Chapter 82
This way.
When Luo Ge and the others reached the gate of the Gu family, they parted ways with Wang Sister-In-Law and her husband, pulling the carriage into the courtyard and temporarily accommodating it in the previously abandoned pigsty.
They also gathered some fodder for the horses to eat, and after settling the horses, they began making quince paste and sugar.
After a thought, Luo Ge also brought out some prepared salted eggs and duck eggs from her spatial bag and placed them on the loft above the main room and hall.
At that time, most rural houses were single-story, but many poor households had too many family members for the limited space.
Therefore, for convenience of storage, they would leave a space above each room and partition it into lofts made of wood.
These lofts were used for storing items or even accommodating people.
(When I was a kid, my old home had this kind of structure, and most old houses in our area were like this.
I'm not sure if it was the same in ancient times...since this is a fictional story, just assume it's made up if it wasn't the case back then.)
From the looks of it today, Li Shopkeeper and the others probably haven't had the chance to try these two types of eggs yet, but it doesn't matter, they can wait, and it's fine to take them out and prepare them first.
"Little Aunty, we're back."
After moving the salted eggs and duck eggs, and just as the quince juice started boiling, the two young kids returned from school.
Gu Jinchen was quick to stop the two kids from rushing over before they could pounce on Luo Ge.
"Don't be so hasty," he said in a low voice, frowning at the two kids as he looked at Luo Ge. "Your Aunty has a younger brother or sister in her belly, and you might hurt her if you pounce on her."
Upon hearing this, the two kids glanced at Luo Ge's belly, taking two steps back.
They nodded in regret, "We won't run next time."
They even looked down at their little feet and then at Luo Ge.
Their small faces showed remorse, as they had nearly harmed their Little Aunty by running too fast.
"Mm." Seeing that they understood, Gu Jinchen nodded and patted the two kids on their backs.
"Did the teacher assign homework today? Go back to the room and do your homework first. Dinner will be ready soon."
Without waiting for the kids to respond, he picked them up and took them back to their room.
Then he hurried back to the kitchen to be alone with his wife.
Tonight, he was the chef, so he had to quickly send the two kids away.
He didn't want them lingering around, affecting his time alone with his wife and their efforts to cultivate their relationship.
Seeing his actions, Luo Ge just silently looked on.
"Wife, how did you say we should prepare this braised pork ribs dish again?"
He had bought the pork ribs on the street today and had learned sweet and sour pork ribs before, but this braised version was his first attempt.
Although at this time, aside from imperial chefs and restaurant chefs, very few men would enter the kitchen.
Or rather, men basically never entered the kitchen.
But now, he truly enjoyed nestling in the kitchen and cooking together with his little wife.
With his wife's guidance and his own hands, the simple domestic interaction between the young couple made his heart feel immensely at ease, and he didn't feel any impropriety in it.
Upon hearing his question, Luo Ge gave some instructions, and once he understood, she went back to check on the quince paste.
"Just keep an eye on the heat. The paste gets scalding hot when it's boiling, so be careful not to burn yourself. I'll come over and stir it once I'm done with this."
Seeing her actions, Gu Jinchen quickly reminded her.
Luo Ge nodded helplessly, "Alright."
The pot they used yesterday felt too small, and the progress was too slow.
So Luo Ge took out two slightly larger ordinary iron pots from her spatial bag, saying they were newly bought from the street, which would suffice.
...Taking advantage of the time from afternoon until evening rest, they worked together with the two young kids and processed a total of five baskets of quinces.
From 500 pounds of quinces, they made 10 pounds of quince paste and 10 pounds of sugar.
The larger pots did make things more convenient. When pouring the boiled quince juice into the molds, they could work faster, preventing the surface from drying out.
At this rate and with the fruit supply provided by Li Shopkeeper, they could handle the production themselves, without needing to hire others.
As for increasing production, if they eventually negotiated a cooperation contract, they could let Li Shopkeeper's side handle it.
There was no need to worry about that for now.
However, they still needed to continue building their own small workshop, as they had other money-making ventures to pursue besides this one.
...The next morning, Li Shopkeeper delivered another batch of fresh quinces.
However, he didn't take the finished goods, saying he would let them accumulate first. He also asked about their plans to build a house and hold a banquet, mentioning that he would attend when the time came.
Luo Ge had no objections, and after seeing Li Shopkeeper and the others off, she took the two young kids to the school.
Today was a rest day, and only Elder Mr. Xu and his grandson were at the school.
In the presence of the village chief, who coincidentally came to discuss something with Elder Mr. Xu, the three kids, Older Baby, Second Baby, and Tie Dan, completed the full ceremony of becoming disciples.
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