Yu Tang thought wildly for a long time there, until he was called by Mrs. Chen to learn how to make Double Ninth Cake.
The glutinous rice and japonica rice soaked overnight are ground into a pulp, the preserved red and green fruits are cut into shreds, brown sugar, chestnut powder, and lard are combined to make sugar, and they are spread on the steamer layer by layer... The Double Ninth Cake made by her mother is different from other people's cakes. a little different. Others use brown sugar, red beans and lard to make sugar, but their Chongyang Cake uses brown sugar and chestnut powder. The Chongyang Cake made by doing this is as white as snow, with the unique fragrance of chestnut, and not greasy. Especially favored by Yu Wen's classmates and friends. Therefore, every year on the Double Ninth Festival, their family will do a lot of giving away.
This year, Ma Xiu's family was added.
Mrs. Chen told Yu Tang: "Go and come back quickly, we will go to your Wu Shibo's house for dinner later."
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Yu family invited the Wu family to have a crab feast. On the Double Ninth Festival, the Wu family invited the Yu family to have a crab feast.
Even Yu Bo's family was invited.
"Okay." Yu Tang answered loudly, went to change clothes, and went to Zhang's house with the freshly baked Chongyang Cake that was still hot.
Ma Xiuniang has not yet returned to her former slenderness, while Qing'er is getting fatter and fatter, like a glutinous rice dumpling, her neck can't stand up yet, but she doesn't want to lie in other people's arms, she insists on someone holding her small head in her arms. She still has to walk around and let her look around, otherwise she will cry loudly.
"You must have gotten used to her during her month!" Ma Xiuniang was carrying her daughter around the house, complaining to Yu Tang pretending to be displeased, "It's all a debt. Just wait for me. "
Yu Tang embarrassedly smiled at Ma Xiuniang.
Ma Xiuniang managed to coax her daughter to sleep, and gave her daughter to the wet nurse, so she had time to sit down and talk to Yu Tang.
"Is your marriage settled yet?" She is very concerned about this matter, "or else, just leave the cabinet. I see that your cousin is really good. With him supporting the family, you can take care of him from the side, you Father and your mother will not be without someone to take care of them."
Yu Tang doesn't want to get married at all right now, so she responded with a few casual words in disinterest, and then shifted the topic to the Zhang family's affairs: "I heard that Mr. Zhang is going to sit in the restaurant, so will he continue to end up in the future?"
Ma Xiuniang was also worrying about this matter, she said: "Qing'er's father is a student, if he doesn't end up, it would be a waste. But he is also a stubborn temper, after Qing'er was born, the family needed too much money , I want to take out the dowry to subsidize the subsidy, but he will not agree. Our sister-in-law is about to leave the cabinet again... "
She sighed.
Only then did Yu Tang confided his previous thoughts: "...can you ask Mr. Zhang to draw a few patterns for our lacquerware? Don't write his name. If someone asks, just say that my brother drew it. What do you think? Is it done?"
Many scholars are ashamed to bend their waists for money. Mr. Zhang is just an ordinary scholar now. If he becomes an official in the future, it is an elegant thing to help bookstores copy books, but to help merchants draw pictures for money is craftsmanship. Insulting gentlemen will affect Mr. Zhang's reputation.
If someone else brought up this matter, Ma Xiuniang would drive them out without even thinking about it, but it was Yu Tang who said this matter. She knows Yu Tang's character very well, she is tight-lipped, and has an idea. It is trustworthy. But whether Mr. Zhang is willing or not, she can't say.
"Let me ask for you!" Ma Xiuniang didn't dare to say anything, "If he is willing, why should I worry?"
Yu Tang breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the Yu family's lacquerware shop has been rebuilt, the business is not as good as before. The main reason is that during the time when Changxing Street was flooded, many people in Lin’an City who needed lacquerware had to go to Hangzhou City to buy them. After going there, they found that the lacquerware shops in Hangzhou City not only sold more complete items than those in Yu’s shop, Also fashionable. Some wealthy families in Lin'an City began to buy lacquerware in Hangzhou City, and the merchants always earned that part of the money of the rich, so their shops are not as good as before.
After the Double Ninth Festival, someone from the Pei family brought Yu Tang to the house as a guest. This time, Yu Tang was prepared, not only bringing a few silk flowers that he had made in the past few days, but also the sweet-scented osmanthus cake made by the Chen family.
This year's newly pickled sweet-scented osmanthus sugar has a strong fragrance and a fresh taste. When made into sweet-scented osmanthus cake, it looks like gold leaf sprinkled in white snow, which makes people feel appetizing.
Mrs. Pei ate two yuan in a row, and Aunt Chen didn't dare to let Mrs. An eat any more: "You should leave a few yuan for us greedy ones to taste."
The old man laughed loudly and gave the rest of the snacks.
Yu Tang was very happy, and said: "If you like it, I will bring it for you next time I come."
"The main reason is that this sweet-scented osmanthus candy is well made." Lao An praised, "Is this also your mother's handicraft? It seems that her desserts are pretty good."
Yu Tang pursed his lips and smiled.
Aunt Ji looked at it, and called the tailor who had been waiting in Baoxia to come in.
The tailor is an old lady in her forties, with two ladies in their twenties and sixteens. The tailor was chubby, like a soft steamed bun, and his eyes almost disappeared when he laughed. Of the two ladies, one is thin and silent, the other is slender and alert.
When the three of them came in, they saluted Lao An and Yu Tang.
Old An asked Mrs. Ji to help the tailor up, received the gift from the two ladies, pointed to Yu Tang and said to the tailor, "This is my niece, surnamed Yu." Then he pointed to the tailor to Yu Tang. Said: "This is the proprietress of the Jinlu Tower in Hangzhou City. Her husband's family name is Wang, so you can call her Aunt Wang." As for the two ladies, Lao An pointed and didn't say how to call them. Obviously, he didn't remember them. name.
Aunt Wang immediately said courteously: "These are my two apprentices, one's husband's family name is Li, and the other's husband's family name is Zhou."
Yu Tang went up to say hello.
Aunt Wang kept saying that she didn't dare, but the two ladies turned sideways, not daring to accept her gift.
The old man didn't care, and asked Aunt Wang: "I heard that you brought new-style materials from Suzhou this time, let me have a look."
Aunt Wang immediately responded, and brought in seven or eight bolts of fabric with her two apprentices, and unfolded them one by one to show Lao Anren and Yu Tang: "Look at this moon-white tufted flower hang silk, what was woven in previous years was not broken branches. Flowers are patterns of water plants. This year's flower is Buddha's Eight Treasures. Because it uses silver silk thread, it looks like plain silk from a distance, but when you get closer, you can see the pattern of this group of flowers... and this This one is dark green Hangzhou silk embroidered with white chrysanthemums. It is quiet and elegant, and it is perfect for an outer cover. And this one, a stone-blue crane with ganoderma lucidum silk, is just right for a cloak when winter comes. I also brought some mink fur over. Although the breed is good, it is not as elegant as that of the old Anren's mansion. I can use it to make a cloak. For me, I can make a forehead handkerchief at most. Fortunately, it is white and the size is also small. Can use... "
She rambled on, Yu Tang didn't know if the material was new or not, but the color of the material was either black and white or dark green.
The old man was picky: "Didn't I tell you that I have a niece here? Why are they all plain materials?"
Aunt Wang and Yu Tang were both taken aback.
The old man had already pulled the stone-blue crane holding the ganoderma lucidum silk and said in disgust: "This color is too old. There is no weaving Four Gentlemen or cherry, apricot and plum patterns?"
Aunt Wang reacted quickly, and hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, yes! Didn't I not know Miss Yu's preferences for a while, and didn't dare to bring too many styles? I'll let someone get it. I can get it tomorrow morning. arrive."
The old man curled his lips and said, "Wait for you, the day lily is cold. Mrs. Chen, you took my key and went to open the warehouse, and choose a few horses suitable for young girls to wear for Miss Yu."
Aunt Chen responded with a smile and left.
Yu Tang gasped.
This is no ordinary reward.
Just as she was about to push, the old man had already said: "I like to dress up little girls. Mrs. Ji, you go and invite the eldest lady and a few young ladies over here, and each of you can make some clothes."
Yu Tang couldn't refuse anymore, thanked Lao An with a smile, and made Lao An happy: "Thanks to you, I can wear clothes made by masters in Hangzhou City. This year's Chinese New Year, I can also show off gone."
The old man laughed, waved his hand indifferently, called Yu Tang over, and discussed the style of the clothes: "I remember that there were twelve horse-faced skirts in fashion last year, are there still twelve this year?"
Aunt Wang smiled and said: "This year, Yuehua skirts are in fashion. They are made into pleats like a string skirt, but spread out like a skirt. This summer, almost every woman in Hangzhou has one. Lao An, you She has a slender figure, so she must look good in it.”
As she spoke, she showed Lao An a skirt, but from the corner of her eye, she looked at Yu Tang.
I don't know what kind of relative this Miss Yu is of Lao An. She has made clothes for Lao An for seven or eight years, and this is the first time she has seen this lady. However, it looks really good! That is, the relatives of Lao An's natal family are all tall, and this Ms. Yu is neither tall nor short, so she doesn't look like the relatives of Lao An's side. But the old An people can help make clothes, which shows that the old An people like it.
Thinking of this, she gave her apprentice Zhou a wink, signaling her to pay attention to Yu Tang's preferences, and come back next time, so that she can recommend fabrics and styles according to Yu Tang's preferences.
Mrs. Zhou nodded, and set her eyes on Yu Tang.
Yu Tang didn't care, thinking that since it was a reward from Lao An, there was no need to hold back. When Aunt Chen opened Lao An's storeroom and brought a bunch of colorful materials, she picked out a piece of water-green plain hang silk that was so light that it almost looked like it had been washed, and said with a smile: "This material is beautiful. "
Aunt Chen glanced at Yu Tang calmly, thinking in her heart, no wonder the third master wanted to look up to Miss Yu. Although the old man asked her to find some bright materials to make clothes for the ladies, after all, she was still in the filial period of the old man, and even if she chose, she should not choose too bright materials, so she still took a few horses of water green , Water blue plain fabric. Unexpectedly, this Ms. Yu is also a caring person. Instead of picking those Shu brocades and Kesi, she chose this Hangzhou silk named Bishuiqing.
The old man obviously noticed it too, and said with a smile: "This piece of material is too plain, so it's not suitable for Chinese New Year. I think the pretty blue one is very good."