Lin He instructed Madam Huang to move about the courtyard daily, while Zi Qing and Zi Yu, along with a few young maids, prepared to begin work. With winter setting in, the production of scented pastes, soaps, and toners needed to commence. The inventory for their shops generally required half a day’s work every day. For these processes now, Lin He only needed to prepare the ingredient ratios for them at the start; essentially, she didn't need to lift a finger for the rest.

Zi Qing and Zi Yu were sharp, learning things quickly, and coupled with Madam Zhou’s long experience, there were hardly any major issues. Lin He herself spent the whole day at home sewing clothes for her future younger brother or sister. She had made quite a few sets for all seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—and even sorted them for both boys and girls. Everyone in the family joked that she had sewn so much, they wouldn't worry about clothes even if they had three children.

Lin He herself was utterly bored. There was little for her to do around the house; every day was just eating and sleeping. In her previous life, when she was working, she had longed for such a leisurely existence. But now that she actually had such a life, she didn't like it. She felt entirely useless, like a parasitic worm; even a life of idleness became tiresome when lived day after day.

So, the only thing the family had left for her to do was embroidery. Seeing that the New Year was fast approaching, she started making several new sets of clothes for everyone in the family. When the family was poor, they often didn't even have enough to eat, and their clothes were worn and reworn until they were threadbare. Now that the family was much better off, Lin He planned to make new clothes for everyone.

The clothes for the family members were done early, so now she had nothing to do but sew for the baby in her mother's belly. Thinking that the child would grow quickly and need clothes anyway, and that clothing styles now weren't like in her past life where styles changed yearly—they were all the same—making more was a good way to pass the time. During this period, with Zi Qing and Zi Yu present, Lin He learned tailoring from them. This gave Lin He a great sense of accomplishment; finally, she could complete a garment from start to finish.

Madam Huang watched Lin He embroidering every day and realized she was genuinely bored. Furthermore, seeing the piles of children’s clothes already made, if she didn’t intervene, the house would truly run out of space. Madam Huang smiled and said, "He’er, stop making clothes all day. Look, it’s already November; the Laba Festival will be here soon, and the New Year isn't far off. I probably won't be able to manage all the household affairs this year. Your father is such a brute; he only knows manual labor. The gifts for the festivals and New Year will rely on you to prepare. Once you have those sorted, I won't have to worry."

Madam Huang paused after speaking, then continued, "Some of these gifts need to be made, and some bought. You must hurry up with the preparations, or we won't have time. Also, for Uncle Wen’s gift, you’ll need to think of something special. He has helped our family so much, and he never haggles over money. Although the gift doesn't need to be expensive, it must show our sincerity. Otherwise, people might think we are ungrateful."

Lin He knew her mother wanted her to stop sewing clothes and was therefore finding tasks for her. But what her mother said was also true; it was time to prepare gifts for the Laba Festival, and she really needed to put serious thought into Uncle Wen’s gift this year.

Gifts for the relatives in the family were relatively easy; buying some items in town would suffice. However, Lin He needed to carefully consider the present for Uncle Wen’s household. If it were too valuable, she couldn't afford it; if it were too casual, she would feel embarrassed to give it.

Lin He thought long and hard. The best thing to give Uncle Wen's family would be food items. Since they had many people, only edibles could be easily distributed. Lin He looked around the courtyard, finally spotting the trays of confections on a nearby table. She knew what she needed to do: make some pastries and treats to send to Uncle Wen's house.

At this time, there were only a few common types of confections available: sesame biscuits and peanut brittle, the most frequent treats in poorer households. Those enjoyed by wealthier families—such as osmanthus paste, dried jujube paste, or almond candy—were also limited to just those few varieties. It wasn't that they weren't tasty, but after eating too much of anything good, every bite eventually tasted the same.

In her past life, Lin He often made various types of pastries herself. She knew how to make many different ones. Lin He thought about making some pastries, then commissioning carved wooden boxes from Uncle Li's place, and sending them to Uncle Wen's family; this would look much nicer.

The first thing Lin He thought of making was pork floss pastry (ròusōng bǐng). Pork floss didn't exist at this time, but Lin He knew how to make it herself. The raw materials were quite simple, and most were already on hand: pork, cooking wine, scallions, salt, white sugar, and soy sauce—all available. Lin He was confident she could succeed.

Besides pork floss pastry, Lin He also planned to make some small cakes (xiǎo dàngāo) for Uncle Wen’s family. The ingredients for the cakes were all available at home; they had more than enough eggs and flour and didn't need to purchase any. Since making the pork floss required lean cuts from the hindquarters of the pig, which she would have to buy in town tomorrow, Lin He decided to try making the cakes first.

Full of enthusiasm, Lin He called Zi Qing and Zi Yu to join her in the kitchen to get busy. The process for making the cake was relatively simple. Lin He took a few eggs and some white sugar. She had Zi Qing beat the eggs, add the sugar, and stir continuously until well combined. Then, she added the flour and continued mixing until it was smooth again. Finally, she had Zi Yu tend the fire and placed the batter in a steamer. After steaming for about ten minutes, the fragrant aroma of cake wafted out. When she lifted the lid, it had indeed set.

Zi Yu smelled the fragrance and exclaimed, "Miss, what is this? It’s so brightly yellow and looks delicious."

Lin He smiled, took a knife, and cut the cake into pieces, telling Zi Yu to take one to taste. Having been with Lin He for a long time, Zi Yu and Zi Qing were no longer overly constrained in their actions. When Lin He told her to try it, she immediately brought over several pairs of chopsticks. The few of them tasted it, and both Zi Qing and Zi Yu ate their pieces without wanting to put down their chopsticks, saying the thing was fragrant, soft, and carried a faint eggy scent, besides having a lovely color.

Lin He smiled and told them, "This thing is called cake. The method is very simple; you just need to control the proportions of eggs, flour, and sugar. Did you remember what I asked you to do just now? You’ll need to help me make more in a few days."

After tasting it in the kitchen, Lin He brought the cake out for Madam Huang, Chen'er, and Xiao Bao to try. They all agreed that this was delicious and beautiful, far better than those sesame biscuits or peanut brittle.

Lin He smiled. This was already the simplest version of the cake, without any cream or added fruit. Yet, they praised it so highly. If some fruit were added to enhance the flavor, the taste would surely be even better. She thought about checking the town tomorrow to see if there was any fruit she could incorporate; a little fruit flavoring would likely make it taste much superior.