11:Fragrant Flower Pastries
Zhao Liniang, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, now looked deeply concerned. She spoke up: “That Manager Zhou looks rather angry. What are we to do?”
“Mother, do not worry. Business is all about give and take. That manager runs such a large shop; surely he won’t hold it against me.” ” Tao Qinghe spoke soothingly.
Zhao Liniang could only nod. “Weren’t we here to buy flintstones? Why did you ask about the price of those pastries?”
“Since we intend to sell pastries, we must first know the market price. If we set our price slightly lower than that shop’s, I’m sure we’ll be able to sell them.”
Having ascertained the prices, Tao Qinghe’s confidence soared. The pastries in the shop had not smelled particularly special; if she could actually make and sell fresh flower pastries, they would be unrivalled in the market!
Zhao Liniang’s spirits lifted as well. With this way of earning money, there was hope for the days ahead, wasn’t there? If she could save up a dowry for her eldest daughter and find her a good match, that would be one less thing to worry about.
Unaware of Zhao Liniang’s thoughts, Tao Qinghe walked along the street and realised that Baiyi County wasn’t just run-down on the surface; it was genuinely rather quiet inside. In less than a quarter of an hour, she had already reached the end of the street where the food stalls were?
Leaving the main street of food stalls, Tao Qinghe turned into a general store nearby. The shopkeeper’s wife was idly dusting the shelves; only when someone approached did she put on a broad smile and look at Zhao Liniang. “What would you like to buy, Auntie?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Zhao Liniang looked flustered at her daughter. Tao Qinghe had no choice but to speak up: “How much are the flour and sugar here?”
“Today, coarse flour is twelve copper coins per catty[1]0.6kg jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2258442_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2258442_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, fine flour is twenty-eight, and sugar costs thirty copper coins per catty.
Even though she’d braced herself, Tao Qinghe was still shocked by the price of sugar—it was so much more expensive than grain! She asked another question: “Do you have glutinous rice flour in the shop?”
“Of course we do, twenty copper coins per catty.
To make flower-shaped pastries, sugar and oil account for the bulk of the cost. Pork for rendering lard costs sixteen copper coins per catty. Now that she knew the price of sugar, she did a mental calculation: using up one catty of oil and sugar would yield about fifty pastries, and the cost of ingredients alone would run to around sixty copper coins. Given that, she feared she wouldn’t be able to keep the selling price low.
Whatever she might be thinking, she kept her composure, bought some urgently needed supplies and flour, and the mother and daughter hurried out of the city to return home before the sun rose too high.
As they approached the little cottage, Tao Qingmiao heard the commotion and came out to meet them. Seeing that both were sweating profusely, she hastily produced a fan.
A gentle breeze swept across their cheeks, carrying away the heat. After gulping down the water in her bowl in a few quick sips, Tao Qinghe felt as though she had come back to life.
“We’ve got most of what we need at home now. I’ll go up the hill to pick some flowers later,” she said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “As for the iron griddle, Mother will have to ask Auntie Li to lend it to us. And we’re running low on water in the house…”
“I fetched a full load of water from the village this morning!” Tao Qingmiao chimed in, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her elder sister.
Goodness! A little workhorse, is she?
“Our Qingmiao really is a hard worker! Once I’ve made the pastries, you’ll be the first to have a bite!” Tao Qinghe said, though her heart ached a little. She was only twelve years old, and carrying water all that way must have been exhausting. They really needed to earn some money as soon as possible to improve their living conditions.
Tao Qingmiao, suddenly receiving praise, felt a little shy. She covered her face and said, “Mum and Big Sister went to the county town. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to fetch water from the village.”
“It’s all my fault for being useless; I’ve made you suffer along with me,” Zhao Liniang said, hugging Tao Qingmiao, her voice choking with emotion.
“We’re a family; there’s no need to talk of suffering,” Tao Qinghe said, rising to join them. “As long as we stick together, it’s certainly better than putting up with that humiliation we used to endure!”
Once the water was drawn, Tao Qinghe asked Tao Qingmiao to accompany Zhao Liniang to borrow an iron baking plate, whilst she set off alone up the mountain. The three parted ways once more and headed out the door.
Following yesterday’s route, she soon reached the area near the rose hedge. Looking at the flowers, which were still blooming vibrantly, Tao Qinghe did not pick them straight away.
Following the method she’d figured out the day before, she once again guided the light towards the roses, stopping only when she felt tired. As if she’d just completed an offering, Tao Qinghe now felt quite confident.
After scanning the surroundings to make sure no one was nearby, she cleared her throat and said, “I promise I won’t hurt you. May I pick a few flowers?”
After a long while, there was still no sign of movement before her. Tao Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself: It doesn’t seem like a very clever flower…
She added, “If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes, okay?”
There was still no reaction from her surroundings. She had no choice but to pluck up her courage, step closer, and reach out to try and pick a rose.
“Snap!” The first flower snapped off and was safely placed in the basket. Tao Qinghe finally felt at ease and gradually picked up the pace.
Since this was a new food source, Tao Qinghe decided to make a small batch for her family to try first, so she picked just under half a basket of flowers before heading back.
Upon returning to the thatched cottage, the two who had gone to borrow the iron griddle had not yet returned. So Tao Qinghe set to work on her own. When she finally heard a noise from outside, she put down the flowers she was holding and hurried out to meet them.
The three of them met up. Tao Qinghe took the iron griddle from her sister’s hands and weighed it in her hands; it felt quite heavy. She reckoned to herself that if she were to buy one, it would likely cost a fair bit of money.
Once they had all gone inside, seeing that the flowers in the basin were not yet picked, Tao Qingmiao wanted to step forward to help. Tao Qinghe would have none of it, and hurriedly pulled her over to sit down and rest first.
“Why has Mother brought a bag back with her?” Tao Qinghe asked curiously.
“Ah, your Auntie Li gave me a few eggs,” Zhao Liniang said, her eyes welling up with tears again. She paused for a moment before continuing, “Hui Niang knows we want to make food to sell, so she said we could just take the iron wok and use it. She was also worried your health hasn’t fully recovered, so she insisted on packing some eggs for you to build your strength.”
This was the second time Tao Qinghe had felt someone’s kindness since she’d arrived here… No, wait! Wasn’t it this Auntie from the Li family who spoke up to help during the family division yesterday? The original owner had felt inferior because of her height and strength; she often refused to go out, and when she did encounter people, she would simply lower her head, not daring to speak to anyone. That was why Tao Qinghe hadn’t recognised her at the time; it was only now that it dawned on her.
“Auntie Li has been so kind to us; she even spoke up for us during the division of the household yesterday,” Tao Qinghe remarked with deep emotion.
“Back in the day, your father used to go out selling things with the eldest son of the Li family, and that’s how I grew closer to Hui Niang,” Zhao Liniang mused, her own thoughts turning to the past. “I just never imagined that, even after your father passed away, she’d still be willing to help us out like this.”
“Auntie has a kind heart; she feels sorry for us being split up like this. Once these pastries are ready, I’ll send some over for her to try,” said Tao Qinghe, her hands never stopping as she worked; in no time, the flowers were all picked.
“Are you making pastries?” asked Zhao Liniang, fetching some clean bowls and basins. Thankfully, Tao Erlang was a carpenter; though the Tao family wasn’t particularly wealthy, they certainly had no shortage of furniture.
“We must first roast the glutinous rice flour.” Tao Qinghe took the bowl, poured the flower petals into it, then picked up the earthenware pot to go outside and roast the flour. Once all the ingredients were prepared, she said to the two of them, “Qingmiao, fetch the oil jar and the sugar jar. Mother, pour some flour over here to make the dough and the filling.” The two received their tasks and sprang into action immediately.
The sugar lumps in the jar were rather large, so Tao Qinghe first weighed out a rough amount, then pounded them into fine granules with a stone mortar, before finally pouring them into a wooden basin to knead together with the flower petals.
Meanwhile, Zhao Liniang followed the instructions to knead the dough, whilst Tao Qingmiao held a fan, wafting away the heat from the two of them with steady strokes. For a time, the room fell silent.
By the time Tao Qinghe had finished kneading the flower filling, the fragrance had filled the entire thatched cottage.
Tao Qingmiao stared at the flower filling, swallowing her saliva from time to time, murmuring under her breath, “It smells absolutely divine.”
Zhao Liniang had long since finished kneading the dough and was now gazing at the flower filling, constantly inhaling the aroma.
Seeing this, Tao Qinghe was at a loss for words—it was both amusing and exasperating. Yet as she breathed in the scent, why did it seem even more fragrant than she remembered?
Once the pastry dough and rich filling had been rolled out and left to rest for the required time, Tao Qinghe asked Zhao Liniang to roll out the dough. She herself stuffed the filling, shaping it into tight balls, before handing them to her younger sister to flatten. The three worked together in harmony, and before long, the pastry shapes were ready.
“Qinghe, hold the cast-iron pan,” Tao Qinghe said as she picked up the pastry and walked out, calling out loudly, “Mother! Help me light the fire.”
Once the fire had settled, she brushed a thin layer of oil onto the cast-iron pan, placed the pastry on it, and lifted the lid. She stood watch nearby, checking on the progress from time to time. When the pastry was turned over and the surface had turned a light golden brown, Tao Qinghe felt a surge of excitement—it was done!
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