Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 284 Baking

The next day, Song Chunlin gave Yan Qing individual training, under the pretext of giving him a good workout. The naive Yan Qing had no idea that this was a test from Song Chunlin, and he told Song Chunlin confidently that he would be able to successfully complete the task he had given him.

Song Chunlin crossed his arms and watched him train alone without saying a word. He just watched Yan Qing complete the training goals he had set step by step in silence.

It was noon. It was Yan Qing's first time to participate in such high-intensity training. At this time, only two-thirds of the mission goal had been completed, and Yan Qing was exhausted.

The training ground was empty as everyone had gone to the cafeteria to eat. Only Yan Qing was still training alone, and Song Chunlin was standing by his side to keep him company.

Yan Qing was so hungry that he felt dizzy and his feet started to slip. He tried several times to do a push-up but couldn't complete it. Song Chunlin squatted beside him and kept encouraging him.

"Come on, you've almost finished one, there are still fifteen left, you'll soon see the light, don't give up now!"

When Yan Qing heard this, he seemed to have some strength back in his body, and with trembling hands he did another push-up.

Song Chunlin gave him affirmation and praise without hesitation. With all the praise, Yan Qing finally finished the last fifteen push-ups, which took him half an hour, or an hour.

Song Chunlin looked at him with a smile: "You have done a very good job today. Come on, let's take a walk and go to the cafeteria for dinner."

Yan Qing realized at this time that it was almost dusk and he was so hungry that he had lost consciousness. Thinking that Song Chunlin had been with him all the time and had not eaten from morning to night, Yan Qing felt a little guilty. If he could finish training earlier, he wouldn't have to make Song Chunlin go hungry with him.

"I'm sorry that you have no food to eat."

Song Chunlin didn't care too much because he was not the one doing the hard work and in fact he was not very hungry.

The two came to the cafeteria. When the chef saw them coming, he immediately brought out the special meal that had been prepared long ago, including stir-fried vegetables from Song Chunlin's space, rice, and fruit after the meal.

It was the first time Yan Qing saw strawberries, and she didn’t dare to try them at first. Only after seeing Song Chunlin eat several in a row did she dare to pick one up and put it in her mouth.

His eyes lit up as soon as he took the strawberry in his mouth.

"It's delicious, Young Master Song. What is this? It has such a special and rich aroma. I don't know where you got it from. My little dad loves to eat this rare fruit the most. Tell me so I can buy some for my little dad."

Song Chunlin shook his head at him and said, "This is what I grew in my backyard. This is the last batch left. If you want to eat it, you have to wait until winter. If it wasn't for rewarding you, I wouldn't be willing to give it out."

This was half true and half false. It was true that there were strawberries planted in the Song family's backyard, but because the Song family took good care of them and Song Chunlin irrigated the plants with spiritual spring water from time to time, the Song family could eat strawberries all year round. However, the output was only enough for the family themselves, and any more would be gone.

The dozen or so baskets that Song Chunlin took out were all picked from the space. Half a pound per person was enough for the three thousand people. Song Chunlin asked the chef and the helpers in the cafeteria to divide the rest, and left one basket for him and Yan Qing to eat.

When Yan Qing heard Song Chunlin say that there was no more food, he stopped eating and took a clean small bowl and filled it with food and put it aside.

Song Chunlin looked at him curiously: "Aren't you going to eat?"

Yan Qing shook his head: "No, can I take these back to my little daddy to eat?"

Song Chunlin felt like an arrow shot into his heart. It was such a pity that a simple, obedient and filial son like Yan Qing belonged to someone else's family.

"This strawberry won't last long once it touches water, so you should eat it. I'll find some in the backyard on the day of the holiday and bring them back to Madam An Huaibo."

Yan Qing was happy now: "Really? Didn't you say it's gone?"

"Yes, there are none left, but if you look around you can still find a few, just not many."

It's enough to have them. Yan Qing's requirements are not high. It would be good to have a few for little daddy to try.

Song Chunlin returned to the Song family at night. He did not sleep either. Instead, he went into the space after washing up. It was rare to see Dabao in the space today. Song Chunlin walked up to him and saw him sitting on the ridge of the field in a depressed mood. In the distance, a tiller was automatically tilling the land.

"what happened to you?"

When Dabao saw Song Chunlin come in, he responded listlessly and then stopped talking.

Song Chunlin thought that he was sad because Song Chunxiao ignored him, but after several questions, he found out that Dabao was worried about the child named Liuliu.

"Are you worried about Liu Liu?"

"Well, human children are particularly fragile. Her brother was injured like that, so Liu Liu must be even more miserable."

Song Chunlin didn't know how to respond to this question, because even he didn't know where Liu Liu was sold to.

"Do you really want Liu Liu to come back?"

Dabao nodded solemnly: "I hope so. They said Liu Liu is a very good child and a good child should not suffer this."

Song Chunlin didn't say anything else, just touched Dabao's head.

Song Chunlin hadn't been to the Charity Bureau for some time. Now, the bureau has changed a lot. Because of the pressure from the emperor, the Ministry of Revenue finally sent all the money to the Charity Bureau. The uncles and aunts in the bureau were grinning from ear to ear.

After a fruitful New Year, the children cheered with joy when they heard the housekeeper Uncle Mo say that he would renovate their house.

It was called renovation, but in fact it was just repairing the roof and replacing a few tiles with holes. Some of the wooden beams were crumbling due to being eaten by insects. Among all the repair costs, replacing the wooden beams accounted for the largest part. As for the rest, they did it themselves if they could.

When Song Chunlin came over, the children were in class. He stood at the door and looked from afar. Liu Liu's brother was sitting in the corner, basking in the sun, watching the children take literacy class.

The children in the charity organization are naturally illiterate, but Shumo, who is in charge, thinks that it is miserable enough for them to have no one to protect them. If they go out and cannot find a job because they are illiterate, how can they support themselves?

So the manager hired a poor scholar to teach the children three times a month, paying him half a dollar a month. The time was decided by both parties, and the course content was very simple, just learning to recognize a few words.

In addition to learning to read, the adults in the Salesian Bureau also teach the children some basic skills, such as housekeeping and cooking. These two skills are relatively easy to find work in, and everyone is very enthusiastic about learning.

Maybe it was because he hadn't heard from his sister for a long time, the boy looked a little gloomy at the moment. Although he was sitting in the sun, it felt like the air around him was a little colder.

The other children did not approach him, probably thinking he was a weirdo. Only the two children who were also rescued would take care of him on weekdays. The three of them probably felt sympathy for each other, and the boy also looked a little gentler towards the two of them.

Song Chunlin saw a girl walking up to the boy with a bowl of black medicine. She whispered something and the boy seemed to have heard her. He picked up the bowl with his intact hand and drank the bitter medicine in one gulp.

"Qiaoqiao, thank you."

The little girl named Qiaoqiao smiled and shook her head: "Brother Songsong, don't worry, the government officials will definitely help you find Liu Liu."

Speaking of his sister, Songsong's expression softened a little, but soon became depressed again: "Don't worry, I'm fine now, you can go back to class."

Song Chunlin stood outside watching their interaction until the class inside was over. The scholar packed up his things and walked out. Seeing Song Chunlin at the door, he thought for a moment that Song Chunlin was also a child from the Charity Bureau, but he quickly denied it. First of all, looking at the clothes Song Chunlin was wearing, he had never seen clothes made of the same material before. Such a rare material, could it be that he was from some noble family and came here to do charity?

Thinking of this, the scholar immediately bowed to Song Chunlin, trying to leave a good impression. Song Chunlin thought this man was interesting and returned the greeting. The two sides did not communicate, and the scholar left after the greeting.

When the steward Shumo saw Song Chunlin coming in, he greeted him warmly.

"Oh, our benefactor is here. Hurry up, go prepare some tea and bring out some snacks."

Song Chunlin stopped him and lifted up the oil paper bag he had been carrying: "Don't bother with that. Just prepare some hot water. I brought some snacks with me. I'll also let you taste the new cookies my family made."

"Biscuits? Are they really dry cookies?"

Song Chunlin thought about it and it seemed to be about the same. After hearing the answer, everyone lost interest. Song Chunlin knew at a glance that they were thinking wrongly. Without explaining, he walked to the table, opened the oil paper bag, and handed the biscuits inside to the steward.

"Here, try a piece and see if it tastes good."

The steward uncle could already smell the fragrance filling his nose. His eyes lit up and he picked up a biscuit and tasted it. It was indeed drier at the beginning, but very crispy and had a unique fragrance. He couldn't taste this flavor, so he guessed it must be a very precious raw material.

Seeing his expression, Song Chunlin knew that he was very satisfied, so he opened the oil paper packages one by one. There were biscuits and cakes inside, all of which were snacks made by Song Amao herself. The production methods of these things were relatively simple, and the raw materials were also very common. Song Chunlin wanted to open a baking class in the Charity Bureau so that these children could have more means of making a living.

"Everyone try these cookies and cakes to see if they suit your taste."

Upon hearing this, everyone took a piece. Some took biscuits, some took bread, and some took cake. The cake and bread were cut into small pieces for easy eating.

Everyone praised the food after tasting it, but some people thought it was too sweet and they were not used to it.

Ancient people did not eat sugar as commonly as modern people do, so this sweetness was indeed too sweet for them and could only be consumed with tea.

Song Chunlin asked the steward: "If these cookies and cakes are sold, do you think they can be sold at a high price?"

The steward Shumo was a smart man. When Song Chunlin said this, he thought of something and gave him a positive answer.

"I have never eaten these cakes before. If I take them out to sell, they will definitely sell well. The nobles in the capital have always liked rare things. The rarer they are, the higher the price they can sell. Young Master Song, are you planning to open a cake shop?"

Song Chunlin: "Yes and no. It is true that I want to open a pastry shop, but the one who will open it is not me, but you."

The steward's heart suddenly jumped. He suppressed his excitement and asked Song Chunlin: "Song Xiaoge, don't joke with me. We can't even cook these dishes. You want us to open a shop. Isn't that a fantasy?"

Song Chunlin pointed at the children outside and said, "Where will most of these children go when they grow up?"

Speaking of this steward, Shumo was a little melancholy: "Where else can they go? It's good enough to find a job to make a living in the capital. Not becoming a slave is their best fate. Those who are capable can buy a property outside the city. If they are not capable, they will live in a muddle. If they can't make ends meet, they will become beggars."

"That's it. They can't find much work if they go out. There are so many people in the capital, and so many children in the Charity Bureau. You have no money, no power, and no background, but at least they have parents to rely on, but these children don't. They can only rely on themselves for everything. They are lucky to be alive and not starve to death."

At this point, Song Chunlin suddenly changed the subject: "So, I decided to let them learn another skill, a unique skill."

"Young Master Song doesn't want them to learn how to make these cakes, does he?"

"That's right. These pastries are not available on the market yet. The method of making them is not very complicated. You have all tried them. They are indeed delicious. Although they are a little sweet, the pastries in other pastry shops are also very sweet. They are all eaten with tea, so it doesn't matter if they are a little sweeter."

"That's true, but how can we afford such a teacher? Young Master Song, to be honest, our charity bureau has recently renovated the old house and has spent most of the money given to us by the court. If we hire another teacher to teach, I'm afraid the children will starve again."

Song Chunlin waved his hand to reassure him: "Don't worry, that master is my little grandfather. As long as I act a little coquettishly to him, he will definitely agree. What's more, my little grandfather loves children very much. He will definitely be happy to teach so many children at once." He did not lie. When Song Amao heard that Song Chunlin asked her to go to the Charity Bureau for classes, she still had some concerns. However, under Song Chunlin's persuasion and coquettish offensive, she quickly gave in and agreed to Song Chunlin's request.

The main reason was that after Song Ammo heard about what happened to these children, she felt a little sorry for them. Then she thought of what Song Chunlin had said about living alone in his previous life, and she felt even more pity for these children.