"Tomorrow, come to my residence early. You can use any of my servants and maids. Just tell me what materials you need!" Li Shanren said, stroking his beard.
Jiang Ling thought about it and realized that this might be a good solution. Li Shan's family had many pots and pans, so this would be faster and there would be no need to wait for them to cool down.
“Okay, but as you know, Mr. Li, the recipes are very important in this kind of food and beverage business. I hope I can be in the kitchen by myself when it’s being prepared,” Jiang Ling asked.
“That’s no problem at all. I’ll have Afu give the instructions in a bit. You can come over around 5 a.m. tomorrow!” Li Shanren said.
As they were talking, Afu had already placed three hundred copper coins outside the door. Li Shanren waved his hand, and Afu came in carrying a square red lacquered wooden tray. He placed the tray on the table and respectfully said to Li Shanren, "Sir, here are three hundred copper coins!"
Li Shanren nodded and said to Afu, "Afu, Madam Jiang will be coming over at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Please make arrangements for the servants in the kitchen then."
Upon hearing this, Afu nodded, lowered his head, and left the hall.
"Try it out." Li Shanren pushed the square plate in front of Jiang Ling.
With a smile on her face, Jiang Ling poured the copper coins into her money bag and said, "Mr. Li, you are a kind and charitable man. I trust you wouldn't cheat a woman like me in this way!"
After hearing this, Li Shanren laughed heartily, praised Jiang Ling a few more times, and gave her a box of exquisite pastries.
Before leaving, Jiang Ling poured the other two bowls of syrup into the bowl that Afu had prepared. This time, Jiang Ling also asked Afu to add some ice cubes to the bowl and take it to the back.
All the men who worked there praised her highly. After receiving the money from the men, Jiang Ling left with her three children.
As soon as she got into Uncle Lu's oxcart, Uncle Lu noticed the box of pastries in Jiang Ling's hand and said with slight surprise, "Oh my, pastries from Yuehuazhai? Jiang, this benefactor Li is really generous!"
Seeing Lu Bo's expression, Jiang Ling asked curiously, "Yuehuazhai? Are the pastries there delicious?"
"Oh, Jiang, you have no idea, Yuehuazhai's pastries are among the best in Pingxi County. I was lucky enough to have a piece before, and the taste was absolutely amazing!" Uncle Lu said, his eyes narrowing and his lips smacking as if he were savoring some delicacy.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling smiled, opened the paper wrapping the pastry, took one out, patted Uncle Lu on the shoulder and said, "Here you go, Uncle Lu, eat up!"
"No, no, this pastry costs a lot of money! Quick! Let's save it for the children!" Uncle Lu hurriedly waved his hand and refused.
Although Uncle Lu said that, he swallowed hard. Jiang Ling smiled and winked at Jiang Suihe. Jiang Suihe carefully stood up from the oxcart, took the pastries from Jiang Ling's hand and placed them in Uncle Lu's hand, saying, "Uncle Lu, please eat them. My mother said that people should be good at sharing!"
"This...okay...alright, thank you Suihe!" Faced with the child, Uncle Lu had no reason to refuse. He took the pastry but didn't put it in his mouth. Instead, he took a piece of coarse cloth from his pocket, carefully picked up the pastry, and put it back in his pocket.
Jiang Ling suddenly remembered something. She asked Uncle Lu to wait for her for a little while and instructed him to look after her three children. Then she got off the oxcart and walked into the alley.
Jiang Ling arrived at the bookstore she had visited before. The bookstore owner had a deep impression of her. As soon as Jiang Ling walked in, the owner quickly stood up from behind the counter and asked, "Sister-in-law, what book would you like to buy today?"
Jiang Ling pointed to the location of the Three Character Classic and said, "It was copied by the scholar."
Although the shopkeeper was surprised, he wasn't gossipy. He took a book from the bookshelf and placed it in Jiang Ling's hand.
Looking at the strong and powerful handwriting of the Three Character Classic, Jiang Ling asked, "Shopkeeper, there's something I need to ask you."
The shopkeeper quickly waved his hand and said politely, "Sister-in-law, just tell me what you need. There's no need to be so polite with me."
"I'd like to ask, how much does it typically cost to hire a tutor?"
Jiang Ling's words startled the shopkeeper. He frowned and quickly looked at Jiang Ling's clothes. No matter how he looked at her, Jiang Ling seemed like someone who couldn't afford tuition.
The shopkeeper shook his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "Well... sister-in-law, if I may say something I shouldn't, your attire doesn't suggest you can afford the tuition fee!"
"The tuition fee is better for ordinary academies; it doesn't necessarily have to be silver. Sometimes a few dozen catties of white rice or a few dozen eggs will suffice. But you said you want to hire a tutor. Do you mean you want him to come to your home?" the shopkeeper asked hesitantly.
“Yes, shopkeeper, you haven’t misunderstood. That’s exactly what I meant,” Jiang Ling said.
"Well... let's not talk about the fees yet. The teacher needs you to provide three meals a day. I don't expect him to eat white rice every meal, but he can't eat too badly either. As for the money..." The shopkeeper behind him didn't say anything, but just held up two fingers.
"Two hundred taels?" Jiang Ling blurted out in shock.
"No, not that much. Even the cheapest schoolteacher would need two taels of silver a month. Sister-in-law, I don't mean to look down on you, but with your family's circumstances, it's probably difficult for you to come up with two taels of silver a year!" As he finished speaking, the shopkeeper realized that his words had gone too far, and quickly covered his mouth and shook his head.
Jiang Ling breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing that it was two taels of silver; at least this amount was within her budget. She thanked the shopkeeper and left.
The oxcart creaked and groaned as it slowly made its way to Pingxi County.
Just as they reached the entrance of the county government office, the tall, thin yamen runner waved to Jiang Ling, then rushed to her side. Seeing that there was no basin next to her, he asked curiously, "Sister-in-law, where's the mint water today?"
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