Chapter 11 Chapter 11 The sun has set, and the Sun family...
Madam Yu smiled and said, "The old lady is very satisfied. Let's sit down and settle the matter."
Sun looked at Lin Qiuran in surprise. It really worked! Qiuran was really capable. She thought...she thought it wouldn't work.
Lin Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had prepared many banquets, she had to start from scratch after coming here. This was something she earned through her own skills without any help, which meant a lot to her. She smiled at Madam Yu and said, "Okay."
Madam Yu asked the two of them to move to the main hall, which was where the Wang family received guests.
Arriving at the main hall, Madam Yu invited Lin Qiuran and Sun to sit down. She said, "My mother-in-law's birthday banquet will be held in six days, on July 27th. We have invited sixteen tables, each with ten people, and each table has sixteen dishes."
Lin Qiuran understood. Logically, the number of dishes should be greater than the number of guests per table. It was just that the Xiao family was poor back then, lacking the money, so they could only serve larger portions. While the Yu family had some wealth, the villagers were poor, and if they really indulged, no amount of money would be enough to keep the money.
Sixteen dishes is considered a relatively regular meal. There are even higher ones such as eighteen, twenty-six, and twenty-eight dishes. The number of dishes is always an even number, no doubt about that.
Madam Yu continued, "We need four cold dishes, one soup, and the rest are hot dishes. You can choose meat or vegetables, but we have to have the braised pork and the lucky bag. My mother-in-law has bad teeth and couldn't chew meat in the past, but the meat that Madam Lin made really suits her taste. It melts in her mouth and is incredibly delicious. The lucky bag is festive and tastes great too. This is the first time I've ever seen one. My mother-in-law specifically asked for these two dishes."
Yu had just sat down to try some. She'd had braised pork made by others before, but nothing like Lin Qiuran's. It was so soft and glutinous, it was astonishing. The lucky bag was also ingenious. The salty and sweet shredded pork and cucumber weren't greasy at all, and the cold dishes were also refreshing. These four dishes alone made it impossible for the Wang family to use anyone else.
Lin Qiuran said, "Okay, I'll think about the menu carefully and come back in two days to finalize it. Madam Yu, there are so many dishes, I have to come a day in advance to prepare them. And then there's the wages."
Lin Qiuran didn't wait for the amount her wife asked for. She had to fight for it herself. "I want eight cents of silver as wages, half of it as a deposit. And we don't care about washing dishes, so the dishes and plates must be prepared."
There were so many dishes that it would take two days just to prepare them, leaving her no time to do anything else. She'd been given three coins to go to Yu's village, but it was only for half a day, so eight coins wasn't much for the Wang family's birthday banquet.
Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't eight cents a bit too much?"
In the county, making such a feast would cost anywhere from five coins to one ounce of silver, depending entirely on the chef's skill and reputation. Yu had originally wanted to offer six coins, but unexpectedly, Lin Qiuran dared to ask for it.
Lin Qiuran said, "The old lady's sixtieth birthday is a joyous occasion, and Madam Yu must also want the birthday banquet to be perfect."
Madam Yu smiled and said, "Well, we have a cook in our house who can help that day. If you need anything, we can come up with the menu that day. If you can't prepare it in time, you can tell me in advance today. The taste of the dish is the most important thing, so remember it."
Lin Qiuran nodded, "Leave the birthday banquet to me, my lady, don't worry."
Madam Yu gave half of the deposit, and there was no need to sign any documents to do this. After all, the Wang family was an official family, and no one would do anything to ruin their future.
After leaving Wang's house, Sun said to Lin Qiuran, "Qiuran, mother thought it wouldn't work out."
Lin Qiuran: "I thought so, but then I thought, if it wasn't going to work out, I should have come and told you earlier. If you didn't like it, you could just let me go. The longer the food tasting takes, the greater the chance."
Sun nodded in agreement, "Hey, you must be hungry, let's go eat first."
If Sun was alone, she would definitely go home, but Lin Qiuran had cooked and she had a baby in her belly, so she couldn't let him go hungry.
Lin Qiuran also wanted to try the food here, to know himself and his opponent better, so that he would have a better idea when cooking for banquets in the future.
The small restaurant was not very good, so Lin Qiuran walked around the street and finally found a two-story restaurant that looked pretty good.
Sun was still the same. Seeing Lin Qiuran was going to the restaurant, she refused to go in no matter what. "You go, and I'll just buy two buns."
Lin Qiuran said, "If you want to buy buns, then I'll eat some too. Let's both eat buns and go home. We won't take the ox cart anymore. I'll walk back with you."
Sun's face was full of confusion. She didn't think it was possible to just walk back. "Hey, let's go."
Lin Qiuran smiled. If Sun really bought the buns and she ate them inside, how could she finish them? "Just this once, I want to see the difference between what others make and what I make."
After entering, the two sat in the lobby, and Lin Qiuran ordered two dishes, one was braised pork, and the other was a vegetarian mixed vegetable dish.
The former was eighty cents per dish, the latter was twenty cents, and a bowl of rice was two cents. Lin Qiuran ordered two bowls.
Sun called it a robbery in her heart.
The first dish served was the braised pork, which was sweet in taste. It must have been stewed long ago. It looked nice, rosy and shiny, and tasted okay, but not as soft and tasty as the one stewed by Lin Qiuran. You would feel sick of it if you ate a few more pieces.
The stir-fried vegetables came up soon. There were all kinds of vegetables in it, carrots, potatoes, and vegetables... They were just stir-fried in one pot, so the taste was not very good.
Some dishes are overcooked, and some have a hard texture. If you want these dishes to taste good, you need to process them in advance. Some need to be fried, and then put them in according to the heat.
Is Sun the type to throw cold water on others, especially since this dish was ordered by Lin Qiuran? She definitely couldn't say it wasn't delicious. She praised it against her conscience, "It's worthy of being a big restaurant. The taste is just great."
Lin Qiuran touched his nose. If others saw this, they would think that Sun was a stooge hired by the restaurant.
She had tasted it before and knew what to expect. If she were to set up a stall and sell it herself, she'd know how to price it. Restaurant dishes aren't usually large in portion, but this one, with just over a pound of meat, sells for eighty wen. However, if she were to set up a small stall outside, which wouldn't be as spacious and bright as the restaurant, she certainly wouldn't be able to fetch such a high price.
After dinner, Lin Qiuran went to the spice shop and bought a dozen spices, and also went to the general store to buy dried shiitake mushrooms. She planned to make her own thirteen-spice dish. A good cook must first sharpen their tools; some dishes depend on the seasoning. She had to bring her own secret recipes; she couldn't just go to the host's house and make them. She also planned to make a good pair of knives once her business stabilized, as knife skills were crucial to the flavor of the dishes.
Spices were expensive. The two of them spent one penny of silver on the meal and two pennies on the spices.
After buying these, Lin Qiuran saw that it was still early, so she followed Sun to inquire about the price of houses in the county town. She then learned that three rooms in a worse location would cost 20 to 30 taels of silver, while a better one would cost 40 to 50 taels. In short, the better the location and the larger the house, the more expensive it was.
Sun sighed in her heart. Dozens of taels of silver, the Xiao family had never saved so much in all these years. They only had some wealth after selling a Ganoderma lucidum and Lin Qiuran dug up gold.
There was only so much money, and once they bought the house, it would be gone. Sun Shi would rather Lin Qiuran keep the money for himself, so that in the future, the old couple... Lin Qiuran and the children could also live a good life. Although the house in the county town was nice, it was not that stable after all.
Sun wanted to say something, but Lin Qiuran was in charge of the family's money, and she was afraid that if she interrupted, Lin Qiuran would think she wanted to go back on her word.
Thinking of this, the two of them walked to the ox cart. They came early, and only Aunt Li, who came with them in the morning, was there, so they had to wait for a while for others.
Aunt Li lives next to the Xiao family. She has three sons. One has joined the army, and the remaining two farm at home. They live a pretty good life.
She looked Lin Qiuran up and down, and finally her eyes fell on Lin Qiuran's belly, "Sister Sun, why do you always go to the county town these days?"
Sun and Xiao Dashi went there almost every day. Today, Sun brought Lin Qiuran with her. No one knew what they were doing in the county town. Aunt Li met them on the street just now. She saw them entering a shop from a distance, but it was too far away to see what shop they entered. The basket in Sun's arm was covered with cloth, and Aunt Li stared at it for a long time but couldn't figure out what was going on.
Sun said, "Just come over and take a look, and exchange some things."
Aunt Li: "Why do you need to go to the county town to exchange anything? We are from the same village, and we can exchange it at home."
Lin Qiuran reached out and touched her stomach, then said, "I felt a little uncomfortable yesterday, so my mother brought me here to see you and change some things."
After she finished speaking, she smiled at Aunt Li and asked, "Aunt, are you coming to the county town to buy something?"
Aunt Li was carrying a bag of snacks wrapped in red paper, which was very conspicuous. Lin Qiuran knew that when he was out, he couldn't say how good he was, otherwise he would be envied.
Aunt Li patted her thigh and said, "My daughter-in-law is pregnant now. She has a poor appetite and throws up everything she eats. My son is still very concerned about his wife and insisted on coming to the county town to buy some delicious food. He has to work and has no time, so I came here. Qiuran is still the best. My daughter-in-law is picky and delicate."
Sun frowned. She didn't like to hear this. It was like saying that Lin Qiuran had bad luck. Others had their husbands worry about them when they had morning sickness, but Lin Qiuran didn't have any talent and was not spoiled.
As the saying goes, you don't fight for bread, but for your dignity. Sun Shi was not the type to fight, but she didn't want Lin Qiuran to think too much. Just as she was about to speak, Lin Qiuran grabbed her hand and said, "Sister-in-law, you are not spoiled at all. You are just lucky to have someone who loves you."
Lin Qiuran held Sun's hand and patted it gently. If others wanted to show off, they could do so. If they followed her words, she wouldn't lose any weight.
Could it be that he said that he had made money and planned to move out soon? If he said that, I guess he would want to eat her up.
She understands the principle of making a fortune in silence.
Aunt Li smiled and said, "Oh, what good or bad fortune? That's all nonsense. Sit down quickly. You have to be careful with the child here."
Aunt Li was pleased with herself. She said the Xiao family was also pitiful. They had lost their only son, and the elderly couple, along with their daughter-in-law, didn't know how they were going to make ends meet. Two elderly people and a woman were a complete burden, and even the autumn harvest was a struggle.
I guess I'd just dig up some stuff to sell in the county town, and that wouldn't even cover the cost of the bus fare. Without a man, there's so much to worry about. I might as well abort the child and remarry.
Lin Qiuran is also a fool, he can't figure this out.
When everyone was gathered, the ox cart swayed back to Xiaojia Village. When they arrived, Lin Qiuran took out four cents from his sleeve pocket and gave it to her, then followed Sun home.
Aunt Li brought some snacks and asked Lin Qiuran if he wanted to eat any. Lin Qiuran shook his head and said, "Give it back to my sister-in-law. I won't eat it."
The sun had already set, and a look of embarrassment appeared on Sun's slightly tanned face. "It's all because of mother that I've let you down and made you suffer."
Why don't you buy some snacks today?
Lin Qiuran softly consoled her, "What's there to be wronged about? You and Dad treat me well, and we have plenty to eat and drink. Could it be that the fruits and chicken we had a few days ago were all blown in by the strong wind? Besides, our family makes money every day, and we might even move to the county town soon. It's just that these things can't be told to outsiders. Wealth should not be exposed. She can say whatever she wants, but don't mind it, Mom."
Sun was moved. Lin Qiuran was much smarter and more insightful than she thought. She had to buy the house in the county town!
The author has something to say:
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It will be much better once we move to the county town.
Ask for nutrient solution irrigation [scattering flowers]
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