Chapter 87, The 87th Inn: Braised Pork Belly with Bamboo Shoots and Salt

Although the cotton-padded coat is made of linen, the stitches are fine and the cotton filling is plentiful, making it look very warm.

Fu Wang knew at a glance that it had been carefully crafted. He gently stroked the thick cotton coat and said, moved, "Thank you."

This is the best gift I've ever received.

Seeing his reaction, Yunyin quickly clarified, "I didn't do it. I asked Guilan to do it. If you really want to thank someone, you should thank her. I just said it."

Fu Wang shook his head: "If she hadn't been thinking of me, how could she have done it? So I still want to thank you. This coat is very warm, I'll change into it tomorrow."

Yunyin touched her cheek and smiled shyly, "I'm glad you like it. By the way, I've also cleaned up your room and put on our new quilt, it's very warm."

Fu Wang put the clothes back in the room and saw the neatly folded quilt on the bed. "This is the quilt made from the cotton I brought back for you before?"

Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, don't people in the Western Regions make quilts like this?"

"Although some people in the Western Regions grow cotton, it's not on a large scale. Some people who grow cotton only use the cotton fibers as filling. I've never seen anyone make cotton quilts directly like you."

Yunyin thought of what the book recorded, and it was indeed only later that cotton fabrics were produced on a large scale. Even though they only made these quilts, it still took a lot of manpower and resources. She wondered if things would improve in the future after Lin Yun improved the technology and found better cotton seeds.

Cotton is so useful; it's not only warm, but it's also more comfortable than linen when spun into cloth.

She had already altered the clothes she wore to make an inner lining. Linen clothes are still a bit rough and uncomfortable to wear, so adding a cotton lining inside makes them more comfortable.

Unfortunately, she couldn't add linings to the clothes she made for Fu Wang and the others. She didn't have cotton fabric, and silk fabric was too expensive. Linen was more economical. Once she earned more money, she could switch to silk fabric.

After Yunyin and Fu Wang finished getting ready, they returned to the main hall together. Even though they had an umbrella, snow still fell on them after just one trip outside.

The two stood at the entrance of the lobby. She patted the snow off her clothes and felt a gentle pat on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Fu Wang carefully brushing the remaining snow off her shoulder.

"Your clothes are covered in snow too, aren't you going to take care of it first?" Yunyin looked at Fu Wang, who had much more snow on him than she did. Remembering how he had held the umbrella towards her earlier, she pursed her lips and said, "I already told you I would go find another umbrella so we wouldn't have to squeeze together. Look, you even gave me most of the umbrella. You're covered in snow now."

Fu Wang continued to brush the snow off her, and when it was almost time, he said, "I have plenty of energy, so a little wind and snow is nothing to me. You should avoid getting wet in the rain and snow, it's not good for your health."

After Yunyin finished tidying his clothes, she turned around to help him brush off the snow and patted his shoulder hard, saying, "How can you be like this? You should drink some hot soup to warm yourself up later. The mutton soup in the kitchen is always kept warm. I asked Sister Aman to buy several sheep, enough for us to eat all winter. Don't be shy."

Fu Wang turned around and looked down at Yun Yin, his eyes softening as he smiled and said, "I know, you don't need to be too polite to me, feel free to order me around."

The snow continued to fall in the afternoon. Yunyin stood at the door, looking at the large snowflakes, and frowned, saying, "It's really just as the old folks said. This winter is probably going to be tough."

She looked into the distance, got up and went to the storeroom to get a raincoat. Just as she was about to put it on, Fu Wang stopped her, saying, "Tell us what you're going to do, and we'll go. You should stay inside and rest."

Yunyin: "I want to go check on the cured meat being smoked in the woodshed, as well as the condition of the two cows, and also check on the shrimp pond and crab pond while I'm at it."

Fu Wang took the raincoat from her hand, called Ma Hao over, handed him the raincoat, and then went to get another raincoat to put on. "You stay here, we'll go. I know what to be careful about, so don't worry."

Before Yunyin could say a few words, Fu Wang and Ma Hao had already walked away in the heavy snow, and she could only watch their disappearing figures from afar.

“You don’t need to worry.” Cheng Yong leaned against the door panel and looked at the heavy snow outside. “It’s safer for them to go out and inspect than for you to go alone. Besides, it’s not a difficult task. They’ve experienced heavy snow before. The snow in the north is much heavier than this.”

Yunyin is also from the south and has never experienced heavy snow in the north. In her opinion, this snow is heavier than any snow she has ever encountered before, but in Cheng Yong's eyes, it is not as heavy as the heavy snow that is common in the north.

Seeing that Cheng Yong and the others were all calm, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I have never seen such heavy snow before. I was just too surprised."

Cheng Yong: "This is indeed the heaviest snowfall in the south in recent years, but you don't need to worry too much. The things we prepared were precisely for getting through this snow disaster."

"You should still worry about what will happen to your wheat after the snow melts. At least the heavy snow cover can kill some insect eggs, but the melting snow may damage the wheat seedlings."

When wheat was mentioned, Yunyin could only sigh, "Sigh, I still have no experience. I should have asked an experienced farmer for advice on this kind of thing. I hope the straw we laid down earlier will be useful, otherwise I will really have no harvest at all."

Yunyin stood at the door waiting for Fu Wang and the other person to return, chatting casually with Cheng Yong. When she finally saw someone approaching, she quickly ran to the kitchen and brought back two bowls of hot soup.

"Come and have a bowl, are you cold?" Yunyin handed the bowls to the two of them.

Fu Wang and Ma Hao took off their raincoats, took a sip from the bowls, and went into the house. As they walked, Fu Wang said, "I'm alright, and Ma Hao is tall and strong, so he's fine too."

Ma Hao nodded and said, "That's right, Madam Yun, don't underestimate us. You know, in the military camp, we had to stand guard in the wind and snow in winter, which was much harder than this. Now we can at least have hot soup to drink."

Fu Wang sat down and said to Yun Yin, "I just went to check. It's probably because there's a fire in the smokehouse. The cows next to it are all near the heat source and they're fine. But the shrimp ponds and crab ponds need to have the ice broken after the snow stops. There's already a layer of ice, but it's not very thick yet. We just poked some holes with a hoe and will break the ice after the snow stops."

Yunyin nodded and said, "Okay, let's wait for the snow to stop."

The snow fell for three whole days, and Yunyin and the others were trapped in the inn for three days, unable to go anywhere. She was so bored that she took advantage of the time to practice calligraphy. When Yinshuang saw this, she specially came to teach her.

It was only at this time that Fu Wang learned about Yin Shuang's background and Lu Xuan's matter. He shook his head and said, "You don't need to pay attention to him. You can directly refuse any unreasonable demands he makes."

Yunyin put away the words she had written and said, "I don't have any opinion about Yinshuang. I didn't want to take her in because I didn't want to cause trouble, but Lu Xuan was so generous with the money that I took on this troublesome matter."

"Who knew that Lady Yinshuang was so easy to take care of? She not only plays folk tunes and grows flowers, but she can also paint and write calligraphy. Now I am grateful that she stayed, and she has really taught me a lot."

Fu Wang: "If you think it's good, then it's fine. You don't need to do it for my sake. But Lu Xuan is indeed very generous. When I saved him, he gave me a considerable reward so that I could expand the escort agency."

Yunyin nodded in agreement with him. Just then, Zheng Guilan walked in from outside and said to everyone, "The snow has stopped and the sun is out."

Yunyin looked out the window and saw that the sun was indeed shining through the clouds onto the snow. The thick white snow reflected the sunlight, and it was so bright that it was blinding. She quickly looked away and at the snow that had stopped falling. She said to everyone, "Since it has stopped, let's clear the snow first."

A group of people grabbed brooms and dustpans, and the inn became lively in no time. Yunyin also put on her boots and went to the woodshed to check on the situation.

The fire hadn't gone out; embers were still radiating residual heat. Yunyin took a piece of cured meat to check; it was almost smoked. She extinguished the fire, put all the cured meat, sausages, and ribs into a basket, and took it to the kitchen to wash the smoked meat clean with hot water and wood ash.

The washed meat was hung to dry in the ventilator. Yunyin got up and said to Fu Wang, "Let's go dig up some winter bamboo shoots while the snow has stopped."

"Shall we go dig for bamboo shoots in this weather?" Fu Wang looked outside and saw that although the snow had been mostly cleared, there was still a thick layer of snow in the distance.

"I want to eat pickled bamboo shoots and pork stew. The cured pork is already air-dried today, and I bought some ham before. Now all I need are fresh bamboo shoots. It's so nice and sunny today. If I don't go now, I don't know if it will continue to snow. I don't want to wait until spring." Although pickled bamboo shoots and pork stew is usually made with spring bamboo shoots, why bother with that when it's just for myself? Winter bamboo shoots are just as good.

Fu Wang looked outside, then at Yun Yin, and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll go with you, so you don't get too excited and forget to come back."

Yunyin cheered, grabbed her things, and said to Feng Hai, "Soak a piece of dried meat later. I'll make it after I dig up some bamboo shoots. Oh, and soak some smoked meat and cured fish too." Thinking of the smoked bamboo shoots she had made in the warehouse, she quickly added, "Soak some smoked bamboo shoots as well. I'll stir-fry some smoked bamboo shoots and cured meat later."

After explaining the situation, Yunyin and Fuwang walked together towards the bamboo forest.

The outside world was covered in a blanket of white snow, and even the trees on the mountain could not be seen. The two of them crossed the stream that had frozen into ice and continued walking towards the bamboo forest ahead.

"Be careful." Fu Wang pulled Yun Yin back a step, and a snowflake landed in front of her.

Yunyin bumped into Fu Wang unexpectedly, and she quickly took a step back, asking worriedly, "Did I hurt you?"

Fu Wang shook his head: "No, be careful. There's a lot of snow on these trees. It could fall on your head if you're not careful."

Yunyin nodded and said, "I know, I will be careful. The bamboo forest is just ahead."

The two walked and stopped, leaving their footprints on the snow. As a gust of wind blew, the footprints became blurred.

Looking at the dense bamboo forest in front of her, Yunyin pointed to a spot and said, "Let's do it here. When I was picking bamboo fungus here before, I noticed that there were many bamboo nodes here. We should be able to dig up quite a few here."

Fu Wang nodded and used a shovel to clear the snow from the ground. Yun Yin didn't stay idle either and joined in the effort. In no time, the area was cleared.

She took out a hoe and dug hard. Soon she saw a thick bamboo shoot. On the other side, Fu Wang saw the emerging bamboo shoot tip at a glance. He also swung his hoe and dug out a bamboo shoot that was even bigger than the one Yun Yin had found.

When Yunyin saw the bamboo shoots that Fu Wang had dug out, she exclaimed, "Wow! These are really big! I want to find a big one too!"

Fu Wang pointed to the bamboo shoots sprouting on the other side, "This should be about the same, look for those that are sprouting."

"Come over here and dig this one up first, then I'll help you find other ones to sprout."

Yunyin smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go dig."

Sure enough, when she dug it up, the bamboo shoot was about the same size as the one Fu Wang had dug up before. The winter bamboo shoot was very thick, but the shoot itself was not rough at all, and the texture was still very tender. She broke off a piece to taste it, and it was indeed very tender. Although it was a little astringent, the astringency was easily removed by rinsing it with a little water.

Together they dug two large baskets full. When Yunyin saw that they had dug enough, she called out to Fu Wang, who wanted to continue digging, "Let's stop here for today."

Fu Wang: "Alright, give me the basket."

Yunyin dodged his hand and said, "I can handle this weight. You're carrying one yourself. Let's go, stop dawdling."

Seeing that Yunyin could indeed handle the situation, Fu Wang also carried a basket on his back and walked with her towards the inn.

As Yunyin descended the mountain, she saw Zhang Lin and his group clearing the ice from the shrimp and crab ponds. She went up to them and asked, "Are the shrimp and crabs alright?"

Zhang Lin turned around and saw that it was Yunyin and the other person. He stepped forward and said with a smile, "It's alright. We just checked and there are no dead shrimp or crabs. The eels are probably hiding in the water plants. We haven't seen anything specific yet, but we'll keep an eye on them when we clean up later."

Seeing that she wasn't needed here, Yunyin and Fu Wang took their baskets back to the kitchen. Feng Hai had already soaked the cured meat. Seeing Yunyin come over, he stepped forward and said, "Miss Yun, the cured meat and dried meat are soaked. Is there anything else I can do?"

Yunyin: "No need. I'll wash my hands and then come over to cook the pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup. You can take a look. If someone orders this dish in the future, we'll need your help."

Feng Hai: "Okay, then I'll learn it."

Seeing that Yunyin was already busy, Fu Wang could only shake his head and leave the kitchen to help Zhang Lin and the others with their work.

Yunyin boiled a pot of water in the kitchen. She peeled the bamboo shoots, cut off the muddy ends, washed them in a basin, cut them into chunks with a rolling cutter, and then blanched them in the hot water.

When making braised pork with bamboo shoots, it's crucial to select the right cuts of meat. Smoked pork should be avoided; dried salted pork or ham are preferable. Yunyin previously dried a batch of salted pork when making cured pork, and it's now ready to eat. A little ham is also beneficial for enhancing the flavor, while fresh pork ribs are the best choice for the main ingredient.

Cut the soaked salted pork into chunks, put it in a pot of cold water and blanch it together with the ribs. After removing impurities and scum, wash the pork and put it back in a pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add sliced ​​ham, blanched bamboo shoots, and ginger slices, pour in Shaoxing wine, bring it to a boil, and then simmer over low heat.

Yan Du Xian is a very simple dish that is easy to learn even if you don't know how to cook. After cooking everything, you can add tofu knots after they are cooked. The tofu knots will absorb the broth and become very flavorful. If you don't have tofu knots, you can omit them. You can also add lettuce. At home, you can just add whatever ingredients you have.

Yunyin didn't have any of those ingredients, but stewing bamboo shoots, pork ribs, and salted pork together was delicious enough. She sat by the stove, waiting for the stew to boil before turning down the heat to a simmer, while she went to cook other dishes.

Seeing this, Feng Hai said, "This dish looks very simple."

Yunyin: "It's very simple, but the taste is just as good. You can try it in a bit."

While the pot was cooking, Yunyin selected another piece of soaked cured pork, sliced ​​it thinly, and looked at the bright red cured pork, her eyebrows raised involuntarily, "This cured pork is really well smoked, cured pork smoked with pine and cypress branches has its own fragrance."

Feng Hai, who was helping to chop other vegetables, nodded and said, "It's really smoked very well. It would be quite attractive to sell, let alone use it in cooking."

Yunyin smiled without saying a word, cut the cured pork, steamed some of it with the smoked fish, and stir-fried the other part with smoked bamboo shoots and cured pork.

Ever since she got chili peppers, she wants to add some to every dish. As usual, she takes out the seeds from the dried chili peppers and saves them. She cuts the remaining chili peppers into sections, pours oil into the pan, stir-fries the cured meat quickly, adds the chili pepper sections, scallions, and ginger, and stir-fries them together. Soon, the kitchen is filled with a pungent aroma.

"These chilies are delicious, but they're so pungent." Feng Hai coughed lightly twice, unable to bear it any longer, and ran outside.

Yunyin, on the other hand, had long been used to the taste. No matter how pungent the chili was, she could finish cooking the dish without changing her expression.

After stir-frying the smoked bamboo shoots and cured pork, the braised pork and bamboo shoot soup was almost ready to be served. Yunyin took a large earthenware bowl, looked at the steaming hot pot, took a rag and poured the dishes from the pot into the earthenware bowl, and finally sprinkled some chopped green onions on top.

The soup of Yan Du Xian is white and flavorful. Since the salted pork contains salt, there is no need to add salt. If the pork is soaked for too long and becomes less salty, then you can add salt as needed. Yunyin tasted the soup and found it to be just right, so she did not add any salt.

The braised pork and bamboo shoot soup was ready, the steamed assorted preserved meats were almost done, and Feng Hai's stir-fried dishes were all finished. Yunyin called over someone and said, "Dinner is ready."

Fu Wang was the first to hear the call. He washed his hands and came over to help serve the dishes. Looking at the abundance of food, he said to Yun Yin, "Thank you for your hard work."

Yunyin followed him into the lobby, shaking her head and saying, "I'm not tired. I'm actually very happy making food. Every time I see you praising my cooking, I feel a great sense of accomplishment, which makes me happier than earning more money."

Fu Wang put the dishes on the table, turned to look at her, and said, "I know, I'll praise you more often in the future."

Yunyin rolled her eyes at him. "Is that what I meant?"

Fu Wang chuckled and said, "Of course I know that's not what you meant, but I'm serious, I'll really praise you."

Yunyin wanted to say something more, but the others rushed over. Zhang Lin saw the dishes on the table and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Yunniangzi, you're having such a lavish meal again today!"

Yunyin smiled and said, "You've all worked hard today, so have something good to eat to make up for it. We'll need your help again tomorrow to clear the snow."

Ma Hao shook his head and said, "This is what we should do."

Zheng Guilan had already served the rice and handed it to Yunyin, saying, "Yunniangzi, please sit down and eat. You've worked hard cooking."

Yunyin took the food and said, "You eat it yourself, let them serve themselves."

Zhang Lin quickly took the shovel from Zhang Guilin's hand and chuckled, "I'll do it, Madam Zheng, please sit down."

Zheng Guilan glanced at Zhang Lin, pursed her lips, and sat down at the table. Seeing that Yinshuang was still standing to the side, she quickly stepped forward and pulled her over, saying, "Yinshuang, please sit here."

After everyone else was seated, Yunyin waved and said, "Eat up, eat up."

Ignoring everyone else, she picked up a piece of bamboo shoot from the braised pork and bamboo shoot soup. Although the bamboo shoot had been stewed for a long time, it was still crisp and tender. One bite allowed it to absorb the broth from the salted pork, making it very flavorful.

The freshness in Yan Du Xian (a type of stew) comes not only from the bamboo shoots but also from the fresh meat. Yunyin used pork ribs this time, which were stewed until tender. The ribs were so tender that the bones could be easily pierced with a gentle poke. They were soft and juicy, and the saltiness of the pork made them even more delicious than pork rib soup alone.

The main ingredient, salted pork, isn't salty at all; the saltiness has been infused into the soup, leaving only a mild salty taste in the meat. Even without rice, Yunyin can eat several large pieces.

Of course, what she likes most is the soup of pickled bamboo shoots and pork belly, which is very fresh and comforting to drink in winter.

After finishing the rice soup, Yunyin served herself another bowl of rice, this time focusing on the smoked bamboo shoots and cured pork. The smoked pork, which had been soaked in the soup, wasn't too salty, and when paired with the smoked bamboo shoots and dried chili peppers, the red and white colors made it a very appetizing dish.

Yunyin noticed early on that they clearly preferred smoked bamboo shoots and cured pork to pickled bamboo shoots and pork, while Fu Wang preferred the steamed assorted cured meats.

"It seems you all like strong flavors."

Fu Wang put down his chopsticks and looked at Yun Yin. “We all do physical labor, so we naturally prefer dishes that go well with rice. However, I have tried your pickled bamboo shoots and pork soup. I’m sure Xie Langjun and the others will like it. Since the weather is good lately, I’ll help you dig up some more bamboo shoots. When they come over for dinner, you can serve this dish.”

Yunyin smiled and said, "That's what I was planning too. There aren't many chilies left now, so I plan to make chili oil from the remaining dried chilies. If I want to eat them again in the future, I'll have to wait until next year when I can grow more to make other dishes. There are still so many dishes I haven't made yet."

Fu Wangyang raised his eyebrows and said, "Then I'm really looking forward to it."

Just as the two were talking, the people at the table had quickly finished the dishes she had cooked. She stopped and said to Fu Wang, "Let's stop talking now, they'll finish eating soon."

Fu Wang glared at the few vicious men, then picked up a large mouthful of food and gave it to Yun Yin. "Eat more. If you want anything else, I'll pick more for you."

Yunyin: "You eat, I'll do it myself. You haven't even had a couple of bites."

She picked up a piece of cured fish with her chopsticks. The fish had shrunk considerably after being smoked, but after being soaked and steamed, the meat became much softer, yet still retained some chewiness. It would be perfect as a snack, with a perfectly balanced flavor that was neither too salty nor too bland. If mixed with chili peppers, it could truly be made into spicy dried fish.

Thinking of this, Yunyin quickened her pace. After finishing her meal, she returned to the kitchen, divided the remaining large bag of chilies in half, removed the seeds, washed them clean, drained them, and prepared to make chili oil.

Chili oil is an excellent condiment for cold dishes, cooking, and mixing with noodles. Making it in advance makes it convenient to use later.

For better-tasting chili oil, you can mix several different types of dried chilies. Yunyin only has one type of chili on hand, but you can use it alone. She doesn't usually put multiple types of chilies when making chili oil at home, but the chili oil she makes still tastes delicious.

Slice the scallions and ginger. Pour the drained dried chilies into a pot and stir-fry over low heat until the chilies change color and become crispy.

This stir-fried chili pepper smelled much stronger than before; even people in the lobby could smell it, and many started coughing and quickly went to close the doors and windows.

Even Yunyin in the kitchen couldn't stand the smell. She barely managed to hold back her sneezing. After finally finishing frying the chili peppers, she put them aside to cool and went outside to take a deep breath of fresh air.

Fu Wang looked at her with concern: "Are you alright? What are you doing?"

Yunyin waved her hand and said, "It's okay, I just stir-fried the chili peppers, it's done, there's no need to stir-fry them anymore."

Fu Wang frowned and said, "If it really doesn't work, tell me what to do and I'll help you." He looked at Yun Yin's eyes, which were filled with tears, and couldn't help but say, "Seeing you like this really breaks my heart."

Yunyin took the handkerchief he handed her, wiped away her tears, and said calmly, "It's okay, this is how stir-fried chili peppers are, they're pungent when dry-fried, but it'll be fine in a bit."