Chapter 82 Chapter 82 Growing Up (Including 2W Nutrient Solution Plus) ^^…
Lin Qiuran said, "If the stall doesn't make money, I naturally won't take any share. If it does, my share might be small at first, but if it makes a few dozen taels a month, I can still take 40%."
Lin Qiuran knew that business had its ups and downs, and she accepted the losses. Forty percent was a lot for Madam Yang, but she was an outsider, and since she was new to business, not to mention that no one would give her that much, she would have to rely on others to help her make money quickly. That would require more than just money.
Lin Qiuran's connections weren't great, but he could get discounts at the grain and meat shops. It would be fine if Madam Yang didn't open a shop in the future. If she did, she'd have to invest her earnings like she did with the Jinding Building renovations, rather than saving up to open another one.
If Madam Yang made a profit of more than ten taels and simply gave up the stall, and wanted to run the stall herself in the future, Lin Qiuran would only want a share of the profits from the stall, and the stall would have nothing to do with her. She would not have even recovered her capital, so the money she invested would have been wasted.
At that time, Lin Qiuran will have to invest as well and also get a share of the profits.
This was her first time running a business on her own, and she didn't invest much money, just to test the waters.
She couldn't just rely on Xu Yuanheng, nor could she just rely on the restaurant. For example, in the past few months, the business of Jindinglou had been bad. Although she had saved some money, Lin Qiuran was still worried.
Everything Lin Qiuran said had to be written down in the documents. If Madam Yang regretted it later, Lin Qiuran could sue her. Furthermore, finding someone in this era wasn't as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. Travel permits to other counties were all registered.
Madam Yang was stunned for a moment, then nodded, "I can do it, everything is possible."
They say southerners are good at business and have a sharp mind, which is true. She hadn't thought of this aspect. Furthermore, Madam Yang had never considered opening a shop in the future, so Lin Qiuran looked up to her.
I don’t have much at home now, so if anyone is willing to pay, I’d be happy to help. It doesn’t cost much to set up a stall, and I can also get a better place for my family to live.
Lin Qiuran made it clear, that was good. Everything was settled, so there would be no more arguments. And it was like this: if she had to wash the dishes and her husband had to carry the bags, they would have to save for two years without eating or drinking.
Lin Qiuran gave it to him all at once, and he could use some of it to start a business, and with the money he made, his life wouldn't be so tight.
Besides, they were refugees too and had just arrived in Yu'an, so it was very good that Lin Qiuran was willing to give them money.
Why would Madam Yang be unwilling? Even if we take a step back, it was not her idea to set up a stall to sell things.
Lin Qiuran smiled. It is easy to find a dishwasher, but it is hard to find someone who can make money.
Madam Yang taught Lin Qiuran two dishes, one was stewed lamb and the other was yogurt. After giving these two recipes to Lin Qiuran, she would be able to sell them in the shop.
But according to Madam Yang, the mutton here is not as delicious as that in Yingzhou, and there are not only different types.
The mutton from the northwest is delicious, but it's a long way from here and very expensive to ship. Madam Yang said that the mutton there is mostly sold to the provincial capitals surrounding the northwest, and also to the capital.
People in the north eat a lot of mutton, and there are even shops that specialize in washing pots and eating mutton.
Lin Qiuran thought, isn't that just hot pot hot pot? She'd definitely try it someday. Differences between northern and southern cuisines have existed since ancient times and are closely tied to the environment.
Lin Qiuran casually asked, "How is the capital? You came from the northwest, but didn't you go to the capital? Why don't you stay in the capital?"
Yu'an was still far from the capital. It would be tiring to travel here, and the journey would cost money. Why did he end up so far south? Furthermore, when he sent these people to seek refuge, didn't he ever consider returning?
The reason why Yu An settled down so quickly was that the refugees wanted to live a good life.
Madam Yang sighed, "How can I stay here? Besides, the government won't let me."
Not everyone can afford to stay at the emperor's feet.
It was after hearing what Lin Qiuran said that Madam Yang decided to start a business. Back then, we couldn't even get enough to eat, and we were just running for our lives. Wherever we went, people would chase us away. We were numb, doing whatever we were told to do. It wasn't easy to settle down.
Besides, not everyone is as kind-hearted as Lin Qiuran. If someone else took the recipe, she wouldn't be able to say anything.
As for borrowing money, there is no need to think about it. Ten taels is not a small amount. Madam Yang couldn't help but think that if she ran away with the money, Lin Qiuran would get nothing.
Of course, she is not that kind of person.
Madam Yang left the restaurant after only a few days, so Lin Qiuran asked Zhao Guangcai to hire another person. Zhao Guangcai had been busy lately, with many refugees and a lot of work to do, so he quickly found another one.
The restaurant's business has been good recently, slowly returning to the state it was before Yu An arrived as a refugee.
Although the people were afraid of death and war, and afraid that the war would spread here, there is a saying that goes, "Even if the sky falls, there are still tall people to hold it up." The sky hasn't fallen yet, so even during those days of fear, most people still did what they had to do.
We have to eat and make money. As long as the foreign invaders don't attack Yu'an, we can only live one day at a time.
Especially by the end of October, when news of a victory came from the northwest, the people were visibly happy.
The first thing I say when I go out and see my friends is, "You know, we won the battle!"
"It's been a few days since the news got here. I guess it happened a month or two ago!"
"That's great! We, the boys of Dayue, are all great!"
Lin Qiuran was also happy. Although she didn't know how Xiao Xun was doing now, winning the battle was good news. Sun Shi didn't know if Xiao Xun was still alive, but she was still so happy that she almost cried. Winning the battle was better than losing and having a better chance of surviving.
Far away in the capital, good news came in frequently.
Xiao Xun's name appeared more and more frequently in memorials. From killing ten people, dozens of people to hundreds of enemies, he made frequent contributions and was frequently rewarded by the emperor.
With good kung fu, courage and strategy, and expert in military tactics, Xiao Xun became the new deputy general in the camp after the death of the deputy general.
After the battle today, Xiao Xun could rest for a few days and go back to work to bandage his wounds. Lin Qiuran had given him a lot of money to buy medicine that day, which came in handy now.
The wound on his abdomen was quite deep, so he wiped it with wine. Although he was used to being injured, Xiao Xun still broke out in a cold sweat due to the pain.
After applying the medicine, Xiao Xun bandaged the wound with his lips pale.
Beads of sweat covered the undulating muscles on his arms and back. After more than half a year, Xiao Xun's body became leaner, and he lost the youthful look he had when he was with Lin Qiuran. His eyebrows and eyes also became sharper.
After bandaging the wound, Xiao Xun frowned and touched it. Seeing nothing was wrong, he stood up and walked a few steps. Now, each person had their own tent, but there weren't many things in the camp. The most conspicuous item was a bag containing some small clockwork animals.
Brother Ying is gone, and these things have to be taken back to Brother Ying's children. Thinking of this, Xiao Xun felt a little sad and lonely.
He couldn't help but think of Lin Qiuran and Tangyuan, and wondered if Tangyuan would call him dad.
It was cold in the northwest, so Xiao Xun put on his clothes after applying the medicine. He looked at the bright moon hanging in the sky and remembered a line of poetry: I look up at the bright moon and think of my hometown.
*
Tangyuan still can't call dad, but he can call mom, grandma, eat, and no. These four words, although he doesn't know many words, can accurately express everything he wants to say now.
When he sees Lin Qiuran, he calls her mother; when he sees Sun, he calls her grandmother; when he sees something he wants to eat, his eyes light up and he wants to eat it; but when he sees egg custard, he always says no.
I always eat this with Tangyuan, and I’m tired of it.
Even though he waved his hands and said no, Sun would still feed him a small spoonful of egg custard. He would eat the glutinous rice balls in his mouth obediently, and then look at Sun with eager eyes, "Grandma, no——"
Sun fed him another mouthful, "No, no, your teeth haven't even grown in yet, what else can you eat if not egg custard?"
Tangyuan: “No——”
Lin Qiuran couldn't help laughing when she saw him like this. Sun was also amused and wiped the corner of Tangyuan's mouth.
Lin Qiuran said, "I'll try to make him something else to eat later."
This child, from birth till now, has only had milk, rice cereal, and egg custard. Egg custard is for breakfast, let's change it up for lunch.
These days, I have eaten pork, chicken, fish, shrimp and meat floss dumplings. As long as they are cooked a little bit, these meats can be eaten.
Tangyuan now has front teeth, and Lin Qiuran plans to make some pork ribs for him to try.
As for children, it is better to stew it in clear soup. Ordinary families don’t eat it this way. They always prefer braised sweet and sour dishes with more flavors, but they can’t eat glutinous rice balls.
Lin Qiuran took out the ribs he had just bought. The pig was slaughtered early in the morning and soaked in blood. Then he selected a few ribs, added onions, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, and a little salt, and stewed them slowly in a casserole.
This stew took the whole morning, and the aroma of the braised pork ribs was mixed with other dishes in the kitchen and was not obvious.
Tang Yuan was in the next room. He could smell the aroma of the restaurant's food and couldn't wait any longer. He pointed outside and said to Sun, "Grandma, go."
Sun didn't move, so Tangyuan said again, "Grandma, go!"
Sun held Tangyuan's hands tightly. Tangyuan had learned another word, which made him so anxious that he could even speak.
But now the weather is cold and the child is young, so Sun doesn't want him to go out all the time.
But after taking him away for a month and not seeing Lin Qiuran for a whole month, he learned to call her mother in Chong'an, and after he came back, he pursued Lin Qiuran even more closely.
Now he follows Lin Qiuran to the restaurant early in the morning every day. When the sun is high at noon, Sun takes him back. He is not brought out in the afternoon or evening.
Mrs. Sun: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, don't be anxious, I'll bring it to you in a moment. Anything that smells good is not your cup of tea, don't worry, don't worry."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Dong came over with a bowl.
Lin Qiuran stewed pork ribs for the glutinous rice balls and cooked a bowl of rice porridge, sprinkled some meat floss on it, and added two drops of sesame oil, then brought it over.
She stewed more than a dozen pieces of ribs and only took two for Tangyuan. The rest could either be eaten in the evening or taken back for Madam Xu.
Lin Qiuran actually didn't know how much Tangyuan ate. He just fed him a little every day. If he wasn't full, he would drink milk. If he really let him eat as much as he wanted, he would probably finish five or six pieces.
But children cannot have food stagnation. He can only walk with support now. He is still in the stage of learning to walk. He does not move much in a day and cannot digest food on his own.
Lin Dong instructed, "The lady said that the meat and rice paste should be eaten separately. Don't mix them together. The meat will contain some bone residue."
The ribs were chopped and the bones became soft after being stewed for a long time, making the residue difficult to filter out. Tangyuan's teeth had not grown in yet, so there was no need for him to grind them for the time being. Lin Qiuran was more worried that the bone residue would rub his throat.
Sun nodded, and Tangyuan couldn't wait any longer. "Grandma, eat."
Sun sighed helplessly, "It just came out and needs to be dried. There's no rush."
Tangyuan is now more than nine months old and starts talking earlier than ordinary children. Of course, this is not what Sun thinks herself. She has never given birth to a child. When she picked up Xiao Xun, Xiao Xun was already three years old and could already speak.
But Wanniang and Aunt Yu had raised children before, and they always said that Tangyuan was strong and smart. But thinking about it, it was understandable. Lin Qiuran hired a wet nurse, and Xu Niangzi, Lin Xia, and Sun Shi looked after him every day and kept watch at night.
Later, after Yunniang and Liuniang appeared, more and more people came to watch Tangyuan. Even during the month when Yu An had the accident, they had gone somewhere else and were not scared to the point of not being able to eat.
For example, when Aunt Yu gave birth, she fed the baby by herself during the confinement period. She didn't have much to eat and her milk wasn't enough, so Da Hu and the others were naturally not as strong as Tang Yuan.
Wan Niang went back to work soon after finishing her confinement. It wasn't tiring but it was hard work.
Sun looked at the glutinous rice balls lovingly. She picked up the spare ribs and nibbled on the glutinous rice balls.
Sun couldn't help but think of the way the two dogs ate when Xiao Dashi had just brought them back. The little puppy wagged its tail as fast as a windmill while eating, and it took a few bites of the glutinous rice balls and chewed them with pursed lips, looking very happy.
Sun couldn't get enough of it, especially now that there was no shortage of food at home. Although Sun had never tasted delicacies from land and sea, she had also tasted all kinds of delicious dishes. Seeing how happy she was eating the glutinous rice balls and two spare ribs, she felt a little reluctant, "Slow down."
When Lin Qiuran came over, the dumplings had already been eaten.
When Lin Qiuran entered the room, Tangyuan and Sun turned around to look at him. There was some dirt around his mouth, but Sun thought it was okay.
Lin Qiuran brought a handkerchief to wipe him, and Tangyuan obediently called him "Mom".
Lin Qiuran asked, "Have you finished eating?"
Sun said, "Well, it seems not enough. How about giving me some more?"
Mrs. Sun felt a little uncomfortable because her grandson was still not full. Lin Qiuran said, "He is still young. This is enough for now. He can eat more tomorrow."
There's still milk to drink, so you don't need to eat too much. There's plenty of food at home, but you can't eat everything in one go and become fat. If you want more, you can make it tomorrow. Lin Qiuran hoped the glutinous rice balls would be firm, but he didn't want them to become bloated.
I don’t move much, and I’m even more reluctant to move because I eat too much and get fat.
Lin Qiuran: "There's still some left. I'll give you another piece tonight, and Madam Xu can eat the rest."
Sun nodded, "Hey."
Lin Qiuran saw that his face was clean and reached out to touch it. "I'll bring you some food later, then we can go back."
Sun: "Well, go and do your thing."
What Lin Qiuran said made sense. In the past, they had nothing and had to save food for their children. Now they have everything, but they are just afraid that the children will get sick if they eat too much.
Tangyuan has tried meat and is growing up day by day. It can eat more and more things, such as steamed eggs with shrimps and steamed yellow croaker. Gradually, it can eat other vegetables, such as braised chicken and rice buns.
Lin Qiuran had never given him steamed buns made with fermented glutinous rice wine. Even after steaming, there was still a hint of wine in them, so children were not allowed to touch them.
When he grew up a little, Lin Qiuran didn't raise him as meticulously as he did when he was a child. He would mostly eat whatever the adults ate, such as braised pork and braised fish. He could also eat spicy food and liked spicy rabbit cubes very much.
Seeing him eating spicy diced rabbit, Lin Qiuran always thinks of Xiao Xun.
In less than two years, the bamboo shoots grew joints, and the wobbly little bamboos learned to walk, then grew into steady steps, and were able to run and jump.
Lin Qiuran is willing to count his age. Tangyuan is not yet three years old, just two and a half years old. However, according to Sun's calculation, Tangyuan is already four years old this year, and will be five years old after the New Year.
At the end of August, the weather was fine.
Sun followed behind, calling out, "Tangyuan, go slower!"
Sun wasn't walking slowly, it was Tangyuan who was running too fast. As soon as Sun finished speaking, Tangyuan stopped and even ran back a few steps. The little boy, with yellow hair hanging down, stood in the sunset and said, "Grandma, I can actually go to Jinding Tower by myself. Everyone on the street knows me. You don't have to follow me."
Tangyuan is taller than other children of this age. She is wearing a small silk dress and looks very well-behaved.
Seeing Tang Yuan like this, Sun couldn't help but think of Xiao Xun. She said, "You can't go out by yourself. If your mother finds out, you will be in big trouble."
He is the only child in the family, so even if everyone on the street knows him, you still have to be careful with him.
Tangyuan sighed helplessly. He really wanted to go to Jindinglou. His mother said that they would make beef steamed dumplings today. Beef is not common, so Tangyuan planned to eat four.
Grandma wanted to wait and eat the steamed dumplings, so when they were almost at the Jinding Building, Tangyuan waved her little hand and ran in, leaving behind a sentence, "Grandma, I'll go in first."
Tang Yuan didn't enter through the back door, but went directly through the front door. He liked the facade of the Jinding Building very much and looked at it every day, but it was not as beautiful as before due to the wind, sun, and rain.
The paint has faded in several places, and Manager Shi plans to repair it later.
He was counting his money, his rocking chair rocking back and forth. Seeing a little man approaching the front door, he said, "The dumplings are here."
Tang Yuan called out "Uncle Shi" obediently. Shopkeeper Shi sighed and asked, as if it were his habit, "Tang Yuan, what's twelve plus fifteen?"
Tang Yuan said: "Twenty-seven, I'm going to find my mother!"
There were quite a few guests in the lobby, so Tangyuan carefully avoided them to avoid bumping into them. When they reached the courtyard, they saw someone washing dishes. Tangyuan smiled, then opened the door curtain a crack, but didn't dare go in.
Lin Qiuran didn't let Tangyuan run into the kitchen at will. Children always played outside and sometimes brought dust and mud in.
And they are also afraid that guests will think that the child will reach out and touch the guests' food, even though Tangyuan has never done so.
But be careful.
Tangyuan looked at the crack in the door and saw that everyone was busy inside and no one noticed him.
Wan Niang was cutting vegetables and then stir-frying them. Now she could cook some dishes. Lin Dong and the others were also busy. They would serve out what was ordered and put it on the cart.
Lin Qiuran wore a narrow-sleeved dress, her hair tucked into a cloth. Flames rose from the wok, and the double-pepper beef inside hovered briefly as the wok was stirred before falling back into the pot.
Stir-fry for a few times and the dish is ready.
When Lin Qiuran was serving the dishes, he caught a glimpse of the glutinous rice balls through the gap in the curtain.
Lin Qiuran smiled, and Tangyuan whispered, "Mom——"
Lin Dong turned around and saw it too, then lowered his head and smiled, took the bowl and chopsticks to the steamer, picked up two beef steamed dumplings, and then handed them to Tang Yuan, "Go to the next room to eat, and come back after you finish eating."
Tang Yuan nodded, "Mom - then I'm leaving -"
Lin Qiuran: "Go ahead."
Tangyuan took the bowl and went to the next room. Sun came in at this time. She didn't have to work, so she just kept an eye on Tangyuan. A child this big is also good-looking, so she just took him to play for a while.
Lin Qiuran put the dishes on the tray and said, "Lin Dong, when Manager Shi comes in a while, tell him to put the ten steamed dumplings on my account."
Shopkeeper Shi had been doing business with her for more than a year and had made every possible effort for the shop, increasing his share from one percent to five percent.
Although a dumpling is not worth much, you should still make sure to figure out the bill and not take advantage of others.
For over a year, Lin Qiuran didn't open a branch, but instead allowed Jindinglou to gain a firm foothold in Yu'an. Originally, the largest restaurant was Zui Chunfeng, but business had been slow since the year before last, and it closed last year.
The place is still the same, but there is a new restaurant. I don’t know if the owner is still the same one. The business is not as good as before.
Then Lin Qiuran accepted four apprentices, three men and the other one was Wan Niang. Lin Qiuran taught them how to cook.
In this era, it is said that a teacher is a father for life. If you betray your master, you will be criticized by the world.
Lin Qiuran felt that she couldn't keep buying people, and Lin Dong and the others were old. When it came to discussing marriage, they were already slaves. If they married a servant in the future, they would live like this for the rest of their lives.
The three disciples Lin Qiuran accepted were of good character. If Lin Dong and the others were unwilling, she would not force them. There was a long way to go in the future, so there was no need to force them to get married. She was just giving them another way out.
Lu Fan and his friends were still around, but their cooking wasn't great. Otherwise, Lin Qiuran would have considered taking them in as apprentices first. However, they worked long hours, which was beneficial to the shop, so their wages had increased over the past two years.
Lu Fan and Zhao Xing both earned one or two taels of silver a month, and when you add in the shop's holiday and New Year gifts, it would be quite a bit throughout the year.
The restaurant now makes a profit of more than 200 taels per month, and Lin Qiuran can get 210 taels, which is about this amount.
After two years, the money from the restaurant plus the money from the spices and Wufangzhai, Aunt Yu, and Madam Yang was four or five hundred taels a month at most, and more than three hundred taels at least.
As he earned more, he also spent more. Lin Qiuran bought another 180 acres of land, adding to the original 20 acres, making a total of 200 acres.
The newly purchased ones were placed in Xiaojia Village and Linjia Village respectively, which cost five hundred taels of silver.
The family also bought a horse-drawn carriage. A donkey-drawn carriage was sufficient for going to the restaurant, but it was exposed to the wind and sun, and it was inconvenient. If they were going on a long trip, a horse-drawn carriage was more convenient. Lin Ming happened to be able to drive, so Lin Qiuran bought one directly.
In addition to buying new clothes and jewelry for the holidays and some other things for the family, Lin Qiuran had more than 6,000 taels of silver in his hands.
Although they cannot compare with the Xu family in Yu'an, they are already considered a wealthy family.
However, she does not show off her wealth. When Lin Qiuran goes out to cook, she still wears simple clothes. When she is not cooking, she will dress up a little, but she will also dress simply and elegantly, without wearing any gold or silver.
This is the case with Xiao Dashi of the Sun family, and also with Tangyuan.
Yesterday, Shopkeeper Shi bought some beef. Since beef is rare and the others don't know how to cook it, Lin Qiuran did it all. They were busy for over an hour. During this time, Tangyuan lifted the curtain again and whispered, "Mom, I can have another one."
He can't eat four, so three is enough. He won't eat anything else at night.
Lin Qiuran gave him another one and said, "Go ask your grandmother if she wants to eat it now."
Tangyuan went away quickly and came back quickly. "Grandma said that mother was busy first and she was not hungry yet."
Lin Qiuran nodded and said that it was okay for Sun to go back and eat, as there would be someone to cook for her.
The busy schedule lasted until three quarters past ten in the evening. Sun took the dumplings back home. There were only two tables of guests left on the first floor, and the dishes had been served. Lin Qiuran could finally take a break.
Lin Dong and his friends were also very tired. There were seven tables of guests upstairs today, and some people were having a wedding, so they were quite busy.
After the guests had finished eating, Manager Shi and his colleagues cleared the table, and the hired dishwasher was busy boiling water and washing dishes.
Lin Dong and the others served the remaining meat and vegetables. It didn't seem like much, so she made two more dishes. When she brought them out, she saw that the others were still cleaning up. She said, "Let's eat first."
Shopkeeper Shi put down his food and said, "Let's eat first. We won't be able to eat together for many more meals..."
Shopkeeper Shi's tone was somewhat sad. Lu Fan and Zhao Xing also lowered their heads. Shopkeeper Shi sighed, "Madam Lin, are you really planning to leave?"
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The author has something to say: Go to Beijing
Qiuran is now twenty-one years old and Tangyuan is four years old.
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