Chapter 108, Inn No. 108: Stir-fried pork with green peppers and scrambled eggs with tomatoes...

These people were doing odd jobs such as digging mud and moving stones. The people who built the ferry crossing were craftsmen hired by Magistrate Cui. Although it was just a small ferry crossing, Cui Jing still planned it carefully.

Of course, Cui Jing's plan includes more than just this one ferry crossing. The ferry crossing built here can connect Letao Village, Xiaotao Village, Linjiang Village, and Dazhu Village. Fruits grown in these villages can be delivered to other places via this ferry crossing.

As for the other ferry crossing, it was built between Pingxi Town and the county seat, which would be convenient for people in both towns and the county seat to use. However, that ferry crossing had nothing to do with Yunyin.

With the construction of the ferry crossing, many people work along the river every day. The shed that Yunyin built earlier has also come in handy, allowing them to rest there at noon.

Magistrate Cui was very considerate of these people and even ordered several buckets of cooling herbal tea from Yunyin. The people became more motivated to work after drinking the herbal tea.

You should know that in previous years, those serving in the county were so poor that they probably didn't even get to drink much water, let alone drink herbal tea. If they got tired from working, they would be whipped by the constables. Fortunately, this time the craftsman in charge was found by Magistrate Cui. As long as these people worked hard, they wouldn't be too harsh on them.

Of course, if someone slacks off, the constables nearby will naturally step forward to discipline them. Yunyin stood on the shore watching the group of craftsmen, and stroked her chin, saying, "These craftsmen don't seem to be from Jiannan Road."

Fu Wang stood beside her, and upon hearing this, he glanced down as well. He nodded and said, "They look more like they're from Chang'an."

Fu Wang used to frequently travel to Chang'an as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), and after listening to the locals speak so much, he could naturally recognize their accents.

Yunyin: "Since you're from Chang'an, you should be much richer than these conscripts, right? I'll make some food and sell it next door. What do you think?"

Fu Wang looked at the large group of people below and said, "You can give it a try, but even if you sell to them, you won't make much money. You might as well make more dishes that students like. Although Xie Yan and Chen Rong have left and the poetry gathering has not continued, there are still quite a few students who will come to your place in groups."

"Adding in the income from the ladies who often come for medicinal cuisine, this money is enough for you to build a house. And don't you also have income from selling snacks and mushroom sauce?"

Yunyin Shop's monthly income is indeed quite substantial. After deducting taxes, it earns at least twenty taels a month. This doesn't even include the money from selling mushroom sauce and pastries. If you add in miscellaneous items, it can reach thirty taels, which is not a small amount.

Looking at the huge crowd below, she could only sigh and say, "You're right. We can't make much money just by selling food to artisans. We'd be better off researching more dishes to make the shop more successful."

Yunyin clearly remembered to research new recipes before, but as she earned more and more money, she wanted to earn even more, even eyeing the conscripts serving in the military. This wasn't good. Her cooking skills hadn't improved in a long time, and now she really needed to focus on improving them. As long as her skills remained, she wouldn't have to worry about making money in the future.

She realized what was happening and said to Fu Wang, "Let's go back."

Yunyin figured it out and decided not to make the money herself, but she didn't object to others making it. Even Chen Silang from Xiaotao Village, after hearing about it, planned to have his family make some steamed buns and mantou to sell.

Although he didn't earn much, he was still satisfied with a hundred or so coins. After putting away the basket he had sold, he asked Yunyin, "Miss Yun, do you still want bayberries this year?"

Yunyin nodded and said, "Of course I will." Although she also grows bayberries, she doesn't know how long it would take to get the bayberries she grows, so she naturally has to find someone to buy them.

Chen Silang grinned and said, "I heard that the magistrate built this ferry crossing to make it easier for merchants to buy fruit in the future. We specially fenced off those few bayberry trees and fertilized them this year. The fruit is bigger and sweeter than last year. If we are careful, we should be able to sell to those merchants."

Yunyin was also happy for them. She still vividly remembered the robbery incident last year. Seeing that they had moved on and started to busy themselves with their new lives, she was happy for them.

Time flows like a rushing river, never to return. After Yunyin finished planting cotton and made many new dishes, July quietly arrived, and the tomatoes and peppers in the field ripened one after another.

Looking at the greenish peppers and some bright red tomatoes, she was overjoyed.

Sure enough, a tomato is a real tomato. She carefully picked one, wiped it casually on her sleeve, took a bite, and stuck out her tongue, saying, "It's really sour. No wonder nobody wants to eat it."

Although it's sour, it's still perfectly fine to use it for stir-frying. Tomato scrambled eggs, tomato egg soup, and tomato fish are all delicious and appetizing dishes. Not to mention, tomatoes can also be used to cook hot pot, which has a different flavor from mushroom broth.

Most importantly, tomatoes can also be used to make tomato sauce, which is also great for dipping bread.

Moreover, she can replace the seasoning for the squirrel fish with tomato sauce. The previous substitutes simply cannot compare to the taste of tomato sauce. By changing the sauce, the squirrel fish can become even more flavorful and delicious.

Thinking about the tomato and egg stir-fry she had been longing for, she couldn't resist anymore. She handed the tomato she had taken a bite of to Fu Wang, "I want to pick more tomatoes. Tonight we'll have tomato and egg stir-fry, and shredded pork with green peppers."

Stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork is also a very popular home-style dish that goes well with rice. It can be said that most people have eaten this dish. It goes especially well with rice. Yunyin thinks it goes better with rice than braised pork. Moreover, stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork can also be used to mix with noodles. Now that the weather is hot, soup noodles are hot to eat. Stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork noodles and stir-fried tomato and egg noodles are both very good breakfast foods.

Yunyin picked a lot of chili peppers and tomatoes with her basket. Most of the peppers were still green, but some were already red. She picked some of those too, thinking that adding a little red would make the dish look better.

As for the green tomatoes, Yunyin didn't pick them. Green tomatoes can only be stir-fried, and they are not nearly as delicious as ripe tomatoes.

Fu Wang looked at the persimmon in his hand that Yun Yin had taken a bite of, and he also took a bite to taste it. It was indeed very sour. Seeing Yun Yin happily picking a whole basketful, he wondered what was so good about this fruit that made her so happy.

He didn't want to waste anything, since it was given to him by Yunyin, so he forced himself to finish the persimmon despite its sourness.

Yunyin picked a lot of peppers and tomatoes. Seeing that the eggplants and green beans in the field were also ready to eat, she picked quite a few as well. She picked a few eggplants and a handful of green beans, and was about to walk out when she saw a few cucumbers ripening nearby, so she reached out and picked them too.

Normally, these vegetables are picked by someone. The dish of "蓑衣黄瓜" (蓑衣黄瓜, a type of cucumber dish) is always very popular with customers, so the ripe cucumbers are usually used for cooking. Not only that, Yunyin also has to buy cucumbers from people in nearby villages. These few cucumbers are probably ones they missed while picking.

After picking the vegetables, Yunyin picked up the basket and called to Fu Wang, who had been silent beside her, "Let's go back and cook."

Seeing that Fu Wang remained silent, she asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Fu Wang opened his mouth, and after a long while, he said hoarsely, "The persimmons were too sour."

Yunyin: "You ate them all?" She paused and then said, "These persimmons are indeed very sour when eaten as fruit. If you really want to eat them, you can dip them in some sugar, and they won't be so sour."

"But don't worry, it's delicious when used for stir-frying. You can try it in a bit."

Remembering that Fu Wang didn't particularly like sour food, she changed her mind and said, "If you don't like it, you can try shredded pork with green peppers. This dish goes well with rice, and I think you'll all love it."

Sure enough, the large plate of shredded meat that Yunyin made was eaten clean, and even the soup inside was poured out completely, leaving the plate so clean it could reflect light.

Yunyin originally wanted to use the broth from the green pepper and shredded pork to mix with her rice. She even added extra water and thickened it with cornstarch, hoping to have more broth to mix with her rice. But she never got to eat it.

Yunyin looked at the tomato and egg stir-fry on the other side. This one was probably sweet and sour. There were more people eating it than the green pepper and shredded pork. There was still quite a bit left. She quickly scooped up a big spoonful of tomato and egg stir-fry with the sauce. It would be good to use this to mix with rice.

Seeing that everyone was still craving the stir-fried pork with green peppers, she smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll make it again tomorrow. There will be even more chili peppers later, so you can eat as much as you want."

Feng Hai patted his stomach and smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Lady Yun. I've seen you cook chili peppers before, and I've tried them too. I didn't expect fresh chili peppers to be so delicious. They really go well with rice."

"If we have this dish and some soup, we'll have a very good life."

The others nodded in agreement. It was also Dr. Zhang's first time eating fresh chili peppers. He thought that chili peppers could be used for dietary supplements, but he didn't know if they had any medicinal value. He would have to ask Yunyin for some to study.

Yunyin mixed the tomato and egg in the bowl. The sour tomatoes paired with white rice were quite appetizing. She accidentally ate too much and patted her round belly, saying, "Oh, I really shouldn't have done that."

Fu Wang sat down beside her and rubbed her stomach, amused, and said, "You're criticizing others, but you've eaten too much yourself. Look how bloated your stomach is."

Seeing that Yunyin was really uncomfortable, he thought for a moment and said, "How about we go out for a walk to digest our food?"

Yunyin helped him stand up and sighed, "Oh well, it's my fault for eating so much when I finally got to eat these two dishes. I'll be more careful next time and won't eat so much."

As chili peppers and tomatoes ripened in large quantities, Yunyin Restaurant also introduced new dishes. Many people had eaten chili peppers before and could accept the taste, so they all tried the new dishes as soon as Yunyin introduced them. However, there were still quite a few people who had never eaten chili peppers before, so she recommended tomato and egg stir-fry to the customers.

Of course, she also changed the sauce for the squirrel fish in the store. With the addition of tomato sauce, she can now make many more sweet and sour dishes.

The chili peppers grown in the nearby villages were gradually ripening, and knowing that Yunyin would be buying them, they all sent them to her. Yunyin frowned as she looked at the increasing number of chili peppers and said, "This won't do. How can my shop possibly consume so many chili peppers from all these villages? I need to think of another way."

Yunyin wrote a letter to Luoman and Gao Pengxing, inviting them to get together and have an event before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Luo Man and Gao Pengxing were very interested when they heard that Yunyin was going to hold a food event. Gao Pengxing asked, "Miss Yun, what kind of food event do you want to hold? Where will it be held?"

Yunyin: "Of course, we need to report this to the county magistrate. If he agrees, we'll hold it in the county. As for the event, our three families will each prepare some of our signature dishes and innovative dishes for people to taste. This will also help promote our new dishes. What do you think?"

Luo Man had no problem with it. Now that her shops in Mianzhou were in order, she only needed to check the accounts every month and keep an eye on the sheep farm. She had plenty of time, and she was very supportive of things that could help her build a reputation.

Gao Pengxing shared the same idea. He had spent a fortune buying the roast duck recipe from Yunyin, and although the roast duck was selling well, he would need to work harder to recoup his investment. He glanced at Yunyin, planning to discuss it with her later.

Seeing that the two agreed, Yunyin nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll send a letter to the magistrate and see what he thinks."

After Yunyin left, Gao Pengxing immediately followed. He called out to Yunyin, "Miss Yun, you're not going to make roast duck, are you?"

Yunyin thought for a moment and understood that he was planning to make roast duck. She shook her head and said, "Of course not. Manager Gao can make roast duck if he wants. I mainly make some home-style dishes."

Although Gao Pengxing was curious as to why Yunyin didn't make her shop's signature dish, he didn't press her for an answer. After receiving Yunyin's reply, he happily returned to the county town.

Luo Man, however, didn't leave. She waited until Yun Yin returned before asking, "Tell me the truth, what are you trying to do by suddenly organizing this event?"

Yunyin chuckled and said, "As expected, you can't hide it from Sister Aman. I asked Fu Wang to find someone to help bring the seeds. There are two kinds of crops that are now ripe. Many villages in the county are growing one of them. I also wanted to spread the recipe for this food so that the seeds we worked so hard to find wouldn't be in vain."

Luo Man stroked her chin and said, "So that's how it is. What kind of ingredients are they? How do they taste?"

"Sister Aman, why don't you stay here for dinner? I'll cook a few dishes for you to try."

Luo Man laughed and said, "Sure, it's been a long time since I've tasted your cooking."

Yunyin got up and went to the kitchen, where she saw Jiang Xiaoyu carrying a bucket. "Are the shrimp big?"

Jiang Xiaoyu nodded and said, "Not bad. My wife raised them for half a year last year and another half a year this year, so the shrimp are almost ready to eat. As for the crabs, we can wait another month; they'll be at their fattest and most delicious then."

Yunyin: "Okay, then put the shrimp down."

She said to Zhu Yu and Ma He, "Auntie, could you please help me prepare the shrimp and remove the veins? I'll use them to cook later."

The two were already experienced in this field, and even though it was their first time dealing with shrimp veins, they already knew how to do it after hearing Yun Niangzi explain how.

While Zhu Yu and Ma He were processing the shrimp, Yun Yin caught a fish from the tank and began to kill and fillet it.

Yunyin uses grass carp for her boiled fish fillets. This fish has fewer bones and the meat is quite tender. Although it's not as tender as black carp or as delicious as mandarin fish, it's very suitable for making boiled fish fillets.

The chili peppers were gradually ripening, so Yunyin could use the dried chili peppers she had saved earlier. She picked a large handful of dried chili peppers, washed them, and put them in a pot to stir-fry over low heat. Soon, the kitchen began to smell a pungent aroma again.

The diners, who were eating, smelled the aroma and coughed for a while before saying, "Yun Niangzi's cooking is indeed delicious, even this pungent aroma is strong. Every time she stir-fries chili peppers, the smell can be smelled for miles around."

Another diner chimed in, "Yes, it's really too pungent." He sighed, "But who can blame me when this dish is so delicious? I can't live without it now. I wonder if I'll be able to find it anywhere else."

Luo Man found the guests' conversation quite interesting. Just as she was focusing on their discussion of Yun Yin's cooking, an incredibly fragrant aroma entered the space. Not only did Luo Man look over curiously, but the other guests also peeked out.

"What kind of dish is this? It smells so good."

A customer dining nearby asked, "Miss Yun, this looks like fish slices, but pickled fish isn't this color. Why does it look so red?"

Yunyin placed the dishes on the table and said to the people, "This is a new dish I made, boiled fish fillets. I added a lot of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, so the flavor is a bit strong." She looked at Luo Man, "You can try it. If you think it's too spicy, I also made a tomato tofu soup."

Fang He placed the tomato and tofu soup on the table, then served Luo Man a bowl of rice, saying to her, "Madam Luo, please enjoy your meal."

Looking at the simple two dishes and soup on the table, Luo Man picked up her chopsticks and said, "Then I really want to try them."

This boiled fish fillet dish isn't very large, but it's packed with side dishes. Besides cabbage, there are bean sprouts, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili peppers floating on the red broth, making it look incredibly appetizing.

At least that's what the customer next to him thought. He had previously thought the shredded pork with green peppers on the table was very appetizing, but now that he saw the boiled fish fillets, he felt that the shredded pork with green peppers could be put aside.

"Miss Yun, when are you going to sell these vegetables?"

Yunyin said to the group, "Let's wait a while. We plan to make this dish at a food event in the county in a few days."

Several diners were quite surprised to hear this. "Miss Yun, are you going to hold a food event? I wonder what kind of event it is?"

Yunyin explained it to them, and the group said, "Oh, it's a food event. That's perfect, I can go and participate."

They swallowed hard as they looked at the dishes on Luo Man's table, but couldn't help asking, "Miss Yun, can't you really sell us a few portions first?"

Yunyin thought of the leftover food in her pot, which she had originally planned to use for their lunch. However, seeing that these people really wanted to eat it, she nodded and said, "I'll give you a portion. It's not much, just try it."

She went to the kitchen and got a serving of boiled fish fillets, then said to the group, "We're really out. If you still want some, come to the restaurant after the event."

Those people didn't hear what Yunyin said at all. They quickly picked up a piece of fish with their chopsticks and tasted it. The fish was tender and smooth, spicy and fragrant. After finishing a piece of fish, a trace of numbing and spicy sensation remained on their tongues, making them want to eat another bite. But when they looked down, there was no more fish.

The diners looked at each other and all cried out in despair, "I only ate one piece and it's all gone!"

Another diner chimed in, "I only just got a taste, and it was gone before I could savor it properly."

One of them glanced at the remaining soup and side dishes on the table, and before the others could react, he put the food in his bowl into his mouth, not even letting the soup go to waste, and poured it into his own bowl as well.

Seeing this, the others scolded, "How could you eat alone? Spit it out!"

Yunyin watched them start arguing and simply shook her head, saying, "Be careful, don't choke."

The others didn't dare to cause too much trouble, fearing it might escalate, so they let the person who stole the food go and looked at Yunyin, "Miss Yun, when exactly is your event? Will we be able to eat this delicacy then?"

After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "I need the magistrate's permission to hold the event. I will let you know when I have definite news."

Several diners could only watch the dishes on Luo Man's table and swallow their saliva. One of them suddenly noticed that the shrimp on Luo Man's table was not the same as the ones he had eaten before. He quickly asked, "Miss Yun, is that shrimp a new dish?"

Yunyin glanced at the spicy shrimp and nodded, saying, "It's a new way of cooking, and it tastes different from salt and pepper shrimp. I'll be having this dish at my event, so you can all try it together."

Seeing that Luo Man was enjoying her meal, the others could only sigh helplessly and go back to eat their own stir-fried dishes.

Luo Man looked at Yun Yin with amusement: "You only made these few dishes for me, and they smell so good. No wonder they keep bothering you."

"The food tastes really good, with a strong spicy kick. After eating this, I probably won't want to eat anything else for a while."

Yunyin sat down next to her and said, "It's not as amazing as Sister Aman makes it out to be. You just haven't tried it before. This dish is indeed delicious, but you can get tired of it if you eat too much of it."

Luo Man put down her chopsticks and said, "It really tastes good with rice. I really admire your skills. If you were to develop your career in the capital, I wonder how many people would be captivated by your cooking."

“I was very busy when you got engaged before, and I could only send you a gift. I’m back this time to congratulate you in person.”

She looked at Fu Wang in front of the counter, then leaned closer to Yun Yin and said, "When do you plan to get married? I've already prepared a dowry for you."

Yunyin glanced at Fu Wang and whispered, "I plan to get married in a few years. I want to go out and see the world first, and spend more time with him. I'll marry him when I come back."

"Where do you want to go?" Luo Man didn't know that Yun Yin had this idea. She looked at the beautifully renovated inn, with its murals, screens, and many decorations. It was completely different from the simple inn she had first seen.

This place is not only a frequent dining spot for students, but also a gathering place for many scholars. Yunlai Inn is not only well-known in Long'an County, but also has some fame in Mianzhou. Perhaps only Yunyin herself is unaware of this.

"If you want to go out, what are your plans for your store?"

Yunyin: "I plan to train Feng Hai in the next year or two, and then bring Fang He out. With the two of them and Lady Yinshuang, I should be fine even if I go away for a year or two."

Seeing that Yunyin had made a plan, Luo Man nodded and said, "That's good, I'll help you look after things when the time comes."

Yunyin smiled and thanked her, "Then thank you very much, Sister Aman."

Yunyin hadn't mentioned her plans to go out to Fu Wang yet, but she knew he wouldn't refuse. Sure enough, when Yunyin mentioned it to him that evening, he readily agreed, "Okay, I'll bring more people with me."

In fact, Fu Wang didn't hear anything else. He only heard one sentence: "Wait until you come back and we'll get married." Just thinking about this made him very excited, and he was in a state of excitement for several days until Magistrate Cui's arrival interrupted his excitement.