Chapter 236 - 236 Secret Recipe Passed Down From Generation to Generation
236 Secret Recipe Passed Down From Generation to Generation
Was it as Su Binglan thought, or was she overthinking?
Luo Jin’an looked at his wife as soon as he entered the courtyard. After carefully sizing her up and seeing that she was okay, he heaved a sigh of relief.
However, Luo Jin’an reversed his expression so that no one could see the subtle changes in his emotions. He only laid his gaze upon his wife with his gorgeous eyes. They carried a sense of captivating gentleness.
Su Binglan met her husband’s gaze, and her eyelids trembled.
Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao did not see the subtle changes in the young couple’s eyes. Shen Qiuhua glared at her husband, saying, “It’s tough to walk on that wet soil, yet you insist on going out there!”
Even though she said so, hearing the worry in her words was not difficult. Su Fengmao said smilingly, “I wanted to go because I was in a good mood. There’s also plenty of water in the river. The villagers were washing their clothes when I came back.”
Shen Qiuhua said, “You came home just in time. Help me grind the soybeans while I go and wash the clothes. I haven’t washed them over the past two days.”
With that, she handed the spoon to her husband. They used the spoon to scoop the soybeans and put them in the mill.
Luo Jin’an said, “Let me do it.”
Su Fengmao waved his hand and said, “You should rest or read some books. Now that we have the donkey to help grind the beans, I can simply sit here and scoop the soybeans into the stone mill while the donkey turns it. I won’t get tired.”
Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao had an easier time and could relax more after buying the donkey. Grinding soybeans did not take as long as it used to, so the older couple could use their time to do other things.
Su Binglan watched her mother taking a lot of clothes. She said, “Mother, I’ll wash them near the river.”
Shen Qiuhia used to wash clothes for others, and her hands had formed calluses. Although Su Binglan had given her some medicine to help her feel better, her hands were still rough.
Su Binglan felt sorry for her mother.
Shen Qiuhua said, “I can do it. Everyone usually sits together and chats while we wash clothes, so don’t worry about me. I won’t feel tired.”
The villagers preferred washing their clothes in the river because it was faster and cleaner. Moreover, they also wanted to chat while washing clothes to pass the time.
…
It was already late, but Su Binglan did not stay idle. Instead, she started preparing the ingredients to make egg yolk mooncakes.
Luo Jin’an said, “Let me help you.”
Su Binglan stopped moving when she heard her husband. She thought of his condition and did not want him to work, so she said, “You should rest for the next two days. Why don’t you go and read instead?”
Luo Jin’an said lowly, “You’ve been working hard to earn money, but I haven’t done anything.”
Su Binglan instinctively said, “You’re my husband, and it doesn’t matter which of us makes money.
“But I want to do something too,” Luo Jin’an’s voice was deep and attractive, with a hint of tenderness.
Su Binglan blinked and said severely, “By the way, what did you say about repaying my kindness last time? Was it something about saving my life?”
She could not help but ask these questions as her current state of mind differed from the one she had with Luo Jin’an before. She became highly curious.
Luo Jin’an looked deeply at his wife and said softly, “I said I owe you my life.”
Su Binglan’s heart skipped a beat when she heard this unexpected sentence. She never expected him to say it aloud.
“T-That’s what you wanted to say?!” Her eyelids trembled.
Luo Jin’an observed his wife’s expression and thought his words might have frightened her. He said gently, “I-I heard it somewhere else, and it just slipped out.”
Su Binglan heaved a sigh of relief. ‘So, it was just a slip of the tongue. That can’t be what he wanted to say. It seems I was indeed overthinking.’
…
The weather gradually became colder, and Su Binglan started getting busy. She had been busy with several things, like healing her father’s foot and operating on her uncle’s hand.
Since Su Fengmao’s foot had healed, he would also go to the town to help look after the shop. One more person in the shop meant things moved more efficiently.
Half a month later, Su Binglan made mooncakes with various fillings. The first people to taste these mooncakes were, of course, the Su family members. Everyone was ecstatic to taste these mooncakes with various fillings as they had never eaten such things before.
The family remembered fighting just to try the mooncakes when Su Binglan made a plate full of them. When it was almost time for the Mooncake Festival, Su Binglan put the mooncakes in the dessert shop for sale.
During that time, the family’s grilled chicken and roast duck had also gotten famous. The duck blood vermicelli Liu Yinyin’s family made also became a specialty item in town.
However, Liu Yinyin’s parents and sister-in-law would set up a stall and go home after selling their food. After Liu Chengwen healed from his poisoning, he often went to town with his wife at noon to sell the duck blood vermicelli.
Afterward, they would clean up the stall and go home. It was also a busy season for farmers, so they had to work the fields after getting home.
Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Liu were also busy at home. Since their food business was booming, the Liu family’s living conditions started improving. In just half a month, Mrs. Liu had saved plenty of money.
There was a high demand for the family’s duck blood vermicelli, and Mrs. Liu would buy duck blood from Su Fengchen. As for the sweet potatoes the family needed to make the noodles, Mrs. Liu would buy them from Su Binglan.
The townsfolk and villagers also loved eating the grilled chicken and roast duck dishes, making Su Fengchen very busy. Still, he was unwilling to set up a shop or hire workers.
At first, he put the grilled chicken and roast duck in Su Binglan’s shop for sale, but Su Binglan’s mooncakes overshadowed them. Most even had to preorder the mooncakes.
Everyone was busy, so Su Fengchen became too embarrassed to sell his grilled chicken and roast duck in Su Binglan’s dessert shop.
After some thought, he finally brought the two dishes to town to sell. The townsfolk were full of praise and bought more after trying the grilled chicken and roast duck.
He would always sell out of these things whenever he sold them in town, so he only needed to stick around for a short while before going home.
It was almost time for the Mooncake Festival, and the town bustled with activities. Many went to town to prepare for the festival by shopping. They would chat with each other as they walked around the streets.
“The mooncakes at Binglan’s Desserts are sublime!”
“I agree. I especially enjoy the various fillings the mooncakes have.”
“They sell ones with egg yolk, ham, or bean paste fillings. There’s a wide variety, yet they’re all delicious.”
“They aren’t too expensive either. I plan to buy more and bring the mooncakes to my sister, who’s in the prefecture capital.”
“I also want to buy some grilled chicken and roast duck because they’re delicious. I don’t know how they make these. I heard it’s a secret recipe passed down from generation to generation.”
“That’s right. More delicious foods have appeared in our town recently, like duck blood vermicelli. If I can afford some, I’d like to bring some to my hometown when I visit my parents so that they can have a taste.”