Xin Sanniang, smiling, presented the recent account books to Lin Hong, praising Zhenzhen for her measures that had generated considerable profits. After silently reviewing them, Lin Hong said, "Recalculate the accounts, deduct costs and tax levies, and return all profits to the families affected by the disaster."
Everyone was astonished, unable to understand why he would willingly give away such substantial profits. Seeing their silence, Lin Hong explained, "In times of disaster, we should not take advantage of others' misfortune to profit."
Zhenzhen objected, "Our pricing did not exceed the usual market rates. The profits came from bulk purchasing and long-term agreements with craftsmen. Even if we hadn’t stepped in, the affected families would not have found lower prices if they had bought materials or hired workers themselves. How can you say we took advantage of their misfortune?"
Lin Hong replied, "Most of those affected had nothing to do with the cause of the fire and suffered unexpected losses. They have already endured heavy damages, and rebuilding and repairs will require another significant expense. Regardless of whether our pricing was reasonable, profiting from disaster is inappropriate. It is better to return the profits to them, alleviating their losses somewhat. This would also be a way to assist our neighbors and perform a good deed."
Though Zhenzhen and Xin Sanniang were reluctant, seeing Lin Hong’s firm stance, they complied. They recalculated the accounts, revised contracts with the affected families, and returned the profits to them.
Lin Hong’s kindness did not end there. He also inspected the burned forests in the mountains and purchased saplings at his own expense to plant when the weather was suitable. Xin Sanniang sighed repeatedly as she looked at the account books, lamenting, "I thought we had made a great profit, but now it seems we’ve lost nearly as much as if half the garden had burned down!"
Moved by Lin Hong’s generosity, the affected families were deeply grateful. Someone eventually reported the matter to Jianning Prefecture, which governed Wuyi Mountain. Jianning Prefecture then informed the Fujian Circuit Transport Commissioner, who remarked that during disasters, merchants often hoarded goods and doubled prices for essential items, worsening the plight of the affected. Lin Hong’s righteous act deserved commendation, and he would report it to the court, exempting Lin Hong from taxes for two years. Moreover, given the recent dry conditions in Jianning Prefecture, frequent fires, and the expectation of floods after the new year due to heavy rainfall, anyone providing affordable post-disaster reconstruction materials or repair services within a year of the mountain fire would also be exempt from tax levies.
Upon hearing the news, not only those at Woodcutter Inquiry Post but nearly all building material merchants and craftsmen in Jianning Prefecture were overjoyed, often coming to Woodcutter Inquiry Post to express their gratitude. On the day before the Beginning of Spring, a tiler named Uncle Gu Qi, whom Zhenzhen had hired, came down from the mountain and brought two large pieces of fresh pork belly for Zhenzhen. Seeing the garden’s elegant cleanliness, he did not enter but stood outside the fence, handing the meat to Zhenzhen and repeatedly expressing his thanks.
Zhenzhen declined, but he quickly stepped back, refusing to take it back. Zhenzhen then accepted the fresh meat and said to Uncle Gu Qi, "One should not accept rewards without merit. Since you’ve given me a gift, I’ll return the favor—not with a physical item, but with a small suggestion."Gu Seventh Uncle asked what it was, and Zhenzhen replied, "Teacher Lin said that after the new year, rainfall will increase, and the river currents at the foot of the mountain will become swift. When crossing the river by boat, the vessel will sway from time to time, and there is even a risk of capsizing. So, I suggest that when you or your family go to buy pork, you might as well also purchase the pig bladders from the butcher shop and stock up on them, drying and preserving them. When the rainy season arrives, inflate the pig bladders, tie them securely, and connect several into a ring that can be worn around the waist. Take them to the riverbank to sell to boatmen or those needing to cross the river. This way, if danger arises while crossing, they won’t drown, and you, Seventh Uncle, can also earn some extra money."
Pig bladders, being flexible and elastic, can be inflated into air sacs. Gu Seventh Uncle was overjoyed upon hearing this and repeatedly praised the idea as feasible. After thanking her, he looked at Zhenzhen admiringly and said, "Young lady, you truly excel both in business and in character." Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, he lowered his voice and added, "Forgive my bluntness, but Mr. Wenqiao is naturally well-read, courteous, and exceptionally intelligent, yet he places too little importance on money and doesn’t care much for managing affairs. In daily interactions, he is polite but not easily approachable. Fortunately, you’ve come. Whatever the master lacks, you possess, making you a perfect match for him. We’re all looking forward to celebrating your wedding."
Zhenzhen’s cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, "Seventh Uncle, please don’t joke. I’m only here to learn from the master."
Gu Seventh Uncle chuckled, "Learning, learning—what’s wrong with learning to become a family?"
Seeing Zhenzhen remain silent with flushed cheeks, he laughed heartily, bid farewell, and descended the mountain as before. Zhenzhen watched him leave, pondering his words, and felt a flicker of joy in her heart. Yet, she quickly remembered her mother, and a wave of melancholy washed over her. Behind her lay this paradise of jade forests, which in just over a month had already given her a sense of home, stirring feelings of attachment. But she had never forgotten the purpose of her journey: she had come only to leave, for home was where her mother was.
Every year on the beginning of spring, people would prepare "spring platters" with seasonal delicacies, either for their own consumption or as gifts for relatives and friends. At the Woodcutter Inquiry Post, spring platters were also an essential dish for the occasion. On the eve of the day, Lin Hong explained to Zhenzhen the origins of the spring platter, saying that during the Jin Dynasty, it consisted of garlic, shallots, leeks, rapeseed, and coriander, forming the "Five Pungents Platter." Consumed at the beginning of spring, it was believed to invigorate the five organs with the five pungent flavors. Over time, the contents of the spring platter expanded and were no longer limited to the five pungents. Ingredients such as radish, spring bamboo shoots, mugwort, water celery, cabbage, and knotweed could also be selected, sliced into strips, and arranged on a platter. The colors—green, red, white, yellow, and purple—symbolized the scenery and hues of spring. These were wrapped in thin, paper-like dough skins and eaten, allowing one to savor the taste of spring through seasonal vegetables in this season of light rain, plum blossoms, and lingering chill.
Zhenzhen had learned to make these dough skins from her senior sister. She took flour and water, kneaded them into a moist dough, and held it in her hand, turning it upside down. The dough slowly stretched downward from her palm. She pressed it onto a hot, oiled pan and immediately lifted it, the dough springing back into her hand while leaving a thin layer on the pan. As the edges gradually curled from the heat, she waited for the center to dry before removing it and placing it on a plate. Covered with a damp cloth, the originally crisp, thin dough skin quickly softened from absorbing moisture and could then be used to wrap the vegetable strips.
Lin Hong watched with a faint smile as she enjoyed herself. After she had made a thick stack, he asked her, "Do you know how to make Drip Cream Mountain?"Zhenzhen said she didn't know how. Lin Hong neatly arranged the finely sliced vegetable strips of various colors into a large silver tray, forming a circle along the edge according to their hues, leaving an empty space in the center that mirrored the outer circle as a concentric ring. Then, Lin Hong took out several pieces of solidified milk curd, heated them over water to soften them, washed his hands again, and cradled the semi-liquid, snow-white curd in his palms. Moving to the edge of a silver tray roughly the size of the central space, his elegant hands rose and fell, turning and swirling, allowing the curd to flow from between his fingers—dripping, trickling, or pouring—as it fell onto the tray in dots, lines, or sheets, accumulating at the center. In an instant, a lifelike miniature snow mountain gradually took shape, with layered peaks, elegant and majestic.
Lin Hong asked Zhenzhen to place the curd mountain in the outer room to let it solidify. After washing his hands, he gathered some plum blossoms and pine branches, carefully trimmed them, and adorned the snowy peaks of the curd mountain with them. Then, he placed the curd mountain in the center of the spring tray. The spring tray now looked like a field of spring flowers and a sea of blossoms set against the snow-capped mountain, instantly evoking the grandeur of mountains, rivers, and the vast world.
(To be continued)
OpenNovel