Falling into the mortal world

Aunt Li, I want to ask you something. Aunt Li put down what she was doing and looked at Lan Qingqing.

She was curious why Lan Qingqing wanted to see her. After all, Lan Qingqing rarely spoke to her. From her observation, Lan Qingqing wasn't as bad as everyone said. She seemed like a pretty good girl; it was just that her grandmother had ruined her.

I saw the seeds of a tree on the mountain. I want to find someone to pick them for me; I'll buy them for two coins a pound. As she spoke, Lan Qingqing took out some Sichuan peppercorns to show Li Shi.

Li knew what it was as soon as she saw it. She had seen it before when she went up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables and chop firewood.

"This is inedible, why are you taking it?" Aunt Li said.

"I need it. I wonder if Aunt Li has anyone at home who can come up the mountain to pick some?" Lan Qingqing asked.

Seeing that Lan Qingqing was unwilling to say more, Li said, "It just so happens that Da Ni, Er Ni, and Gou Dan at home can all go pick them. I'll have them go tomorrow."

"Surely Aunt Li and the others can find out where to pick them?" Lan Qingqing asked.

Yes, I know. I've seen them before when I took them up the mountain. There are quite a few in that area.

Lan Qingqing knew that the place Aunt Li was talking about must be the place she had seen.

When Li saw that Lan Qingqing accepted this, she was happy, after all, it was only three coins a pound, and there was a small patch on the mountain where she could pick quite a lot.

Lan's mother said: Qingqing, why are you accepting this? It's neither food nor drink.

"Mother, you'll find out when the time comes," Lan Qingqing said mysteriously.

Seeing Lan Qingqing's mysterious expression, Lan's mother stopped asking.

That evening, Aunt Li told her daughter-in-law about Lan Qingqing collecting Sichuan peppercorns.

Auntie, the Lan family girl said that this is called Sichuan pepper and she buys it for three coins a pound. Tomorrow, take Da Ni, Er Ni, and Gou Dan to the mountain to pick some. While the villagers don't know that the Lan family buys this, let's pick as much as possible so we can earn more.

When Da Ni heard her grandmother say that this peppercorn was priced at three copper coins per pound, she excitedly asked, "Grandma, are you sure it's three copper coins per pound?"

"That's what Lan Daya said, it shouldn't be false," Li said somewhat uncertainly.

"Grandma, then I'll go with Mom tomorrow," Li Dani said.

And me, Li Erni, and Li Gou Dan all said in unison.

"Alright, I'll take the kids to pick them first thing tomorrow morning," said the youngest daughter.

"We don't own any land, so we don't have much income. We'll make what we can," Aunt Li said.

The next day, the youngest daughter took her children up the mountain early in the morning.

Lan Qingqing washed the half-bag of sweet potatoes, sliced ​​them, and then found a wooden bucket. She put the sliced ​​sweet potatoes inside and found a wooden stick as thick as her arm. She started to pound the sweet potatoes with the stick until they were crushed into pieces. When Lan Qingqing finished, her arms were so tired that she could hardly lift them. Next time, she would just use a stone mill to grind them, which would save her some effort.

Pour water in to filter out the residue, then let it sit for a while. Lan Qingqing looked at the sky and then made a spicy tofu dish, stir-fried mushrooms with meat, and stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with eggs. She found a takeout container and put the dishes in one by one, just a little bit of each, just enough to taste them.

Lan Qingqing arrived at the teahouse she had arranged to meet earlier. She sat down in the seat she had taken the day before. Just as she sat down, Yuan Yang arrived.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Yuan Yang said apologetically.

"It's nothing, I just arrived too," Lan Qingqing said.

Yuan Yang took out two silver notes and a contract from his pocket. The contract stated that the Nancheng County tofu recipe could only be sold to Yuan Yang and could not be sold to anyone else in Nancheng County. Yuan Yang could only do business in Nancheng County and could not sell it outside of Nancheng County. If either party breached the contract, they would have to pay ten times the amount as liquidated damages.

Lan Qingqing checked the contract and, finding no problems, signed her name. Two copies of the contract were made; Lan Qingqing took her own. She then picked up the silver note and put it into her sleeve.

Lan Qingqing picked up the food box beside her and took out a plate of spicy tofu, stir-fried eggs with wood ear mushrooms, and stir-fried pork with shiitake mushrooms. These were a bit cold, and they certainly wouldn't taste as good as when they were freshly cooked.

"Try it first, how does it taste?" Lan Qingqing picked up the chopsticks and handed them to him. The food box had been wrapped in a cotton coat the whole way, and it was still warm. Yuan Yang saw that the food on the table smelled delicious, so he picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. The numbing and spicy taste made Yuan Yang fall in love with it instantly. The tofu was soft and tender, so delicious!

"What's this black thing?" Yuan Yang asked, pointing to the wood ear mushroom.

"This is wood ear mushroom, this dish is called wood ear mushroom stir-fried with eggs," Lan Qingqing introduced.

Yuan Yang took a bite and thought, "This taste is so delicious! Why have I never eaten anything like this before?"

When Yuan Yang saw the stir-fried mushrooms with meat, he recognized the mushrooms. But weren't they poisonous?

"Young lady, these are poisonous mushrooms and you can't eat them," Yuan Yang said, putting down his chopsticks.

Lan Qingqing picked up another pair of chopsticks; she had prepared two pairs when she came. She picked up a shiitake mushroom, slowly lifted her veil, and put it in her mouth.

Yuan Yang tried to stop her, but Lan Qingqing had already taken a bite.

Don't worry, Young Master Yuan, this is not poisonous. There are poisonous and non-poisonous mushrooms. Just distinguish between the poisonous mushrooms. Poisonous mushrooms are usually very easy to identify. The more brightly colored the mushroom, the more poisonous it is. The one in my hand is not poisonous.

Seeing that Lan Qingqing didn't seem to have any adverse reactions after eating, Yuan Yang picked up a mushroom and gently put it in his mouth. Instantly, his mouth was filled with the fresh and fragrant aroma of the mushroom. He loved it! He loved this dish! The meat inside the mushroom was also stir-fried to a delicious and fragrant perfection. In this way, Yuan Yang ate all the dishes that Lan Qingqing had brought, leaving them completely clean.

This dish is so delicious! Can you tell me how you made this Mapo Tofu?

Lan Qingqing took out the Sichuan peppercorns, because this Mapo Tofu is made with Sichuan peppercorns.

Lan Qingqing handed over the Mapo Tofu recipe as a thank you gift. "It's a gift for you."

"Miss, do you have any Sichuan peppercorns?" Yuan asked excitedly. "I'd like to buy some to take back with me."

"Yes," Lan Qingqing said.

Do you have any wood ear mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms?

"These two items are relatively scarce. I plan to raise them myself next year, so the quantity will be greater. If you plan to offer these two items in your restaurant, you must limit the quantity and purchases, otherwise we definitely won't be able to keep up with your restaurant's demand," Lan Qingqing said.

"Young lady, how do you plan to sell these Sichuan peppercorns?" Yuan Yang asked.

Lan Qingqing said: "This Sichuan peppercorn costs five qian of silver per jin. Dried wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms cost five liang per jin. One jin can be soaked to make ten jin of wood ear mushrooms. Dried shiitake mushrooms cost three liang per jin. What do you think of these prices? When I grow a large quantity of wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms next year, the prices will be much cheaper."

Yuan Yang thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, we'll go with the price you mentioned, young lady. I wonder when I can pick up the goods?"

Seven days later, go directly to Pear Blossom Village, to the very end of the village. There's a house under construction there; that's my home. You can pick up your goods there then.

"Alright, it's settled then." Yuan Yang left the teahouse with a joyful expression, while Lan Qingqing went straight to the blacksmith shop.