Chapter 55: Matsutake Chicken Soup. (Second update)...

Sugar-frosted jade bees are actually candied lotus seeds. Later generations also called them sugared lotus seeds, or candied lotus seeds.

I picked one up in Linzhi to try. The shell was sweet and crispy, and the lotus seeds inside became soft, sweet and fragrant after being boiled and fried. The lotus seed core hidden inside brought a touch of fragrance and bitterness. Instead of making people feel that it was unpalatable, it made people feel sweet and refreshing.

"This shop does a really good job." Linzhi ate one and couldn't help but pick up another one and eat it.

"I think so too." Song Jiaoniang also ate one after another. After finishing the whole bag, she still felt unsatisfied, so she turned around and bought another bag.

This time, when Song Jiaoniang bought the Jade Bee, she didn't see the frivolous man she had just met. Instead, she ran into a woman who looked quite familiar. "Oh..."

The other party was also surprised: "Are you the one from the clothing store last time?"

"It's you again! I'm sorry for making you laugh last time." Song Jiaoniang looked embarrassed and quickly called Lin Zhi over to greet her. "My last name is Song, and this is my daughter, Lin Zhi. May I ask your last name?"

"My last name is Fu, and this is my daughter, Lin Ruixiang." Madam Fu replied cheerfully, "I never thought everyone in my husband's family would have the surname Lin."

"This is truly fate!"

"That's right!" Madam Fu also felt so.

Song Jiaoniang and Madam Fu quickly became close, using this as an excuse. Madam Fu hadn't brought her daughter to the feast, but had just ascended the mountain to pay respects to the Buddha and fulfill a vow, and was now descending. "This temple is very reliable for finding love," she said.

When Song Jiaoniang heard this, she couldn't help but be surprised: "Really?"

Madam Fu nodded and said with a smile, "My daughter had met two men before and was not satisfied. But after she came back to pay her last respects, she received news as soon as she returned to the city. Now she has been arranged to marry someone very well."

The woman was overjoyed, and Song Jiaoniang was also tempted: "Should I go and pay my respects too?"

"Please pay your respects. You're here by fate." The woman saw Song Jiaoniang also brought her daughter, and she couldn't help but feel sympathetic. She pulled Song Jiaoniang aside and complained, "It's not easy for girls in this world. Even if a man is 35 years old, as long as he passes the test, there will still be people offering gold to marry their daughters. But girls are picked on after they turn 16. If they're still unengaged by 18, they're secretly accused of having all kinds of problems, and matchmakers only introduce them to widowers..."

"Besides, it's hard to tell a woman's character after she gets married. It really makes me, as a mother, feel anxious." Madam Fu had been depressed for a long time. When she met Song Jiaoniang, who only had one daughter, she talked to her for a long time: "My neighbors seemed to be polite and well-behaved to outsiders, but after getting married, they wasted all kinds of time."

"How can there be such people?"

"Well, it is said that the woman gave a fake dowry." Madam Fu shook her head and said helplessly.

The so-called fake dowry is that there are many items, but they are all for show, and even the items on the dowry list are inferior in quality.

Some poor families who do not love their daughters will resort to such means. After all, their daughters are married off, and they don't care whether the other party is a human or a ghost.

The better families were unhappy for a few days and then got over it. Some families, after receiving the dowry, naturally knew that the girl had no support from her parents' family, so they bullied her as much as they could.

Madam Fu told a lot of gossip in a vivid manner. When she learned that Song Jiaoniang's family was in business and that they had only one daughter, she looked at Linzhi carefully, then took Song Jiaoniang's hand and said, "Your daughter looks old enough to be looking for a husband. I'm telling you, if a matchmaker comes to your house, or if those distant relatives suddenly try to introduce you to someone, don't listen to them. To be honest, they can turn even the dirt in a cesspool into flowers!"

This is a rough but true statement. There is an old saying in the market: The matchmaker's words are lies. If anyone believes the matchmaker's words, her daughter will be in great trouble!

"Especially those who read."

Madam Fu's family ran a shop run by a wealthy family, often associating with scholars. Initially, she had hoped to find a capable man for her daughter's future, but gradually she lost interest. "Let me tell you, those scholars are the most snobbish. They're all waiting to be picked as husbands by officials and wealthy families. Those from well-off families won't marry unless they pass the imperial examination."

"And those from poor families..."

"Every year there's a drama where a Jinshi (a scholar) divorces his wife, forcing her and her children to come to Bianjing!"

The conversation between the two ended only when Lin Sen, noticing the mother and daughter hadn't returned for a long time, rushed over to check on them. Song Jiaoniang and Fu Niang agreed to meet and talk next time, and then she dragged the father and daughter toward the mountain temple. "I heard you've decided to go and worship the Buddha, so you absolutely must go, or the Buddha will be angry!"

Just put off making the wish you originally wanted to make for now.

Song Jiaoniang originally thought that since she had some money, she wanted to save it for her daughter's dowry and look forward to her daughter's marriage in the future. However, she was frightened by what Madam Fu said, and gave up the idea. She went into the temple and only worshipped the Buddha and drew a lot.

That lottery is still a good one.

Song Jiaoniang was stunned when she saw the bamboo sticks, secretly regretting that she should have asked for a marriage for her daughter just now.

Lin Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and pulled the frustrated Song Jiaoniang out: "Okay, okay, maybe it's because you didn't think about anything, so the Bodhisattva gave you a good fortune."

After thinking this way, Song Jiaoniang reluctantly gave up.

She was talking to Lin Sen about what Madam Fu had just said, and holding her daughter's hand tightly, the three of them did not look like they were out climbing to relax, but rather like three quails huddled together, attracting a lot of attention along the way.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, the family of three was about to get on the donkey cart when they heard someone greet them: "Mrs. Song."

Song Jiaoniang looked back and asked in surprise, "Madam Hua? Are you here for the vegetarian feast today as well?"

You should know that when we were chatting yesterday, Madam Hua didn't mention this at all.

Lady Hua nodded and smiled, "Yes."

She pointed to the donkey cart not far behind her and said, "I went back home yesterday. My mother asked me to accompany her to the temple to pray for a child for me and a good marriage for my nephew."

Song Jiaoniang looked in the direction Hua Niang pointed and nodded politely, but a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes: the frivolous man from before was actually Hua Niangzi's nephew?

Song Jiaoniang's expression faded. Seeing Hua Niang inviting the family to sit over, she shook her head and said, "My husband has reserved a seat at the theater and is going to take us to see a performance."

Hua Niangzi's smile froze, and it was obvious that Song Jiaoniang was determined, so she had to say goodbye with regret.

Song Jiaoniang returned to the cart and urged it to move quickly. Lin Sen noticed that her expression was not right and wondered, "Isn't that Hua Niangzi? You two usually get along well, why are you suddenly unhappy?"

"You don't know." Song Jiaoniang recounted the frivolous man's behavior, and she kept muttering to herself, "Maybe it's because of what Madam Fu said to me before. Now when I look at Madam Hua's behavior, I always feel that something is wrong."

"First of all, she never mentioned coming yesterday. At least this could be considered a spur-of-the-moment decision on the part of her family."

"But the whole family is here, and they invited our family over for dinner and a chat."

"That frivolous young man just now looked at Sister Zhi again."

When Song Jiaoniang explained what she felt was wrong, Lin Sen's expression changed. Such a coincidence, put together, was no coincidence.

Linzhi had disliked Lady Hua from the beginning. Upon hearing this, she said, "I've heard that Buddhism has a sixth sense that transcends the five senses. It means that if something doesn't feel right, then it's wrong."

Lin Sen thought it made sense: "We don't know anything else, so let's do less and make fewer mistakes."

Song Jiaoniang nodded, then took Lin Sen's hand and said in a sweet voice, "Brother Sen~"

“???”

"I just told Hua Niangzi that you have reserved a seat at the theater and are going to take us to see a play~"

"..." Lin Sen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He lifted the curtain and told the donkey cart driver, "Brother, please go to the Sang family's washhouse on the south side of Wazi Street."

"Okay." The donkey cart driver responded and quickly rushed to the most lively area of ​​​​Bianjing City.

Although in later generations, "Gou Lan" gradually became a synonym for brothels, at present "Gou Lan" is just a simple noun: a performance stage surrounded by railings.

There are dozens of brothels in each tile house, with storytelling, history performances, acrobatics, and movie shows. It is a dazzling array of things, and there is not a single duplicate.

The family had been in Bianjing City for a long time, but this was their first time entering a tile house. They wished they had five pairs of eyes so they could see everything inside.

After watching for a while, the family of three found another restaurant to sit in. Song Jiaoniang leaned her head on Lin Zhi's shoulder, watching her daughter skillfully order dishes. She found herself looking at the expensive menu without any panic. She couldn't help but sigh, "When I first came home, I didn't expect that I would see these things one day."

"What are you talking about, mother? Even ordinary people can enter the tile house." Linzhi pointed at the people on the street outside and chuckled. This tile house was like a large entertainment center in the future. It was up to you to spend as much as you wanted. You could spend a lot of money, or you could spend nothing.

"Oh, I was talking about the restaurant!" Song Jiaoniang said coquettishly. "The last time I went to Xie Da Lamb Restaurant, I felt a little sad. Now seeing the food that costs hundreds of coins... I actually feel that it's just so-so!"

"It's like having money in your pocket and not being worried."

"That's right!" Lin Zhi nodded in agreement.

"That's right." Song Jiaoniang held her cheek and said boldly, "Then - let's work harder and have dinner at Fanlou next time!"

"Okay!" Lin Sen agreed immediately.

As the three were talking, the restaurant served the food. The first dish served was abalone with gold and silver clips. At first glance, it looked a bit like fried dumplings in later times, but it was an open version.

Linzhi picked up one to taste, and immediately raised his eyebrows: the skin was fried crispy, the shrimp meat was crispy and tender, and the croaker was fresh and sweet, without any fishy smell.

"Why is it made into a clamp?" Lin Zhi was puzzled and lowered her voice, "The shrimp and fish juices will leak out, which will waste the sweet taste."

Simply put, it's a waste of good fish.

Lin Zhi still remembered that he was in someone else's restaurant, so he didn't say the last half of the sentence. However, the waiter heard the first half of the sentence and served the dish seriously: "Sir, here is the matsutake chicken soup."

Linzhi was startled and quickly shut her mouth, watching the waiter lift the lid of the pot.

In an instant, hot air wrapped with the fragrance of matsutake mushrooms and the mellow aroma of chicken hit their faces, making Lin Sen and his wife's throats roll unconsciously. They stared at the mist dissipating, revealing the true appearance of the chicken soup.

The chicken soup had an amber sheen and was so clear that you could see the ginger slices and mushrooms at the bottom.

The chicken is neatly arranged and placed in the chicken soup, with various mushrooms scattered on the body, and wolfberries and green onions sprinkled on top.

The interweaving of gold, red, yellow and green creates a visual impact.

Linzhi ignored the waiter who stopped by, raised his hand to scoop up a spoonful of soup and put it into the small bowl, preparing to take a sip.

The moment her tongue touched the soup, the extreme deliciousness made her face tense. On the surface, this soup seemed to be made with only matsutake mushrooms and chicken, but in fact, this soup was not stewed with the young hen in front of her, but with old hens over three years old and pork elbows.

Linzhi swallowed a mouthful of soup and couldn't help but chuckle. It is said that people hate pork. The high-end restaurants and hotels frequented by rich people don't use pork, but aren't there people using pork here?

Lin Sen drank two bowls of soup and still felt unsatisfied. He had to admit that the matsutake chicken soup made by this chef was no less delicious than the one made by his daughter.

He glanced at his daughter and happened to see Lin Zhi laughing, so he quickly asked, "Sister Zhi, what's wrong?"

Lin Zhi pursed her lips and smiled: "I didn't expect that pork elbow was used in this!"

Lin Sen's eyes widened, Song Jiaoniang's eyes widened, and even the waiter opened his mouth and almost jumped up.

How is that possible!