Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Lantern Festival
Huo Xing quickly cut a bamboo and came back, then sat in the yard and started to sharpen the bamboo stick. Although he had big hands, he was good at doing delicate things like using a knife.
Huo Xiaobao sat in the yard and ate candy obediently. Miao Ying thought that he couldn't just sell stir-fried candies, he could also sell candy blocks. However, since it was his first time, he didn't dare to make too many for fear of failure. Now he felt a little regretful.
After the sugar cooled, he took out a portion of it and pulled it continuously. The color gradually changed from transparent to white. Although it was just a small amount of sugar, Miao Ying had to pull it with great effort until he could not pull it anymore. The sugar block also became hard and snow-white. He cut it into small pieces with a knife, and separated each piece widely to prevent them from sticking together.
Half of the boiled sugar was kept to make stirring candy, and the other half was made into candy blocks. Miao Ying looked at the little amount of sugar and calculated the price.
"My glutinous rice and the cloth cost me sixty wen, the wheat twenty wen, the firewood and labor one hundred wen, for a total of one hundred and eighty wen, plus the bamboo, two hundred wen. I charge five wen for each candy bar, and five wen for two candies."
Neither my grandmother nor Li Hongying had ever done business, and they didn't know whether this was expensive or cheap. They just subconsciously believed Miao Ying.
"Mom, I'll buy some glutinous rice tomorrow. There will be a big market on the second day of the second month. I'll make some candies and we'll sell them at the market." He hadn't sold out the ones he made today, but he was already planning for the next time.
Li Hongying nodded: "Okay."
In the whole afternoon, Huo Xing had shaved many small bamboo strips, polishing them very cleanly without even a burr. Miao Ying looked at his hands, only to see that they were covered with tiny wounds. He wanted to shave more, but Miao Ying quickly stopped him: "Stop, we don't have much sugar, so we won't need so much."
Huo Xing stopped at this point. Miao Ying looked at the wound on his fingertips and found some medicine to apply on it. Huo Xing lowered his eyes and looked at Miao Ying. His hand was holding his own, and the contrast was sharp. Huo Xing felt that his hands did not need to be treated so gently, because his hands were as rough as the old tree roots on the mountain. But after touching Miao Ying's fingers that seemed to have no bones, he hoped that Miao Ying could hold his hand for a little longer.
Miao Ying took two small bamboo sticks, stirred a piece of sugar from the sugar bowl, pulled it a few times, and handed it to Huo Xiaobao. Huo Xiaobao couldn't let it go and licked the sugar bit by bit.
Miao Ying waved at him and made some more candies for him to share with his friends. Huo Xiaobao was very happy. He wiped his hands on his clothes several times before taking some candies and going door to door to look for his good friends.
Looking at his cheering face, Miao Ying suddenly felt a little guilty. Xiaobao thought that he was sharing with a child, but in fact it contained the selfish motives of an adult, but he didn't understand it yet.
Huo Xiaobao and his friends played at the stone steps every day. Today, Huo Xiaobao went there early and waited for a long time before his friends came. When Erniu came over, he saw Huo Xiaobao sitting on the steps at a glance.
When Huo Xiaobao saw him, his eyes lit up immediately: "Brother Erniu, I have gifts for you, but they haven't arrived yet, so I want to give them to you all at once."
Erniu was also very excited. He looked Huo Xiaobao up and down, but he didn't see anything different about him.
Only after Xiaohu, Xiaobaicai and Xiaoshuanzi arrived did Huo Xiaobao take out the candies that Miao Ying had given him from his purse and gave one to each of them. Huo Xiaobao's purse was very clean, but the candies were still covered with some dust. However, this did not affect the children's joy at all.
The eyes of the other children lit up. It was candy, sweet candy. The five children stopped playing and sat in a row to lick the candy. However, since they seldom ate candy, they licked it very carefully, fearing that it would be finished soon. It was not until it was dark that they went home licking the candy.
叶风见二牛舔着糖回来吓了一跳，还以为是他从家里偷拿了钱去买吃的，当即就要动手揍，二牛赶紧解释是小宝给他的，叶风还是不信，害怕是孩子为了逃避惩罚瞎扯的，于是就带着二牛去了霍家。
The Huo family's yard was too small, and the family was squeezed together so tightly. Thinking of this, Ye Feng grabbed a few more eggs and took them with him. He couldn't go to the house empty-handed. The family raised chickens and ducks, so Erniu had plenty of eggs to eat on weekdays. They also planted a lot of land, and didn't plant less just because Qin Qiang was not around. He was capable, and his parents-in-law were hardworking, so they lived a good life.
On the contrary, Miao Yingjia saw Huo Xiaobao. He was thin and small, with sparse hair. His family lived a very difficult life, but they could still afford to give the child a few eggs.
When they arrived at the Huo family, Miao Ying was washing Huo Xiaobao's hands in the yard. Turning around, she saw Ye Feng and quickly opened the door to let him in.
"Don't think I'm meddling. I'm just worried that the child might lie and have bad behavior when he grows up." Ye Feng explained his purpose and handed the eggs to Miao Ying. "Thank you, Xiaobao, for treating Erniu to candy."
Miao accepted it and thanked him. Ye Feng became curious again: "Did you really make this candy?"
Miao Ying nodded: "I saw it before when I was reading some miscellaneous books, so I thought about trying it myself."
"You're amazing," Ye Feng exclaimed. "Are you selling this candy? I want to buy some for my parents-in-law to try. They've suffered all their lives, and I want to give them something sweet."
Li Hongying had already packed some candy for him: "We are all neighbors, there is no need to pay."
Ye Feng disagreed: "This is not something as ordinary as an egg. It takes a lot of effort to make it. How can I not charge for it? If you don't charge for it, I don't want it."
Miao Ying was helpless and could only say, "I was planning to sell them at the Lantern Festival tomorrow. If you want to buy them, it's a good start for me. Then, according to the price I set, these candies will cost ten cents."
Li Hongying didn't pack many candies, only about five or six pieces. According to Miao Ying's previous plan, the candies cost two pieces for five cents, so he didn't lose money.
Ye Feng gave the money promptly. Li Hongying then thought of the glutinous rice and malt used to make sugar. People could not eat them anymore. Ye Feng's family raised chickens, so it would be better to give them to him.
"I don't have any chickens at home, and people can't eat these things. Just take them back." Li Hongying packed up the leftovers. "I'll have to trouble you again. If you have chicks, please bring a few to my family."
Ye Feng nodded quickly: "It's all a small matter. I'll send you new chicks when there are new ones."
After the greetings, Ye Feng took Erniu home and gave the candy to his parents-in-law to taste. He also praised Miao Ying for his young age but great ability, saying that he was a friend worth making.
On the afternoon of the Lantern Festival, Miao Ying and Huo Xing were about to go to the lantern festival to sell candy. The lantern festival was not in the town, but in the county town. They were much farther away from the county town now, so they left home very early. Huo Xing carried a small bowl of sugar in a backpack, and other candies were placed on it. The backpack was also covered with a layer of cloth.
You have to pay to park at the Lantern Festival stalls, and they have to go there early to get a good spot.
However, when they arrived, there were already many vendors queuing up, and it was almost dark when they got to their place. Although the remaining locations were remote, they were still on the main street. The two stalls next to them did not sell food. One sold ornaments and the other sold lanterns.
It will start soon after dark. Tonight is more like a lovers' festival. The streets are full of young men and women. Even in the night, you can see their shy eyes and red ears.
Miao Ying opened the shop very quickly. It was a family with two children. The little girl sat on her father's shoulders, and the boy was held by his mother. Children are the biggest audience for candy. When Miao Ying saw them, he shouted loudly: "Selling stir-fried candy, delicious stir-fried candy."
People are always curious about things they have never heard of. The little girl hugged her father's neck, and her mother came over and asked in a very gentle voice: "What is this?"
Huo Xing was speechless, so Miao Ying said, "It's a candy made from malt sugar." He used a wooden stick to stir a piece of candy, stirring it in his hand. The transparent candy slowly changed color. He handed it to the family of four and said, "That's it."
"Daddy, Mommy, I want it." The little girl looked at the candy in front of her. She looked at her mother pleadingly, and then touched her father's face. The little boy still held it, but the action of swallowing his saliva still revealed his desire for it.
"How much is it?" The father couldn't resist his daughter's coquettishness and looked at the candy in front of him.
"The original price is ten cents a piece. Your family is my first customer today, so I'll give you eight cents."
This price is not cheap. A string of candied haws is only five cents. There are two children in their family, so there is no reason to buy it for only one.
Miao Ying also noticed it. He brought scissors today and cut the candy in half. He also gave two sticks: "That's it. Brother and sister can have one."
The mother thanked Miao Ying, paid the money, and left with her two excited children.
Huo Xing looked at Miao Ying: "Didn't you say five cents?"
Miao Ying then whispered, "While you were waiting in line, I went to check and found that the prices of everything have gone up tonight. Meat buns usually cost three cents, but today they're five. We can't be so honest."
Huo Xing uttered a "oh" and took out the dry food he brought from home from his arms: "Eat something first."
At this moment, no one came to buy candy, so he sat on the small stool he brought and ate the cake in small bites. When someone came to ask, he immediately explained to them with a smile.
"You two look so well-matched. Eat some candy today, and your days ahead will be sweet and happy."
"If a child eats candy today, the candy will fill his dimples. He will surely be a sweet and lovely child when he grows up."
Miao Ying's words were so praiseworthy that no one could stop praising him. Anyone who came to his stall to ask for something would leave empty-handed. They would buy a piece of candy from him just for the auspicious words.
Soon his sugar bowl was empty and his purse was gradually full. He estimated that he would sell out another ten or so candies. Candy blocks were not as novel as candy blocks, but they were more cost-effective for many people, so he had to sell out the candy blocks first.
The lantern festival was lively, with cheers ringing out from time to time. Miao Ying stretched his neck, but because there were too many people, he couldn't see anything. Miao Ying looked at the few things they had left and said, "Let's go and have a look after they're all sold out. I want to buy a lantern for Xiaobao later."
Huo Xing nodded.
Today, Miao Ying was in charge of chatting with the customers while Huo Xing was busy stirring the candies. His hands were steady and each portion of candy was almost the same weight. While Miao Ying had some time to bargain, he patted his shoulder to express his appreciation.
Fu Lingzhi is a guy who loves to be lively. He will appear wherever there is excitement. He will definitely go out to watch the Lantern Festival. Usually, Fu Lingyao goes out with him because they both love to play, but today, the one who goes out with him is his eldest brother, Fu Lingyou.
Fu Lingzhi was very reserved around his elder brother. He didn't know why his elder brother, who was always very busy, had time to accompany him to the lantern festival. He originally wanted to have a drink after the lantern festival, but today, since he was with his elder brother, he could only watch the lantern festival and then go home.
Fu Lingyou looked at him and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Fu Lingzhi quickly shook his head: "It's okay, big brother." Afraid that his big brother would see that he didn't want to go out with him, he looked forward and saw Miao Ying setting up a stall on the roadside, and Huo Xing beside him.
Fu Lingzhi has a good memory. When Fu Lingyao was rescued, he even lent him money to compensate the other person. He didn't expect to meet him again at this time.
He walked to their stall, and Miao Ying quickly perked up, only to find that the man looked very familiar. Thinking about it carefully, wasn't this the young master whom he had taken advantage of a little bit back then?
The young master seemed to be in a good mood. He asked with a smile what they were selling and asked about Huo Xing's current condition after receiving his injury.
Miao Ying looked at Huo Xing in confusion. How come he was involved with this young master again?
Afraid Miao Ying would misunderstand, Fu Lingzhi quickly said, "He saved my brother's life, and our family is very grateful to him."
Miao Ying quickly said, "It's okay, his injuries are almost healed. I paid him back then, so you don't have to worry."
Hearing him say this, Fu Lingyou's frown relaxed.
Fu Lingzhi asked: "What are you selling?"
"Sugar, malt sugar." Miao Ying lifted the cloth to show him, "It's almost sold out."
Fu Lingzhi smiled: "Give me the rest."
This was a pleasant surprise. Huo Xing started to stir the candies and made more than ten in one go. There was no need for Fu Lingzhi to help him, as there were naturally people helping him. Fu Lingyou looked at the candies and said, "Take them back and distribute them to the people in the young master's yard."
After saying that, he didn't ask the price and just gave one or two taels of silver. Then he pushed Fu Lingzhi's shoulder and took him away.
After selling everything, Miao Ying quickly packed up: "Huo Xing, hurry up and pack up, let's go enjoy the lantern festival."
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