When the pears are green

When Song Li walked into the Li's shop, Lingling and Li Yun'an were sitting at opposite ends of the counter, sulking. Neither of them noticed Song Li's arrival.

"Lingling, Mr. Li." Song Li stood in front of the pile of mulberry paper and shouted loudly to the two people who were still sitting there.

Lingling came back to her senses. She quickly walked to Song Li and asked, "Sister Song, do you want to buy some paper?"

Song Li nodded, and then she asked Lingling: "Lingling, what are you and Master Li doing? You were so focused that you didn't even notice someone coming into the shop."

After hearing this, Lingling turned around and glared at Li Yun'an angrily. She said that she wanted Li Yun'an to go to the Yang family to propose marriage, but Li Yun'an wanted to wait until the county school was on New Year's holiday.

Song Li smiled and comforted Lingling not to worry about Li Yun'an. She said that since Li Yun'an wanted to wait until then, he must not like Yang Jing in his heart, so there was no need to force it.

"But I think my brother is still interested in Miss Yang." Lingling quickly retorted.

Song Li was very adamant about her opinion. She explained to Lingling bit by bit, "Lingling, this dynasty has a clear rule that if a marriage is delayed due to mourning, the marriage must be completed within six months after the mourning period ends. Jing'er's mourning period ended in early August, so she must be married before February next year. How could she possibly wait until Master Li's annual leave in January next year? So if Master Li has no interest in Jing'er, you should stop caring about it."

"But what if my brother doesn't know about this rule?" Lingling's voice became lower and lower as she spoke, and she began to wonder if she was thinking too much.

Song Li picked up two pieces of mulberry paper and handed them to Lingling. She smiled and replied, "Mr. Li has studied for many years, how could he not know these things? That's why he declined and wanted to wait until the county school was on annual vacation. By then, Jing'er would most likely have become a wife and a mother."

Song Li's words were like a sharp dagger stabbing Li Yun'an's hesitant heart. Although he was not sure whether he had any romantic feelings for Yang Jing, he did not want anyone else to possess Yang Jing.

Lingling felt that what Song Li said made sense. She walked to the counter with the mulberry paper and calculated the price. The total was fifty-five cents.

Song Li took out her purse and paid the bill. After Lingling put the copper coins into the wooden box, she quickly apologized to Li Yun'an, saying that she shouldn't have wished for the idea that he and Yang Jing were in love.

Li Yun'an slammed the counter in annoyance, then stood up and walked out of the shop, leaving Song Li and Lingling looking at each other.

Seeing that Li Yun'an was about to cross the threshold, Song Li hurriedly walked to Li Yun'an holding the mulberry paper and said, "Mr. Li, there is a saying: Pick the flowers when they are ready, and don't wait until there are no flowers left to pluck. Since there is still one day left, why not go and see Jing'er, maybe you will have the answer in your mind."

Li Yun'an paused for a moment, nodded to Song Li, and then walked towards Nanguan.

Lingling hurriedly walked to Song Li, and the two of them stood in front of the shop and complained that Li Yun'an was a man who said one thing and thought another.

The two chatted for a while, and Song Li asked Lingling if she knew where to buy brine.

"Brine, what is that?" Lingling asked curiously. She frowned and thought for a long time, making sure that she had never heard of this thing.

Song Li organized the words in her mind first, and then told Lingling: "It is the white or yellow crystals left after the salt is dried in the salt field. It can be used to make tofu."

"Sister Song should be talking about bittern. This thing is not easy to buy. Zhimin once said that there is a salt field in a place called Beilizhou three or four hundred miles southwest of us, but the journey is far, and we may not sell it here." Lingling told Song Li everything she heard from Hu Zhimin, and made Song Li temporarily give up the idea of ​​making tofu.

Just as Song Li was about to leave, Lingling said to the somewhat disappointed Song Li, "Sister Song, if you want to make tofu, you can go to a larger medicine store in the county town and buy some gypsum. I once heard Zhimin say that a Taoist priest under the King of Huainan in the Han Dynasty accidentally spilled gypsum into soy milk, which solidified into tofu. People say that tofu is made in this way."

"Thank you Lingling for telling me. If I succeed, I will give it to Lingling to try first." Song Li was very grateful for Lingling's words, which reminded her that gypsum can indeed be used to make tofu.

Lingling smiled and said that she believed in Song Li and she would wait for Song Li to bring the prepared tofu over.

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Li said goodbye to Lingling and went to the study to pick up Song Xing and Jiang Qingye to go home after school.

Li Yun'an wandered in front of the alley in front of Yang Jing's house for a long time. Just when he was about to leave, he met Ruyi and Chen Yuan coming out of the alley.

Ruyi and Li Yun'an looked at each other in surprise. Neither of them expected to meet an acquaintance here.

Ruyi leaned towards Chen Yuan uncomfortably. She greeted Li Yun'an awkwardly, then hurriedly pulled Chen Yuan away.

Chen Yuan looked at Ruyi who took the initiative to hold his hand, and the corners of his mouth could not help but rise. He happily hummed a little tune on the way to send Ruyi home.

Li Yun'an thought that Ruyi, a timid girl, dared to meet her lover secretly, so how could a grown man like him not dare to meet a girl? After encouraging himself, he strode into the alley with his head held high.

The gate of the Yang family's courtyard was half-closed. When Li Yun'an was about to knock on the door, Yang Jing, who noticed the noise, hurriedly stopped him: "Mr. Li, my mother is resting, so don't knock on the door. My third brother hasn't come back yet, you can go into the courtyard and wait for a while."

"I'm not looking for Brother Yang, I'm here to find you." Li Yun'an told Yang Jing with a smile.

Yang Jing was stunned for a moment, and she hurriedly asked Li Yun'an what was the matter.

"I want to ask you, what kind of husband do you want to find?" Li Yun'an regretted it a little after he said it. He felt that he was no different from a playboy for saying such a thing.

Yang Jing was stunned again. She didn't expect Li Yun'an to come so late just to ask her this question.

"Someone like my third brother, who is good-looking and gentle. Mr. Li, are you asking this because you want to find a matchmaker for me? My mother and my third brother have arranged several appointments for me recently, so I guess I will have to wait in line." As Li Liu said, Yang Jing, who was beautiful and had a brother who was a scholar, had no shortage of suitors.

After hearing what Yang Jing said, Li Yun'an was furious. He felt that he should not have come. But if he didn't come, he was afraid that Yang Jing would turn around and promise to marry someone else.

Seeing that Li Yun'an didn't say anything and was a little angry, Yang Jing said that for Li Yun'an's sake, she could ask Yang Zhang and Yang Yu to adjust the time of the meeting.

Li Yun'an really wanted to pry open Yang Jing's head to see what she was thinking.

"Why aren't you talking?" Yang Jing reached out and pulled Li Yun'an's sleeve.

Li Yun'an was pleased by Yang Jing's little gesture, and he asked Yang Jing if she had someone she liked.

Yang Jing shook her head under Li Yun'an's expectant gaze. She told Li Yun'an: "I don't care. I can marry anyone as long as my third brother and my mother agree."

Li Yun'an couldn't help but reach out and shake Yang Jing's arm. He asked Yang Jing angrily: "Don't you have your own ideas?"

"No, it's said that it's the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. My mother and my third brother will make the decision. I don't have to worry about it. It's fine." Yang Jing's eyes swept over Yun'an's hands that were holding hers, and Li Yun'an quickly let go of his hands.

Li Yun'an asked Yang Jing a different question: "Besides your third brother, which man are you more familiar with?"

Yang Jing eliminated the people she knew in her mind, and she was surprised to find that besides Yang Yu, the person she was most familiar with was Li Yun'an, whom she had just met.

"That's you." Yang Jing gave the answer awkwardly.

Li Yun'an laughed happily.

After school, Yang Yu returned home and looked strangely at the two people who were standing inside and outside the courtyard gate and chatting. He first blamed Yang Jing for not knowing how to entertain guests, and then invited Li Yun'an to come into the house and sit for a while.

Li Yun'an quickly refused. He told Yang Yu frankly: "Brother Yang, I came here to ask Miss Yang some questions. Now that I have asked them, I will go back."

After Li Yun'an left, Yang Yu asked Yang Jing curiously: "Jing'er, what question did Yun'an ask you?"

Yang Jing smiled and said that they were just trivial matters, then turned around and went about doing other things.