Chapter 39 Sizzling Tofu

Upon taking the first bite, You Yi, who was the least able to handle spicy food among the three, couldn't help but hiss and exhale, "Ha!"

The moment he put the piece of duck meat into his mouth, the warm broth dripped down the duck skin onto his tongue, scalding him. But even that drop of broth was so delicious that he couldn't help but hesitate to chew it for a moment.

So delicious was the soup that he almost licked his lips, and then You Yi began to try the duck skin and meat that were on his chopsticks.

You Yi had naturally eaten roast duck before; he and his group of wealthy young men were regular customers of Old Li, the roast duck vendor.

The reason is simple: these people have money and leisure time, and they love to satisfy their desires. The desire for food and drink is naturally the easiest thing for them to satisfy.

Old Li's roast duck is naturally superior to those outside, otherwise it wouldn't attract these well-informed young masters.

The roast duck he makes can be summed up in one word: "tender".

Whether it's the blade slicing through the crispy, caramelized duck skin or the duck meat being gently removed from the skeleton, the meat is cooked to a perfect firmness and doneness.

*

And the ginger and sesame seeds were cooked to perfection.

It didn't make the meat any less tender, and it allowed the already crispy duck skin to soak up the flavorful broth perfectly.

When You Yi held the duck skin with his chopsticks, he felt it tremble slightly, as if it were shaking gently in the wind. But when he put it in his mouth, the duck skin, which had absorbed all the broth, seemed to melt in his mouth. Before he knew it, a rich, oily aroma lingered on his tongue, but it didn't feel greasy at all before it quietly slid down his throat.

The last piece of duck meat remained on my tongue, exuding the fresh spiciness of the braising broth and the tenderness of the duck meat.

Even You Yi, who is afraid of spicy food, was momentarily captivated by the spiciness, let alone the others who weren't afraid of spicy food at all.

While Gu Yuan was frantically inhaling into his stomach, he kept his head down but still gave a thumbs up and praised her indistinctly.

"Mr. Jiang... Mr. Jiang, this is delicious!"

"Compared to... the roasted duck we had before... it tastes even better, without being too greasy, and it still retains the smoky aroma from roasting!"

She was still chewing as she spoke intermittently.

*

While the others were showing off their food, Jiang Zhi also picked up a few pieces.

I tried it, and it was indeed delicious! Although it wasn't as spicy and savory as the Sichuan-style roasted duck I ate in my previous life, it had a warm and comforting taste!

Moreover, the roasted duck was indeed excellent. Even if it were compared to the roasted ducks specially served at state banquets in the past, Jiang Zhi would still have to say so.

She picked up a few more pieces of cabbage and lettuce, along with a small bowl of sweet potato noodles, and began to slurp them down.

The cabbage was soft and soaked in the sauce, the lettuce had a slight chewiness, and the sweet potato noodles were full of flavor. When eaten together with the piping hot duck skin and meat, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but squint her eyes in enjoyment.

Not to mention the others, who were all eating faster than anyone else, their mouths never stopping.

*

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Jiang Zhi first washed her own bowl clean, then gave orders for everyone to wash their own bowls. She then lazily slumped in her recliner, thinking about what to sell tonight.

After eliminating a series of goods commonly found in night markets, Jiang Zhi was at a loss for ideas and couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.

Until she suddenly saw the slab of tofu that had just been pressed that morning, an idea suddenly came to her mind.

Why not make something like sizzling tofu, which was extremely common at night market stalls in my past life but no longer exists?

After a quick mental calculation, Jiang Zhi suddenly felt that she had come up with a good idea.

She smiled and approached Pei Ye, who was finishing his meal and preparing to go for a walk. With a touch of coaxing and pleading, she easily persuaded the straight man to agree to her request.

Go to the night market and buy her a hot plate that can be used for on-site heating, along with the corresponding charcoal and other tools.

That's right. Jiang Zhi had thought it over carefully. She knew how to make the sauce for the sizzling tofu, and she also had the tofu.

I only lack some tools, so I'll just ask someone to buy them for me.

Jiang Zhi then took this opportunity to teach Yan Mo how to process the tofu: cut it into appropriately sized pieces, and then soak it in salt water for a short while.

She went into the kitchen and started making sauces.

Jiang Zhi first washed the large pot clean, then added three circles of soy sauce, then two spoonfuls of soybean paste, then a circle of vinegar, along with cumin powder and Sichuan peppercorn powder, sprinkling a lot of it in.

Add an appropriate amount of water.

Finally, with the fire burning gently underneath, she kept stirring to ensure the sauce was fully incorporated.

When the sauce started to bubble slightly and the aroma wafted out, she picked up a bottle, poured most of it into it, then added something else to the pot, took out another bottle, and poured in the remaining sauce.

Next, we just need to wait until the time comes to set up the stall and prepare for the upcoming event.

*

Just then, the long-awaited teppanyaki grill was also brought back. The tofu had also been almost processed earlier: after soaking in salt water for a few minutes, it had already absorbed some flavor.

Jiang Zhi gently placed the tofu on the wooden box beside her, and then placed the wooden box containing the tofu, along with some lard, the sauce she had just made, and the iron plate on the wooden cart.

After tidying everything up, she pushed the food cart with all her might. As the wooden wheels rumbled on the bluestone slabs outside, Jiang Zhi's figure gradually disappeared into the distance.

*

As soon as Jiang Zhi arrived at the place, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She felt extremely hot and sticky all over.

She secretly planned to say:

After closing her stall today, she's determined to buy some cosmetics and bath powder to take a good bath and pamper herself!

However, at this moment, she had no time to think about those things. Ever since Jiang Zhi confirmed the time for setting up the stall and notified everyone, some loyal customers would wait in front of the original stall a quarter or two in advance.

Just then, Jiang Zhi parked her food cart on the street and busied herself setting up the food. When she looked up, she saw a very familiar customer staring at her with bright eyes, and then queuing up at the food cart.

One, two, three...

Jiang Zhi secretly counted them when she looked up.

In just a short while, the line had grown quite long. Everyone was doing their own thing while quietly moving their feet over, forming a long queue.

As she counted, Jiang Zhi smiled faintly:

Well, what a sweet trouble.

Although she felt a little warmed by the enthusiasm of the diners, Jiang Zhi's hands were not idle.

This time she plans to make sizzling tofu, which will take time to prepare, so she can't keep customers waiting too long.

So she quickly removed a movable panel from the food cart, pushed the iron plate in, placed charcoal underneath, and then put a tinderbox she had prepared beforehand under the charcoal.

And just like that, a simple teppanyaki dish is made.

After completing this step, Jiang Zhi gently blew a breath, lifting the stray hairs from her forehead.

Jiang Zhi specifically requested this car. There's a reason for that; it was for this very moment. But ultimately, there's one crucial thing: Jiang Zhi herself is clumsy with her hands, and she's not entirely sure if she can pull it off.

Now that the assembly is complete, the rest is a piece of cake for Jiang Zhi!

*

It was already sunset, and the sky was as colorful and vibrant as the tail feathers of a mythical beast. Although the air was still slightly muggy, the scorching sunlight had lessened.

For farmers in the fields, the day's work may have just ended. But for the wealthy idlers in the city, the day is just beginning.

Yes, at least that's true for Xie Hua.

Seeing that the sun outside was no longer hot, he lazily walked out of the Hibiscus Pavilion in the city. A servant boy diligently carried the pastries he had bought from the shop next to the Hibiscus Pavilion for him, while looking around obsequiously, praying that he could find something fun for his young master.

*

As Xie Hua walked around, the servants around him suddenly had a bright idea. They pointed to the bored young master with a fawning smile and said...

"Young master, look at all those people over there, is something funny going on?"

Xie Hua looked in the direction the servant pointed and, sure enough, saw a group of people gathered around something. Despite his usual playful demeanor, he unconsciously turned his feet and headed in that direction.

Upon arrival, Xie Hua squeezed through the crowd, and as expected, was met with a few curses before finally managing to get into the circle.

This is a queue with a considerable number of people, yet it has a sense of order and efficiency.

At the very front of the line was a young woman I'd never seen before; the smile radiating from her brow made her appear exceptionally fresh and clean.

Oh, Xie Hua finally understood what was going on here. It turned out to be a pretty young woman setting up a stall.

He thought dismissively, hummed a tune, and was about to turn around and leave.

But when he turned around, he saw a small, orderly line had already formed behind him, and suddenly a sense of curiosity arose in his heart, making him itchy with curiosity.

He quietly pulled the old woman behind him and asked.

"Auntie, what are you selling?"

*

If Jiang Zhi were here, she would surely recognize that the old woman as Aunt Zhao with just a glance.

Even Jiang Zhi didn't expect that the Zhao family couple, who had come over for a banquet during the day, would also come over to buy some food from her!

There's no way around it, Jiang Zhi's cooking is just too delicious!

However, the Zhao couple were always shy and didn't dare to order directly from Jiang Zhi, so they had to secretly follow Jiang Zhi, and then come to buy the goods while their faces were slightly covered.

The moment Aunt Zhao was pulled by Xie Hua, she was stunned for a moment. At first, she thought that Jiang Zhi or other neighbors had recognized her, and her face began to burn slightly.

To her surprise, she turned her head and saw a boy who was old enough to be her son. She breathed a sigh of relief and answered Xie Hua's question.

"It looks like some soybeans!"

Xie Hua raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with the answer, and continued to ask with a smile.

"Auntie, have you eaten at this young lady's restaurant before? This is my first time here. Why are there so many people queuing up?"

Aunt Zhao got really excited!

She had a lot to say!

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Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, my darlings!

P.S.: Because this chapter was written in advance, I might not have rushed to include mooncakes. Later chapters will follow the chronological order of the female protagonist's world to cover various festivals. [Go for it!][Go for it!][Go for it!]

October 7th Update: Due to personal reasons, today's update will be a little later, postponed to 8 PM. [Please][Please][Please]