Chapter 16 Mountain Home Hearth 16

Chapter 16: Mountain Family's Hearth and Home - Part 16

Liu Guyu let out an exasperated chuckle, then turned his head and began to hawk his wares.

"Selling bowl cakes! Ice jelly! Delicious bowl cakes, chilled, sweet ice jelly! Come take a look!"

As he started his sales pitch, Qin Rongshi went to fetch water from the well, guided by Lin Xingniang's directions. He then sat before a large bucket, meticulously washing bamboo tubes.

Liu Guyu's lively calls indeed drew a few curious onlookers.

Among them were two young women, likely close friends enjoying an outing. Seeing the appealing presentation of the bowl cakes and ice jelly, they couldn't help but inquire, "Boss, how much are these two items?"

Liu Guyu recited the pre-determined prices: "Bowl cakes are two coins each, or three for five coins. A bowl of ice jelly is seven coins."

One of the round-faced girls' eyes widened in disbelief. "So expensive? These bowl cakes don't look very big, and they're two coins? Two coins is enough for a meat bun! The ice jelly is even pricier—the plain noodles over there are only six coins a bowl."

Before Liu Guyu could respond, the tangyuan vendor next to them interjected.

He grinned cheekily, calling out to the two girls, "Girls, come over here for some tangyuan! My tangyuan are also six coins a bowl! Cheaper than that ice jelly!"

Liu Guyu: "..."

Liu Guyu rolled his eyes so hard they nearly vanished. He was about to retort, but to his surprise, the round-faced girl spoke first.

Pouting, she declared bluntly, "Your tangyuan aren't good. The sesame filling is coarse, and the skin is thick."

Tangyuan Vendor: "..."

Liu Guyu remained silent, watching as another customer, who had been standing in front of the tangyuan stall, quietly slipped away.

Seeing the tangyuan vendor put in his place, Liu Guyu couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

At that moment, Qin Rongshi stood up and spoke with gentle politeness, "Our ice jelly requires intricate preparation, making it truly unique in town. Furthermore, we add fruit pieces, peanuts, brown sugar syrup, and our osmanthus flowers are hand-picked at their freshest and sun-dried. All our ingredients are of the highest quality. The price of sugar has risen this year—even a bowl of plain brown sugar water would cost two or three coins."

He spoke unhurriedly yet articulately, making the two already curious girls even more inclined to try it.

The two girls whispered to each other for a moment, then, after a brief consultation, made up their minds.

"We'll take it! Give us one bowl of ice jelly each!"

Liu Guyu smiled brightly and said, "Excellent! Please wait just a moment!"

He took their money, then swiftly prepared two servings of osmanthus ice jelly, handing them over with a warm invitation: "Please try it! If there's anything you don't like, feel free to let us know."

The two girls didn't reply, instead picking up their bamboo spoons and taking a bite. With the first taste, their eyes lit up.

The round-faced girl praised, "It's delicious! So cold and refreshing! The ice jelly has an amazing texture—I've never tasted anything like it!"

As the two customers departed, bamboo tubes in hand, a small crowd lingered. Some, hearing the praise, were tempted to try, while others, finding the price too steep, shook their heads and walked away.

"I want to eat that! Grandma, I want to eat this!"

A small child whined and begged for a taste, but his grandmother tugged him along, muttering discontentedly, "What's so good about that? There's no meat in it, and it's so expensive! Come on, let's go further ahead—I'll buy you some meat up there!"

As the child was pulled away, Liu Guyu watched the scene for a moment before turning his attention back to Qin Rongshi, a smile playing on his lips. "Being educated truly makes a difference. You're so articulate!"

Qin Rongshi didn't reply but sat back down on the small stool, resuming his task of washing bamboo tubes.

Liu Guyu deliberately teased him, "Stop washing them. You wash them at home, and now you're washing them here again. You're going to wear away two layers of bamboo."

Qin Rongshi ignored him, though the tips of his ears subtly reddened.

Despite Qin Rongshi's lack of response, Liu Guyu found it amusing. Leaning on the stall, he chuckled for a good while until Qin Rongshi finally couldn't take it anymore. He turned his head, glared at Liu Guyu, and said sternly, "Focus on selling your ice jelly."

With that, he abruptly turned away again.

Liu Guyu pouted and muttered under his breath, "Little stick-in-the-mud."

But business was indeed important.

Liu Guyu began hawking again, but the temple fair echoed with the cries of vendors, each voice louder than the last. His voice got lost in the din, and those who heard him only glanced over from a distance before quickly looking away.

The temple fair grew increasingly crowded and noisy, the sounds blending into a chaotic buzz.

This wouldn't do, Liu Guyu thought to himself.

Just then, two boys, about eight or nine years old, appeared at the stall without him noticing. Their hair was tied up in perky little topknots with red strings, their big eyes round and bright, and they stood hand in hand, curiously staring at the bowl cakes on the stall.

They were probably local kids who had sneaked out while their parents weren't looking. Without any money, they could only stare longingly at the delicious treats lining the street.

They had actually been watching for quite some time. At first, they stood farther away, and Liu Guyu hadn't noticed them. It was only when the stall emptied that they edged closer.

Liu Guyu’s eyes lit up. He speared two bowl cakes on bamboo sticks, waved the boys over, and held out the treats.

The boys’ eyes were glued to the bowl cakes, but they didn't speak or reach out to take them, waiting instead for Liu Guyu to explain.

"Little friends, big brother will treat you to soft, sweet bowl cakes. How about helping big brother with a small favor? If you do a good job, big brother will treat you to another one!"

The slightly older boy, still holding his younger brother’s hand, couldn't resist asking, "What kind of help?"

Liu Guyu smiled and said, "Go around the alley and the temple fair and call out for me. Tell people there are delicious bowl cakes and ice jelly for sale here. If you bring customers over, big brother will treat you to another cake."

The boy tilted his head and thought for a moment, deciding it didn't sound too hard. He immediately replied eagerly, "Okay!"

He took the bowl cake Liu Guyu handed him, gave one to his younger brother, and then ran off eating his treat, shouting as he went, "Over there! They’re selling bowl cakes! They’re really delicious!"

Children aren't shy—the little boy shouted at the top of his lungs. His young, clear voice stood out against the adults’ hawking, drawing people’s attention.

Soon, curious onlookers stopped the child to ask, "What’s a bowl cake?"

The two little boys held up their half-eaten bowl cakes in unison and said together, "This is a bowl cake!"

They added:

"It’s shiny, soft, and sweet! Mine has red bean—it’s super delicious!"

"Mine is grape-flavored! Mine is even better!"

"And there’s ice jelly! It has brown sugar, peaches, peanuts, osmanthus flowers... lots and lots of things! It looks pretty and tastes great!"

...

Many people became interested, and hearing that it was the only stall in town selling these treats made them even more curious. Quite a few headed over to check it out.

Even children accompanying their parents didn't need to hear the spiel—just seeing the two boys eating so happily made them crave a taste, and they begged insistently for some!

Before long, a crowd had gathered in front of Liu Guyu’s stall.

Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi sprang into action—one preparing bowl cakes and ice jelly, the other handling payments and giving change. They worked in perfect sync.

The tangyuan vendor nearby noticed this and scowled, muttering under his breath, "...Cheap tricks! What really matters is the taste. At such a young age, what can they possibly make that's any good?"

Liu Guyu was too busy to hear him, but Qin Rongshi shot a quick glance in that direction before turning back, his thoughts unclear.

Just then, the two little boys strutted over like triumphant little roosters, chests puffed out proudly.

Qin Rongshi skewered two promised bowl cakes for them, thoughtfully offering two different flavors, and gently shooed them along.

After that wave of customers finally dispersed, Liu Guyu rubbed his wrists, a big grin spreading across his face. "There really are so many people at the temple fair! All this hustle is exhausting—making money isn’t easy!"

Though his words sounded like a complaint, his tone was light and cheerful.

Lin Xingniang, who was nearby, heard him and teased him laughingly, "Look at how pleased you are! If you’re really tired, why's your mouth all curved up in a grin?"

Liu Guyu turned to her with a big grin and let out a sheepish chuckle.

It was almost noon, so Lin Xingniang handed him two flatbreads and said with a smile, "Here, have these to tide you over. It’s not like the village where two meals a day would do—you get hungry faster when you’re this busy!"

Liu Guyu was hesitant to take them, but Lin Xingniang joked, "They’re plain flatbreads—take them! I wouldn’t give away the meat-filled ones so easily!"

She was straightforward and honest, never minced words, which sometimes got on people’s nerves, but Liu Guyu found it easier to get along with someone like her.

He was indeed a little hungry—he had been thinking earlier about bringing some snacks for the next day—so he didn't protest further. He accepted the flatbreads and shared them with Qin Rongshi.

By noon, it grew hotter, and the crowd thinned slightly. It wasn't until late afternoon (around 3 to 5 p.m.) that people started gathering again, and the alley was packed once more.

Liu Guyu sold out everything he had prepared for the day. He let out a heavy sigh, rested his hands on his hips, and took a short break.

Just then, an elderly woman approached his stall with a child in tow and asked, "Do you still have any of those bowl cakes or ice jelly left?"

Liu Guyu wiped the sweat off his brow and replied loudly, "Auntie, we’re sold out for today! If you want to buy some, come earlier tomorrow!"

Before the elderly woman could respond, the child she was holding burst into tears, crying and wailing, "They’re gone! Sold out! I told you I wanted to eat this, I wanted to eat this!"

Liu Guyu took a closer look and realized the grandmother and child looked familiar.

Wasn't that the same kid who had wanted to eat earlier but was dragged away by his grandmother?

The granny looked flustered. She crouched down, hugged the child, and tried to comfort him, "We’ll eat, we’ll eat. How 'bout we come back tomorrow? Grandma will buy four tomorrow—one of every flavor!"

The child was tempted but still sobbed, bargaining, "...And... and the ice jelly?"

So much—can you even finish it all?!

The elderly woman thought to herself but didn't dare say it out loud. She just nodded and coaxed, "Yes, we’ll buy that too! We’ll buy everything!"

Only then did the child calm down. She smiled apologetically at Liu Guyu and asked, "We’ll come back to buy tomorrow! Young man, you have to be here for sure!"

Liu Guyu nodded in agreement, then he and Qin Rongshi began packing up the stall.

He said goodbye to Lin Xingniang and left after tidying up.

After he and Qin Rongshi had gone, the tangyuan vendor craned his neck to look at Lin Xingniang and asked with ill intent, "Sis, that young guy did pretty good business today, huh? Probably made even more than you did, right?"

Even Luo Maier, just a young girl, could tell he was trying to stir trouble and pouted in displeasure.

Lin Xingniang rolled her eyes and snapped at him, "What’s it to you?! Talking crap behind people’s backs—afraid your tongue’ll rot?"

Tangyuan vendor: "..."

Author's note:

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