
The cold blade pressed against his throat again: "Apologize."
Deng Feng clutched his coat in panic, his eyes red-rimmed, hatred welling up inside him. He shouted, "You...you...do you know who my father is? I'll kill you!"
Yao Ruyi also recovered from her daze, grabbed the fire tongs, slipped behind Lin Wen'an, tugged at his clothes and peeked out with half her face, and said in a low voice, "May I ask, which father of yours is Young Master Deng referring to?"
The onlookers burst into laughter again.
With the sword still at his neck, Deng Feng was struck where it hurt by those words. Betting the man wouldn't actually kill someone in the street, his eyes reddened further. He gritted his teeth and roared at the servants cowering to the side, "Are you all dead?! Kill him! Beat him to death!"
The wicked servant who had just fallen gritted his teeth and swung his stick at Lin Wen'an, but before the stick could even touch Lin Wen'an's hair, he used Deng Feng's back to spin around and then pressed down on his elbow.
The short stick clattered down beside Deng Feng.
Just as the others rushed up, Yao Ruyi, who was hiding behind, mustered her courage, jumped up, and struck the back of the neck hard with fire tongs, causing the other two to fall to the ground groaning. The remaining two were caught by Lin Wen'an, who lifted his toes, hooked the carrying pole next to the tea stall, and swept them away three or four steps.
Deng Feng was truly frightened. He craned his neck and looked up, only to be met with eyes as cold as deep pools: "Kneel down and apologize to Miss Yao."
That gaze seemed to pierce his very bones, making him shudder. He sobbed and lowered his head, his forehead hitting the ground with extreme reluctance, a few muffled sobs escaping his throat: "I was wrong... I'll never do it again..."
After he kowtowed three times to Yao Ruyi, Lin Wen'an withdrew his sword, kicked him in the back, and Deng Feng immediately tumbled away like a gourd: "Get lost."
Having suffered a loss and lost face, and knowing that Lin Wen'an was skilled in combat and wouldn't get away with it, Deng Feng could only angrily call his family, run a few steps, and then turn around with a pale face, shouting, "I won't let you get away with this! Just you wait!"
Lin Wen'an stared at him coldly, his sword twirling slightly as if to throw it. This frightened Deng Feng so much that he trembled and dared not utter another word. He led his men and ran away as fast as they could.
Seeing the villains flee in disarray, the previously scattered crowd gathered around again, cheering loudly!
Lin Wen'an stood still, lowering his eyes to wipe his sword, neither looking at Deng Feng's disheveled escape nor stopping him or arguing with him.
Yao Ruyi quickly put the fire tongs in her hand and the carrying pole on the ground back in their original places for the tea stall owner, and then quietly took out twenty or thirty copper coins and placed them on the tea table.
They're fighting here, ruining someone's perfectly good business. It's really embarrassing.
Turning around, he saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing larger and still refusing to disperse. For some reason, Lin Wen'an became as still as a wooden stake. Some of the older women around him were whispering among themselves, saying how handsome he was and wondering if he was married...
Yao Ruyi's eyes darted around, and she quickly grabbed Lin Wen'an's clothes, sobbing and acting out her act. She pulled his sleeve to wipe away the tears that hadn't yet come out, then hugged his arm and wailed emotionally:
"Second Uncle! It's a good thing you came back quickly. The Deng family is truly a scoundrel reincarnated. They have all sorts of shameful and despicable habits. It's not enough that they harm people; they also have to smear others every day!"
Lin Wen'an: "..."
She then told everyone how the Deng family had tricked people into marriage and bullied the widows and orphans. As expected, everyone sighed with sympathy. Recalling what they had just seen, they were immediately filled with righteous indignation. Some even offered her advice, saying that if she went to the government to file a complaint, they would all be willing to be witnesses.
Yao Ruyi tugged at Lin Wen'an's sleeve. Seeing that the effect was good, she wiped away her tears and was about to continue acting when she suddenly felt a weight on her arm: Lin Wen'an's hand holding the small sword fell limply, as if he could no longer even hold the hilt. The arm she was holding was also trembling slightly.
Just now, while Deng Feng was fleeing and Yao Ruyi was acting, he just stood there, neither speaking nor moving. It was Yao Ruyi's first time fighting, and she was a little too excited to notice that something was wrong with him. It wasn't until now that his body leaned forward limply, and the tip of his cool nose brushed against her ear.
She froze, then felt his warm breath brush against her ear, and heard him softly call her name:
"As one wishes."
Before he could finish speaking, the sword fell to the ground with a clang.
Yao Ruyi hurriedly looked up, but the bitter smell of medicine had already enveloped her like a curtain. Lin Wen'an was swaying, and before she could even process what was happening, her hands instinctively reached out to catch him.
What happened? Uncle used up all his chakra?
It was too late. She had just braced her arms against his clothes when she was suddenly pressed down by his broad chest, and her vision went black. Her body felt heavy, and her small arms and legs couldn't support her at all!
In the blink of an eye, the two of them had fallen to the ground like a human pyramid.
As she fell, Lin Wen'an seemed to be unconscious, but just as her body was about to hit the ground, a flimsy hand struggled to rise and protect the back of her neck, pulling her into its arms as she fell heavily, so that she hardly felt any pain when she fell to the ground.
He suddenly fell backward, his ankle twisted violently, and he sprained his ankle.
When she regained her senses from the ordeal, she gently called out to her second uncle but received no response. She then noticed that Lin Wen'an's eyes were tightly closed, his face was as pale as paper, and only the arm protecting her was still firmly in place.
Both she and the original owner were petite girls. Now, with her face pressed against his chest, she had the illusion that she had shrunk down and was being held tightly in his arms.
Later, after Uncle Cong and Grandpa Yao dug her out, she learned what had happened. Lin Wen'an helped Grandpa Yao out of the outhouse and back. On the way, they ran into Uncle Cong, who had found a parking spot. As soon as the three of them reached the mountain gate, he saw from a distance that a large group of people had gathered around her. Uncle Cong's old eyes couldn't see clearly, but he sensed something was wrong. However, Grandpa Yao was unsteady on her feet and not in good health, so he was afraid that it would upset him. Therefore, he asked Uncle Cong to look after her first, and he gritted his teeth and endured the pain in his legs as he rushed over.
As soon as he got closer, he heard that Deng Feng was going to bully Yao Ruyi, a girl, by taking advantage of his numbers. In the heat of the moment, he didn't care about anything else and, almost on instinct, he took action.
He learned his kung fu from Uncle Cong when he was young. When Uncle Cong was young, he worked for a security escort agency. Later, he got tired of the life of risking his life and licking blood off the edge of a knife, so he signed a long-term contract to work as a steward for the Lin family. The Lin family treated him well, so he worked there year after year with peace of mind.
When Lin Wen'an grew older, his father, Lin Zhu, thought that a boy should learn some martial arts to protect himself, especially since he couldn't take the imperial examinations without a good physique. Fortunately, there was an old bodyguard in the family, so he begged Uncle Cong to teach his son martial arts to strengthen his body.
But Cong Bo didn't know anything about physical fitness techniques; his moves were all for close combat with bandits, involving deadly attacks.
But there was no other way. He was the only one in the Lin family who knew some martial arts. Lin Zhu also told him not to be modest and gave him an extra monthly salary. The Lin family was giving him too much, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and teach him.
Unexpectedly, Lin Wen'an was exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted. He demonstrated remarkable talent with just a few simple moves. Uncle Cong, being a lover of talent, generously shared all his best skills with him: Pi Gua Zhang (a type of palm strike), Ba Wang Qiang (another type of spear strike), knife techniques, fist techniques, sword techniques... leaving nothing out.
I heard that during the palace coup, the Prince of Jin sent men to capture him, and it took many elite troops to finally capture him. Afterwards, he was imprisoned but not killed immediately, with the intention of slowly torturing him to vent his anger.
Now, his body is so weak that even long-term running and jumping are difficult, let alone fighting. If he tries to hold on for this long, he will naturally collapse.
After that incident, Yao Ruyi had no mind to talk about anything else. The group came and went in a hurry. Fortunately, Uncle Cong was very experienced in taking care of Lin Wen'an's health, and his family always kept various kinds of medicines for injuries. He was able to save Lin Wen'an in half a day.
After two days of bed rest, Lin Wen'an was fine, but Yao Ruyi had to use crutches for several days.
Lin Wen'an felt somewhat ashamed to face her, seeing her jumping around in the house every day.
Who would be a hero who saves a damsel in distress and then cripples her?
As for the Deng family, Yao Ruyi was initially worried that they would come to vandalize and retaliate, but after waiting for four or five days, there was no movement.
It's better if she doesn't come; even if she does, she won't be afraid!
Yao Ruyi has been working out hard these past few days. Even though she sprained her leg, she can still practice her boxing! She even pestered Uncle Cong to teach her a couple of moves, the more insidious the better—things like gouging out eyes and kicking the groin—she practiced them with great seriousness. Although her second uncle can't easily resort to violence, she has Big Yellow at home, Uncle Cong, and the neighbors to help her out, plus herself. When it comes to fighting, she might not necessarily lose!
That day, she was practicing groin kicks and eye gouges with Uncle Cong, enjoying herself immensely, when Lin Wen'an, whom Grandpa Yao had called over to play chess, stumbled upon them. He seemed to know at a glance what she was worried about and said calmly, "Don't be afraid, it's alright."
"The Deng family will never come again."
Yao Ruyi was full of suspicion.
I don't know why he was so certain. When I asked him, he wouldn't say. When I asked Uncle Cong, Uncle Cong also shook his head.
She wondered to herself if her second uncle had secretly sent someone to deliver a message. But these days, apart from playing chess with Grandpa Yao, he had been writing shop signs for her and hadn't left the house at all.
It seems that he only sent Cong Bo to invite Li Taicheng once, so where would he find the time to send people?
That's really strange.
At this moment, Yao Ruyi was curled up at the window of her family's small shop, her injured foot resting on a cotton stool, biting into a newly made egg burger she had stolen a moment from her busy schedule, thinking about her taciturn "second uncle," and watching the students in the alley carrying their luggage, walking dejectedly toward the school.
The day of returning to school, whether in ancient or modern times, is always so sad.
Yao Ruyi rocked back and forth in her chair, lost in thought.
She had been much more relaxed these past few days. Uncle Cong brought his servants to help her every day, and almost all the household chores were taken care of by Uncle Cong and two other servants from the Lin family.
Yao Ruyi then freed up some time to set up a new street food stall.
Tonight, her convenience store will be offering two classic dishes: egg burgers and oden!
Making egg burger filling is very simple. Just prepare some batter, add plenty of sourdough starter, and slowly stir with warm water. For the meat filling, use pork shoulder meat, with three parts fat and seven parts lean. Chop it into a paste, then add minced scallions and ginger, fine salt, and light soy sauce. Stir clockwise until it becomes sticky, and finally drizzle with sesame oil. As for the eggs, there's not much to say. All that's left is to use a mold to make it.
Heat the mold and baking pan until warm, brush with a thin layer of oil, pour a spoonful of batter into the groove, and spread it into a small pancake base. While waiting for the pancake base to set, quickly crack an egg, spread it evenly with chopsticks, and when the egg liquid is half-set, sprinkle some chopped green onions, put half a spoonful of meat filling on it, and then pour another layer of batter to cover it.
You have to keep a close eye on the heat; the coal fire can't be too big, otherwise the outside will burn while the inside remains raw.
Once the bottom is golden brown, gently lift it with a small spatula, flip it over, and fry the other side until it puffs up, turns light brown, and the edges curl slightly upwards, like a little hat or a bulging belly. It's almost done. At this point, you can smell the aroma of flour, eggs, and meat all mixed together, which is especially delicious.
This is the same method as making sausages. Yao Ruyi had been tinkering with this in her grandmother's small shop since she was a child, so she knew it very well. She felt that she could make it with her eyes closed, knowing exactly how to mix the batter and how to control the heat.
The oden, on the other hand, requires a bit more effort. The most important thing in making oden is that the broth must be delicious, fresh, and "clear but not bland, rich but not greasy".
Who could resist buying a hot, bubbling cup of oden on their way to school on a winter's day? Yao Ruyi wanted to do it even though she knew it would be difficult.
In Bianjing during the Song Dynasty, it was difficult to find Japanese-style bonito or kelp. Apart from fermenting miso themselves, people could only try to cook umami flavors with common pork bones, chicken bones, crucian carp, mushrooms, or winter bamboo shoots, and then season them with different wines and sauces.
Yao Ruyi has been trying several versions of the recipe these past few days, and it's slowly getting closer to the taste she remembers. If nothing unexpected happens, today should be the last version. Right now, her oden broth is simmering in the yard, filling the whole yard with a familiar, fresh aroma.
Just then, a middle-aged woman with a rough face peeked into the shop window. She was carrying a baby in swaddling clothes on her back and her eyes crinkled with laughter: "Young lady, I've come to pick up today's clothes."
Yao Ruyi hopped down from the container on one foot and led her in.
This is Aunt Kui, the laundry woman that Uncle Cong hired for both families. She comes over every two or three days.
At first, Yao Ru felt sorry for her when she came to wash clothes while carrying a baby in swaddling clothes and wanted to refuse. She thought that it was just a few clothes and there was a well in the house, so it wouldn't be a big deal to wash them. But Uncle Cong said, "She doesn't complain about the hardship of washing your clothes. She's not hard on herself if she doesn't have clothes to wash and can't earn money. She'll be worried about her next meal."
Despite her objections, Uncle Cong insisted on inviting Aunt Kui to do the laundry.
Yao Ruyi then prepared hot water for her to wash clothes, invited her to drink tea, and brought out a large rattan basket from the shop to store goods. She then laid a mattress on it and put the child down to sleep inside, so that Yao Ruyi could work more easily.
Aunt Kui was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears, bent down her knees, and was about to kowtow to her.
Startled, Yao Ruyi quickly said no, no, and skipped away.
Later, she learned from Sister-in-law Cheng that Aunt Kui was actually notoriously shrewish, and told her not to worry. She said that Aunt Kui had been collecting laundry in this alley near the Imperial College for many years and had a monopoly on the business. No one dared to compete with her. If anyone tried to take her business, she could fight three people at once, even with her child on her back, and she could go to their house with her hands on her hips and yell at them for an hour without stopping.
The day before yesterday, she had pulled out a large clump of hair from a laundry woman who was secretly trying to steal business by offering lower prices.
Yao Ruyi smacked her lips, finally understanding what Uncle Cong had said, and slowly learning the survival rules of the lower classes at this time.
But she still insisted on giving Aunt Kui hot water and tea, and a basket to hold the children.
However, Aunt Kui's business wasn't solely based on her shrewishness; she was also very diligent, washing all the clothes impeccably and knowing how to wash different fabrics using different methods. She would even iron the clothes for her. Many of the students at the Imperial Academy, especially the unmarried bachelors who lived far away, would seek out Aunt Kui for laundry services.
Because of her foot injury, and fearing that the Deng family might be plotting something by keeping quiet, Yao Ruyi temporarily put aside her plan to discuss the snack workshop at Xingguo Temple.
But seeing the students returning to school one after another today, she had a new idea.
Recently, her legs have been inconvenient, so Uncle Cong has been taking care of her three meals a day for both families. However, Uncle Cong is a health fanatic who is very particular about what to avoid when sick and eats a light diet. So for days, Yao Ruyi has been eating millet porridge, mixed grain porridge, shredded chicken porridge, and vegetable porridge... which has made her face turn green.
She really wanted to eat some fried, grilled, and heavily flavored junk food.
While drinking her porridge, she started to miss KFC. Then, a brilliant idea struck her – she could sell a set breakfast meal!
Now, she's been thinking about this all day, holed up in the shop drawing and painting.
She had thought of a few fixed breakfast combinations, but hadn't decided on a price yet. The set meals should be priced higher, but not too high so that people would think it was expensive when they asked. Then she would set a "student price," with a 10-coin discount for anyone with a certificate from the Imperial Academy. This would bring the price back down to a slightly lower than normal, meaning she would get about a 10% discount on everything.
Even though she offered discounts, she still made more money than selling individual items. In winter, selling set meals would sell faster than selling individual items one by one. The set meals are prepared in advance and kept warm, so you can just grab what you need and pack it in, which saves time and allows her to sell more.
Ideally, we could also create a stamp collection book: anyone who buys our products for seven consecutive days and collects four stamps (exactly one month) could exchange them for a five-cent voucher or a small gift.
I was engrossed in writing when I heard someone shout from outside:
"Young lady, the soup has been simmering for an hour, come and take a look!"
"Hey, coming!"
She nodded in response, quickly jotted down a couple of notes, and then, leaning on her cane, headed into the yard.
Grandpa Yao has been in good spirits lately, perhaps because his two last concerns in this world, "Ruyi" and "Mingzhi," are right in front of him. He no longer needs to use a cane or a wheelchair to walk.
However, these two items are not idle now; they are seamlessly connected and put to use by Yao Ruyi, who sprained her ankle.
Not only did Yao Ruyi use crutches, she also took bitter medicine for five days to reduce swelling and bruising.
Fortunately, she was used to taking Chinese medicine and had learned from experience. To make it less bitter, you must never drink it sip by sip. Let it cool to about lukewarm, then hold your breath and drink it. If you can't hold your breath, pinch your nose and gulp it down. Before you can even exhale, immediately pop a piece of candy into your mouth; the bitterness in your throat will then lessen.
She limped out and saw that the person who had called her was none other than Lin's servant, Three-Inch Nail.
Three-inch nail was a natural dwarf, which Cong Bo bought at the Fuzhou People's Market a few years ago.
It is said that he was tied to a pillar by a cruel human trafficker and sold for several days but could not be sold. He was only given half a cake a day and was beaten. He was about to starve to death. Cong Bo originally wanted to buy a strong man, but later he couldn't bear it and bought him to work for him. He even named him Three-Inch Nail.
He was already an adult, but only as tall as an eight or nine-year-old child. He wasn't very bright, a bit slow-witted, but he was quite efficient at his work. In between Yao Ruyi's own chores, she would always see him finishing up his work at the Lin family's house. He would come over to the Yao family's house like a miniature version of a character from an animated film, sweeping the floor, hanging clothes, emptying coal ash, and making coal briquettes.
Every day, he would carry something much bigger than himself and run around the yard. Because he was short and simple-minded, the little dog loved to follow him and run around behind him.
Cong Bo chose him to go to the capital because he was afraid that Cong Bo would be foolish and be bullied by the other servants if he stayed in Fuzhou.
At the base of the east wall, another servant of the Lin family was bending over and laying bricks.
He had just finished cultivating a vegetable garden in the Lin family's yard, and now he was preparing to cultivate one for Yao Ruyi's family as well, so that the two families could plant eggplants, green beans, melons, or grapes together next year.
He was Cong Bo's cousin, and it was said that he was also unloved by his parents, which was why they sent him out to be a slave so that he could rely on his cousin Cong Bo for food. This man was called Cong Xin, and he had a baby face and a very willful nature. The first time he was sent by Cong Bo to deliver something, he was chased by Da Huang and cried as he ran, his voice hoarse from howling.
But he has a real talent for growing vegetables. Uncle Cong said that the vegetables he grows are bigger and better than others. Last year, the melons he grew in Fuzhou were twice the size of those grown by others, and the green-skinned winter melons he grew could weigh up to 60 jin each.
Yao Ruyi glanced at him and nodded. There was no doubt about it; Cong Xin definitely had a pure wood spirit root!
She hopped into the kitchen on one foot, and as soon as she lifted the curtain, a hot and fragrant aroma wafted towards her. She scooped a spoonful from the deep soup pot, tasted it, and then exhaled a satisfied and joyful breath.
That's it, that's the taste!
This time, she added apples, white radishes, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and chicken bones to the pot to make soup. After cooking, she took out the cooked ingredients and didn't waste them. After they cooled down, she shared them with the cats and dogs.
Add two more tablespoons of soy sauce, salt, and half a tablespoon of white sugar. Add a little sweet rice wine instead of mirin. The soup made this way has a refreshing initial taste, followed by a lingering sweetness as the radish and apple cores dissolve. As you swallow, you'll feel a rich, mellow flavor in your throat, a refreshing umami taste from the chicken carcass after skimming off the surface oil.
Yao Ruyi was overjoyed and scooped a bowl for Sancunding to drink. She bent down and asked him if it tasted good. He held the bowl and drank it down with loud gulps, but couldn't say anything. He nodded vigorously and said, "It's delicious, it's delicious."
"In a little while, we'll skewer all the tofu, cabbage, yam, radish, mushrooms, meatballs, and sausages together, put them in this soup to blanch, and then set them out to sell when it gets dark," Yao Ruyi said, her eyes shining.
The students are all back, she's going to stock up on new products! And make lots of money!
Three-Inch Nail nodded again: "Okay, okay."
Just then, Uncle Cong lifted the curtain and came in, asking, "What would you like to eat today, young lady?"
Fearing he would have to cook porridge again, Yao Ruyi quickly suggested: "Let's eat lamb chops, big roasted lamb chops!"
Then he described it to him in detail: the lamb chops were grilled on a wide, flat earthenware plate with oil sprayed on them until the skin was crispy and the fat was sizzling. They were then served on a plate, and each person was given a ball of alkaline noodles mixed with meat sauce, a bowl of rich mushroom and almond soup, and a few apples and pears were cut into fruit bowls. A Song-style lamb chop Western meal was then ready.
She really didn't want to drink porridge anymore.
She actually wanted to eat steak, but beef was hard to come by at this time and too expensive, so she decided to eat lamb instead!
Well-roasted lamb chops are an absolute delicacy!
Grandpa Yao was sitting on a small stool outside the kitchen, poking holes in the newly made coal briquettes, when he heard Yao Ruyi say these few words and his mouth watered. He stopped what he was doing and immediately chimed in with agreement: "That's right, that's right, let's eat mutton! It's time to eat mutton! If we don't eat mutton in the dead of winter, we won't be able to sleep warm at night!"
Faced with the two greedy people, one old and one young, Uncle Cong had no choice but to compromise and reluctantly agree to have something for dinner today... roasted lamb chops with mushroom soup.
Fortunately, her injury wasn't serious. After four or five days of rest, the swelling in her ankle had subsided, and she could walk slowly without pain. Even eating certain foods that could trigger allergies didn't affect her recovery.
But there were no lamb chops at home, and both families only had some frozen lamb legs in their cellars, so they took out their cotton hats, put them on their heads, and prepared to go out to buy some.
Yao Ruyi hurriedly followed behind Uncle Cong, hopping around like a kangaroo and instructing him: "Uncle Cong, Uncle Cong, remember to buy the fifth and sixth pairs of ribs from the lamb breast. They have a good balance of fat and lean meat, and they'll be tender and juicy when roasted. If they only have loin left, pick the first two pairs, with a bit of tenderloin. The meat is firm and delicious too."
She and her grandmother both love to eat mutton. She can talk for fifteen minutes straight about which part of the sheep is the best, and no sheep can ever leave her house alive!
"I understand!" Cong Bo readily agreed, and before leaving, he instructed Yao Ruyi: "Erlang's injured leg is being treated with medicine. That guy San Cun Ding is so small, he's really unreliable. Please remember to ask Cong Xin to go and get Erlang a new one in a quarter of an hour."
Yao Ruyi agreed.
She also had an important but troublesome plan that she needed Lin Wen'an's help with.
Although Grandpa Yao's health has improved a lot, he still has the problem of trembling hands. It doesn't matter if he pokes the coal briquettes crookedly, but if you ask him to write a sign, he has to spend a whole day writing one to give you a satisfactory one. Writing a sign for the opening of the business was exhausting for Grandpa.
So ever since Lin Wen'an came, Yao Ruyi would often bring him candy to coax her "second uncle" into writing for her. Although she had never studied calligraphy and didn't quite understand the intricacies of it, she still found Lin Wen'an's handwriting very pleasing to the eye, seemingly beautiful no matter how you looked at it.
So when the time came, she hurriedly told Cong Xin to change the dressing, while she herself nestled back in the shop, gently rocking her chair, continuing to refine her package plan. She was still hesitating: should she also get a monthly "superstar card"? She was afraid of the trouble that might come with it now.
Yao Ruyi was deep in thought, biting her pen, when she saw Geng Ji from the Geng family come to the window. He was a stutterer, and Yao Ruyi felt anxious whenever she saw him, because as soon as he peeked out, he would start shouting, "Yao Yao Yao Yao Yao Yao..."
She couldn't take it anymore: "Stop calling me, just tell me what you want?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes..."
"Just tell me what you want!" Yao Ruyi began to complain.
"Again and again and again and again..."
"What do you mean, 'again'? What is it? Pomelos? I don't sell pomelos here!"
"No no no no no..."
Fifteen minutes passed, and Geng Ji still hadn't explained anything clearly. Yao Ruyi, who was practically clutching her clothes and on the verge of collapse from listening to him, expressionlessly stuffed a piece of candy into his hand and demanded that he go back and have someone else come and buy it.
Gengji then ran back to the school in frustration.
Yao Ruyi sighed as she watched his retreating figure. She recalled how Geng Niu and Geng Ma had previously said their young master, Geng Hao, had a bad temper, and that Geng Ji had only offered a few words of advice before he kicked him face-first to the ground. Now, thinking about it, perhaps Geng Hao really did have a bad temper…
A little while later, Geng Niu arrived and asked to buy a bunch of roasted sausages. Yao Ruyi was relieved and finally understood what Geng Ji meant by "again and again"—he wanted to buy "meat sausages".
Well, this kid not only stutters, but he also speaks with a regional accent!
After paying the bill, Geng Niu turned around and saw that Yao Ruyi had placed a new round baking tray on the stove. He asked what it was and learned that it was an egg pancake with meat filling. He also ordered about ten.
She then got busy with her work.
Geng Niu was all smiles today. There was nothing else to do but wait. She even secretly told her that Geng Hao was also in high spirits. While others were starting school, he was preparing to go home.
Yao Ruyi asked in surprise, "Why? Has your little darling figured it out?"
"No! It's our young master who's been impeached! The other day, the Censorate heard about it and submitted a lot of memorials impeaching him! The Emperor ordered him to go home and reflect on his mistakes, and today, he actually went so far as to drive the Deng family's women and son out of the Geng family! He even wrote a letter of divorce!"
Yao Ruyi was so surprised that her hand holding the sausage paused for a moment.
After Geng Niu finished shopping and left, Yao Ruyi fell into deep thought. She quietly watched as the Geng family's carriage became the only one flowing against the tide among the returning students, quickly leaving the alleyway of the Imperial College.
She recalled Lin Wen'an's words. Could it be that he was involved with the Geng family?
But since they saw each other all the time, Uncle Cong and Lin Wen'an would come over to eat together every day for convenience. Yao Ruyi would also ask him to write things every day, so he mostly wrote about her signboard, her odd jobs labels, and today's promotions. I've never seen him write anything serious.
Just as she was pondering this, someone else arrived.
"Young Lady Yao..."
Yao Ruyi looked up and saw Cheng Shujun standing by the window in a clean blue robe. He seemed to be avoiding looking at her, glancing slightly to the side as he handed over the soy sauce and sugar jars with both hands, saying in a low voice, "My mother asked me to weigh half a jin of soy sauce and two jin of sugar."
"Okay, wait a moment." Yao Ruyi hopped over to weigh him.
She had just bounced around and turned around when she heard him stammering with concern behind her: "Miss Yao... are... are your legs feeling better?"
Yao Ruyi smiled at him: "It doesn't hurt anymore! It's nothing!"
After saying that, she went to weigh the soy sauce and sugar. Naturally, she didn't see that Cheng Shujun was watching her from where she couldn't see him. When she came back with two more jars, he hurriedly looked away.
"Take it."
Thank you.
Cheng Shujun took his things and was about to leave when Yao Ruyi called him back.
"Hey, wait a minute."
He stopped in his tracks, and saw Yao Ruyi suddenly lean out of the window, shyly whispering to him, "Young Master Cheng, um... when you go back, please ask Sister-in-law Cheng for me if those thin, cotton-padded cushions I asked her to make last time are finished."
Lin Wen'an stepped into the Yao family's courtyard through the side gate and happened to see this scene.
It was a sunny day. The winter snow had melted, and the soft sunlight streamed into the alleyway, bringing a rare brightness and light amidst the biting cold wind. A girl with bright, clear almond-shaped eyes peeked out from the window, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she was whispering sweet nothings to the handsome, fair-skinned boy standing in front of the window.
The dimples were shallow, and the boy's ears were completely red.
He stopped in his tracks, no longer moving forward, and pretended not to see her as he walked to the side.
Yao Ruyi was unaware that she seemed to have been misunderstood. After seeing Cheng Shujun off, she turned around and saw Lin Wen'an standing in the yard, tilting his head back, watching a fat magpie building a nest under the eaves with twigs and dog hair in its beak.
This magpie, I don't know where it flew from, is very fierce. It often swoops down to peck at the puppy's fur and steal the scraps of cloth that Yao Ruyi is drying to build its nest. But Uncle Cong said that the magpie building its nest is a good omen, and we must not chase it away.
Knowing that winter is cold and birds have a hard time surviving, Yao Ruyi deliberately left some scraps of cloth on the wall for the magpies to eat. She also asked Aunt Yu for some bird food to scatter on the wall and roof tiles so that the puppies wouldn't be pecked bald.
She quickly grabbed a handful of candy and skipped over, exclaiming, "Second Uncle! Second Uncle! I'll treat you to candy!"
Lin Wen'an saw the girl's eyes crinkle as she hopped toward him like a rabbit, and a slight ripple stirred in his heart. But he also knew why she came to him every time, and he sighed helplessly, "You don't need to bribe me with candy, I will write the advertisement for you."
He doesn't actually love sweets that much.
It seems that on that day at Xingguo Temple, the two accidentally touched skin. After the initial awkwardness passed, they naturally became much more intimate as they spent more time together.
But he knew very well that Ruyi did not have any romantic feelings for him. Although he didn't know why, she would often laugh and joke, then suddenly remember that she should pretend to be shy and act a little strange, but soon she would reveal her true colors again.
After observing her for the past few days, Lin Wen'an felt that she was a very lively girl with a lot of courage. She dared to scold Deng Feng and hit people with fire tongs at Xingguo Temple that day, showing a lot of chivalry.
However, precisely because of this, she treated him the same way she treated Uncle Cong, Mr., and even Da Huang, with the same lively and intimate affection.
Yao Ruyi still stuffed the candy into his mouth, afraid that he would run away. She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him into the shop, saying mysteriously, "Today is different. Second Uncle, you have to do everything you can to help me. Tomorrow I will put up a sign and make sure that everyone who passes by stops to take a look."
Lin Wen'an, who had been being dragged along by her, slowed down upon hearing this: "What do you want me to do?"
Yao Ruyi looked up at him with a fawning and sly smile: "You'll know once you come in."
Lin Wen'an looked down at her.
"Second Uncle."
Yao Ruyi clasped her hands together, raised them in front of her face, and bowed to him.
Please.
Ultimately, he couldn't resist the urge, and his steps, which had stopped, lifted again, and he went with her.
Even he himself didn't realize that his other hand had already been raised and was gently placed under her arm, as if afraid that she might not be able to pull him up and would fall again.
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Last day at work, time to go on holiday!!
Happy Labor Day everyone!!
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Much later, probably long after Yao Ruyi and Lin Wen'an had married.
A man named Fei Song, who wanted to write a storybook, came to interview the two of them:
Fei Song: Hehe, when was the first time you two hugged? What did it feel like? [Let me see]
Ruyi: Hehe, my leg is lame.
Fei Song: ?
Lin Wen'an: ...
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