Xu Lanzhi and her two children walked dejectedly. After a while, they heard someone shout from behind: "Wait a minute, wait a minute, we're buying rabbits."
Yindi tugged at Xu Lanzhi's sleeve and said, "Mother, are the people behind us calling us?"
When Xu Lanzhi turned around, the person who came was the waiter from the restaurant.
The three stopped. The man, panting heavily, said, "Sister-in-law, you're really lucky today. Our chef wants you to carry the rabbit back to show him."
Xu Lanzhi's face lit up with joy, and she quickly took one child in each hand and followed the shopkeeper back home.
They entered through the back door of the restaurant as before, and the head chef was still waiting for them in the courtyard.
The waiter pointed to the gentle-looking man and said, "This is our Chef Zhou. Quickly bring out the rabbit and let him have a look."
Xu Lanzhi quickly put down her basket, picked up a rabbit by the ear and handed it over, saying, "Chef Zhou, this is a rabbit we raised ourselves. The meat is tender and delicious, and the taste is just as good as other meats!"
Chef Zhou looked at the rabbit; its fur was shiny and smooth, indicating it was well-cared for.
He asked, "Madam, to be honest, we never sell rabbit meat here. I was inspired by what you just said. Everyone is tired of eating chicken, duck, and fish. Perhaps our guests would prefer something fresh."
"But this is just our guess. How about this: I'll take one of your rabbits first, then immediately spray it with my left hand and let the customer taste it. If the customer likes it, I'll buy the rest. If they don't like it, then I'll just give you the money for this one rabbit."
Xu Lanzhi readily agreed: "Of course, I'll give you this rabbit. If the guests don't like it, I won't accept a single penny."
Chef Zhou was surprised that a rural woman could be so generous, and he looked at her with new respect.
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He asked Xu Lanzhi and her daughter to sit down for a moment, and then the waiter went to deal with the rabbit.
Before long, the rabbit meat was neatly placed on the cutting board.
Chef Zhou walked to the counter, and with a swift stroke, he deboned half of the rabbit meat, while cutting the other half into small pieces.
What happened next, Xu Lanzhi and the others had no idea; perhaps that was the chef's secret.
After a while, a plate of tender dried chili rabbit and a plate of braised rabbit were ready. Chef Zhou tasted them and was very satisfied.
He had the waiter take the dishes upstairs to a private room, and after about half an incense stick's time, Chef Zhou came down beaming.
He said to Xu Lanzhi with a big smile, "I want all four of your rabbits. How about I give you two taels of silver?"
Xu Lanzhi said, "Thank you, Chef Zhou, but I've already said that the first rabbit is a gift for you, so just give me 1.5 taels!"
Chef Zhou laughed heartily: "Madam, you are such a straightforward person, but how could I take advantage of you? Please keep this two taels of silver. If you have any more rabbits in the future, just send them over."
Xu Lanzhi accepted the silver and happily went to the market with Zhaodi and Yindi.
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I never expected these rabbits to sell so well; one rabbit is worth as much as a hundred eggs.
Now that she had money, Xu Lanzhi became more generous. She bought a sesame seed cake for each of Zhaodi and Yindi, saying it was to reward them for their hard work selling eggs.
Then I thought about how the children's clothes were passed down from the eldest to the second, and from the second to the youngest, and they were already patched and patched.
Zhao Di and Yin Di were stretching their bodies, their trousers already hanging high, as was their mother-in-law, Wang Shi. They only had two sets of clothes, which had been washed so much that their original color was no longer recognizable.
Tang Qiqi was even more so; the few clothes she wore were all hand-me-downs from her six older sisters, and they didn't dare to wash them too roughly for fear of tearing them.
Seeing her two daughters enjoying their sesame seed cakes, Xu Lanzhi said to them, "Girls, we've earned some money today. I'll take you to buy some cloth to make you new clothes."
Yindi's eyes lit up with excitement. Her only pair of pants already had five patches on the buttocks, and she was really worried that wearing them again would expose her skin.
Zhao Di said sensibly, "Mom, let's forget it. The New Year is still a long way off. With so many people joining us, it will cost a lot of money to make new clothes, and Grandma will be unhappy."
Xu Lanzhi looked at Zhao Di with affection and said, "Silly child, it's alright. Let's make a new outfit for Grandma too."
Zhao Di felt that since Qi Qi was born, not only did the house often have more good things, but her mother also changed a lot.
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She became more cheerful, and walked with her back ramrod straight, making her grandmother seem shorter than her.
Since Mother said it was okay, then it must be okay, right? What little girl doesn't love new clothes? Besides, she couldn't even remember the last time she wore new clothes. The outfit she was wearing was made by her mother from her own old clothes.
The mother and her two daughters went to the cloth shop, where Xu Lanzhi bought a lot of coarse floral fabric to make clothes for her six daughters.
Then he selected a plain-colored fabric and tore off a few feet; that was for Wang Shi.
Then, she stood in front of a piece of cotton cloth for a long time, unable to move. Finally, she gritted her teeth, tore off two feet, and prepared to go back and make two comfortable clothes for Tang Qiqi.
The shop owner was a kind person and said to her, "Why did you buy so much floral fabric? Your two daughters don't need that much."
Xu Lanzhi explained with a smile, "There are seven little ones in the family, so we need to have about that many to make room."
The boss was taken aback. In their area, families with three or four daughters were rare. The reason was simple: if you had too many daughters, you would either give them away or abandon them.
He smiled awkwardly and said, "I see, that uses up quite a bit of fabric."
The shopkeeper, fiddling with his abacus, said, "It'll be one tael and twenty cash in total."
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Xu Lanzhi felt a pang of regret. Although she had chosen inexpensive fabrics, the quantity was too large, and the money she had just received was gone before she could even enjoy it.
Xu Lanzhi pleaded with the shop owner and finally settled on a price of one tael of silver. She also took all the scraps of cloth from the shop, thinking that she could piece them together and make a dress for one of the children.
Fortunately, there seemed to be an endless supply of food at home, which saved a lot of money.
Xu Lanzhi bought another piece of maltose for the children and asked the old man who sold the candy to break it up before heading back.
The mother and her two children happily carried the fabric home, but then another uproar ensued.
This is understandable. In the countryside, people may not be able to afford new clothes even during festivals. Now that spring has just begun, carrying so much fabric home is bound to cause gossip.
The villagers said enviously, "Oh my, Lanzhi, you've struck it rich! You're buying cloth to make clothes even though it's not a holiday!"
Xu Lanzhi answered frankly, "Yes, I just sold some mountain products. The children's clothes are all too worn out."
The village children were incredibly envious. Zhao Di and Yin Di, with their heads held high and chests puffed out, followed behind their mother with pride. They were no longer the mocked "Di Di Gang".
The mother and her two daughters all noticed that someone in the distance was staring at them with extremely resentful eyes.
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