Being too smart was a kind of trouble for a child, too.
“Fine,” Xu Anyan replied helplessly. “I’ll let you off this time.”
Then she fed Erbao some water. It was the hot water she had specially prepared that morning. She had been careless yesterday; only last night had she remembered that her best friend’s child always carried a water bottle when going out.
There were no water bottles here, only water pouches and bamboo tubes. She had searched all morning before finally finding a bamboo tube with a lid and a string. It wasn’t much different from a water bottle.
“Mother, you should drink some too.”
Hmm… her eldest son was indeed the thoughtful one.
“Miss, what’s this?”
The three of them were enjoying their warm mother-and-son moment when Xu Anyan heard a customer ask from behind. She quickly stood up and walked over to her stall.
It was a neatly dressed woman, around forty years old.
Xu Anyan immediately put on a professional smile.
“Big sister, these are candied hawthorns. They’re good for stimulating the appetite and aiding digestion. You can have a taste.”
As she spoke, she pushed a small bowl filled with bite-sized pieces of candied hawthorn toward the woman.
The woman smiled happily.
“Then I’ll give it a try. If it’s good, I’ll buy more.”
Being called “big sister” by Xu Anyan made her very happy. She already had grandchildren, so being called “big sister” by a girl in her teens naturally pleased her.
“Delicious! Delicious! Sweet and sour, just the way I like it.”
After tasting it, the woman praised it repeatedly.
“Miss, how much is it?”
“Ten wen per jin.”
The woman frowned slightly when she heard the price, but quickly relaxed. It was a little expensive, but the surface was coated with sugar, and sugar wasn’t cheap, so it made sense.
Besides, that amount of money wasn’t much to her.
“Pack me five jin.”
Xu Anyan’s heart leaped with excitement. Since yesterday, she had finally landed a big order.
She skillfully weighed out five jin of candied hawthorns, wrapped them in two sheets of oil paper, tied them together with thin hemp string, and handed them to the woman.
After receiving the money, Xu Anyan said warmly,
“Take care, big sister. Come again if you like them.”
The woman left happily.
As Xu Anyan put the money into her purse, she felt delighted.
Not long afterward, more and more customers came one after another, including several regulars from yesterday.
After an hour of busy work, the entire basket of candied hawthorns had sold out. It wasn’t even noon yet—half an hour earlier than yesterday.
The old man selling vegetables next door saw her packing up and smiled.
“So, little girl, you’re closing up already?”
“Yes. They sold faster today than yesterday,” Xu Anyan replied with a smile.
Dabao said, “Mother, they sold so quickly.”
Xiaobao puffed out his chest.
“That’s because the candy Mother makes is delicious.”
Xu Anyan smiled.
“Today Mother will cook for you two when we get home.”
Afterward, she bought cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, and wild mushrooms from the vegetable stall next door. The old vegetable seller said they were all grown by his family.
Then she went to the butcher’s and bought two jin of pork and some pork bones.
She also went to the grocery store and bought five jin of sugar. This time, with her silver tongue and the promise that she’d become a regular customer, the owner sold it to her for eighteen wen per jin.
Then she found the old man who had sold her hawthorns last time and ordered two more baskets from him, asking him to deliver them directly to her house.
Old Master Li was also a craftsman. His main trade was weaving bamboo baskets and winnowing trays.
After returning home, Erbao played in the yard while Xu Anyan began preparing lunch.
She planned to make pork and radish soup, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and a cold cucumber salad.
She wanted to make something more elaborate, but she didn’t know how. Being able to cook a few home-style dishes was already something to be grateful for.
She also knew how to cook fish and even knew several different methods. Next time, she’d make fish soup for the two little ones.
Half an hour later, the dishes were on the table.
Looking at the food, Dabao and Xiaobao stared at Xu Anyan with admiration and said in unison,
“Mother, you’re amazing!”
Xu Anyan felt a little guilty from the praise.
She served Erbao half a bowl of rice, added some vegetables and meat, and placed it in front of the children.
“Help Mother taste it and tell me if it’s good.”
Xiaobao was the first to pick up his spoon. He stuffed a huge mouthful of rice and vegetables into his mouth.
Xu Anyan looked at him speechlessly. It was as if she had been starving him.
“My son, slow down. Don’t choke.”
Dabao, on the other hand, ate calmly and gracefully, not in the least bit anxious.
With his mouth full of rice, Xiaobao mumbled,
“Delicious…”
He would have been better off not speaking. The moment he opened his mouth, grains of rice sprayed everywhere.
Seeing this, Xiaobao quickly covered his mouth with his little hand and kept chewing.
Xu Anyan’s eyebrows twitched. She hurried over and patted his back, afraid he might choke.
Dabao glanced at his younger brother without saying anything and continued eating with his head lowered, as though he was already used to it.
After the meal, Xu Anyan let the two children walk around to help digest the food before allowing them to take their nap.
In one corner of the kitchen was a small stove that looked like it was specially used for brewing medicine.
Xu Anyan found a clean porcelain pot and washed it several times. She planned to use it to make bone broth for the two little ones.
She made candied hawthorns while simmering the soup.
Half an hour later, the candied hawthorns were done, the bone broth was ready, and Dabao and Erbao had also woken up.
She had to admit that she never needed to wake them from their naps. The two little ones would always wake up on their own after about an hour.
“Mother, it smells so good!”
Xu Anyan was packing candied hawthorns into baskets when she looked up and saw Xiaobao standing at the kitchen door.
“Mother made bone broth for you and your brother. Go wash your hands and come drink some soup.”
At the mention of food, Xiaobao’s eyes lit up.
“Okay!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he ran toward the basin beside the water jar in the courtyard with a pattering sound.
When he saw Dabao coming out from the backyard, he excitedly said,
“Big Brother, hurry and wash your hands! Mother made bone soup!”
Hearing Xiaobao’s cheerful voice, Xu Anyan smiled and shook her head.
She stopped what she was doing, turned around, took out the two little bowls specially used by the children, and filled each with a small serving of soup.
Just as she was about to carry them to the table in the main room, the two little ones came in.
“Mother, where’s the bone soup?” Xiaobao asked.
“It’s already served. Come on, let’s go to the main room.”
As soon as she placed the bowls on the table, Dabao and Xiaobao climbed onto their own special chairs.
Jiang Huan had custom-made them. The backs and sides enclosed the children securely, for fear that they might fall while eating.
Although it was called bone soup, there was still a bit of meat left on the bones.
“Don’t rush. Eat slowly,” Xu Anyan reminded them.
Dabao nodded, but Xiaobao had already picked up his spoon and started drinking.
Seeing this, Xu Anyan returned to the kitchen and filled another bowl.
She planned to bring it to the Wu family next door and, while there, ask Aunt Wu how to grow vegetables.
She intended to plant vegetables in the empty patch of land in one corner of the yard.
At first, she had wanted to raise chickens, but after considering how small the yard was and how strong the smell of chicken droppings would be, she gave up the idea.
When Erbao heard that his mother was going to Grandma Wu’s house next door, he immediately slid off his chair and declared that he wanted to go too.
His reason was simple:
He missed Big Brother Xiaohu.