After seeing Uncle Niu off, Li Xingyue returned indoors to continue her meal.
Zhou looked at her, puzzled. “Yue-niang, how do you know the bun shop owner in town?”
Li Xingyue took a bite of pork liver, sipped some soup, swallowed slowly, and replied calmly, “I met her the last time I bought buns.”
Zhou still didn’t understand.
Just buying buns and having dealings with someone?
“What did she want from you?” she asked.
Li Xingyue shook her head. “You heard it just now. Uncle Niu didn’t say anything either.” She thought for a moment and added, “Last time, I told them a bun filling recipe. Maybe that’s why they sought me out.”
Zhou was curious. “Yue-niang, you can make buns too?”
Beside her, Gu Qishan also looked at Li Xingyue with interest.
Li Xingyue smiled. “Making buns isn’t difficult.”
Gu Wan’er chimed in, “Sister-in-law thought their buns weren’t tasty, so she gave them a filling recipe.”
Zhou gasped. “Yue-niang! How can you just hand out a recipe like that?”
Li Xingyue replied lightly, “It’s not a big deal. Telling someone doesn’t hurt.”
Zhou tried to reason with her. “Yue-niang, you’re foolish! They’ll make money off it!”
Li Xingyue smiled faintly. “Mother, if you want to use it to earn money, I can tell you too.”
“You child… you…” Zhou could only shake her head helplessly.
Li Xingyue then told everyone she planned to go to town the next day. Gu Wan’er, having dug more medicinal herbs, insisted on coming along to sell them as well.
When Zhou heard that more herbs were to be sold, she didn’t object.
After the meal, Li Xingyue took little Yanran to nap, Gu Qishan went to the fields to weed, and Gu Wan’er stayed home to help Zhou plant vegetables.
Li Xingyue slept for an hour. When she woke up, she saw Zhou and Gu Wan’er both doing needlework.
Zhou was still holding a shoe sole, making it for Gu Mingxiao. Gu Wan’er was mending one of Gu Qishan’s short jackets.
Li Xingyue remembered she had two pieces of fine cotton and two pieces of coarse cloth in her trunk and took them out.
One fine cotton was light pink, the other light gray. Li Xingyue had drawn patterns herself and asked Gu Wan’er to make two sets of undergarments—intended as pajamas now that the weather was warming.
The light pink one was for herself, the light gray for her future husband, whom she had yet to meet.
The two pieces of coarse cloth—navy and dark blue—she gave to Zhou, so the elderly couple could each make one set.
Gu Wan’er and little Yanran weren’t left out. Li Xingyue smiled. “Wan’er, these fabrics were bought by your older brother before. Tomorrow, when we go to town, Sister-in-law will buy more for you and Yanran.” She added, “Tomorrow, you get to pick the colors yourself. Choose whatever you like.”
With Zhou present, Gu Wan’er didn’t dare answer verbally and just nodded, smiling at her sister-in-law.
Zhou was shocked at how suddenly generous Li Xingyue had become. All these fabrics had been purchased by her son before; she herself had never dared to use them for clothing, yet today Li Xingyue took them all out at once.
She had intended to scold her, questioning how she could be so reckless with money, but seeing the fabrics in her hands, she didn’t speak.
Li Xingyue even promised to buy more fabric for her daughter—Zhou wondered what kind of madness had taken over her. Her own daughter would surely be spoiled by this daughter-in-law.
While Zhou and Gu Wan’er worked on the clothes, Li Xingyue volunteered to cook dinner again.
Seeing how extravagant Li Xingyue had been these past few days, Zhou didn’t want her to cook, but Gu Wan’er insisted that her sister-in-law’s cooking was delicious and wanted Zhou to taste it. Zhou had no choice but to let her proceed.
Li Xingyue salted the pork belly she had bought yesterday. She decided to stir-fry the pork tripe and kidneys—they had already been sitting for two days and would spoil soon if left.
For stir-frying kidneys, in her previous life she had used beer to remove the gaminess, but now there was neither beer nor chili. She sliced the kidneys, marinated them with salt and a little white wine, rinsed them, then marinated again with salt, green onions, ginger, and garlic.
She heated oil in a pan and stir-fried the marinated kidney slices. The washed tripe went in next, boiled with green onions, ginger, and garlic until cooked, then cooled, chopped, and stir-fried with the same aromatics.
Soon, the whole courtyard was filled with the aroma of meat. Gu Wan’er and little Yanran couldn’t help swallowing.
In her previous life, Li Xingyue hadn’t been particularly skilled in the kitchen. Now, her cooking was only better because she didn’t hold back on seasonings.
She also cooked millet porridge and served it with multigrain flatbreads.
When the food was ready, Gu Qishan returned from the fields, and the whole family sat down together.
Zhou tried the stir-fried kidneys, eyes slightly widening—this tasted much better than anything she had made herself. Rarely did she refrain from commenting, but this time she said nothing.
Gu Qishan also praised the food, complimenting Li Xingyue’s skill.
Gu Wan’er and little Yanran ate happily, mouths full and cheerful.
Everyone was satisfied after the meal. After cleaning up, Li Xingyue took little Yanran and little Teddy to wash up and nap.
The next morning, she rose early and took little Teddy and Gu Wan’er to town.
Their first stop was the bun shop. Inside, Laifu and Yun Niang were bustling about; business had been better these past couple of days.
Seeing Li Xingyue arrive, Yun Niang hurried over. “Sister, you finally came!”
Li Xingyue smiled. “Sister, you keep busy; no need to greet me.”
Yun Niang quickly asked, “Did you bring the cabbage and carrots?”
Li Xingyue nodded. “Sister, you go ahead. I’ll bring them over later.”
Yun Niang smiled and nodded.
Li Xingyue then went with Gu Wan’er to Xinglin Hall.
She first took out the ginseng. The little apprentice’s eyes lit up, and he ran off to find the senior doctor.
The senior doctor offered twenty-five taels.
Li Xingyue glanced at the apprentice, smiling faintly. “Lowest, thirty taels.”
The apprentice looked troubled, glanced at the Astragalus in Gu Wan’er’s basket, and brought the ginseng back to the doctor.
Upon returning, he said, smiling, “Master agreed. Thirty taels for this ginseng. But in the future, if you find good herbs, you must bring them to Xinglin Hall.”
Li Xingyue nodded and received three large silver ingots.
She then took out the Astragalus and asked, “Young master, what price can you give today for this?”
Blushing slightly, the apprentice went to ask the senior doctor again.
He returned, looking a bit embarrassed. “Madam, Master says since you’re an old client, we’ll give a good price: ten wen per jin.”
Last time they had received thirty wen per jin—this time only ten. It seemed the previous time they had been cheated. But judging by the doctor’s attitude, he genuinely wanted to continue business with them.
Li Xingyue said nothing more and nodded in agreement.
The Astragalus weighed eleven jin and three liang. At ten wen per jin, that totaled 152 wen.
Li Xingyue handed the 52 wen in copper coins to Gu Wan’er.
Excited, she didn’t dare reach for it.
Li Xingyue thoughtfully put the money in her pouch and said, “Wan’er, this is all your earnings.”