Chapter Eleven: Homemade Mulberry Juice + Braised Pork Sells Like Hotcakes

After taking a bath, she slept better, and the next morning she woke up to the sound of roosters crowing. Li Yan felt refreshed and comfortable all over.

After eating a simple bowl of porridge that Aunt Xue had cooked early in the morning, Li Yan picked up the basket she had found the day before.

Xu Ge'er got up even earlier than her, ate breakfast early, and was already sitting in the courtyard waiting.

Seeing that his aunt had finished eating and was carrying her basket on her back, Xu Ge'er quickly ran over. He didn't say anything, just silently followed behind his aunt.

Seeing this, Li Yan smiled slightly. She didn't say much, but simply slung her basket over her shoulder, put on a straw hat for sun protection, and went straight out of the house.

After exiting through the small gate, Li Yan automatically slowed her pace and let Xu Ge'er walk ahead.

The air was coolest just before sunrise. Walking along the road, the cool breeze on her face was truly refreshing. Li Yan felt the air was so fresh that she took deep breaths, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. After repeating this several times, Li Yan felt a sense of comfort throughout her chest.

Farmers get up early and encountered several neighbors on the way to weed their vegetable gardens.

When they saw Xu Ge'er, they would greet him warmly. Then, looking at Li Yan beside him, they would say, "Is this the Xue family's youngest daughter-in-law?"

Li Yan didn't hide anything; she responded directly and politely.

Madam He was a big mouth, and she had already spread the word about Li Yan's cooperation with Yuanbaolou. So now, the villagers of Xinghua Village were undoubtedly filled with even more curiosity about Li Yan, the Xue family's newlywed daughter-in-law.

Thanks to the He family's vigorous promotion, Li Yan now enjoys a good reputation in the village.

Previously, rumors circulated that she was cursed, saying that she was the cause of the death of Xue's second son. Now, the tide has turned. The villagers' attitude towards Li Yan has gradually become more friendly, and they no longer gossip in groups of three or five about her being a jinx. When someone speaks ill of her, others will say a few words in her defense.

Li Yan didn't care too much about what her neighbors thought of her. However, it was better to be treated kindly than to be talked about behind her back.

On the way, they encountered a woman of similar age to Aunt Xue. Upon seeing Li Yan, the woman stared intently at her and then abruptly asked, "Is Xue's daughter-in-law going into the mountains? What are you going to do in the mountains?"

Li Yan didn't hide anything and said with a smile, "My mother told me that there are wild fruit trees on the mountain, so I'm going to pick some wild fruits to eat."

The old woman said, "I heard you deliver vegetables to Yuanbaolou in town every day. You must be making a lot of money, right? Now that you're making so much money, why are you still picking wild fruits in the mountains?"

The woman's words were so direct and impolite. But Li Yan didn't feel embarrassed. She simply ignored the woman's rudeness and replied vaguely, "It's all hard-earned money. After a long day's work, I don't even earn a few copper coins. I have to pay for the meat first, and I also rent an oxcart from Uncle Cheng, which costs two copper coins a day. We really can't afford to eat at home, so I have no choice but to work this hard."

Hearing this, the old woman finally smiled and said, "I knew it. What can a woman like you accomplish? You can only cook a dish. How come that Zhang family's daughter-in-law made it sound so amazing?"

Then he stopped pestering her and happily went to the vegetable garden with his hoe.

After she left, Xu Ge'er quietly told Li Yan, "Her daughter, Da Hua, had taken a liking to my uncle before. But my grandma thought Da Hua was greedy, lazy, and had a bad temper, so she didn't agree."

So that's how it is; we had a past conflict.

"Is your uncle very handsome?" Li Yan asked, seizing the opportunity.

Firstly, to find out about Xue Er's past; secondly, to get closer to Xu Ge'er.

Speaking of this, Xu Ge'er is very proud.

“My uncle was so handsome, several girls in our village secretly admired him. My father had already been conscripted and even lost his life, so my uncle could have avoided going to the battlefield. But he said he wanted to avenge my father and the many brothers and comrades who died on the battlefield, so he went anyway. But my uncle…” My uncle, like my father, was also unable to avenge those fallen soldiers.

Not only did he fail to avenge his family, he also lost his life.

Li Yan found the topic too sad, so she immediately changed the subject: "Xu-ge'er, are those mulberry trees over there?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ge'er's attention was indeed diverted, and he immediately looked in the direction Li Yan was pointing.

"Yes!" After responding, Xu Ge'er immediately ran off.

There were plenty of wild fruits on the mountain. Besides mulberries, Li Yan also picked raspberries. Li Yan didn't go for too much; after filling most of her basket, she took Xu Ge'er and headed down the mountain.

When they got home, Aunt Xue had already bought the meat and returned. Li Yan washed a bowl of mulberries and shared them with everyone.

She tasted a few while washing them, and they were very juicy; they were indeed quite good.

She emptied the rest from her basket and spread it on a sieve. These were intended for sale, but they needed to be processed and washed later.

Freshly picked fruit can't be kept overnight, otherwise it won't be fresh. So, no matter what, she planned to get rid of these mulberries before tonight.

Her original plan was to make some seasonal fruit iced drinks. But in this day and age, it's really hard to find ice.

Making ice is difficult, but storing ice is even more difficult. It's estimated that only wealthy families in big cities can afford it.

Since ice can't be used, let's settle for well water to cool it down.

Fruit juice cooled with well water, while not as refreshing as with ice, is still cool enough to beat the heat. In this resource-scarce village, being able to enjoy a cool drink is probably a rare treat.

It doesn't cost much, just a bit of effort. Even if it doesn't sell, we can keep it for ourselves or share it with our neighbors, so it won't go to waste.

Without hesitation, Li Yan went to Aunt Xue and asked her if she had a stone mortar.

In those days, there were no juicers, so a stone mortar and pestle had to be used instead.

Stone mortars are a common item among farmers; almost every household has one.

But Aunt Xue used this stone mortar and pestle to crush garlic and chili powder. When she saw Li Yan say that she wanted to use it to crush the mulberries and make juice to sell in town, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "How can we eat it after crushing it?"

As Li Yan took the stone mortar from Aunt Xue, she explained, "Didn't Mother say before that these fruits easily stain clothes, and that people in the village generally don't want children to eat them? So, I plan to crush all the fruits, filter out the pulp, keep the juice, and then put it in bowls to sell." She added, "These mulberries are a good thing; eating more can improve eyesight." Mulberries are rich in anthocyanins, which are best for people who use their eyes a lot.

Aunt Xue didn't understand these things, but if her daughter-in-law said it was okay, then it must be okay.

"I don't understand, but you're a very opinionated child, so I'll listen to you." Since Aunt Xue didn't understand, she didn't ask any more questions or interfere.

If she's willing to stay in this house for one more day, then she can manage this house for one more day.

I just got back from the market in town when I ran into Zhang's wife from next door. She said that Li's braised pork was so popular last night that all fifteen portions sold out quickly, completely overshadowing the original braised pork at Yuanbaolou. She said that Manager Xu was especially pleased.

The fact that diners enjoy the food indicates that the partnership can last. A long-lasting partnership means money will be coming in every day.

With money in the Li family, Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er were able to eat their fill and grow up properly.

Besides, this Mrs. Li isn't stingy with money. When she has money, she'll give some to herself.

If she's doing well, then everyone is doing well.

.

Food you eat yourself can be washed casually, but if you're going to sell it, you have to make sure it's fresh and clean enough.

Li Yan found a pair of scissors and cut off all the stems of the mulberries.

After cutting, I added some salt and flour to the mulberries and washed them repeatedly with water.

Next, slowly pour the mulberries into the pre-washed mortar and pestle and crush them.

Continue mashing until the mixture is completely crushed, then filter it through cheesecloth. Pour the purplish-blue juice into an earthenware jar, leaving the remaining residue on a sieve.

This process was repeated until all the mulberries had been processed. Then, Li Yan poured an appropriate amount of boiled and cooled water into the earthenware pot. Without diluting it with water, it would be too thick; thick enough for a smoothie, but too dense for a drink. Adding some water would undoubtedly improve the texture.

Of course, this is definitely not the end.

Even the most juicy wild fruits contain fruit acids, so you always need to add some sweetness.

Yesterday, I bought some snacks for the two children—maltose candy. Li Yan gave each of them a piece, and then put the rest away. Now, I went to get some more and baked it into syrup over a fire.

That means it's almost done.

After adding the cooked syrup to the earthenware pot, Li Yan scooped some out and tasted it herself. Although it lacked many ingredients and procedures, and the taste wasn't as good as what she made in her later life, it was still quite good.

Of course, this mulberry juice was made in a hurry, and it can be improved further with more careful study later.

Li Yan carried the earthenware jar and went to the Zhang family's house. She then borrowed the Zhang family's well and hung the mulberry juice in the well to cool.

After finishing all that, Li Yan quickly went to take a nap. After sleeping for about fifteen minutes, she got up again and started making the braised pork that needed to be delivered to Yuanbaolou that day.

When the meat was delivered, Manager Xu greeted him with a smile and said that the braised pork she made yesterday had sold out very quickly after it was launched.

Manager Xu meant that, judging from the market conditions, if things continue to be this good for the next few days, they could increase the quantity by ten portions each day.

Although Li Yan was confident in her roast pork, she still needed to be tested by the market first. Only if most people thought it tasted good and were willing to buy it could she make money.

It's useless if you just think it tastes good but are unwilling to spend money to buy it.

Now that she had received feedback directly from Manager Xu, Li Yan felt extremely gratified.

“I only handle cooking; I don’t know anything about restaurant marketing. Manager Xu, you said we can add more portions, so I’ll just follow your instructions. Ten more portions a day… no problem, I can do it, it might be a bit tiring.” After giving Manager Xu a lot of affirmation, Li Yan then offered her own suggestions.

"I have an idea, but I don't know if it's appropriate."

Manager Xu would no longer judge Li Yan by her appearance. Seeing that she had some ideas, Manager Xu was also eager to hear her opinions, so he immediately said, "What are your thoughts, Madam Li? Please speak freely, I am all ears."

A note from the author:

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Here's the update! Leave a comment if you like it!

Also, I'd like to ask for some nutrient solution!

I'll drop 20 red envelopes!