"Ah, is there any family in the village that can make bamboo tubes?" Since the customers have a demand, we should indeed prepare it, especially when summer comes and the weather is hot, there should be many customers who want to take away sour plum soup.
Li Yuemei thought about the possibility of asking her cousin's family for help, but her cousin's family had many people, and asking only one family to help might cause gossip. If all of them helped, they wouldn't need that many people, and she didn't know who would be the most suitable person to ask.
"Uncle Zhao's house, which is not far from ours, should be suitable. His family members are hardworking, diligent, and have good character." In the end, I decided to find a family with good character to do the job.
"Okay, then we'll go ask them when we get back."
"Um."
Today's sour plum soup was finished in less than an hour. After work, Lin Yan and Zhao Shiyun went to purchase enough ingredients for a few days, and also bought some licorice and tangerine peel.
"We also need to pick some perilla leaves and lemons to make perilla drink."
"Okay, I'll go pick them when I get back."
*
Lin Yan planned to make a bucket of simple sour plum soup tonight for use in the shop tomorrow, and then make a small pot of the mellow version of his own to try.
The steps are the same as yesterday. After the sour plum soup is cooked, pour it into a wooden barrel, leaving some in the pot. Add tangerine peel and licorice and simmer on low heat for another quarter of an hour.
"Hmm~ The taste is very rich, sour and sweet." Lin Yan took a bite and thought it was just right. From now on, the food sold in the shop will be made according to this ratio.
Next up was the perilla drink, which wasn't difficult to make. Zhao Shiyun had brought back a basket of perilla leaves, which would last him a while. Lin Yan first washed the leaves and rinsed the licorice and dried tangerine peel with water to remove any dust. He then cut the lemon in half, squeezed out the juice, and removed the seeds.
In a pot, fry the licorice root over low heat until it turns slightly yellow. Add dried tangerine peel and cold water, then add the perilla leaves. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the malt sugar and simmer for about 30 minutes. Let cool, filter out the residue, and add the lemon juice.
Yu Ge'er helped me try the taste. This perilla drink has a bit of the coolness of the perilla leaves themselves, which is perfect for drinking in summer.
"How is it? Is it not sweet enough?" Lin Yan stared at Yu Ge'er after he finished drinking, and couldn't wait to ask him how he felt.
"It's fine, it's delicious, no need to add sugar." Yu Ge'er really likes this perilla drink and plans to bring some back to his master. "Brother, when does it start selling? Can I bring some back to his master?"
"Sure, we'll start selling it the day after tomorrow. Make two large buckets a day, hang them from the well at night, and sell them at the shop during the day."
"There's also mung bean soup. Are there enough buckets of it in the well?" Yu Ge'er looked at his own well.
"Uh..." Lin Yan hadn't really thought about it. "Let's try later to see if it can fit into three large buckets."
The buckets at home are not enough, I have to buy two tomorrow. The soy milk, tofu pudding and mung bean soup take up three of them, and I can’t use them up when I usually fetch water.
I made tofu and fish head soup tonight and stir-fried some vegetables. Lin Yan put a handful of broad beans in the steamed rice. He felt so satisfied eating the broad beans and brown rice.
"Brother Yan, I'll ask your father. Tell me how you plan to collect the bamboo tubes."
"I need bamboo tubes with lids. I need a hundred of them for now. Two for a penny. Is that okay with you?"
"How do you sell it in the shop?"
"We don't make money from bamboo tubes. We only make them when customers need them. I plan to sell drinks for one cent a cup, and bamboo tubes for two cents a cup."
"Okay, it's up to you. Let's go then."
"Uh-huh."
After Li Yuemei and Zhao Qiming left, Lin Yan boiled some water and prepared to take a bath. He had originally planned to bathe in the cubicle, but Zhao Shiyun had already helped bring the water to the room. The wooden barrel had been brought in early in the morning, and it was still steaming hot, so he had to rinse it with cold water.
While he was fetching cold water, Lin Yan took off his coat and hung it on the truss. Zhao Shiyun had made this truss shortly after they got married. In winter, there were many clothes and they were not changed often, so having a truss was more convenient.
After a cold shower, Lin Yan stripped off and stepped into the tub. Zhao Shiyun placed a small stool there to prevent him from falling. It was hot and he sweated a lot, especially since he was busy in the shop every day. Lin Yan rubbed his back carefully with bath beads. His back was a little out of reach, and as he stretched out his hands, Zhao Shiyun took the beads and began to rub his back. Lin Yan leaned forward a little, resting his hands on the edge of the tub, and comfortably enjoyed his husband's service.
Zhao Shiyun rubbed his back and rinsed him clean. Lin Yan hadn't washed his hair yet, so it was tied up with a wooden hairpin. Zhao Shiyun took a cloth and prepared to wipe away the water droplets.
"Okay, I'll wipe you." Lin Yan was drowsy from the heat at the moment. He struggled to stand up and get out of the bathtub, wiped his body clean, changed into light underwear, and fell asleep.
Zhao Shiyun shook her head helplessly, took a quick bath in the still-warm water, poured out the water, and went to sleep with her husband in her arms.
*
"Uncle Zhao's family has agreed to help make bamboo tubes. His son has been unable to find work lately and is very worried. We are sending him pillows when he is sleepy. His family is very grateful."
The next day, Li Yuemei and Lin Yan were chatting on the donkey cart. When they returned yesterday, Lin Yan had already fallen asleep, so they didn't bother him. "I told him to start working on it today and bring it to me in the evening. He can make as much as he can."
Uncle Zhao's family has one son and two younger brothers. The son is in his twenties and got married a few years ago. He has a husband and a son. With so many children, they rely on a few acres of land to make a living, and their life is quite tight. So his son has to go to town from time to time to find work.
"Well, we'll start selling drinks the day after tomorrow, so we don't know if business will be good yet. If it's good later on, we'll increase the supply." Lin Yan thought of the wooden barrels. "Oh, and we need to buy two new barrels for the drinks. The ones we have at home are not enough."
Zhao Shiyun tried it yesterday and found that three wooden barrels could be placed side by side in the well, and there were more that could be placed one above and one below, so there was no need to worry about not having enough space.
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