Chapter 346: 180
Lian Manman watched with a smile as Xiao Qi skillfully flicked the beads of the abacus with his chubby fingers. This old abacus was once used by Old Master Lian, who had now given it to Xiao Qi.
Put knowledge into practice, Lian Manman thought that since she couldn’t pursue scholarly honors, it was better to learn something more practical during the time she spent learning how to read and write with Old Master Lian. The same went for Wu Lang and Xiao Qi, of course, it would be great if they had the opportunity to follow the imperial examination route (which seemed too far away at the moment). Thus, they had decided to ask Old Master Lian to teach them how to use the abacus.
Having been a shopkeeper for so many years, Old Master Lian was extremely proficient at using the abacus, even more so than his calligraphy.
Lian Manman and the others had already learned the basic formulas of abacus calculation from Old Master Lian. Surprisingly, Xiao Qi was the quickest learner among them. Delighted, Lian Manman started letting him help with calculating the accounts for the store,
While Xiao Qi fiddled with the abacus, Lian Manman used mental arithmetic, finding written calculation unnecessary for the modest accounts of the breakfast shop. After a while, Xiao Qi stopped his manipulation of the abacus and reported a figure to Lian Manman, who then compared it to her own mental sum.
"That’s correct, calculate the next item," said Lian Manman.
Xiao Qi, the child, had a remarkable talent for numbers, calculating both quickly and accurately.
Together, the siblings rechecked all the accounts. After verifying that everything was in order, Lian Manman recorded it clearly in the account book. The customer flow had been stable these days, with the daily profit hovering around two hundred wen money.
"Have you finished calculating? How much did we earn today?" Lady Zhang asked as she wiped her hands on her apron and came into the room.
"Two hundred and fifteen wen money," Lian Manman replied, "not including this piece of silver."
The whole family beamed with delight.
"Everybody tidy up and wash your hands, we’re going to eat soon," Lady Zhang said, returning to the kitchen to continue her work.
Lian Manman then put away the money and the account book, while Xiao Qi brought over the freshly baked shoes for her. After slipping on the shoes, Lian Manman went to the kitchen to wash her hands.
In the kitchen, Lady Zhang and Lady Zhao were preparing lunch.
Having sold out all the prepared breakfast items, they usually had to cook separately for their own meal.
A steamer full of buns had just come out, steaming temptingly. Lian Manman inhaled deeply, the sweet aroma of the red bean filling tantalizing her. She was craving a taste, but she knew she had to wash her hands first.
The breakfast shop had stocked up on soap specifically for hand washing, unlike the fragrant soap they used at home. This soap contained a high amount of alkali and had a stronger cleaning power, though it was scentless. Lian Manman had specially purchased it from the town, not to save money, but because cleanliness was of utmost importance for their food business. Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and even herself, had to wash their hands thoroughly every day after handling the hefty amount of copper coins.
"Today we’re having griddle-cooked buns," Lady Zhang announced.
Lady Zhang did not bring the hot buns into the room but added more wood on the stove and poured some oil into the big iron pot. The oil heated up quickly, and Lady Zhang took a piping hot bun from the steamer, tore off the leaf underneath, and then placed the bun in the oil at the bottom of the pot.
With not enough oil to submerge the bun, Lady Zhang gently pressed down on it, transforming its ball shape into that of a flat cake. The hot oil seeped into the yellow millet crust with a subtle sizzling sound. Only then did Lady Zhang slide the bun to the side, securing it firmly against the wall of the pot. She did the same with another bun, following the same process.
This was the griddle-cooked bun, which required frying both sides in oil until they become golden brown to be complete. The reason it was called "griddle-cooked" rather than "fried" might be due to the minimal oil required. The flavor of buns cooked this way was quite different from those simply steamed.
In farmstead households, oil was a precious resource. Despite the small quantity used, many families were reluctant to cook griddle buns. For children who rarely enjoyed oily dishes, griddle buns were a rare delicacy in winter. Lian Manman once saw a child in the village, just a few years old, tugging at his mother’s skirt, pleading tearfully for a chance to eat griddle buns.
Now that the Lian family had a steady income every day, Lady Zhang naturally did not hesitate to use oil.
Lady Zhao was busy too, slicing peeled potatoes into shreds. Beside her, a dish was already prepared with garlic cloves and sliced red chili peppers for making hot and sour potato shreds.
