Chapter 74 The Roast Duck We Didn't Get to Eat at the Inn

The student picked up a bowl of brown sugar tofu pudding. There was nothing on top except brown sugar water. He scooped up a spoonful and ate it. The sweet taste filled his mouth and spread throughout his body. He unconsciously squinted his eyes and said, "This brown sugar tofu pudding is really delicious."

The student who had just mentioned savory tofu pudding shook his head and said, "You can eat brown sugar tofu pudding anytime, but have you ever had savory tofu pudding anywhere else? How can you say that sweet tofu pudding is better if you haven't tried it?"

Two students started arguing over a bowl of tofu pudding. After putting down the other tofu puddings, Yunyin quickly got up to say goodbye and went to Xia Yan's table. They were quite harmonious there, discussing which tofu pudding was the best. In the end, the fruit tofu pudding won, and the others didn't have any objections. They loved it whether it was sweet, salty, or spicy.

After finishing a bowl of sweet tofu pudding, Xia Yan patted her stomach and said, "I ate so many sweets today. I used to only think that desserts were delicious, but I never thought that tofu pudding was so delicious. I never realized it before."

Ah Hui said, "That's because Yun Niangzi is amazing. She can make simple ingredients into something extraordinary. I still miss those candied hawthorns. It's a pity they're gone now. I don't know when I'll be able to eat them again."

Xia Yan wiped her mouth and said to her, "When I get back, I'll have Awan cook it, so you don't have to keep thinking about it. Just play well later, there's a big meal waiting for you tonight."

Song Xuan nodded and said, "Ah Hui, you're pretty good at Cuju (ancient Chinese football), we'll be counting on you in a bit."

Zhu Hui's fighting spirit ignited, and she nodded, saying, "Don't worry, leave it to me. I will definitely win back the prize."

Yunyin encouraged them, saying, "Then I wish you all the best."

She went back to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner. Since everyone liked the tofu pudding, she could ask Aunt Fang to order more.

Actually, Yunyin can also make tofu pudding. It's not difficult, and it tastes pretty good. She was curious and tried it before, but she had a machine to use, so it wasn't too tiring.

But here they can only use a stone mill to make it, and grinding soybeans is very tiring. There aren't many people here who can do it like that. Zhang Lin also has to be in charge of breakfast every day. Tofu and tofu pudding are still bought directly from Aunt Fang and the others, but the distance is a bit far and it's not very convenient. Fortunately, they have a horse-drawn carriage, so Zhang Lin can buy them together when he goes to buy ingredients.

After Xia Yan and her friends had eaten and drunk their fill and rested, they got up and went outside the courtyard. The other students followed them out to watch.

Xia Yan patted Zhu Hui on the shoulder and said, "It's up to you now."

Zhu Hui took a leather ball and stood on the field, saying to another girl, "Huo Yan, didn't you say you were really good at Cuju (ancient Chinese football)? Let's have a match today."

Huo Yan didn't even glance at Zhu Hui, and said to Xia Yan, "You're organizing a Cuju (ancient Chinese football) event, isn't it supposed to be a competition between the two of us? What do you mean by having Zhu Hui come?"

Xia Yan shrugged and said, "Who said that just because I organized it, I would participate? I only suggested it. You came on your own. I didn't say I would participate. I'm not good at it, so why should I compete with you?"

"You..." Huo Yan's face turned red with anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll compete with Zhu Hui and make you both admit defeat."

Song Xuan stood aside and watched the battle. She said to Xia Yan, "She still resents you for taking her leadership position. Before you returned to Long'an County, she was always the leader among the women. After you came, everyone wanted to know the story of Chang'an, so they gradually distanced themselves from her and started to surround you."

Xia Yan watched as Zhu Hui passed the ball to the other person with her shoulder. Huo Yan almost missed it, and she said regretfully, "Oh dear, it was so close." After watching this exciting duel, she said to Song Xuan, "I didn't do it on purpose. What can I do if everyone likes me more? I can't refuse them."

After saying that, she and Song Xuan smiled at each other and continued to watch the duel. Xu Fei took a chair from the lobby and placed it on the ground. "My wife, sit down and watch. They'll probably be at it for quite a while."

Song Xuan said to Xia Yan, "As expected of Xu Fei, he always takes care of your feelings. None of us get this treatment."

Xia Yan sat down in the chair and stretched her body. "If you want one, just ask him to get you a chair too. It's not that difficult."

Xu Fei nodded and said, "I'll help Madam Song carry it. Please wait a moment."

Yunyin came out of the kitchen carrying rock sugar pears and saw this scene. She called Zhang Lin for help, put out chairs for everyone, and set up a table. She placed the rock sugar pears on the table and said, "I'm sorry, it was our oversight. We forgot to put out the tables and chairs for you."

"I chilled this rock sugar pear for a while, and it's perfect to eat now."

The September sun wasn't so scorching, but after exercising, they still needed to replenish their energy. In addition to rock sugar pear soup, she also served each of them a bowl of plum juice. "If that's not enough, you can ask Zheng Guilan to bring it to you. She's in the yard. Just let her know if you need anything."

Just as Yunyin was talking to them, a carriage came from the direction of the county town. Yunyin went up to ask, and a slightly plump man got off the carriage, looked around, and asked her, "Is this Yunlai Inn?"

Yunyin looked him up and down. His silk robes were neatly arranged, and he held a handkerchief in his hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead from time to time. She nodded and said, "This is Yunlai Inn. Are you here to stay or to have a meal?"

The man scrutinized Yunyin for a moment, then nodded and said, "I've come to eat. May I ask what your signature dishes are?"

Yunyin ushered the man to the main hall. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that he was avoiding the people on the football field. She raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It's the perfect time to eat perch now. Would you like to have a serving to try?"

"Steamed pork with rice flour and pickled fish sell very well here. If you don't want to eat fish, you can also choose braised pork."

After he sat down, he looked around and saw that the menu behind the counter listed roast duck. He pointed to the menu and said, "Give me one serving of roast duck. Do you also serve chicken? I prefer chicken."

Yunyin said apologetically, "I only have a limited supply of roast duck, six per day, and today's ducks are all sold out. As for chicken, I made some salt-baked chicken today, you can try it."

He frowned slightly when he heard there was no roast duck, but relaxed when he learned there was salt-baked chicken. He said, "Then I'll have one salt-baked chicken, one steamed fish, and one serving of seasonal vegetables."

Yunyin accepted the order, asked Zheng Guilan to attend to the person, and went back to the kitchen to make steamed fish.

Steamed fish is quick to prepare. After preparing the sauce and pouring it over the steamed fish, Yunyin steams it for a little longer, sprinkles it with shredded green onions and ginger, and then takes the fish out and places it on the serving table. Feng Hai's stir-fried vegetables are also ready. She cuts the salt-baked chicken into sections, arranges them on a plate, and serves them to the diners.

The diner was surprised by how quickly Yunyin served the food. He had only been looking at it for a short while when the dishes arrived, so he had to turn his attention back to the dishes being served.

The exquisitely presented steamed fish resembled a peacock spreading its tail feathers, adorned with emerald green scallions. Around the plate were cooked beans inlaid on dogwood, like the peacock's feathers. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and tasted it. It was tender and smooth, with a perfect balance of saltiness. The sweetness of the fish seemed to spread in his mouth, and he could not taste any muddy taste at all.

He couldn't help but eat a couple more bites, then rinsed his mouth with his teacup before continuing to savor the next dish of salt-baked chicken.

The presentation of salt-baked chicken is not as fancy as that of steamed fish; it is quite simple and unadorned, with only a radish flower garnishing the chicken's head to add a touch of elegance to the dish.

After just a slight taste, he gained a clear understanding of the chef's skills at Yunlai Restaurant. Chicken is not difficult to cook, but it is difficult to cook it well. If the heat is not controlled properly, the chicken meat will be very dry. If it is not marinated properly, the chicken meat will not be flavorful.

This salt-baked chicken perfectly demonstrates the chef's excellent control over flavor. The saltiness is just right, and the chicken meat is tender and smooth. Both the meat inside and outside are perfectly seasoned. It's not only great with rice, but also delicious on its own.

Although he hadn't tasted the roast duck yet, just looking at this salt-baked chicken, he could already foresee what the roast duck would be like. No wonder everyone in the county who had eaten it couldn't forget it.

He finished eating quietly, and only when Yunyin came over to ask him did he come back to his senses and say, "Miss Yun's cooking skills are superb, which I greatly admire. I wonder if I could speak with you in private?"

Seeing that he was finally about to explain his purpose, Yunyin greeted Cheng Yong and followed him to a corner of the courtyard. She asked curiously, "Do you have something important to tell me?"

He smiled and said, "I haven't introduced myself to Madam Yun yet. My name is Gao Pengxing. I am the chef and owner of Manxiangju. I'm sure you've heard of me. I've come here mainly to discuss a business deal with you."

Yunyin said in surprise, "So you are the chef of Manxiangju. I have eaten your Eight Treasure Chicken before. It is very tender and delicious. With salt and pepper, it tastes amazing."

Gao Pengxing waved his hand and said, "I only cook a few dishes that are pretty good. I'm far inferior to Lady Yun. I came here this time to order some roast duck and salt-baked chicken from you. If it's convenient, could you supply some to our restaurant every day?"

Yunyin asked curiously, "Roast duck and salt-baked chicken are not particularly difficult to make. You can even make eight-treasure chicken, so you should be able to make these two dishes too."

As the saying goes, once you understand one thing, you can understand everything. Yunyin didn't believe that the chefs at Manxiangju couldn't make this dish. Once they tasted it and thought about it a little, they could make something similar, with only a slightly different taste.

Gao Pengxing said with a wry smile, "I don't know what seasonings Yun Niangzi used. I heard that the skin of her roast duck is particularly crispy and the skin and meat separate easily. Ours can't achieve that effect. Everyone's roast duck tastes different. Yun Niangzi's roast duck is so popular, it must have something unique about it."

"Just like the milk tea that Yun Niangzi makes, although there are many shops in the county now selling it, there are still quite a few people who prefer your milk tea. So the same goes for roast duck; they still prefer your roast duck."

Yunyin said, "I'd really like to sell them to you, but my oven isn't very big. I can only roast three at a time. If I want to roast more, I'll have to do it in batches, which probably won't meet your shop's needs." After thinking for a moment, she said, "How about this, I'll marinate the ducks, and you can take them home and roast them yourself?"

"As for the salt-baked chicken, I can make it here. You can send someone to pick it up later." She smiled helplessly at Gao Pengxing. "We are short-staffed in our shop and really can't spare the time to deliver it for you. You'll have to arrange for someone you trust to pick it up."

Upon hearing this, Gao Pengxing laughed and said, "These are all minor matters. As long as Lady Yun is willing to sell to me, that's fine."

"By the way, Lady Yun, how much can you sell it to me for?"

Yunyin: "Both roast duck and salt-baked chicken take time to marinate. You can decide how much you need and I'll marinate it in advance so you can arrange for someone to pick it up."

Gao Pengxing: "Can I have ten of each kind?"