Chapter 101 Crayfish Arrive: New Store Preparations, Crayfish Go on Sale

Dwarf Toothbrush curled up in the elmwood armchair, rubbing his fingers against the rim of the celadon cup as he sighed, "Madam Chen, don't say I'm heartless, I'm telling you the truth. Atao's mother is getting old, and the madam often says that her voice, when she tries to sing a high note, turns into a hoarse gong, and fewer customers are coming to see her. She's in her thirties, so she can afford to pay for her release, but this business, once the abacus beads are turned, I'm afraid you'll regret it later."

Dwarf Toothpaste grinned at Shen Miao's expression and said, "Let me make this clear beforehand. You should think it over carefully. It'll save us both trouble in the future."

“What you say makes sense, and I know that.” Shen Miao leaned against the carved partition in the pawn shop, turning her head to look at the crooked jujube tree sprouting buds in the courtyard: “I’ve thought it over. Although Atao’s mother doesn’t have a golden voice, she can still sing now. Moreover, she can definitely read music and tune the strings. It’s better for her to train other young performers than to hire unknown people from outside. Anyway, I’m prepared to have her be my manager when she can’t sing anymore, to help with miscellaneous tasks. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

It's not good to only consider profit in business, but it's not good to do charity either. Singing in the teahouse is icing on the cake, and it's not the only way to make money. In the end, good food and authentic taste are the hard truths that will keep you going. Shen Miao intends to have A Tao Niang work as a helper after she stops singing.

That's pretty clear. Dwarf Toothpaste understood perfectly. It seemed that Madam Shen wasn't just going to hire Atao's mother as a singer. She was probably also thinking of finding a few cheaper, inexperienced young girls to learn some skills from Atao's mother. That way, the business wouldn't lose money!

His eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "That's good. Madam Shen is so clever! Alright! When I go to Daming Prefecture tomorrow, I'll take two bolts of fine satin with me, saying I'm buying concubines for my master. The madam will see the incentive and surely push Atao Niang in for me to choose from! I'll use my tricks to definitely lower the price."

After saying that, he tentatively asked, "According to your wishes, Madam, could you also find two young musicians who are just learning to play the pipa?"

Shen Miao smiled: "That's exactly what I mean. Remember to choose someone who is trustworthy and honest."

"Don't worry about that," Dwarf Toothpaste assured him, patting his chest.

Shen Miao did indeed want two or three art-related employees who could work in shifts, one per floor of the two-story building.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Dwarf Ya Bao didn't waste any more words. He immediately set a date for his trip to Daming Prefecture. As for the other two young actors, he carefully inquired about Shen Miao's requirements and promised to select a few good ones for her to see in a couple of days.

Shen Miao continued, "Besides the singers, I also need to find a few cooks from the south, at least two, preferably those who are good at making pastries and steamed dishes. Please keep an eye out for them for me. Of course, we also need waiters, preferably quick-witted and efficient ones. We also need to find a manager who knows how to use an abacus to help manage the accounts in my teahouse."

"What a great deal!" Dwarf Toothbill was overjoyed and agreed immediately.

Although the manpower issue had been settled, Shen Miao walked home on the dewy bluestone slabs after leaving the market. The weight in her heart grew heavier and heavier—people were actually the simplest thing to do. To open a teahouse, there was a long and complicated series of preparations to be done!

For example, she needed to figure out the usual customer traffic on Kangji Street and who her teahouse's target customers were. After all, different people have very different preferences and requirements regarding the taste of the food, the quality of the environment, and the price.

For a teahouse to survive, the way tea is served also needs to be considered.

When it comes to tea, who in Bianjing (Kaifeng) isn't an expert? The custom of drinking tea was extremely popular in the Song Dynasty. From the imperial family and high-ranking officials to ordinary people, everyone enjoyed drinking tea.

In Bianjing (Kaifeng), teahouses were ubiquitous. When new tea was available before Qingming Festival, teahouses lined up one after another outside Zhuque Gate, and the stone mills for grinding tea turned all day long.

At this time, most people drank compressed tea. Nobles were particular about tea art, which involved striking and painting with tea leaves. When brewing tea, they would use a tea mallet to break the tea leaves into pieces, and then use a tea grinder or tea mill to grind the broken tea leaves into extremely fine tea powder, preferably fine enough to pass through a silk sieve. They would also whisk the tea to create a thick layer of white and delicate foam, like snow, which could adhere to the teacup for a long time and not easily dissipate.

It looks a bit like latte art.

However, the Cantonese morning tea of ​​later generations is the "one pot and two dishes" Lingnan tea culture, which is a completely different scene.

A cup of tea is usually paired with two dim sum dishes, typically one dry and one wet. Dry dim sum includes items like char siu bao, shrimp dumplings, and siu mai, while wet dim sum includes items like rice noodle rolls and congee.

Wearing slippers and a vest, strolling leisurely out the door, then sitting in a teahouse to enjoy tea and snacks – this is the kind of ease and comfort only the people of Guangzhou can enjoy.

The variety of teas available in Guangdong is quite extensive, including Pu'er, Oolong, black tea, and chrysanthemum tea. However, these differ from the tea-drinking customs of the Song people at that time.

Thinking too much gave Shen Miao a headache. Indeed, running a large teahouse is much more difficult than running an ordinary small eatery.

As soon as Shen Miao entered the house, she rolled up her sleeves and started kneading dough. While pondering the matter in her mind, she began to busy herself with today's business.

The steam rising from the stove, along with the aroma of food, once again soothed the tangled mess in her mind. No worries, no worries, things will work out eventually. This can't be rushed, just like making dough; it needs to be kneaded and proofed several times before good steamed buns can be made.

More than half a month passed, and Dwarf Toothbone had already set off. The early summer breeze, carrying the moist air from the riverbank, drifted into the shop.

Shen Miao watched as A Tao carried fish ball soup dumplings and other food to and from the shop, so busy that her feet barely touched the ground.

She was unaware of this matter, and Shen Miao did not intend to tell her in advance. After all, the matter had just been settled, and Dwarf Ya Bao had just set off. It was still unknown whether he could successfully redeem A Tao's mother. In case of any mishaps, it would be better to avoid letting her have been disappointed.

Once the person is safely brought back, there's no need to say anything more.

Shen Miao watched her nimble figure. This year, after finishing her New Year's Eve dinner, she went back to her room to count her money. As she counted, tears streamed down her face and fell onto the copper coins. The little girl cried silently, but after a while, she wiped away her tears, put on a smile, and came out to warm herself by the fire and stay up to welcome the New Year with everyone.

Shen Miao actually knew all of this.

She missed her mother very much, but she didn't say it.

Shen Miao was lost in thought, leaning against the elm counter, when A Tao caught her. She then brought out a large black earthenware bowl, piled high with glistening braised meat, her sleeves still stained with coriander. She rushed out to deliver it, and seeing Shen Miao standing there in a daze, she sighed, "My wife, you're my living goddess! The steamer on the stove has been cooking for ages, and you're still daydreaming! The dough on the cutting board is practically sprouting!"

She glanced at the throng of diners coming in outside the door and stamped her foot in frustration: "You hurry back to the kitchen and get busy. That peddler Zhang always eats 'muddled soup noodles' when he comes here. I know that without even asking."

"Okay, okay, I'm going right now." Shen Miao chuckled awkwardly and slipped into the kitchen. Her blue cloth skirt swept across the threshold, just like a Qilin that had sneaked into the kitchen and been chased out by a broom... a bit disheveled.

Shenji Tangbing Shop has long cultivated a large number of regular customers. These gourmets know the place well and don't need much greeting when they come in. Ah Tao also recognizes everyone; she knows which one to add extra chili oil and which one to skip the scallions.

In the spring, right after the Lunar New Year, vegetables were hard to come by, and many dishes in the shops were marked as sold out. Everyone's appetite was kept alive by fish ball soup and pancakes. But some people still missed the sizzling, oily aroma of grilled fish in the summer, and now that summer has arrived, they've asked about it several times.

Shen Miao gazed at the newly built bird nest under the eaves and pondered: Grilled fish and crayfish should indeed be brought back to the market. These spicy and fragrant dishes, paired with chilled plum wine made with well water, are an indispensable treat in the summer.

Yes, speaking of crayfish, her spicy crayfish for summer can finally be sold reliably!

Yu Xun is truly remarkable. Last autumn, he caught shrimp for Shen Miao every day by the stream outside the city. When he brought them over, Shen Miao muttered a few words: "I wonder if they could survive if I brought down mountain spring water and kept them in running water?"

He actually became so infatuated with it that he went back and actually carved out two or three crayfish ponds in the corner of his fishpond.

He carved a spring in the bluestone slab, drawing water from the mountain spring at Yuntou Mountain. He took his whole family to haul river sand, and even washed the sand with boiling water over firewood. Afterward, he spread fine sand at the bottom of the pond and planted water celery so that crayfish could dig burrows to live in. He also built a bamboo shed on the gentle slope for the crayfish to come ashore and molt. He even built a dam around the edge of the pond that was higher than that of ordinary ponds, and put an oilcloth awning on it to prevent heavy rain from washing away and polluting the water.

During the days when the female shrimp finally carried her eggs, he practically lived by the crayfish pond, guarding it even more carefully than he had guarded it the night he gave birth to his son. After seeing that the female shrimp had successfully carried her eggs, he quickly scooped her out and raised her separately in the nursery pond. He stayed up for several nights straight, and became so thin that his cheekbones could protrude.

When the pond was opened this spring, the crayfish grew to be large and strong. Their claws were so powerful that they could pinch your fingers until they bled. I never expected that he would raise such difficult-to-raise crayfish so successfully.

He hadn't told Shen Miao anything before, but now, after going through all sorts of hardships to bring out the first batch of shrimp, he finally told her.

When Shen Miao heard Tang Er's letter about Yu Xun raising crayfish, she was kneading dough and was so surprised that she couldn't speak.

He brought over a basket of crayfish with a cheerful smile. Shen Miao was filled with mixed emotions. If he hadn't been able to raise them successfully, he wouldn't have thought of asking Shen Miao for them after spending so much manpower and resources. Now that they were raised, he didn't turn around and ask for a high price, but instead gave Shen Miao a reasonably priced wholesale price.

Shen Miao felt comforted and agreed to renew the long-term contract with him, promising never to change fishmongers again.

This can be considered a commitment to exclusive supply.

Yu Xun was so happy he didn't know where to put his hands, and said with a simple smile, "With my wife's words, all the hard work of raising these crayfish is worth it."

After seeing him off, Shen Miao came up with seven or eight different flavors of crayfish, but she still wanted to make spicy ones. She had always had a soft spot for spicy crayfish. Years ago, when she was learning to cook in Chongqing, there was an old man selling crayfish on the street who cooked them in enamel mugs. The spiciness was so intense it made people smack their lips and jump up and down, but it was incredibly delicious. Even with swollen lips, they couldn't stop eating. Later, spicy crayfish became a common sight at night markets. People would gather with a few friends, eat crayfish, chat, clink glasses of ice-cold beer, and feel the frost on their glasses—it was so comforting.

The lively atmosphere mixed with the noise of the bustling city is an unforgettable memory for her.

At midday, Shenmiao set up a signboard adorned with red silk.

The poster illustrations were created by Tang Er carrying a live crayfish to the academy and asking Xie Qi to draw them stroke by stroke: The first illustration had a red background, with a black ceramic plate filled with red-hot, glossy, and curled crayfish, sprinkled with spicy dogwood sauce, and large, sharp white characters: "Spicy Crayfish," followed by smaller characters: "Hot and Spicy on the Tip of the Tongue," and promotional slogans such as "Enjoy Shrimp, Drink Wine, and Meet Friends."

The other painting is a traditional Chinese ink wash painting, featuring a close-up of a crayfish that is not yet fully cooked, holding up its large pincers, with a line of small, vivid ink characters next to it: "Let's try the new shrimp with the new fire"—I apologize to Mr. Su Dongpo for borrowing his poem.

The traditional Chinese ink painting is displayed inside the shop, while the red poster is displayed on a wooden stand at the entrance.

As the sun began to set, Wang Niangzi, who had developed a double chin from eating so much at Shen Miao's place, arrived.

Whenever Shen Miao served a new dish, she was always the first to arrive, leading Shen Miao to suspect that she might have planted a spy among her.

She had just finished putting up the poster when Madam Wang, stroking her double chin, walked in with a beaming smile, excitedly and expectantly asking, "Are there crayfish tonight?"

Shen Miao smiled and said, "Yes."

Before he finished speaking, five strings of cash were already slapped on the counter.

Lady Wang declared with boundless generosity, "How much is one pot? I'll deposit five strings of cash first!"

Shen Miao was both amused and exasperated: "Why don't you try it before storing it? What if you don't like it?"

"Look at my waist and my chin, do I look like someone who doesn't like to eat?" Madam Wang said disdainfully. "How could I not like to eat? Last year there were few crayfish and I didn't get to eat any. No way, I'm going to save them up first. I'm sure I'll be queuing for days like I'm waiting for Peking duck and still not be able to get any."

Shen Miao had no choice but to save it for her.

Because crayfish are difficult to raise, they are more expensive than grilled fish, costing around 158 coins for a three-pound bowl of crayfish, which is about the same as roast duck.

This price isn't low, so new customers might be hesitant to try it. But regular customers should know how good it is. Last summer, it was served on and off a few times, but very rarely. Some people who tried it came back asking about it several times, and Shen Miao really couldn't do anything about it because she didn't have any shrimp. Last year, Yu Xun only managed to catch a few pounds of shrimp, so she could only make two or three bowls.

So this time, the relisting was a large-scale relisting. The news spread like wildfire, and the place was packed with people as soon as night fell. Ah Tao came into the kitchen to announce the dishes, and the entire room outside was filled with people who had come to eat crayfish.

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of fried chili oil, and Aunt Nian was chopping lettuce with a crisp sound. Tang Er brought in another bamboo basket of shrimp from outside and poured it into the sink with a splash. Half a basin of bluish-gray crayfish rolled into the basin, their large heads and claws bared, and their whiskers still hung with drops of spring water.

Shen Miao picked it up and looked at it under the light. The shrimp's tail curled up, and it was indeed very lively.

Tang Er wiped his sweat and handed her another bowl of shrimp that had already been prepared: "Wife, this bowl has already expelled all the mud and fishy smell. Fuxing and I used brushes to clean the bellies of each shrimp one by one, and we even cut off the sand sacs. We've cleaned them thoroughly. You can use this first, and Fuxing and I will go wash them again."

Shen Miao hurriedly said, "Thanks to you all. I asked Ding Wushi from the fast food restaurant to help out in the kitchen. Aunt Nian and A Tao are in the shop in front, so you can focus on preparing the shrimp."

"Alright!" Tang Er rolled up his sleeves and went out again, where he and Fu Xing squatted by the drainage ditch and vigorously scrubbed shrimp.

The fast food restaurant closed after delivering the group meals, so Shen Miao dragged Aunt Nian and Ding Wushi, who were busy there, to work overtime. Of course, she paid them overtime.

As dusk settled, Madam Wang arrived with the large lotus-shaped ceramic bowl she'd won in a blind box lottery last year to reserve a seat. Sitting in her usual spot, she could perfectly admire the ink-wash painting of prawns reflected in the lamplight on the opposite wall. A short while later, Wang Yong, who had just finished work at the yamen, also came straight over.

Shen Miao put a wok on the stove, heated the oil until it was scalding hot, smashed a few cloves of garlic and chopped a few pieces of ginger, and released a fragrant aroma with a sizzling sound. She grabbed a handful of dogwood, ginger sauce, and Sichuan peppercorns, threw in a few cardamom pods and star anise, mixed them with her homemade fermented bean paste, and slowly sautéed them in the wok. The red oil quickly rose to the surface, and the spicy aroma filled the room and wafted into people's noses.

Pour the cleaned shrimp in, toss them a couple of times with the spoon, and the shells turn a bright golden-red. Drizzle a spoonful of Shaoxing wine along the edge of the pot, and steam billows up. The aroma of the crayfish is so enticing that even a Qilin (a mythical creature) would come in to sniff it.

While simmering, add some chopped bean sprouts, lettuce, and cucumber strips to the bottom of the pot. Once the broth has thickened, sprinkle in some chopped green onions, drizzle a few drops of fragrant vinegar, and lift the lid—the aroma of spiciness mixed with sweetness hits you right in the face, the shrimp shells are bright red and shiny, and the incredibly spicy and flavorful sauce coats the shrimp thickly.

Madam Wang arrived early and was the first to cook. Atao carried the earthenware basin through the hall, with bright red shrimp piled up like a pagoda. All the customers who came to eat crayfish in the shop craned their necks to look at her table, the aroma wafting all the way, making them unable to look away.

"It's here, it smells so good!" Wang Niangzi couldn't wait any longer. Ignoring the heat, she picked up one, bit off the head, and sucked on the yellow inside the shell. The numbing spiciness was infused with a mellow freshness. It was so spicy and delicious! She gasped from the spiciness, but she continued to peel the shell, pinching off the head and tail and sucking on it with loud smacking sounds.

The shrimp meat is snow-white and springy. Dip it in the rich broth in the pot and put it in your mouth. First, the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns swirls on the tip of your tongue, and then the spiciness rushes down your throat, which brings out the sweetness of the shrimp meat. You eat until your nose sweats, but you can't stop eating.

At first, it didn't taste very spicy, but as she ate, the spiciness rushed from the tip of her nose to the top of her head. She quickly ordered two jugs of iced plum wine, tilted her head back and gulped down several mouthfuls. Her heart and lungs felt as cool and refreshing as if she had swallowed a mouthful of snow.

"Ha—" she exhaled a long, satisfying breath.

Ah Tao and Aunt Nian moved swiftly through the shop, their black pottery bowls piled high with red shrimp.

Wang Yong rushed over after finishing his shift. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw his wife sitting there, her lips red from the spiciness of the food. Shrimp shells were piled up like a small mountain on the table. In the bowl that held the shrimp, there were only a few shrimp left. In the bright red soup, only some vegetable side dishes were left soaking forlornly.

He quickly sat down, thinking of ordering another pot, but when he looked around, the shop was already packed with people, noisy and bustling. He knew very well that there was no time to make it.

Seeing her husband's disappointed expression, Lady Wang smiled awkwardly and said, "It was so delicious, I couldn't help but eat it too fast."

What could he do? His wife sighed. He could only peel the remaining shrimp and put them in a bowl. Finally, he scooped a spoonful of thick sauce and mixed it with rice. The white rice was dyed red with oil. He ate a few bites of the shrimp and felt completely satisfied.

With just a few bites of shrimp, along with crisp cucumber and lettuce, he managed to eat two bowls of rice. After finishing, he leaned close to his wife and quietly asked, "Have you stored them yet? I'll bring two bowls tomorrow to take to the palace for the Emperor to try."

Last time, the Emperor was amazed by Shen Ji's fish balls. Ever since his toothache was cured, he no longer wanted duck carcass soup with roasted duck. Instead, he fried the duck carcass and ordered Liang Da Dang to buy a few catties of raw fish balls to take back to the palace to cook.

Fish balls and roasted duck made the Emperor's already slightly thinner, chubby face appear even rounder. But Liang Da Dang insisted that the Emperor wasn't fat, but simply had drunk too much water the night before, which was why his face looked bigger in the morning, and that it would definitely disappear by nightfall.

If the swelling hasn't subsided by night, then it must be because the officials drank too much water again.

Wang Yong was stunned. In Liang Da Dang's eyes, how wise and powerful the Emperor must be! But later he heard that Liang Da Dang was old and his eyesight had deteriorated, so he saw everyone as handsome.

Lady Wang also lowered her voice and said, "Don't worry, my lord, I have already stored up thirty basins, which cost a total of five strings of cash. That's enough to last for quite a few days."

Wang Yong nodded with satisfaction, realizing that he didn't need to worry about his wife's diet.

Ever since crayfish appeared on the menu of the night market food stalls, Chen Ji Tangbing Shop has become so popular that there's always a queue. Two neat rows of small stools are lined up in front of the shop, filled with diners waiting to eat crayfish. Ah Tao hands out a handful of sunflower seeds to each customer, constantly reassuring them: "It'll be ready soon, just a little longer!"

Pedestrians walking through the market could hear from afar the two loud-voiced idlers that Shen Miao had hired shouting incessantly:

"Table 20! Table 20! Shen Ji is treating you to shrimp!"

Ning Yi was confined in the academy and had no idea that Chen Ji had come up with new dishes. It wasn't until Xie Qi suddenly found a fat crayfish with big pincers in his strange, cylindrical white cup with a handle, and it was perched on the table, drawing all day, that Ning Yi realized something was amiss.

He was gnawing on the roasted pig's trotters that Xie Qi had brought from Chen Ji, his mouth greasy from eating. He sidled up to Xie Qi, peeking around to see what he was drawing.

After watching for a long time, when he changed to expensive white ink and wrote the four characters "Spicy Crawfish" in one stroke, Ning Yi suddenly jumped up and exclaimed excitedly, "Is it, is it that Madam Shen has made a new dish!"

"Didn't you see it?" Xie Qi replied casually without looking up. After finishing one painting, he had Qiu Hao take it aside to dry, and then continued to paint the next one.

This really troubled Ning Yi. He glanced at the half-eaten roasted pig's trotter in his hand, feeling a little reluctant, but he still put it down.

These pig's trotters are delicious. They're obviously the hind trotters, with thick, chewy meat. They're singed until golden brown and then soaked in Chen Kee's unique broth. Take a bite and tear open the crispy outer skin. Oil droplets roll down your lips, revealing glistening, trembling collagen inside. They're tender yet chewy, with a numbing and spicy flavor that fills your mouth—it's incredibly satisfying.

But Shen Ji clearly had new dishes. How could he miss such delicious food?

Ning Yi finally realized that the booklet he had ordered was originally meant to record all the delicious food he had eaten, but now, he had so many delicious foods that he couldn't keep up with recording them all. Every single one of them was so delicious that it was almost unbearable.

Sometimes, he thought he wouldn't eat certain things, like the braised pork rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival! How could a zongzi be savory! But after the Dragon Boat Festival, Xie Qi brought some to the academy, and he shared one with Xie Qi, almost betraying the sweet jujube rice dumplings.

Ning Yi made up his mind: he would save his belly and sneak over the wall tonight to eat Chen Ji's spicy crayfish. He couldn't afford to waste a moment longer!

When Xie Qi finished painting, he turned around and saw that Ning Yi had disappeared.

He carefully placed the dried painting into the painting tube and sent Qiu Hao to Chen Ji. He then sat at the table for a while before taking out a rolled-up scroll from the painting basket beside the table and continuing to paint on the half-finished portrait.

The painting depicts a gentle woman sitting under a tree, looking up at the sky.

He carefully added the stars to the night sky stroke by stroke, and after finishing the painting, he sat silently in a daze.

Just then, a servant rushed over and said, "Young Master Xie, there's someone waiting for you at the east gate of the academy. They said they came from your home in Chenzhou."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qi's expression shifted slightly, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes. He quickly and carefully put away the scroll, then strode towards the east, his steps becoming faster and more hurried.