Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 286 Dismissal

With strong laborers at home, Song Dazhuang did not need to go to the fields himself during spring ploughing. He just stood on the ridge of the field to direct the work, accompanied by a group of students who came to listen to his lectures.

These students ranged from young and naive teenagers to elderly octogenarians, but most of them were men in their prime. Song Chunlin stood not far away and observed, and found that at the end of the team, there were actually two girls and three boys. All five of them were thirteen or fourteen years old. Song Chunlin still had some impression of them. Among the five, one of the girl and the boy were siblings, and the other three came from three families, all of them were children from poor families. Their families only had three acres of permanent land stipulated by the government, and after deducting various taxes throughout the year, there was little food left in their pockets, so these families had to rent additional land from other families. After deducting the rent, the remaining land was just enough for the family to support.

It seems that Song Dazhuang's agricultural school is well run. Even Song Chunsheng can give some pointers. Song Chunsheng's understanding of farming is even higher than Song Dazhuang's. Many times, Song Dazhuang has not thought of a better adjective, but Song Chunsheng can blurt it out.

Looking at his eldest son talking with everyone, Song Dazhuang felt very gratified. This son has always been honest and hardworking, and has always been the most loyal support of his younger brothers and sisters.

Song Dazhuang looked at his eldest son and was satisfied with every detail. He would be even more satisfied if he could have a grandson.

The work in the fields had been completed today, and Song Chunlin came forward with a large kettle and poured each person a cup of tea mixed with spiritual spring water. He put a few ice cubes in the tea to make it cooler when drinking.

"Young Master Song, are the fields we planted this year enough for everyone's food supply?"

Song Chunlin counted with his fingers and shook his head heavily.

When everyone heard the bad news, they let out the first wail of the year, but Song Chunlin turned a deaf ear to them, kicked them and told them to pack up and go back to the cafeteria to eat.

A group of people got up wailing again, dragging their aching bodies back to the canteen in the military camp like dead dogs.

After the canteen was built, these soldiers ate three meals a day there. The chef hired by Song Chunlin was very skilled and had trained in the Song family kitchen, so the dishes he cooked naturally tasted better. Yan Qing had been here for more than a month and seemed to have grown in size. Even An Huaibo himself noticed the difference.

"Is this kid really going for training? Why is he even fatter than before he went?"

Mrs. An Huaibo remained silent. She was also wondering, is the food in the barracks better than that in the Earl's Mansion? Moreover, the child was already tall and strong enough. He thought that his son did not need to grow taller or fatter. It was difficult for a bear-like man to find a wife. After all, An Huaibo was a head shorter than his son, and not as strong as Yan Qing. If he was as tall and big as his son, Mrs. An Huaibo would be the first to dislike him.

An Huaibo seemed unaware of his wife's inner complaints, and continued to praise his younger son for growing taller and stronger. Mrs. An Huaibo rolled her eyes when she heard this.

Yan Qing couldn't help swallowing as she recalled the braised pork buns in the cafeteria today.

"Father, little daddy, the food in the cafeteria tastes really good. The more my son trains every day, the more he eats. On weekdays, he can only eat three big bowls, but now he needs five big bowls. Father, let's send our cook there for further training, otherwise after my son's training is over, he won't be able to eat the cafeteria's food."

Now it was An Huaibo's turn to roll his eyes. This brat! The chefs in his family all came from a family of imperial chefs, and their skills were among the best in the capital. But how come the food in his youngest son's mouth was not even as good as that of the one who cooked in the big pot in the military camp? How embarrassing it was for him.

Complaints aside, if the chef was really asked to go to the military camp for further training, he would probably be the first to quit. It was rare for him to find such a chef who could cook meals that suited his wife's taste, and he couldn't afford to change him.

Mrs. An Huaibo became curious when she heard her son's praise. The last time she went to the princess's house, she also heard the princess praise the Song family's cooking skills. The chefs in the military camp were trained by the Song family themselves. So, wouldn't they be able to eat better food at the Song family than in the military camp cafeteria?

Mrs. An Huaibo, who has always loved gourmet food, suddenly had an epiphany. Yes, why didn't he think of going directly to the Song family to eat the best? Why should he be curious about the first-class food in the military camp?

If the cook in the military camp heard this inner monologue, he would probably cry out of anger.

Mrs. An Huaibo acted immediately and sent someone to draft a visiting card, requesting to visit the man.

It was not the first time that the Song family received a visiting card, but it was the first time that they were not turned down by the person who delivered the card. Those people boasted of their noble birth, and even the people sent to deliver the visiting card had a condescending and overbearing look, as if their master had done the Song family a great gift.

When faced with such self-important people, Song Dazhuang's usual approach is to hit them out directly, throw the visiting card back in their faces, and warn them not to come again.

The person sent by Mrs. An Huaibo was not ordinary. Others just sent a servant or a coachman, but Mrs. An Huaibo sent her right-hand man, the chief steward of the Earl's Mansion, the right-hand man of her masters. It can be said that her status alone gave the Song family enough respect and face.

Song Dazhuang took the visiting card, took a quick look and realized that he didn't know the person, so he looked up at the steward.

"May I ask who An Huaibo is?"

The steward thought Song Dazhuang would ask him what was written on the post, but he didn't expect that a mere country boy could actually read and write. This made him think more highly of the Song family.

"Replying to Master Song, my wife has some relatives with the Yongyi Marquis's Mansion, and Young Master Song was a guest at our mansion last time."

As soon as he mentioned the visit, Song Dazhuang understood, but he had never expected that the other party would come to his house, so he could only ask the butler to go in first and wait for a while.

"You guys just sit and wait for a while. Brother Ning, come over and serve tea to you guys."

"Okay dad, I'll go make some tea."

The chief steward was somewhat flattered, and the two servants who had been following him were also somewhat at a loss. Only after Song Dazhuang's repeated requests did they tremble and sit halfway.

Song Dazhuang asked Song Chunsheng to go next door to call the old man back. When the old man heard that there were guests coming, he was a little puzzled as to why the guest was so mysterious and even handed over a visiting card.

When Grandpa Song returned home, the steward had already put down his teacup and stood up. Grandpa Song raised his hand to signal him that he didn't need to stand up.

The chief steward said, "Old man, you are the elder, this etiquette cannot be abolished, there is no order without rules."

Since the other party said so, Grandpa Song did not force the request anymore, but picked up the visiting card and looked at it carefully. Just now, Song Dazhuang only noticed the name of the visitor. After careful examination, Grandpa Song understood that the couple listened to the eldest princess and her son Yan Qing and wanted to visit the Song family to taste the delicious food mentioned by the eldest princess. Finally, he also marked that they brought their own ingredients.

Grandpa Song was amused. In this day and age, there are still people who would do anything to get a bite of food. It is truly a modern wonder.

But since they said so, let's do it.

"Tell your master that we will take over this invitation. Well, everyone in the family happens to be free the day after tomorrow, so we will host a banquet for your master the day after tomorrow. You don't need to bring your own ingredients. We have everything we need. How do you think?"

The chief steward was delighted and said, "Very good, very good. However, the ingredients are not something that we servants can decide. I have to report to the master when I get back. However, my master has no other hobbies but to eat this kind of food. In addition, the ingredients must have been reserved long ago, so it may be difficult to return..."

What this means is that the ingredients still need to be brought here, otherwise they will be wasted, right?

Seeing that the other party was so persistent, Grandpa Song could only step back and let the other party take less.

Seeing that the matter was accomplished, the steward was overjoyed and was about to leave. In the end, the enthusiastic A-mo Song packed several boxes of biscuits for him to take away. These biscuits were all Song A-mo's recent experimental products, and the people at home really couldn't eat them all, so they had to give them away.

But in the eyes of the steward, the Song family was hospitable and there was nothing wrong with their treatment of people. Moreover, it seemed that everyone in their family was literate, which was what concerned him the most.

What kind of family would have it that everyone, from the elders to the younger generations, are literate? Wasn't it that only the eldest grandson in their family went to school?

Here, Song Chunlin is preparing supplies for the children who are going to attend classes at the Charity Bureau. For the first class, Aunt Song said that they should make some simple egg cakes that do not require milk, so he only needs to prepare three things: eggs, flour, and white sugar.

The baking trays and other items were delivered in advance. The cast iron plates were very heavy, and even if they were small, the children could not move them. But their oven was very large, and it would be a waste of firewood to use only small trays. In ancient times, firewood was also a resource that must not be wasted.

When he came back in the evening, Song Chunlin knew about this matter. He had a good impression of Mrs. An Huaibo. Yan Qing was just a silly boy. Since the father and son were willing to be guests, he would treat them well.

"It just so happened that the day before yesterday, Grandpa was going to teach those children how to make egg cakes. Since Mrs. An Huaibo is a foodie, why don't we cater to her interests and attract her to invest."

Grandpa Song and his friends didn’t know what investment meant, but they understood the meaning of buying shares.

Song Chunsheng asked with a smile: "Is this what Chunlin said, a partner? He provides the money, the kids provide the labor, we provide the technology, and then we work together to develop the cake-making business."

Song Chunlin gave his brother a thumbs up and said, "That's right. I asked Gu Fengyue. Madam An Huaibo had a good business sense before she got married. He helped their family overcome several crises. When she got married, it was said that there was a long procession of bridesmaids and a lot of red makeup. His family gave him countless land and shops, and he managed them all very well. Otherwise, how could he have the financial resources to buy fresh bamboo shoots from the south during the chilly spring?"

"So Chunlin, you hope that the other party can give you money, or open a shop to sell cakes to the children of the Charity Bureau?"

"Yes, Grandpa, think about it, this cake is a unique recipe that only our family has. If such a novel thing is sold outside, will you buy one out of curiosity to try it? Or, when you pass by a cake shop, will you be attracted by the aroma of those baked cakes and breads?"

Grandpa Song recalled the time when Grandma Song made a cake for the family. The cake wasn't even out of the oven yet, but the unique aroma of the cake was already wafting out from the cracks. He had never liked sweets, but at that moment, he had to admit that he was really attracted to it.

Grandpa Song thought of this and gave his grandson affirmation: "Chunlin is right, this is indeed a good idea, and he has the entire Earl's Mansion behind him. The children rely on him to do business, and those ruffians will definitely not dare to bully them. It's a win-win situation, very good."

"In that case, I will prepare some more ingredients. Grandpa, thank you for making some more cakes that day. Let's let the countess taste the egg cake. I guarantee that she will never forget it after eating it."

Aunt Song laughed and poked Song Chunlin's head gently: "You are the one with many ideas. I will make an extra plate the day after tomorrow and let you bring it back to the Countess."

So when the day came for the baking class at the Salesian Bureau to start, the children looked forward to it with great anticipation, and finally they got to see the legendary baking teacher who could make delicious and sweet little cakes.

The method of making egg cake is actually very simple. The raw materials are corn oil, flour, eggs and sugar. Milk must be added in modern times, but Song Amao said that pure egg cake is also very fragrant, and milk is not easy to obtain in this era, so it can be replaced with water. The finished product will have less milk flavor, but the cost will be reduced a lot.

Aunt Song was standing at the operating table in front. She arranged all the materials into categories, and then began to tell the children how to make egg cakes.

This thing is indeed very simple to say, but it is not simple to say, as it requires precise grams, which was naturally impossible to measure in ancient times. Song A-mo could only rely on her own understanding to tell them the approximate amount of egg cake needed, and try to use the ladle as the unit of measurement, so that the children can understand it more easily.

This class was attended by everyone, and we were divided into several groups. Everyone assigned tasks and completed them meticulously according to the steps given by Song Amao. Song Amao said the most difficult part was beating. In modern times, we can use tools, but in ancient times, people could only rely on pure manpower to beat the chicken.

Some children with less strength began to feel tired after only a few strokes, and even some older children found it a bit too much. However, although Song A-mo did not spend a long time doing it, the finished product looked extremely successful, leaving the group of children stunned.

Amao Song reminded them that once they started beating, it would not be appropriate to stop for too long, so everyone worked together and when one person got tired, they would immediately take over as the next one, trying to beat the egg whites in the shortest time possible.