Crossing Over to Yamada Love

"That's easy. How can she make money if she doesn't serve Manager Xue and the others better food and drinks? These things are delicious but not expensive, and the managers don't really care for them. If she serves them something better, not only will the managers enjoy it, but she can also earn more money." Xue Lingyun answered the chubby boy's question while eating eggplant.

The chubby boy pouted and muttered, "Lanlan isn't like that at all. She has a very kind heart."

"Making money is acceptable, and the little girl is doing it honestly and fairly, not bad," Xue Lingfeng coldly replied.

"Fifth Brother is right. Lanlan and the others work so hard, going to great lengths to cook for us. It's only right that they earn some money." The chubby boy quickly nodded in agreement with Fifth Brother's words.

While the others were chatting about Mo Lan, Xiao Mo Lan was promoting her mushroom soup to everyone. Surprisingly, it was quite effective, with several tables ordering it.

Mo Lan returned to the Xue family and packed the mushrooms and preserved eggs in a basket. She then asked Qiu Dajun to deliver them to Steward Xue and told him how much silver to collect. Mo Lan then began to discuss with Wang Shi about collecting mushrooms. She said that she couldn't collect too many even if she went to pick them every day, so they still had to collect them. The whole village had to get involved so that they could ensure they had mushroom soup to drink every day and also dry a lot of mushrooms.

"Okay, we'll find someone with a quick tongue to tell them, and the news will spread throughout the village. Anyway, it's not harvest time yet, and people don't have anything urgent to do, so I reckon quite a few people will go to pick them." After thinking for a moment, Wang nodded in agreement.

As soon as Wang mentioned the autumn harvest, Mo Lan immediately got hungry. She remembered the corn she had seen on the road and really wanted to eat it. However, people in this era valued food very much. Even the most doting families would not break off corn and cook it for their children.

Mo Lan wanted to eat it on her way back, but she didn't dare tell Mo Quan. Grandpa wouldn't agree anyway, so she decided to shamelessly ask Grandma first.

"Grandma, let's pick some corn to eat tomorrow." Mo Lan walked up to Wang Shi, tugged at her sleeve, and smiled ingratiatingly.

“Scraping corn? This corn is grain, and it's not even ripe yet. Your grandfather definitely won't do it. Why did you think of doing this, girl?” Madam Wang frowned slightly. In her mind, scraping corn wasn't a big deal, but corn was also a staple food for the family. Picking it before it was fully grown and scraping it to eat was a waste of grain, and others would definitely not approve.

"Mother, don't listen to this girl's nonsense. She's wasting food. If Father hears her, he'll scold her. Lan'er, I'll do whatever you want with everything else, but this won't do. Stop pestering your grandmother." Qiu Shi said, seeing her daughter tugging at her mother-in-law's sleeve and shaking it.

"Mother, I'm not wasting food. I'm thinking of making a dish with corn. I'm planning to stew pork ribs, green beans, and corn together. It'll be called 'Harvest Dish.' I'll give the corn to the Xue family's young masters and stewards at noon. They'll get to eat something fresh, and we can earn some money. We can use that money to buy grain later. We can also have something fresh for ourselves. Mother, do you think what I'm saying makes sense?" Mo Lan knew what her mother meant. She was afraid her family would think she was greedy and scold her, so she stopped her from speaking. Her intentions were good, but she also had her own ideas and couldn't just go along with her mother's.

“Well… Lan’er’s words aren’t entirely unreasonable, but this matter still needs your grandfather to make the decision. We’ll talk to him properly later.” Qiu thought about her daughter’s words carefully and felt they made sense. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make the decisions in this family; the men had to decide on matters concerning the crops in the fields.

"Grandma, this matter depends on you. Grandpa will never embarrass you." Mo Lan tugged at Wang Shi's sleeve and shook it, her face full of mischievous smiles.

"What are you saying, you little brat!" Wang's face flushed slightly as she tapped Mo Lan's forehead. This girl was really something, starting to make fun of her, the wet nurse.

"Lan'er, don't talk nonsense! Look, your grandmother's face is all red." Qiu Shi said to her daughter, but her face was full of smiles.

Madam Wang lightly spat at her daughter-in-law and scolded, "It's all your fault, you've corrupted my Lan'er."

"Mother, you've wronged me! Lan'er is all your doing. You can't blame your daughter-in-law for this!" Qiu cried out, and laughter filled the courtyard.

As expected, Wang persuaded Mo Quan, and the next day at noon, corn was cooked in the Mo family's large iron pot.

When steaming the corn, cover it with a layer of tender corn husks; this will make the corn more fragrant. Make sure the pot is completely covered with a cloth to prevent steam from escaping; this will ensure it cooks faster and tastes better.

As soon as the Xue brothers entered the partition, Qiu Dajun brought in a basin of freshly picked corn. The golden ears of corn were steaming hot, and the kernels were plump, making one want to take a bite.

Behind him, Mo Changhe carried a tray of pickled vegetables: finely chopped pickled cucumbers mixed with minced chicken stir-fried with chopped chili peppers. These pickled vegetables were very refreshing and a top choice whether eaten with porridge or mixed with rice. There was also a plate of garlic eggplant, with a strong garlic flavor and a unique taste. And a plate of kimchi, containing pickled onions, cabbage, green beans, and chili peppers. It was crunchy with a slightly sour taste, making it extremely appetizing.

After Qiu Dajun put down the corn, he brought in several bowls of cornmeal porridge. This porridge was made from finely ground cornmeal and cooked until very thin, with a little rock sugar added during the cooking process. It tasted sweet, and Mo Lan could easily drink two bowls by herself.

"Lanlan, this is corn. It's been so long since I've had corn like this. It's not corn harvest time yet, is it? Your family is really generous enough to harvest it for us." The chubby boy looked at the steaming corn and couldn't help but swallow. Strangely enough, he was particularly interested in the food at Molan's house now. After eating here at noon, he didn't find dinner at the Xue residence appealing.

"These corn kernels will be too old in a few days, so I picked them to give you some fresh ones. We wouldn't hesitate to pick them ourselves," Mo Lan said with a smile, though she herself really wanted to reach for some corn in the bowl.

"Hot, so hot, so fragrant! Not tough at all. Lanlan's cooking is always so delicious." The chubby boy didn't stand on ceremony and skewered a corn kernel with his chopsticks, starting to gnaw on it. The corn was very hot, and he shouted "Hot!" twice, but he didn't let go, blowing on it as he ate.

Mo Lan rolled her eyes at him, thinking to herself: That's because you can eat freely here. I can't even get the good food I want in your manor.

"Lanlan, would you like to eat something together?" Xue Lingyun gently waved her folding fan and smiled as she spoke to Molan.

"There's too much corn to eat, you should have some too." Xue Lingfeng's voice was still cold, but it was rare for him to offer Mo Lan any food.

"There's more in the backyard, so please eat quickly. There's also some porridge; just call if you need more. I'll go to the backyard and clean the corn first, then I'll give some to Steward Xue to take back for Madam Xue to try." Mo Lan smiled; even if she wanted to eat, she wouldn't eat here with them.

"Remember to ask for money," Xue Lingfeng coldly instructed her.

"Okay, I won't do business at a loss." Mo Lan gave him a big smile, then turned and left.

A lot of corn was sold at noon, which Mo Lan thought was much more profitable than selling grain. However, every advantage has its disadvantage. The more they sold, the less they could eat themselves. Only five ears of good corn remained, not enough for the Mo family.

After eating her fill, Mo Lan rubbed her tummy and decided to take a stroll in the front yard to help her digest.

As soon as I reached the front yard, I ran into a woman.

The woman was in her thirties, with a pretty face and slightly dark skin. She wore a dark blue cloth jacket, black leggings, and black cloth shoes with white cloth socks underneath, though the white had faded to yellow from washing. She carried a small basket on her left arm as she entered Mo Lan's house.

"Aunt Shuisheng is here!" Mo Lan hurriedly called out. She recognized the woman; she was Liu Shuisheng's wife from their village, and her family had sold a piece of land that owned her shop.

"Lanlan, where are you going?" Aunt Shuisheng was a kind person, and she greeted Molan with a smile.

"I'm fine, just checking the vegetable garden. Auntie, what's the matter? My grandma and the others are in the backyard. Please come in." Mo Lan knew that people in the village usually had something to do when they came in carrying a basket, so she smiled and ushered her inside.

"Auntie won't go in. It's the same if I tell Lanlan." Aunt Shuisheng didn't go in, but stood still and said to Molan, "Auntie doesn't have anything else to do. This land belongs to my family. I planted a few plum trees here. Plums are not easy to grow, so only two survived. My son Da Maozi loves to eat plums. In previous years, the plums would have been ripe by this time, and he would have been asking for some. So I shamelessly came to ask for a few."

After hearing the purpose of the visit, Mo Lan smiled. She knew about the plum tree; she had even visited it before, thinking she would finally have fruit to eat. But as the plums ripened and grew, she was disappointed. The plums were too unappealing in appearance and small in size. Unlike the large, red plums of modern times. These plums were only about the size of longans, and right now they were just yellow. It would be ages before they turned red.

"Auntie, feel free to pick as many as you like. Come on, I'll take you there." Anyway, Mo Lan didn't care for these plums. They looked like they wouldn't taste good; they were definitely sour. She didn't like them, so she was happy to do a favor.

"Then thank you so much, Lanlan. I don't need much, just enough for our Da Maozi to eat." When Aunt Shuisheng heard that Mo Lan had agreed, her smile deepened, and she followed Mo Lan.

When they arrived at the plum tree, Aunt Shuisheng stood on tiptoe and picked plums. After picking some, she looked at the ground and saw that many had fallen. She then began to pick up the fallen plums.

"Lanlan, don't you pick any to eat? Look, there are so many fallen on the ground," Aunt Shuisheng asked Molan as she picked them up.

"I haven't had time to eat, I've been busy all day long." Mo Lan smiled sheepishly.

After listening to Mo Lan's story, Aunt Shui Sheng picked up a plum, broke it open, and saw many small black worms inside. She threw it away and picked up more. Finally, the fourth one was clean. The flesh was yellow, dry, and gritty, and separated easily from the shell.

"Lanlan, have a taste."

Mo Lan looked at the plums that Aunt Shui Sheng handed her. She didn't want to eat them, but it was a kind gesture, so she smiled and accepted them, tentatively taking a bite.