Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lin Chunyan was dissatisfied with the price, but Wang Niangzi said, "The price is too high. It's not worth it even if we put it in the steamed buns."

The harmonious atmosphere that had just prevailed became somewhat tense due to the price issue.

Lin Taohong tugged at Lin Chunyan's sleeve again, signaling her to settle for what she could get.

Five copper coins per catty was still a pure profit.

However, Lin Chunyan found the shrimp skins too light; five copper coins could buy a large amount, and after all the effort, the earnings were not much.

She then suggested to Wang Niangzi, "Why not have two types of vegetarian fillings? One without shrimp skins, priced as before, and another with shrimp skins, shiitake mushrooms, and wood ear mushrooms, called 'Vegetarian Three Delicacies.' The price could be slightly higher."

Wang Niangzi was startled. She and her husband had already discussed the price at night, agreeing on a maximum of seven copper coins per catty.

They were the only steamed bun shop in town. If Lin Chunyan wanted to do business with them, she would eventually have to agree to their terms.

But they never expected that despite her young age, Lin Chunyan had a keen business sense.

Introducing another type of filling was something they had never dared to consider.

Wang Niangzi pondered for a moment. The idea of "Vegetarian Three Delicacies" sounded promising, and there were several wealthy gentlemen in town who enjoyed new flavors.

If word spread, this filling might become their signature dish.

"But what if no one buys it?"

Wang Niangzi hesitated, but Lin Chunyan smiled, "In business, nothing goes smoothly. Sometimes you need to break old patterns to make progress."

Wang Niangzi didn't fully understand, but seeing Lin Chunyan's firmness, she felt inferior compared to this young girl.

She exchanged a glance with her husband and finally settled on ten copper coins per catty.

Leaving the steamed bun shop, Lin Taohong carried a few more buns. After returning home, tired and hot, Lin Chunyan didn't feel like cooking and decided to make do with the buns.

While in the shop, Lin Taohong hadn't dared to speak much, but once outside, she started chattering nonstop.

Before long, she noticed a stall using a spinning wheel game to attract customers and was drawn to it.

Lin Chunyan had no choice but to follow and watch the excitement.

There was no curfew now. According to Grandma Tangshui, many people came out at night to set up stalls, selling food and creating a lively atmosphere.

Unfortunately, their village was far away, and the night roads were unsafe, so Lin Chunyan had never stayed out late.

Upon closer inspection, she saw that the stall offered small trinkets: rattles, hairpins, and fried river fish.

None of these items cost much, some less than two copper coins, yet people still gathered around to try their luck.

Lin Taohong wanted a hairpin and took out two copper coins to spin the wheel. She ended up with a fried river fish and stomped her feet in frustration.

With limited pocket money, she was reluctant to spend more and urged Lin Chunyan to try.

Lin Chunyan wasn't fooled, but Lin Taohong kept staring at the wheel, fearing she might miss out. Eventually, she left reluctantly.

At that time, both men and women wore flowers. Real flowers changed with the seasons: peonies and peony roses in spring, pomegranate and gardenia flowers in summer, and chrysanthemums and autumn marigolds in fall.

Others wore artificial flowers made from silk or paper, known as palace flowers.

Even after walking a long distance, Lin Taohong still looked back, then asked Lin Chunyan for more money.

"Aren't you already given two copper coins?"

"It's too little. I saw you earn quite a bit today."

Lin Chunyan glared back, "Did you catch the fish or carry it here? Why should I share my earnings with you? Two copper coins isn't little."

Lin Taohong pointed at the bamboo shoots on the ground, "I carried these, and they were heavy."

She had peeled a few bamboo shoots but discarded them because the skin was too thick.

Lin Chunyan pointed at the two copper coins, "That's why I gave you two copper coins. Save your money by buying fewer sugar paintings and sugar water, and you'll have enough soon."

Trailing behind Lin Chunyan, Lin Taohong knew she couldn't argue or fight, so she stopped complaining and asked for something to eat.

"What do you want to eat?"

"I want to eat mung bean cakes." Lin Taohong demanded.

Lin Chunyan checked the price and turned away.

Pastries were a luxury reserved for the wealthy, not a joke.

Seeing that Lin Chunyan wouldn't buy them, Lin Taohong switched to another snack.

Lin Chunyan ignored her unreasonable requests and walked straight to the tofu vendor.

Their village also had tofu sellers, but Lin Chunyan mainly wanted soy milk and bought a large piece of tofu as well.

The soy milk was still steaming hot, but Lin Taohong complained about sweating and drank reluctantly.

Lin Chunyan also thought about chilled soy milk.

If chilled in a well and sweetened, it would indeed be very refreshing.

She thought about the soybeans they had at home, but there weren't many left. She considered trying to make some tofu.

After drinking the soy milk, Lin Chunyan noticed that Lin Taohong was still unhappy. Thinking about how much work she had done today, she suggested, "Even though I only gave you two coins, when I go back, I'll give Mother five coins. You can ask her for more, and then you'll have more."

Lin Taohong's eyes lit up, and her pace quickened. She started chattering again.

"That family is really annoying. Big Sister, do you think Wang Yingniang will make pot-baked fish tomorrow?"

"I don't know."

"Should we make pot-baked fish when we get home, or something else?"

"We'll make the fish again."

"What are we going to do with the tofu?"

Looking at the blazing sun overhead, Lin Chunyan found herself missing the quiet Lin Taohong again.

This big news, Lin Taohong couldn't keep to herself and told Mrs. Zhang as soon as she got home.

Mrs. Zhang was shocked by the price. Her first reaction wasn't joy but worry, fearing that Lin Chunyan might have been beaten because of the high price.

"Where will you get so many small river shrimp?"

Lin Chunyan told her not to worry and went to find Lin Cuixiang on her own.

Unlike Mrs. Zhang, the second household had already gone to the fields early in the morning, even the two young men were busy, leaving only Lin Cuixiang behind.

Lin Chunyan explained her purpose and asked Lin Cuixiang to catch more small river shrimp for her.

"I'll pay you by the pound."

Lin Cuixiang's eyes widened, her speech slurring from excitement, "Yan Niang, how could I take money? We're sisters..."

Lin Chunyan interrupted her, "One thing is one thing. We can't always have you helping us, besides, I have another favor to ask."

Lin Cuixiang's cheeks flushed with excitement, not knowing what Lin Chunyan wanted her to do, she promised, "Big Sister, just tell me. If I can help, I will."

"Let's talk about it after you catch the shrimp."

Lin Chunyan put down three copper coins and left. Inside, Lin Cuixiang touched the coins repeatedly.

Seeing no one in the courtyard, she took two coins and put them in her pocket, then hesitated and took out one more coin.

She had never thought about keeping private money before; the idea came from Lin Taohong during their fishing trip.

Lin Taohong showed Lin Cuixiang the flower in her hair, "I bought this with my private money. I plan to save more to buy more."

The women washing clothes by the river looked at Lin Taohong's flower, their eyes filled with envy.

Lin Cuixiang envied her too.

Unlike Erlang and Sanlang, who occasionally received coins and spent them on drinks or sugar figurines when the peddlers came around, Lin Cuixiang had never spent a single coin. The flowers in her hair were picked from the mountains and wilted by evening.

Holding that one coin, Lin Cuixiang's heart raced.

She needed to find a place to hide it.

She looked around the house and finally found a good spot to put the coin.

When Aunt Lin Er returned, Lin Cuixiang was still catching shrimp by the river. Seeing that she wasn't home, Aunt Lin Er became anxious.

"Why does this girl run out every day? Is she getting too wild before marriage?"

Uncle Lin Er and the two boys were exhausted, panting heavily. Aunt Lin Er had to fetch water from the well to cool off.

Aunt Lin Er then noticed the two coins on the table and asked Uncle Lin Er if he had left them there.

Uncle Lin Er shook his head. At that moment, Lin Cuixiang returned, her face flushed from the sun. She had just delivered the shrimp to Lin Chunyan and discussed raising the shrimp with her.

She listened intently, losing track of time, and rushed home, fearing Aunt Lin Er would scold her.

Breathing heavily, Lin Cuixiang explained where the two coins came from, stopping Aunt Lin Er from getting angry.

Erlang and Sanlang, hearing that the coins were from Lin Chunyan, jumped up and asked Lin Cuixiang if it was true.

They also wanted to earn some pocket money.

Lin Cuixiang's expression darkened, but she nodded. The two exchanged glances, and even the usually steady Erlang ran out like the wind.

Lin Cuixiang followed them to Lin Chunyan's yard, where Sanlang had already explained their purpose.

Lin Cuixiang hesitated, not approaching.

On her way, she overheard Aunt Lin Er and Uncle Lin Er talking about how it wasn't proper for a young woman to be catching fish and shrimp all day. They suggested letting Erlang and Sanlang earn the money instead.

They also mentioned that Lin Chunyan had become capable.

Lin Cuixiang felt uneasy. Lin Chunyan had already noticed her following and didn't hide the fact that she had given the coins to Lin Cuixiang.

"I need some small river shrimp and fish. The coins were for the total amount of help that Cuixiang provided. It wasn't much, so I had to rely on her assistance."

Erlang and Sanlang persisted, and Lin Chunyan made it clear, "We don't need so many people. There are only so many fish and shrimp in the river. They can't be overfished."

Erlang understood and, feeling a bit embarrassed, greeted Mrs. Zhang and pulled Sanlang back home.

Relieved, Lin Cuixiang didn't return to Lin Chunyan's house and followed Erlang and Sanlang back home.

Sanlang didn't know why Erlang suddenly gave up, his neck turning bright red. "Brother, that's two copper coins!"

Erlang glanced at Lin Cuixiang and saw her head still bowed low. He had no choice but to make things clear. "Didn't you hear what Yan Niang said? It was our Xiang Niang who has been helping out there all this time, which is how we got these copper coins. They have nothing to do with us."

Only then did Sanlang realize that Lin Cuixiang was still there. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he scratched his head and ran off.

Mrs. Zhang heard the commotion and poked her head out, asking unhappily, "Why did I hear you giving back the copper coins? With that money, you should be showing respect to your mother."

Lin Chunyan huffed. "I give people money, and they can catch river shrimp for me. Can you?"

Mrs. Zhang was about to say something when she heard a noise outside and quickly went to see who it was.

"Ouch! Whose dog isn't tied up properly, running around in my field..."

Lin Chunyan shook her head and went inside.