Xin Sanniang smiled as she presented the recent accounts to Lin Hong, praising Zhenzhen’s measures for generating considerable profits. However, after silently reviewing them, Lin Hong said: “Recalculate the accounts. After removing costs and tax collection amounts, return all profits to the disaster-affected families.”
Everyone was shocked, not understanding why he would give away such considerable profits. Seeing that everyone remained silent without responding, Lin Hong explained: “During such disasters, we shouldn’t take advantage of others’ misfortune to profit.”
Zhenzhen protested: “Our pricing didn’t exceed normal market prices. The profits we earned were the price differences negotiated through bulk purchasing and long-term craftsman employment. Even if we hadn’t done this, the disaster victims would have had to buy goods and hire craftsmen themselves at no lower prices. How can you say we took advantage of their misfortune to profit?”
Lin Hong said: “Most of the disaster victims now are unrelated to the cause of the fire—they suffered unexpected calamity and have already suffered heavy losses. Reconstruction and repairs are another major expense. Regardless of whether our pricing was reasonable, earning disaster money is always inappropriate. It’s better to return the profits to them to slightly reduce their losses, which would also help neighbors and constitute a good deed.”
Though Zhenzhen and Xin Sanniang were reluctant to give it up, seeing Lin Hong’s firm attitude, they could only comply, recalculating the accounts, finding the disaster victims to modify contracts, and returning the profits to them.
Lin Hong’s charitable acts didn’t stop there. He also inspected the condition of burned forest trees in the mountains and used his own funds to purchase saplings to plant when the weather became suitable. This caused Xin Sanniang to sigh repeatedly while looking at the account book: “I originally thought we had made a fortune, but now it seems we’ve lost no less than if half our garden had been burned!”
Seeing Lin Hong’s charitable acts, all the disaster victims were grateful. Someone eventually reported this matter to Jianning Prefecture, which governed Wuyi Mountain. Jianning Prefecture then informed the Fujian Route Transport Commissioner, who said that during natural and man-made disasters, merchants often hoarded goods to drive up prices, selling necessities at double prices, making disaster victims’ situations even worse. Lin Hong’s righteous act deserved commendation and should be reported to the court, exempting him from two years of taxes. Recently, Jianning Prefecture had been dry with frequent fires, and with more rain expected after the New Year, flooding was anticipated. For one year from the date of the mountain fire, those providing fair-priced post-disaster reconstruction materials and related repair work for disaster victims would also be exempt from tax collection.
When this news arrived, not only the people at Wen Qiao Inn but almost all building material merchants and craftsmen in Jianning Prefecture were overjoyed, congratulating each other with raised hands. People often came to Wen Qiao Inn to express gratitude. The day before the Beginning of Spring, Uncle Gu Qi, a tile worker Zhenzhen had hired, came up from the mountain specifically carrying two large pieces of fresh pork belly for Zhenzhen. Seeing the garden’s elegant cleanliness, he didn’t enter but stood outside the fence, handing the meat to Zhenzhen while repeatedly expressing his thanks.
Zhenzhen declined, but he quickly stepped back, firmly refusing to take it back. Zhenzhen then accepted the fresh meat and said to Uncle Gu Qi: “One shouldn’t receive rewards without merit. Since Uncle Qi has given me a gift, I’ll give one in return, though not a physical object—just a small suggestion.”
Uncle Gu Qi asked what it was. Zhenzhen said: “Teacher Lin mentioned that rainfall will increase after the New Year, making mountain streams flow rapidly. When crossing rivers by boat, boats will rock constantly and even risk capsizing. So I suggest that when you or your family buy pork, you might as well buy pig bladders from the butcher shop, stockpile many, and dry them for storage. When there’s heavy rain, inflate the pig bladders and tie them properly, connecting several into a belt that can encircle the waist, then take them to the riverside to sell to boatmen or people needing to cross rivers. This way, if they encounter danger while crossing with pig bladders, they won’t drown, and Uncle Qi, you can also earn some pocket money.”
Pig bladders are flexible and elastic and can be inflated into air bags. Uncle Gu Qi was delighted to hear this, repeatedly saying this was feasible. After thanking her, he looked at Zhenzhen admiringly: “Miss, you’re truly good at both business and human relations.” Looking around and seeing no one approaching, he lowered his voice to say to Zhenzhen: “Forgive my directness, but Master Wen Qiao is naturally learned, courteous, and extraordinarily intelligent, but he takes money too lightly and doesn’t much like business dealings. In daily interactions, he’s polite enough but not easy to approach. Fortunately, you came. What the master doesn’t know, you do. You and the master are truly a heaven-made pair. We’re all waiting to drink wedding wine for the master and miss.”
Zhenzhen’s cheeks reddened as she said softly: “Uncle Qi shouldn’t joke. I only came to learn skills from the master.”
Uncle Gu Qi laughed: “Learn skills, learn skills—what’s wrong with learning to become a family!”
Seeing Zhenzhen red-faced and speechless for a long time, he laughed heartily and took his leave, going back down the mountain. Zhenzhen watched him depart, thinking about his words with some joy in her heart, but quickly remembering her mother, she felt melancholy again. This paradise-like place had given her a feeling of home in just over a month, inevitably stirring attachment. However, she had never forgotten the purpose of this journey—she came in order to leave. Only where her mother was could be considered home.
Every Beginning of Spring, people must make “Spring Platters” with seasonal fresh ingredients, either for their own consumption or as gifts to relatives and friends. Spring Platters were also essential dishes at Wen Qiao Inn for the Beginning of Spring. The evening before, Lin Hong detailed the origin of Spring Platters to Zhenzhen, saying that in the Jin Dynasty, Spring Platters were “Five Pungent Platters” made of garlic, shallots, chives, turnips, and coriander, eaten on the Beginning of Spring to stimulate the qi of the five organs with five pungent flavors. By now, Spring Platter contents had increasingly diversified beyond just the five pungent ingredients, and could include radishes, spring bamboo shoots, artemisia, water celery, cabbage, smartweed, and other fresh spring vegetables, cut into strips and arranged on platters. The green, red, white, yellow, and purple colors represented spring scenery and colors, wrapped in pancakes thin as cocoon paper and eaten. In this season of light rain and plum blossoms, when the clear cold hadn’t yet dissipated, one could first experience the spring spirit brought by seasonal vegetables through taste.
Zhenzhen had learned to make these pancakes from Senior Sister. She took flour and water, kneaded them into a wet dough, held it in her hand and flipped it downward. The dough stuck to her palm slowly descended. Zhenzhen pressed it into an oiled and heated pan, then immediately lifted it. The dough bounced back to her palm while leaving a thin layer of pancake skin on the pan bottom. Under the heat, the edges gradually curled up. When the center dried, it could be removed and placed on a plate, covered with a damp cotton cloth. The originally crisp thin pancake would quickly soften after absorbing moisture and could then be used to wrap vegetable strips.
Lin Hong watched with slight amusement as she played with great enjoyment. After she had made a thick stack, he asked: “Do you know how to make ‘Dripping Cream Mountain’?”
Zhenzhen said she didn’t. Lin Hong neatly arranged the cut vegetable strips of various colors in a large silver plate, arranging them in a circle around the edge by color, leaving an empty space in the center that formed concentric circles with the edge. Then Lin Hong took out several pieces of solidified milk cream, softened them by heating over water, washed his hands again, and cupped the semi-liquid snow-white milk cream in his hands. Moving to the edge of a silver plate about the same size as the center circle, his hands rose and fell in rotation, letting the cream overflow from between his fingers—sometimes dripping, sometimes trickling, sometimes pouring. The falling cream formed dots, lines, or patches, accumulating in the center of the silver plate. In an instant, a vivid miniature snow mountain gradually took shape, with overlapping peaks and elegant beauty.
Lin Hong had Zhenzhen place the cream mountain outside to let it solidify, then after washing his hands, he picked some plum blossoms and pine branches, carefully trimmed them, and decorated the snow peaks of the cream mountain. He then placed the cream mountain in the center of the Spring Platter. The Spring Platter looked like spring fields and flower seas reflecting with snow mountains, immediately taking on the grandeur of mountains, rivers, and the world.