Chapter 37: Asking for Business: Ice-cold small balls and mung bean soup...
At dawn, the sky across the river was turning pale. The rooster from Zhao's Delicatessen crowed twice in mock mockery, then fluffed its feathers and rushed to Meng'er's window sill, pecking at the sill. After Meng'er rubbed his eyes and mixed rice bran for his family of chickens, he was satisfied. He stood by the water tank, stretched his neck to the sky, and uttered a resounding cry.
These howls had to wake up all the surrounding shops before it felt its mission was accomplished and jumped into the vegetable patch in the yard to look for insects to eat.
As a summertime cicada-catching hero, Yuanbao should have happily waited for Wei Fuqiu and Wei Fuling to reward him with fish. Unexpectedly, he had wiped out all the cicadas on the old locust tree. This rooster, ever excited in the heat, let its owners cricket pupae a few times on the mat before getting up with a grimace.
The two new recruits had their ears drooping as if they didn't hear anything. They just stuck their tongues out and blew air in the corner. They were really useless.
Yuanbao, enraged, leaped onto the wall to confront the rooster. He saw the rooster, perched on a short-legged green, raising its head in a challenge. Yuanbao arched his back toward it, only to hear his master call, "Yuanbao, Yuanbao!" He meowed sharply at the rooster and then went back to find his master.
Wei Jinyun, toothbrush in hand, scooped a ladle of well water to water the loofah vines her grandmother had recently planted by the wall. The vines were generally vibrant except in the mornings; the rest of the time, they were shriveled by the sun.
"Damn loofah."
Wei Fuqiu wiped her face with a towel and stared at the loofah vines.
Wang Qiulan saw loofah seedlings selling cheaply at the market, buying one for just two cents. She took several home with her, chatting and laughing. The loofah seedlings began to grow rapidly as soon as they landed, and in just over ten days, they had established themselves on the racks they had built.
"I'm not calling you."
Wei Fuqiu touched the head of the loofah that ran towards her and said, "You are a good loofah."
Luffa rubbed her with satisfaction, swung its black tail, and showed off to Maodou who was lying on the ground playing with toys.
"I picked up chicken feathers for Yuanbao again."
Meng Ge'er came to visit and brought some new toys to Yuanbao. "Mother made these for you. Yuanbao likes them."
Yuanbao didn't like playing with those toys; he loved dozing off in the rattan chair. Those toys had been distributed to his younger brothers. But the toy in front of him today was very different. It had several strands of bright fur sewn together, and it looked somewhat familiar.
It held the toy in its mouth with satisfaction and hid it in its vine nest.
"Yuanbao likes my toys."
Meng Ge'er grinned and jumped up excitedly, "I'm going to pull out two more of Yuanbao's cocks from that big cock's butt!"
Wei Fuling thrust her face into the wooden basin, rubbed her hands vigorously, and then wiped them clean with a face towel. She was feeding mulberry leaves to her grandmother's silkworms as usual. Normally, they could be seen by parting the half-eaten mulberry leaves, but now they had hidden in the corner of the flat basket.
She searched for a while and then shouted, "Grandma, it's a callus!"
The silkworms built a nest for themselves with the silk they spun out, wrapping themselves in the middle. Either half of their bodies could be seen, or they had already moved in.
"It's the silkworm that makes the cocoon, not the grandmother."
Wei Fuqiu washed her face and fed the loofah and edamame. The Song people loved pets, and there were many food stalls in the market. Dogs were fed bran, cats were given fish and loaches, and even the fish had lice and shrimp, making it extremely convenient. Currently, they were fed bran in the morning and leftover meat and vegetables in the afternoon.
Wei Jinyun also studied this bran specifically. It smells delicious, like freshly baked puppy biscuits.
The shop had recently been renovated, and there wasn't even an acre of land left in the yard. Even Wei Jinyun had moved her pastry shop to the kitchen. A few people brought their porridge to the shop entrance to eat. Just as they were about to eat their pickled cucumbers, they heard Zhao Ji Cooked Food Shop setting off firecrackers, the crackling sound deafening the sky.
Zhao Xiangping had already set off firecrackers once on the day she changed the banners. Today was not a festival, and there was no Kitchen God to worship, but she lit string after string of firecrackers, and the bangs filled the entire Tianqing Temple.
"A Ping, what are you so happy about? Look at how you're smiling."
Jin walked over, carrying a bowl of soup noodles and taking a bite of the pork chop with scallion sauce on top. "I heard your firecrackers from so far away. They've been going off for a while, and they're not even over yet. What's the big news?"
"Hmm."
Zhao Xiangping laughed as she lit another incense stick. "That fellow Li Dadan has been sentenced. Attorney Zhan said he's been beaten with a stick every day at the government office. Now the government has sentenced him to five years in prison, with forced labor to pay off his debts. It's good to be in jail. I think he'll be comfortable in the future... I'll buy some firecrackers to get rid of the bad luck."
"Five years is such a long sentence?"
Uncle Li came over carrying a new broom and placed it at the corner of her door. "Ah Xiang, take this broom and sweep away the bad luck. I told you before that the bastard is unreliable. It's fine if he's sentenced, but I've never heard of anyone being sentenced to such a long time in prison for a debt."
"The lawyer said he had committed many crimes. He didn't pay his debts, attempted theft, insulted scholars, and yelled at officials..."
Zhao Xiangping counted on her fingers. "Anyway, I've heard everything I've heard, and everything I haven't heard, all added together. He read me a long string of them, and I couldn't understand them either. He must have a brilliant mind, as a lawyer."
She had gone to Meiyou Chicken Farm early this morning to sign a contract with the owner, Zhen Meiyou. The chickens, ducks, and geese in her shop were all freshly slaughtered and delivered daily by Meiyou Chicken Farm. The contract was signed monthly, with the quantity and price agreed upon, guaranteeing every chicken would be plump, tender, and fresh.
As for the fruitwood for the marinated duck, she had to go and personally select it every three days. Today, while she was selecting fruitwood at the market, she happened to run into the lawyer, Zhan, who was having breakfast there. He quickly approached her. He not only explained Li Dadan's punishment to her, but also bought her a handful of pomelo leaves.
Zhao Xiangping thought that only pomelo and tangerine leaves would not be enough, so she went to the firecracker shop and bought a basket of firecrackers, and now she set them all on fire.
Father Zhang continued to sit in front of the shop, drinking tea. He drank tea every day, unable to swallow even a drop of water, and his teeth were yellowed from all the drinking. He took a sip of tea, chewing a sauerkraut-stuffed steamed bun, and smacked his lips as he listened to Zhao Xiangping's words.
Zhang Renbai was also drawn out by the sound of firecrackers. As he stood still, he saw his father pursing his lips at Zhao Xiangping and muttering in a low voice, "Did you see that? Your mother and I went back to our hometown to visit your grandmother's grave, and it's only been a short time, less than five months, and Zhao Xiangping has already divorced you, and even changed the name of the shop so drastically."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the rough men who had come to the shop to pickle the duck, and occasionally chatting with Zhao Xiangping, who was butchering the duck, "Oh, there are so many more men in her shop these days. They all stare at her, not here to eat the pickled duck. A woman who works in the public eye on her own has a fickle mind that can't be controlled. Renbai, don't marry someone like this in the future, you never know when she might..."
"You grandson!"
Xu came out of the inner room carrying a bowl. She raised her leg and kicked Zhang's father in the back. "You're full of dirty talk. When I followed your father to open this stationery store, we traveled all over Pingjiang Prefecture to buy goods. Does that count as running our own business? If you say so, I can't control myself."
Father Zhang hunched over in pain and rubbed his palm. Turning around, he saw Xu glaring at him, and quickly shut up, mumbling, "I didn't mean you..."
"Not talking about who?"
Xu shoved the bowl into Zhang Renbai's hands, and the aroma of walnuts and beans wafted through the air. "Son, don't listen to your father's nonsense. This is the walnut and soy milk I made this morning. I added a little brown sugar. Drink it while it's hot. After you finish, go back to your room and study. The college entrance examination is approaching, don't let irrelevant things distract you."
Zhang Renbai uttered an "Oh," holding the bowl in both hands. He didn't look at his father's flushed face, nor did he respond to Mrs. Xu's words. He simply lowered his head and took a sip of soy milk. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of several people eating porridge next door. His fingers paused as he turned the pages of the book, then continued to flip through the pages.
After finishing her porridge, Wei Jinyun went to the kitchen to prepare pastries before Xiao Zhang and Er Niu arrived. The shop was covered in ashes, and she had been preparing all the pastries there for the past ten days, except for the egg yolk pastries covered by the clay stove. Just a few clay stove steamers, coupled with the stove nearby, made her feel like she had entered the Flaming Mountain.
After putting the rice noodles on the steamer, she hurried out to enjoy the cool air. After steaming, things were different. The main room needed to be puttyed and the courtyard needed lime mixed. Wei Jinyun could only stay in the kitchen. Her two younger sisters felt sorry for her and stood by her side, each holding a palm-leaf fan, acting as a human fan.
The summer heat gets even more oppressive at noon, so all the snacks are best prepared in the morning. Therefore, Wei Jinyun seldom goes to the Changmen market recently. He only goes there to buy some wholesale every now and then when he runs out of rice noodles at home.
Besides pastries, she had recently seen idlers running around in a hurry, taking advantage of the summer heat to start a business. She had originally made mung bean soup for her family and two bricklayers to cool down, but she had steamed too many mung beans and brought them to the provincial school to try, and after they tasted it, they started talking about business.
Suzhou-style mung bean soup is very different from boiling mung beans in a pot until they become sticky and then drinking it with well water. There are so many ingredients in it that a bowl of it can fill you up.
The mung beans are steamed and then cooled to ensure they are soft and cooked through without clouding the broth. A typical bowl of this dish includes not only mung beans but also steamed glutinous rice, dried kumquats, candied dates, candied winter melon, and red and green shredded vegetables.
Wei Jinyun had never liked red and green silk since she was little. These things didn't taste good in mooncakes, and even worse in mung bean soup. She modified the mung bean soup slightly, placing mung beans in each bowl, adding a ball of glutinous rice, sprinkling cherry honey on them, frying two small dumplings, and then adding boiled small dumplings.
After carefully placing the dishes into the bamboo box, you still have to go to the well to fetch some mint water.
After finally finishing all the snacks, Wei Jinyun took a few mouthfuls of rice when he heard the idle young man at the door calling out, "Is the Fuxue finished?"
He carried a bamboo basket on his back and put the bamboo box prepared by Wei Jinyun into it, and also put mint water and a small bag of sugar on it.
As soon as the idle young man left, another one came in to ask, "How's the one from Su Yuxuan?" Then another one said, "Is the one from Wumen Mengguan ready? And the one from Li Ze Book Society, I dropped by as well!"
The idlers either didn't come at all, or when they did, they crowded in, pushing for first come, first served. Wei Jinyun was so disoriented that he wished he had eight arms.
The Fuxue Academy first ordered afternoon tea with mung bean soup from her, and soon she received orders for afternoon tea from other academies. Over the next few days, the orders piled up for several academies. The mint and mung bean were refreshing and invigorating, and they made reading more energetic.
The prefectural school was always a serious place, with few requests. The idler himself had never thought he would receive an order from the prefecture. He paused at the door with the basket on his back, tiptoed inside, poked his head out, and carried the contents of the bamboo box in with the students behind him.
As he carried the food, he kept muttering, "The headmaster asked him to come, why didn't he come himself?"
The student on the other end replied, "The headmaster is treating us to a meal. Just move the food and keep your little mouth shut, which is loved by the bees."
"You're so disgusting, Zhu Zhishan!"
From that day on, the government school was calling for food every day, and then it was Su Yuxuan not far away. The idle man knew that it was the eldest daughter of the Zhou family who bought it for the children to eat.
The four of them worked hard to clear the lists and finally had time to pour themselves a bowl. Xiao Zhang and Er Niu had been laying stones all morning, and shortly after lunch, they were called over for tea.
They both loved this mung bean soup, a bowl a day, and it made their work go smoothly. Mixed with mint sweet water, it tasted cool and refreshing, and every spoonful was filled with the ingredients.
The steamed mung beans are distinct yet soft and crispy, melting with a light bite. The glutinous rice is chewy and has a sweet and sour fruity aroma from the fried cherry honey.
The small dumplings at the bottom of the bowl are cooked until they are round and plump, with slippery skin. Mixed with the cool mint water, it feels like eating a dumpling snack.
Wei Jinyun took a nap for half an hour, held Yuanbao for a while, stroked the heads of loofah and edamame more than ten times, pushed her cart, and set up her stall in a more hurried manner than a street vendor.
Although she had spent a lot of money over the past ten days, having to pay for the materials for the renovations, her own business was booming. She could earn over three hundred wen a day from the afternoon tea orders from several academies, and this, combined with the profit from her pastries, kept her motivated.
In less than a month, Yunlaixiang’s store will open.
Wei Jinyun would naturally bring some mung bean soup for a few old friends. As an afternoon snack at the academy, this didn't affect Lao Guo's business. His fragrant drink stall relied mainly on passersby and idle young men. With two coin a bowl and a refill, the idle men kept coming and going, making countless visits to his stall.
"Miss Wei, your soup is so cool and refreshing."
Lao Guo wiped the sweat off his face with a coarse cloth and bit into the food slowly. "But I can't learn this job. I have to steam the beans and glutinous rice until they're neither too soft nor too hard, and even roll the dumplings evenly. Just fetching water, boiling the perilla, and making the paste is enough of a chore for me."
"Your snow-soaked bean water is delicious. You asked me to get up at 3:00 AM to grind the beans, but I can't do it. Uncle Guo, you are still strong and healthy."
"Come, come, uncle will serve you a bowl, and uncle will serve the two good girls!"
"My kid said your shop is about to open?"
Mrs. Qian was holding a bowl of soup in front of the stall, chatting and laughing with them. "If you don't come to the prefecture school, I won't have the energy to eat eggs."
"Hmm."
Wei Jinyun packed the snacks for the guests and said, "I still have to set up the place for more than 20 days. Madam Qian will be reluctant to leave me by now."
"I can't bear to let you go. I wish I didn't treat you as my own daughter."
Seeing that she had just finished a cup of tea and sweat was pouring down her forehead, Madam Qian felt a little distressed. "You've been really busy lately. The other day I saw that your cheeks had gained some weight. They've become sharper these past few days. You, Madam Wei, are very capable. You have to manage the shop and make snacks for customers. You're very busy all the time. After all, there's no end to making money. You see, I know to take a break even when I'm making pancakes. You should also take care of your health."
"It's okay, I'm used to it."
Wei Jinyun raised his eyes and smiled at her, "How about we just adopt one daughter right now?"
Madam Qian patted Wei Jinyun's shoulder with her palm-leaf fan and said with a smile, "It's nothing."
Although Miss Wei was not interested in the boy from her family, she really adopted him as her goddaughter. He called Miss Wei sister, so she must have cried for several days and might even faint from crying.
"Jinyun, have you prepared my portion?"
Lu Lingxiang dismounted and ran to Wei Jinyun, "My mother sent me to get it, but she treated me like an idler."
It was so hot in the summer that Lu Lingxiang didn't want to go out much, but her mother always nagged her.
Or she would complain about why she went out on such a hot day when it was rare, and when she stayed at home, she would complain about why she stayed at home all day while other girls went out for a walk. She would complain about why she always asked for food and looked down on her mother's cooking, and when she didn't ask for food, she would complain about how tired she was to cook.
Or it's so late and you haven't gone to bed yet, it's so late and you haven't gotten up yet.
Lu Lingxiang scratched her head vigorously. The meal was cooked by the cook, and her mother only supervised occasionally. Why didn't her mother pay attention to her second brother?
"Yes, it's for five people. Lord Lu's needs to be kept well chilled so the taste doesn't change when you're off duty."
Wei Jinyun handed the bamboo basket to Lu Lingxiang. She wrapped Lu Lan's portion with a wet towel and put it away separately.
"I know it's like this every day, and you have to say it every day."
Lu Lingxiang placed the bamboo box on the horse's back and hung it there. "Tomorrow is the seventh day of the seventh month. Jinyun, do you have any plans? Tangtang and the others invited me to the night market. I want to go with you."
"I have plans."
Wei Jinyun took a sip of tea, her eyes curved, "I'm setting up a stall tonight, remember to take care of my business, sister."
Lu Lingxiang curled her lips, "Jinyun, you money-grubber! It's the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and there are temple fairs, fish lanterns, and all kinds of things. You're still going out?"
"Go out! Why not go out?"
On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, countless people gathered in the streets, naturally wanting to make the most of the annual cookie sales. She made as many as she could, with no limit on quantity this time. This was a great way to let everyone know about Yun Lai Xiang.
Wei Jinyun had no expectations for the temple fair on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, only a desire for money.
Lu Lingxiang's dissuasion was ineffective, so she had no choice but to take her mung bean soup home. The look in this Qian Chuanzi's eyes was no different from that of her second brother's Kou Chuanzi. He had no desire to return home, only a desire to wipe out the pirates.
He'd been living in Changmen recently, rarely even going home, let alone drinking Wei Jinyun's mung bean soup. The lotus flower at home, which he usually cared about, had already withered, and his second brother had asked her to help dry it for drying. If he didn't come back, the dried flower would also grow mold.
The afternoon flew by, and the students of the prefectural academy were still rushing to buy dim sum as usual. Recently, they had switched from chanting poems about lotus to chanting poems about bees. However, after buying dim sum, they didn't linger at Wei Jinyun's stall for long, instead returning home early to study.
Because the academy examinations were held as soon as August arrived. Many students struggled to pass the county and prefectural exams, but if they failed the academy exams, they had to start all over again. There were only two chances in three years, and if they failed, they would still be a student even in their old age.
The imperial examination system at this time was much more refined, as merchants were now also eligible. The rules were more similar to those of the Ming Dynasty, but without the eight-legged essay, the focus was still on the classics and policy essays.
After packing up her stall, Wei Jinyun went to pick up the banner she had custom-made for the shop Zhao Xiangping had introduced her to. The finished banner of "Zhao's Cooked Food" alone was enough to attract her.
Many shops in Pingjiang Prefecture hang banners at their doors. Compared with plaques, banners flutter in the wind. The shop with the most distinctive and colorful banners will attract customers' attention and encourage them to step into the shop.
As expected, the new banner was even more imposing than the one on her cart. The calligraphy on the banner was specially written by a scholar, and it was straight, powerful, and very elegant. The snacks and tea bowls embroidered on the banner by the shopkeeper were so lifelike that they looked like the real thing.
Wei Jinyun excitedly rolled up the banner and placed it under the cart. She had to make both the banner and the plaque, though the latter took a longer time to make. She was afraid that if she pushed Manager Wang any further, he would faint from exhaustion in the wood shavings.
"Sister, are you also so tired after opening the shop?"
Wei Fuling stood aside and wiped Wei Jinyun's sweat. "Meng Ge'er said yesterday that you were as strong as iron, but your health has never been good."
"What can we do for my sister?"
Wei Fuqiu helped her push the cart slowly. "It's only been a few days, and you've lost weight again. It's not good at all."
"Now that we have a shop, we don't have to go out to the stall. I'll just make the snacks in the shop and wait for customers to come. Don't worry, I'll hire someone to knead the dough in the future."
Wei Jinyun touched his head and said, "And...you have done enough."
The two younger sisters, only seven years old, would spend their days hunched over in the kitchen with her and even accompany her to the stall. To nourish her health, she would be offered the medicinal food they bought on Shantang Street as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, and before bed, they would come over to rub her legs under the pretext of being unable to sleep.
They are obedient and sensible, which is really good enough. The relationship between them is mutual.
"Then sister, drink the Four Gentlemen Chicken Soup."
“…”
Waiting for her here, she was fooled.
“Not astringent.”
"It's just that the shopkeeper's wife said that my mouth would feel a little numb."
“…”
Wei Jinyun finished her meal at Shantang Street, watched by her sister. Chicken soup was a delicious drink, but the herbal medicine shop owner said it didn't need any extra ingredients and should be enjoyed in its original flavor, and urged her, a regular customer, to come back more often.
This is really a bowl of meaty bitter medicine soup.
Seeing other diners eating with relish, Wei Jinyun always felt that there was something fishy about the bowl that belonged to her.
"No, sister."
The two sisters stared at her innocently.
When the three sisters returned to the shop, they spotted a horse at the door from afar. The horse was plump and strong, incredibly healthy. But even more eye-catching than the horse were the people.
Lord Lu was standing at the door again.
He leaned against the wall of her shop, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed but his brow slightly furrowed. His high ponytail swung at the back of his neck, a few sweat-soaked strands clinging to his forehead.
Xiao Zhang and Erniu were in the shop, and they didn't even dare to make too much noise when using the trowels. They embedded the pebbles one by one.
Zhang Renbai was also leaning against the other end of his shop, staring at him straight.
"Lord Lu?"
Wei Jinyun called out in a low voice as he pushed the car over.
Lu Lan opened his eyes, which were slightly bloodshot. When she approached, she discovered that there was a faint bruise under his eyes.
"The canal bandits haven't been pacified yet, you look a little tired."
"Um."
"oh."
Wei Jinyun glanced at the obedient horse standing beside him, clenched his palms, and spoke after a long moment, "Master Lu, what are you doing here?"
"You didn't come to see me."
Wei Jinyun choked slightly.
She really didn't go to Changmen very often, and when she did, she would slip back quickly.
The hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat.
Lu Lan's voice was shrouded in weariness. His gaze fell on her, then quickly looked away.
"So, I came to see you."
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The author has something to say: Lord Lu: Who understands? She said she wanted to come see me. I fought the pirates for more than ten days and didn't see anyone. [Breaking down crying]
Jinyun: Now, I really forgot to go. (Mainly because I don’t have time [poor]
I want a bowl of nutrient solution. [Cat’s Paw]
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