Chapter 60 Mountain Home Hearth 60

Chapter 60: The Mountain Family's Hearth and Home

Qin Rongshi, ever polite, inquired, "What new dish is this?"

Liu Guyu beckoned, "Come on in!"

Qin Rongshi nodded but didn't immediately step forward. Instead, he moved half a pace aside, allowing Chen Sanxi to enter first—a gesture of basic courtesy to a guest.

The two entered in succession, just in time to see Qin Banban at the stove, her hands busily engaged in some culinary endeavor.

"Brother Liu, is this fried enough?"

Liu Guyu glanced over, nodded, and replied, "Yes, it's ready. Take it out."

Qin Rongshi approached and observed a plate holding several scored red starch sausages, fried to a crisp, golden-brown crust. Beside it, two small bowls offered different dipping sauces—one noticeably redder, clearly spiced with chili.

On another plate lay several rolled-up dough skins, skewered with bamboo sticks. These too had been pan-fried until puffed and crispy, with fillings peeking out. Qin Rongshi couldn't quite discern the contents, only noticing a scattering of chili-oil-soaked scallions that had escaped onto the plate.

Liu Guyu announced, "These are fried starch sausages and grilled sweet potato skins. Have a taste."

With that, he dipped two starch sausages in the spicy sauce and offered one to each of them.

These starch sausages differed from the modern versions Liu Guyu was accustomed to. Made with pig intestine casings, they were thicker but shorter than their contemporary counterparts. While the overall weight was similar, their shape and color were distinct—redder and more akin to actual meat.

Fresh from the fryer, the starch sausages were piping hot. Their casings had split and curled from the heat, sizzling with oily bubbles. Glossy and red, coated in chili oil and pepper powder, they exuded an irresistible aroma.

Qin Rongshi took a bite, his teeth meeting with an immediate "crunch"—the sound of the crispy shell yielding.

The interior was soft and tender, saturated with oil and spicy sauce. Though seemingly ordinary at first taste, the initial bite compelled a second, and by the time one was finished, he found himself craving more.

Liu Guyu, eyes sparkling with anticipation, eagerly pressed, "How is it? How is it? How is it?"

Qin Rongshi paused, averted his gaze slightly, then nodded. "It's delicious."

Chen Sanxi concurred with a nod.

Liu Guyu's eyes lit up. He swiftly retrieved two pieces of grilled sweet potato skin from the plate and offered them. "Try this too!"

Qin Rongshi complied and ate.

The taste was excellent, though it proved a bit messy—chili oil smudged his chin. Qin Rongshi's face flushed, and he subtly turned away.

Liu Guyu found it amusing, thinking, *This kid is so reserved, even embarrassed by something so trivial.*

Despite his thoughts, Liu Guyu still offered him a handkerchief.

The handkerchief was autumn-green, fashioned from leftover fabric from Cui Lanfang's tailoring. She had stitched it for him to wipe sweat while hawking his wares.

Qin Rongshi used it, then discreetly tucked it into his sleeve.

Banban, who had been watching intently, excitedly asked, "Is it good? Is it good?"

Both Qin Rongshi and Chen Sanxi nodded.

Banban cheered, then turned and hugged Liu Guyu, shaking him excitedly. "Brother Liu, see? I told you your food would be delicious!"

Qin Rongshi also inquired, "Are these new items for the stall?"

Liu Guyu nodded, gesturing to the two dishes. "This is starch sausage, and this is grilled sweet potato skin. Both are new additions for the food stall. Once I get a carpenter to build a larger cart and a metal griddle, we'll be ready."

Just as he finished, Cui Lanfang called from behind, "Enough chatter, come eat first."

A large pot of pork bone broth, simmered for nearly two hours with bamboo shoots, filled the air with a rich, meaty aroma.

Spring fern fronds were at their freshest, a staple in the family's diet every few days.

Today, with the sun out, Qin Banban and Liu Guyu had ventured to Little Flow Mountain to forage for wild vegetables and bamboo shoots, returning with a basket brimming with fern roots.

For dinner, they prepared two large plates: one stir-fried with cured meat, the other served as a cold salad. The remaining fern roots were chopped, mixed with minced meat, and used as filling for wontons, destined for a bone broth breakfast the next morning.

After the meal, Chen Sanxi collected his day's wages and departed.

Once he was gone, the family sighed and began discussing the food stall business.

Cui Lanfang asked worriedly, "Gu Yu, your starch sausage certainly tastes good, but it seems quite troublesome to make. And you'll need a griddle for frying, which will cost a fair bit. Will we make that money back?"

She had observed Liu Guyu making the starch sausages—involving meat, intestines, oil, and seasonings—and it appeared rather complicated.

Liu Guyu, sipping his soup, smiled as he answered Cui Lanfang's query, "It's only the initial investment that's high. Besides, I won't just use this griddle for starch sausages; the sweet potato skins need it too! And we can make other new dishes with it later!"

"Take these sweet potato skins, for example. They're made from sweet potato starch, filled with scallions, pickled radish, and fish mint—none of which are expensive. But I can sell each for three coins and make a good profit! The starch sausages will also sell well in volume—kids will definitely love them!"

Moreover, the griddle could be used for iron-plate tofu, grilled cold noodles, stir-fried rice noodles, and a myriad of other dishes. It wasn't seasonal, allowing sales year-round, unlike fruit drinks that depended on seasonal fruits, or ice jelly, which struggled to sell in winter.

Liu Guyu hadn't acted impulsively; he had carefully considered his plans.

His dessert stall was indeed thriving, but it seemed to have reached a plateau. While its reputation had spread, many vendors were now imitating his offerings, and most customers were regulars.

Furthermore, with most items being sweet, the target audience was limited. There were many in town who preferred spicy or sour flavors, and Liu Guyu was unwilling to overlook these potential customers.

He planned to build a larger cart—one side dedicated to continuing dessert sales to retain loyal customers, and the other to selling grilled, more intensely flavored foods to attract new patrons.

Cui Lanfang didn't fully grasp business matters, but Liu Guyu's explanation reassured her. She patted the back of his hand.

"Good, we'll follow your lead. I know you're capable—you'll be the one making decisions for our family from now on!"

Qin Rongshi suddenly asked, "If you're selling these, the old cart won't be enough, will it?"

Liu Guyu quickly replied, "Exactly! I've been worrying about that. Luckily, you're back—you can help me draft the plans. I have ideas, but my drawing skills are terrible. If I draw it, the carpenter might not understand!"

Qin Rongshi immediately offered, "I can draw it up later."

Liu Guyu took another sip of soup, swallowed, then shook his head. "No rush. You just got back today—rest well. You can draw it tomorrow… Oh, right, Mother made two sets of spring clothes for everyone. Banban and I have tried ours. You should try yours too."

Cui Lanfang, hearing this, quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! I almost forgot until Gu Yu mentioned it!"

She stood up and hurried back to her room to fetch the clothes.

Two sets of light blue clothes, identical in color but subtly different in style.

One was a round-collared scholar's robe with wide sleeves and a long hem, cinched at the waist with a white cloth belt.

The other featured a crossed collar, with two embroidered bamboo leaves on the white trim and a red silk ribbon at the waist. This ribbon was made by Qin Banban, who had recently been learning knotting and braiding from Luo Qingzhu and had made some progress.

Speaking of which, Luo Qingzhu was quite skilled with his hands.

He was adept at embroidery and knot-making, with a vast repertoire of patterns! It was said that even before his divorce, he relied on these crafts to supplement the family income. Now, having returned home after the separation, his skills remained sharp.

However, embroidery was taxing on the eyes, so Lin Xingniang didn't allow him to do too much of it. Instead, he focused on making decorative knots to sell to shops in town.

After dinner, the family's entertainment became watching Qin Rongshi try on his new clothes.

Though the two outfits were of the same color, Liu Guyu's eyes lit up at the sight of one, and then again at the other, experiencing a delightful sense of playing "Miracle Rongrong."

"Looks good."

"This one looks good too."

"I never noticed before, but now that I see it, red really suits Erlang!"

"Oh my, who is this handsome young man? Dressed so finely, where are you off to?"

Teased in front of his mother and sister, Qin Rongshi blushed fiercely and secretly shot Liu Guyu a glare. Trying to sound stern but failing, he said, "Brother-in-law! Stop talking nonsense."

Scolded, Liu Guyu pouted and turned to tug at Cui Lanfang's sleeve, muttering pitifully, "Mom, look at him! I praised his good looks, and he got angry!"

Cui Lanfang was delighted by her children's playful bickering. She chuckled and said, "Erlang isn't angry with you; he's just shy. See, he blushes after just a few words, like a bashful girl."

Her words only made Qin Rongshi blush even more deeply.

"...Mom."

Not daring to glare at Cui Lanfang, he lowered his head and called out "Mom" in a subdued voice, looking like a pitiful puppy caught in the rain—even more aggrieved than Liu Guyu, who was feigning misery.

Cui Lanfang, feeling sorry for her son, refrained from further teasing. She stood up and turned Qin Rongshi around, examining him from head to toe.

She said, "Oh, it fits perfectly! Erlang has grown so quickly. I thought you and Banban were still growing, so I made it a bit larger, but it turns out it fits just right now."

Liu Guyu nodded and came over to compare heights, confirming that he had indeed grown taller.

When Liu Guyu first arrived, there wasn't much difference in height between Qin Rongshi and Qin Banban. But after more than half a year, the gap between the siblings had widened significantly.

Now, Qin Rongshi reached Liu Guyu's ear level, while Banban reached Qin Rongshi's ear level. When the three stood together, they resembled a cell phone signal bar—only with three bars, and not a very strong signal at that.

Amused by his own corny joke, Liu Guyu chuckled to himself.

Banban also circled around her second brother, tugging at the red decorative belt and saying with a laugh, "It looks great! Clearly, my handiwork is superb!"

Having spent so much time with Liu Guyu, she had picked up some of his self-praising habits.

Qin Rongshi, who had been pretending to keep a straight face, couldn't help but laugh at Banban's remark.

He wasn't one to laugh often, but Banban wasn't one to boast either. Hearing such a comment from her, he simply couldn't hold back.

Liu Guyu saw nothing wrong with it and even patted Qin Banban's shoulder encouragingly, praising her, "Of course! You're the best knot-maker within a ten-foot radius!"

A ten-foot radius—that didn't even extend beyond the Qin family's courtyard!

Qin Rongshi's smile widened, and he couldn't resist adding, "Banban learned all this from you."

Instead of feeling ashamed, Liu Guyu took it as a compliment and declared, "What's wrong with learning from me? One should be confident!"

"I'm the number one cook in our family! Mom is the number one seamstress! You're the number one scholar! Our family is a family of champions!"

Clearly, Qin Banban had only scratched the surface—when it came to thick-skinned confidence, Liu Guyu was the true master.

Qin Rongshi lowered his head to adjust his clothes, avoiding Liu Guyu's gaze, and said softly, "When it comes to cooking, you're number one in Fushui Town too."

His words were quiet, and if one listened carefully, they seemed to carry a hint of tenderness and unspoken emotion.

But no one in the room noticed. Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban chimed in agreement, saying, "That's right, you're the best in the whole town!"

Liu Guyu even cupped his hands in salute and laughed heartily, "You flatter me, you flatter me."

Qin Rongshi: "..."

Qin Rongshi said nothing. He only sighed.

Author's Note: I forgot to set the scheduled post again [scared][scared]. I'll definitely update on time tomorrow [please][please].