Sure enough, Manager Wen, with an angry expression, went behind the counter and kicked him hard in the butt!
"All the money lost today will be deducted from your monthly pay! Get back to the kitchen and don't let me see you again!"
Leaving the bustling entrance of Lingyue Tower, the candied hawthorns and sugar balls on the oxcart were almost sold out.
There were still some left in the box, but Su Yun'er said that these were kept separately and she didn't plan to sell them.
She packed it all up, wrapped it in a piece of oil paper, and carefully placed it in the basket.
After leaving the bustling Lingque Street, the three of them were getting thirsty.
I looked up at the sun; it was at its peak.
It turns out it's past lunchtime. No wonder I feel so thirsty and hungry. The Song brothers must be hungry too.
The Song brothers just helped me solve a problem and put in so much effort, I can't just let them go back hungry.
So Su Yun'er called out to the two of them: "Brother Mu Qiang, Brother Song Er, there's a noodle shop up ahead. I heard that the food there is delicious, and the portions are generous and affordable. Let's go in and get something to eat."
The Song brothers hesitated. Their family wasn't well-off; they struggled to feed themselves and others, let alone afford to eat out.
"You just helped me get three taels of silver as an apology and compensation from the manager of Lingyue Tower. I'd like to treat you to a meal as a token of my gratitude!"
"No need, no need, you've already given me so many candied hawthorns and candied balls. They're worth a lot of money already," Song Muqiang waved his hands repeatedly.
The annoyed look on his face when he faced the young waiter at Lingyue Tower is nowhere to be seen now.
"Don't refuse, don't be polite. If you don't go in yourselves, I'm going to drag you in." Su Yun'er smiled with narrowed eyes, her tone carrying a teasing threat.
The Song brothers exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly.
Men and women should not touch each other, and the three are not siblings. If people see them pulling and tugging at each other, it will cause unpleasant gossip.
Knowing they couldn't refuse, the two brothers followed Su Yun'er into the noodle shop.
As soon as I sat down inside the noodle shop, a middle-aged woman came over and asked what I wanted to eat; I suppose she was the owner.
There were signs hanging on the wall inside the shop, each sign listing the dishes the shop offered. However, many people in this era were illiterate, and the original owner of this body was also illiterate, so Su Yun'er couldn't just look at the signs to order. Instead, she asked the proprietress for recommendations.
The proprietress greets and sees off many customers every day, so she has a keen eye for business.
She noticed that the three people were dressed like villagers from the neighborhood, but Su Yun'er was neatly dressed and acted naturally without any awkwardness. She immediately asked for recommendations and her demeanor was unusual. She seemed to be a regular at restaurants. Perhaps she was a wealthy person pretending to be a farmer. Even if she really was a farmer, she was probably a rich man.
But whether rich or poor, everyone who comes in is a guest, and the proprietress will treat them well.
"What would you like to eat? In addition to soup noodles, our shop also offers home-style dishes."
Su Yun'er then ordered a bowl of signature noodle soup for each of the three people, and added a stewed beef, a steamed river fish, and a cold bamboo shoot salad.
While the dishes were being served, Su Yun'er pretended to look around the shop, quickly scanning the menu. She noticed that most of the dishes offered were stewed, steamed, braised, made into soups, or cold dishes. She didn't see any stir-fried dishes, and there were very few fried dishes.
Then Su Yun'er thought about how the stir-fries and fried pancakes she made for her family were novel to them. At first, she thought they were just poor and had never eaten these things before. Now she realized that in this era, stir-frying was not yet a common cooking method for every household.
That's true. People are poor, and the vast majority are struggling to make ends meet. They simply can't afford cooking methods that consume a lot of oil, such as frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying.
The soup noodles and side dishes were served one after another, and the Song brothers ate very happily. Although the cooking method was simple, it was a rare treat to have meat.
After trying all the dishes at this restaurant, Su Yun'er had her own answer: simple, home-style, and the taste was decent but not amazing.
Su Yun'er, after all, had tasted delicacies from all over the world in her previous life, both domestically and internationally, so although these dishes were not bad, they were not enough to impress her.
The candied hawthorn business is coming to an end. She plans to go into the catering business in the future, so she needs to understand the characteristics of popular diets in this era.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Song Muqiang drove the oxcart to take Su Yun'er to her doorstep.
Just as the two brothers were about to leave, Su Yun'er called them back.
Su Yun'er took out the package of candied hawthorns and candied balls wrapped in oil paper from the basket and handed them to Song Muqiang: "Brother Muqiang, you can take these home and eat them. Zixing and your two wives will definitely like these sweets."
"We can't accept this; this is what you earned money from," the Song brothers repeatedly declined. "Besides, you paid for the meal at the noodle shop today; how can you eat it and take it with you?"
"Without your help today, I wouldn't have been able to sell so many, nor would I have been able to clear up the rumors. These candies are already a small token of my gratitude. Please don't refuse."
The three of them pushed and shoved each other at the door. Su Yun'er found an opening, stuffed the package into Song Muqiang's arms, and then slipped inside.
Thus, the Song brothers had no choice but to thank them from behind the door and drive away in their oxcart.
It was already afternoon. Before Su Yun'er left with the Song brothers in the morning, she had told Old Madam Chen not to wait for her to eat.
At that moment, Su Yun'er saw Old Mrs. Chen sewing clothes while sunbathing in the yard.
Old Mrs. Chen had already heard the commotion at the door and understood that Su Yun'er was giving the Song brothers a thank-you gift and treating them to a meal. She looked at Su Yun'er and nodded approvingly.
"Mom, there's no rush for these chores, don't overwork yourself."
“Making clothes and quilts is not tiring at all. It’s you who is tired. You’re the one who is tired the most in the family, leaving early and coming back late every day.” As she spoke, Old Mrs. Chen bit the thread in her hand and stuck the needle into the ball of thread next to her. She shook the clothes she had sewn and said, “Here, this one is finished too. Try it on and see if it fits.”
This garment was altered by dismantling several old pieces of clothing.
Grandma Chen arranged and pieced together fabrics of different colors and materials, then sewed them up again, adding a thin layer of cotton inside, making it perfect for this season.
The suit fit Su Yun'er perfectly.
The saplings and grass were also awakened by the noise, rubbing their eyes and sleepily nestling on either side of Old Mrs. Chen.
"Mom, our family has been working hard lately. I bought lamb chops, let's stew lamb chops tomorrow," Su Yun'er said.
I'm in a good mood today, so we should have eaten today, but it's getting late. The lamb chops need to be stewed for an hour or two longer to make the meat tender and the broth rich.
So it can only be scheduled for tomorrow.
"Yay! Time to eat meat!"
The two little cats, Little Tree and Little Grass, jumped up and clapped their hands as soon as they heard that they were going to eat lamb chops.
"But Mother, aren't you going to town to sell candied hawthorns tomorrow?" Xiaocao asked.
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