Chapter 91: A night cruise on the Yangtze River with egg waffles, BBQ, and introducing friends...
As June approaches, plum rain season arrives again in southern China.
It often rained, and the sky was gray, covering the entire Pingjiang Prefecture in a humid mist.
"Sister, my skirt is still damp after hanging it out to dry for three days."
Wei Fuling sat beside a small table and had her breakfast, watching the rain outside the window falling again and again without any sign of stopping, and she couldn't help but sigh.
She feels that the older she gets, the more worries she has.
"My clothes are sticking to my body and it's so uncomfortable. I don't know when the sun will come out."
Wei Fuqiu bit into a piece of bread, her brows furrowed slightly. "On the way to Su Yuxuan recently, there was a lot of moss growing on the stone slabs. Sister Ling was so scratchy that she fell twice."
"Huh? Did you fall anywhere?"
Wang Qiulan sat opposite them and shared fried eggs with them. She quickly put down her chopsticks and pulled Wei Fuling to look around. "Sister Ling, why don't you say anything?"
"Grandma, please don't look at me."
Wei Fuling laughed as if something tickled her. "No, no, I've been working out with Sister Xiangxiang in the spring, and I'm in great shape. I'm pretty steady now, and it's always the smart ones who fall... Every time I slip, I grab Sister Qi'er's arm before I hit the ground."
Wei Fuqiu reluctantly finished the last bite of bread.
Fortunately, Sister Xiangxiang taught us kung fu well, otherwise we would both fall on our butts together.
"Wear your rain boots today. They're new and won't slip. But you still have to walk slowly and don't run too fast."
Wei Jinyun asked Gu Xiang to bring the raincoat and rain boots she had custom-made.
The bamboo hat was woven by Lady Wang, its strips of bamboo finely woven, while the raincoat was made of cattail grass. The rain boots were made of water-soaked leather and lined with soft velvet, so they wouldn't sink even in puddles. As for the soles, Wei Jinyun had a drum maker dip them in raw lacquer and carve some anti-slip grooves into them.
Wearing a raincoat and rain boots can cover the whole body, which is better than holding two umbrellas that always fall over one another just to protect the books in the backpack from moisture.
After they finished their breakfast, Wei Jinyun carefully helped them tie the laces. The two of them put on their rain gear, like fishermen on a rainy day.
Wei Fuqiu looked up at her seriously, "Sister, when you and Lord Lu go to inspect the Yangtze River, you must not go into the water."
Wei Jinyun raised an eyebrow and then laughed, "I'm not going to catch fish, why would I go into the water?"
"Last year during the rainy season, you were chasing that...what's its name? It was right in front of our shop."
She refused to give in. "Whatever his name is, I'm afraid you'll see it and lose control of yourself."
Wei Fuling nodded rapidly and put on her bamboo hat. "Sister, take good care of yourself. We won't be going with you to shine."
They put on their rain gear and warned Wei Jinyun "harshly" several times before turning around and holding hands to go to school.
"The two young shopkeepers are really vicious."
Wei Rui passed by with a smile and took some new flower notes back to Meow Meow Bakery.
Wei Jinyun felt that when she was old, her two sisters would still talk about it in front of her -
"Thinking back then, my sister..."
The rain during the plum rain season was lingering and non-stop, but as soon as the door curtain between Meow Meow Bakery and Yunlaixiang was lifted, the room was filled with warm fragrance mixed with human voices.
The diners put away their umbrellas and shook off the raindrops. Soon after they sat down at the table, they heard the laughter and chatter of the young ladies crowded nearby, as well as the sounds of "meow meow".
"In my opinion, the one that always grabs the goat's milk and is the strongest is called Daxiang."
Gu Xiang looked at the gradually rounding raccoon slave, "Looks like me, looks like me."
"Then can this one be called Mumu?"
Amu tilted his head and looked at it. "It doesn't bark, and it doesn't eat much. It's numb. My mother said I was like that when I was a kid."
Chang Siyan rarely stopped holding the storybook. She was teasing the one that always tugged at her. "What's the name of this troublemaker..."
The days flew by in a flurry of activity, and the six little raccoons had grown considerably. They were now in their most tumultuous period, tearing countless pieces of sisal rope Lu Lan had brought, even daring to scratch the official robes.
Yuanbao felt aggrieved when he saw Wei Jinyun and Lu Lan feeding the little cats one after another all day long. The little loach also ate less and didn't like to hold Lu Lan when he saw him.
The two men waved their hands and decided to find new owners for the little cat slaves. Lord Yuanbao was angry, which was really not good.
Therefore, the recent feeding was handed over to the shop assistants, and Yuanbao was willing to get into Wei Jinyun's bed again.
"Xiao Chang, after I leave, I'll leave the shop's revenue, the milk bills, and the bread orders from the sailors to you."
Wei Jinyun handed Chang Siyan a new account book with the items that needed to be checked daily marked on it. "Especially the purchase of building materials for the Fengqiao factory. Every single item must be recorded clearly."
"Leave it to me? I, I, I..."
Chang Siyan immediately stood up and dug himself out from among the pile of little cats.
"Yes, my grandmother is making summer clothes, so I can only give them to you."
When she saw Wei Jinyun's raised eyebrow, she immediately patted her chest and said simply, "Don't worry, Shopkeeper Wei, Xiao Chang is fine!"
Chang Siyan stuffed the account book into his arms and urged her, "Manager Wei, hurry up and leave. If you delay any longer, Lord Lu will turn into stone by looking in the direction of Yun Laixiang."
"Then I'm leaving."
"Let's go, let's go. When you come back, you will find that Yun Laixiang has been brought to a higher level by Xiao Chang, and she can make at least thirty strings of cash a day!"
Chang Siyan nodded and made a three sign to her.
Wei Jinyun was amused by her, so she picked up the things she had packed early in the morning, stepped into the rain with an umbrella, and rowed the black-sailed boat that she was familiar with.
They soon arrived at the Changmen Wharf. Wei Jinyun, carrying a basket on his back, stood at the bow of his own black-sailed boat and waved at Lu Lan, indicating that he should come and move the things.
She had prepared a lot of things in the cabin. One basket contained snacks for the sailors, another contained some ginger to ward off the cold on the river, and she even prepared clean silk handkerchiefs and medicine for wounds.
Lu Lan was directing the boats. When he saw Wei Jinyun's black-sailed boat, he immediately came over and took the rope she handed him.
"Why don't you row over here? I'll pick you up when I'm done."
"I'm a professional boat girl now, so just go about your business."
Wei Jinyun jumped ashore with a smile and wiped the rain off his face with a towel. "I also brought some snacks. You only bring one boat with you on each river patrol, so there's enough for everyone."
Lu Lan asked her to get on the boat, but she shook her head.
"I won't go in here. Official ships are for official business. Even if it's your own patrol rules, it's not good."
Wei Jinyun pointed at the things in the black-sailed boat and said, "I booked the boat myself. You can load all my things onto it. I'll follow you."
"You told me not to worry about it. It's all arranged. Ah Yun has thought of it so carefully."
Lu Lan didn't ask for anything more, but just asked someone to bring the snacks she had prepared for the sailors.
Zhan Wenxing moved the basket, and when he passed by him, he clearly saw the eye-catching and sweet snacks inside.
It's pink.
She had made it for him before.
Dingsheng cake.
Lu Lan laughed softly.
"Why are you so silly? I know my limits. Just go and organize the team."
Wei Jinyun jumped onto a boat and reached out to open the boat curtain. "See you on the river, but Lu Lan, don't let your official boat go too fast and leave my boat behind."
This made Lu Lan laugh out loud, and he stopped insisting and reminded, "Be careful. If anything happens, set off a signal fire. I'll have someone bring some over."
He turned and boarded the official ship. The sailors and civilians on the shore waved. Wei Jinyun waited until the official ship slowly sailed away before telling the boatwoman to start.
In the slanting wind and drizzle, the official ship was in front, and the merchant ship followed closely behind. The two ship shadows cut through the rain and fog on the river surface and headed towards the Yangtze River.
The deck corridor of the merchant ship was covered with cushions. Wei Jinyun sat down, leaning against the side of the ship, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand.
The rain falls slantingly, and the Yangtze River stretches as far as the eye can see.
The last time she returned from Jiangning Prefecture, it was also the plum rain season, and she was sailing on the Yangtze River. She only felt the heat at the time, and she was always taking care of her sister. Her mind was also full of thinking about how to make money after returning to Pingjiang Prefecture. She had no leisure time to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the river.
Now that he was making money and his life was getting better, he felt so comfortable. He had to stop thinking about Lu Lan. He didn't know why he wanted to bring her to Changjiang so much.
She admired the rain for a while, then sorted out the things in her basket and set up a small clay stove under the porch.
There were only her and the boatwoman on the boat. She couldn't spend several days admiring the scenery of the Yangtze River, so she brought the newly made pots from the blacksmith shop to study the new products.
Like Carpenter Wang, Old Cheng has become addicted to the new things Wei Jinyun wants to research, and he keeps asking her -
Shopkeeper Wei, what kind of pot do you want to forge this time? How about I forge a lotus pot for you? Jasmine, how about Jasmine? If you want to forge a pot among thousands of flowers, find Lao Cheng.
Wei Jinyun asked for a pot with thirty flower-shaped holes for making egg waffles, and Old Cheng finished it in just a day and a half.
The fragrant and sweet egg waffles are sweet enough when eaten alone, and it would be great if you squeeze them with jam milk ice of different flavors in the summer.
The taste is indescribable.
Wei Jinyun likes to eat eggettes very much.
As a child, she looked forward to the ten minutes between classes the most. The school was strict, so the old man selling egg waffles would park his cart outside the wall. He didn't need to call out; the students knew the time well. As soon as the bell rang, they would run to the wall and hand over their collected money through the railings.
The old man always had a smile on his face. He made the egg waffles with very steady hands. He first brushed a layer of oil on the pan, scooped a spoonful of yellow batter into it, closed the lid tightly, turned the handle twice, and waited for the batter to fill the flower-like pan, then turned it over and continued baking.
After a while, the golden eggettes were cooked. He hooked them out one by one with a small hook and put them into a transparent plastic bag. One bag was just enough for one pot, and it only cost five dollars.
The eggettes back then were soft and slightly moist, with a light aroma of egg and milk. They also looked like little flowers. They hid in a group and shared them.
Later, when Wei Jinyun grew up, she also bought egg waffles. But most of them were crunchy and, although they still had a strong milky aroma, it seemed that she could no longer find the taste of the small flower-shaped egg waffles in the plastic bag.
Wei Jinyun placed the iron pan of freshly beaten egg waffles on the clay stove. She cracked eggs in a bowl, added some milk and sugar, sifted in flour and mixed well, wanting to recreate the egg waffles she had as a child.
Lu Lan's official ship was just ahead, but she wasn't bored at all. A cool breeze blew over her from the river, and the egg waffles were slowly cooking. She also made some steaming water moon tea in the clay stove nearby.
The merchant ship was very large, but it only carried Wei Jinyun and the boatwoman Yiniang.
Yi Niang was a sturdy boatwoman, a formidable boatwoman. When she extended her hands, the tones of her arms, honed by years of rowing, were visible. She could row and steer, handling the gentle winds and waves of the river with ease, and even loading and unloading cargo with alacrity.
Yiniang was sitting in the cabin following the official ship when she saw Wei Jinyun coming over with a plate of freshly baked egg waffles, which smelled very fragrant.
"Niang Yi, try this."
Wei Jinyun handed over the plate. The golden egg waffles were still steaming, and she deliberately took some bamboo sticks to stick on them.
Yiniang's wife and granddaughter also liked Yunlaixiang's dim sum, and sometimes they would pack it up and bring it home for her to try. She thought it tasted great. She often sailed, and although Yunlaixiang had been open for so long, she had never been there once. She only occasionally saw it when Wei Jinyun came to Changmen to visit Lord Lu.
She hadn't expected she'd hire her boat.
She had been keeping an eye on her since she boarded the ship, but she was the hostess after all, and was also engaged to Lord Lu, so she was a little timid and didn't dare to talk to him.
Now that Manager Wei had come to the cabin to look for her in person, she felt embarrassed and blushed.
"Try it now."
Seeing her dazed, Wei Jinyun shook the plate in his hand again.
Seeing her politeness, Yiniang stopped refusing and picked up a bamboo stick, picked up the snack and took a bite.
When you bite into the egg waffle, you can see the soft inside. The aroma of egg mixed with milk spreads in your mouth. These small snacks taste very soft.
"How does it taste?"
“Very good.”
Yinian nodded vigorously.
Wei Jinyun took a bite himself and said with a smile, "I think it's really good too."
She chatted with Yiniang in the cabin for a while, and then tried to learn how to row the boat, which made Yiniang laugh as she taught her step by step.
"Ouch."
Wei Jinyun was a little annoyed after learning it. "It's so difficult! I thought it was as easy as rowing a sail boat."
Yi Niang laughed, "How could anyone learn it so quickly? If everyone could learn it, I wouldn't be able to make a living rowing the boat. To set sail, you have to look at the wind direction and adjust the sail angle. When the water is strong, you have to calculate the tide. There are so many tricks involved... Just like how I can't learn the master craftsmanship of Shopkeeper Wei."
Wei Jinyun watched from the side for a while, then started to work for a while, unwilling to believe in the evil, and soon it was afternoon.
After drinking two pots of tea and only feeling watery, she said, "Yiniang, how about we have barbecue for lunch?"
Yiniang cried out "Ah".
Wei Jinyun returned with a teacup in hand, "Lu Lan brought several buckets of fish and shrimp onto the boat early in the morning, fearing that I would starve to death on the boat."
Yiniang laughed, "That's because Lord Lu cares about you. Why does it seem like he's worried about you starving to death when it comes to your mouth?"
"Let's not talk about him anymore."
Wei Jinyun put down the tea bowl and said, "I brought the iron rack from the shop earlier. Just follow me. I'll go to the small kitchen to prepare it. I'll call you to come and eat when it's ready."
"It's all up to you."
Yiniang nodded.
Wei Jinyun turned around and went into the small kitchen, and took out the jar of spices from the basket that she had bought at a high price. She chopped a full bowl of garlic, prepared a bowl of sauce mixed with bean paste, sugar and salt, and took out the noodles that had been soaked in advance and drained them.
Soon, she had set up an iron frame under the porch, and the charcoal fire in the clay stove was burning brightly.
She used a knife to cut several cuts in the yellow croaker's body, stuffed ginger slices and green onion segments into it, spread spices and sauce on it, opened the shrimp's backs and covered it with minced garlic, pried open the scallop's shells and spread a layer of vermicelli, snail meat, and the dried meat she brought with her... She grilled everything that could be grilled.
As the fish and shrimp were placed on the grill, the charcoal fire crackled. Wei Jinyun enjoyed the river breeze and rain while slowly cooking and grilling them.
The yellow croaker's skin gradually turned golden and crispy, the garlic shrimp's garlic aroma wrapped the shrimp's freshness, the scallop's vermicelli soaked up the fresh juice and sizzled, and the snail meat tightened up, looking firm and chewy...
"Swish", a handful of spices were sprinkled down, and the fragrance drifted towards the official ship along the river breeze.
Zhan Wenxing peeked into the merchant ship and swallowed, "Sir, I'm almost overwhelmed by this fragrance. What is Manager Wei doing?"
Jing Liulang stood aside and said, "It's obvious that she is roasting the fish and shrimp that the master specially sent for her."
Zhan Wenxing smacked his lips. "I've eaten grilled fish and shrimp before, but why aren't they as delicious as this?"
Jing Liulang glanced at him and said with understanding, "It's obvious that Shopkeeper Wei is willing to use spices. They smell very expensive."
Wei Jinyun sat under the porch, holding a golden roasted yellow croaker on a bamboo skewer in his hand. He took a bite and found it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the fresh aroma of the fish filling the air.
She stood up from time to time and carried grilled fish and shrimp to the rear cabin. In fact, the river wind was very strong, and with the sails, it was completely possible to rely on the wind to sail, but Yiniang was afraid of not being able to keep up with the official ship, so she sat by the oar in the cabin.
Yiniang tried a garlic shrimp. The shrimp meat was wrapped in garlic, tender and juicy, and had a strong spice flavor.
She couldn't help but eat the whole plate.
Wei Jinyun sat back down in the corridor and took out a small jar of Autumn Dew White. She poured herself a cup and took a sip. The rich wine and the delicious barbecue made her feel relaxed.
River breeze, barbecue, and fine wine, this day is truly perfect.
No wonder Su Shi was able to write "Red Cliff Fu", she even wanted to write "Yangtze River Fu".
The rain gradually subsided. Wei Jinyun picked up a string of yellow croaker, waved it towards the official ship not far away, and shouted, "Lu Lan! Do you want to try some?"
"I want it, I want it!"
On the deck of the official ship, Zhan Wenxing shouted against the wind.
Jing Liulang rolled his eyes at him and said, "Is it you who I call? Just answer it?"
He cleared his throat and said seriously, "I believe that Lord Lu will share the good and bad times with us..."
Before he could finish his words, a crimson figure jumped up from the side of the official ship and landed steadily on the deck of the following merchant ship.
"bitter."
Jing Liulang sniffed.
Wei Jinyun shook the grilled shrimp in his hand, narrowed his eyes at Lu Lan who had just jumped onto the boat, and whispered, "Suck, suck, suck... Lu Lan, come here, I'll give it to you."
When Lu Lan heard this, he froze for a moment and looked at her helplessly.
He didn't take the shrimp, but only glanced at her red neck, "Qiulubai is very flushed, go to the cabin and get some sleep first, you drunkard."
"I haven't finished baking yet."
“Can they eat it too?”
“Absolutely!”
With her permission, Lu Lan waved towards the official ship.
The next moment, Zhan Wenxing and Jing Liulang jumped over one after another, like a gust of wind, without any need for planks.
"Take the spices too."
Wei Jinyun called them over and pointed to the spice jar under the corridor, "Without this, the taste will be far worse."
Zhan Wenxing couldn't help but gasp in amazement, "Shopkeeper Wei, you spent a lot of money to buy this..."
"She's rich, take her over."
Lu Lan interrupted him.
Jing Liulang hugged the spice jar and couldn't help but cheer, "Manager Wei is the best man in the world to his brothers!"
As the two men were talking, Wuqing Tieshou set up clay stoves on the left and right and jumped onto the official ship.
Lu Lan stood beside her and said, "I'll come see you later. Go to sleep. I made Dingsheng cakes early in the morning."
"How do you know I did it?"
Wei Jinyun still waved the string of shrimps towards him.
"I just know."
Wei Jinyun didn't argue much. Seeing Lu Lan lower her head and bite the shrimp in her hand, she felt satisfied.
She went into the cabin to wash her hands and rinse her mouth, and soon fell asleep.
The rain is falling.
When she opened her eyes, the cabin was dim. In the dim light, she saw a figure sitting beside the couch, with a pair of green eyes that were somewhat bright.
She shrank back and exhaled, "Lu Lan, why are you here? Are you trying to scare me to death?"
Lu Lan pointed to her waist and said, "Oh, I can't help it."
Only then did Wei Jinyun realize that she was pressing down on the corner of his clothes.
She hurriedly got up, rubbed her eyes and asked, "Why is it so dark?"
"It's past dusk, and according to the rules, no boats can sail at night. I came to see you."
Wei Jinyun muttered, "It's already night time, you should go back to sleep."
Lu Lan raised an eyebrow, "Hmm?"
Wei Jinyun replied earnestly, "Xiao Lu, we haven't gotten married yet, why are you always staying in my cabin..."
Lu Lan chuckled softly. He didn't say much, but just took the coat from the side and put it on her.
"The river breeze is cold at night, don't catch a cold. Get up, I'll take you to meet a friend."
Without waiting for Wei Jinyun to react, he pulled her out.
"What friends?"
Wei Jinyun was led to the corridor by him. The night breeze blew against her clothes. She asked, "I know all those sailors."
"It's a friend from the other side."
Lu Lan let go of her hand, took out the whistle, raised his hand to his lips, and blew out a clear sound.
Soon, the surface of the river not far away suddenly surged, and a silver-white figure broke through the water and slowly fell back into the water.
Wei Jinyun wiped the corners of his eyes, widened his eyes and looked again in disbelief.
"Baiji! Lu Lan, it's a Baiji!"
The creatures she had seen in textbooks and videos that had long since disappeared were now swimming alive on the river!
Lu Lan looked at the silver-white figure cruising on the river and said naturally, "Well, there are many in the Yangtze River. This is my friend, Tuan Tuan."
Lu Lan blew the whistle again, and the baiji swam to the side of the boat with its tail fin wagging.
Lu Lan squatted down, gently stroked the baiji's smooth head, and whispered, "Tuan Tuan, I'll take you to see the person I like."
Wei Jinyun stood aside, and it took him a long time to find his voice. He replied in disbelief, "It...it's alive?"
“Nature is alive.”
Lu Lan looked up at her, her green eyes reflecting the shimmer of the river. "Have you never seen this before?"
Wei Jinyun shook his head vigorously.
"Do you want to touch it?"
Lu Lan stretched out his hand towards her, motioning her to come closer.
Wei Jinyun swallowed and asked, "Is it okay?"
As she was speaking, the Baiji dolphin suddenly sprayed a thin stream of water at Wei Jinyun, splashing the back of her hand and making it feel cool.
Lu Lan patted the baiji's head helplessly and said, "Tuan Tuan, stop messing around."
Perhaps it understood, the baiji dolphin stopped beside the boat docilely and even moved its head closer to Wei Jinyun's hand.
Wei Jinyun took a deep breath and stretched out his hand carefully. When his fingertips touched its smooth and slightly cool skin, his heart began to beat wildly.
The soft one is the Baiji dolphin!
"Do you want to feed it?"
Lu Lan took out half a bucket of fish and shrimp from the cabin and handed a few to Wei Jinyun.
"want!"
Wei Jinyun followed his example and gently placed the fish and shrimp next to Tuantuan's mouth, watching it nimbly take them into its mouth and excitedly feed it more and more.
Lu Lan touched its head and asked with a smile, "Tuantuan, is she born with water?"
Tuan Tuan moved its tail fin and made a few crisp chirps.
He pressed on, "How is she?"
It responded again, its tail fin splashing water at their feet.
Lu Lan looked up at Wei Jinyun, her green eyes full of smiles.
His voice, wrapped in the river breeze, reached her ears clearly, "Tuan Tuan, she is my fiancée."
Wei Jinyun lowered his head, took the small fish and gently handed it to Tuantuan's mouth, watching it hold it obediently, and its tail fin gently swept across the deck, splashing water.
Occasionally, when she was sprayed with water, she would just smile and dodge.
The two played with Tuantuan for nearly half an hour, until the bucket was empty of fish and shrimp, and then they said goodbye. Tuantuan flicked his tail fin, chirped softly at them, and slowly swam toward the center of the river, his silvery figure gradually melting into the night.
Wei Jinyun was still looking at the river, and said happily, "I'm so happy to feed it. I finally fed it."
Lu Lan stood beside her and said, "Are you full?"
Wei Jinyun nodded vigorously and said "hmm".
Lu Lan was standing by, slowly and methodically wiping her wet hands with a towel. Her figure was reflected in his green eyes.
"Now, feed me."
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Author's Comment: Jinyun: Ah! Baiji dolphin! [Sprinkle flowers]
Mr. Lu: Take Ayun to show off everywhere [starry eyes] This is my fiancée
(The Baiji dolphin hasn't been declared extinct, but it's no longer found, which is a shame [chin]. Has my wife ever eaten those little flower egg waffles?
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