Yingniang, who had been covering her ears to avoid listening to her mother, quietly lowered her hands.
Xu Jinxin looked at the mischievous Duoduo and couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her cheeks.
“Oh, Duoduo, how dare you tease your master’s wife!”
Duoduo, startled, covered her face and ran toward Yingniang.
Yingniang opened her arms to shield Duoduo.
Watching the two children act so affectionately, Xu Jinxin sighed again.
“Tell me, why aren’t you a boy?” Xu Jinxin gently tapped Yingniang’s forehead with her finger.
Yingniang rubbed her forehead, her face full of feigned grievance.
“Mother, you didn’t used to say that.”
“You always said daughters are better! Now you’re starting to dislike me!”
“I’m going to tell Father!”
Xu Jinxin smiled in amusement as she curled her finger and lightly tapped Yingniang’s head.
“I was just saying that. When did I ever dislike you?”
“Haven’t you been the one wishing Duoduo could be your little sister?”
Yingniang wrapped an arm around Duoduo. “Duoduo is already my little sister!”
“Yes, yes! Whatever you say, alright?”
“Alright, you two play on. I’ll go make you some ice bowls to eat.”
Xu Jinxin stopped teasing the children and left the room.
Yingniang quietly asked Duoduo about her school lessons, and Duoduo shared only the fun parts.
When Xu Jinxin returned carrying two ice bowls, she saw the two children with their heads close together, laughing happily.
“Here, one bowl each. You can’t eat too much ice or your bellies will ache.”
The bowls she brought were only the size of a palm.
At the bottom were crushed ice shavings, layered with various fruits and preserved sweets, and topped with bright red crushed hawthorn and golden osmanthus blossoms.
“Wow, Auntie Xu, it’s so pretty!” Duoduo’s eyes lit up.
Xu Jinxin chuckled uncontrollably.
“Duoduo, Auntie Xu knows she’s pretty, but thanks for the compliment!”
Yingniang couldn’t bear to watch. “Mother, Sister was talking about the ice bowl.”
Xu Jinxin pretended to be upset.
“Of course I know that, Mother. But only someone as beautiful and kind-hearted as me could make such a pretty ice bowl, right, Duoduo?”
Duoduo grinned and nodded. “Right! Auntie Xu is a beautiful lady!”
Xu Jinxin ruffled Duoduo’s hair.
“Good girl! Now, taste it. See if it’s good?”
Duoduo glanced at her ice bowl, then at Xu Jinxin’s empty hands.
“Auntie Xu, you eat this one. Sister and I can share one.”
Xu Jinxin smiled warmly.
“No need, I can’t have ice these few days. You and Yingniang enjoy it.”
Duoduo was curious. There were actually days when you couldn’t eat ice?
How sad!
Xu Jinxin sat to the side to do some accounting, while Duoduo and Yingniang hugged their ice bowls, taking turns eating spoonful by spoonful.
Duoduo finished her bowl quickly and licked her lips, still wanting more.
“Auntie Xu, why don’t we open a shop just for selling ice bowls?”
Xu Jinxin, still doing accounts, shook her head without looking up.
“No.”
“Renting a shop costs too much.”
“Besides, ice bowls are very seasonal and have no particular skill involved.”
“Rich families already have ice in their own cellars, and they have all the ingredients on hand.”
“They’d know how to make it just by looking once.”
“Setting up a stall is more convenient.”
“And the cost is low.”
“One person, one stall—it doesn’t cost much, and once you sell out, you can come back for more.”
After hearing Xu Jinxin’s explanation, Duoduo nodded in full agreement. When it came to business, Auntie Xu was really sharp!
“Auntie Xu, do you still have enough ice from the last delivery?”
“Should I go back and ask Mother to send more?”
Making ice bowls used up the most ice.
If business was good, the ice Duoduo had sent last time must have run out long ago.
Xu Jinxin looked up at Duoduo and suddenly winked playfully.
“The wise one has her own plan! Your Auntie found a way to get ice. Don’t worry.”
Hearing this, Duoduo trusted her. After all, if it were a money-making business, Auntie Xu would be more worried than anyone if they ran out of ice.
After finishing the ice bowls, Duoduo stayed a little longer before leaving. She was afraid that if she returned too late, Su Xian would worry.
Sure enough, as soon as Su Xian saw Duoduo, she immediately asked, “Didn’t you say you’d only be half a day? Why are you just getting back now?”
Duoduo bowed to her mother first.
“Mother, I stopped by the shop.”
Su Xian pulled Duoduo to sit down and wiped the sweat from her face.
“It’s so hot out, and you’re running around everywhere. Be careful you don’t get heatstroke.”
Duoduo smiled at Su Xian.
“Mother, earlier today I saw someone selling ice bowls on the road, so I wanted to tell Auntie Xu about it.”
“And guess what?” Duoduo paused for effect.
“What else? Your Auntie Xu probably went and made some to sell right away.” Su Xian knew her close friend too well.
Duoduo shook her head. “It turns out—the stall I saw was actually theirs.”
Su Xian laughed. “That Auntie Xu of yours—she’s been money-minded from the start.”
“Back then, she wanted to open a shop, but your teacher wouldn’t let her.”
“Now that she’s finally got the chance, of course she’s jumping into it full force!”
Duoduo was a little curious. “Mother, why didn’t Teacher agree? Auntie Xu seems really happy now.”
“Because in this day and age, women aren’t supposed to be out in public too much, and besides, your teacher didn’t want your Auntie Xu to work too hard.”
Duoduo tilted her head thoughtfully. “Mother, I’d like to visit the mansion again a bit later.”
Su Xian looked concerned. “You just got home. Why are you going out again already?”
“I haven’t seen Teacher in a few days. I want to check on him!”
What Duoduo didn’t say was that she also wanted to see if there was any bargains to pick up.
Although she didn’t know how much money the jade she’d found last time would fetch, it had given her a great sense of accomplishment.
“Then tell Lv Dou to grab more ice from the storehouse and put it in the carriage so you don’t get hot,” Su Xian instructed.
“Okay!” Duoduo nodded obediently.
“Mother, is Father in the house?”
“No, your father has been very busy lately. I’m a bit worried, with the weather so hot outside.”
“Ah, I don’t know what’s wrong with the heavens. Not a drop of rain has fallen!”
Su Xian gazed at the cloudless sky outside, full of worry.
The village head had written that many crops had withered from the severe drought.
With no harvest this year, life for the common people would be hard.
“Mother, Grandfather the Emperor is going to pray for rain. It will definitely come soon,” Duoduo comforted her.
Su Xian gave a wry smile. “Silly child, do you think praying for rain will actually make it rain?”
Duoduo blinked. “If it won’t rain, why pray?”
“When a great drought strikes, the grain harvest fails, and the people can barely survive.”
“The emperor can’t just do nothing. Offering prayers for rain is a show for the people to see.”
Duoduo rested her chin in her hands, staring at the blinding sunlight outside the window, lost in thought.
