Chapter 169

Chapter 169

After the quail soup was prepared, Lin Chunyan served it in the main hall along with the baked quail and bamboo shoots.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, so there weren’t many people at the establishment. Mrs. Zhang invited everyone to sit together and taste the dishes.

"I wonder how they raise these quails. Do you think we could start raising them on our mountain?"

Mrs. Zhang was being generous, hoping that if everyone liked the quail, they’d find a way to raise them.

Lin Chunyan immediately saw through her intentions but didn’t expose her. She thought it wouldn’t be bad if they could raise quails.

The quail eggs tasted delicious when marinated.

Zhao Liu sat beside Sun Anyuan, who seemed uncomfortable and hardly touched his food during the meal.

"This is incredibly fresh," Tutor Duan said, raising his thumb after taking a bite. "I didn’t expect to eat something so tender and flavorful in the middle of winter."

He noticed the finely chopped quail meat in the soup slid smoothly down his throat, leaving just a lingering aroma and a warm sensation in his stomach.

"Come to think of it, we don’t have any decent soups at our establishment. This dish would be perfect."

Lin Chunyan smiled as she watched everyone chatting excitedly. They were already planning future dishes before the quails were even settled.

"I’ll ask Aunt Liu later to see if she knows how to raise these quails."

Mrs. Zhang was the happiest and urged everyone to eat quickly. "Xiao Sun brought plenty of quails. There’s enough for all of us."

Hearing that term of address, everyone was momentarily stunned, including Sun Anyuan, who didn’t react at first.

Lin Taohong rolled her eyes. Earlier, Mrs. Zhang had called him Sun Bodyguard, but now that he was moving nearby, she quickly switched to calling him Xiao Sun.

But Lin Taohong didn’t say anything, her mouth full of the special creamy dessert Lin Chunyan made just for her.

This creamy dessert was unlike any they'd had before. Made with fermented rice wine, adding goat milk caused it to solidify into a smooth, creamy texture. Lin Chunyan added some jam glaze on top, enhancing the flavor. It was smooth and delicate, and not too cold to eat.

Sun Anyuan had just finished reinforcing the thick curtains inside the establishment and was still sweating from the effort. Noticing everyone looking at him, his face flushed, and he couldn’t help glancing at Lin Chunyan.

Lin Chunyan, however, remained calm, still sipping the quail soup. Feeling Sun Anyuan’s gaze, she looked up and smiled at him.

Zhao Liu, sitting nearby, observed all of this. Despite the bitterness in his heart, he kept it hidden and even joined in the laughter with everyone.

While cleaning up after the meal, Hu Daqiang pulled Zhao Liu aside. "Last time you mentioned your mom set you up with someone. Did anything happen with that?"

Zhao Liu was confused. "Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?"

"No reason. I just thought of it when I saw Xiao Sun."

Hu Daqiang had known Zhao Liu for years, ever since they worked together as laborers at the docks. Although Zhao Liu was small in stature, he worked hard and was never sloppy.

Despite his family’s poor conditions, he used all his earnings to pay for his mother’s medical treatments without any hesitation.

If he had a sister, Hu Daqiang thought it wouldn’t be bad for her to marry Zhao Liu. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about any ill intentions from him.

There's a troublemaker in his family, Hu Erqiang, who has committed plenty of petty crimes. On top of that, there are people like Wang Chuizi and Wang Dalang in the village. Hu Daqiang has long understood the true nature of these people and holds little hope for them.

However, Zhao Liu's mother has mostly recovered and is now able to work in the fields. Since Zhao Liu is employed at the establishment, several matchmakers have visited their house because many people have taken a liking to him.

But Hu Daqiang has also noticed something unusual about Zhao Liu. Though he doesn’t know why, he intends to give him some advice.

Zhao Liu was frightened into a cold sweat, thinking that Hu Daqiang had discovered something.

He went home and asked his mother, "What should we do?"

"What can we do? I’ve told you before—give up on that idea and find a good young lady to settle down with," Zhao Liu's mother replied anxiously, so angry that she wanted to hit him with a broom.

Zhao Liu didn’t want to marry just anyone, fearing he might ruin someone else's life. After thinking about it, he asked, "What about the young lady we met previously? Do you know if she has found a suitable match?"

Zhao Liu's mother slapped her thigh. "I knew the two of you would hit it off! But I don’t know what exactly has happened; let me find out for you."

Zhao Liu nodded, thinking that the young lady was very open-minded and only wanted to marry him because he worked at Lin Chunyan's establishment.

It was a perfect arrangement where both parties benefited.

Sun Anyuan helped pack everything up before leaving and mentioned that he would be going on a security escort to another location. "I don't know when I'll be back, it's cold in winter, so take care on your journey," he said.

Lin Chunyan nodded and then casually asked, "When are you leaving?"

Thinking she was concerned about him, Sun Anyuan’s eyes lit up more than usual. "I'll be leaving in three or four days."

He felt a bit embarrassed, having come to Lin Chunyan's place to make his presence known so early.

Lin Chunyan thought that with only three or four days left, it would be too late to make lotus root powder, so she suggested, "Last time you helped make a lot of kudzu root powder, why don't you take some with you to drink on the road?"

Sun Anyuan's smile grew wider as he nodded. "Alright, I still have a lot of yams at home, and when I return, I'll grind them into powder and bring them over to you."

The yams at his house were planted around the same time as those at Lin Chunyan's. After harvesting them, Sun Anyuan started learning to grind them into powder. However, these yams were not easy to handle; after peeling, they became slippery and sticky, and touching them made his skin itch.

He hadn't been successful in making yam powder. Seeing this as a good opportunity to talk more, he mentioned his struggle with making the powder.

"Yam powder," Lin Chunyan replied. "It’s indeed difficult to handle. You might as well wait until I demonstrate it for you when you return from your escort."

Even though Sun Anyuan knew Lin Chunyan didn’t mean anything else, he left feeling happy and already looking forward to his return.

On the way back, Lin Taohong asked Lin Chunyan, "Sister, now that mother has become a traitor, don't let that Sun the Escort win you over! If you like eating quail, I'll find some for you."

"That would be great; I'll be waiting for you to bring me quail in the future," Lin Chunyan smiled.

Lin Taohong quickly reassured her and, after returning home, gave the two quail dishes to Wang Yingniang, all the while whispering with her.

After agreeing to boil some pear syrup and take a break, and not having to cook after eating quail in the evening, Lin Chunyan went back to her room to change clothes and planned to boil water to wash her hair.

Washing hair and bathing in winter was a big issue, so people often went to the perfume shop to wash. But for them, going out into the cold wind after washing at the perfume shop wasn’t good.

Mrs. Zhang was worried they might get sick, so every time they washed their hair, she had them boil water at home, with a charcoal basin in the room, and wouldn’t let them go out until their hair was dry.

Lin Chunyan loved washing her hair and found long hair bothersome, so she had secretly cut it several times. The cut hair needed to be disposed of, and she made sure to throw it far away, fearing Mrs. Zhang would get angry if she saw it.

Wang Yingniang and Lin Taohong weren’t as bold as Lin Chunyan; their hair had grown long, especially Lin Taohong's, which was particularly thick, like wearing a thick quilt in the summer.

The bun at the back of my head is pulling my scalp painfully.

Wang Yingniang and Lin Taohong came in to see Lin Chunyan had already washed her hair. It looked shorter and thinner than usual, clearly freshly cut.

Lin Taohong asked her with a silent gesture, "Big sister, did you cut it?"

Lin Chunyan nodded, "Want a trim? Mom's over at Auntie's place and won't be back anytime soon."

Lin Taohong was tempted but dared not, "What if there's retribution?"

"What retribution? I'm doing just fine."

Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong had completely different upbringings, and no matter how much Lin Chunyan blended in here, some things couldn't be changed.

Our hair is a gift from our parents—it's not just hair.

On the other hand, Wang Yingniang was bolder, though her hair had always been a bit yellow and thin. Even after a year of care, there was little improvement, so she only trimmed the very ends each time.

"It still needs more time to grow out," Lin Chunyan said, seeing Wang Yingniang had washed her hair too. The two helped each other dry their hair. "Keep taking those sesame supplements."

There were plenty of sesame supplements at home. When they were running low, Lin Chunyan would have Wang Yingniang make some more.

Wang Yingniang felt her hair had improved significantly, "At least it feels smooth now, unlike before."

Before, it had been a mess, like straw, and it felt prickly to the touch.

Lin Chunyan hummed in agreement, "Natural remedies take time, but they do work if you stick with them."

Lin Taohong also joined in, "Then I'll wash my hair too. Can you both help me dry it?"

"Sure, go heat up some water first. We'll help you dry it afterward."

Lin Taohong happily went to heat the water. As she did, she thought about how bold Lin Chunyan was.

But what did it feel like to cut your hair? Did it not hurt?

When Lin Taohong returned with the water, Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang had dried their hair halfway and were sitting by the brazier, chatting and warming themselves.

"Did you bring the pig pancreas soap?"

Lin Taohong nodded, "Yes, this one has roses in it."

Lots of folks made pig pancreas soap, each with their own preferred scents and types, resulting in a wide variety. The most skillful were Ju Miao and Xiu Jier.

Others made soap in their free time, but Ju Miao and Xiu Jier treated it like a full-time gig. Now, most of the pig pancreas soaps were made by them.

The rose-scented pig pancreas soap in Lin Taohong's hand was an idea from Ju Miao and Xiu Jier. They first steamed the rose petals to extract the juice, adding only the juice to the soap. The fragrance was even stronger than when whole rose petals were used.

There were many other floral varieties too. According to Sanlang, these soaps were selling even better now. Some young ladies even collected soaps with various floral scents.

Knowing that Lin Chunyan and the others liked the bamboo leaf scented ones, Ju Miao had specially picked bamboo leaves and pine needles. After steaming, she added them to the pig pancreas soap and sent them over to Lin Chunyan.

Lin Chunyan was thrilled. These soaps were way better than anything she'd made before, and she couldn't stop raving about how talented Ju Miao and Xiu Jier were.

The two young ladies were not used to being praised like this and waved their hands, saying it was nothing, but they were secretly very pleased.

They both sought out Uncle Lin, hoping to create some attractive boxes, planning to put the corresponding soap in matching boxes.

This way, they could also raise the prices slightly.

However, Uncle Lin had too much on his plate. He couldn't finish all the work by himself. Sometimes, even after the women who spun the wool had gone home, Uncle Lin was still working.

Li Shi always felt this wasn't a viable situation and wished that Silang would learn quickly so he could help Uncle Lin.

But as always, the heavens like to go against one's wishes.

Even without fancy packaging, the pig pancreas soaps made by Ju Miao and Xiu'er sold very well. Zhang Xiaojiu would always come to get supplies before handling the goods outside.

Word was that the local general store wanted to buy the pig pancreas soaps and was negotiating the price with Second Aunt Lin and Sang Zhuer.

As a result, Ju Miao and Xiu Jier received bonuses when wages were paid out last time.

With the extra money, Ju Miao's family felt especially proud walking down the street, telling everyone they met about it.

Ju Miao's father used to be a genuine old farmer who didn't know how to do anything except tend to crops. Seeing how successful Ju Miao and Xiu Jier were, he thought—since Uncle Lin couldn’t handle all the work, maybe he could learn to help out.

He just didn't dare to say it out loud for fear of being laughed at.

When Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang washed their hair, they used the bamboo leaf-scented pig pancreas soap, and when they helped Lin Taohong wash with the rose-scented soap, they both said it was nice too.

"The scent lingers in your hair," Lin Taohong said proudly. "You can smell it from a distance."

"No wonder you’re washing your hair more often now! It used to take forever just to get you to brush your teeth and wash your feet," Lin Chunyan joked with her.

As soon as Lin Taohong heard this, her face turned red. "That was a long time ago. Besides, I was young back then."

After washing her hair, as Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang helped her dry it, Lin Taohong thought of the hair they had cut earlier and hesitantly said, "Should I also cut a little bit?"

She indicated a length. "Just this much will do."

Lin Chunyan looked down and saw that the length was so short it was almost as if she hadn't cut it.

But since it was her first time, they were afraid someone might notice, so cutting a little bit was fine.

Once her hair was halfway dry, Lin Chunyan fetched the scissors. Lin Taohong, being nervous, confirmed several times.

Lin Chunyan didn’t find it annoying and confirmed with Lin Taohong repeatedly. Just at that moment, Mrs. Zhang returned from outside. As she pushed the door open, she started speaking, "Second Aunt Lin just told me..."

The second half of Mrs. Zhang's sentence got stuck in her throat. In the dim light, she clearly saw the scissors in Lin Chunyan's hand.

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Zhang asked.

Lin Chunyan didn’t expect her to come back and exchanged glances with Wang Yingniang and Lin Taohong. They decided not to tell her the truth.

Mrs. Zhang was someone who couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Even though she thought she was very discreet, in reality, she would still talk about things she didn’t consider important.

And the people Mrs. Zhang liked to gossip with were also big mouths, meaning that once she said something, it would spread quickly.

Lin Chunyan had to make up an excuse: "We said the clothes were a bit tight, so I'm going to cut a little bit."

Mrs. Zhang didn’t buy it. "How could the clothes be tight? And why would you need to wash your hair to cut them?"

Lin Taohong had already jumped up, taking the scissors from Lin Chunyan and putting them into the basket used for sewing. "The clothes are mine to wear, not yours. Mother, what did you just say about Second Aunt Lin?"

Though Mrs. Zhang was skeptical, she didn’t press further. She simply said, "Second Aunt Lin was worried, so she went to town to check on Erlang this afternoon."

Several people became curious. After chugging some water and changing into her house clothes, Mrs. Zhang immediately used the leftover hair-washing water from Lin Taohong to wash her feet.

Once she was done, she continued speaking with them, "That scared me too. Luckily, Li Meiniang was working at Lin’s establishment the whole time, so Second Aunt Lin didn’t notice anything."

However, after Stone returned home, what he told Li Meiniang was different.

"After I delivered lunch to Uncle Erlang at noon, I hadn’t walked far when I saw his mother coming over."

Li Meiniang paused. "You know his mom?"

"Yeah, sure do," Stone replied. "We’d drop them off directly at their house after fishing for shrimp and fish."

Seeing Second Aunt Lin approaching, Stone hesitated, remembering how Li Meiniang reacted whenever Lin Cuixiang was mentioned, and quickly stepped aside into an alley.

Sure enough, Second Aunt Lin soon got into an argument with Erlang.

At first, after Li Meiniang and Erlang talked things out, she planned to cut ties with him completely, even considering giving up her work at the establishment.

But then things changed. Erlang was head-over-heels in love with her and insisted on marrying her. After talking it over with Stone, they decided not to let his sincerity go to waste.

Their previous plans were discarded. Now, they focused on making Erlang stand firmly by their side and gradually getting the second branch of the Lin family to accept them.

"No problem with Brother Sanlang. I’ll just ‘run into’ him again tomorrow," Stone said, scratching his head. "And for Sister Cuixiang, you’ll have to work a bit harder."

Li Meiniang nodded. "Sister Cuixiang is even more resistant than I expected. I thought about going out of my way to talk to her and win her over, but it feels like I’m lowering myself."

She needed to come up with a way to make Lin Cuixiang more receptive to her.

"It would be great if Elder Sister Yan could help put in a good word."

Li Meiniang shook her head. "Stone, that's not right to say."

Lin Chunyan, after what happened, hadn't driven them away. She kept them around out of respect for their past. They couldn't be ungrateful and involve her now.

"I was just saying." Stone, embarrassed, stuck out his tongue and scratched his head. He realized things were tricky, and he instinctively sought an easier way out.

He also knew that Lin Chunyan, caught between them and the second branch of the Lin family, was already in a tough spot.

Seeing the ladies wash their hair, Mrs. Zhang felt an itch but didn't want to budge. She yawned and made excuses for herself.

"I just washed it not long ago. Nobody else washes their hair this often."

She convinced herself as she spoke, "I should go to bed early."

Lin Chunyan and the others were at a loss, trying to get her up to wash her hair. But Mrs. Zhang had already yawned several times and was too tired to move.

"Oh well, let's just do it tomorrow morning. It's too late now."

Lin Taohong made a show of disgust, refusing to sleep near Mrs. Zhang. Mrs. Zhang wasn't bothered, waving Yingniang over. "I'll sleep next to my goddaughter. Who cares about you?"

In the dim light, with sleepy eyes still glistening, Mrs. Zhang snapped awake. "Am I mistaken? I remember Yingniang's hair used to be this long."

"You're wrong," Yingniang said calmly, then blew out the light. "You said you were sleepy. Go to sleep."

Lin Chunyan added, "Yeah, let's get some rest while we can."

She also noted they were running low on lamp oil. "Plus, we need more tooth powder and toilet paper."

"Remember to get the fuel-efficient lamp oil. Last time I got the cheap stuff, but it burned out way too fast."

Mrs. Zhang always tried to cut corners where she shouldn’t, and ended up costing herself more in the end. It was the same with the lamp oil; she did buy some, but went for the cheapest one, which didn’t really save her any money.

As for the toilet paper, she had been unwilling to buy it before and even secretly took some back from the toilet, hiding it in her room.

Lin Chunyan teased her, "When I went to the bathroom, I found the toilet paper had turned into leaves! Scared me half to death!"

Mrs. Zhang, a little embarrassed, replied, "We’ve used leaves before. Back in the day, everyone in the village did."

Not long after, Lin Taohong started snoring. She must not have slept well at Meizi’s, judging by how exhausted she looked.

After getting enough sleep, Lin Chunyan woke up feeling refreshed. Seeing the rare sunny day, she hurriedly brought out the quilts and mattresses to air them.

While they were drying them, Mrs. Zhao and Lihua next door were also airing theirs. They made rabbit fur mattresses for each room, so they didn’t need to light the brazier at night—it kept them plenty warm.

When Lihua came over and saw they had just started, she helped bring more out from the house.

"Are you washing clothes today? The river hasn’t frozen yet, so you can still wash them there."

It was a rare sunny day, so besides airing things out, they had to wash clothes as well.

Lin Chunyan thought for a moment, "Let’s go together then. We’ve accumulated a lot of clothes at home too."

Lihua went back home to get the basin, and Lin Chunyan and the others each gathered a lot of clothes, laughing and chatting as they headed towards the river.

When they arrived, they found that quite a few people had already come. Ding Hui Niang and Madam Sun were the earliest, having finished washing their clothes and heading back with their basins.

"If you don’t need to run errands, come back around noon. The sun will have warmed the water by then," Ding Hui Niang said.

Ding Hui Niang left them the washing bat, warning, "Use this so you don’t end up with another stomachache."

Lin Chunyan thought it made sense and told Wang Yingniang to stop washing, "The two of us can manage the washing. You might catch a cold again if you’re not careful."

"You’re making me sound like I’m made of glass—can’t do anything without breaking!" Wang Yingniang replied.

Usually, when Lihua came down from the mountain around noon, she would drop by Wang Yingniang's house to chat with Hui Niang and the others. She chimed in, "You should take care of yourself. When I first came back last year, I couldn’t do anything either, not even leave the house!"

Back then, she was just waiting for spring, hoping it would help her recover.

A year had passed in the blink of an eye.

Wang Yingniang could only help by using the bat to pound the clothes, not daring to touch the water at all.

"I noticed quite a few small fish in there," Lin Taohong said, wanting to catch them. "I thought they would freeze to death in winter."

"If they all froze to death in winter, where would the fish in Sanlang’s fish pond and the village’s pond come from?"

They were so busy laughing and chatting that they didn’t even notice Ju Miao’s dad walking by multiple times.

After much thought, he still wanted to learn from Uncle Lin. At first, he thought of going directly to Uncle Lin, but Ju Miao and Xiu Jier suggested that it would be best to ask Lin Chunyan first.

Ju Miao’s father never dared to underestimate Lin Chunyan. Even though they hadn’t spoken much, he knew she was an extraordinary young lady. Many villagers said she was like the deity in the temple on Tongshan.

Perhaps only a deity would have so many ideas and be willing to share them, helping others earn money.

Around here, Lin Chunyan was the only one who thought of doing this.

The Wang and Hu families are highly esteemed as they are officials who passed the imperial exams. They are worlds apart from us villagers. However, both Mr. Li and Mr. Wang still feel familiar because two generations ago, their families were also farmers like us.

But even after they achieved success, they did not help the villagers start businesses together. Allowing some families to send their daughters to work as maids or servants in their households is already considered a great favor.

When Father Ju walked by for the fourth time, he saw that the young ladies were almost done washing their clothes. If he didn’t speak up now, he would have to discuss it at their home later.

With determination, he stepped forward and cleared his throat.

Pear Blossom turned around first and called out, “Uncle, are you here looking for Ju Miao?”

Father Ju quickly shook his head. “No, no, I’m here to see Yan Niang.”

Lin Chunyan turned around, rinsed off the bubbles from the pig pancreas soap, and then followed Father Ju to the side.

“Uncle, what can I do for you?”

“It’s about the box for the pig pancreas soap. We’ve been talking about making some nicer boxes, but your third uncle has been too busy and hasn’t had the time to make them. I was wondering if I could learn from him.”

Lin Chunyan was surprised. She didn’t expect someone of Father Ju’s age to want to learn carpentry. Noticing his embarrassed, sun-darkened face, she first affirmed him. “Uncle, it’s great that you want to learn. But I can’t make the decision. I’ll have to ask my third uncle.”

“Of course, of course.” Father Ju fidgeted. “It’s alright if he says no. After all, your third uncle was an apprentice for several years to learn this skill.”

At his age, he knew no one would accept someone so old as an apprentice. Not even the laborers at the docks would want him.

When he was younger, he had wanted to learn, but his family couldn’t afford it and needed him to work on the family’s land.

After saying it, Father Ju felt like he had accomplished something significant and walked back with a spring in his step.

Ju Miao’s mother was waiting at home and, seeing his demeanor, thought that Lin San Shu had agreed. “Why did it take so long? I told you I could have gone and talked to them.”

Father Ju shook his head. “You don’t get it. I needed to talk to them myself.”

Ju Miao’s mother didn’t understand and thought he was being difficult. When she heard that Lin San Shu hadn’t agreed yet, she was surprised. “Then why are you so happy, as if you found dozens of coins?”

“It’s like I found dozens of coins!” Father Ju said with a smile. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Ju Miao’s mother, not understanding, got up and ignored him, going to chat with Qian Niangzi instead.

After Lin Chunyan brought the clothes home to dry, she went to find Lin San Shu.

Li Shi had been so worried about Si Lang that she hadn’t slept well for several nights, leaving dark circles under her eyes.

She used to be very fond of dressing up, always wearing unique silk flowers she made herself. But now her head was bare, and her hair was loosely tied back without any adornment.

Lin San Shu and Si Lang weren’t in better shape either. The atmosphere was heavy with silence.

When Lin Fengdie saw Lin Chunyan, she almost burst into tears. “I really don’t want to stay at home. During the day, it’s okay with people working, but at night, they start arguing non-stop.”

“Maybe after I talk to Third Uncle about this, they’ll stop arguing.”

Lin Fengdie’s eyes lit up and she pushed Lin Chunyan into the house. “My dear elder sister, you must keep your word and save me and Wu Lang.”

Wu Lang, who didn’t understand anything, nodded with his adorable tiger-like face.

Lin Chunyan spoke to Uncle Lin about it. “I think Father Ju is genuinely interested in learning. His family’s conditions are quite good now, and they can afford to pay for tutoring.”

Lin San Shu was conflicted. His carpentry skills, while not the best, had been honed over time, and he had always intended to pass these skills to Si Lang and Wu Lang, never considering teaching outsiders.

In fact, this wasn’t just Lin San Shu’s mindset. In those times, everything was about inheritance. Li Shi’s embroidery, Lady Zhu’s tea art, the sugar water vendor grandmother’s unique drinks, and even the fried quail were passed down from generation to generation.

He'd take on just a few close disciples at most, choosing those with good character and talent to pass the craft down to.

It's pretty uncommon to find someone like Lin Chunyan, who spills all the beans.

Of course, Uncle Lin didn't want to teach Ju Miao's dad. Like they say, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for life,' but Uncle Lin was worried about being outdone.

Sure, maybe they can’t compete now, but what about down the line? What if Ju Miao’s dad picks it up and passes it on to his kids and grandkids? What if they end up taking over Uncle Lin’s family’s livelihood one day?

Li Shi didn’t stand on ceremony with Lin Chunyan and shared Uncle Lin’s worries. "It’s not like there’s no interest in learning the trade. Plenty of the village’s young guys are eager to learn, but what happens when...?"