054, oiled paper, packaging bag

Jing Qingxin looked at Gao Shen, who was sitting nearby, and said in distress, “How can we pack them without bags? I didn’t think we’d be giving these away at the market today, so I forgot to buy anything for packaging.”

She sighed again inwardly, lamenting how limited their circumstances were. She did have some gift bags and boxes in her “Liuguang Brocade,” but those were far too modern, completely unsuited for this simple era.

Seeing how troubled she looked, Gao Shen chuckled softly and said, “We don’t have the kind of packaging bags you’re used to here. Even if you wanted to buy some, you wouldn’t find them.”

“So what should we do?” Jing Qingxin’s expression turned gloomy. She recalled that at the market, everyone seemed to bring their own cloth bags or baskets for shopping.

“We usually wrap pastries and candies in oil paper. Why don’t you ask Auntie Li next door? Maybe she has some at home,” Gao Shen suggested.

“All right,” Jing Qingxin agreed. She quickly tidied herself up and headed to the Li family next door. At this hour, nearly every household had just finished dinner. As she entered the small courtyard, she saw Uncle Li and Li Dahu sitting outside, chatting.

“Uncle Li, Brother Li, have you had dinner?” Jing Qingxin greeted them politely.

“Oh, it’s Xiao Jing! Yes, we’ve eaten,” Li Yougen replied good-naturedly.

At that moment, Li Xiaomei, having heard voices from the kitchen, hurried out with a delighted cry, “Sister Jing!”

“Were you busy just now?” Jing Qingxin asked with a smile.

Li Xiaomei quickly wiped her damp hands on her clothes and replied cheerfully, “All done, I just finished tidying up. Sister Jing, were you looking for me?”

“Yes, I came to ask if you have any oil paper at home. I’d like to wrap something up,” Jing Qingxin said directly.

Li Xiaomei nodded at once. “We do. How much do you need?”

“About five or six sheets—do you have that many?” Jing Qingxin asked hesitantly, a bit worried they might not.

“We do! My mother cut up more than ten sheets for New Year’s gifts, but we didn’t use them all—they’re still at home. Wait here, I’ll get them for you!” Li Xiaomei answered honestly, not giving the matter much thought, nor feeling the need to ask her elders—perhaps because she knew her family wouldn’t mind.

Watching the straightforward Li Xiaomei fetch the oil paper, Jing Qingxin glanced at Uncle Li, worried he might be displeased. But seeing his calm demeanor, with no hint of objection or reluctance, she finally felt at ease.

Though they hadn’t known each other long, Jing Qingxin truly felt the Li family was a good one—honest, simple-hearted people. Even Auntie Li, who seemed sharp, was kind at heart. Though they were poor, their family was harmonious and united; surely their days would only get better.

Soon, Li Xiaomei returned with several sheets of dark yellow oil paper, happily handing them to Jing Qingxin. She asked, “Sister Jing, do you have a lot to wrap? Do you need any help?”

“No, Gao Shen and I can manage. Thank you, I’ll get back to work,” Jing Qingxin replied. After saying goodbye, she left. She’d thought of asking how much the oil paper cost and paying for it, but then realized that with their personalities, they’d never accept money for a few sheets. Worse, they might even think she looked down on them. It was normal for neighbors to help each other out—sometimes accepting a favor was a sign of closeness.

Besides, she’d planned to give the Li family some “Peach Blossom Cakes” anyway, so she said nothing about payment.

Back home, Gao Shen was dividing the Peach Blossom Cakes on the table. Jing Qingxin sat down and, seeing the five little piles, asked with a gentle laugh, “You’ve split them into five groups. How are you planning to distribute them?”

Gao Shen pointed to the cakes as he spoke: “We made a total of 140 Peach Blossom Cakes. I’ll give thirty each to Captains Li and Wang, twenty to my parents, twenty to the Li family next door, and we’ll keep forty for ourselves.”

Jing Qingxin smiled and said, “Only twenty for your parents? Isn’t that a bit little?”

Gao Shen’s face grew solemn as he replied softly, “Twenty is enough. Any more would just be wasted by my brother and sister-in-law.”

He understood all the comforting words Jing Qingxin had said to him before, but he felt helpless about the situation. He could dislike or ignore his brother and sister-in-law, but he could never completely disregard his parents. He would always fulfill his duty as a son, but he wouldn’t practice blind filial piety.

He’d come to terms with it now. When he first left home to join the military, he hadn’t been able to stay by his parents’ side, but he’d sent almost all his stipend home—that was his way of fulfilling his duty. He owed them nothing.

In the future, he would continue to be filial as needed, but as for his brother and sister-in-law’s family, he had no intention of supporting them anymore. Why should he use his own money to subsidize them, only to get nothing in return?

“Whatever you say! As long as you’re fine with it, so am I,” Jing Qingxin said lightly. She had no objection to his arrangements—it wasn’t her family, after all.

Gao Shen picked up a sheet of oil paper, ready to start wrapping the cakes, but Jing Qingxin stopped him. “What’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled.

“Were you just going to wrap them up like that?” Jing Qingxin shot him a look. The cakes were so pretty and delicate—it would be a shame to just wrap them up carelessly and ruin their appearance.

Gao Shen replied honestly, “Yes, isn’t that how it’s usually done?”

Jing Qingxin sighed. She couldn’t count on his sense of aesthetics. She took the oil paper and considered it—each sheet was quite large, and simply wrapping the cakes would waste several layers of paper.

She closed her eyes in thought, recalling modern packaging. Suddenly, she remembered a popular takeout bag—much like the ones used by KFC, made from similar material, though this oil paper was sturdier.

With this idea, she set to work at once. The craft was simple enough, and soon her nimble fingers had transformed the five sheets of oil paper from Li Xiaomei into handy little bags.

Looking at her finished work, Jing Qingxin smiled in satisfaction, clapped her hands, and said brightly, “Done! What do you think? Does it look nice?”

Gao Shen had watched quietly as she worked. He had to admit, the oil paper bags looked far more attractive and convenient to carry than the usual wrapping.

“Yes, it looks great,” he replied softly.

“If only we had some colored pens—I could draw peach blossoms on the bags. That would be perfect!” The more she thought about it, the more Jing Qingxin regretted the lack.

“This is already very good,” Gao Shen comforted her. Besides, in their area, you could probably only buy pens in the county town.

After that, the two of them packed the portioned Peach Blossom Cakes into the handmade oil paper bags. By the time everything was ready, it was already eight o’clock in the evening.

——— Author’s Note ———

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This book is originally published by Xiaoxiang Shuyuan. Please do not repost!