The ingredients purchased today are expected to make more than 300 rice dumplings. In addition to the ones customized by Uncle Qian, there are also some sold in the store and prepared to be made into gift boxes. That’s why Lin Yancai plans to make rice dumplings at home the next day.
"Go back to your room and sleep. I'll soak everything." Zhao Shiyun didn't want Lin Yan to stay up so late. "Then remember to soak the glutinous rice in warm water and the rest in cold water." Lin Yan reminded.
Today's Zongzi are sold out, and there will be none for tomorrow. This is my first time selling Zongzi, and I wasn't well prepared. I didn't prepare the ingredients yesterday to soak them, otherwise I could have continued making Zongzi tonight.
"I'll explain everything to the customers tomorrow. Zongzi will be available the day after tomorrow, and they'll be in gift boxes. There will be six zongzi inside: two fresh meat zongzi, two red bean paste zongzi, one candied date zongzi, and one egg yolk meat zongzi, three salty and three sweet. As for the price, I'll order 55 wen per box," Lin Yan explained to Zhao Shiyun in detail. Everything costs money, and with the gift box, candied dates, and salted duck eggs, all expensive ingredients, 55 wen is still a good profit.
"There's a reason for pricing it at fifty-five coins. The Dragon Boat Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, so we're taking this as a symbol. And then when a student comes to buy it, we'll add a few auspicious words like, 'I wish you good grades.'"
"I understand." Zhao Shiyun wrote down everything and went to work.
The next day, Lin Yan got up to make breakfast while Li Yuemei kneaded the dough. Zhao Shiyun helped wash the mung bean shells and rinsed the remaining ingredients again. Then, they were piled in the middle of the yard for Lin Yan's easy access. The pork belly had been marinated last night, and the moment he opened it, the aroma hit him.
Zhou Chunlan arrived early, not long after Li Yuemei and the others left. She greeted Zhao Qiming and found a small stool to sit down and make zongzi with Lin Yan.
"Ah, let's wrap the fresh meat dumplings first and tie them with white cotton thread."
"How many kinds do you want to pack?" Zhou Chunlan asked.
"Five kinds, fresh meat, red bean paste, egg yolk, meat, candied dates, and eight treasures."
"So many?"
"Uncle Qian made custom gift boxes. I'm planning to make some myself and sell them."
"Okay. Let's get started then."
Both of them were good at work and could wrap the rice dumplings quickly. After wrapping the ones with fresh meat, they wrapped the ones with candied dates. The cotton threads at home came in white, red, indigo, yellow and black. Lin Yan used the indigo color to tie the candied date rice dumplings, and then asked Amo to help wrap the eight-treasure rice dumplings with the black color, while he went to deal with the red beans and salted duck eggs.
While I'm cooking the red beans in water, I'm preparing the bean paste. While I'm at it, I'll take a clean salted duck egg, carefully crack it open, remove the yolk, and cut it in half. I'll use half of one for each zongzi. I'll put the egg whites in a large bowl. I'll be using them in other dishes tonight—serving them cold, stir-frying chili peppers, or making a soup with tofu. It's all delicious.
To make eight-treasure rice dumplings, mix pitted red dates and longans with peanuts, lotus seeds, and glutinous rice, then wrap them up.
Last night, the family sat together to remove the seeds, and Yu Ge'er secretly ate some red dates and longans, and was hit on the head by her mother. Lin Yan still laughs when he thinks about it now. Yu Ge'er has been learning embroidery for a few days, but her personality is still as lively as ever.
Lin Yan didn't ask about the craftsmanship, but he believed that he would become proficient in it with time.
Speaking of which, not long after the shop opened, a customer came in wanting to buy zongzi. He had heard that Douxiangzhai had started selling them, so he came in. Zhao Shiyun explained everything according to Lin Yan's instructions.
A guest nearby who had heard this said, "A gift box of rice dumplings? Fifty-five cents for only six, that's too expensive."
Zhao Shiyun's expression remained unchanged as he continued smiling, "A gift box, as the name suggests, is used for giving gifts. You can't just carry zongzi around with you. Adding a gift box makes it look more valuable, especially if it's given to a family with a scholar. It's a good omen to wish the student good luck in the exam. It also makes the recipient happy, don't you think?"
"That's a good idea. If you need help, it's a good opportunity to send a gift during the Dragon Boat Festival."
"Boss, what do your gift boxes look like?" Those who want to buy want to take a look at the gift boxes before making a decision.
Zhao Shiyun took two of the gift boxes delivered this morning and placed them on the counter, and placed the rest in the backyard.
"Look, this is it, made of bamboo, just enough to hold six rice dumplings." The gift box Lin Yan chose was a basket-style one, delicately and tightly woven. The customer who inquired took it in his hand and took a look at it, and he thought it was indeed good.
“Will it be sold tomorrow?”
"Yes, it will be available tomorrow. Please come here half an hour after the shop opens and wait for us to install it."
*
Looking at the basin full of rice dumplings, the fresh meat rice dumplings with white cotton thread, the red bean paste rice dumplings with red cotton thread, the candied date rice dumplings with indigo cotton thread, the egg yolk and meat rice dumplings with yellow cotton thread, and the eight-treasure rice dumplings with black cotton thread, Lin Yan felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"We can cook it now, so we don't have to stay up late to watch the fire tonight." Lin Yan had a good idea, but when he went to the tofu shop to check, he found that although the pot in the tofu shop was big, it couldn't hold so many rice dumplings at once.
He estimated the number of dumplings and thought that he might need to use two pots to cook them, and they might not be finished.
Zhou Chunlan helped to boil water, and Lin Yan carried the rice dumplings to the kitchen in a bucket. They cooked one pot in the kitchen and one pot in the tofu shop. After they were done, it was estimated that it would be time for dinner, so they could cook two more pots.
After closing the lid, Lin Yan cooked lunch. He had cooked porridge in the morning, and he took a few pieces of tofu, mixed them with green onions, and had a simple lunch with Zhou Chunlan and Zhao Qiming.
After lunch, Lin Yan returned to his room and took out a hundred coins. "Ah, this is the money for the salted duck eggs. Take it."
The salted duck eggs were sold for three cents each outside, but Zhou Chunlan disagreed with selling them at the outside price and said that the cost price would be enough. Duck eggs used to be sold for one cent each, but making salted duck eggs takes time and energy, as well as salt, white wine and other seasonings, so how could they be sold at the cost price?
"No need for so much." Zhou Chunlan refused.
Lin Yan deliberately put on a stern face and said, "If you don't accept it, I won't dare to buy things from you in the future. I will go out to buy it myself."
Zhou Chunlan didn't know her brother's temper well, so how could he really be angry? "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say." Then she took the money and put it in her arms.
"Mo, do you have any salted duck eggs left? I think we might need some more."
"There's another jar that was pickled a little later, but it should be edible now. I'll get it for you now."
"Thank you, Mom. I'll go get you another hundred bucks."
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