Chapter 55 Mountain Home Hearth 55

Chapter 55: Hearth and Home

The next day, Qin Rongshi returned to the academy.

Liu Guyu saw him off from the village, watching as he boarded Second Uncle Zhang's oxcart with his belongings. Only after the fully loaded oxcart had driven into the distance did he turn and head back home.

Upon returning to the village, he saw Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban, mother and daughter, preparing items for tomorrow's market stall. They were peeling and cutting sugarcane into sections to soak in water, and filling a large basin with water to wash the freshly picked loquats.

The loquat trees were grown by villagers, and they had newly harvested their first crop. Liu Guyu had gone to buy them.

Spring fruits were cheap; he bought a basketful for fifteen coins.

Seeing Liu Guyu return, Qin Banban wiped her wet hands on her apron and hurried over to ask, "Brother Liu, what should we do now? Prepare the food for tomorrow's stall? Didn't you say you wanted to make something, um... loquat jelly?"

Liu Guyu first patted Qin Banban's head, then replied, "That can wait; it's still early. I need to go to Wolf's Mouth Mountain first..."

Before he could finish, Cui Lanfang stood up anxiously, waving her hands and exclaiming, "No! No! You mustn't go to Wolf's Mouth Mountain!"

Cui Lanfang's husband had broken his leg gathering herbs on Wolf's Mouth Mountain, so she feared the place and couldn't even bear to hear its name.

Liu Guyu gave a light laugh before quickly explaining, "Ma, don't worry. I'm not going into the mountains; I'm just going to see someone at the foot of the mountain."

See someone at the foot of the mountain?

Cui Lanfang thought for a moment, and a name quickly came to mind. She blurted out, "Chen Sanxi?"

Liu Guyu replied, "Yes."

"Spring has come, and it's time to plant our fields! But none of us are good at farming. Besides, Banban and I have to go to the town market every three days, so we don't have the time. You've just recovered and can't do heavy work, let alone farm. I thought we could just hire someone."

"During the busy spring planting season, every household is occupied with their own fields and don't have spare time. I think Chen Sanxi is a good choice. He may be quiet, but he's hardworking and honest. I think he'd do well."

He had discussed this with Qin Rongshi but forgot to mention it to Cui Lanfang.

Cui Lanfang stood still, lowering her head in thought, her fingers unconsciously toying with the hem of her apron.

After a while, she nodded and said, "That's a good idea. Last time Banban went into Wolf's Mouth Mountain, he didn't hesitate to lead you all back in to search for her. That boy has a good heart; he just doesn't talk much."

They hadn't dared to tell Cui Lanfang immediately about Qin Banban entering Wolf's Mouth Mountain last year; it was only mentioned to her two months later. The mother was terrified and made Banban promise never to go to Wolf's Mouth Mountain again.

When they spoke of the incident, they naturally mentioned how Chen Sanxi led Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi into the mountains to search.

Because of this, even though she often heard villagers say Chen Sanxi was an aloof and quiet child, Cui Lanfang felt in her heart that the young man was good, a really good person!

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea, and a smile spread across her face.

"I think it's a good idea too. That child Sanxi has had a hard time; it's good if we can help him."

Liu Guyu naturally agreed and went out to find him. Banban, always clinging to him, quickly untied her apron and hurried after him.

The two walked toward Wolf's Mouth Mountain. The closer they got to the large mountain, the fewer people they encountered, and even the small village paths were overgrown with weeds on both sides.

Upon reaching Wolf's Mouth Mountain, they soon spotted a small wooden cabin hidden among the dense foliage.

"Little Brother Chen, Little Brother Chen, are you home?"

Liu Guyu rapped loudly on the door, while Qin Banban curiously looked around.

It was just after the New Year; every household had couplets, good fortune characters, and New Year paintings pasted on their doors. Yet Chen Sanxi's door was a plain, bare plank with nothing on it.

"How interesting! Brother Liu, look! His house doesn't have good fortune characters; instead, there's a string of pinecones hanging by the door!"

A string of pinecones hung on the right side of the courtyard gate—several dried pinecones tied together with hemp rope and hung on the door. Qin Banban found it amusing and poked at it a few times.

On the fifth poke, the door finally opened.

Chen Sanxi seemed surprised to see Liu Guyu and the others, pausing for a moment before asking, "Yes?"

He truly was a quiet one. Liu Guyu had knocked for a long time without a response, and now he opened the door without any greeting, directly asking if there was something they needed.

Seeing this, Liu Guyu got straight to the point.

Finally, he added, "The work would be from the beginning of the *si* hour (9 a.m.) to the middle of the *you* hour (6 p.m.) each day. We'll include one meal in the evening and pay eighteen coins per day. What do you think, Little Brother Chen?"

Even the most expensive day laborers in town only earned thirty coins a day without meals, so eighteen coins was pretty good for the village.

Moreover, Chen Sanxi was not yet fifteen, not a full-grown man yet. Even when villagers asked for his help, they never paid him this much.

Chen Sanxi didn't hesitate and nodded in agreement. "Alright!"

He answered decisively, without further questions and without any visible joy at finding work, betraying no emotion at all.

Liu Guyu added, "I should mention beforehand that our farming methods are different from others. I'll teach you when the time comes."

Chen Sanxi showed no curiosity, simply uttering a flat "Oh."

Liu Guyu had never met anyone like him, finding him even tougher to talk to than Qin Rongshi, but he didn't change his mind. He still agreed on a time with Chen Sanxi, saying they would start the day after tomorrow.

Once everything was settled, Liu Guyu and Qin Banban returned home.

Cui Lanfang had already peeled and pitted the cleaned loquats, placing only the fruit flesh into large clay bowls. There were now two full bowls.

Seeing them return, she quickly asked, "How did it go? Did he agree?"

Liu Guyu first nodded, then laughed as he entered the courtyard, taking a loquat from the bowl and popping it into his mouth before feeding one to Qin Banban as well.

"Mmm, so sweet!"

Cui Lanfang paused her work to glance at the two, torn between amusement and annoyance. "You started eating without even washing your hands!"

Liu Guyu laughed, winking at Cui Lanfang and quipping, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

Despite his words, Liu Guyu still took Banban to dip water to wash their hands, then pulled up small stools to sit beside Cui Lanfang and help peel the loquats.

The fresh loquats in the colander were soon all peeled. All three took a large bowl, using spoons to mash the fruit flesh.

Qin Banban asked, "Brother Liu, what is jelly?"

This was something unknown in this era, and Liu Guyu wasn't sure how to explain it at first. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Well, it's jelly—cool, smooth, and slick... somewhat like the texture of bowl pudding, but jelly is more elastic and smoother. Ah, you'll understand once it's made!"

They mashed the fruit to extract the juice, then strained out the pulp through a cloth, keeping only the juice.

After this, Liu Guyu started making white jelly mixture.

White jelly mixture was made from *liangfen* grass. Liu Guyu had saved some dried *liangfen* grass from last year, which was just what he needed now.

Incidentally, *liangfen* grass was also the raw material for herbal jelly. Once this busy period was over, he might try making herbal jelly as a new product.

Making white jelly mixture was more complicated: it required boiling, filtering, adding plant ash water to adjust acidity, and finally, bleaching.

However, the conditions here are insufficient, making it quite difficult to produce completely white ice jelly, but Liu Guyu takes things in stride—as long as it works, it's good enough.

The entire day was spent preparing snacks for tomorrow's stall. With fresh loquats available at home, he added loquat-flavored bowl cake to the menu, and the loquat jelly wasn't finished until the afternoon.

But loquat jelly tastes best when chilled, so he set it aside to cool and said to Cui Lanfang and her daughter, "Let's eat first and try it later in the evening."

While Liu Guyu was busy, Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban weren't idle either—they had already prepared dinner for the day.

Spring offers an abundance of wild vegetables, all fresh and tender. A handful of wild chrysanthemum greens is perfect for stir-frying with cured meat.

The bamboo shoots are also tender—ideal for cold dishes or stir-fries, with a fresh, subtly sweet flavor unique to spring.

A simple egg and vegetable soup completed the meal. Two dishes and a soup were more than enough for the three of them.

After eating, Liu Guyu left the dishes for Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban to clean up while he continued preparing for tomorrow's stall. The whole family worked until evening before finally resting.

The loquat jelly had cooled completely. Liu Guyu brought out a bowl and used a bamboo skewer to scoop some out for Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban to try.

Even though they had just eaten, everyone found the loquat jelly novel.

Cui Lanfang couldn't help but laugh, feeling that the scene was very similar to the night Liu Guyu first made osmanthus ice jelly—just like then, they had finished dinner before sitting down as a family to taste it.

Back then, who could have imagined that in just half a year, they would be living such a good life!

Gu Yu truly is their family's lucky star!

Banban's thoughts were simpler. Her almond eyes sparkled as she nodded excitedly at Liu Guyu, saying, "It's delicious! So cool and refreshing—even better than bowl cake! It's full of the sweet and sour taste of loquats! Brother Liu, you're amazing!"

Liu Guyu popped a piece of jelly into his mouth, tossing his head proudly. "Of course!"

Banban clapped enthusiastically in support.

Cui Lanfang could only laugh helplessly.

*

Liu Guyu's sweet food stall is hugely popular. Those who frequent the East Market all know about the stall with fresh and delicious sweets run by a fellow surnamed Liu.

His business is good, so naturally, many others try to imitate him, selling sweet *tangyuan*, fruit drinks, and more. Some stalls even have better skills and lower prices than Liu Guyu, drawing customers away.

But Liu Guyu introduces new items quickly! Before others can fully figure out his previous snacks, he's already introducing something new.

"Hey, have you tried the jelly from Liu Family Food Stall today? The loquat-flavored one!"

"I have, I have! I think it's better than bowl cake! So refreshing!"

"I still prefer osmanthus ice jelly... Ah, I wonder when Boss Liu will sell ice jelly again? Maybe not until summer?"

...

Niu Dawei went out early again today. Just as he stepped out of the alley, he ran into a few neighbors and greeted them with a nod and a smile.

"Oh, Niu Dawei, going to buy snacks for your Bao Er again?"

"My, you really dote on your Bao Er! What are you getting today?"

Niu Dawei chuckled, nodding in response to each comment. "Yes, yes! It's market day today, so Boss Liu should be setting up his stall. I'm going to buy a bowl of red bean balls—my Bao Er loves those!"

Liu Guyu doesn't set up his stall every day, so Niu Dawei's Bao Er can't have her treats daily. She's been complaining for two days now—the day before yesterday, she wanted meat sauce, and yesterday she asked for red bean balls. She's quite particular about food.

The neighbors laughed politely before each heading home.

Niu Dawei knew their politeness was fake.

In truth, many neighbors disapprove of how much he dotes on his Bao Er, thinking that girls will eventually marry into another family, so doting on them is pointless. They even laugh at him behind his back for not having a son.

But Niu Dawei doesn't care! He adores his Bao Er. So what if he has no son? He can pass down his sesame oil recipe to Bao Er, teach her how to use the abacus and do business, and find her a husband who moves in so she can stay by his side even when she grows up!

As Niu Dawei mulled this over, he walked toward the East Market, his thoughts turning to meat sauce.

His Bao Er has been talking about mushroom meat sauce for two days, but Boss Liu said he won't be selling it anymore. His Bao Er might not get to enjoy this delicacy!

Ah, when the little girl gets really upset, she's hard to soothe. He wasn't sure if a bowl of red bean balls would be enough to calm her down.

If not, maybe he could go to the market to buy some wild mushrooms and try making it himself?

Hmm, no, no—his mother and wife don't have the knack for this, and he'd probably just waste the meat!

Niu Dawei sighed, his brow furrowed with worry.

Just as he was fretting, he approached Liu Family Food Stall and heard a young girl's voice calling out.

"Loquat jelly! New loquat jelly! Only five portions left, first come, first served!"