Huai Zi nodded. "I was thinking the same thing." He suddenly chuckled, "When it's time to sell them, we can splash some water used for washing wood ears over the wood so that some will sprout. It'll look much better. Wood ears take a few months to grow anyway, so they'll be pleasant to look at for a while."
The couple chatted and laughed, delighted to have discovered a new way to make money.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Huai Zi indeed took Juhua to the old street to eat tofu pudding, steamed buns, and pan-fried dumplings.
The tofu pudding stall didn't sell buns or dumplings, so Huai Zi settled Juhua and Pu Pao at a small table before heading to another shop to buy them. The stall was still set up beneath the willow trees by the river. Holding Banli, Juhua scooped up some tofu pudding, carefully blew on it to cool it down, and fed him. She then motioned for Pu Pao to feed Cong the same way.
