Chapter 85, The 85th Inn: Frying Bean Cakes

After Yunyin finished preparing the sausage casings, she took out the funnel she had bought earlier and stuffed the marinated meat into the casings through the funnel. Although it was troublesome and not as convenient as using a machine, it was quick once cooked.

Zheng Guilan only needed to glance at it a few times to know what to do. She washed her hands, took out a funnel to help, and Fang He also sat down to help. The group quickly filled the sausage casings.

Yunyin tied the sausages with rope, poked a few holes in the casings with a needle to release the air, and hung them under the eaves to air dry. After making all the sausages, Yunyin started making cured pork ribs, using the same method as the sausages, but using large intestines instead.

Yunyin couldn't make many sausages in one afternoon, so she finished making the meat she had marinated today and would buy fresh meat tomorrow. She had to make this for the next few days and planned to make a lot to eat later.

She planned to make something new to eat with the rest of the time. She originally planned to make it tomorrow, but Xia Yan was leaving in a couple of days, and she wanted her to try it.

Yunyin walked over to Zhang Lin and asked, "Have you ground the rice and mung beans into a paste?"

Zhang Lin nodded and said, "It's almost done. I've polished it twice. Lady Yun, please take a look and see if it's acceptable."

Yunyin glanced at it; the consistency was about right. She picked up the ground rice milk mixed with mung bean milk and said to Zhang Lin, "You continue grinding. I plan to make more, dry it, and store it for later."

She carried the bucket of freshly ground rice milk back to the kitchen, filtered it with the gauze she had used to filter the soy milk, added a little salt for seasoning, greased the iron pan with lard, poured in a spoonful of rice milk and spread it into a thin pancake. Yunyin made dozens of pancakes and placed them on a plate to cool.

Feng Hai, who was chopping the filling, put down his knife and said, "I've already prepared the filling. What are you going to do?"

Yunyin placed the bean cakes on the table, took the minced pork he had chopped, added chopped green onions, minced ginger, Sichuan peppercorn powder, salt and other seasonings, and poured in wine and soy sauce in batches to season. After making the filling, she wrapped the filling in the bean cakes, folded them into rectangular cakes.

"Come help me wrap the fillings," Yunyin called to Feng Hai. "Wrap thirty first, and I'll take the rest to fry."

Feng Hai was also seeing this kind of food for the first time. Pancakes weren't usually made like this. He was really curious, "Miss Yun, what kind of food is this?"

"This is a local dish from Shannan East Province, called bean cake, or bean thread. There are many ways to eat it. You can wrap it with filling and fry it, or you can cut it and stir-fry it, or you can dry it and boil it. There are many ways to eat it, and it tastes good."

Feng Hai looked on in surprise: "Miss Yun, you know so much! Is there anything you can't do?"

Yunyin shook her head and said, "There's a lot I don't know, I just have more experience." With the internet so developed now, you can often find different delicacies from different regions. Some she has eaten, but some she hasn't, but she knows how to make them. She just makes what she remembers.

She took the wrapped bean cakes, put oil in a pan, and once the oil was hot, she put the bean cakes in and fried them until they were crispy.

The fried bean cakes were golden and crispy, with a crispy outer layer and a soft and tender inside. Paired with the seasoned filling, they tasted just as good as other pancakes. Yunyin fried one and tasted it, then fried another and handed it to Feng Hai so that he could try it too.

Feng Hai nodded and said, "It tastes good. Is Madam Yun planning to sell it as breakfast?"

Yunyin shook her head and said, "This pancake needs an iron pot, so it's not suitable to sell at a breakfast stall in the morning. I just thought that Xia Yan was leaving, so I wanted her to have something fresh before she left. If you want to sell something, you can sell boiled dried bean cakes, which are similar to noodles, but they're stickier when cooked."

After frying all the bean cakes, she used a clean knife and cutting board to cut them into pieces, put them on a plate, and served them to everyone.

At this moment, Lin Hui and the others returned from outside. Seeing Yun Yin carrying a plate, those who were about to leave stopped. Lin Hui asked, "Miss Yun, what delicious food have you made?"

"Would you like to try some of these fresh snacks?"

Lin Hui nodded and said, "Of course I want to try it. I love all the food that Lady Yun makes."

Yunyin brought a dish to Lin Hui and the others, and then handed another dish to Xia Yan, saying, "Since you're leaving, I made some new food for you to try. I don't know if you'll like it."

Xia Yan took the plate, carefully picked up a piece with her chopsticks and tasted it. She ate in small bites and nodded, saying, "It tastes good, but this food is too homey and not suitable for entertaining guests."

Yunyin smiled and said, "I made this for you, not to entertain you. This is what home cooking is like, simple, clean and comfortable."

The guests who had come to stay also came in, and Yunyin happened to see them. She greeted them and said, "Young Master Ji, would you like to try some?"

He stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Very well, Lady Yun's cooking skills are outstanding; even her home-style dishes are exceptional."

After Yunyin and the others had finished eating, she continued, "I'll go stir-fry some bean cakes. You can eat before you leave, as it will take quite a while on the road."

Xie Yan nodded his thanks to Yun Yin, and Xia Yan smiled and said, "It's nothing, you go ahead and do your work. I won't be leaving right away; it'll be a few more days."

Yunyin took the remaining bean cakes and handed them to Song Shi and Yinshuang, saying, "You two should take a rest too. You've been drawing for half a day after dinner, your eyes must be tired."

"Come and have something to eat. There's no need to rush. You can paint it during your next day off."

Song Shi sat to the side, looked at the dirt on his hands, wiped them casually, picked up his chopsticks and started eating. After finishing his meal, he said, "No, I should finish the drawing as soon as possible. You trust me, and I can't waste time. Only you can be so lenient. No one else would let me take a day off to draw."

"And now that I have Lady Yinshuang's help, I'll be able to finish it even faster. She's especially good at painting flowers. I've asked her to finish the painting for me, and I'll finish the rest during my time off. I'll definitely finish it for you this month."

Yunyin looked at Yinshuang in surprise. She just smiled and didn't say anything, continuing to eat her bean cake. Yunyin paused for a moment and then said, "You can decide what to do. I'll go with whatever you decide."

Looking at Song Shi, whose clothes were now disheveled and dirty but who seemed oblivious to it, Yun Yin realized he was no longer the spoiled brat he once was. She didn't know what expression to make, but she knew that Song Shi had found something to strive for and was willing to pay the price to achieve it, and that was enough.

She smiled slightly at the group and was about to go back to make fried bean cakes when Yinshuang stopped her: "Miss Yun, I see that the flowers you put in the house don't look very healthy. Do you want me to take a look at them for you?"

Yunyin turned to look at her, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Lady Yinshuang can also grow flowers?"

Song Shi laughed and said, "Otherwise, why do you think she knows so much about flowers? Her flower paintings are so beautiful. Lady Yun, you've found the right person to help you take care of your flowers. I wanted to say this before, but the flowers that Lady Xia gave you are being ruined. The leaves were so green before, but now they're almost bare."

Yunyin stared with her round eyes, "Isn't it because autumn has arrived and the leaves are falling? Next spring, new green buds will grow again, right?"

After a moment of silence, Song Shi composed himself and continued, "But they don't all wither, do they? Look at those chrysanthemums, they don't look very vibrant either."

"Really?" Yunyin looked at the chrysanthemums that had been moved out of the guest room. They were still so vibrant, with layers upon layers of petals in full bloom, and the green leaves made them even more radiant.

“Yes,” Song Shi affirmed. “He’s definitely more listless than before.”

Yunyin couldn't help but look at Yinshuang, wanting to hear what this knowledgeable person had to say.

Yinshuang pondered for a moment, then lowered her head slightly without looking at Yunyin, and whispered, "She does seem a little listless, but it's alright. Just take good care of her, and she'll be fine in a few days."

Yunyin said with a mournful face, "Luckily, Lady Yinshuang knows about this, otherwise I wouldn't even know when the flower died." Thinking of this, she looked outside and pointed to the still green gardenia, asking, "Is there anything wrong with that gardenia?"

Yinshuang shook her head and said, "There are no problems for now, but you can apply some more fertilizer before winter to help it survive the winter better. You also need to protect its branches and trunks, and it's best to wrap them in gauze."

Yunyin was definitely reluctant to wrap the branches in gauze, but she had seen that in the past, roadside trees would also be wrapped in straw during winter. She said, "Alright, I'll wrap them in straw. Luckily, I have a lot of straw, enough to help these flowers and trees get through the winter."

After Yunyin finished understanding all the issues with the flowers and plants in the shop, she said gratefully to Yinshuang, "Thank you so much. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known there were so many problems. I'll leave these flowers to you from now on, and I'll give you a reward."

Yinshuang wanted to refuse, but Yunyin interrupted her, saying, "You want to rely on yourself, right? Then you earned all of this yourself, so there's no need to refuse. Otherwise, I won't be able to ask you for advice."

After being lectured like that, Yinshuang couldn't refuse her request any longer and agreed to take care of the flowers in the shop.

After arranging these things, Yunyin got up and went back to the kitchen to continue frying bean cakes. The bean cakes were fried with eggs and chives. This was the last time this year that chives could be eaten. After a while, the chives would be too old, and if you wanted to eat them, you would have to wait until next spring.

Of course, you can also add bean sprouts in addition to chives. Yunyin didn't sprout any bean sprouts today, so she simply skipped that step. The bean cakes made with eggs and chives taste great. The bean cakes are soft, and when paired with eggs and chives, they can be eaten as a side dish or a main course.

Yunyin divided the stir-fried bean cakes into several portions and served them out so that they could taste different ways of making bean cakes.

After grinding the rice into a paste, Zhang Lin looked at the bean cakes everyone was eating and walked over to Yun Yin, saying, "Miss Yun, shall we eat this tonight too?"

Yunyin: "Sure, that's easier. I'll make some more bean cakes later, fry them for dinner, and stir-fry a few more as a side dish. I also have some pickled radishes that I can use as a side dish. It'll save me a lot of trouble tonight."

She mentioned the freshly ground rice milk that Zhang Lin had prepared, filtered it according to the previous method, spread it into thin pancakes, and set them aside. Seeing this, Feng Hai also brought over a pot to help. The two of them worked for quite a while before finally finishing the bucket of rice milk.

Seeing that Yunyin had made a lot more filling, Feng Hai asked, "Isn't this too much? We won't be able to finish it."

Yunyin: "And then there's Qian Si and the others. Although he said I don't need to take care of the meals, I still occasionally give them some food, and they'll be more attentive then."

Feng Hai: "It's not that he has no work right now, it's just that you still have work for him, how could he not do his best?"

“That’s not how it works. There’s a difference between putting your heart into it and just going through the motions.” Yunyin finished mixing the filling and continued, “Besides, the house Qian Si built for me is really nice. I’m very satisfied. Since I’ve made some new food, it’s nice to give one to each of them. It’s a small gift but a big sentiment.”

Yunyin wrapped a bean cake, "But you've had a long day, you can rest for a bit, I'll take care of the rest."

Feng Hai shook his head: "That's not what I meant. Just listen to Yun Niangzi. I'll do it for you. Anyway, I don't have anything else to do. I can't sit still and can't stay idle."

Yunyin fried a basket of bean cakes, and handed the rest to Feng Hai. She then took the basket of bean cakes to the neighboring courtyard to find Qian Si, saying, "You can share these."

Qian Si was deeply moved when Yun Yin brought him food again. Being a rough man, he didn't know what to say, so he could only thank her and say, "Thank you so much. Would you like to come and take a look, Miss Yun? It should be almost finished by the end of this month. I've reserved an alley for you, so you'll have room to expand your courtyard in the future."

Yunyin looked at the place he pointed to. The passage was very spacious, with an archway connecting the passage. On the open space opposite, there were many finished mud bricks. At this time, the foundation of the courtyard had been laid, and it was just waiting for the walls to be built.

She smiled with satisfaction: "I've always been satisfied with Qian Gong's work, so I'll wait."

Qian Si shook his head: "I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to get any work."

Yunyin replied, "I trust your craftsmanship. We'll be living in this house for a long time, so building it sturdily will make it last longer. Besides, you put your heart into it. I'm just doing my bit."

Knowing that there would be a new courtyard at the end of the month, Yunyin was very happy and said to Qian Si, "There are still bean cakes left after you finish eating them. Just ask Zheng Guilan for help. Don't be shy."

After delivering the bean cakes, Yunyin returned to the hall. At that moment, the group of students were having a heated discussion, and Ji Xiu was observing from the side, wondering if he would go over and ask some questions.

She was used to these people always discussing national policies, the situation in the county, or occasionally their studies whenever they got together. Seeing that she had nothing to do, she walked over to Xia Yan and, noticing her puzzled look, asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

Xia Yan came to her senses and looked at Yun Yin, saying, "It's nothing, I just felt that person looked familiar, but unfortunately I can't remember where I've seen him before."

Yunyin looked at Ji Xiu, then at Xia Yan, and smiled, saying, "Perhaps you've met him before in Chang'an."

Xia Yan shook her head, trying to stop thinking about it. She said, "I'm leaving now. Don't be too busy. If you're really overwhelmed, hire more people. Don't overwork yourself."

Yunyin's eyes were gentle as she smiled and said, "I know. I'll see you off. Have a safe journey."

Xia Yan accepted her blessing, stood up and said, "No need to see me off. You have so many guests to attend to. Go ahead and get busy. See you in Chang'an sometime."

Yunyin: "See you in Chang'an."

After Xia Yan left, she looked at the students who were about to start arguing, shook her head, and went back to the kitchen.

Just as Xia Yan was about to arrive home, she suddenly slapped her forehead and said, "Oh dear, how could I forget? Ji Xiuyuan! Such a famous person, how could I not remember him? Maybe it's because he's grown a beard, and I just couldn't recall him for a moment."

Hearing the commotion inside the car, Xu Fei, who was driving outside, asked, "Wife, what's wrong?"

Xia Yan raised her voice and said, "It's alright, let's go back." Although she remembered who Ji Xiu was, she still couldn't understand why he would be here. Didn't he go to the Censorate earlier?

On the other side, after Yunyin saw Xie Yansong and the others off, only Ji Xiu and his group remained at the inn. She asked, "What would you like to eat for dinner, Young Master Ji?"

Ji Xiu: "What would you like to eat for dinner, Lady Yun? Just make us a portion as well."

Yunyin shook her head and said, "You are a guest, so of course we will make whatever you want to eat. If you don't want anything too complicated, I can also make you some home-style dishes."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiu didn't dwell on it any further. He ordered some home-style dishes and ate a casual dinner with his attendants. After the meal, he asked Yun Yin, "Where is Lady Yun from? Why are you running an inn here?"

Yunyin smiled, not surprised by his curiosity. Many people had asked her the same question, and she was just repeating what others had said. Her household registration listed Zhang Lin's hometown, and Zhang Lin knew that Yunyin had used his hometown information but had no objections. When others asked, he would say that they were from the same hometown.

After all, he doesn't have a registered residence yet, and having the title of fellow townsman would make things easier for him. In addition, Yunyin has always been very good to him, and now she's even giving him his monthly allowance in advance, so he's even less likely to expose her.

Remembering what Xia Yan had said, Yun Yin looked at Ji Xiu curiously and asked, "Young Master Ji, are you from Chang'an? Do you have some past relationship with Madam Xia?"

Ji Xiu shook his head and said, "I did come from Chang'an. As for Lady Xia, I am not familiar with her." He changed the subject and asked about Long'an County, but Yun Yin knew very little about these issues and could not give Ji Xiu any answers.

She smiled and said, "Does Young Master Ji want to do business in Long'an County? If so, you can ask Lin Hui and the others, since they are the locals."

Ji Xiu didn't get anything out of Yun Yin, but he had already heard some things from the group of students in the afternoon. He would have to ask around in the city for the rest. He didn't make things difficult for Yun Yin. After resting for a while, he took his people to rest.

Cheng Yong called Yunyin over after everyone had left, saying, "You need to be careful."

Yunyin looked up at Cheng Yong, wondering what he meant by those words.

Cheng Yong whispered, "This person is probably not simple."

Yunyin blinked and said, "I know, just by looking at his manner of speaking, I also feel that he is not simple."

Cheng Yong said with exasperation, "How can you be so stupid? I meant he might be an official. Be careful not to fall for any tricks."

Yunyin glanced back at Ji Xiu's residence, then looked back at Cheng Yong's, and after receiving his affirmative nod, she leaned closer and whispered, "How did you figure that out?"

Cheng Yong: "We've been escorting goods for so many years, and we've seen countless officials. Although he tried to hide it, he couldn't escape my eyes. He was definitely an official."

Yunyin covered her mouth and said, "No wonder Xia Yan found him familiar, now I see."

Cheng Yong patted her and said, "Then you should be more careful."

Yunyin looked at Cheng Yong helplessly, "I haven't done anything wrong, and I've paid the commercial tax on time. Even if he's an official, it won't have much of an impact on me, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Yong said, "That's true. You don't ask anything of him, so it really won't affect you. Never mind, I was being too cautious."

Yunyin shook her head and said, "No, this news is also very important. I will be careful."

However, just as Yunyin said, Ji Xiu's arrival did not affect her. He left quickly, as if he had just happened to be passing by. Yunyin quickly put the matter out of her mind. Her most important thing now was to smoke cured meat and sausages.

Of course, in addition to cured pork and sausage, Yunyin also prepared some cured trotters and cured fish, which can be preserved by smoking and can be eaten until next year.

She took out the pine and cypress branches that Ma Hao and the others had cut down from the mountains from the woodshed and placed them in a house that had been rebuilt on the other side. Yunyin looked at the row of various houses that had been built, such as cowsheds, dog kennels, and woodsheds. They were a bit messy, but she had tidied them up very well.

She called Ma Hao over, and placed the bamboo poles with meat, sausages, and fish hanging on them inside the house. She then placed pine and cypress branches underneath and smoked them over a small fire.

Seeing this, Ma Hao asked, "Should we put someone here to watch over this place?"

Yunyin: "I'll use a small fire at night. There are people nearby during the day, so nothing will happen. But don't you have people on night watch? Just come and take a look then."

"These smoked meats and sausages will take several days to smoke, and keeping watch at night is very tiring. Don't worry, this house is made of mud, so it's not that easy for anything to happen." Although Yunyin said this, she still placed a large water vat outside just in case.

Besides these smoked meats, Yunyin also goes to the mountains to pick jujubes and soak them in alcohol. Now she is making more and more kinds of alcohol, and her bayberry wine is already drinkable. Many people who like wine like it, and she can sell a few ounces every day.

She'll be able to drink the plum wine she made next month. Although she's not a big drinker, she really loves this wine and has been waiting for it.

Besides the smoked meat, she also dried and stored the bean cakes while the weather was nice. When Cheng Yong saw this, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Aren't these bean cakes easier to store than fried rice? Aren't they also quite suitable for taking on the road?"

Yunyin shook her head: "Don't be fooled by the fact that bean cakes are easy to preserve. They take up a lot of space, and it might be difficult for you to carry them on your journey. It would be better to bring fried rice instead. It's small and can be eaten after being soaked in hot water. If you use tea, it becomes tea-soaked rice. It also tastes great when soaked in meat broth. It's really versatile."

Cheng Yong laughed and said, "Okay, you're the expert, I'll listen to you. I'll bring some fried rice to eat on the way."

Yunyin: "When you leave, I'll bring you a big bag. By the way, when are you planning to leave?"

Cheng Yong: "We'll have to wait until Fu Wang comes back, it's still a long way off."

Thinking of Fu Wang, wondering where he was now, she asked Cheng Yong, "Still no news of Fu Wang? When will he be back?"

"You miss him?" Cheng Yong teased her, but seeing the worry in her eyes, he said seriously, "Don't worry, if I'm not mistaken, he should be on his way back. Don't worry, he's been there so many times, there's nothing to worry about."

Yunyin didn't want to be unconcerned, but things weren't as safe as in her country now. She didn't know what she might encounter on the road, and being away from home was indeed quite worrying. Fortunately, Fu Wang was skilled in martial arts, so she wasn't too worried.

Stopping thinking about Fu Wang, Yun Yin continued with her own affairs, spending the entire month of October preparing for the coming winter.

At the end of the month, Lin Yun finally delivered her quilt. By this time, the house she had expanded was also completed. Yun Yin gave the money to Qian Si, looked at the completed house, and smiled, "This is really great, it's finally finished."

Cheng Yong laughed and said, "Yes, Miss Yun, have you prepared all your furniture?"

Yunyin brought out the furniture she had prepared earlier and directed everyone to help with the arrangement. Yinshuang also came to help, saying, "Leave the private room to me. Didn't you want to entertain the students? I know a bit about their interests, so I'll help you with the arrangement."

Yunyin looked at Yinshuang and nodded, saying, "Alright, then thank you for your help. You've been here for almost a month now, and thanks to you, all my flowers have survived. I'm really sorry to have to trouble you again."

Yinshuang shook her head: "The time I spent here has been the most carefree days of my life. I don't have to please anyone. I am very grateful to Lady Yun for taking me in."

Yunyin naturally wouldn't accept such a good reputation, since she had been paid. She shook her head and said, "Don't say that. When it comes to doing things for money, I'm still very trustworthy."

Yinshuang went to the private room to work, while the rest of them worked in the courtyard. With both sides working together, they finally finished decorating the courtyard.

As the weather grew colder, Yunyin, dressed in a thick cotton coat, placed a piece of charcoal on the stove, with a pot of tea on top and oranges beside it. Underneath the stove, taro and chestnuts were buried, filling the room with a fragrant aroma.

She smelled the aroma of the oranges, picked one up, peeled it, and took a bite. The roasted oranges were very sweet. She handed one to Fang He and then called to Zheng Guilan, "Come and eat an orange."

Zheng Guilan looked up at the sky and said, "Miss Yun, it's snowing."

Yunyin was drawn to the scene and quickly ran to the door. Snowflakes were slowly drifting down from the sky, falling like goose feathers. Gradually, more and more snowflakes began to accumulate on the ground.

"It really is snowing." Yunyin looked up at the sky and suddenly caught a glimpse of someone walking outside. She looked up and saw that it was someone she knew.