Li Cuilian did not follow Zhou Xiaosuo home, saying she wanted to stay with her parents for a while.
When he had left, he was accompanied by his wife and concubine, with his son in tow, full of vigor and pride. But upon returning, his wife’s heart was unclear, his concubine had vanished, leaving only his foolish son who could do nothing but eat and drink. Zhou Xiaosuo’s mood plummeted to rock bottom. Back home, his mother berated him harshly—everything in the household had been managed by Li Cuilian, and now chaos was inevitable. His father was even more direct, forbidding Zhou Xiaosuo from engaging in any so-called business ventures and ordering him to stay home and farm. He hadn’t seen any money from his ventures, only managing to bring home a concubine who disrupted the household peace. Now, it seemed even his wife was slipping away.
Li Cuihong had become addicted to running her small eatery, but she knew its remote location meant business was only brisk during the herb merchants’ harvest season. The rest of the time, there was little to no activity. As she pondered with her family about what else they could do, Lin Fang, learning to walk with Liu Ma’s support, excitedly waved a rattle drum and babbled, “Round, round!”
“That’s it—sell yuanzi (glutinous rice balls)! The Lantern Festival is just over ten days away. We’ll make and sell yuanzi during this time.”
Li Cuihong’s sudden inspiration surprised Lin Fang, who hadn’t expected her aunt to react so quickly.
Among the gifts Zhou Xiaosuo had brought, the rattle drum was the only thing suitable for Lin Fang. Once home, Liu Ma gave it to her to play with. Since the sixth young miss was at the age of learning to speak, Liu Ma chattered to her: “Sixth Young Miss, this is a rattle drum. See how fun it is? When you shake it, it makes noise. The little drum is round, the tiny drumsticks are round, and the smooth handle is round too. Isn’t it pretty?”
The word “round” was repeated several times in her speech, and Lin Fang kept murmuring, “Round, round, round.” Hearing her aunt’s words, Lin Fang suddenly thought of tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls) and raised her voice accordingly.
Action followed immediately. Li Cuihong asked Liu Ma if her two daughters-in-law could help. She would prepare the fillings herself, but alone, she couldn’t make enough. Given her mother-in-law’s cooking skills, Li Cuihong could already imagine a pile of misshapen lumps. Her third sister was still weak, and she didn’t want to tire her out.
Liu Ma had two sons, both in their thirties. The elder son’s wife had two sons and two daughters, while the younger son’s wife had two sons and three daughters. Including Liu Ma’s husband, the family had fifteen members. These days, only Liu Ma was on duty, while the others idled around the courtyard, finding odd jobs to do. The yard wasn’t large, and even if they took on tasks in the backyard, it wouldn’t take much time. The family was bored stiff, so when work came up, Liu Ma was delighted. She immediately said not only could her daughters-in-law help, but even her three older granddaughters were capable enough.
She also noticed that although these two families weren’t directly related, they were closer than blood relatives. It didn’t matter whose household they worked for.
Li Cuimei had a piece of dowry land and two shops. To prevent Lin Boshi from seizing them, these hadn’t been listed in her dowry and had been managed by Li Ziyang all along. All income was converted into silver and kept by Pan Shi. Knowing her daughter didn’t need so many servants, Pan Shi had still sent over a dozen people with a purpose—since her daughter was now living separately, Liu Ma’s husband and sons were skilled farmers, preparing Li Cuimei to take over the land.
As for the shops, Lin Dalang had a good business sense. Pan Shi wanted to observe for a while longer. If Dalang truly treated her daughter well, the shops could be managed jointly by the couple. Otherwise, other arrangements would be made.
No matter how skilled they were at farming, the freezing weather left them with little to do. Hearing about the yuanzi venture, the men in Liu Ma’s family perked up. They couldn’t make the rice balls, but they could run errands and do manual labor—better than sitting idle.
Batch after batch of yuanzi were made, with a few traditional fillings: black sesame, mixed nuts, red bean paste, and candied dates. The taste was far better than what Lin Fang had bought in supermarkets in her past life, though she wasn’t fond of sweets and only ate one of each before refusing more.
Lin Meng ate even fewer than Lin Fang, barely managing to swallow one before complaining, “Mother, why are all the yuanzi sweet? They’re so cloying. Why not make some savory ones?”
“Mmm, delicious!” Lin Wu stuffed one after another into his mouth, mumbling, “Auntie, so good! Sweet and fragrant. Wu wants another bowl!”
Li Cuimei took away her youngest son’s bowl, chiding, “The yuanzi skins are made of glutinous rice, which is hard to digest. One bowl is already too much for you, and you want another? If you want more, wait until tomorrow.”
“Mother, Wu won’t eat a whole bowl—just half, okay?”
“No.”
“A little less than half?”
“No.”
“Mother, Wu really wants more. Just a few more, please?”
Bargaining relentlessly, Lin Wu wheedled and pestered, refusing to give up until his mother firmly denied him. Seeing the little one on the verge of a tantrum, Lin Wen pushed his bowl forward. “Wu, I have two left here. You can have them, but no more pestering. Mother’s right—yuanzi are delicious, but too much is hard to digest. You’ll get a stomachache again.”
“Yes, Second Brother!” The two tangyuan disappeared into his mouth in an instant.
Lin Fang was inwardly amused. This fifth brother was truly adorable. Every time their mother and second brother played good cop/bad cop, he’d fall right into the trap.
The kitchen was too small, so they moved everything to the main hall to wrap the yuanzi. Li Cuihong dashed back to the kitchen and returned with a small bowl of savory filling, testing whether it could be used for yuanzi.
Lin Fang wasn’t fond of sweet fillings but had never tried savory tangyuan. She stretched out her little hands, eager to see. Liu Ma, thinking the sixth young miss was just playing, carried her over. Mmm, it smelled amazing—was that dried wild vegetables? And what were those tiny bits? Braised meat? Probably braised pork belly. Wow, it must be delicious.
In her past life, Lin Fang had once eaten zongzi with pickled vegetables and lean meat—it was incredibly flavorful, leaving a lingering taste. Since tangyuan skins were also made of glutinous rice, she imagined these would be just as good.
She wasn’t wrong. Li Cuihong’s skills were truly impressive. The wild vegetable and pork belly tangyuan were savory and delicious, with soft, chewy skins. They wrapped and cooked them simultaneously, finishing the small bowl of filling quickly. Lin Fang had only eaten three before Liu Ma refused to feed her more, fearing digestive issues—just like with Lin Wu. She didn’t argue.
Lin Wu was allowed two as well, his eyes fixed on the large soup bowl, clearly wanting more. But the little guy had one virtue: once he agreed to something, he stuck to it. No matter how much he craved more, he didn’t complain.
Lin Zhongsi smacked his lips. “Cuihong, when I leave, pack more of these yuanzi for your sister. Cuili will be delighted with your cooking.”
“Of course, Father. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have. I’m not good at much else, but I can cook. Besides yuanzi, there’s braised meat, dried tofu, fish paste, dried vegetables—lots of things. I’ve already prepared them. Don’t worry about the weight.”
Lin Cuili lived in an even colder place, so these preserved foods would keep well on the journey.
Seeing how popular the savory yuanzi were, Li Cuihong’s confidence soared. She mixed a large batch of filling, and they worked late into the night wrapping them.
The next day, the third day of the Lunar New Year, baskets of yuanzi filled an ox cart bound for Liangping Town. Since the small eatery was too remote, they decided to sell them at Dalang’s shop instead.
During the New Year, most shops didn’t reopen until after the Lantern Festival. Opening now meant no one would know they were selling anything, so business would be nonexistent. Having seen the world outside, Dalang suggested giving out free samples first. If people liked them, they’d come back to buy.
When running the eatery, Li Cuihong had kept a ledger of addresses for customers who requested delivery—a practice suggested by Tong Shi, saying it would help with future business.
They rehired the two former assistants and sent them with Liu Ma’s sons to deliver samples door-to-door, emphasizing the savory yuanzi. They promised the assistants double pay regardless of the outcome, which thrilled them. Their enthusiasm surpassed even being rehired, and they sweet-talked potential customers with words sweeter than the fillings.
At home, Tong Shi wasn’t idle either. She sent Liu Ma’s daughters-in-law to buy dried vegetables from villagers at five wen per catty. Since winter offered few fresh vegetables, almost every household dried some in summer and autumn to rehydrate later. Tong Shi wasn’t worried about shortages.
At first, the villagers refused payment for mere handfuls of dried vegetables, but the daughters-in-law insisted their mistress would punish them if they didn’t pay. The task was completed smoothly, though only a small amount was collected—after all, yuanzi sales would only last until the Lantern Festival, so they didn’t need much.
Within two days, Li Cuihong’s yuanzi became famous in town, selling like hotcakes. Sweet and savory yuanzi were equally popular.
Traditionally, yuanzi symbolized sweetness and reunion, so many still preferred the sweet ones. The savory ones appealed to those seeking novelty, and Li Cuihong’s filling was uniquely delicious—hard to replicate. Some bought extras to eat as meals or give as gifts, knowing the cold weather would preserve them for days.
Watching the busy household, Lin Fang marveled at the ancients’ ingenuity. Her fleeting idea had been expanded to such an extent. Yet, this realization also troubled her.
In her past life, her frail health confined her to home outside school. Her parents and siblings spared her from labor, leaving her helpless in practical matters—she could do nothing but eat and dress. In college, her second brother moved to her city just to care for her. Even at work, she only used computers, remaining practically useless in daily life. In her thirties, she finally married, only to fall into a trap and be abused to death by her mother-in-law and husband. Now, in this ancient world without computers, she wondered what she could possibly do.
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