New tea is always pricey. In this out-of-the-way town, few customers can ever afford it.
In previous years, the new tea would be stored for ages until it became stale, and then it had to be sold at a low price to barely avoid losses.
However, nowadays, many scholars are used to having "high-grade tea dust" as their daily drink. Naturally, they feel tempted to have a taste of the "fresh tea of the year".
Thanks to the scholars' praise, the tea house with a charcoal stove has been renovated and is officially open for business.
To help Lu Xunguang promote the tea house, Li Ying has to prepare some delicate snacks.
In front of the tea house stands a persimmon tree as thick as two arms can encircle. The branches are laden with bright red persimmons. A brilliant idea comes to her mind.
She mixes glutinous rice flour, starch, and sugar evenly, sifts the mixture, and then adds crushed persimmon puree and milk to make a smooth batter. After steaming it, she adds a piece of butter while it's still hot and kneads the oil evenly into the glutinous rice dough.
She divides the orange glutinous rice dough into equal portions, dusts them with roasted glutinous rice flour to prevent sticking, and rolls them into thin wrappers.
She peels whole Fire Crystal Persimmons, which look like little red lanterns, leaving only the soft and sweet pulp. She coats the pulp with a layer of whipped cream, wraps it in the wrapper, carefully pinches the edges to seal it, and finally puts on the pre - reserved persimmon calyx.
The persimmon snow - moon cakes made in this way are almost lifelike. They are chubby, plump, and extremely cute.
When you take a bite, the glutinous rice wrapper is soft, chewy, and stringy. With a thin wrapper and a generous filling, you can taste the mellow cream and sweet persimmon pulp in every mouthful. The taste is extremely rich.
Moreover, the name of the snack implies "May everything go as you wish", so it naturally attracts girls to buy it, which goes perfectly with milk tea.
The shop assistants never expected that the broken and damp tea, which they thought would be unsellable, would boost the sales of the whole shop and bring in a fortune. They can't help but admire this ingenious "young mistress" whole - heartedly.
"Thanks to the young master and the young mistress's brilliant strategies, we've managed to turn the situation around!"
Li Ying blushes at the unexpected address of "young mistress".
She and Lu Xunguang are deeply in love and are always together. In the eyes of the shop assistants, they are just like a newly - wedded couple.
Since Li Ying has decided to entrust her life to Lu Xunguang, she accepts the sincere praise openly without being coy.
However, Lu Xunguang puts on a straight face and looks seriously at the joking shop assistants.
"I haven't proposed to A Ying with proper matchmakers and formal betrothal gifts. You shouldn't talk nonsense."
Seeing this, the shop assistants realize their rudeness. They bow to Li Ying to apologize, smile awkwardly, and quickly find an excuse to leave.
Li Ying scolds playfully, "Master Lu is so serious. What a imposing manner!"
Lu Xunguang just lowers his head, looks at her steadily, and says in a deep voice, "A Ying, your reputation is at stake. We can't be careless."
Li Ying is stunned. Only then does she realize that she is now a real ancient woman, and she is alone with a child. Gossips can be deadly, and some jokes really can't be made.
"A Ying, you are the love of my life. Although I'm a rough man, I know that I should bathe, burn incense, and follow the three - letter and six - ritual marriage procedure to marry you properly. I will never let you entrust yourself to me without a proper name."
"A Ying, I want you to be the envied Mrs. Lu, not the topic of gossips after meals."
He speaks firmly. Li Ying never expects that Lu Xunguang is so considerate. She is deeply touched.
She is speechless for a moment. Then Lu Xunguang says, "A Ying, I've waited for a long time, and I can't wait any longer."
"Granny Sun said that today is an auspicious day. Instead of choosing another day, why not do it today? Today, I'll tell my father and ask him to propose marriage. How about it?"
His burning eyes seem to devour her. Li Ying blushes but finally nods her head. She says in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "Okay. I'll follow your lead."
The two of them hold hands and return to the Lu Mansion. After the master of the Lu family entrusted the family affairs to Lu Xunguang, he bought a quiet small courtyard in the town and temporarily lived there.
Lu Xunguang has mentioned his mother's death to his father several times, but his father always evades the topic. Although Li Ying has tried to smooth things over, there is still some estrangement between the father and son.
"Father."
Lu Xunguang takes a deep breath and calls out stiffly.
"Cough, cough. A Xun, come in."
The voice of the master of the Lu family, which is a bit hoarse and shows the vicissitudes of life, comes from the room.
Li Ying walks in with him, bows slightly, and frowns involuntarily when she smells the strong smell of medicine in the air.
After stopping those so - called "tonics" from Lian Ji, the master of the Lu family's health should have improved. Why has he started taking decoctions again after just a few days?
Lu Xunguang frowns. Obviously, he has also noticed his father's abnormality.
He briefly explains his intention. The master of the Lu family sits up and smiles, "It's a good thing that A Xun is getting married. Let me take a bath, change my clothes, and then go to the fishing village to propose marriage..."
He has great difficulty saying these few words. His face turns bright red, and he can't help coughing.
The master of the Lu family covers his mouth and nose with a silk handkerchief, but Li Ying is sharp - eyed enough to notice the spots of red on it.
"Master Lu, how could you be so seriously ill!"
Li Ying cries out in surprise. The master of the Lu family still wants to cover it up, but then they hear Du Zhong's crying voice from the door.
"Young master, Miss Li, please think of a way and persuade the master. He doesn't want you to worry, so he stopped taking the medicine without permission and pretended to be healthy. In fact, he is extremely weak. If this continues, he may not last for a few days!"
Li Ying sees the master of the Lu family's once - sharp hawk eyes deeply sunken. Although he is trying to keep up his spirits, it's obvious that he is running out of energy. She knows that Du Zhong is telling the truth and can't help frowning tightly.
"Boss Du, what kind of medicine is the master of the Lu family taking now?"
Du Zhong answers honestly, "Only the Penfu Glue brewed by our Deji Hall has a little effect. Other tonics are useless."
The master of the Lu family gives Du Zhong a nonchalant look, as if blaming him for talking too much.
Du Zhong obediently keeps silent, but an idea comes to Li Ying's mind.
There are many misunderstandings between the master of the Lu family and Lu Xunguang, and there are still doubts about Mrs. Lu's death. He must not die like this!
"Boss Du, can the medicine effect of the Nine - Dynasty Tribute Glue keep the master of the Lu family safe?"
Seeing Du Zhong nodding repeatedly, Li Ying says firmly, "Okay. I'll take care of this matter!"