The casual life of the flat space

Before she could even leave the hall, she heard a voice from behind. Bai Tieying hurriedly took a few steps and saw that people had already walked halfway down the corridor, so she hurried forward as well. A woman who looked to be in her twenties was leading a girl who looked about the same age as her. Bai Tieying estimated that this was Aunt Zhang, but she was a little embarrassed to call her that now.

"Tieying greets Aunt Zhang and Sister Yue'er. I'm sorry for coming here so presumptuously!"

"Oh, this is Tieying! He really lives up to his name, heroic, courageous and capable! Come on, it's hot, let's go inside and sit down and chat."

"Hello, Sister Tieying." Zhang Yue'er bowed and said nothing more, but her eyes were full of curiosity.

Bai Tieying followed them to the central hall of the main house and sat down. Aunt Zhang ordered the maid to set the table and distribute the Sushan to everyone. She also took out a lot of snacks and fruits, filling the table.

Bai Tieying was also moved by this. She felt lucky. She met mostly good people. Seeing Aunt Zhang like this, Uncle Zhang was not being polite. So she also said, "Aunt Zhang...maid, may I ask how old you are? You look like you are only in your twenties. I feel a little guilty calling you Auntie. I feel offended!"

"Hahaha, still in your twenties? I'm already thirty! Indeed, I'm much younger than your Uncle Zhang." Aunt Zhang covered her mouth and laughed, and then continued: "Your Uncle Zhang helped the father-in-law go out to do business in his early years, so he got married a little late. But you don't have to care about his thoughts, you can call me aunt here, my maiden name is Pan."

"Hey, Aunt Pan! I'll call you that from now on. Auntie doesn't really suit you!"

"Okay, kid. Aunt Pan does sound young, so call me that from now on! Eat the crispy noodles quickly, they will melt in a while. We are at your home now, so don't be polite." Aunt Pan was even happier to see that Bai Tieying was sincerely praising her youth, and she became more enthusiastic in treating the guest.

"If Aunt Pan says so, then I'm not being outspoken. The food I brought is just right to go with the Sushan. How about I take it out for you to try?"

Bai Tieying took out bags and cans of things from her backpack, and the table was so full that there was no more room. Aunt Pan saw this and quickly asked the maid to take some away before putting everything down.

"Aunt Pan, I picked all of these and made them myself. Look, this is persimmon jam, sea buckthorn jam, panzi jam, and red bean jam. These are all suitable for pouring over the pastry."

Bai Tieying pointed to several other sealed small cans and said, "These are canned pears, canned apricots, canned apples and tray cans. These can be opened and filled with crushed ice to cool down in the summer. In the winter, they can be eaten without ice to cool down the body.

Uncle Zhang, don't accuse me of being partial. These mountain wine and ganoderma wine are for you! Drinking a moderate amount of one or two taels every day can help you stay fit and beautify your face. After a while, I can call you uncle!"

“Hahahahahahaha…” Shopkeeper Zhang and his wife both laughed. Even Zhang Yue'er covered her mouth, her body shaking.

"You little girl, you dare to tease me. Fine, fine, if I can't let you call me uncle after drinking for a while, then you should be punished!"

"What are you talking about? Can't people tell the truth? Or do you think I'm old and you will only feel comfortable if people call me auntie?" Aunt Pan said with a blank look at Shopkeeper Zhang.

Shopkeeper Zhang denied it repeatedly and asked everyone to quickly try the jam that Bai Tieying brought.

There are few women who don't like sour and sweet things. After tasting each one, Aunt Pan and Zhang Yue'er praised them highly. Seeing this, Shopkeeper Zhang also felt itchy and insisted on opening the can to try them.

Bai Tieying put down the spoon in her hand and taught the maid how to break the seal and open the jar. As soon as the first jar was opened, a fresh fragrance of pears wafted out. When they poured out the pears, they saw that each pear was cut in half, peeled and cored, just enough for one spoonful of each. Before they even ate it, their mouths were already watering.

Manager Zhang suddenly thought of something and asked quickly, "Tieying, this pear doesn't look like a goose pear, a pointed pear, or a Gantang pear or a Fengqi pear, but it looks like the mountain pear we have here..." At this point, he took a bite and found it had a rich fruity flavor. It was even more fresh, smooth, and juicy than steamed or roasted pears, and sweet but not greasy.

"Uncle Zhang is right. These are the pear trees grown in Yubei Mountain."

Shopkeeper Zhang was even more surprised to see his guess confirmed. He immediately asked, "But the pear trees here are not ripe yet!"

"Uncle Zhang is indeed the best among the shopkeepers of mountain goods shops!" Bai Tieying gave a thumbs up and joked. This made Aunt Pan laugh again. Zhang Yue'er was about to put a piece of mountain pear into her mouth, but she laughed when she heard the words, and the pear in the spoon slipped into the cup again.

"This is the secret of this can. It can preserve food for one to two years. This pear tree was picked when it was ripe last autumn." Bai Tieying thought to herself, "Mom, please forgive me for lying again. Otherwise, I won't be able to cover it up!"

"Food? You mean more than just fruit?" Aunt Pan, who was sensitive about housework, was the first to notice the meaning of Bai Tieying's words and asked hurriedly.

"Yes, fruits and vegetables, rice, grains and meat are all fine."

Zhang Yue'er was still eating the canned Yamanashi pears while glancing at the other three cans, but Shopkeeper Zhang and his wife simultaneously gasped.

"Fruits and vegetables, rice, grains, meat..." Shopkeeper Zhang was awakened by the words of his wife and Bai Tieying, and muttered to himself.

What makes the winter in the north so bitter? It’s the scarcity of food! Apart from others, their family is considered well-off in Shang’an County, but in winter they have nothing but cabbage and radish. If it weren’t for the dry goods available at the mountain goods store, their food would be no different from that of ordinary people.

"Tie, Tieying...Have you ever thought that you can sell these cans of food?" Shopkeeper Zhang, who was a little excited and a little nervous, stood up and asked.

"Sell?" Bai Tieying pretended to be stupid.

"Yes! You see, our Shang'an County can be regarded as the northernmost part of Yu Country, right? Here in winter, people are frozen to death for three months, it is neither cold nor hot for six months, and only in the remaining three months can some fruits and vegetables grow..." Shopkeeper Zhang swallowed his saliva, thought for a while and continued,

"In fact, it's not just our county. The entire Zhibei Prefecture has a hard winter! If you make these canned foods in the fall and sell them in the winter, can you add a few dishes to the people's tables and help them get through the winter better?"

Bai Tieying hesitated for a while before saying, "Uncle Zhang, your idea is good. I really didn't think about making it convenient for others. But..."

"But what?" Shopkeeper Zhang asked anxiously.

"Hey, sit down. Tieying is such a steady and smart child, why are you in such a hurry? Can't you act like an uncle and wait for her to finish speaking?" Aunt Pan glared at Manager Zhang and said.