While making yuanxiao in the evening, Lin Fang suggested trying to make some savory ones.
Since Lin Fang didn’t like sweets, every year during the Lantern Festival, she would just take a symbolic bite, never eating more than three. Although Dong Huixin believed yuanxiao should stick to traditional flavors, her love for her precious daughter outweighed her principles. She followed Lin Fang’s suggestion and mixed half a small enamel basin of savory filling using dried wild vegetables and braised pork belly.
“Hmm, this would make delicious baozi,” Yan Ping tasted a bit of the savory filling and praised it enthusiastically.
The others agreed with Yan Ping’s assessment, but Lin Fang ignored their teasing and cheerfully started wrapping the yuanxiao herself.
Compared to the variety of sweet fillings, the savory filling was scarce, so the family let her have fun with it while they continued making traditional yuanxiao—not just for themselves but also to sell at the restaurant the next day, so they needed to make plenty.
When they were about halfway through wrapping the filling, Lin Yuanmin remembered something: “Huh? Didn’t Guicheng say he’d come over tonight to help wrap yuanxiao? Why isn’t he here yet?”
Dong Huixin speculated, “Maybe something came up.”
Recalling Lin Guicheng’s agitated demeanor earlier that day, Lin Fang also guessed, “Mom might be right. Uncle Cheng seemed preoccupied this afternoon. Maybe something really did happen, and he can’t make it tonight.”
She wasn’t wrong, but she couldn’t have imagined that Lin Guicheng’s worries were related to her.
“By the way, Dad, how’s Second Brother’s shop transfer going?” Mentioning Lin Guicheng reminded Lin Fang of his offer to help Lin Tuo with the shop. Since Lin Tuo had gone to bed early at the store and hadn’t returned, she asked Lin Yuanmin instead.
Lin Yuanmin replied, “The other party agreed, but they said the paperwork won’t be processed until after the festival.”
That made sense. Losing business during the New Year was considered bad luck. Lin Fang nodded and joked cheerfully, “Mom’s the boss of the village restaurant, Dad’s the future boss of the county restaurant, Eldest Brother’s the boss of the mushroom farm, Second Brother’s the boss of the shop, and I’m the boss of the bookstore. Haha, our whole family’s full of bosses now!”
The family burst into laughter at her words, chatting merrily and dreaming of a bright future.
Early the next morning, Lin Yuanmin and Dong Huixin had just gotten up and hadn’t even washed up yet, while everyone else was still asleep, when the courtyard gate was knocked loudly. Lin Guicheng shouted from outside, “Big Brother, open up! I’m here for yuanxiao!”
The elderly couple exchanged glances—why so early? Dong Huixin quickly tidied up while Lin Yuanmin went to open the gate.
“Guicheng, didn’t you say you’d come last night to wrap yuanxiao yourself? What happened?” Lin Yuanmin spoke as he unlatched the gate. But as soon as the door cracked open, his words froze. Standing behind Lin Guicheng were two stern-faced policemen.
Lin Guicheng stepped aside, fully revealing the officers to Lin Yuanmin, then said, “Big Brother, these comrades need to ask Da Linzi a few questions.”
“Oh, please come in,” Lin Yuanmin opened the gate wider and gestured for the police to enter.
One of the officers, a middle-aged man, smiled and said, “It’s the holiday, but is Lin Yong awake? Let’s talk inside.”
Lin Yong emerged from the house, “Coming, coming!”
The moment Lin Guicheng had called out, everyone had woken up, but they stayed inside—partly to tidy up quickly and partly to listen carefully to what was happening outside. Since Lin Guicheng’s early arrival was unusual, Lin Yong hurried out when his name was called.
Inside Lin Yuanmin’s house, Lin Fang had also gotten up, though she was still a bit groggy from her usual habit of sleeping in.
The younger officer got straight to the point: “We’re here to ask Lin Yong to come to the station. The suspect who fled on New Year’s Eve was caught last night. We need Lin Yong to identify him and provide a detailed account of what happened that day.”
Oh, so that’s what it was. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief—having the police show up first thing in the morning wasn’t exactly pleasant.
“Haha,” the two officers laughed at their expressions and teased, “We didn’t explain outside because we didn’t want the neighbors to misunderstand. Police visits usually don’t mean good news, haha.”
“Guicheng, what’s going on? Why are you with the police?” As soon as Lin Yong left with the officers, Lin Yuanmin urgently asked Lin Guicheng.
“Uncle Cheng, why are the police looking for Da Linzi?” Before Lin Guicheng could answer, Yan Ping rushed in and asked. The commotion outside had woken little Yuanyuan, who was fussy from lack of sleep. When Lin Yong left, Yan Ping had wanted to follow him into Lin Fang’s room with their son to hear what was happening, but Lin Yong stopped her, saying it was probably about the New Year’s Eve incident and she should just soothe the baby.
Lin Guicheng smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry. The police really are just asking about the robbery on New Year’s Eve. They were considerate—they came early to avoid causing a stir among the villagers. They arrived at dawn with Mutou and already questioned the three men who helped catch the suspect yesterday. Since only Lin Yong and Yan Ping saw the robber, and I told them Yan Ping’s health isn’t great, they only took Lin Yong.”
Lin Fang frowned, puzzled. “Uncle Cheng, why didn’t the police act when the robber was first caught? Why wait until now to question us?”
“I don’t know. The police probably have their own reasons,” Lin Guicheng replied with a smile, though inwardly he felt even more troubled. Compared to her otherworldly self, Fang’er had become sharper in handling things. Would his purpose in coming to this world even be achievable now?
Lin Yuanmin chimed in, “Right, how would your Uncle Cheng know about police matters? Hurry up and wash up. Let’s cook the yuanxiao so your uncle can eat early and take some to Mutou and the others. The earlier you eat yuanxiao, the luckier it is.”
“Hehe, once the yuanxiao’s cooked, I can deliver some to Teacher Wang. They didn’t have dinner last night, so this’ll tide them over.” Sun Siyuan had managed to ensure the police wouldn’t cause trouble for the Lin family, so he couldn’t be completely in the dark. Though Lin Fang didn’t quite believe Lin Guicheng’s explanation, she didn’t press further and went along with her father’s suggestion.
Yuanxiao was eaten for breakfast during the Lantern Festival but wasn’t treated as a full meal. Most people cooked it in rice porridge in the morning—this had two benefits: it was convenient, and as long as you didn’t neglect it, the yuanxiao skins were less likely to break. The same applied to cooking dumplings in porridge.
But these benefits didn’t apply to Lin Fang’s savory yuanxiao. They couldn’t be cooked with the traditional ones and needed a separate pot. Plus, they’d just woken up and hadn’t made porridge yet. To serve Lin Guicheng and Teacher Wang first, they had to boil the yuanxiao in plain water.
“Uncle Cheng, don’t leave yet. Wait till my savory yuanxiao are done—try them and tell me what you think.” After Lin Guicheng finished eating and picked up the packed raw yuanxiao for Sun Siyuan and the workers, Lin Fang cheerfully stopped him. With only one stove, Dong Huixin had cooked the traditional ones first.
Lin Guicheng nodded and sat back down. Even without tasting, he could guess how the savory yuanxiao would turn out. In her other life, Lin Fang had applied knowledge from this world, combined with the Lin family’s wisdom, to bring them prosperity. Now, reincarnated here, she hadn’t wasted that knowledge—whether in calligraphy and painting or in food. Thinking of this, he hesitated again about the idea he’d been turning over all night.
“Uncle Cheng, try these. How do they taste? Any improvements needed?” Once the savory yuanxiao were ready, Lin Fang scooped a few for Lin Guicheng.
“Mmm, delicious! Sister-in-law, I think you should make more of these. They’d be great boiled or fried, and unlike sweet ones, they don’t get cloying after a few. You could even eat them as a meal when hungry,” Lin Guicheng praised, automatically advocating for Lin Fang to Dong Huixin, just as he had in the other world.
“Oh? Really? I thought Fang was just playing around last night. Are they really that good?” Dong Huixin scooped one herself and took a careful bite.
“Mmm, they really are tasty. Husband, Yan Ping, you two try some too,” she said, taking another bite.
“Yeah, they’re great! Mom, why don’t we make more today and sell them at the restaurant? Truck drivers might like them and buy some,” Yan Ping’s quick mind suggested.
Lin Yuanmin smacked his lips in approval, “Yan Ping’s right. Wife, I’ll start breakfast while you mix more filling. Once I’m done, I’ll help with the wrappers. Let’s get started now, okay?”
“Sure, let’s do it. I’ll try some other savory fillings too,” Dong Huixin agreed decisively.
Lin Fang gave a thumbs-up, “Wow, Mom’s so clever—thinking ahead! With your skills, these yuanxiao will sell like hotcakes.”
“Lin Fang, do you have any more savory yuanxiao? I’d like to take some for Mutou and the others.” Lin Guicheng’s heart was in turmoil—he wanted to leave, but he also didn’t forget Sun Siyuan and his men. He was skilled at winning people’s loyalty.
Lin Fang handed him half of the remaining raw savory yuanxiao, “There’s a bit left, but Mom didn’t prepare much filling. If Sun-ge and the others want more, they can come to the restaurant later. I need to save some for Teacher Guo—he gets cranky when hungry, just like a kid. He can’t wait, and he doesn’t like sweets.”
When Lin Fang delivered the cooked yuanxiao to Rouqiu’s house, Teacher Guo was indeed throwing a tantrum. Teacher Wang had been running around trying to stop him from breaking things and was panting with exhaustion by the time Lin Fang arrived.
Teacher Guo wolfed down the yuanxiao and still wasn’t full, but he calmed down considerably. Lin Fang didn’t dare take him home yet—the family was busy wrapping more yuanxiao, and if Teacher Guo saw them, he’d demand to eat. It wasn’t that they’d refuse, but the glutinous rice skins were hard to digest, and despite his robust appearance, Teacher Guo was over ninety. It wasn’t worth the risk.
On her next trip from home, Lin Fang brought a few vegetarian baozi and warmed them by the stove. When Teacher Guo grew impatient again, she handed one to him and Teacher Wang each, thinking that hiring a caretaker couldn’t wait any longer. She already had someone in mind but wasn’t sure if they’d agree.
After discussing it with Teacher Wang, he suggested Lin Fang go ask after breakfast. If the person was willing, she could bring them over to meet.
Little did Lin Fang know that by solving Teacher Wang’s problem, she was also laying the groundwork for her own future success—securing a powerful ally in the process.
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