The following day, things proceeded as usual with Li Hongyue, Wu Fen, and Su Tian heading out to sell the soy milk. Once the sales were finished today, they planned to order two stone mills. Meanwhile, Su Dashu and Su Wanqing stayed home to build another handcart, intending to split into two groups to sell soy milk starting in a couple of days.
“Young lady, you’ve finally arrived!” As soon as they reached the stall, several people were already waiting. “That soy milk tastes wonderful. After I went home last night and told my family about it, I decided to buy a few extra ladles today so they can have a taste.”
“Coming right up!” Su Tian and the others nimbly set up their equipment and reached out to take the customers’ bowls.
The soy milk sold out quickly again. Su Tian asked Su Wenzu and Wu Fen to head back first, while she pulled Li Hongyue along toward the stonemason’s shop.
“Master, then it’s a deal. I will come to collect the stone mills in three days; here is the deposit.” Su Tian counted out two hundred copper coins and handed them over.
The owner of the stonemason shop took the coins and patted his chest confidently. “No problem. Just come by then, young lady. I guarantee they’ll be crafted beautifully for you.”
Su Tian nodded. “Thank you for your hard work, Master.”
Stepping out of the shop, Su Tian and Li Hongyue bought some more sugar before rushing back home.
“Hongyue, Tian-jie’er, you’re back! Mom and Dad just counted today’s coins—it’s a full four hundred-plus! It’s only been two days, and our family has already earned nearly one tael[1]Tael (两 – Liang): A unit of weight for silver. Generally, 1,000 copper coins equal 1 tael of silver. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1829682_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1829682_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); of silver!”
The moment they walked through the door, Wu Fen hurried out to greet them with excitement. However, fearing the neighbors might overhear, she kept her voice low.
“Is that so? Business was indeed very good today. It’s all thanks to Second Uncle and Dad grinding so much soy milk yesterday,” Su Tian said as she entered the kitchen to set down the sugar before heading to the main hall.
Su Dashu and Zhang Guihua were busy picking up the copper coins from the table and putting them into the savings jar. Seeing Su Tian return, they hurriedly greeted her: “Tian-jie’er, you must be tired. Your Eldest Aunt will have lunch ready in a moment; we can eat soon.”
Su Tian stepped forward and took Zhang Guihua’s arm. “Grandma, with the Old Immortal’s blessing, our days will only get better and better from now on.”
“Aye!” Zhang Guihua patted Su Tian’s hand, her eyes crinkling with joy.
“Grandma, give me a few copper coins. I’ll go to the Li family at the edge of the village to buy some pork. We haven’t had meat in a long time; I’ll cook something delicious for the family today.”
Zhang Guihua fished out sixty copper coins and handed them to Su Tian. “Go on. You keep whatever is left. Just buy whatever you like.”
Buying one catty of pork belly cost Su Tian fifty coins. Looking at the remaining coins, she sighed inwardly. It seems I still have to work hard at making money to achieve ‘grease and oil freedom'[2]Oil and Grease Freedom: A slang-style expression meaning being wealthy enough to eat meat and oil-rich foods whenever one wants, without worrying about the cost. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1829682_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1829682_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Upon returning home, Su Tian sliced the pork belly into pieces and took a few heads of Chinese cabbage, preparing to make a pot of Stewed Pork with Cabbage. The pork belly was fatty; after stir-frying, it rendered a good amount of lard. Once the cabbage was added with water to stew, even the leaves were coated in the fragrant oil.
Although she didn’t have soy sauce at the moment, Su Tian used a bit of sugar to create a light caramel color[3]Caramel Color (炒糖色): A traditional Chinese cooking technique where sugar is melted and browned in oil to provide color and flavor to braised dishes in the absence of dark soy sauce. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1829682_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1829682_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. The pot of Stewed Pork with Cabbage simmered away, becoming rich and flavorful.
Nearby, Zheng Chunmiao had nearly finished the rest of lunch. From the moment Su Tian started cooking, she hadn’t stopped swallowing her saliva. “Tian-jie’er, this scent is simply too fragrant. We’ll have to cook extra rice today; this will definitely be a ‘rice-killer'[4]Rice-killer (下饭 – Xiafan): A term for a dish so flavorful that it makes people eat a lot of rice. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1829682_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1829682_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
Su Tian used a basin to serve the Stewed Pork with Cabbage. “That’s for sure, Eldest Aunt. Be careful not to eat your own nose off in a bit, hehe.”
“Lunch is served!!” Su Wenyang and Su Wenchen helped set out the bowls and chopsticks, while Su Wenyang went to the room to call his mother, Wu Fen, out to eat.
The meal was immensely satisfying for the Su family. They praised Su Tian to the heavens, and the younger ones were so eager they practically wanted to lick their bowls clean.
Time passed quickly. Three days later, Su Tian went to collect the stone mills and brought them home.
References[+]