Song Sanniang's Journey to Wealth

The next day, I got up early and started working again.

Today, in addition to making double skin milk, taro mochi colorful meatballs, I also want to make fruit jelly.

The family decided that they didn't have many eggs left, so they could only make 20 bowls of double skin milk, and 60 bowls of the others, with the fruit milk jelly priced at eight cents.

Song Lao Er ran to get the milk, and Song Ersao started to make a fire.

Sanniang and the others were responsible for washing the fruits, cutting them into pieces, and squeezing the juice.

After the fire was lit, Mrs. Song took out the pig gelatin from the cellar.

The pig gelatin was made very successfully, with the same color as lard, chewy and strong, and it won’t break even if you cut a piece, just like a rubber band.

Two pounds of pig skin can make one pound of pork skin look like one pound of pork gelatin. One pound of pig gelatin can be made into about 50 to 60 bowls a day, which can last for about a week. However, the gelatin must be stored in the cellar.

Song Lao Er came back with a bucket of milk. There was taro steaming in a pot beside him.

Song Ersao poured most of it into the other pot and put the cut pig gelatin in, adding sugar and stirring constantly until the milk was completely boiled.

Sanniang had already placed the bamboo bowls nearby. Song Ersao scooped the milk into the bamboo bowls, and then Sanniang put the chopped fruit in. Song Laoer used a bamboo basket to put the fruit jelly in the cellar, covered it with a lid, and waited for it to take shape.

Here, Mrs. Song took out the taro, prepared the double-skin milk and put it in the steamer to steam.

Sanniang is making taro paste. She mashes the taro, adds sugar and milk mulberry jam, and keeps stirring it until it becomes a fluid but sticky state.

Song Ersao skillfully began to mix the flour to make glutinous rice balls. She rolled them into strips and cut them into pieces, while the fourth and fifth wives rolled them into small round balls.

Then Song Ersao started to make colorful cassava balls. Sanniang had already prepared the juice for coloring, and the kitchen was bustling with activity.

In fact, the family hadn’t even had breakfast yet, and the extra sweet soup would become their breakfast after it was made.

After a busy morning, when it was time for lunch, Song Laoer checked that the jelly had solidified, and the whole family began to pack all the sweet soups.

Little did they know that someone had been thinking about Sanniang and her daughter since early morning. Song Zuen brought sweet soup to the private school yesterday. He hadn't eaten it yet when his deskmate found it. He opened it and took a look, then hurriedly called his good classmates to come.

"Come and see, Zuen brought us some fresh food."

Soon, several heads came over.

"What is this purple and white thing?" Zuen's deskmate picked up the taro mochi balls and asked first.

"It's delicious, let me have a taste." A fat boy who was dressed so well that it was obvious that his family was well-off said hurriedly.

"I want one too! Give me one!"

Suddenly the private school became lively. While they were studying the taro mochi balls, a boy had already scooped a spoonful of double skin milk with a bamboo spoon.

"It tastes like milk, smooth and sweet. Try this."

"Good job, Liu Datou!"

"We want it, too!"

"But there are only two spoons, and we each have one bite."

After a while, Zu En stared at the two empty bamboo bowls in amazement, muttering, "I haven't eaten yet..."

"Hahaha, who told you to be slow?" Song Zuen's friend and classmate couldn't help but laugh at him.

"Is this made by your family? It's delicious. Can you make one for me tomorrow? I'll give you money." The little fat man was still licking the spoon in his hand.

"I want one too!" Liu Datou hurriedly signed up.

"You haven't even told us what these two bowls are called?" Zu En's deskmate Wang Sicheng put down the spoon in his hand and said.

"I only know that it's called milk sugar water and double skin milk. This is made and sold by my cousin and sister. My sister wanted me to teach her calligraphy so she gave it to me. I don't know how much a bowl costs." Zu En scratched his head.

"Then buy me a bowl each. If it's not enough, I'll replenish it when I come back." Wang Sicheng took out his purse and took out twenty cents.

"I want a bowl of each, too." Liu Datou hurriedly rummaged through his schoolbag.

The fat man took out half a tael of silver and said, "Give me all your change. Take my silver. I will give you the extra money when the time comes. If it's not enough, you can give me more. I want three bowls of each."

"Great! Yu Xiaopang, you've finally made some money." Wang Sicheng was very envious. Although everyone's family was not short of money, most of their parents were strict with them. Generally, those with more money would have dozens of coins, while those with less would only have a few coins.

It is a big deal for someone like Yu Xiaopang to be able to take out half a tael.

"Hehe, my grandma gave it to me secretly." Yu Xiaopang was very proud.

So Song Zuen took a small order for Sanniang, but he couldn't see Sanniang and her father and daughter in the morning, so he had to go back empty-handed.

"I'll go see if Dazhi is back." Song Laoer said and went out. Before he walked out of the yard, he saw Song Dazhi coming to the door.

"Dazhi, I was just looking for you, are you free to take us to town?"

"I'm free. Are you leaving now, brother?"

"Yes, by the way, what do you want to see me about?"

"Look, yesterday Sanniang gave two bowls of the sweet soup you sell to Zu En. His classmates ate it and now they want to buy some."

"Haha, that's great. We made new sweet soup today. "Come on, go in and try it." After saying that, he pulled Song Dazhi into the house without saying anything.

"No, no, you have to sell it for money." Song Dazhi quickly declined.

"We have already packed the ones to sell. Those are just extra for us to eat ourselves." Song Laoer asked Song Dazhi to sit down.

"Come on, eat quickly." Song Laoer pushed the bowl he had prepared in front of him.

Mrs. Song took another bowl from the kitchen and gave it to Song Laoer. "Dazhi, eat more. Don't be polite. We eat all day long. We are tired of it."

Song Dazhi looked at the colorful meatballs floating on the white milk in the bowl. He took a sip and found purple paste and white milky stuff. When he put it in his mouth, the dense, thick and sweet taste filled his mouth.

"It's so delicious! I've never tasted such delicious sweet soup before." Song Dazhi couldn't help but sigh.

"It's delicious, eat more." Song Laoer was happy.

"Brother, pack me the two sweet soups you sold yesterday. I want five bowls of each. I'll deliver them to Zuen and the others after school. Please calculate the total price."

Sanniang had finished her meal by then. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and went to get some sugar water.

"Uncle Dazhi, I'll go and pack it for you. I'll put Brother Zuen's in there too. A bowl of double-skin milk is six cents, and a bowl of taro meatballs is ten cents. You need five bowls of each..." Sanniang pretended to count on her fingers, "That's eighty cents."

Her act of counting her fingers amused everyone. Song Dazhi joked, "Sanniang is going to ask Zuen to teach her how to read and how to count. This way, she won't have to count her fingers when doing accounts. Otherwise, if you count too much in the future, even counting your toes won't be enough." Everyone laughed.

Song Dazhi gave Yu Xiaopang's half tael of silver to Song Laoer, who gave him the change. Everyone had almost finished eating.

Song Ersao cleaned up the dishes, Song Laoer picked up the carrying pole, and Sanniang replaced the leaves in the pork seller's basket and filled it with Song Zuen's sweet soup.

"Dad, let's go to Mr. He's place first to buy the newly made sweet soup for He Cai to see, then go to Brother Zu En's place to deliver the sweet soup, and finally go to the market."

"Great!" Song Laoer also felt that this arrangement was appropriate.

Only Song Dazhi was shocked that Sanniang could have the final say over her father.

The ox cart slowly stopped at the gate of He Mansion, and the three people got off.