Lin Shengxia’s question left both Lin Qizheng and Dong Wanqiu silent.
She was right. What could they possibly give as a gift?
Lin Handong was still a child and didn’t understand why the adults were struggling over the matter. He simply asked curiously, “Mother’s pastries are so delicious. Can’t we give some to Sister’s teacher?”
Back when they lived in the capital, hadn’t Father’s students brought them simple gifts like vegetables grown at home?
Lin Handong’s words immediately made Lin Shengxia’s eyes light up.
That’s right!
She had been so focused on how well-off Auntie Li’s family was that she had forgotten the most important thing about giving a gift—the recipient needed to feel the sincerity behind it.
Since they didn’t have much money, they could make up for it with thoughtfulness.
Not only could they give pastries made by her mother, but they could also give handmade bamboo baskets woven by her!
“Mother, write down a recipe for me later. I’ll make a trip to 2026 and buy everything you need.”
One of Dong Wanqiu’s ancestors had once worked as a pastry chef in the imperial kitchen, and several secret pastry recipes had been passed down through the Dong family.
After thinking for a moment, Dong Wanqiu lowered her gaze and said, “Since you said Auntie Li’s household is mostly women, why don’t I prepare some Eight-Treasure Cake for them?”
Eight-Treasure Cake could strengthen the digestive system and improve appetite while also calming the mind and promoting restful sleep. It was especially suitable for this time of year!
As soon as Lin Shengxia heard the name, she remembered exactly what the cakes looked like, and her eyes immediately brightened.
“I remember! When I was little and had a weak stomach, you used to make it for me all the time. It really was delicious. Write down everything you need, and I’ll go buy it right away!”
Since Dong Wanqiu had already decided to make the cakes, she didn’t hesitate.
She picked up a pen and wrote down everything she needed.
Lin Shengxia quickly read through the list, silently repeated it to herself to make sure she remembered everything, then tossed the paper into the stove and burned it.
Dong Wanqiu understood her daughter’s concerns and simply smiled.
“Be careful on your way.”
Since the Eight-Treasure Cake was meant to be part of her formal gift to Cui Shizhen as her new teacher, Lin Shengxia didn’t go to the supermarket she usually visited.
Instead, she went to a well-known organic grocery store nearby.
She had heard that everything sold there underwent strict quality inspections before reaching the shelves.
Since the ingredients were meant for a gift, she naturally wanted to get the best she could afford!
Even though the bill came to a full eight hundred yuan, Lin Shengxia only winced for a moment before quickly composing herself.
She packed everything away and returned to the back courtyard.
Dong Wanqiu carefully inspected the ingredients she had bought and nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. These ingredients are all suitable. All right, leave the rest to me. Go read with your little brother.”
Making traditional pastries was actually a tedious and time-consuming process.
The weather was hot, and preparing Eight-Treasure Cake required steaming the ingredients repeatedly. That meant spending several hours beside a hot stove.
Dong Wanqiu couldn’t bear to let her daughter suffer through that.
Before leaving, however, Lin Shengxia handed her mother a cup of traditional sour plum drink she had bought from the supermarket.
The drink had been kept refrigerated the entire time, and cold droplets of condensation still covered the outside of the cup.
Dong Wanqiu took a tentative sip and immediately felt much of the heat and irritation in her chest fade away.
“Oh my, this sour plum drink is wonderful!”
Dong Wanqiu wasn’t the only one who received a cup. Lin Handong and Lin Qizheng each got one as well.
At first, Lin Qizheng felt embarrassed about drinking something so luxurious.
It wasn’t until Lin Shengxia and Lin Handong stood on either side of him and repeatedly urged him to try it that he finally took a sip.
And it really was refreshing!
After spending so long working in the courtyard, Lin Qizheng had been feeling hot, restless, and lightheaded.
But after drinking half a cup of sour plum drink, even his foggy mind seemed to clear considerably.
“They already have ice-cold drinks in 2026 at this time of year?”
“They use a kind of freezer with a transparent glass front. It looks a little like the freezer at the ice cream factory in the capital that you took me to when I was little, but it’s much simpler and more convenient. It can even be moved around easily. And that’s not all. Almost every household there has a refrigerator and even air conditioning!”
Air conditioning was what Lin Shengxia found most incredible.
All someone had to do was press a button, and cool air would immediately blow down from above.
Standing beneath it made her feel as though she were in a place where the temperature remained perfectly comfortable no matter how hot it was outside.
But when she remembered that such a world wouldn’t exist for another fifty years, the light in Lin Shengxia’s eyes dimmed.
By then, she would already be in her seventies.
And her parents would…
Seeing the sudden sadness on his daughter’s face, Lin Qizheng immediately guessed what she was thinking, and his heart ached for her.
“Life gets better little by little. You’ve already been fortunate enough to experience the changes that won’t come for another fifty years. You should cherish that instead of worrying about what hasn’t happened yet.”
Lin Shengxia realized that she had let her thoughts wander too far and smiled as she nodded.
Before long, an irresistible sweet fragrance began drifting throughout the courtyard.
Lin Qizheng grew slightly worried and gave his daughter a meaningful look.
Lin Shengxia immediately understood.
She took some of the mugwort their family had collected, placed it behind the ruined temple’s front entrance, and lit it.
That way, even if someone came up the mountain, they could explain that they were burning mugwort to drive away mosquitoes.
Mugwort grew all over the mountain. Anyone could gather it, dry it, and burn it inside their home, so there was no need to worry about the villagers using it as an excuse to cause trouble.
While waiting, Lin Shengxia began looking through the bamboo baskets her mother had woven that day.
Sure enough, she found one that was perfect for holding the cakes!
She carefully lined it with a piece of fine cotton cloth that had been thoroughly washed and cleaned. Then she put the lid on and carried the bamboo basket inside.
When the first batch of Eight-Treasure Cakes finally came out of the steamer, Lin Shengxia eagerly took several pieces and handed them around for everyone in the family to taste.
The moment the familiar sweet fragrance combined with the soft, delicate texture and slowly melted in her mouth, Lin Shengxia closed her eyes in bliss.
Dong Wanqiu had prepared plenty of ingredients.
As soon as the first batch was finished, she quickly put the ingredients for the second batch into the steamer.
Since she had already gone to the trouble of making them, there was no reason not to let her own family eat their fill as well!
For a while, the small courtyard fell completely silent except for the sound of everyone happily eating.
By the time they were full, the second batch of Eight-Treasure Cakes had just finished steaming.
Lin Shengxia picked up a pair of tongs and carefully placed the freshly steamed cakes inside the bamboo basket.
To prevent their flavor and texture from changing, she immediately closed the lid and stored the entire basket inside her mysterious space.
That way, when she brought them to Cui Shizhen and the others tomorrow, the cakes would still be piping hot and freshly steamed.
That evening, the Lin family didn’t even bother cooking any other dishes.
They simply ate Eight-Treasure Cakes until their stomachs were completely full.
Lin Shengxia stored the remaining half inside her space as well. Whenever her family wanted some, she could simply take them out.
By then, the sky outside had become completely dark.
Looking through the window, they could see countless stars scattered across the night sky, twinkling brightly and occasionally disappearing behind passing clouds.
The sight fascinated Lin Handong so much that he kept running into the courtyard, trying to chase after the stars.
With the main gate shut and no outsiders around, the Lin family could finally relax.
Dressed in comfortable pajamas, they lay together on the soft quilts, their heads close to one another as they counted the stars.
None of them knew exactly when the others fell asleep.
By the time they opened their eyes again, it was already the next day.
Early in the morning, Lin Shengxia headed up the mountain.
With the season for wild vegetables almost over, she wanted to gather as many as possible and store them inside her space while she still could.
From time to time, she also checked the place where she had discovered the Chinese violets.
Unfortunately, after she had harvested them, she hadn’t found any other medicinal herbs nearby.
Just as Lin Shengxia was beginning to feel disappointed, she unexpectedly noticed a dark cave not far from the place where she had discovered the medicinal herbs.