The first change, asking for pink.
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Lian Manman had just finished steaming the creamy pudding, while Maid Xiao Xi and Xiao Qing had already prepared the cherries. Lian Manman then asked Xiao Qing to fetch four agate bowls and four small silver spoons.
These four agate bowls were entirely red, crystal clear, and brilliant, made from a single piece of agate. Lian Manman had discovered them accidentally a few days ago in the county town and liked them so much that she bought them.
Each agate bowl was filled with more than half of the pitted cherries, and then the slightly cooled creamy pudding was poured on top.
Xiao Qi returned from the study in the front yard with Maid Xiao Xi, holding four sheets of completed calligraphy for Lian Manman to check. Although the earlier comnt about not letting Xiao Qi eat the creamy pudding if he didn’t write well was a joke, Lian Manman still checked carefully. Seeing Xiao Qi’s earnest effort and noting his progress compared to past days, she nodded with a smile.
Lian Manman, along with Xiao Qing and Maid Xiao Xi, placed a small kang table in the east room, setting the four bowls of creamy pudding with cherries on the table. They also brought up four small plates of dried fruits, naly raisins, almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts, with the almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts all roasted.
Only then did Lian Manman let Xiao Qing and Maid Xiao Xi leave, while she sat at the table with Xiao Qi. Lady Zhang and Lian Yeye also set aside their needlework and ca to sit together.
The four family mbers each had a bowl of creamy pudding and cherries, slowly eating with small silver spoons and adding the dried fruits they liked. In the early sumr season, a warm breeze blew gently and the courtyard was filled with flowers and trees reflecting erald light at the window, providing a rare sense of leisure and comfort.
What could be more joyful than enjoying such delicious food together as a family amidst this beautiful scenery?
"Manman, did you save so for your father?" Lady Zhang asked after taking a few bites.
"I did." Lian Manman added another small spoonful of raisins into her agate bowl as she replied. The stead creamy pudding that was extra had been temporarily stored in the cellar by Maid Xiao Xi, and as for the cherries, they would be freshly picked and pitted when Lian Shouxin returned.
"When your father cos back, if I forget, remind to warm the creamy pudding with hot water before giving it to him." Lady Zhang added.
"Got it." The three children replied in unison.
The cellar at Lian Manman’s family now stored ice blocks, but Lady Zhang’s rule was that the family mbers, especially Lian Zhizhi and Lian Manman, should not eat overly cold things.
For instance, the creamy pudding with cherries tasted like fruity yogurt. What Lian Manman and the others were eating now could be considered room temperature. Additionally, they could be chilled with ice blocks in the cellar or directly mixed with crushed ice for a more refreshing taste.
This thod of eating creamy pudding with cherries wasn’t invented by Lian Manman but had existed since ancient tis. In the books stored at Lian Manman’s ho, there were several records of creamy pudding with cherries. Moreover, many well-known poems and verses about it had been passed down.
Among them was the beautiful line, "Reluctant to boil creamy pudding, rather savor it on jade plates." It was after reading these lines that Lian Manman decided to buy agate bowls, initially just to steam and eat the pudding. With cherries in season, she combined it with the creamy pudding. The creamy pudding is very nutritious and nourishes the skin, so every few days, she would send soone to the west to buy goat milk. Lian Manman had planned to establish a pasture to rear cattle and sheep, and was currently searching for a suitable location.
Lian Shouxin left with Shopkeeper Chen today to handle this matter.
In the past two years, Lian Manman realized that there was a great demand for goat milk, cow’s milk, and beef and lamb locally, but these products were rarely available at the market, completely unable to et the demand.
Among these, lamb was slightly easier to find, while beef was considerably more precious because of the Imperial Court’s regulation prohibiting the slaughter of draft oxen to protect farming. Even if a draft ox grew old and was unable to work, it couldn’t be slaughtered at will. It had to be registered at the Yan and, with permission, could then be slaughtered. At places like Thirty Mile Camp, so tenant farrs in the previous generation had never eaten beef in their lifetis.
This situation only improved after the northwestern Hui people migrated here. The cattle raised by the Hui people did not fall under the slaughter prohibition, but since their settlents were remote and transportation was inconvenient, obtaining beef was still a challenge.
As for goat milk and cow’s milk, it was even more so.
Lian Manman thought that if she established a nearby pasture, it would solve these problems. On the one hand, it would be convenient for the masses, and on the other hand, it could bring a continuous flow of wealth.
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