Chapter 66, The 66th Inn, Double Ninth Festival

The moment the duck meat touches the tongue, a sweet rice wine flavor fills the mouth. The wine flavor is very light, with more of the sweetness of the rice wine. The duck meat is soaked in rice wine and blends with it, making it fresh, fragrant, tender and smooth, without any fishy smell.

It's light yet not bland, sweet yet not cloying, very refreshing and delicate. Even Yunyin, who loves spicy food, really enjoys this dish.

Seeing that Cheng Yong and the others also liked it, Cheng Yong said, "The flavor is very fresh and it blends very well with the rice wine. Lady Yun, you can add this dish to the menu."

Feng Hai nodded and said, "The ingredients are simple, focusing on the natural flavor of the food. It tastes sweet and palatable, and the wine flavor is mild, so even the elderly can eat it."

Yunyin said, "Okay, I understand. Then add these two dishes to the menu."

Feng Hai asked, "Miss Yun, which banquet do you plan to join?"

"Put it on the five-cash banquet menu, but you can also order it separately if you wish."

Cheng Yong took out a wooden plaque, wrote down the names of the two dishes, and hung it on the wall behind the counter. Looking at the wooden plaque with the mushrooms, he asked, "Miss Yun, are there still so many mushrooms left? Weren't you going to make mushroom sauce? Are you not making this dish anymore?"

Yunyin: "We have enough mushrooms. Besides the ones from the mountains, there are also straw mushrooms grown in nearby villages. Although we can't grow them on a large scale yet, they can still supplement our supply. I went to the village before and saw how well they were doing. We can take advantage of the good weather to dry more mushrooms so we'll have mushrooms to use later."

Cheng Yong: "Okay, I understand. I'll tell Zhang Lin to buy more mushrooms from the food stall."

"How's the breakfast business at the food stalls?" Feng Hai asked curiously. "Are there many people eating wontons?"

Yunyin nodded and said, "Not bad. Nowadays, more people eat wontons than noodles. Maybe it's because wontons have both meat and vegetables, so they prefer them."

On the Double Ninth Festival, a day for climbing mountains, many people go out to enjoy the spring scenery. Yunyin saw Song Shi and his group coming early in the morning. Not only him, but Xie Yan and the others also came.

Yunyin asked curiously, "Aren't you all going hiking with your families today?"

Xie Yan picked Song Xuan up from the car and nodded, saying, "I'm here with Jingxuan today, and I thought I'd drop by to see you. Besides, the scenery here is quite nice. If you want to enjoy the view, you can go up the mountain behind to appreciate the natural scenery. You don't have to climb those famous mountains."

Song Xuan sat down next to Yun Yin and revealed, "He just didn't want to be taken by his family to make small talk. Every year at this time, his family drags him along to fill in the gaps. He's fed up with it. He specifically asked me to come out and even told my family that he wanted to build a relationship with me."

Xie Yan sat down next to her and asked, "Didn't I keep you company?"

Just as the two of them were bickering, the sound of horses' hooves rang out outside. Before they could even see who it was, they heard Wang Yu's incessant voice: "Trust me, the scenery here is absolutely amazing. Not only can you eat unique delicacies, but you can also enjoy different scenery. Isn't this better than going to Qingtong Mountain?"

Wang Yu led the group in and immediately noticed Xie Yan and the others. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, what a coincidence, you've all come here to climb the mountain today."

Xie Yan bowed to him, then nodded to Shen Rong and the others, "It is quite a coincidence. I heard that your school organized a mountain climbing trip. Why didn't you go?"

Wang Yu plopped down next to Xie Yan and said with a pout, "I don't want to go. It's not like we're really going to climb a mountain. Why should I join in the fun?"

After bowing to Yunyin, Shen Rong sat down on the other side, greeted Song Xuan, and then looked at Xie Yan, "Didn't your school also have activities? Why didn't you go?"

Xie Yan didn't reply. Song Shi shrugged and said, "I have something to discuss with Lady Yun. As for them, they're the same as you. They don't want to socialize."

Seeing that they were having a pleasant conversation, Yunyin went to the kitchen and brought out some Chongyang cakes, handing them to everyone and saying, "I'm inviting you to eat Chongyang cakes; it's quite fitting for the occasion."

After thanking them, the group sat down to chat. Lin Hui noticed the wooden sign hanging behind the counter and asked Yun Yin, "Miss Yun, are the steamed duck with fermented rice wine and the chicken skin soup with pickled bamboo shoots new dishes? I didn't see them when I came before."

Yunyin nodded and said, "It's a new dish, would you like to try it?"

Song Shi didn't disturb their conversation. He told Yun Yin and went to check the condition of the wall, while Yun Yin continued chatting with them.

Yunyin was chatting happily with them when she heard someone call her name. She turned around, smiled, and said, "Old Master Huo, you've arrived? You've come here to climb the mountain today too." Looking at the gentle woman standing beside him, she smiled at her and said, "You must be Madam Lin. It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to visit."

Lin Yun nodded and said, "This isn't the first time I've heard of you. I've always heard Huo Lang mention you. It's great to finally meet you today."

Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Hui looked up, her expression instantly changing. She stood up and stepped forward to greet Huo Yu, saying, "Aunt, you've come today too." She then bowed to Huo Yu, saying, "Greetings, Uncle."

"Lin Hui, you're here too." Lin Yun looked at Song Xuan and said, "I heard your mother mention yesterday that you were going out with Xie Yan today. So you came to Lady Yun's place."

Song Xuan and Xie Yan also stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Aunt."

Lin Yun and Song Xuan were close friends with Xie Yan's mother, so they also addressed her as "Aunt" along with Lin Hui. After greeting the elder, the two returned to their seats, not wanting to disturb Yun Niangzi's conversation with the elder.

Yunyin: "Why haven't I seen Huo Chen today?"

"His wife is pregnant, and he needs to take care of her during this time, so he probably won't be coming over for a long period of time," Lin Yun explained to Yun Yin.

Huo Yu had a maid bring over two pots of chrysanthemums and said to Yun Yin, "I noticed you didn't have any chrysanthemums in your courtyard. We appreciate chrysanthemums for the Double Ninth Festival, so I brought you two pots as a way of thanking you for taking care of us before."

Yunyin accepted the chrysanthemums and said gratefully, "It is my blessing as a cook to have a customer like you. Thank you for the chrysanthemums. I will treat you to Chongyang cake."

She brought out three more servings of Chongyang cake and invited them to eat. She then said to Huo Yu, "One of these is filled with chestnuts. Don't eat too much, or you might have indigestion. Another one is filled with red bean paste, and the last one is plain. You can choose whichever you like."

"By the way, I recently made two new dishes. Mr. Huo, you can try them." Yunyin pointed to the menu hanging on the back wall and said, "Besides these two dishes, today's specialty is sashimi. If you like raw fish, you can give it a try."

It's the best time to eat perch right now, and Yunyin has caught quite a few from the lake in the mountains. She already has a lot of fish that she kept in the fishing nets before, enough for her to use this year. Before Yunyin buys this mountain, she doesn't plan to raise too many, so as not to benefit others.

Huo Yu: "It's sea bass season now, so please give us one, and also one of the new dishes you mentioned."

Yunyin went back to the kitchen to cook for them. Lin Yun tasted the Chongyang cake and nodded, "The cake is different from what I usually eat. It's not as sweet, but it's still very delicious."

Huo Yu laughed and said, "I already told you that Lady Yun's cooking is very good. I asked you to come with me earlier, but you kept delaying."

Lin Yun sighed and said, "Achen's wife is pregnant, and I can't just sit back and do nothing. I still have to take care of things at home. She hasn't had a good appetite lately either. I wonder if Madam Yun has any ideas?"

After all the dishes were finished, Yunyin brought over the last plate of green vegetables. Hearing her question, she thought for a moment and said, "Try this sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup. If you don't have an appetite, eating something sour might whet your appetite."

Lin Yun tasted the sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup and found it very appetizing. She nodded and said, "Maybe we can try it. She used to really like your mushroom sauce, but I was worried that eating too much of it wouldn't be good for her. I've been telling her to eat less of it lately. It would be better if she could eat some fresh vegetables."

Yunyin nodded and said, "If my wife can eat fish, steamed fish would be even better. She shouldn't eat too much pickled bamboo shoots either."

Lin Yun shook her head and said, "No, she can't eat fish. The smell makes her nauseous. She especially likes sour food, but she doesn't like homemade candied fruit, and she doesn't seem to like the candied fruit we buy either."

After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "I made preserved plums once before. They were sweet and sour and quite appetizing. Madam Lin can take some back and try them."

"If you can't eat fish, chicken and pork bones are good ingredients. It's chestnut season now, so braised chicken with chestnuts is a good dish. Lotus root is also available for sale and can be used to make soup."

As Yunyin spoke, she remembered another dish. She didn't have any, but the Huo family could definitely buy some. She continued, "If you can buy yams, you can buy some and stir-fry them with wood ear mushrooms. It's a very refreshing dish."

Lin Yun listened attentively, noted down the dishes, and nodded, saying, "I'll have the cook try it when I get back. Later, I'll trouble Lady Yun to make another bowl of sour bamboo shoot and chicken skin soup for me to take back and try."

Yunyin agreed, not wanting to disturb their meal. She went to the courtyard, turned the drying grapes over, and let them continue to air dry until they were completely raisins.

"Miss Yun, come here for a moment. There are people selling pomegranates and oranges up ahead. Would you like to go and take a look?" Zheng Guilan asked from the front.

Yunyin wiped her hands and followed Zheng Guilan toward the side of the official road.

Since people started coming and going here, many villagers have brought fruits and vegetables to sell. Yunyin and her friends sometimes lack vegetables, but they can buy them without having to go to town anymore. Not to mention fruits, many villagers will come and ask her if she needs any. If she doesn't want any, they will send them to the county town.

Yunyin's inn is closer to their village, so selling to her is better than carrying fruit for more than an hour to the county town, having to pay entrance fees and stall fees. Even the town is farther than Yunyin's place, and Yunyin always pays the market price when she buys things, so they are willing to sell to her.

Yunyin and Zheng Guilan walked up to the group of villagers. The vegetables were obviously very fresh, and the pomegranates in the basket were also big and red.

"May I have a taste, sir?"

The man nodded and said, "Miss Yun, please try it. You'll know once you try it that our pomegranates are top-notch." This man also knew that regardless of whether Yunyin ultimately bought any or not, she would pay for what she ate.

Yunyin casually picked a pomegranate, peeled off the bright red skin, and revealed the pomegranate inside, which was as dazzling as a jewel.