Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Since it was decided to hire people, Lin Chunyan thought about putting up a hiring notice and selecting people from nearby villages to come and help.

When Mr. Zhao saw this, he remarked that it would be too troublesome. If something came up, the hired hands might not be able to come to work. He suggested it would be better to buy one or two people through a middleman.

"Now that the north has suffered a disaster, many refugees have secretly run over here. A lot of people are selling themselves just to get a full meal."

Working for Lin Chunyan, at the very least, would ensure they wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing. It would be giving them a lifeline, much better than being sold to some filthy place.

However, Lin Chunyan was very resistant to this idea. She didn’t want people to be treated like commodities, bought and sold, and even discarded at will.

Mrs. Zhang and the others couldn’t understand this. "Isn't this how the world works? Is there really a place where people aren't bought and sold casually?"

Even living well at home, one could still be sold, like how Wang Yingniang was sold to become a concubine for someone like Mr. Li.

There’s no reasoning in such matters.

Lin Chunyan was momentarily rendered speechless. She couldn’t exactly say that there were indeed such places, but they just weren’t born in the right time.

"Anyway, I don’t want to buy people. We’ll take our time and eventually find someone satisfactory."

When she had time, Lin Chunyan went to clean up the shop. Mrs. Song and Mr. Song were also very diligent, helping to clean everything inside and out.

The bread oven had been built with the help of Mr. Fang. Now that he had this skill, he was quite busy, but when Lin Chunyan asked him to come, he immediately put down his work without a word, which made Lin Chunyan feel a little guilty.

For the first batch, Lin Chunyan planned to make pork jerky.

Ever since she learned to cook, whenever she used new kitchen tools for the first time, she would always perform a ritual to honor the fire.

The bread oven was no exception. How the first batch turned out and what was baked was especially important.

Making pork jerky was a bit troublesome. The pork had to be minced first, marinated, and then spread thinly on greaseproof paper. A rolling pin was used to flatten the layer of pork.

Mr. Song helped with the fire and watched as Lin Chunyan spent a long time chopping the pork filling. He could only shake his head.

"So much effort for something to eat."

Lin Chunyan smiled and explained with a good temper, "Isn't living all about this food? Having the mood to fuss over food is a kind of happiness."

Mr. Song thought about it and found Lin Chunyan's words reasonable.

The thinly rolled pork jerky was placed in the bread oven to bake for half an incense stick’s time, then taken out and brushed with a layer of honey.

Unfortunately, her honey was running low again.

Lin Chunyan casually asked Mrs. Song, "I wonder if there’s anyone around here who keeps bees?"

If she wasn’t so incapable, Lin Chunyan would have considered keeping bees herself.

Mrs. Song actually knew someone. "He’s from our village. Everyone calls him 'Second Fool.' Ever since he was young, bees have never stung him."

Because of this, he would go into the mountains to find honey. Even his brother and sister-in-law, who were unwilling to support him, tolerated him more because of the honey.

Lin Chunyan’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t this a unique talent? If they really started keeping bees, wouldn’t that be a great advantage?

She asked Mrs. Song to help inquire if this person would be willing to help with beekeeping.

Mrs. Song was now very motivated. After discussing with Mr. Song, they decided to set up a stall at the entrance of their shop and resume selling tea.

Even though their children were not around, they felt that by making their days better, Juan’er and the others wouldn’t worry so much.

The small door Lin Chunyan had mentioned earlier was already built. It wasn’t very big. Lin Chunyan didn’t intend for people to pass through it, but rather to place a table there with pre-fried dishes. Anyone who wanted to take away food could just bring a food box and take it directly without having to wait.

Looking at all this, Mrs. Song felt that the house had gained some vitality.

Soon, the aroma of pork jerky wafted through the yard. Mr. Song, who was helping to fix something, couldn’t help but sniff when he smelled it.

These days, whenever Lin Chunyan passed by their place on her way back, she would always leave some of the things sold at the stall—meat bao, two bowls of noodles, or sometimes even delicate pastries—which had helped nourish the two of them significantly.

Lin Taohong, who had been hanging bamboo curtains outside, smelled the aroma and, unable to continue working, ran in.

"Big sister, is the pork jerky ready?"

Lin Chunyan nodded and handed her a piece. "Try it first."

Mr. Song had already started eating. The pork jerky had a lot of sesame seeds, and the red and white colors looked very appealing together. The taste was initially sweet, followed by the flavorful and chewy meat.

"Very chewy, worth the effort earlier." Mr. Song, with his good teeth, had no difficulty at all. The more he chewed, the more fragrant it became. After finishing one piece, he wanted to get another.

Mrs. Song gave him a sideways glance. "Just now you were making sarcastic remarks, and now you’re eating so eagerly without shame."

Mr. Song laughed a few times. "Next time we make this pork jerky, just call me to chop the filling, so I won’t be eating for free."

Lin Taohong also ate several pieces before stopping, all the while looking at the next batch in the bread oven. "Is there more?"

If there was, she wanted to eat some more.

Today, Mrs. Zhang hadn’t come over. If she had, she would definitely have nagged about Lin Taohong eating too much.

Lin Chunyan understood her meaning and nodded. "I made a lot. Feel free to eat your fill."

During this time, Lin Taohong had actually performed quite well. Even when Lin Chunyan was buying the shop, she had contributed all her money and even gave Lin Chunyan the clove earrings she had bought for the New Year.

Although she was occasionally unreliable, she was truly supportive of Lin Chunyan now.

When she returned, Lin Chunyan distributed the pork jerky to everyone. Wang Yingniang, while eating, remarked, "This seems easy to preserve and could be sold to faraway places."

It was easier in cold weather, but with the upcoming heat, it wouldn’t be so easy to sell outside.

Lin Chunyan nodded, thinking of the ham that was easy to preserve. "We need to find time to make more of it."

Lin Taohong stood there with her mouth open, watching as Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang discussed their future plans. She didn't know how to join the conversation.

"With such delicious food, we should just eat in peace. Why overthink it?" she muttered quietly, then pulled Lin Chunyan's arm, clinging to her.

Mrs. Zhang came out after digging the pit, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and mumbled to herself. When she saw Lin Chunyan return, she was startled.

Lin Chunyan squinted her eyes. "Mother, did you just scold me? Why else would you look so scared upon seeing me?"

She used a confirming tone, intending to unsettle Mrs. Zhang, who indeed changed her expression.

"I... how could I possibly scold you? I was just saying that digging this pit is quite difficult, getting all dirty," Mrs. Zhang replied.

Several households had already moved, but Lin Chunyan insisted on digging the cellar. Since Mrs. Zhang couldn't argue with her, she unwillingly went to dig the pit.

As always, Lin Chunyan assigned tasks to Mrs. Zhang, specifying how much needed to be dug.

After so much time, the cellar was as large as a small room but had not yet been dug through to the back hill.

Lin Chunyan handed over the pork jerky. "Since that's the case, let's dig a little less each day."

Mrs. Zhang, who had just started to hope, felt dejected upon hearing they still had to dig.

Lin Chunyan burst out laughing. "I thought after so many digs, you'd have gotten used to it."

Mrs. Zhang pouted, unable to see how one could get used to such labor.

But she didn't say more, as Lin Chunyan and the others also went to dig in the basement daily.

After taking the pork jerky, Mrs. Zhang took a big bite, and upon tasting the sweet and fragrant flavor, she finally felt some comfort.

"What were you talking about just now?"

Lin Taohong said, "We just checked the cellar. The ice we stored during winter has melted quite a bit. I wonder if it will last until summer."

Many wealthy families had the habit of storing ice. After inquiring, Lin Chunyan found that they also stored ice in cellars during winter. She followed suit.

Unexpectedly, by spring, the ice showed signs of melting.

Mrs. Zhang went down to check and, while munching on the pork jerky, said upon returning, "Only the edges have melted. There's still a lot of ice left; it will definitely last until summer."

Because of the large amount of ice, the cellar was somewhat like a refrigerator, allowing regular items to be stored a few more days longer than outside.

However, Lin Chunyan stored this ice mainly to enjoy cold drinks in the summer.

Mrs. Zhang then asked about Lin Chunyan's recruitment efforts. "Has anyone come?"

Lin Chunyan nodded. "Indeed, two people came, but they were quite young and seemed too frail."

Moreover, when these two entered the shop, their eyes darted around, which was somewhat off-putting.

"It's not hard to find help; people come by often. But has anyone come for the bookkeeper position?"

Lin Chunyan was also troubled by this matter and sighed upon hearing the question. "No one has come. I even asked Bookkeeper Huang to help find someone."

Bookkeeper Huang was quite righteous. He said if they hadn't found a suitable person by the time they opened, they could borrow their tea house's bookkeeper for a few days.

Lin Chunyan thought that if she couldn't find a bookkeeper, she would take on the role herself.

Unexpectedly, not long after, Tutor Wen and Tutor Yu brought someone over. Upon asking, they found that this Tutor Duan was actually a scholar who wanted to be a bookkeeper.

It turned out that after buying some leek pancakes that day, the two tutors didn't take a sedan chair. They slowly made their way up the mountain and arrived at the temple almost at dusk.

Tutor Duan was startled to see them and hurriedly packed away the items on the table, but Tutors Wen and Yu had already seen them.

There were only two taro roots on the table, not even a coarse wheat bun in sight.

Tutor Duan looked a bit embarrassed and only after packing up asked them, "Why did you suddenly come? Is the academy on break again?"

"Of course not. We came to see if you're starving to death," Tutor Yu replied bluntly but placed the items on the table.

Tutor Duan's eyes followed his actions and saw a pile of things wrapped in oiled paper. As soon as it was opened, the rich aroma made his stomach growl.

Though he hadn't eaten meat in a long time, Tutor Duan recognized the smell. His stomach, unfortunately, chose that moment to growl.

Although he had food and drink at the temple, Tutor Duan didn't want to be a freeloader. He had his own cultivated fields and wanted to emulate the reclusive scholars, living among the countryside without bowing for a meager income.

However, he wasn't good at farming and barely harvested a few dou of rice each year.

His family was almost at odds with him over this, unable to understand why he wouldn't become a private tutor to supplement the household income.

The growling sound didn't escape Tutor Yu's notice. He snorted and deliberately opened the items in front of Tutor Duan.

Though the heat had somewhat dissipated, the aroma that wafted out was even more enticing.

Tutor Wen, smiling, said, "Brother Duan, these are snacks from a stall at the dock, very popular in our town, and they taste excellent."

Tutor Duan could see the amusement in their eyes, and though he was famished, he stubbornly shook his head. "These are just snacks. How could we be tempted?"

Upon hearing this, Tutor Wen intentionally glanced at Tutor Yu. "Why does this sound so familiar? I can't recall where I've heard it before. My memory seems to have failed me."

Tutor Yu, recalling his own words, blushed slightly, seeing in Tutor Duan a reflection of his younger self—naive and ignorant.