Baozi Xishi's Struggle

After hearing this, Shen Yu took out his purse and handed it to Yu Cheng, asking him to catch up with the boy who was selling flowers with a basket, buy some cockscombs and take them home.

Yu Cheng took the purse, turned around and ran out, then turned back after two steps and said, "Then I'll buy the flowers and send them back, then come back to help Big Sister push the cart."

Shen Yu waved her hand and said with a smile: "No need to run back and forth. There are not many things on this cart. Your second sister and I can push it. You can go home and help mother."

Yu Cheng said "Oh" and chased in the direction the flower boy had walked.

After putting the buns into the small bamboo basket, the shopkeeper said to Shen Yu: "Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival. The store will open early in the morning. After handing over the goods that must be sold that day, we can close the store. Our boss has given us most of the day off, so we can go home to celebrate the festival. You don't need to order food tomorrow."

As he spoke, he counted on his fingers and estimated in his mind, and then continued, "The day after tomorrow, a large amount of goods will be shipped to the branch store. I guess the guys from the main store will also have lunch here. Miss, please prepare to send twice the quantity and send it over at this time the day after tomorrow."

Shen Yu agreed and wrote it down in the book. When the shopkeeper was paying, Shen Yu remembered that he had received an extra 14 wen yesterday, so he asked the shopkeeper: "Did you pay too much yesterday? Did I receive more money yesterday?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Miss Shen is such an honest person. If it was someone else, they would have kept the money without saying anything. But the extra money is definitely not from my family. I counted the money and put it in a string aside. There must be no mistake. Go ask someone else."

When delivering meals to various houses, the shop assistants were all discussing enthusiastically what delicious food would be sold at the temple fair tomorrow, and where in the temple they could best see the dance battles tomorrow. The discussions were in full swing.

Shen Yu listened carefully and pieced together the fragments of information from several sources. He finally understood how lively the Ghost Festival would be tomorrow.

The atmosphere of the Ghost Festival at that time was not as heavy as in later generations. People would commemorate their loved ones and burn paper money on the roadside at night. The atmosphere portrayed on TV and in movies was even more gloomy.

Tomorrow's Ghost Festival is very grand and lively. The shops on this street will only be open for one hour in the morning. After they finish processing the goods to be shipped that day, they will close and let the employees have a day off.

In every temple, there are eminent monks preaching filial piety and Buddhism. Every family can go to offer sacrifices to the Ullambana and burn incense to pray for blessings. There are also wealthy families leading dragon and lion dance teams to compete in dance. The streets are full of vendors selling river lanterns, milk cakes and fruits. In the brothels and taverns, there are also variety shows such as "Mulian Saves His Mother". Every place is very lively.

At night, people go to the river to release river lanterns to pray for the elimination of disasters and to express their remembrance of their deceased relatives.

Shen Yu found it interesting and thought it was much more interesting than the Mid-Autumn Festival in later generations.

When delivering food to each store, Shen Yu asked the shopkeepers whether they had overpaid. They all said no, so Shen Yu had no choice but to tell her that if she remembered it one day, she would tell her. The shopkeepers all agreed with a smile, and their good impression of Shen Yu increased by another 10%.

When I returned home, the narrow table that was empty when I left and only had scriptures and Buddhist beads on it had changed a lot.

In the middle of the table was the tablet of Mr. Shen, which Li had brought from home, and on both sides were the Buddhist scriptures and the Buddhist beads. In front were four plates, one for vegetarian chicken, one for vegetarian duck, one for milk cake, and one for candied fruit wrapped in silk. In the middle was a small deep plate with clusters of tender green seedlings growing side by side from the edge of the plate. There were also two other high-legged plates, one with shiny red fresh dates, and the other with a few crisp, tender green late-ripening melons.

There were candlesticks on both sides and an incense burner in the middle. The cockscombs that Yucheng bought were placed in two narrow-mouthed pottery jars at the very edge of the table.

When Li saw her two sisters coming back, she called out to them, "Go wash your hands and face, burn incense to the ancestors, and kowtow to your father."

Although Shen Yu had no feelings for Mr. Shen, he was the original owner's father after all, who gave birth to her and raised her. It was acceptable for her to kowtow to the original owner and fulfill her filial piety.

After the two sisters came back, Li lit the candles on both sides, lit the incense, handed it to the three siblings, and knelt down first.

Li knelt on the ground and bowed several times, holding incense in her hand and muttering, "Father, I will bring the children to kowtow to you and burn incense. Please bless the three of them. You can see the offerings this year. Our family is different. Yuzhi brought us to the county town and set up a food stall. The buns are selling very well. We have money coming in every day. Life has improved. Are you relieved this time?"

As he spoke, he became choked with sobs and could not continue.

Yu Cheng, who was holding incense in his hand, saw that his mother had stopped talking, so he continued, "Yes, Daddy, what Mom said is true. I have meat to eat every day now, and I eat a lot. Mom said that I will become stronger and taller, and I will definitely be able to surpass Er Gouzi in the village in the future."

Yu Tao saw Yu Cheng finished speaking and continued, "Dad, don't worry. Sister is very capable. She learned to cook a lot of delicious food from the restaurant. Sister said that our family will get better and better in the future and we won't have to suffer from hunger and cold anymore. Dad, sister also said that she wants me to go to school in the future. Would you disagree? But, but I want to go, so that I can understand the account book, keep accounts, and help sister with things."

Shen Yu knelt aside and listened, knowing that it was her turn to report on her life for the year, but she really didn't know what to say to this scholar father whom she had never met before, so she could only say dryly: "Well, Dad, I will take good care of my family, you, you can rest assured."

Yutao and Yucheng both looked at Shen Yu, waiting for her to continue.

Shen Yu smiled awkwardly and urged Li: "Mom, hurry up and burn incense."

Li bowed again, stood up and inserted the incense into the incense burner.

The three siblings followed suit. Li burned a bag of gold and silver ingots sealed in a paper bag, and the ceremony was completed.

Because of the worship today, we have millet rice for lunch. This millet rice is made by stewing a kind of millet, which takes about half an hour to be cooked through and edible.

Shen Yu thought that there was no need to order lunch in the shops tomorrow, so he needed to talk to each shop about changing the quantity. If he went late, the butcher shop would have to prepare to deliver the meat.

She told Li the reason and asked Yutao to stay and cook with Li. She took Yucheng out with her. The two of them went to the shops that delivered ingredients every day and told the shopkeepers about the quantities they wanted to change. The situation in all the shops was similar as they would all be closed tomorrow, so they agreed with the shopkeepers to only deliver the amount needed tomorrow morning and have the ingredients needed the day after tomorrow delivered early tomorrow morning.

After the siblings had notified everyone, they returned to their home in Liushu Lane. Li and Yutao had already cooked the meal.

It was Shen Yu's first time eating this kind of food, and she found it quite fresh. The millet was not sticky and tasted very refreshing. Paired with the milk cake, it had a sweet grain flavor. Seeing how she ate it, Li handed her a piece of silk-wrapped candy and said with a smile, "Eating this will make you sweet as honey for the whole year, and everything will go smoothly. Your father will protect you."

Shen Yu took it with a smile, but he secretly complained in his heart: "If the scholar father could really protect this family, the original owner would not have been accused of having a hard life and fell to his death unjustly! This is God's will. Since I am here, let me take good care of you."