Chapter 141

Chapter 141

No one else was talking about Mrs. Zhang's issue, but she couldn't stop herself from spreading the word. Whenever she met someone familiar, she would babble on about what the young actor had done.

Jin Niangzi already knew about it when Lin Chunyan called her over for questioning. Seeing Mrs. Zhang talking animatedly with Mrs. Song, Jin Niangzi couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.

"What's up with you? You look like you're about to explode. I didn't even go after him, so it's not like I made things worse."

Mrs. Zhang spat the melon seed shells onto the ground, got up to fetch a broom, and started sweeping the floor while humming a tune. She said to Jin Niangzi, "Do you still want to watch operas? We should stick to the old troupe; the new one just brings bad luck."

Jin Niangzi quickly waved her hands. "I'm not going. If you want to go, go by yourself. Doesn't Yan Niang mind you going? She must have a lot of patience."

Mrs. Zhang swept the melon seed shells into a pile. "I don't go every day, and I don't splurge. I even bring my own snacks. She's happy that I have some hobbies."

Jin Niangzi said, "That's true. You've earned so much money. If you don't enjoy it now, it'll all go to your grandkids, and you won't get to see any of it."

Mrs. Zhang stopped sweeping, put her hands on her hips, and asked, "How can my grandkids not be related to me?"

Jin Niangzi told her not to worry. "Why do they call them 'grandchildren on the outside'? It's like they're not really family."

Mrs. Zhang pushed Jin Niangzi out. "Go, go, go. We don't talk like that in my house. Don't bring this up again. Go talk to the steamed bun seller."

After shooing Jin Niangzi away, Mrs. Zhang lost interest in talking about the young actor and headed to the kitchen to help out.

Lin Chunyan was making ham and salted egg yolk mooncakes and, seeing Mrs. Zhang storm over, curiously asked, "What's wrong? Did the young actor come to find you again?"

Mrs. Zhang waved her hand casually. "How dare he? I'm just upset by Jin Niangzi, and it made me think of your grandma and grandpa."

Lin Taohong was puzzled. She barely remembered going to her grandparents' house and felt very unfamiliar with them.

Lin Chunyan didn't understand what was happening either, and before she could ask, Mrs. Zhang blurted it all out.

"My fate has been so bitter. As soon as I gave birth to Yan Niang, your grandmother didn't want her because she was a girl. She didn't even come to take care of me during my confinement, so I had to send a message to your grandma. But she said your eldest aunt was about to give birth and didn't have time to come over."

Thinking back to those days when no one helped her, Mrs. Zhang's jaw tightened in frustration.

Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong were also affected and, afraid that Mrs. Zhang would upset herself, quickly patted her back. "Mom, it's all in the past. Why think about it?"

"I just don't understand. If your eldest aunt was about to give birth, that's fine. But she was far from it. I just asked her to help for a few days. Why didn't she want to?"

When she was younger, she thought it was because she was a girl that she was made to do more work, but even at such a critical time as giving birth, her sister-in-law couldn't come to help.

Unfortunately, the person had long been buried, and she couldn't even ask if she wanted to.

"People don't change their minds easily. What's the point of asking?" Lin Chunyan got up to pour water for Mrs. Zhang. "We can change in the future."

Mrs. Zhang guzzled down the water and finally felt more comfortable. "That's true. What's the point of asking? It's just that sons are more important, and I'm already like water spilled after marriage. But when you two have kids, I'll make sure to be there to help out."

Seeing that Mrs. Zhang was better, Lin Taohong pouted and said, "Mom, are you sure you can handle it? Just don't end up making things harder for us, okay?"

"What do you mean I can't?" Mrs. Zhang felt challenged and puffed out her chest. "Weren't the two of you raised by me? Look how well you've grown. So many guys are asking about you."

Lin Taohong became interested and asked Mrs. Zhang, "Has anyone wanted to propose to me?"

Mrs. Zhang immediately shook her head. "No, not yet."

Lin Taohong's face darkened, muttered, and was about to stand up.

Mrs. Zhang laughed heartily and reached out to pull Lin Taohong back. "Why are you getting upset? Of course, people have come to inquire. I've heard about two. Red Lady is so pretty, there's no shortage of guys asking about her."

Lin Taohong didn't believe it but stayed put, tilting her head as she waited for Mrs. Zhang to continue speaking.

But Mrs. Zhang said nothing more and instead began helping Lin Chunyan make mooncakes.

Afraid that Lin Taohong would get upset again, Lin Chunyan nudged Mrs. Zhang. "Mom, stop joking around and tell Red who it is. I'm curious too."

Mrs. Zhang cleared her throat. "It's someone from the village where the sesame pancake vendor's daughter lives. I heard the person isn't very tall, so I didn't think much of it."

Lin Taohong was surprised that someone had taken a liking to her so early on and immediately perked up, her mood lifting as she sat down to help with the work.

After placing the ham mooncakes into the oven, Lin Chunyan went to check on the crabs in the bucket.

These crabs had been brought over by Old Uncle Zhang, and Lin Chunyan had been keeping them in water, but they needed to be eaten soon.

Mrs. Zhang and Lin Taohong stopped bickering and came over to help wash the crabs.

"How should we cook them?"

"Just steam them," Lin Chunyan said, already salivating at the thought. Even though the preparation was simple, the taste was always delicious.

Lin Taohong was excited. "Does that mean we can have some wine later?"

Mrs. Zhang glared at her. "You're still so young, and you're already acting like a drunkard. Maybe you should call Jin Niangzi your godmother and follow in her footsteps."

Lin Taohong refused. "I don't drink often. Big Sister never lets me. But what's the point of eating crabs without wine?"

Once the crabs were steaming in the pot, Lin Chunyan had nothing else to do but wait for the mooncakes to finish cooking and be packed.

In the kitchen, Lin Cuixiang and Zhao Zilan were busy stir-frying dishes, their sweat rags needing to be replaced frequently.

But no one complained, and even while cutting vegetables, they happily chatted away.

Most of the talk was about the mountain to the east of the village.

"My father told me that more people went up the mountain today to help build houses. The tofu workshop's buildings are almost finished."

"Stone houses are easier to build. Once the foundation is laid, it doesn't take long, especially with so many people working together."

Ever since Pomegranate heard that Madam Hong was going to help at the tofu workshop, she’s been in high spirits, always joining in on the jokes.

"There are even people from other villages who want to help, but the Village Headman didn't let them, worried they might have hidden agendas."

"Once the tofu workshop is finished, will they start by making tofu pudding? I've seen a lot of acorns piled up already."

"Definitely. Many people are waiting for the tofu pudding, even the pigs are waiting for the leftover tofu pudding scraps."

After what happened with old lady Wu causing the pigs to get sick, everyone knew that acorns needed to be processed before feeding them to the pigs. Even though the villagers were eager, no one dared to take the risk.

Once the dishes were ready, they were carried outside one by one, and the aroma filled the air. More and more people gathered at the establishment, and amidst the noisy chatter, various greetings were exchanged. People who knew each other sat at the same tables, discussing recent events.

At moments like these, Lin Chunyan felt the establishment come alive, buzzing with energy that transcended their individual lives.

Sun the Constable had just walked in, shaking off a few raindrops from his body, greeted Tutor Duan and the others, and asked Lin Chunyan with a smile, "My brother hasn't been seen for two or three days. Is he at your place?"

The others returned to the escort agency to sleep after finishing work, but Sun Anyuan stayed overnight, saying someone needed to keep watch in case of trouble.

Originally, Zhao Huaizi and Uncle Lin were planning to do the same, not wanting to ask Old Uncle Zhang, who had come to help, to do such tasks. But when Sun Anyuan volunteered, they hesitated briefly, seeing that he had already prepared everything, and agreed.

Lin Chunyan knew Sun the Constable was joking and teased back, "Is he coming alone, or with Yu Xiaoniangzi again?"

Sun the Constable chuckled softly, and Yu Xiaoniangzi closed her umbrella at the entrance of the establishment. She avoided Lin Chunyan’s teasing gaze and walked straight over to Sun the Constable.

"What would you like to eat?"

Though they kept a respectful distance, it was clear to everyone that their relationship was more than just acquaintances.

Yu Xiaoniangzi pointed to the newly baked spicy rabbit heads. "Let’s try these. I’ve heard they’re really satisfying."

Sun the Constable ordered some but was concerned that eating them might look messy, ruining his image in front of Yu Xiaoniangzi.

Yu Xiaoniangzi also ordered a few of her favorite dishes and asked Zhao Liu, "I heard you're going to serve roast duck here. When will that be available?"

"It should be ready around the Mid-Autumn Festival. We'll invite Miss Yu to come and taste it then," Zhao Liu replied.

Yu Xiaoniangzi didn’t usually come to the establishment to eat. She had only passed by a few times while making house calls, but the aroma drifting out from inside made her believe the food must be good.

Later, when she saw many ladies inside, she plucked up the courage to buy some pickled vegetables. The pickled vegetables tasted exactly the same as the ones Sun the Constable’s mother had sent to their house, and Yu Xiaoniangzi was very satisfied with them.

Yu Xiaoniangzi found a seat. Although it wasn’t their first time eating out together, they still felt awkward, making small talk here and there.

When Old Man Qin walked in and saw them, he burst into laughter and called out loudly, "Oh, today Sun the Constable has the company of a beautiful lady and doesn’t want to hang out with us rough men anymore. Is a wedding on the horizon?"

Sun the Constable’s face turned red, and he forced himself to say, "When there's good news, I’ll definitely let everyone know!"

Yu Xiaoniangzi’s face also flushed red, but there was still a lingering worry in her eyes that couldn’t be dissolved.

"Of course, we’ll make sure Lin prepares some great food and wine for the occasion."

Old Man Qin was a big drinker, and once he started talking about wine, he couldn’t stop. He couldn’t help but ask Lin Chunyan, "Now that the sorghum harvest is in, can the proprietor make some sorghum wine for us?"

Sorghum was an excellent ingredient for brewing wine, and Lin Chunyan’s heart stirred. "Do you want to drink it?"

Seeing that there was a chance, Old Man Qin quickly nodded. "I often go to buy wine. If you start brewing it here, it would save me the trouble. The new sorghum harvest is in, and it’s the perfect time to brew sorghum wine."

Lin Chunyan hesitated, considering her busy schedule, and finally shook her head. "Maybe another time. The wine needs at least two months to brew, so it can’t be done quickly."

Old Man Qin was quite disappointed but understood Lin Chunyan’s situation. She had been busy making mooncakes recently and was indeed very occupied.

Sun the Constable had been listening, but he didn’t chime in, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of Yu Xiaoniangzi.

Yu Xiaoniangzi had already started eating. The spicy rabbit heads tasted really good, and she ate them boldly, splitting them in half and enjoying them. Sun the Constable, on the other hand, felt a bit embarrassed and kept eating other dishes instead.

When the two of them left, Sun the Constable still hadn’t touched the spicy rabbit heads. Yu Xiaoniangzi assumed he didn’t enjoy spicy food and felt a bit disappointed that he missed out on the flavor of the spicy rabbit heads.

That evening, their group ate crabs at the establishment. When the crabs were opened, the crab roe was abundant, and even Lin Chunyan couldn’t wait to start eating.

"They smell so good. Next time, I’ll go to the riverbank to catch some myself."

Hu Daqiang thought his wife and children would love to eat them, so he planned to catch some to treat them.

Lin Chunyan set aside some crabs for Lan Jier and Hui Jier, and took the rest to Wang Yingniang.

Along the way, Lin Taohong kept chattering about their ham mooncakes being sold.

"I really didn’t expect that the book written by Mr. Zhao would be read by so many people."

In the afternoon, as soon as the ham mooncakes and salted egg yolk mooncakes were ready, the person sent by Lady Shen came over. Seeing the freshly baked mooncakes, they took most of them away.

After purchasing these mooncakes, Mr. Shen planned to send the remaining ones to his old classmates after keeping enough for their own consumption.

Some of his old classmates, after reading Mr. Zhao's food journal, were not quite convinced by its contents. They thought that the descriptions were largely exaggerated.

No matter how beautifully written or how delicious the descriptions made the food sound, they believed the actual food was exaggerated.

Mr. Shen naturally understood what these people were thinking and deliberately bought these mooncakes to prove them wrong.

However, after tasting the ham mooncakes and salted egg yolk mooncakes, Mr. Shen became quite reluctant to part with them.

"I thought these could be stored and eaten slowly over time, letting people say whatever they want—it's not like it will hurt us."

At this point, Mr. Shen's attitude improved, no longer thinking poorly of Mr. Zhao.

"Don't we have gifts from the son-in-law for the festival? Surely there are enough mooncakes to go around?"

At the mention of this, Mr. Shen became upset. Although Mrs. Zhao had sent mooncakes earlier, by the time Mr. Shen returned, Young Master Shen had taken away the salted egg yolk and ham mooncakes, leaving him with only a five-kernel mooncake, claiming it was revenge for the meat zongzi incident.

Lady Shen couldn't help but laugh and sigh at the same time, saying they were like enemies.

Mr. Shen didn't get to eat the salted egg yolk mooncake until his servant, whom he had sent out, brought some back for him to try.

The taste was quite different from the salted egg yolk zongzi. Mr. Shen particularly enjoyed the outer crust of the mooncake, finding it very fragrant, and the salted egg yolk inside was delightfully sandy in texture, making him want to keep eating more.

In the end, he did send some to his colleagues, taking only two of each type of mooncake, which caused Mr. Shen a great deal of heartache.

Lady Shen couldn't stand it and said, "I haven't heard of extra mooncakes being made this time, unlike the zongzi where there weren't many left. If you want to eat more, just buy some."

"Who knows if that's true or not? It's better to keep more just in case."

A few days later, the tofu workshop on the mountain was completed. Early in the morning, Lin Chunyan specifically took steamed buns with ham, added a fried egg, and some homemade fish sauce for breakfast.

"If we added some crab roe paste, wouldn't that make it even tastier?" Wang Yingniang had eaten two buns with ham before stopping, "This is really delicious, it's not the same flavor as meat buns."

Lin Chunyan also enjoyed it very much, "Next time, let's try adding crab roe paste. When we go up the mountain later, let's see if there are any mushrooms left to make mushroom sauce."

It had rained lightly over the past couple of days. The fine drops didn't cause much discomfort, and none of Lin Chunyan's group wore rain capes.

As the saying goes, a rainfall in autumn brings a chill, and these past few days had indeed become much colder, requiring a sleeveless jacket over single clothing.

After the much-needed clear skies today, the sun emerged from behind the mountain. Before going up the mountain, they made sure to take out their quilts and autumn clothes for airing.

With the changing seasons, there was a lot to prepare.

On the way up the mountain, many people came to watch. Seeing Lin Chunyan, they made way for her. When they went to look, they saw that Madam Sun and Madam Hong were almost done with their preparations.

The house was constructed from stones and wasn't particularly tall. The stove inside was already built, and outside the shed, there were two millstones, waiting for their mule to come and work.

Seeing Lin Chunyan's group arrive, Madam Sun and the others still had smiles on their faces, all marveling, "This place is really nice!"

A wooden plaque written by Tutor Duan was hung at the entrance, with a red silk ribbon, giving it a festive and joyous appearance.

"We should light fireworks later!"

Many villagers had come to watch, and seeing the sturdy tofu workshop, they looked at Madam Sun and the others with envy in their eyes.

The next step would be to build areas for raising pigs, chickens, and ducks. Since raising these animals takes time, building early would allow them to enjoy the meat sooner.

The people who are least in a hurry are those who grow fruit trees. This season, there’s not much they can plant. They’ll have to wait until after the long winter before things get busy for them.

Lin Chunyan went to check on the pigsty that was being built. After saying some words of gratitude to everyone, she headed to the tofu workshop.

After the firecrackers were set off, Mrs. Zhao had everyone pay their respects to various deities, muttering prayers to each one, hoping that all the gods would offer their blessings.

The rest of the people followed Mrs. Zhao in the worship, each very devout, while Lin Chunyan followed behind them, sincerely asking the gods for protection.

Second Aunt Lin and Qian Niangzi looked at Mrs. Zhang disapprovingly. "For such an important matter, how could you not have invited Granny Dong to consult on an auspicious date?"

Mrs. Zhang forced a smile, having truly forgotten about it. However, the date was not randomly chosen; it had been selected by Old Zhou, who had scouted it for the groundbreaking.

In addition to herding sheep, Old Zhou also practiced feng shui and grave site selection. Generally, when someone in the village passed away, they would ask him to check the feng shui.

He said today was an auspicious day, so Lin Chunyan decided to set the opening day of the tofu workshop on this day.

After hearing Qian Niangzi and the others, Mrs. Zhang also felt that it would be good to invite Granny Dong over, if only to check the dates ahead.

However, before Mrs. Zhang could find Granny Dong, she arrived at their home.

Lin Chunyan watched everyone busying around in the tofu workshop. As she expected, Madam Hong had already mastered the techniques for making tofu skin and dried tofu. She didn’t hide her skills and demonstrated them to Lin Chunyan and Mrs. Zhao.

Mrs. Zhao and Lin Chunyan exchanged a glance and immediately decided to assign the task of making dried tofu to her, while also asking Mrs. Zhao and Lan Jier to come over and help.

She took Wang Danie to make tofu pudding.

Lin Chunyan didn’t interfere with Mrs. Zhao’s arrangements. Having worked with Lin Chunyan for a while, Mrs. Zhao knew exactly what to do.

When she returned, she saw that Granny Dong and Mrs. Zhang were deep in conversation, with Mrs. Zhang visibly startled and her face showing some fear. She only relaxed when she saw Lin Chunyan return.

"Yan Niang, come over here quickly. Something terrible has happened."

Lin Chunyan didn’t take Granny Dong seriously and remained calm. She washed her hands, dried them, and then approached.

The big yellow dog at home seemed to sense that Lin Chunyan didn’t like Granny Dong. The dog’s barking grew louder than usual, and even when Mrs. Zhang tried to calm it down, it had little effect.

Granny Dong handed Lin Chunyan a charm, muttering under her breath, "This is a charm drawn for you by the old woman from Hongjia Village. This kind of charm is very powerful. At its mildest, it can cause financial loss and bad luck; at its worst, it can lead to serious illness or even death."

Mrs. Zhang didn’t believe it, but hearing Granny Dong say it again made her feel uncomfortable, and her expression soured.

Lin Chunyan took the charm without any hesitation and examined it closely, turning it over in her hands.

Mrs. Zhang snatched it away. "Whether it's real or not, this thing is inauspicious. It’s better not to touch it."

Although Lin Chunyan didn’t mind, seeing Mrs. Zhang’s expression, she didn’t try to take it back. Instead, she asked Granny Dong, "Is there a way to resolve it?"

Granny Dong had been waiting for this question. "As long as you give me three strings of coins (a significant amount of money), I can perform a ritual as soon as I return home, and I guarantee that it will ward off any misfortune."

"Three strings of coins?" Mrs. Zhang threw the charm far away, her voice rising in pitch. "That much money? Why don’t you just rob us? Do you think we have a lot of money at home?"

Lin Chunyan also sneered beside her. "Yes, this charm was probably bought from you. What a clever scheme, making money from both the talisman and the ritual."

Granny Dong thought they would agree fearfully, and even if they found the amount high, they might haggle and reduce it by a string of coins.

"I’m only telling you this because of our good relationship. If you don’t care, I’ll just leave."

This was a usual trick. Generally, before even reaching the door, the person would regret it. After all, no one wanted to gamble with their life.

This kind of thing, unlike others, was shrouded in mystery and hard to predict.

Granny Dong walked slowly, always paying attention to the movements behind her. The big yellow dog was truly annoying, still barking non-stop as she neared the door, but neither Mrs. Zhang nor Lin Chunyan called out to stop her.

Granny Dong couldn’t help but frown. What had gone wrong? It was said that Mrs. Zhang’s daughter had only started living a good life because of her. Lin Chunyan was supposed to be difficult, but Mrs. Zhang seemed easy to deceive.

"Ouch, who’s there?" Granny Dong, lost in thought, didn’t notice someone blocking her path and bumped right into them, feeling a sharp pain in her nose.

Inside the house, Lin Chunyan was holding Mrs. Zhang back, preventing her from going outside, while mentioning the three strings of coins. "Think about it, you only spend five coins on drinks for that young actor. With three strings of coins, you could treat him to drinks six hundred times over!"