Chapter 69 New Store Expansion Sweet Honey Buns
I wonder how long the snow will last this year. It's swept, swept, swept. While the workers and the street officials still managed to sweep the snow from the ground, it's accumulated heavily on the eaves and trees, leaving the entire Tianqing Temple a blanket of white. If you walk under the trees, you have to be extremely careful; the snow might be so thick that it could hit you on the head.
Fortunately, the shops have all pasted New Year's paper-cuts in front of their doors and hung red lanterns, adding a touch of bright color in the white snow. The shop owners all want to make some more money before the New Year's Day.
Two little balls wrapped in goose yellow chicken cloaks sat under the eaves of Yunlaixiang's door. Their furry hoods covered half of their faces, making it difficult to tell who was who.
The sugar in the pot on the clay stove in front of me was boiling until it became thick and emitted sweet white steam.
Wei Fuling quickly picked up the skewers of hawthorn and dipped them into the syrup. She doused them so quickly that the syrup dripped down the wooden skewers, some of it spilling onto the snow, instantly transforming into tiny sugar beads. Wei Fuqiu, beside her, slowly strung small oranges and kiwano fruits, carefully spacing each one evenly before slowly rolling them in the pot.
Meng Ge'er squatted beside them, looking anxious, "Ling Jie'er, I want to play for a while too. Let me string one too!"
On the other side of the shop, Xiao Zhang was unfolding a blueprint and pointing it at the front of the empty shop next door, while Erniu was helping to measure the dimensions.
"Brother Xiao Zhang and Brother Er Niu, would you like some candy balls? They're made by Sister Ling, who made them."
Wei Fuling handed Meng Ge'er a large apple and shook a hawthorn candy ball. Xiao Zhang took a bite of the hawthorn candy ball, and the crisp shell cracked between his teeth. The hawthorn and sugar had a sweet and sour taste.
He smiled and said, "It's much better than the sugar balls sold in Changmen. The hawthorns there are unripe. Lingjie is so good at making sugar balls, so she can also carry a bundle of straw to sell sugar balls."
"That's it."
Wei Fuling immediately put her hands on her hips proudly and said, "My sister picked all the fruits in our house. The good ones are fresh and not astringent, perfect for making jams and drying them. She uses them when she makes snacks. Right now, she washed some fruits for us and asked us to make sugar balls to play with."
Meng Ge'er, who was watching from the side, was jealous. While Wei Fuling was passing out the sugar balls, it was finally his turn. He also imitated the two sisters and carefully picked up a bunch of hawthorns and dipped them into the pot.
After the icing solidified, Meng Ge'er held the sugar ball, turned around and ran to Zhao Ji Cooked Food Store, "Mother, try the sugar ball that Meng Ge'er made for you!"
Xiao Zhang, biting a candy ball, and Erniu, who was eating a lantern fruit, were measuring the doorway together. They had only been there for a while, but the wind chimes at the door of Yunlaixiang were already shaking due to the guests, and the sweet fragrance inside mixed with the warmth spread in the snow.
A woman with a bun wrapped in brown cloth smiled at Chao Jiu and said, "Pack me two more boxes of sesame cakes. I gave one to my aunt yesterday, and she sent someone to ask where I bought it this morning. She also wants to place an order."
Another scholar carrying a book bag walked in. "Are you still applying for a card today? A few days ago, a classmate won the Meow Meow Pencil Case inside, and I want to try it too... I'll also prepare a gift box for you, teacher."
Wan Wu immediately responded with a smile, "Yes, our card-swiping gift box promotion ends at the end of the year. Yesterday, several old customers ordered banquet-sized gift boxes from here, which are perfect for giving to the master."
Gu Xiang, who was sitting at the table, was helping to carry boxes of snacks. The hibiscus cakes and sugar cakes in the boxes were neatly stacked.
The two guests gathered together and chatted. One of them said, "This box is for my in-laws. It contains date paste cakes and watermelon seed crisps."
Another person replied, "I added two bags of walnut crisps to this box. My kid has been working hard lately, so I bought him a box to nourish his brain. If he eats well, I'll also give it to my cousin's son."
Watching the bustle, Xiao Zhang recalled his first visit in the summer. Back then, it was a shabby little house with leaking roofs and moss growing in the corners. Young Lady Wei, along with her two younger sisters and grandmother, even had to sleep on long benches. Now, the place is packed with people, and the aroma of snacks wafts across the entire Tianqing Temple. She truly is a remarkable young lady.
During this lively time, Wei Jinyun came out from the backyard with a plate filled with a few snacks in his hand.
This pastry is slightly smaller than a fist and round. The crust is baked to a golden shine, and a layer of white sesame seeds is sprinkled on it. The fire has roasted it until it turns slightly yellow, sticking to the soft surface, and the edges are slightly burnt, forming a light brown crisp edge.
She waved at the two of them, "Brother Xiao Zhang, Brother Er Niu, you've worked hard to come here in the snow so early in the morning. Come try some of the freshly baked snacks."
Xiao Zhang took it and took a bite. The skin was crispy at first and then became soft. When his teeth sank into it, he could taste the warm and sweet fragrance.
He chewed and gave a thumbs-up, then swallowed it whole in a few bites. "What kind of snack is this? It's a little different from steamed buns. It's also soft, but it's also sweet. It has a sweet and crispy shell like a candy ball, and it tastes a bit like honey."
"It's called Honey Bun."
Seeing that the two were satisfied with the taste, Wei Jinyun smiled and replied, "We roasted it in the clay stove in the backyard. We adjusted the heat several times to get it just right."
The clay stove is not like a modern oven that can adjust the temperature and set the time and heat. Even with Zhao Xiangping's unique skill in controlling the temperature, she still tried many times before she could bake soft and fluffy honey buns, which is even more difficult than baking meow cookies.
In the first few batches, either the dough was not fermented well, and it was so hard that it hurt your teeth. When you broke it open, there was still raw flour inside, or the fire was too high, and the crust was burnt black and bitter.
Yesterday, she stared at the clay stove to adjust the heat and forgot to turn the bread over. Half of the bread was baked into a yin-yang face. Chang Siyan laughed at her and said that it looked like the flower-faced steamed buns from Uncle Zhang's house at the corner of the street. Even Wan Wu, who was passing by, couldn't help but advise, "Shopkeeper Wei, if it doesn't work, let's go back to making meow cookies first. This bread looks so hard to make."
How did Lu Lan manage to bake that sausage and scallion bread so perfectly in one go? She thought about it for a long time. Perhaps it was the sausage slices that were causing the problem. Without the juicy sausage slices, baking the bread alone and preventing the honey from getting burnt or scorched would have been much more difficult.
Until this batch, she added half a spoonful of lard when kneading the dough, and waited for the dough to double in size during fermentation before carefully rolling it into small balls and brushing them with honey. As it baked, she stared at the shadow at the oven mouth, watching the bread slowly swell and the crust gradually turn golden, and then quickly removed some charcoal.
When they come out of the oven, a sweet aroma mixed with the taste of honey comes out. The round and connected honey buns have a shiny crust and are soft when pinched. When you break them gently, you can see the fine pores inside and they are full of sweet aroma.
"No wonder you asked us to build three big stoves in the backyard, even bigger than the one Yunlaixiang had. It's for roasting this. Erniu and I were just thinking it was a waste to build so many stoves in such a nice yard. Yunlaixiang already has three stoves, and here are three more. This yard has better lighting than Yunlaixiang's. It would be so beautiful to plant some flowers. Those wintersweets in the yard are great."
Xiao Zhang suddenly realized and took a look at the three clay stoves on the drawing.
Erniu, still stuffing his mouth with a honey bun, spoke vaguely, "What's the pity? Having so many stoves means Shopkeeper Wei is doing well and making money. It's much more profitable than growing flowers. Last time when we helped Shopkeeper Wei build Yunlaixiang, we said her shop would definitely grow bigger and bigger. It hasn't been long since she even bought the Zhang family's shop. We might even have to help Shopkeeper Wei build a third one in the future."
"Thanks to Brother Erniu, we can have a good start in opening the business after the New Year. Since the New Year is almost here, I'm sorry to bother you enough to come over. I'll definitely prepare two more hot dishes for lunch and a pot of stewed meat to warm you up."
Wei Jinyun asked Gu Xiang to add more hot tea for the two of them.
Erniu laughed, puffing out white air. "That's nothing. Repairs are done before the New Year, and business will be smooth sailing in the spring. Many shops in the city are rushing to tidy up before the New Year. This is much simpler than installing Yunlaixiang last time. The walls of the original Zhang family shop were solid, so there's no need to re-putty. All you have to do is carve some raccoon figures inside the door and separate it into a small shop. It's much easier."
Xiao Zhang nodded, then smiled again as he remembered something. "Come to think of it, the other day I went to Shopkeeper Wang's carpentry shop to get some wood, and he was sighing over a pile of wood. He needs to make a full set of doors and windows for the Linu family. It's a job that requires you to carefully work with the plane. I'm afraid you'll get stuck in the pile of shavings and can't get out. It's much harder than ours."
Carpenter Wang didn't think so. He wanted to sigh, but he chewed the sesame crisps that Wei Jinyun brought him, and worked even harder on the sawdust pick in his hand.
Wei Jinyun cut the freshly baked honey bread into small pieces, put them on two plates, and handed them to her sister who came over.
Wei Fuling immediately ran out with the plate in her hand, the chick feathers on her cloak swaying happily. She immediately sat down in her old seat and shouted, "Come and try something new! These honey buns my sister made are so sweet!"
Since she went to school, she rarely sits in the small house to help her sister to sell snacks, because now there are several sisters to help, and she is no longer needed as a "hawker". Yunlaixiang has more customers than before, and customers are willing to try a few bites of new snacks while buying snacks.
Today, her sister gave her this opportunity, and she became the owner of her stall again, ringing the wooden bell on the small house.
Wei Fuqiu was busy preparing the sugar balls. The ones she had just strung together were sparkling, pink apples and red hawthorns coated in sugar, strung together and hung on a bamboo rack.
She saw a child in a cotton-padded jacket tugging at an adult's hand and looking around, so she took a bunch and handed it to him, "Here, eat it. My sister said only children can eat it."
The candy ball is of really good quality. When the child takes it and bites it, it is crispy, sour and sweet. Even the adults watching are envious.
Wei Fuling came over with a plate of bread, "Auntie, please try our honey buns."
Now the adults were also happy, as their cravings aroused by the sugar balls were finally satisfied. They picked up a piece of bread with a bamboo stick and tasted it. The soft and sweet fragrance spread in their mouths, with a faint taste of honey.
A woman tasted something and walked into Yunlaixiang. "Shopkeeper Wei, are these little honey buns for sale now?"
Wei Fuling heard it and immediately went over to say, "They're not for sale right now. They'll be sold after the New Year. After the New Year, our new shop next door, Meow Meow Bakery, will open. We'll have even more delicious breads then!"
My sister would have my brother Xiao Zhang and my brother Er Niu open a door between Yun Lai Xiang and the shop next door, and put up a curtain. On one side was Yun Lai Xiang, on the other was Miao Miao Bakery, and there was also my grandmother's tailor shop.
The honey buns tasted good and received unanimous praise from customers who tried them. However, they have to wait until after the New Year to be sold, which is really annoying. I am looking forward to the opening of the Meow Meow Bakery even more.
The snow fell outside for a while, and then Shen Wan came over wrapped in a royal blue satin cloak, followed by a woman.
She had pearl flowers in her hair, each of which was plump and round. She was wearing a crimson jacket embroidered with plum blossoms and sewn with a circle of silver fox fur. She was holding a hand warmer, and she looked very noble.
Wei Jinyun hurried over and joked with a smile, "What brings Shopkeeper Chen here in this heavy snow? He said a few days ago that the cloth shop is busy at the end of the year and he's probably going to close the shop to take inventory."
Chen Wan laughed heartily, "Don't tease me! Ever since we started working with your Yun Lai Xiang, other cloth shops have been envious and have tried to imitate your dim sum, but without the contrast, their business has fallen far short. I came here today to order fifty dim sum gift boxes as New Year gifts for our regular customers."
Wei Jinyun's eyebrows curved, and he led the two of them to sit in the store. He said, "What a coincidence. I actually have a new idea that I want to discuss with Manager Shen."
Shen Wan just picked up the ginger tea and laughed and scolded when she heard the words, "But you want to drag me to sign it again? You girl, your face is getting bigger and bigger."
She said this, but she had already put down the tea bowl, obviously interested. "What's new this time?"
Wei Jinyun smiled, familiar and straightforward, "Shopkeeper Shen, what you said is true. The joint venture between Yunlaixiang and Shen's is not a one-time deal. It must be long-term."
As she spoke, she waved and called Wei Fuling, Wei Fuqiu, and Meng Ge'er outside to come over. "The idea I'm talking about today is related to the children. Manager Shen, please take a look at their clothes first."
The three children came over, wearing cloaks and circling in front of Shen Wan, showing off.
Wei Fuling and Wei Fuqiu's chicken cloaks are eye-catching. The goose yellow satin is embroidered with light yellow fluff, and there are two black pompoms on the hat as eyes. When they run, they look like fluttering little yellow chickens.
Wei Fuling wore a pale pink jacket with a napping ingot embroidered on the collar, and a pair of cyan cotton trousers. Wei Fuqiu's inner jacket had a few budding plum blossoms embroidered on the skirt.
Beside them, Meng Ge'er wore an orange cloak with a tiger head embroidered in velvet, a very three-dimensional pattern, its ears sticking out, and a small tiger tail tassel hanging down from the back. Inside, at his request, was a large duck eating a fish.
Wei Jinyun continued, "These are all handmade by my grandmother. The styles of the children's cloaks and jackets are tailored to their preferences, and the material and stitching are solid. After I buy the shop next door, I want to separate half of it and open a small tailor shop for my grandmother, specializing in children's clothes. Naturally, the fabric must be from your family, Manager Chen."
Shen Wan leaned in closer to take a closer look, then nodded at her with a smile, "Good for you, Wei Jinyun. No wonder you dare to say it will last forever. Are you planning to connect my Chen's Cloth Shop with your family in the future?"
"I've been to Chen's so many times, and I've always seen that your tailoring is excellent. Whether it's the men's straight robes or the women's jackets and dresses, they're all among the best in Pingjiang Prefecture. But there are very few children's styles."
Wei Jinyun pointed at the cloaks on the children and said, "Grandma is indeed skillful, but she can't make more than two pieces of clothing a day. I've thought that from now on, Grandma will only make samples and display them in her shop. If a customer likes a piece, we can take them to Shen's Cloth Shop. Manager Shen will select the fabric, and the finished piece will be made by your embroiderer. As for how much the clothes can be sold for, we don't care. Manager Shen only needs to pay Grandma for the sample."
She added, "This way, my Meow Meow Workshop can make bread and launch a joint venture to attract customers, saving Grandma the stress. And Shopkeeper Chen, you'll have a new way to make children's clothing. All three of us will benefit. Isn't that better than going it alone?"
The woman next to Shen Wan suddenly laughed.
She scooped a mouthful of Red Lotus Rejuvenating Soup and said with a smile, "Shopkeeper Wei really has a good brain for business. He's selling both snacks and clothes. Aren't you afraid that if you spread out too much, you won't be able to sell anything?"
Wei Jinyun replied, "My lady, you're joking. Business is always a matter of gains and losses. You should be bolder first before you think about the future. If you really can't sell it, you can just change your mind. It's better than sticking to the old ways."
"Who are you?"
From the moment the noble lady entered the room, Wei Jinyun felt that she looked familiar. Now, hearing her bold tone, he finally remembered that she seemed to be the pilgrim who ordered 800 vegetarian meals at Bao'en Temple in the autumn.
"Sister, this is Lord Lu's mother."
Wei Fuling stood aside and answered, "Last time, on Sister Xiangxiang's birthday, Auntie Sun treated us to rabbit heart-shaped buns."
Wei Jinyun let out an "ah," and the vigor he had just shown immediately faded. "Hello, Madam Sun."
"Okay, okay, don't be nervous. You're not only good at business, you're also very brave. The cake you made for Xiangxiang's birthday last time was sweet but not greasy. I've been thinking about it for a while. Do you still have it in the store today?"
Sun reached out and rubbed the top of Wei Fuling's head as she came closer.
"That cake takes a long time to make, so I have to prepare the ingredients in advance. If Madam Sun wants to eat it, I'll go to the kitchen and prepare it right away, but it will take a while..."
"No need to work so hard."
Sun was still smiling. "Maybe you could give us a few of those honey buns of yours. I tried a small piece when I came in just now. They were just the right amount of sweet and soft. I'm still thinking about the taste."
Gu Xiang quickly took three honey buns and brought them over. As he turned around, he couldn't help but quietly move closer to the counter. Chao Jiu, Wan Wu, and Chang Siyan were already huddled together, their heads gathered together, all looking in Wei Jinyun's direction.
Sun slowly ate her honey buns, then turned to Shen Wan and said, "You guys continue talking about business. I'll sit and eat beside you. I won't bother you."
Shen Wan then turned to look at Wei Jinyun and raised her eyebrows, "Tell me, how much do you plan to sell me for each of these children's clothing samples from your grandmother?"
"Six strings of cash, buyout."
Wei Jinyun said it directly and without any ambiguity.
"What a dark heart you have, Shopkeeper Wei."
Shen Wan deliberately gasped in surprise, stretched out her hand to tear off a little honey bread and put it into her mouth to savor it slowly, "Six strings of cash is not a small amount of money. Ordinary people only make a few hundred coins for a piece of clothing. You want six strings of cash for just a sample?"
"Six strings of cash, no more, no less."
Wei Jinyun said seriously, "Shopkeeper Chen should know that my grandmother's embroidery skills are unmatched by many embroiderers in Pingjiang Prefecture. These patterns were all thought up by my grandmother herself. In the past two weeks, while Sister Qi and Sister Ling have been out playing, many people have asked me where these clothes were made. Grandmother's skills and ideas are completely worth the price... I will only buy out the clothes. As for how much Shopkeeper Chen earns in the future, he does not have to share the profits with Grandmother. And with a tailor shop, it will be more convenient for embroiderers to come to our house to learn embroidery techniques in the future."
"Okay, I'll think about it. After you open your Meow Meow Bakery, have Sister Wang make a few more clothing samples and put them on display. We can discuss cooperation in the spring."
Wei Jinyun nodded, deliberately moved closer, and joked, "Shopkeeper Chen, you'd better hurry up. Now is the time for every household to buy new clothes. The freshness of children's clothes will be lost after the New Year. Don't miss this opportunity."
"You girl!"
Shen Wan was amused and shook her head helplessly, "If you say a few more words, I'm afraid I will really have to sign with you on the spot. Hurry up and go and greet the guests."
"Isn't now a good time to trade in animal capes?"
Wei Jinyun added, "Children are dressed warmly on snowy days. Their parents and grandparents, who doesn't love them, would be happy to buy them."
Mrs. Sun, who was standing by, burst into laughter and coughed while eating the honey bread.
Wei Jinyun spoke a few more words to Shen Wan, then turned around and went to the kitchen to get some snacks for Wan Wu. The sounds of tasting and drawing blind boxes became lively again.
Sun looked at her back and couldn't help but sigh to Shen Wan, "This girl is really interesting. It's not a loss to deal with you."
As she spoke, she pulled Wei Fuling and Wei Fuqiu over and rubbed their faces. "Aunt Chen, look at the little cloaks on our sisters Qi and Ling. The colors are bright and the styles are pleasing. They look so attractive when they are worn."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wan joked, "Oh, it's 'our family'? You're not ashamed."
She said this, but she also pulled the two little girls around and nodded sincerely, "It's really well done, very suitable for children, much better than those cookie-cutter ones in the embroidery workshop. What do you think, Yu Niang?"
"I think I can give it a try. I'll buy four or five samples first. Anyway, Aunt Chen has made a lot of money from her recent collaboration with Yunlaixiang."
Shen Wan glared at her, "Who are you from?"
Seeing that the two only praised the two sisters, Meng Ge'er felt a little aggrieved and asked, "Aunts, doesn't my tiger cloak look good?"
Sun and Shen Wan were immediately amused and burst into laughter.
Sun also reached out and rubbed his head, coaxing him with a smile, "Looks great! Your tiger cloak is the most majestic. You look like a little tiger in it, and you look better than anyone else. I remember our Chang Ce had several sets of tiger clothes when he was a child. Back then, he would put them on while saying he didn't want them, and then he would go show off to his friends."
I wonder if they can come out with a larger version. I really want Changce to wear it again.
Chang Siyan approached Wei Jinyun, who was using an abacus, and said, "Shopkeeper Wei, when the children's cloak that Shen Ji has made is ready after the New Year, can I have one?"
Gu Xiang finally came over with an empty dessert tray and replied with a smile, "Did you buy it for your newly caught piglets? I saw that the chicken cape is about the same size as the piglets."
"screw you!"
Chang Siyan patted her and glared at her, "Can't I buy it and hang it myself? I'll hang it in my room as a decoration. I like it."
"Of course you can. Wait until Shen Ji's ready-made clothes are ready, and then you can go and pick them out. Don't worry, Shopkeeper Shen will definitely agree."
Chang Siyan smiled broadly, stroking his chin in thought, "Then I have to choose something nice... I'll buy the bunny one, I like bunnies."
There were soft footsteps at the door, and Li Ji walked in with Zhi Duo Xing. Zhi Duo Xing was wearing a royal blue jacket and holding a cloth tiger in his hand. When he saw Wei Jinyun, he called her "Sister Wei" sweetly.
Li Ji was dressed in casual clothes, his brows gentle as he smiled and said, "Manager Wei, are the servant gift boxes we ordered a few days ago ready? New Year's Day is approaching, so after distributing the gifts, we will give them a day off so that everyone can go home and reunite early."
"It's ready."
Wei Jinyun nodded and called to the kitchen, "Gu Xiang, bring out the gift box that Lord Li ordered!"
Gu Xiang ran three times in a row, and twenty gift boxes wrapped with red silk were neatly arranged on the counter, and they were filled with snacks.
She introduced to Li Ji, "Master Li, since you didn't specify anything, Manager Wei prepared some for you. There's Yunlaixiang's signature sesame cakes, date paste cakes... There's also a jar of candied fruit and osmanthus honey, and the candy balls for the children are all packed in small paper bags."
"Well, since it's prepared by Shopkeeper Wei, I'm naturally relieved. Yunlaixiang's snacks are all delicious."
He asked the servants who had followed him to carry the gift box to the car, turned to look at Zhi Duo Xing, and said to Wei Jinyun, "Today we still have the parent-child set meal."
The servants carried the gift boxes away. Li Ji took Zhi Duoxing by the hand and walked to the small table by the window and sat down. He then took out a few palm-sized dolls from the small bag that Zhi Duoxing was carrying.
He beckoned Wei Fuling, Wei Fuqiu, and Meng Ge'er over and divided the dolls among the three children. "These are for the servants at home to play with when they have nothing to do. Take one each for each of you as a toy."
"Thank you, Lord Li!"
The three children responded in unison and went to play puppet war with Mastermind.
Li Ji sat at the table, watching, his gaze slowly drifting to Wei Jinyun, who was busy behind the counter. She was serving dim sum to customers, her face soft and gentle as she raised her hand to stroke her hair.
He looked at her with a little more seriousness. The children were affectionate with her, and she was attentive and considerate. What exactly did she feel towards Lu Lan... He sighed softly, retracted his gaze, and returned it to the children playing.
Shen Wan nudged Sun, who was standing beside her, with her elbow, and pouted in Li Ji's direction, suppressing a laugh. "Look at the look in Li Canjun's eyes. How can he be an ordinary customer? He's staring at Shopkeeper Wei, his eyes almost glued to him."
Sun had just finished the last bite of the honey bread, and when she followed her gaze, she couldn't help but exclaim "Wow".
"Really? That look is so gentle that it could drip water. It's obvious that he cares."
"Tell me, would Chang Ce feel uncomfortable if he were here?"
Shen Wan quipped.
Sun was not anxious at all. Instead, she smiled and shook her head. "What's the big deal? Manager Wei is so capable and kind-hearted, and he's also handsome. If I were a young man, I would be attracted to him too. It's normal for her to have so many people like her."
Shen Wan was amused by her and laughed out loud, "As a mother, you are not worried about your son at all. Your temper is still the same as when you were young."
"What's the rush?"
Sun picked up the Red Lotus Rejuvenating Soup and tasted it. "Let him worry about it. That damn kid clearly has his own ideas, but he's so tight-lipped that he won't even say a word of liking Manager Wei. If someone else gets there first, he deserves it."
She seemed to remember something and smiled again, "Last month he came to ask me, 'Mom, how can I make my sweetheart happy?'"
"Oh? How did you teach him?"
"I'm telling you."
Sun imitated the tone of the time and suppressed a smile before saying, "The men and women in our Wu area are all thoughtful. You should be softer and more coquettish with your sweetheart. Open your eyes wide when you speak and reveal your feelings."
Chen Wan laughed so hard that her shoulders shook. "You want him to act coquettish? With Chang Ce's serious personality, you want him to act coquettish? I can't take it anymore. I'm dying of laughter."
"you do not say."
Sun also laughed. "He was stunned at the time, staring at me for a long time, and asked, 'Mother, have you caught a cold recently? Why are you talking nonsense?' You say this child is not smart at all!"
She knew Changce was a good kid, good in every way except for his emotional side. Last month, when she'd asked him how to please his beloved, she'd known he was truly in love. But what good was that? He couldn't let a girl, a young woman, express her feelings openly. If Changce kept it to himself and waited for someone else to speak up, he'd have only himself to blame if he regretted it later.
The snow at Changmen Wharf was ankle-deep, but passenger ships still docked one after another.
A man in a gray cotton-padded jacket jumped down first, stamping his feet and cursing, "Oh my god, we're finally in Pingjiang Prefecture. I told you not to come, but you insisted on coming. I got on the wrong boat and almost got dragged out to sea."
The woman behind him wrapped her gray headscarf tightly around her neck and jumped down to complain, "This damn weather is enough to freeze my ears off. Brother Hao, remember what your mother told you on the way here. When you see someone, remember exactly what you're going to say, and don't make a single mistake."
The child called Hao Ge'er, about seven or eight years old, had a face so cold that it was about to ulcerate, but he nodded vigorously, "I remember everything, mother. I will recite it to you later."
"When they ran away, they were so carefree that they didn't even bother to pay their last respects at the ancestral hall. If it weren't for the reputation of Meow Meow Cookies being spread all over Jiangning Prefecture, I really wouldn't have known they were living such a comfortable life here."
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Author's words: Jinyun: Doing business [starry eyes]
Mr. Lu: I have nothing to do with this episode. [Breaking down] I'm being coquettish. Can't I help it? I really am being coquettish.
Does your wife like to eat sweet and fragrant honey buns? [Sprinkle flowers]
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