On her way home, Su Yun'er kept thinking about how to make a shelter from the wind and snow.
Building a house directly on the street stall is not very practical at present. To ensure stability, it would require piling, construction, and wind and heat protection. It would essentially be building the outline of a house. Moreover, not only would the stalls need to be covered, but the area where customers eat would also need to be insulated. In this way, it would be equivalent to changing a house. The entire process would take too long.
If a fixed structure cannot be built, then the only option left is a movable and detachable tent.
Tents existed in this era, so making one for guests to eat and rest in wasn't a problem. You'd also need some modular wooden planks to assemble into long tables and benches for easy carrying around each day.
As for keeping the food stall warm, Su Yun'er plans to make an expandable and retractable canopy on the vehicle frame. The canopy will be made of the same material as a tent, providing both wind protection and warmth. Combined with the warmth from the small stove, keeping warm will not be a problem.
Upon arriving home, Su Yun'er immediately redrawn the design of the carport on the drawings she had made that morning, and then went to find the carpenter Guangcai without stopping.
When Su Yun'er returned from the carpenter's place, she found that He Liu had come.
“I heard that I saw you packing up and coming back, so I brought the little tree and grass back to you. The two children were tired from playing and are now asleep.”
"Thank you for your hard work, Auntie." Su Yun'er said, looking at the somewhat awkward man standing next to He Liu.
He was a bit unfamiliar to Su Yun'er, and the original owner of this body probably didn't know him either. However, judging from He Liu's and this man's demeanor, this must be He Liu's husband.
The man had dark skin and was tall and thin, but he looked strong. Su Yun'er guessed that the man was at least ten years older than He Liu. No wonder He Liu was about the same age as her, but a generation older.
Grandma Chen introduced the man to Su Yun'er.
"Little Tree's mother, your Aunt He and her husband are here. You probably haven't met her husband before."
Su Yun'er indeed had no recollection of He Liu's husband.
"Shanhe's wife, this is my man, Guan Tianhe."
"Uncle Guan," Su Yun'er addressed him according to seniority.
"Oh, no need to be so polite." Guan Tianhe waved his hands repeatedly, looking as if he couldn't accept the courtesy.
He Liu also acted strangely today, looking very reserved towards Su Yun'er and her mother-in-law, constantly rubbing her hands, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
Su Yun'er roughly guessed what was going on; she figured these two had come today to ask for something.
"Auntie, we're so close, I won't stand on ceremony. I'm making some snacks today, could you help me out?" Su Yun'er said specially.
It seems that He Liu was too embarrassed to say it in front of her husband and Old Lady Chen, so it would be better to talk to her privately, which would make it easier to bring it up.
Moreover, if one cannot fulfill one's request, there is no need to refuse in front of Guan Tianhe, so that neither party will feel too awkward.
Upon hearing this, He Liu breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed.
The two entered the kitchen one after the other. Su Yun'er scooped out some flour, intending to make fried dough sticks.
We used to lack snacks when entertaining guests at home, so making some fried snacks is a good idea. They're easy to store and taste crispy and delicious, which I think everyone would enjoy.
More importantly, Su Yun'er herself wanted to eat it.
"Auntie, could you get me some eggs and sugar from that shelf?"
He Liu found the eggs and sugar, her eyes filled with envy, for these were things that most people never saw.
"Shanhe's wife, do you know quite a few people at the docks now?" He Liu finally spoke up.
“I have some regular customers, but I wouldn’t say I know them. Auntie, is there something you need?” Su Yun’er replied, her hands still busy, adding water, eggs, and sugar to the flour and stirring until smooth.
"Oh, you figured it out. I do have something to ask of you today." He Liu fiddled with her fingers, carefully choosing her words. "My husband used to work as a shop assistant in the city, selling mountain produce. He was doing well, but then the shop owner, for some reason, suddenly wanted to fire him, so... he's now out of work."
"Why was Uncle Guan fired?" Su Yun'er asked casually.
"It seems the boss has some family trouble and can't come up with the money." After saying that, He Liu suddenly added anxiously, "My man is very honest and wouldn't do anything bad."
Su Yun'er smiled: "Auntie, don't worry, I was just asking casually, I didn't mean anything by it."
"Auntie, you're looking for me because you want to find Uncle Guan a job at the docks?" Su Yun'er didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.
"Huh? You already know?" He Liu seemed a little embarrassed. "My family's situation is average. We rely on him to earn money to support the family. Now that he's lost his job at the mountain produce shop, I can't even make ends meet by doing sewing and mending for others."
"So, Auntie wants to help Uncle find a job at the docks?"
"Yes, Shanhe's wife, do you think you can help me?"
Su Yun'er began rolling the kneaded dough into a large, thin pancake, saying, "To be honest, Auntie, I don't really know anyone at the docks. I just have a few familiar faces who often come to eat tofu pudding. But since you've come to ask for my help, I'll definitely try to think of a way. But if it really doesn't work out, please don't blame me."
“Yes, yes, I know,” He Liu said happily, agreeing repeatedly when Su Yun’er said she was willing to help. “That dock isn’t owned by you, so you can’t just tell my man to go and he can go. But we are very grateful that you are willing to help.”
After agreeing on these terms, Su Yun'er and He Liu cut the dough into strips three or four fingers wide. They then made a random cut in the middle of each strip, flipped one end of the dough over from the middle, tidied it up, and then it was ready to be deep-fried.
The fried dough pieces are golden and crispy, with a sweet aroma. Paired with hawthorn tea, they make for a simple and delicious afternoon tea.
He Liu helped Su Yun'er finish frying all the noodles. Before leaving, Su Yun'er packed a lot for her to take home and eat. He Liu declined several times, but she and her husband had no choice but to take a small bowl of noodles home.
The next day, the sun was shining brightly. Su Yun'er and Old Lady Chen carried tofu pudding and food to the dock.
Because she was preoccupied with finding a job for He Liu's husband, Su Yun'er's eyes searched through the crowd of diners, trying to figure out who could help her.
Soon, Su Yun'er set her sights on one person.
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