Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Vegetable prices rise alone...
Aunt Yu patted the bulging sacks. "We've harvested all the grain from the fields, dried it, and sent it to you. There's a total of 1,123 kilograms. It's all here."
She patted the two bags at the back of the car. "These are vegetables from your garden. The cowpeas have been pulled out, and there are also cucumbers, old pumpkins, and so on. I brought them all over for you."
It’s expensive to buy vegetables in the county town, and it’s not like you can’t eat them when you’re old, so you can save some money by bringing them here.
Sun's eyes lit up with joy. This year's harvest was good, and the rice was more than enough for the family. In previous years, they had to pay taxes, and the land tax was 1/30. They couldn't bear to eat the rest, and mostly sold it for money. But this year, the family was making money, and Lin Qiuran loved to eat rice, so they kept it and saved money, saving on buying it from outside. They couldn't finish it all in a year.
Sun asked someone to come in quickly. She said, "I wanted to go back with her father. I asked you to bring her here. You must be tired. Come in and sit down."
Aunt Yu shook her head and said with a smile, "Not tired either."
But there were indeed a lot of things in the car, otherwise not everyone in the family would have come.
Aunt Yu looked around the room and saw Xiao Dashi busy as well. She said, "Let's unload the things first. It's getting late, and we need to hurry back."
She chose to come in the afternoon because she didn't want to stay for dinner at the Xiao family. Aunt Yu also smelled the stewed meat. Lin Qiuran was cooking. At this time, he was probably busy with business. She was patient and didn't look around. Before coming, she reminded the children not to look around or be greedy.
When Sun and Xiao Dashi returned to the village, they not only gave money, but also brought meat to her family, ten pounds of meat, enough to make up for the autumn harvest. It was because she gave so much that they sent the food.
It’s just that there are children at home, Erhu Taohua is young, and Lin Qiuran’s cooking smells so good, so he can’t help but look over there.
Lin Qiuran finished cooking and put out the fire. "Don't worry, Uncle Li and Aunt Li, come in and have a drink of water first. Taohua, come in quickly. It's so early. You can wait a little longer."
Taohua glanced at Aunt Yu with timidity in her eyes. Aunt Yu didn't move, and neither did she. She looked at the yard. It wasn't as spacious as her hometown, but the house in the county town, even though she had been there once, still made her curious.
Sun went forward and pulled Aunt Yu in. "That's right, it's still early. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Come in first, come in! Why are you waiting for me to urge you?"
Aunt Yu was pushed in, "Hey, unload the food first."
Xiao Dashi was not good at speaking, but he patted Uncle Li on the shoulder and let him into the yard.
Lin Qiuran said, "Aunt, don't worry about unloading. We'll have some left for dinner tonight. This is the braised pork that the customer ordered. I made some extra. They'll probably be here to pick it up soon. We can start eating soon after they pick it up. Dad, don't we have a chicken left? Let's kill it today too."
The chickens were bought together with the ducks. The ducks were eaten, and the chickens were kept, along with the chicks bought by the Xiao family. The ones we bought have grown a lot, but they are still two or three months away from laying eggs.
Sun nodded, and Xiao Dashi went to kill the chicken without saying a word. Aunt Yu wanted to stop him, but Sun blocked his way.
There was no way Lin Qiuran would let the person go. Originally, he was only going to let the Li family help collect so much grain, but they not only delivered it but also picked vegetables from their hometown. This was such a big favor, how could he just let the person go?
Lin Qiuran went back to the house to get some water and poured a bowl of rice wine for Uncle Li. "I brewed this myself. Uncle, please try it."
Uncle Li, like Xiao Dashi, was a simple, honest man, and his wife was the head of the family. There wasn't much good food in the village, and he was craving wine, so when Lin Qiuran brought it out, he took a sip.
The rice wine is sweet and slightly spicy. Uncle Li's throat was sore from pushing the cart all the way, but drinking this really quenched his thirst.
Uncle Li asked, "Did you brew this yourself?"
Lin Qiuran nodded. "Yeah, it's useful for cooking, and it's cheaper than buying it outside."
Uncle Li squinted his eyes and said, "It tastes good."
Lin Qiuran said, "There's still some in the bucket. Dahu and Erhu, would you like some?"
Aunt Yu immediately said, "Qiuran, they are too young to drink this."
One of them is sixteen and the other is thirteen, which is not considered young in this era. However, it is better to listen to the mother in this matter, so Lin Qiuran did not force it.
As they were talking, Madam Feng also arrived, this time with her youngest son.
When Aunt Yu saw that there were guests coming, she stepped aside and let Uncle Li and his son unload the goods.
Lin Qiuran had to get busy with things over here. Madam Feng asked if it was ready, and she said, "You've come just in time. You should try it first, okay?"
Lin Qiuran took out a piece. When ordering a dish, one must taste it. The quantity should be large, otherwise there will be some disputes if one is not satisfied.
Madam Feng tasted it and nodded, "Yes, that's the taste, to be honest, your braised pork is the most tender and mushy, no one else's taste is this good."
Some of them were obviously not cooked enough because they were cooked with too much firewood, and some were soft, but not as sticky as the ones cooked by Lin Qiuran.
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Then weigh it."
Aunt Yu washed her hands and helped weigh and pack the meat. Taohua also washed her hands and came to help. They weighed the meat pound by pound, showing it to Madam Feng every time they finished, and then put it into the large bucket she brought with her.
The total is 32 kilograms, with an extra piece occasionally, so the weight is definitely enough.
There were still about two pounds of meat left in the pot, so Lin Qiuran kept it for himself and gave most of the soup to Madam Feng. Madam Feng was dressed festively today and had a big smile on her face. She readily paid the remaining money, a total of three hundred and eighty coins.
Aunt Yu watched from the side and sighed that it was a lot of money.
Madam Feng also gave Lin Qiuran some wedding candies, "Eat wedding candies to share in the joy."
Lin Qiuran sent the man away, and the deal was done. There were six pieces of wedding candy in total. She gave one to Taohua, one to Dahu and Erhu, and then gave the other to Aunt Yu, but she didn't want it, so Lin Qiuran put it on the plate in the kitchen.
Aunt Yu thought this was a good idea and asked, "Is business good here?"
Lin Qiuran said, "I go out to sell vegetables in the morning as long as it's not windy or rainy, and I usually sell them all. Occasionally, I'll take on jobs like today in the afternoon, or cook for other people, but here in the county, there's not a lot of work."
There is more than just Lin Qiuran as the chef, and there are too many people and too little food.
Lin Qiuran glanced at the yard. Xiao Dashi was killing chickens, while Uncle Li and his two sons were unloading goods. Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "I'll make dinner right away. Auntie, you can't refuse anymore."
Aunt Yu nodded. They had already stayed this long, and it would be too awkward to leave.
She went to the kitchen to help light the fire. While doing so, she asked about the Xiao family's situation these days. "Don't get too tired. How's the child?"
Lin Qiuran said, "It's good. I'm a little more pregnant now, but it's not tiring."
It's been almost four months and there's still no reaction. My family is still making money, so it's pretty good.
Aunt Yu was cheerful. Although she wasn't living a good life herself, she was proud that the Xiao family was doing well. She also saw that Sun's Xiao Dashi had gained some weight and his face looked more lively.
It’s better to live a good life. After all, Li Cuihua, who lives behind the Xiao family, can’t stand to see the Xiao family doing well all day long.
Aunt Yu just found out a few days ago that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the people in the Xiao family's old house went to the county town, and then came back with their tails between their legs.
Some people said that they saw Li Cuihua go there and come out of the Xiao family's old house.
Li Cuihua has always hated to see the Xiao family doing well, so she must have gone there and said something she shouldn't have said.
When Aunt Yu returned from the county town that day, she told Li Cuihua that the Xiao family had moved, probably because of her. Fortunately, Lin Qiuran was fine, otherwise Aunt Yu would have regretted it to death. After that, she never told anyone about anything the Xiao family did with their earnings, including the fact that she was given 100 coins and meat during the harvest season. She always said that it would only make people resent her.
She also helped to cry poor, saying that the Xiao family could not come back and had no money to hire someone to take the money in, so that Li Cuihua could be proud for a few days.
Only she knew whether Sun and the others were living well and whether they cared about her, so there was no need for her to explain it to others.
Aunt Yu apologized to Sun and Lin Qiuran, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, Li Cuihua wouldn't have instigated this."
Lin Qiuran hadn't expected such things to happen. She said, "How can I blame Auntie for this? She has bad intentions. Not to mention hearing that we're making a lot of money, even if she heard anything else, she wouldn't be able to sit still. She's not just treating my family like this, she's treating everyone like this. Auntie, please be more careful in the future."
Fortunately, they moved away, so even if Li Cuihua was furious, there was nothing she could do.
Aunt Yu said, "That's why I shouldn't have said so much."
Lin Qiuran consoled her a few more times, "She just can't stand seeing others do better than she already is. She compares herself to others every day. Even if her life is good, it's not easy for her."
Aunt Yu nodded and felt much better after she finished talking to Lin Qiuran.
Sun listened to the two of them and asked about Dahu's marriage. Dahu was sixteen years old this year and was old enough to get married.
He was helping his father unload things. He was strong and worked silently, looking very reliable. Sun looked at Dahu and asked, "How is it going? Is the marriage settled?"
He's strong and has a good temper, so it should be easy to get him married.
Aunt Yu shook her head. "I've talked to two matchmakers, but neither has worked out. Now they want a wife who not only wants a gift, but also wants to move to the county town. They also want the man to have some skills, not just farming skills."
It's not their fault. Aunt Yu has a daughter and wants Taohua to marry to the county town. Farming doesn't make money, so who doesn't want their daughter to enjoy a good life?
For example, Xiao Xun was tall, strong, handsome, and could hunt, but these big tigers couldn't.
He's sixteen this year, so there's no rush. He can learn some more skills, but Aunt Yu doesn't know what to do. Dahu is honest and a bit dull. Should he go to the county town to be an apprentice? I'm afraid the master will think he's stupid.
Both she and the child's father are honest, and they raised their child to be like that too.
Lin Qiuran listened from the side. She wanted an apprentice. It was common sense that men were stronger, and Dahu was hardworking and diligent. Looking at the personalities of Aunt Yu and Uncle Li, one could tell he was a good person.
It's just not very convenient, especially in this era, so Lin Qiuran prefers Taohua, who is young and can be trained slowly, and she also helped just now.
But asking Taohua to come at this time wasn't appropriate. Li Dahu's marriage was naturally the most important thing for the Li family right now, and she was also worried that Aunt Yu would be reluctant to let her daughter go. Taohua was only eight years old, and she wouldn't see her for a long time after moving here. Even if she was close to the Xiao family, she still felt uneasy.
Lin Qiuran pretended to say casually, "Then, auntie, have you ever thought about moving to the county town? There's a lot of work to do in the county town, and it's more convenient without having to travel back and forth."
Aunt Yu said, "How can we do that? We don't have any skills other than farming, and we don't have any money left to buy a house."
Lin Qiuran said, "If you can't buy one, you can rent one first. Otherwise, living in the village all the time will be a hassle, and finding a husband for Dahu will be a hassle. Uncle Li is still strong, and you're capable. The two children are not young anymore, so you can always find a way to make money. Otherwise, you can set up a small stall. It's tiring, but if you work hard, you can definitely make money."
Selling vegetables every day is tiring to be honest, but it’s better than farming.
When Lin Qiuran came here, besides Sun and Xiao Dashi, her mother and Aunt Yu were the best to her. It was she who helped introduce her to work in Yujiazhuang. Lin Qiuran wanted to help the Li family for both emotional and logical reasons.
If she needed help, she could talk about it later. Whether she asked Taohua to help or hired someone, it was all fine. Right now, Aunt Yu's family was more urgent. She was kind-hearted and always helped the Xiao family. She couldn't let them leave Xiaojia Village and let Aunt Yu stay in the village.
It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.
Aunt Yu said, "My cooking skills are not good enough, but even if I make it, no one will eat it..."
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "If you don't know how to make it, you can learn. Sell some snacks and make a small profit but quick turnover. It's harvest time now, and there's no work in the fields. You're free anyway, so you can come to the city someday and try."
As Lin Qiuran spoke, she took a bowl and kneaded the dough. The dough was very soft. While it was resting, she made a sauce with chopped shallots, minced garlic, bean paste, salt, sugar and chopped green onions.
The chicken was stewed in the big stove. Lin Qiuran put an iron pot on the stove and rolled out a dough that was bigger than the pot. He added more oil when making the pancake and piled up folds while making it. When one side was cooked, he turned it over and brushed the other side with sauce.
The aroma of cake and sauce came out together. Aunt Yu, Taohua, and Sun were watching from the side, and they were all stunned. Qiu Ran did what he said.
Lin Qiuran knocked on the bottom crust, which was crispy, while the top crust with sauce on it was soft.
She took out the cake, cut it into small diamond-shaped pieces and gave them to the three people to taste. "How do you like this cake?"
Aunt Yu put the pancake into her mouth. It was salty, fragrant and crispy. For someone who rarely eats meat on a daily basis, this pancake can be said to be delicious. It is really fragrant. The sauce on top is somehow mixed, salty and sweet, and the chopped green onions inside are embellished. When you bite it, you can see that the pancake crust is also finely chopped with garlic and green onions. Every bite is delicious.
Aunt Yu nodded and said, "It's delicious. It smells so good."
One side is crispy and the other side is soft. To be honest, it tastes a hundred times better than the meat she cooks herself.
Lin Qiuran said, "This is easy. Just learn how to make pancakes and mix the sauce. It can be considered a small business."
Lin Qiuran wanted Aunt Yu to make this mainly because there were already shops selling sesame cakes, soy milk, fried dough sticks, and buns on the street, with two or three of each.
Some businesses are good and some are not. It is not worthwhile to compete for that one.
The sauce-flavored pancakes were pretty good. The street vendors were just ordinary people, so they couldn't be too expensive or too difficult to make. They were filling and tasty, so those who did manual labor would surely love them. Lin Qiuran felt they tasted just as good as the meat buns.
It is also convenient to sell by kilogram.
Taohua bit the cake and listened to these words.
Aunt Yu opened her mouth and stared at Lin Qiuran. After a while, her eyes and nose started to feel sore. "But you did this, Qiuran. I can't..."
Lin Qiuran said, "When I went to Yujiazhuang to prepare banquets, Auntie never thought that you found the job for me. She always said that it was my own ability."
Without the past, there would be no present. Lin Qiuran felt that ten cents was not enough to repay the favor.
Lin Qiuran said, "I'll tell you the recipe and teach you how to make it. Try it first. If it doesn't work out, I'll make it for Taohua and the others. I think Taohua likes it."
Taohua lowered her head in embarrassment. Aunt Yu wiped her face and said, "Thank you first, I really..."
Aunt Yu really wanted to promise that she would be very grateful to Lin Qiuran if she succeeded in the future, but she was afraid that Lin Qiuran would not believe her vague promises, so she decided to do something practical.
Lin Qiuran said, "These are all trivial matters. This isn't really a recipe. Auntie, look at this sauce. It's two tablespoons of minced garlic, three tablespoons of chopped shallots, two tablespoons of soybean paste, one tablespoon of sugar, and one tablespoon of cornstarch. Add water and mix thoroughly. For this much sauce, just add half a bowl of water."
The more Aunt Yu listened, the more confused she became. She remembered the first part but had forgotten the rest. "What was it? A few spoonfuls of bean paste?"
Taohua glanced at Lin Qiuran first, then said, "Mom, it's two spoonfuls of soybean paste, one spoonful of sugar, one spoonful of cornstarch, mix well with water, and add half a bowl of water."
Lin Qiuran smiled. "Yes, to make the pancake fragrant, you must use a lot of oil when baking. If you want the pancake to be softer, use warm water to mix the dough, and add more water than usual. You don't need to directly apply oil to the middle layer, just mix some pastry and spread it on, which can save some oil."
Aunt Yu nodded, and Lin Qiuran asked Taohua again with a smile. Taohua remembered it very clearly and could repeat it word for word.
Lin Qiuran couldn't help but think that this child was really smart. He remembered it after just one hearing. He didn't know if this was only true for cooking, or if it was true for everything he did.
In the evening, Lin Qiuran baked a few large pieces of sauce-flavored pancakes and ate them with braised pork and stewed chicken with potatoes.
After dinner, Sun saw that it was getting late and urged Aunt Yu to go back quickly. But Aunt Yu refused and insisted on washing the pots and dishes before leaving.
There are five people in their family. If Dahu and Erhu can eat, how much food will they eat from the Xiao family? She came here because they gave her a lot of meat last time, and she ate it again this time. Lin Qiuran also gave her the cooking recipe. How much favor did she owe her?
Aunt Yu had only helped Lin Qiuran a small favor at first, and she felt that Lin Qiuran hadn't had it easy, but now she was asking Lin Qiuran to help her in return. She thought Lin Qiuran was such a good kid, but she also felt ashamed. She was such a grown-up, and yet she still had to be remembered by the younger generation.
On the way back, the sun slowly set in the west. The autumn wind blew, but it did not blow away the passion in Yu's heart. Seeing the Xiao family in the city, she was a little envious.
There was nothing in the cart, so the three uncles took turns pushing it. Now Dahu and Erhu were pushing, while Uncle Li was taking a rest.
Aunt Yu and Uncle Li discussed, "We can try coming to the county town. It's not busy now. Just like the Xiao family did before, we can sell it here after we finish it. We can also see if it sells well. As long as we can make money, how about renting a house to live in? If we have money, we will buy a house sooner or later."
Uncle Li looked at his two sons and said, "Yeah."
Aunt Yu added, "If you really move here, let Taohua go to the Xiao family to help."
There are only three people in the Xiao family, and Lin Qiuran is pregnant, so they are definitely too busy.
Taohua was able to help in the past, and will be able to help take care of the children in the future. More people contributing more effort will definitely be better than the three of them being together.
Business seems to be profitable, but it is tiring. If we don't move to the county town, then forget it. Sending the child there will seem like asking the Xiao family to help take care of him.
There are already many people in the family, and with the addition of an eight-year-old Taohua, I don’t know whether to help or cause trouble.
Uncle Li nodded, "Okay."
Taohua said, "Sister Lin has helped our family. Mother, I am willing to go over and take care of Sister Lin."
She used to call Lin Qiuran sister-in-law, but she changed it unconsciously, and Yu didn't force her to change.
At the Xiao family's side, after seeing off Aunt Yu and her family, Lin Qiuran tidied up and took a shower first. He felt greasy because he had cooked a lot of dishes today.
They cooked for two days in a row. The weather was getting colder day by day, and Xiao Dashi had built the courtyard wall. Sun took advantage of the good weather and tied ropes in the yard every afternoon to blanch and cook cowpeas. Lin Qiuran also came, and the two of them dried a lot of cowpeas.
September came in a blink of an eye. People went to work on the first day of the new year, and early in the morning on the second day, Lin Qiuran and Sun came to the Zhao family.
Zhao Shi had completely cut off all ties with the Zhao family, and he didn't invite any Zhao family members to the full moon party. There were only three tables of people from Wan Niang's family and friends, and the food was not big, so Xiao Dashi was not invited to come.
Without anyone to disturb the family, the house was lively and cheerful. Visitors praised Zhao Shi's daughter for being adorable, and the house was filled with laughter.
Lin Qiuran also took a look. The child was out of confinement and looked even cuter than that day. After taking one look, she went to the kitchen to cook. The dishes had been decided long ago. Thank you for Zhao Shi's help last time. Lin Qiuran saw that there was a lot of meat prepared, so she asked him to make more. This one would not spoil, and the Zhao family could keep it for themselves.
Anyway, the food she cooks tastes good.
Zhao Shi and Wan Niang saw it all, knowing full well that it was because of that day that they were so grateful to Lin Qiuran. Lin Qiuran needed to be paid for his work, and doing more of this would earn him a lot of money. Most importantly, the full moon banquet was a complete success, and the guests all praised the food.
The food was ready, and Lin Qiuran said goodbye, but Wanniang said, "There's a lot of food. Madam Lin and Madam Sun, if you don't mind, you can eat some together. We are all family here."
Now that she has a daughter, she can't help but feel moved when she sees Lin Qiuran working with her mother-in-law.
Lin Qiuran nodded. It was the first time for both of them to have dinner at the customer's house.
The two of them had a simple meal, and after the meal, Wan Niang paid the balance. "Mrs. Lin's cooking is excellent. Zhao Shi, if you have any friends who need it, please help introduce them."
Zhao Shi said, "I'm afraid I'm no longer needed now. Everyone has to rush to invite Madam Lin over."
Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "No, there are so many good noodle chefs in the county. I just rely on my novel taste to attract people."
Wan Niang also laughed, and Zhao Shi continued, "But it's autumn now. If Madam Lin wants to sell vegetables, she needs to have something to cook. After the frost, there won't be many vegetables in the fields. I'm planning to go and pick some vegetables. Do you want to go, Madam Lin?"
Lin Qiuran asked Sun to dry 3,000 kilograms of cowpeas, which was enough. She also asked Sun what vegetables were available in winter, and found that they could be easily stored, such as cabbage, potatoes, and shallots.
These produce a lot per mu and are not expensive in winter.
Lin Qiuran asked, "What dishes are there?"
Zhao Shi said, "We have all kinds of dried vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, and shallots. We also have other vegetables, like fresh eggplant and cucumber. They're definitely more expensive than they are now."
Winter was just two months away, and Zhao Shi wanted to make some money. He had to sell the fruits he brought back, so he could ask Lin Qiuran if he could sell more here, saving him some effort.
Lin Qiuran said, "Please bring me some dried cowpeas. I'll take as many as you can. If potatoes are cheap, bring some too. If you have any preserved meats or pickled vegetables, please bring less."
Zhao Shi nodded, "Leave it to me."
Lin Qiuran and Sun returned home and told Xiao Dashi that they had already eaten and asked him to make some for himself.
Sun was also tired. If Xiao Dashi didn't learn a little, he would never be able to do it. She couldn't go home with Xiao Dashi and worry about Lin Qiuran, and go out with Qiuran and worry about whether Xiao Dashi had enough to eat.
I'm just worrying about it every day.
Xiao Dashi ate a quick bite and then went out to get the vegetables for tomorrow afternoon. It was cold, so he cooked whatever he could during the day. He bought everything else in advance, except for the pork, which would go stale if left overnight.
Xiao Dashi came back with the vegetables and also brought back a piece of news: the price of chili peppers had increased. It used to be four cents per catty, but now it is six cents per catty, an increase of two cents.
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