The situation today seemed to have undergone a complete 180-degree turn compared to yesterday.
In addition to those coming for tea, there were people buying the brown sugar jujube paste cakes, and significantly more buying the matcha red bean variety. First came the weaving women, followed by children who seemed to be running errands.
In particular, the youth who had been with Dr. Qiu yesterday actually returned today, and he specifically asked for the matcha red bean cold cakes.
As she wrapped them, Ding Baozhu teased, “Not afraid of indigestion this time?”
The youth liked to act more mature than his years, so her words brought a flush of embarrassment to his face. However, he replied, “The flavor is indeed quite good. Besides, I will make sure the Master doesn’t eat too much.”
Today’s cold cakes sold even faster than yesterday’s. Even the syrup-covered glutinous rice dates—of which there weren’t many to begin with—were all sold out as snacks by mid-morning, allowing Ding Baozhu to head home even earlier.
Today’s earnings had at least tripled!
But at the same time, her supply of materials was running low. She planned to head to the town in the afternoon to take a look.
Seeing that it was still early, Ding Baozhu looked around and suddenly set her sights on the apricot tree next to her. She found a long wooden stick and began to beat the blossoms down with a rustling sound. Some nearby vendors looked over strangely and muttered to themselves, but they didn’t interfere, staying busy with their own business.
Only after gathering a basket of apricot blossoms did Ding Baozhu pack up to go home.
However, as soon as she arrived home, she faintly heard the sound of conversation through the window. Only Ding Hong had such a loud voice; she wondered who he was chatting with.
Thinking this, she walked quickly to the door and saw Ding Baoqin squatting there, using a twig to draw on the ground to pass the time. As if sensing something, Baoqin looked up, saw Ding Baozhu, and stood up to wave.
“What’s wrong? Why are you staying out here?” Ding Baozhu asked.
“Uncle Xu is here today,” Ding Baoqin whispered. “Father kept him to drink. Mother wasn’t sure when you’d be back and told me to look for you. I didn’t think you’d be back this early.”
Ding Baozhu nodded and entered the house with her sister. She set down her tools, handed the basket of apricot petals to Baoqin to handle, and went into the main room alone.
She knocked on the door and said, “Father, Mother, I’m back.”
“Oh, Zhu’er is back?” Liu Ping was the first to ask, adding, “You’re back early today. The food is just ready, come and sit.”
Ding Baozhu complied. At the table, Ding Hong sat in the seat of honor, while the guest’s seat was occupied by a sturdy man of similar age to Ding Hong.
He didn’t fit the stereotype of a fierce hunter; instead, he had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and very upright features. He bore a two or three-point resemblance to Xu Ye.
Ding Baozhu quickly smiled. “Hello, Uncle Xu. How did you end up coming to drink with my father today?”
This Hunter Xu was named Xu Yi. He was a native of Xiangshan Village, and his family had been hunters for generations. When hunters caught game, aside from personal use, they needed to turn it into cash, so they naturally became close with the village butcher. Since the two men had started their respective careers around the same time, they had naturally become close friends.
The original owner knew that Ding Hong and Xu Yi drank together often, but after their children’s engagement became a sensitive topic, they hadn’t met as much. With everything that had happened, it seemed they had finally cleared the air.
Xu Yi observed her silently for a moment before smiling. “Your father and I are like brothers. It’s been a long time since we gathered. Surely you aren’t stingy with your family’s liquor?”
“How could that be? We are very happy to have you here, Uncle Xu,” Ding Baozhu said as she took a seat.
On the table were two bowls of pickles, a bowl of tofu with green onions, a jar of liquor—likely bulk grain wine—and a bowl of sliced meat. It looked like pig’s head meat, drizzled with hot oil and tossed until it was shiny and aromatic. Even cold, it smelled delicious.
Xu Yi smiled and said to Ding Hong, “I heard your eldest daughter has been doing business outside these past few days. My boy even went there to buy things.”
“Oh, that hardly counts as business. At most, it’s just a tiny trade,” Liu Ping said from the side.
“At the very least, it earns money to help the family. Besides, my boy brought those treats back, and they were really to his liking. He usually doesn’t eat those overly sweet things,” Xu Yi praised, though there seemed to be some underlying meaning in his words. “I hadn’t heard your daughter had this skill before. Old Ding, didn’t you want her to follow in your footsteps?”
“Heh, isn’t it because someone in the family has to learn, and she’s the eldest?” Ding Hong sighed. “But learning that trade is ultimately troublesome. We just hope she can marry into a good family, live stably, and be safe.”
Ding Baozhu silently shoveled rice into her mouth. The pig’s head meat was fatty but not greasy, soft and delicate. Eaten with the crisp pickles, it was the perfect accompaniment to the rice.
“True. I worry about my boy, too,” Xu Yi said. “He’s not young anymore, but he doesn’t seem to care about finding a wife at all.”
On the table, they drank from coarse bowls. The slightly cloudy liquid emitted a faint scent of grain. Xu Yi took a large gulp, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and continued to sigh:
“And I don’t know when he developed such a personality. He’s like a mute gourd. He can’t say more than three or five words to outsiders, let alone other girls.”
After he finished, the three of them fell into a strange, silent understanding. Then, they all simultaneously turned their gazes toward Ding Baozhu, who was still eating.
Ding Baozhu wiped her mouth, mentally complaining: Just what kind of person was the original owner of this body?
In principle, the marriage was already settled. Even though she had done something drastic, both families had spoken clearly, and the engagement hadn’t been broken. Why did her future father-in-law still look so uneasy? It was as if he was afraid she would cause trouble again.
It seemed that changing people’s impressions would take a long time…
Ding Baozhu thought for a moment and said, “Uncle Xu, I did something extreme before. But after I recovered, I realized my mistakes. Doing that only worried my family and made a fool of myself. I will never do it again; I will listen to my parents in everything.”
Xu Yi froze. He had visited after Ding Baozhu was injured, but because the matter was sensitive, he hadn’t entered the Ding house again. A few days later, he heard she had woken up, and Ding Hong had brought gifts to explain, saying Baozhu seemed like a completely different person. He had thought it was just talk, but it turned out to be true?
He glanced at the relieved faces of Ding Hong and Liu Ping. He also thought about how some people in the village had been talking about Ding Baozhu lately, saying she had set up a stall on the road outside the village to do business.
Seeing Ding Baozhu’s current obedient manner, Xu Yi, who wasn’t a man of complex thoughts, was immediately put at ease. Not only was he relieved, but he was also very satisfied.
“Good, good. It’s good that you think that way,” Xu Yi smiled and raised his bowl. “Old Ding, shall we have another round?”
After the meal and seeing Xu Yi out, Ding Baozhu wanted to go out as well, but she was stopped by her parents and called into the room to talk.
“Immortal Yang checked the almanac and found a good day. It’s the 19th of this month. The day before is also an auspicious day for moving.”
Ding Hong had a good tolerance for alcohol and hadn’t drunk much. After closing the door, he told Liu Ping and Ding Baozhu the news. Liu Ping looked delighted, but her expression quickly turned to one of worry.
“That’s only a few days away! I have to check the supplies again. We have to go make the bed and set the feast the day before. It won’t be any less busy than the wedding day itself!”
Ding Baozhu finally understood. It seemed Xu Yi’s visit today was also intended to consult with Ding Hong. They were already close, and people here liked to reinforce ties through marriage. Since Baozhu was back and had been observed for a while, they were even more at ease.
However, she wasn’t very clear on the wedding process here.
“It’s fine. How many times have you checked already?” Ding Hong laughed. “Besides, Baozhu isn’t leaving the village. It’s not like it’ll be hard to see her. If something is missing then, we’ll just supplement it.”
This was why he wanted Ding Baozhu to marry into the Xu family. Several large villages in the area intermarried, and even the wives in their own family came from neighboring villages, but it was certainly most convenient to stay in the same village.
Ding Baozhu asked, “Mother, what is the ‘bed-making’ the day before?”
Liu Ping, calmed by her husband, smiled and replied, “The day before the wedding, the bride’s family goes to the husband’s house to ‘warm the room’—that is, making the bed and arranging the utensils. We also have a simple feast, as that will be your last meal in your parents’ home…”
Wasn’t that just decorating the bridal chamber?
Ding Baozhu understood and said with a smile, “Then I’ll be looking forward to the delicious food.”
“You! You’re about to get married, and all you think about is eating?” Liu Ping shook her head helplessly and then urged, “Since you’re about to become a new bride, don’t go out and do that business anymore. There are only a few days left. Besides, you’ve had your fill of ‘fun’ these past few days, so just stay settled from now on.”
Ding Baozhu pursed her lips. If it was “fun,” she hadn’t had enough yet. Her business had only just started, and there were no other cold cake vendors on that road. Based on the novelty alone, she had many customers. If she stopped now, by the time she went back, there might already be another stall selling them.
Seeing the reluctance on Baozhu’s face, Liu Ping advised kindly, “Zhu’er, be good. We finally got this matter back on track; we can’t have any more slips. Mother will make you something delicious then.”
Hearing this, Ding Baozhu felt like she was being placed under house arrest. Plans could never keep up with changes; she had no choice but to agree.
She had intended to use the apricot petals she gathered to make apricot blossom tea for a change of pace, but now they could only be for personal use. She used the cleaned petals to make apricot cakes. Even though she was staying home, she was still kept busy.
One moment Liu Ping had her trying on new clothes, the next it was new shoes, and then she had to check the dowry—it was as if Liu Ping were the one getting married. Ding Baozhu just nibbled on her apricot cakes and said nothing.
During this time, people even came to the Ding house, lingering at the door and peering in as if looking for something. As it turned out, they were all looking for Ding Baozhu.
Since that day, Ding Baozhu had not gone out to sell cold cakes. For one day, people thought she just hadn’t set up the stall that day, but as two or three days passed, those who wanted cold cakes couldn’t sit still. Especially those living in Xiangshan Village; although they had heard of Ding Baozhu’s reputation, that had nothing to do with cold cakes, so they involuntarily came to the Ding house.
Ding Baozhu explained the reason. Some offered congratulations, while others felt it was a pity. Someone even secretly told her that other people had indeed started selling cold cakes on the road.
However, those cold cakes were crudely made and lacked the innovation of Baozhu’s stall. So even if people bought them, they weren’t popular. Especially the matcha red bean flavor—those who loved it now loved it intensely, but others simply couldn’t replicate the taste.
They felt regret, and Ding Baozhu felt even more regret.
It seemed she could only wait until after the wedding to see if there would be another opportunity.