EPISODE 5

Grass boats, leather boats, wooden boats, and bamboo boats jostled along the canal—some for sightseeing, some for fishing, and others for transporting goods. Along the shore, vendors selling twisted dough snacks, candied hawthorns, and tea eggs bustled about, their shouts filling the air.

It was incredibly lively.

Could this be a food street?

Unsure, Xiao Yu approached an elderly woman selling eggs to ask about the place.

“Young man, where are you from?” the old woman countered.

“From Jinxui Village. I don’t often come to town,” he replied, explaining his unfamiliarity with the area.

“No wonder,” the old woman patiently explained. “This is a small dock on the Zitang Canal, mainly for small boats to moor. Not many, but enough for us small vendors who can’t afford stall fees in town. It's a good spot to sell our goods and earn some coins for the household.”

Xiao Yu inquired, “Can one sell here every day?”

“Yes, but the number of boats here isn’t consistent. Sometimes there are more, sometimes fewer. Lately, with the pleasant autumn weather, there are more boats,” she explained, then asked, “Young man, would you like to buy some eggs?”

Xiao Yu honestly replied, “I’m not buying.”

The old woman, slightly irritated, responded, “If you’re not buying, I can’t chat any longer. I need to sell my eggs,” and began calling out to passersby, “Eggs for sale, fresh eggs!”

What a character this old lady is!

Xiao Yu smiled, observing the constant stream of people. Realizing he might not find a job, he contemplated selling something here. It would not only provide a small income but also allow him to keep an eye on Minghe.

But what to sell?

Food, of course!

Many protagonists in time-travel or transmigration novels start by making delicious food, and since he happened to be good at cooking, he decided to give it a try.

No time like the present!

He turned back to town, bought some flour, dried mushrooms, radishes, and pork. Just as he reached the courtyard gate, he heard Minghe's shouts: "Uncle! Uncle!"

"It's me," Xiao Yu opened the gate.

Minghe flew over like a little sparrow, his eyes shining, "Uncle, you're back! Let me help you carry, I’ll help!" Eager to ease his uncle's burden, he hurried to take over the tasks.

Xiao Yu handed the fabric to Minghe.

"Uncle, is this for making my pants?" Minghe asked.

Xiao Yu nodded while closing the courtyard gate: "Yes, it is."

Minghe excitedly clutched the fabric, then noticed the flour and pork in Xiao Yu's hands and asked in confusion, "Uncle, we already have food, why did you buy more meat and flour?"

"To make buns," Xiao Yu replied.

"Make buns? But we already have buns," Minghe said, walking into the hut and pointing to the bamboo basket hanging from the beam, filled with chestnut chicken, rice cakes, and uneaten buns.

Xiao Yu explained plainly: "We're going to make and sell buns."

Minghe thought for a moment, then asked, "Can selling buns earn us silver?"

"Exactly."

Minghe's face clouded with worry, "But Uncle, I don't know how to make them."

Xiao Yu couldn't help but smile, "You don't have to make them, I will."

"But Uncle, you'll get tired."

Xiao Yu replied, amused by his nephew's concern, "When you help me sell the buns, I won't be as tired."

"Okay!" Minghe immediately agreed.

Sitting down, Xiao Yu took a sip of water and said, "First, though, we need to do something."

"What is it?"

"We need to make some yeast."

"Yeast?" Minghe was puzzled.

"It's also called a starter," Xiao Yu explained. In the 21st century where he came from, various types of industrial yeast were used in food, beverages, medicine, cosmetics, and other fields. But in the Great Jing Kingdom, this was not the case.

Fortunately, the locals had mastered the method of making natural starters.

A soft dough made from rice wine and flour, sealed and left for two to three days, would result in a starter with a hint of alcohol and sourness. Mixed into flour, it can be used for steamed buns and bun skins, yielding a fluffy and slightly sweet result after steaming.

"Uncle, I don't understand what you're saying," Minghe said, looking bewildered.

Xiao Yu explained with a smile.

Minghe was still somewhat confused.

Xiao Yu said, "You'll understand when you see it."

"See what?"

"At Grandma Hao's house." Xiao Yu could have made his own leavening agent, but having gone to Qingshi Town empty-handed, he couldn't bring back rice wine. He was reluctant to spend money on buying bottles and jars for it.

He recalled the buns made by Grandma Hao. Although a few days old and now hard and dry, it was evident she used a good leavening agent. So, he wanted to exchange some with her.

"To exchange with Grandma Hao?" Minghe asked.

"Yes, we'll take a bowl of flour and exchange it for a piece of leavening agent." In rural households, they often keep a piece of leavening agent from making bread. It's convenient and saves money.

"Good, Grandma Hao is really nice, I'll go exchange it!"

"We'll go together." Xiao Yu tied a knot in Minghe's pants to temporarily cover him up, then they both headed to Grandma Hao's courtyard.

Minghe's little mouth was sweet as honey, calling out "Grandma Hao" with each word.

Her face beaming, Grandma Hao placed a walnut-sized piece of dough into Minghe's flour bowl, saying, "Don't be fooled by its size, I just prepared it three days ago, and it's very potent."

"Thank you, Auntie Hao," Xiao Yu said. "Minghe, hand over the flour to grandma."

"Oh no, no," Grandma Hao refused repeatedly, "Last time, Minghe picked a basket of firewood for just a bun. I've always felt indebted to him. This leavening agent is to make up for that."

Xiao Yu, who was quite destitute, knew even a bowl of flour could be life-saving for him and Minghe. He accepted gratefully, saying, "Thank you, Auntie Hao."

"You're too polite." Grandma Hao, who hadn't interacted with Xiao Yu before, had only heard that the boy was honest and reserved. Now, finding him handsome and well-mannered, she couldn't take her eyes off him, adding eagerly, "You should mix the dough at night, put it in the pot, seal the lid tightly, and then sleep. By dawn, it'll be full of little bubbles, making the steamed buns and baozi big, soft, and delicious."

"Alright, I'll mix the dough tonight," Xiao Yu listened intently.

Grandma Hao admired such a well-behaved boy, no wonder Minghe was so lovable. She smiled warmly, "If you have any questions, just ask me."

"Thank you for your time, Auntie."

"Not at all, not at all."

Xiao Yu led Minghe out of Grandma Hao's courtyard.

Suddenly, Minghe stopped, "Uncle, you hold the bowl."

Xiao Yu took it.

Minghe pulled out a candy from his pocket, a gift from Zhang Wu the day before. He and his uncle had each eaten one, and now only six remained. He had been saving them, "Uncle, since Grandma Hao didn't take our flour, can I give her a candy?"

"It's your candy, give it to whoever you want," Xiao Yu said.

"Then I'll give her one." Minghe dashed back into Grandma Hao's courtyard, then returned beaming, "Uncle, Grandma Hao said I'm sensible, good-looking, and likable."

"That's not just praise, it's the truth. You are sensible, good-looking, and likable."

Minghe tilted his head, "Does uncle like me?"

"Very, very much."

Minghe's joy was almost overflowing as he hopped and skipped along the way. Entering the courtyard, he suddenly felt a cool breeze below. Looking down, he quickly covered himself with his little hands, hunched over, and called out pitifully, "Uncle."

"Let's go, I'll make you some pants," Xiao Yu said.

Xiao Yu had mended clothes in his past life but had never made them. However, he figured that pants in this era were quite simple. So, he had Minghe take off his pants and disassembled them, laying them out in front of him.

Minghe, with his bare bottom, sat on the bed watching him cut the fabric, occasionally praising, "Uncle, you're so talented, you can do anything."

"Of course, I am Minghe's uncle after all."

Minghe giggled.

Xiao Yu, however, found making pants more complicated than expected. The process was intricate, requiring hemming the legs, crafting a separate waistband, and sewing a pocket. He worked from morning till noon, hastily ate lunch, continued in the afternoon, and according to Grandma Hao's instructions, mixed half a basin of dough in the evening. After covering the pot, he resumed making the pants.

He worked until Minghe fell asleep and finally finished a pair of children's pants, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He crawled next to Minghe and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, barely conscious, he heard the innocent babbling of "Wow, wow, wow" and opened his eyes to see Minghe, still bare-bottomed on the bed, holding the new pants and murmuring in awe, "Wow, no patches, no holes, they're new."

Such an adorable child.

Instantly, Xiao Yu felt that all of yesterday's eye strain, neck ache, and hand pain were insignificant. He said, "Of course, they're new."

Minghe immediately turned around, his eyes sparkling, "Uncle, are these mine?"

"Yes, try them on."

The little guy eagerly slipped into the pants.

Xiao Yu tied the waistband for him and asked, "How does it feel?"

"Great!" Minghe bounced around on the bed, feeling it wasn't enough. He slid off, put on his shoes, and dashed outside.

Xiao Yu, smiling, got up and went to the kitchen. Seeing the dough from last night had expanded more than twice its size, he was thrilled with the quality of the leavening agent. Turning to leave the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Minghe at the courtyard gate and looked closely.

Minghe was warmly greeting someone, "Good morning, Grandpa Wu."

"Ah, good morning, Minghe."

"Grandpa Wu, look at my new pants!" Minghe stretched out his leg, pointing with his little hand, proudly saying, "My uncle made them for me. They're new, without any patches. Aren't they nice?"

"They look nice."

"They're new and feel so good to wear. They even have little pockets for candies and coins."

"Yes, they really do look good."

"My uncle made them. He can do everything, he's so talented."

"Oh, oh."

After Grandpa Wu left, Minghe greeted Aunt Liu and Grandma Zhang as they passed by, showing off his new pants and boasting about his uncle.

Xiao Yu never expected the great villain to have such an adorable character trait.

"That's nice."

"That's nice."

He didn't interfere, but walked straight to the wall, picked some greens, and went back to the kitchen. He soaked the dried mushrooms he bought yesterday, placed the dough on the board, kneaded it repeatedly until it was soft, then divided it into small portions, rolling them into appropriately sized bun wrappers.

After finishing, the mushrooms were ready. He washed them thoroughly, took them out, chopped them finely, along with carrots, and washed the greens too.

Just as he was about to start cooking, Minghe came back.

"Uncle, let me start the fire, I'll do it," Minghe said, sitting in front of the stove.

"I'll light the fire, and you watch," said Xiao Yu.

Minghe nodded, saying, "Uncle, Grandpa Wu and the others all praised my pants."

It was you who insisted they praise them!

Xiao Yu didn't expose the little guy, smiling and saying, "Do you like them?"

Minghe nodded vigorously, "I really, really like them."

Xiao Yu glanced at Minghe's pants, made from the cheapest, roughest, and dullest fabric in the cloth shop. His tailoring skills were poor, making the pants look even rougher, yet Minghe treasured them like a precious gift, so easy to please.

"Let's wait a bit longer. Once I earn some money, I'll buy Minghe that particularly nice ready-made outfit from the cloth shop," he thought, then said, "If you like them, that's great. Let's start making buns."

"Okay," Minghe carefully watched the fire to prevent wood from falling through the stove door.

Xiao Yu tossed sliced pork into the pot, frying out a whole bowl of pork fat. He scooped it out, removed the residue, leaving the pot still oily. He then added diced carrots and mushrooms, bringing out their aromatic flavors.

"Uncle, it smells so good," Minghe remarked.

"It'll smell even better once they're done."

"Mhm."

The mushrooms and carrots, now glistening with oil, were set aside. Xiao Yu poured water into the pot, added salt, and blanched the greens. This removed their bitterness while keeping them vibrant green.

As soon as the water boiled, he removed the greens, plunged them into cold water, squeezed out the liquid, chopped them, and mixed them with the cooked carrots and mushrooms. Just adding dissolved salt, the vegetable, mushroom, and carrot filling was ready.

"Uncle, it smells so delicious!" Minghe ran to the workbench and exclaimed.

"Just another fifteen minutes."

Minghe couldn't make buns, so he stood by and watched his uncle deftly fill and pinch the dough into plump, round buns. It was fascinating, and he watched intently with his bright eyes.

Soon, Xiao Yu had prepared thirty buns. After a second proofing for a little over fifteen minutes, the buns looked even more appealing.

The family's iron pot was large enough to steam all thirty buns at once on a bamboo steamer.

"We can steam them all at once," Minghe said, standing on a small stool.

Xiao Yu covered the pot, saying, "Exactly, I'll tend the fire. It won't take more than fifteen minutes for the buns to be ready." He placed the leftover buns from yesterday on the steamer to reheat, planning them for their breakfast.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma.

Xiao Yu lifted the lid, and the scent intensified. Thirty plump, white buns appeared, perfect in appearance and aroma. He took one out, blew on it, tore it in half, and gave one piece to Minghe.

Minghe eagerly took a bite and his eyes widened in surprise, "Wow, this is so delicious."

Minghe was like a little fanboy of his uncle, always ready to sing his praises for anything he did.

Xiao Yu, not fully believing him, took a bite himself. The bun's dough was soft and slightly sweet, with the greens, mushrooms, and a touch of pork fat blending perfectly, moist and fresh, with the crispness of diced carrots adding texture.

This was exactly the flavor he aimed for.

His eyes curved in satisfaction, "Indeed, it's delicious. Let's finish our breakfast quickly and then head to the small dock to sell buns."

"Okay."

The two of them finished the leftover buns from yesterday, feeling content and fortunate. Then, Xiao Yu took down a bamboo basket from the beam, lining it with a layer of oil paper.

This oil paper was given by Zhang Wu yesterday when he packed food, plenty of it, just right for covering buns for sale.

After getting everything ready, Xiao Yu tidied up both himself and Minghe. Despite their poverty, they headed to the small dock with freshly steamed buns.

Various small vendors moved about on the dock, with Xiao Yu and Minghe, relatively inconspicuous and new to selling, feeling somewhat awkward.

Xiao Yu was a bit shy to call out for customers.

Minghe looked around and noticed that other vendors were actively asking passersby if they wanted to buy. He also went forward and asked, "Sir, would you like to buy some buns? They're big and tasty."

"No, thanks," the man said and walked away.

Minghe immediately drooped his little head and returned to Xiao Yu's side, saying, "Uncle, he didn't want to buy the buns."

"It's okay, we're not afraid of failure. Let's keep selling."

Encouraged by his uncle, Minghe regained his confidence and continued to approach people.

The uncle and nephew duo moved through the crowd, but as other vendors left and few pedestrians remained on the dock, not a single bun had been sold.

If this continued, the buns would cool down, and the small amount of pork fat inside would solidify, adversely affecting the taste.

Xiao Yu began to introspect, wondering if he had made a mistake in his market research.

"Uncle, don't be sad. We'll keep selling the buns until nightfall; we're bound to sell some," Minghe encouraged, seeing Xiao Yu frowning.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Uncle isn't sad. If they don't sell, we'll eat them ourselves."

"They're unbeatably delicious!"

"Unbeatably delicious? What are you selling?" Suddenly, a stranger's voice chimed in.

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