Chapter 66 Chapter 66: A Single Hair Under the Plate...
Tangyuan giggled and waved his hands. His eyes were like crescent moons, and he had dimples, which showed the purest childishness and kindness in the world.
Lin Qiuran's heart couldn't help but soften. The fatigue from a day's work and the tension and worry about the teahouse next door all disappeared.
She didn't think that making money in business was for Tangyuan. She felt it was worth it just because she saw him smile. Instead, she felt that he was so young, knew nothing, and was kind by nature. There seemed to be whirlpools in his eyes, and looking at him made people forget their worries.
Tang Yuan was still soft, and he reached out to twirl his hand around Lin Qiuran's hair. Lin Qiuran gently took his hand away and said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if we don't live here now. Mother can always buy us a place later. As long as Tang Yuan is safe, that's all that matters."
Madam Xu had already fed and changed Tangyuan's diaper. Lin Qiuran hummed a song and quickly coaxed him to sleep. Seeing his chest rise and fall against the quilt, Lin Qiuran smiled.
After watching for a while, she took the child to the side room.
Mrs. Xu said he was obedient at night and would be called upon to be fed at the appointed time. He was just over a month old, and indeed, as his name suggested, he was plump and soft.
At night, Tang Yuan slept on the small bed in the side room, with Sun and Lin Xia taking turns watching over him. While Sun was watching, Lin Qiuran asked Lin Xia to come into the room and talk for a while.
She worked during the day, leaving early and returning late, so she had no idea what life was like at home. She had to ask Lin Xia whether Madam Xu was doing her best. Madam Xu was quite good during the confinement period, as she had experience and would do whatever Lin Qiuran asked her to do.
However, Madam Xu didn't work as a wet nurse in a wealthy family, so there weren't so many requirements.
Lin Qiuran asked her to bathe Tangyuan frequently, every five days, because otherwise it would be uncomfortable to have to lie on him and cover him all the time. Besides, diapers weren't very absorbent, so they would become uncomfortable after a long time. She also had to wash her hands before holding the child... He also gave her a lot of other instructions.
Lin Qiuran was afraid that Madam Xu would slack off when she was not around. Moreover, Mrs. Sun was old and Lin Xia was too young. She was worried that Madam Xu would not take them seriously, and that Mrs. Sun would interfere too much.
Sun loved the child dearly. Sometimes, when Tangyuan cried, she would become extremely anxious, not knowing what to do. Then she would pick him up and comfort him, and then urge Madam Xu to undress and feed him. Although Madam Xu was there to work and get paid, breastfeeding meant exposing her breasts, a private matter that Lin Qiuran always avoided.
Lin Xia said, "Madam Xu went back the day before yesterday afternoon and returned in less than an hour, but there weren't enough glutinous rice balls for dinner that night."
Lin Qiuran lowered his head. "She has her own child, so she'll definitely be unable to resist feeding him when she gets home. If she only comes once or twice a month, that's fine. But if she comes more often, tell me."
Lin Xia nodded. Sun had misremembered the time a few times and always wanted to feed the dumplings early, fearing that the dumplings would be hungry. However, Lin Xia didn't mention this. She was a maid, and although Lin Qiuran treated her well, Sun was the mistress in public, and how could a maid say that her mistress was not hers?
Lin Qiuran looked at Lin Xia's tangled expression and sighed helplessly. She said, "My mother loves Tangyuan too much and sometimes she gets too impatient. You should stop her. As long as Madam Xu has no bad intentions, she should be the priority in everything. Don't stare at her when she's feeding, and don't let my father go in at this time."
Lin Xia nodded vigorously.
Lin Qiuran asked again: "What did you eat for lunch?"
Lin Xia lowered her head and said, "...Whoever is free, Aunt Sun or I, will make it for Madam Xu. If we want to eat, we can see what's at home."
They ate whatever was available at home. It was less oily and certainly not as good as the food in restaurants. Occasionally, they would just mess around. When Sun did that, Lin Xia had no say.
However, Sun was still very generous to Madam Xu, providing her with chicken, duck, fish and meat all the time.
Lin Qiuran pressed her eyebrows and said, "The restaurant has food. Otherwise, you can make two more trips to the restaurant to get enough for two people."
If I tell Mrs. Sun, it probably won't be very effective. Madam Xu will have to stay for at least a year. Maybe she will be in charge for a few days, but she will go back to her old ways after a few days. Lin Qiuran doesn't want to keep nagging about this.
Moreover, she learned these things from Lin Xia. If she told Sun about it, it would be difficult for Lin Xia.
It wasn't too far to go to the restaurant. Lin Qiuran said, "But when you come, make sure there's someone at home to watch over you. If my mother asks, just say the restaurant can't sell out of food, and that's my order."
Sun and Lin Xia have limited cooking skills. Sun can only make braised pork and ginger duck. With her personality, it is impossible for her to cook them at home.
In this way, I can occasionally bring back some light food for Madam Xu to improve her diet.
Lin Xia smiled and said, "Okay."
Lin Qiuran: "You also work at home, and your wages are still the same as before."
Lin Xia smiled even more happily, "Thank you, Madam!"
Sun was on duty in the first half of the night, and Lin Xia was on duty in the second half. When they woke up in the morning, Sun had already gotten up and prepared dinner. Xiao Dashi was not there; he had gone back to Xiaojia Village.
The family had about twenty acres of land, and they needed to hire someone to plant it and buy seeds. Xiao Dashi said it would be a busy few days. Fortunately, the purchasing work was also done by the shopkeeper Shi, and the handover was completed a few days ago, so it wouldn't affect the restaurant business.
Lin Qiuran saw that Xiao Dashi really enjoyed farming. Not only did he grow vegetables in the small yard at the back, but he also cultivated small vegetable plots in every corner. Lin Qiuran once suggested planting some flowers and plants, but Xiao Dashi said, "What's the use of that? You can't eat it or anything."
Lin Qiuran thought that he didn’t have the time to clean up, so he didn’t mention it again.
After dinner, Lin Qiuran hugged Tangyuan and cuddled with her for a while. It would be easy to come back in the evening. Xiao Dashi wasn't around, and if he was really scared about the dark, he could ask Shopkeeper Shi or Lu Fan to drop by.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they started to get busy.
Manager Shi was away that morning, having gone to see the teahouse owner. He returned before noon, and although it wasn't hot in early spring, he was sweating profusely.
Shopkeeper Shi panted and said, "Mrs. Lin, the landlord next door is not in Yu'an now."
Lin Qiuran's heart sank. What would happen if he wasn't there? He probably didn't know where he lived, so looking for him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. And buying the shop wasn't even a consideration. How could he possibly buy it if the owner wasn't around?
Lin Qiuran: "Do you know where the boss lives? We can look for him."
Shopkeeper Shi waved his hand and took two breaths. "Mrs. Lin, don't be impatient. I haven't finished what I want to say yet."
Shopkeeper Shi felt that he was too fat. He was not like this before and needed to eat less.
He coughed and poured some water from the teapot, but since he hadn't been there that morning, there was no water in the pot. Lu Fan quickly poured a cup.
Shopkeeper Shi took a sip and said, "But I'll be back in two days to collect the rent. It's been almost a year and a half since we last rented it, so we have to pay the rent for the next six months right away."
You can take this opportunity to talk about it. If it doesn’t work out, you can still rent it.
The teahouse owner is willing to sell the shop at a good price, otherwise he would be in a hurry to sell it this time. Although being a sub-landlord is not fair, he can't let the shop fall into ruin in his hands.
Five years of rent is cheap, but when put together it is a large sum of money.
Lin Qiuran said, "That's great! I'll ask Boss Zhao to help mediate. More people means more confidence. Or we can just talk at the restaurant, which would be more convenient."
Good food and good wine add to the fun and business is easier to close. Many people come to the second floor of the restaurant to discuss business. Some people come to set up a table with a few people, and some go to the first floor to find a corner to discuss things.
Shopkeeper Shi nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go ask about the date."
Zhao Guangcai is Ya Ji, he is good at talking, so he is the most suitable person to come.
Lin Qiuran planned to draw up a menu. It was fine if she didn't stay at Yu'an, as she had never tried the restaurant's food. She was also worried that the landlord would know that the restaurant needed to use the convenient access and deliberately raise the price.
It was a concession, but she was not a fool. Who would buy a shop worth 140 taels if the price was raised to 160 taels?
Lin Qiuran told Shopkeeper Shi not to tell the restaurant that he wanted to buy it.
Shopkeeper Shi understood and went to inquire again, and the time was set for two days later. The landlord's surname was Chen, and he was quite old. His ancestral home was Yu'an. When he was young, he started a business and had a good business. Later, he moved away, but he still had the house in Yu'an.
Manager Shi was 80% sure that he could persuade the man, and the other 20% was because of a saying, "fallen leaves return to their roots."
The older you get, the more you want to go back to your hometown. It would be nice to have a shop, and the rent you collect would be enough for food and drink.
Lin Qiuran was anxious, but finally two days later, on February 24th, Mr. Chen returned to Yu'an.
Old Master Chen owns several shops, and he collects rent at this time. The rent collected adds up to several dozen taels each time, which is enough to cover the expenses of an ordinary family for several years.
The owner of the teahouse said that he would pay the rent for the second half of the year for the restaurant, and also said that it was a newly opened restaurant and the food was delicious, so Mr. Chen agreed.
Lin Qiuran prepared a table of dishes. The menu was carefully selected by her and she had carefully considered it. Several of her specialties were definitely included, as well as dishes that were only available in early spring, such as braised spring bamboo shoots, mustard greens and tofu soup, and stir-fried river shrimp with leeks...
There are people selling baskets of tender spring bamboo shoots on Bamboo Shoot Street. After peeling the skin, cut into long strips, blanch in water to remove the fishy smell, and heat the pan with cold oil. Because there are only bamboo shoots and no meat, you need to use more oil. The key is to stew. When the bamboo shoots are slightly wrinkled and the edges are yellow, you can season them. Finally, add water and stew before serving.
This dish can only be eaten during this season. There are plenty of bamboo shoots now, and this dish is often available on the first floor of restaurants.
The leeks and river shrimp were stir-fried with the first harvest of leeks. At this time of year, the shrimp are small but tender, and they're not cheap. As long as you pay attention to the heat, they'll be an extremely delicious early spring treat. Lin Qiuran had someone buy the shepherd's purse; it's a fresh, tender wild vegetable, a true early spring flavor.
I also made shepherd's purse and pork dumplings. The last two dishes were sometimes available and sometimes not, depending on whether Manager Shi could buy them.
Mr. Chen arrived in the afternoon and the banquet was scheduled for the evening.
Lin Qiuran still had to take care of the restaurant's guests, so naturally he couldn't accompany them. After a few dishes were served, Lu Fan said that he had already eaten them, but he didn't know what they were talking about.
Lin Qiuran: "It's okay, go and do your own thing."
Lu Fan and Wan Niang are here to serve the dishes today. Manager Shi is not here, so he is a bit busy.
Lin Qiuran suppressed his emotions, his hands moving more steadily. "Let's make three dishes of braised spring bamboo shoots. Lin Dong, give me the bamboo shoots."
…
Half an hour later, Shopkeeper Shi came down from upstairs first. He had a few drinks upstairs and smelled a little of alcohol.
Then Mr. Chen left, and the owner of the teahouse next door also left. Lin Qiuran glanced over here, and Zhao Guangcai smiled and nodded at her.
Lin Qiuran was delighted. Is this a success?
Tangyuan, I really need a big restaurant at home.
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The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angel for the nutrient solution, and for my love for Qiuran and Tangyuan, [burst crying][burst crying][burst crying]
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