The most abundant summer fruits in Qingchi County were peaches and apricots, and other fruits were scarce. However, although Qingchi County was considered northern territory, it was also close to the south, and goods travelled back and forth.

For some southern fruits that were difficult to preserve, vendors would often sell the quickly spoiling ones along the way to earn some money, which was much better than having them rot in their hands.

Therefore, Ji Rongxia had also eaten southern fruits.

However, they were still more expensive than local fruits, so Ji Rongxia didn’t eat much of them.

At this moment, he immediately tasted that the candy block he was eating was orange-flavoured.

“It tastes so good. Tangjin, what flavour did you eat?” Ji Rongxia asked curiously.

“The one I ate seems to be a grape, but it doesn’t taste quite like it. I think the candies must have different flavours corresponding to their different colours, and the colours correspond to the fruits,” Gu Tangjin said with a smile.

The two exchanged glances and quietly sneaked back into the room. They took out the large bag of candies and tasted every kind of candy block.

“This is plum flavour, this is peach, this is apricot, this is orange, this is lychee. I can’t distinguish these others,” Ji Rongxia grouped the types of candy he could identify and put the rest aside.

Gu Tangjin: “The ones we can’t figure out the fruit for, we’ll keep those at home for ourselves to eat.”

“Mhm. I’ll go to the market later and buy some fruit. How about we make some fruit drinks today to try?” Ji Rongxia had a vigorous temper. When he thought of something, he had to do it, as if he had inexhaustible energy.

Gu Tangjin liked this about him, so there was no reason not to agree: “Good. The morning market hasn’t closed yet. I’ll go with you.”

“No, if both of us leave, Dad and Mom will worry when they wake up and don’t see us. You stay. I made some vegetable flatbreads last night and left them on the stove. If Dad and Mom wake up, you and they can eat the flatbreads first; you don’t have to wait for me. I’ll be quick!” Ji Rongxia quickly put the candies away and, in a few steps, assigned Gu Tangjin his task.

Gu Tangjin thought the same thing. It wouldn’t be good to worry their parents. He could only give Ji Rongxia forty wen and tell him to come back quickly. The money the couple had came from Gu Tangjin’s years of copying books and selling calligraphy, Ji Rongxia’s savings from embroidery work, and gifts from both sets of parents at the wedding. The two had calculated carefully: the total money they had was seven taels, five qian, and thirty-five wen. They had agreed that from now on, Ji Rongxia would be in charge of learning the culinary skills and managing the stove, while Gu Tangjin would manage the money and keep the accounts.

Ji Rongxia took the copper coins, quickly tidied up, and left.

Qingchi County’s east city had a large market every five days and a small market every three days. Today happened to be a small market day.

Ji Rongxia picked out and bought some peaches, apricots, and plums. These were the three most common fruits in the market. It was the season for fruit, and he could buy a lot for two or three wen. Ji Rongxia carried a large basket and bought a full basket of fruit.

He rushed there enthusiastically and rushed back just as enthusiastically. Ge Fulang, the husband of the owner of the Liu family pastry shop next to the Gu family eatery, saw the newly married little Fulang suddenly dart into the house. He wanted to ask Xia-ger what was in the large basket he carried, but Xia-ger ran too fast, and he didn’t have time to speak.

“What is Xia-ger doing? He’s in such a hurry,” Ge Fulang mumbled.

As soon as Ji Rongxia returned home, he closed the door and anxiously asked the approaching Gu Tangjin, “Tangjin, have Dad and Mom woken up yet?”

“Not yet. We got up a little too early today.” To be precise, Gu Tangjin didn’t sleep at all. He got up when the sky was barely bright, and Ji Rongxia also got up quickly because of him. How could it not be early?

“Then I’ll go make the fruit drink. You come and help.”

“Don’t rush. I’ll wash the fruit first. You go prepare the sugar water. The hot water is on the stove,” Gu Tangjin took the large basket from his hands and soothed him.

Ji Rongxia gave a bright smile. That was his temperament: think of something and doing it.

He went to the stove room, used hot water to dissolve the candy blocks, and then put the sugar water into the well water to cool.

Hot sugar water with fruit would not taste very good. Cool water mixed with fruit pulp would be much better.

He hadn’t made drinks before, so he could only mess around according to his own ideas. While the sugar water was cooling, he and Gu Tangjin peeled the peaches, apricots, and plums clean and cut the pulp into small pieces.

Ji Rongxia first tried to mix them by corresponding the fruit and candy flavours: peach pulp with peach-flavoured sugar water, plum pulp with plum-flavoured sugar water, and apricot pulp with apricot-flavoured sugar water.

Plums and apricots were relatively sour, so he had to add enough sugar water, or they wouldn’t taste good. Less sugar water could be added to the peach ones.

After doing this, Ji Rongxia still felt it wasn’t enough. He randomly mixed the three kinds of sugar water and three kinds of fruit pulp to make several cups of “mixed flavour” fruit drinks.

Seeing this, Gu Tangjin smiled: “If the fruit drinks made this way taste good, we can even add a little of the candies we don’t recognize the flavour of.”

Ji Rongxia immediately understood what Gu Tangjin meant. He nodded: “That’s right. If we mix them like this, no one will definitely notice the strange taste.”

As they discussed how to mix and match, they ended up making about twenty cups of sugar water!

Fortunately, their eatery had many bamboo cups, so they weren’t worried about not having a place to hold so many kinds of sugary water.

As Yao Tianlan and Gu Cunchai woke up, they saw their son and Xia-ger happily holding two bamboo cups and greeting them.

“What’s the matter? Are you serving your father and me water to rinse our mouths today?” Yao Tianlan teased with a smile.

Gu Cunchai also rarely joked: “That won’t do. Our family is small and doesn’t have such rules.”

Ji Rongxia laughed out loud: “Dad, Mom, didn’t we talk yesterday about letting the two of us start a breakfast business together in the future? Tangjin and I were tidying up our box, thinking about calculating how much money we have. Tangjin found a bag of candy in his box. He got it when he was in the prefectural city. He was in a hurry in the past few days and hadn’t tidied it up, only finding it today. I got up this morning and made some fruit sugar water with that candy. I wanted you to try it.”

“Oh my, what did I think it was? You’re waiting here. Later, when you have free time, take some to your in-laws and let them taste it too. By the time we open the door for business at noon, you won’t have the time to go.” Seeing their filial piety, Yao Tianlan was happy. Thinking that they lived in the same county as their in-laws, their son’s husband should also go back to see them often. Both families were small in number, and it was good for them to have a close relationship so they wouldn’t be easily bullied.

“Alright, Mom,” Ji Rongxia replied clearly and crisply.

Gu Cunchai and Yao Tianlan simply washed up and took the bamboo cups from their hands.

Yao Tianlan didn’t have high expectations. She had eaten many good things, following her man. She was also fond of eating, so her palate had naturally become picky.

But as soon as she drank the fruit drink, she noticed the difference. The sugar water tasted sweet and pure, without any strange flavours. Not only was the inherent fruit fragrance of the peach pulp not obscured by the sweetness of the sugar water, but it was highlighted even more.

“This peach is good. The flavour is very rich. It seems to have a hint of plum, too,” Gu Cunchai commented. “The flavour is well-balanced. It’s neither too sweet nor too sour. It cleanses the palate.”

Gu Cunchai was even more satisfied with Xia-ger. If this fruit drink wasn’t made well, it could easily be sour and unpleasant to drink, and if too much sugar was added, it would be sickeningly sweet. Moreover, sugar often contained impurities, making the drink sticky and not refreshing.

Ji Rongxia and Gu Tangjin exchanged glances.

It wasn’t just that the peach was good; it was clear that the sugar water itself was peach-flavoured, and the peach pulp was more like icing on the cake.

Yao Tianlan found it delicious and actually finished the entire cup of fruit drink. She instructed, “Eat first. Since you two are going to start a breakfast business, you should set a date. I see you made a lot of fruit drinks in the stove room. Later, you should take some to the surrounding neighbours. Soft words come easily when you’ve eaten someone’s food. You must be mindful when running a business and maintain good neighbourly relations.”

Besides, by sending some to the neighbours, when Xia-ger went to send some to the Ji family, fewer people would say that Xia-ger was taking things to his maternal home. Yao Tianlan, as a daughter-in-law, knew the complexities of this matter best.

“Got it,” Ji Rongxia replied.

Gu Tangjin brought out the vegetable flatbreads and placed them on the dining table outside: “Then I’ll go with you later.”

“Mhm. Then let’s deliver them slowly.” Ji Rongxia was mindful of Gu Tangjin’s leg. Those people didn’t say anything in front of them, but they often secretly looked at Tangjin’s leg. He knew Tangjin didn’t care about the attention of others, but he felt a little heartache.

After eating breakfast, Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia each carried a basket and delivered fruit drinks to the neighbouring shops.

“Uncle Ge, we made a bit too much fruit drink today, so we’re bringing two cups for your family to taste. Please don’t mind it,” Ji Rongxia said with a cheerful smile as he delivered the goods.

Uncle Ge couldn’t possibly say anything bad and replied with a smile, “You’re too kind. Come in and sit for a while.”

“No need. We still have to deliver to Aunt Wu and the others, so we won’t go in. By the way, Uncle Ge, we’re going to set up a stall at the eatery entrance to sell breakfast in a couple of days. It will just be Tangjin and me selling some food. Dad and Mom won’t be involved, so it counts as our business. We were worried our skills weren’t good enough, so we started practising early and accidentally made a little too much sugar water. We’ll be fine as long as you don’t mind.”

With this explanation, he clearly stated the cause and effect, time, and location.

Uncle Ge understood and realised that since their family was a pastry shop, it wouldn’t interfere with their business. Thinking that if the food the couple made for breakfast was good, it would be convenient for him to buy food in the future, he had some expectation in his heart.

“Oh, I’ll definitely come and join in the fun then!” Uncle Ge said with a smile.

Gu Tangjin and Ji Rongxia visited house by house and quickly finished delivering the sugar water. Ji Rongxia took advantage of the eatery not being open to return home. Gu Tangjin did not follow him. His little husband surely wanted to have some private conversation with his Ji family parents, and it would be troublesome if he followed and had to keep his distance.

In the south of the city, the Ji family’s courtyard was only palm-sized. A small shed was built in the small yard, making the yard appear even more crowded. All kinds of wood and tools were neatly placed, so it did not look cluttered.

The Ji family had a total of three rooms. The main hall was divided into front and back sections by an old screen. The north side was for receiving guests, and the south side, where a bed and cabinet were placed, was a bedroom. Ji Rongxia’s parents lived there. The main hall faced the street, and they hung a banner by the window. The front of the main hall was considered the shop. His father and older brother would also carry a shoulder pole to solicit carpentry work. They also made small items like hairpins, chopsticks, and bamboo tubes to sell, which at least gave them extra income.

The east room housed Ji Rongxia’s older brother and his husband, and the west room was originally where Ji Rongxia lived.

Running a shop in a “rabbit hole” meant every inch of space had to be carefully calculated and used.

In the city, every piece of firewood and every drop of water had to be bought, so narrow houses were a minor issue.

Hong Yuelian was surprised to see her little ger return and came out of the house: “You just came back during the return visit. Did something happen?”

Her son was busy learning to cook, so he should be very busy.

“Mom, I just came back to drop something off. This is a fruit drink I made myself. I’ll go back to work as soon as I deliver it,” Ji Rongxia glanced around the room. “Where are Dad, Brother, and Brother’s husband? I wanted them to taste it too.”

“The Zhao family in the west of the city is marrying off their daughter, and they asked your father to build a set of beds and chests. Your brother and they went to deliver it. They just left. Why don’t you wait? They’ll be back soon,” Hong Yuelian asked.

“No, I have to go back to cut vegetables for the business at noon. I’ll come back when I make something good next time. It’s not like I won’t ever run into them again, right? I can’t be that unlucky,” Ji Rongxia joked.

“Pah, pah, pah, you child, you’re still so frivolous after getting married. You have no filter. Last time you mentioned that your father-in-law was going to teach you a skill. How is it now?” Hong Yuelian was still worried that her little ger wasn’t living well.

“My father-in-law is good, but I just started, only learning seasoning and knife skills. I cut my hand a few times, so I’m also clumsy,” Ji Rongxia said this and stretched out his hand for Hong Yuelian to see.

Hong Yuelian carefully examined it and saw that they were just small cuts, so she felt relieved and swatted his hand away: “Learning a skill is never easy. Alright, hurry back. You brought things back, and now you’re slacking off at your mother’s house. People will talk.”

“No, I want to watch you drink this fruit drink before I leave!” Ji Rongxia said enthusiastically.

“You’re a grown person, still acting like a child,” Hong Yuelian said this, but still casually picked up a cup of fruit drink from the basket and took a sip.

Her eyes lit up. The sugar water was cool and refreshing, sweet and sour, with a rich apricot flavour.

“Did you really make this? Why does it taste so good? Did your father-in-law make it?” Hong Yuelian asked in surprise.

“Mom, what are you saying? Although this thing is delicious partly because of the good ingredients, it’s also because I made it well,” Ji Rongxia said, putting his hands on his hips.

“Alright, alright, I believe you! Now I’m relieved. Your skill has improved so much in just a few days. In the future, you’ll have a good life,” Hong Yuelian drank a few more sips, her heart full of sweetness.

Seeing that his mother liked it, Ji Rongxia finally left feeling satisfied.

At noon that day, when the eatery opened for business, Uncle Ge even came to the door and asked if they were selling the fruit drink. His grandson had drunk it this morning and kept clamouring for more, forcing him to shamelessly come and ask.

Gu Tangjin, who was keeping the accounts behind the counter, could only truthfully say that they would not sell it at noon or night, only during breakfast.

Uncle Ge had no choice but to say he would come back in a couple of days.

In addition to Uncle Ge, several other acquaintances came one after another to ask if the fruit drink was for sale, forcing Gu Tangjin to repeat the same explanation.

After a day of busyness, Ji Rongxia lay in bed that night, while Gu Tangjin held his hand, watching over him.

“Then… I’ll try to go in now,” Ji Rongxia blinked, sounding a little nervous.

Gu Tangjin held his hand tightly and said, “Mhm, I’m here watching over you.”

Ji Rongxia felt much more at ease when he heard this. He closed his eyes and thought in his heart about entering that strange place.

Thinking like this, he gradually fell asleep.

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