Because pine nuts were low in yield, Su Lele planned to sell them at 500 wen per jin, while chestnuts would be cheaper at 20 wen per jin.
The pine nuts she processed today were not intended for sale.
She had already given some to her grandfather’s old friends, kept some for the household, and still had a portion left. She planned to use a small amount for customer tastings and give the rest as gifts.
Her third brother had returned to the academy several days ago and would likely not be back for another half month. Of course, his share of the treats was not forgotten.
Su Lele prepared two large packages for him: one salted-roasted pine nuts and one original flavor.
The chestnuts were also two packages: sugar-roasted chestnuts and “ice magic chestnuts.” The fish balls came in three flavors, one pack each, and fruit leather in two packs.
She also sent a portion to her elder brother’s father-in-law, Headmaster Li of Qingshan Academy.
Su Lele called Chen Dali. “Later, deliver these snacks to my third brother and Headmaster Li. Remember to tell them that the ice chestnuts must be eaten immediately, or the texture will be affected. The fish balls and sugar-roasted chestnuts must be finished the same day.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Qingshan Academy
Wei Yushu asked worriedly, “Brother Su, your servant came looking for you. Is something wrong at home?”
“Probably just delivering food from home.”
“Exactly! That’s a lot of packages. Brother Su, let me help you carry some.”
Su Yian’s friends—Wei Yushu, Cao Dezhi, and Xu Hengyuan—all came over out of curiosity when they heard a servant from his household had arrived.
“My second sister made new snacks and sent them for me to try. You all are lucky today,” Su Yian said proudly.
Inside, he was extremely pleased—his second sister was truly good to him!
The group tasted the food:
“These fish balls are springy and firm—so good!”
“The chestnuts are delicious, both ice and sugar-roasted!”
“Try these pine nuts—they’re very fragrant!”
Su Yian watched as his friends happily devoured everything. Seeing the fish balls disappearing fast, he quickly said, “Hey, slow down! Leave some for me!”
Headmaster Li returned home, where Madam Li was eating sweet sugar-roasted chestnuts.
“Husband, try these snacks—they’re really good. Lele said the chestnuts and fish balls must be eaten the same day, so I shared some with the academy teachers too.”
“You’re thoughtful,” Headmaster Li said, picking up a fish ball to try.
All the snacks won everyone over—but the most popular of all were the pine nuts.
It seemed scholars truly had refined taste.
The Next Day, Afternoon
After lunch, Su Lele took Qiuyu toward the Zhu Family Iron Workshop in the southern district.
That morning, she had already arranged for Chen Bo to hire craftsmen to build large ovens in the residence—the pastry business could finally begin.
“The iron trays and frying pans turned out well, Miss. Please come again next time.”
“Thank you for your work.”
After paying the remaining balance, she and Qiuyu headed to the Daoxiang Pastry Shop branch in the southern district.
Fortunately, the queue was shorter than last time. Su Lele decided to experience what it was like to queue in ancient times—but when it was finally her turn…
“Miss, are you alright?” Qiuyu asked worriedly as she saw her mistress looking weak.
“I’m fine,” Su Lele replied.
Never again, she thought. Did I not queue enough in my past life? This is suffering.
After buying several pastries, they quickly returned home.
Home
Madam Wang Huilan saw them carrying bags of pastries. “Lele, you went to buy Daoxiang pastries? I’ve missed them too.”
“Mother, come try them.”
Madam Wang ate while praising them. “The jujube pastry is quite good, and the mung bean cake is tasty too.”
Su Lele tasted them as well. The jujube pastry was acceptable, but overly sweet and not crispy enough—not authentic. A proper one should be sweet but not cloying, and crumble easily.
The mung bean cake was also too coarse and overly sweet, making her drink several cups of tea afterward.
“Mother, I plan to start making pastries to sell,” she said confidently.
“Lele, you can make pastries too? Then we won’t need to queue anymore. Your sister-in-law has been craving them lately, but it takes an hour for servants to buy them.”
“I can make many kinds. Just wait and see,” she said proudly.
Grandfather Su Dong also arrived. “What are you making now?”
“Pastries.”
“Pastries? Too sweet. I don’t really like them.”
“My pastries are sweet but not cloying.”
“Oh really?” Grandfather smiled. “Then when will you make them for me? Today?”
“Not yet. We still need a few days until the ovens are ready.”
As the saying goes, impatience cannot cook hot tofu.
Liu Family Village Mountain Area
The back mountain of Liu Family Village had become lively. Entire families were out working.
Elderly people and children gathered chestnuts—some peeling shells, others collecting them. Strong young men gathered pinecones in the pine forest, and some even climbed trees to knock them down with long poles.
Everyone’s faces were filled with happiness. They all praised their benefactor.
Families with more labor could earn hundreds of wen per day, while smaller families still earned dozens. Even clerks and minor officials in the capital couldn’t earn that much in a day.
This income from pine nuts and chestnuts would last for months—likely more than their entire yearly income before.
Liu Shitou’s family was also busy. They now had an additional source of income: red fruit picking.
Madam Chen smiled brightly. “Husband, come eat some food before you continue.”
Thinking back to when they could barely survive, and now having savings—it felt like a dream.
Liu Shitou also felt the same. Watching his wife work tirelessly since marrying into his family, often hungry and exhausted, he felt both heartache and guilt for not being more capable. Thankfully, they had met the kind-hearted Miss Su.
“I’ve thought about it,” he said. “Besides picking red fruits, chestnuts, and pine nuts, we don’t have enough manpower. I’ll talk to Father-in-law. There are many pine trees in the Chen family village mountains, and your family could use the income too. Let your brothers handle pine nut picking.”
Madam Chen remembered how she used to collect firewood in those same mountains, even gathering pinecones for fuel. It now felt painful—like they were burning money.
“Yes, I’ll go back and tell my parents the good news.”
She was grateful that her husband still thought of her family. She wondered how they were doing now.