Chapter 73 Sweet Mochi Pie Duck Farm Planning

While Shen Miao was still struggling in bed, Tang Er and Fu Xing had already gotten up to sweep the snow. After they finished, Tang Er came to the door and said to Shen Miao, "My wife, please sleep well. I'll prepare breakfast today."

Upon hearing this, Shen Miao immediately wanted to get up. Tang Er's cooking skills were, well, barely passable.

"Don't panic, my wife. My stepmother taught me how to make Qizhou (Jinan) snacks. Her radish pancakes are so delicious, they ooze oil with every bite! And her sweet porridge is sticky, fragrant, and absolutely amazing. These two dishes, though not as authentic as hers, are still presentable." Tang Er, quite self-aware, quickly added, "If all else fails, there's Fuxing too. My wife, please rest a little longer."

"Alright," Shen Miao said, then lay back down on the couch and dozed off for a while. She had drunk some rice wine yesterday, which, though not intoxicating, had made her feel sluggish. Especially now, listening to the faint sound of snow falling on the tiles outside through the window, like silkworms nibbling on leaves, made her even more prone to drowsiness.

Rarely getting a nap, she finally felt refreshed. She put on a thick cotton coat and cotton shoes with an extra layer of sheepskin sewn on the outside, wrapped a scarf around her neck, and put on a hat with ear flaps. She wanted to go out and see what delicious food Tang Er had made, but first she caught sight of the winter-warming picture on the table.

Most winter-dispelling charts use nine characters with nine strokes each to form a refined phrase, such as "Spring breeze carries the fragrance of cypress to the courtyard." These nine characters are then written on a piece of paper using double-line hollow script, with each character representing one "nine" and each stroke representing one day. Starting from the winter solstice, one stroke is added to each character each day. Once all nine characters are completed, spring has arrived.

For ordinary people, counting the nine days of winter is even simpler. They go to the street and ask a calligrapher to draw nine grids, one horizontal and one vertical, and then draw a circle in the middle of each grid. This is called "drawing copper coins." Once they have drawn eighty-one copper coins, they have finished.

The painting of winter plum blossoms by Ninth Brother was much more detailed. He depicted nine branches of plum blossoms, each with nine blossoms, one branch corresponding to the number nine in the Chinese lunar calendar, and one blossom to the day of the lunar calendar. Next to each plum blossom was an inscription of a poem by Du Mu: "Lightly reflected in the stream, concealed beneath the jade terrace." [Note]

Moreover, I wonder if there's anything special about the ink that Ninth Brother uses, because it actually smells like plum blossoms.

At first, she didn't know how to color this picture to dispel the cold. But Ji-ge'er, who knew the wit of literati, taught her: "Sister, this should be based on the different weather conditions of each day to count the nine cold days. For example, red plum blossoms bloom on sunny days, green plum blossoms on cloudy days, and white plum blossoms on snowy days. That's roughly how it is. After all the plum blossoms have been colored, the 'Nine Cold Days' will be over."

After saying that, he went back into the house and fetched a set of his writing brush and ink for her to use.

Today is the second time I'm applying this. Yesterday, during the winter solstice, it didn't snow during the day, so she used vermilion to represent sunshine. Today it snowed, so I'll use ink to mix a light watercolor color.

This is like a coloring game. Shen Miao carefully filled in the plum blossoms with her pen before stretching and going out to wash up. The snow in the yard wasn't thick, and Fu Xing had already swept it aside, otherwise it would easily get wet and dirty.

But looking around, the roof tiles, eaves, and broken porcelain pieces on the courtyard walls are all covered with a layer of white, and even the bamboo wind chimes hanging under the eaves are topped with a little white cap, which is quite cute.

When it snows, the whole world seems to quiet down, and people feel as if they are living in a film-like color palette.

The small pond in the yard was covered with broken ice. Snow kept falling, only to melt quickly on the surface, creating fleeting ripples. The few frogs that had settled there seemed to have sunk into the mud at the bottom, and even the extremely cold-resistant bitterlings hid among the deep water plants, no longer swimming around frequently.

Perhaps the small wooden sign by the pond should be replaced with "The frogs have hibernated; see you in spring."

As Shen Miao walked and looked around, when she lifted her skirt and entered the kitchen, the first thing she noticed was not Tang Er and Fu Xing who were busy in front of the stove, but the Qilin that had jumped onto the top of the wooden shelf where vegetables were stored and was sinking down.

Its tail swept back and forth behind it, its eyes fixed intently on the pieces of cured meat and sausages hanging on the iron hook.

Shen Miao sensed something was wrong and was about to shout when the Qilin leaped into the air, its front paws outstretched, revealing sharp claws. It firmly grabbed the nearest sausage, and with its fat body, successfully tore off the straw used to hang the sausage. It dragged the sausage, which was longer than its body, to the ground, picked it up, and ran off.

"A thief who steals intestines!" Shen Miao exclaimed in disbelief.

"What thief?" Tang Er and Fu Xing turned around with blank expressions. Qilin had already dragged the sausage and quickly jumped onto the windowsill and landed on the water vat. Then it jumped down and, like a warrior returning from a hunt, proudly crawled into the kotatsu.

Shen Miao quickly went over and snatched the sausage back from the cat's mouth.

The Qilin wouldn't let go, and Chenmiao had to fight like a tug-of-war to snatch the food from the cat's mouth.

The sausage that was almost in his mouth flew away, and the Qilin, unwilling to give up, kept meowing behind Shen Miao and even chased after him.

Shen Miao took a knife from the cutting board, cut off the part that the dog had bitten, and threw it to the dog to eat, shaking her head in anguish: "I've only fed it this much... It's so hard to guard against a thief in the family, so hard to guard against a thief in the family!"

Tang Er laughed and said, "I was wondering why it sneaked into the kitchen so early. I thought it was because it was cold outside, but it turns out it had its eyes on the intestines."

Fuxing asked curiously, "Who opened the kitchen door for it?"

"It came in through the window." Shen Miao had just caught sight of the cat while chasing it, and it even knew how to open the window. At that time, the window was pushed up from the bottom and held in place by a small wooden stick. Qilin didn't know how it had learned to push the window up.

"This cat is amazing!" Tang Er exclaimed in surprise. "It's only been here a few days and it's already learned to open windows. Impressive! All that muscle has paid off; it's all strength!"

Fuxing chuckled as he helped Tang Erbao mix the radish filling. As he mixed, he spoke up for Qilin, saying, "It's because the sausages my wife makes are so fragrant. They're drying in the kitchen, and I get hungry just smelling them every day. You can't blame Qilin; it's so small, how could it resist such temptation?"

If Fuxing said that, he must also be a cat lover.

Shen Miao pouted and silently decided to weigh down the window with a stone.

She counted the number of sausages; apart from the one that had been harmed, the rest were fine and hadn't been persecuted by the Qilin. Only then did Shen Miao have the mind to turn around and see how Tang Er's breakfast was going: "I've heard of sweet porridge, but I've never eaten it." Actually, she had only heard of it in her previous life.

Despite its name, Tianmo is actually a savory porridge. Originally, it was called "Tianmo'er" because after cooking the millet porridge base, people would add bits of peanuts, red beans, spinach, and vermicelli—things called "mo'er"—to enhance the flavor. Later, it somehow became known as "Tianmo." [Note]

Flames licked the bottom of the pot, the water inside was boiling, and Tang Er had already cooked the millet paste. He was slowly pouring it into the pot while stirring with a wooden spoon. Soon, thick rice paste and rice oil appeared in the pot, and the aroma of millet gradually filled the air.

The peanuts and red beans in the earthenware pot beside him had already bloomed and split open. Tang Er, looking very serious, picked them up and slowly poured them into the batter. Then he added the soaked rice noodles and small pieces of fried tofu, making the ingredients in the pot even richer and thicker.

Next, finely chop the ginger and scallions. In a separate pan, heat the oil and sauté the ginger and scallions until fragrant.

Pour the fragrant scallion oil into the pot, then add the washed and chopped spinach, sprinkle with a little salt, and stir gently. The sweet porridge is now ready.

Tang Er scooped the cooked sweet porridge into an earthenware pot and set it aside to keep it warm. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and wipe his sweat with the towel hanging around his neck: "It's been a long time since I've made this. I'm sweating profusely."

On the other side, Fuxing had already prepared the radish filling for him. When Shenmiao went over to take a look, the radish filling was also very simple. The green radish was finely shredded with a knife, sprinkled with salt, the excess water was squeezed out by hand, and then the radish shreds were chopped into small pieces. Oil, salt, and five-spice powder were added, and then it was mixed well by hand.

Roll the dough into a thin pancake, spread the filling evenly on the pancake, roll up the pancake, pinch the edges to seal, and then gently press it into a flat shape before frying.

Fuxing helped heat the oil, and Tang Er, looking nervous, carefully placed the pie into the pan. The oil immediately sizzled.

Holding a spatula, he occasionally flipped the pies in the oil pan. Shen Miao helped keep an eye on the heat. When she saw that both sides of the pies were golden brown and the fire was too high, she told him to take them out: "That's enough, they'll burn if you fry them any longer."

Tang Ershou hurriedly scooped it up.

"It smells so good." Xiangjie, with her hair down, followed the scent and peeked her little head in from outside the door.

Tang Er was immediately encouraged: "Does it smell good? We can eat now!"

"Then I'll go brush my teeth!" Xiangjie quickly pulled her head back and ran to wash up.

Shen Miao helped scoop out the sweet millet porridge. Steam rose from the porridge. Tang Er's millet porridge was quite good. The aroma of millet was rich and lingering, mixed with the fragrance of red beans and peanuts. She was getting a little hungry just smelling it.

Once the food was served, everyone got up and gathered around the kotatsu (heated brick stove), enjoying a bite of the pie and a sip of sweet porridge – it was indeed delicious. Although you could tell that Tang's cooking was a bit rough; the sweet porridge was a little too salty, and the red beans weren't soaked long enough and had a slightly hard center, overall it was tasty.

The texture is incredibly rich: the millet porridge base is soft and glutinous, the red beans are fragrant and rich, the peanuts are roasted until crisp, the vermicelli is smooth, and the spinach is fresh and tender. A hot bowl of this might feel a bit sticky at first, but one bite of the pie completely balances it out. The outer layer is fried until crispy and piping hot, while the radish filling is sweet and tender, with all the juices trapped inside. It's just the right amount of flavor.

Crunch, crunch, slurp, slurp.

All I could hear were the sounds of people chewing biscuits and drinking porridge.

"Did Tang Er make this?" A Tao couldn't believe it after finishing a bowl of sweet porridge and eating two pies.

Tang Er glared at her, feigning anger: "Why can't it be me, Tao'er? I don't like hearing that."

Atao chuckled: "Last time you didn't even scald the meat properly, and your steamed egg wasn't even as good as Chuan-ge'er's. How can I believe you made such difficult dishes?"

Tang Er, his weakness exposed, snorted and turned away, muttering, "What's so difficult about these two? Just throw them in one by one and sprinkle some salt, that's all. It's not worth making such a fuss about."

As Shen Miao listened to their bickering while drinking, she nodded inwardly: This stuff is indeed delicious and quick to make, perfect for selling in the morning. Nowadays, Shen Miao's shop basically doesn't sell breakfast anymore. After she gets up, she has to prepare all kinds of noodles and grilled fish, as well as simmer the broth, make the noodle toppings, braised meat, and side dishes. She's really too busy to do anything else.

Fuxing, on the other hand, wants roast duck, so they can't be apart.

Tao Yuan didn't go into the kitchen much; she was in charge of welcoming and seeing off guests.

Because Tang Er wasn't good at cooking or kneading dough, he mostly helped with chopping and preparing vegetables, slicing ducks, and slaughtering livestock. When there were many people, he would also help A Tao clear some dishes and chopsticks. He couldn't do anything else.

Now that Tang Er knows how to make this, and does it quite well, we can let him make it and sell it, so the shop can have two more breakfast options. Moreover, merchants from both the north and south gather in Bianjing, but according to Shen Miao's observation, since the south is inherently wealthy and prosperous, there are more northerners among the merchants in Bianjing, so these two breakfast options should suit their tastes.

After finishing her bowl of sweet porridge, Shen Miao made her decision: "Tang Er, starting tomorrow, you will get up and make a pot of sweet porridge and fry about twenty meat pies. Try selling these two breakfast items at the shop and see if they can sell. If the response is good, you will be in charge of making these two items from now on."

Tang Er was taken aback: "Me? I'm in charge of cooking?"

Shen Miao nodded.

He almost immediately became so excited that his face turned red, and he stood up and bowed deeply: "I will do my best and will not disgrace Chen Ji's reputation."

Compared to Fuxing, who was immediately entrusted with important tasks by Shen Miao, Tang Er was somewhat envious. After all, learning to roast duck was equivalent to learning a skill for life. However, apart from his good knife skills, he was not as capable as Fuxing, so he could only honestly do his own odd jobs of cutting and preparing vegetables, and usually dared not go near the pot.

Now he can cook!

Ah Tao, biting into a radish pancake, was also happy: "This way we can earn more money."

Seeing him happy, Shen Miao felt relieved. Tang Er, Fu Xing, and A Tao had been here for so long, and she had figured out their personalities. Because Fu Xing had a skill to rely on from the beginning, he felt more at ease than Tang Er and A Tao. Even if Shen Miao didn't want him anymore, he could go back to Ya Bao and find another restaurant with his wonton soup skills.

As for Atao, she was young and had signed a one-year contract. She was focused on saving money, and Shenmiao could fulfill all her requests by paying her monthly salary based on commission, which firmly captured her heart.

Tang Er, however, had lost his father and stepmother, and was now homeless. All he had was his knife skills, and he seemed to have no goals. Sometimes he appeared lost and confused, unsure of where the future lay. But people always think about the future: he couldn't be a vegetable cutter for the rest of his life, could he?

Employees' career plans also need to be considered. Shen Miao nodded repeatedly in her heart.

As they were chatting, Aunt Li's sharp, piercing voice came from outside the door: "Big sister, are you up yet, big sister?" Her call made the fat sparrows hiding in their nests under the eaves fly away.

Shen Miao quickly opened the door: "Auntie, come in and have some porridge."

"I've already eaten." Aunt Li waved her hand, her eyes shining. "Let's go. Aren't you going out of town to see your duck shed? It's still early, and the snow will stop soon. Let's go quickly." Ever since Shen Miao told her that he wanted to hire her as a "duck herding advisor," she had been so happy that she couldn't sleep. Every day she would urge Shen Miao to go outside the city to see the ponds and fields she had bought.

Aunt Li raises chickens and ducks quite well. In the past six months, Aunt Gu's chickens and ducks have often died from disease, but Aunt Li's chicks and ducklings have almost all grown up safely under her care.

Shen Miao had bought chickens and ducks from Aunt Li several times. The chickens and ducks she raised were plump after slaughtering, with a layer of bright yellow fat under the skin. If you peeled it off with a knife, you could render a jar of good oil.

"Come in and have a pancake," Shen Miao pulled the person in, took a pancake from the basket on the table and gave it to Aunt Li. "We still have to wait for He Daizhao."

"When is that bricklayer surnamed He coming?" Aunt Li had no choice but to reluctantly take a bite of the pie in her hand. It was not bad, the radish filling inside was juicy and tender, so she finished it in a few bites.

"It should be soon, we've agreed on the same time," Shen Miao replied.

Aunt Li nodded, and after finishing her meal, she subconsciously looked at the chicken coop that Chen Miao had built. The coop was stuffed with dry grass, and the three chickens were crammed inside. Aunt Li could tell at a glance that they were the chicks she had bought from her own home. She turned her head and asked, "Why don't you kill these chickens? They'll get too old if you keep them any longer. Just keep the one that's best at brooding to lay eggs and incubate them. That rooster doesn't crow, and it eats a lot but doesn't have much meat. You might as well kill it."

Before Shen Miao could speak, Xiang Jie, with her sharp ears, grabbed a pie and ran to the chicken coop to block Aunt Li's view, stamping her feet anxiously: "No, no, you can't kill them. Rongrong and the other two are the ones I raised with great care, feeding them rice and feeding them insects! They're no different from my own children!"

Chen Chuan almost choked on the sweet porridge.

Shen Miao laughed so hard his shoulders shook, and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill the chicken."

Xiang Jie'er then slowly moved back to the table, looking back every few steps, and continued eating.

Aunt Li pursed her lips. She wanted to say a few words to Xiang'er. She was a grown-up and should be more sensible. How could she stop her from killing the chicken? The chickens in the house were raised to sell or eat, not to be kept as ancestors. Did she expect them to be kept for a lifetime?

But it was swallowed back in the end.

She still needs to rely on Sister Shen, so she shouldn't upset her.

Previously, when Shen Miao asked Aunt Gu to help out, Aunt Li was a little envious, but she didn't have the confidence to say it. After all, she had argued with Shen Miao several times before, and she had offended people with her words. How could she have the face to go and help? Although Aunt Li was thick-skinned, she wasn't that thick-skinned.

So he kept envious while muttering to himself at home.

Fortunately, Shen Miao started making roasted duck again, and as soon as she started, she disregarded past grievances and came looking for her. Aunt Li immediately perked up and used all her skills to find ducks for her everywhere. She even helped her hatch white duck eggs. Now she has more than ten little white ducks in her own home. She patted her chest and guaranteed that she could raise them well. She didn't even ask Sister Shen for money for the ducks' food.

She was also thinking of doing something nice for Sister Shen.

The Li family's porcelain mending shop had a perfect view of Shenji Tangbing shop. Every day, she would sit on a stool in front of her own shop, eating melon seeds, and she could clearly see the bustling crowds at the Shen family's shop every day.

The roasted duck, in particular, is selling extremely well.

Aunt Li was a gossip who loved to eavesdrop, and therefore had sharp eyes. She was certain that Sister Shen would soon become successful.

An ordinary restaurant can have one signature dish that is so delicious that it can last for decades or even centuries. For example, the chicken in Dezhou. A pot of old braising broth has been passed down from great-grandfather to great-grandson, and those generations have been eating and drinking it endlessly.

Sister Shen already has several signs!

Originally, Aunt Li was jealous and gossiped about Sister Shen after she made a fortune from that Xie family. But after Sister Shen expanded her business and bought land within a few months, and was invited by important people to host banquets every month, Aunt Li shut up. Why? Because they were now worlds apart. She was too busy flattering and fawning over them to dare offend her.

Aunt Li munched on a radish pancake, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

Shen Miao went into the kitchen again and instructed Tang Er and Fu Xing to prepare all the ingredients for the stewed goose in the iron pot that night. Just then, the sound of a mule cart came from outside, and He Daizhao arrived in the cart.

"Then I'm leaving. I'm handing the shop over to you." Shen Miao quickly slung her small bag over her shoulder, tied her scarf, said goodbye to A Tao and the others, and hurriedly got into the car and left.

The ten acres of land she bought from the officials were about an hour's drive from the inner city. Sitting in He Daizhao's mule cart, the three of them began to talk, mainly Aunt Li, who had personally raised white ducks and had some understanding of their habits.

"The Nanjing White Ducks that my eldest sister wanted to raise are very fond of water. They usually live in flocks, eat a lot and grow quickly. Apart from staying in the water, they either stay in the duck nest and doze off. They are not as active as Muscovy ducks. There is nothing else that is difficult to raise, except that the ducklings are more delicate than Muscovy ducks and cannot stand the cold. After the white ducks were hatched, I quickly moved them into the house to raise them."

Shen Miao listened very attentively.

Indeed, the white ducklings that have not yet been crossbred with Peking ducks are pure southern water ducks. Adult ducks have thick feathers to keep warm, while ducklings have weak resistance and their feathers have not yet grown, so it is normal for them to be afraid of the cold.

She'll have to try crossbreeding ducks from the north and south later.

Upon arriving at the destination, standing by the edge of the field, all that remained was a vast expanse of snow-covered fields, almost merging with the horizon. Aunt Li's eyes widened, and she exclaimed excitedly, her tongue practically tied in knots, "Such a huge area! That could raise over a thousand chickens!"

“If we really start raising them, I’m afraid it will be a lot of trouble for Aunt Li to go out of town every day to keep an eye on them,” Shen Miao said with a smile. “I will also hire a few people to live here, but I’m still not at ease. I can only feel at ease if Aunt Li, who is an expert in raising ducks, helps me take care of them.”

"Don't worry, I can't speak for other things, but I have a lot of experience in raising ducks!" Aunt Li's eyes were glued to the fields covered with fluffy white snow. She gazed into the distance, the snow ruffling her hair, and murmured to herself, "Such good land, and wheat has already been planted there. It's all yours, eldest sister? How much money must have been spent!"

Shen Miao didn't hear. She stared blankly at the wheat field in the snow, thinking of a proverb from later generations: "If the wheat is covered with three layers of snow this winter, you'll sleep on a pillow of steamed buns next year." Snow water moistens the soil and kills pests. When spring returns next year, the snow melts and the ice thaws, the wheat seedlings will be nourished by the snow water and will surely sprout.

She doesn't plan to start construction on the wheat-grown areas yet. Instead, she will build the duck sheds on the sandy land near the pond where no crops are grown, creating a "first phase" of the project with about two hundred ducks as a pilot project.

The wheat fields will be allocated in the second phase after next year's harvest. After all, there's so much grain; the original tenant farmers of the Feng family must have taken very good care of this wheat, and it's growing very well, so of course we can't pull it up—that would be such a waste.

The group drove around the fields in the light snow. The duck shed should be built in a dry place with a slight slope, avoiding low-lying and damp areas, and preventing diseases caused by excessive rain.

It should also be close to a pond, preferably near areas with reeds and rushes, which ducks love as well as places with water and hiding places. These locations make it easy for them to forage for insects and grass.

"When building a duck house, it's best to use bamboo and wood for the beams, bricks and stones for the walls, and thatch or tiles on the roof, as this will make it more sturdy," Aunt Li instructed in detail. "The ducklings and adult ducks should be in separate houses. The duckling house should ideally have a flue and a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed), with a thick layer of dry straw on top. If any ducks hatched in the winter, you can burn firewood and charcoal for a few days to raise them until they are strong enough to survive the winter."

Shen Miao nodded. That made sense. It was important to be thorough in every aspect during the initial construction so that things wouldn't be too chaotic if something unexpected happened later. Even if the heated kang (a traditional brick bed) and flue increased costs, it was a reasonable expense.

"Ducklings need to be kept warm, while adult duck houses need to be more spacious, with drainage ditches and small ventilation windows at higher levels. Several perches a few feet off the ground should also be built, where the ducks rest and can avoid moisture."

Aunt Li indeed spoke eloquently about ducks. She proudly said, "Before, for my eldest sister's roasted duck, I ran all over the outer city to almost every duck shed. Some people's ducks were sickly because their duck sheds weren't built properly. Now that I've seen so many, I can tell what's good and what's bad."

The final decision was quickly made, and the requirements and size of the duck shed were discussed with He Daizhao. A fence also needed to be built around the area; the fence couldn't be too low, otherwise the ducks could easily fly out. In addition, a dedicated feed storage warehouse needed to be built. The warehouse should be several inches off the ground and lined with wooden planks for moisture protection. An additional staff dormitory also needed to be built next to the duck shed, as the duck farm required someone to be on duty.

The total cost was enormous, but Shen Miao was unwilling to cut corners. She agreed with He Daizhao that she would cover the entire cost of 100 guan. If there were any shortcomings later, she would discuss them with him. In short, she would do her best.

Shen Miao is very decisive. If you're going to build something, build it right the first time to avoid having to change it later. Constantly tearing things down is the most expensive thing to do.

With the construction period set and the twelfth lunar month fast approaching, He Daizhao said that he could only lead his apprentices to do as much as they could before the new year. If they couldn't finish, they would have to wait until after the eighth day of the first lunar month to continue.

That's not a problem; she hasn't even found any ducklings yet.

While Shen Miao was planning a duck farm in the suburbs, Yue Teng braved the snow and slowly walked out of Wang Ji Inn, heading towards Shen Ji Tangbing Shop once again.

The snow fell like dust, and soon his eyebrows and beard were covered with glistening snowflakes, but Yue Teng didn't use an umbrella. In his eyes, this little bit of snow wasn't even considered snow in Yanzhou.

After crossing Jinliang Bridge, he saw that Chenji Shop was open in the distance. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, quickened his pace, and went straight into the shop.

It snowed today, and there were few pedestrians on the street. There were only three or four tables of people in the shop, all engrossed in eating hot soup dumplings.

As soon as Yue Teng entered, he felt warm, and his nose was filled with the particularly rich and fragrant aroma of soup noodles.

He bent down and patted his robe to brush off the snowflakes clinging to his body. He looked around and saw that the shop was very clean, with calligraphy, paintings, and menus covering the walls. The warm and fragrant atmosphere made him feel relaxed.

Inside the shop, a young woman with phoenix eyes, around fifteen or sixteen years old, was greeting customers. Seeing him enter, she quickly wiped her hands and came over with a smile: "Sir, what would you like to eat? Our shop has mutton soup, instant soup noodles, fried sauce soup noodles, chicken soup wontons..."

Yue Teng shook his head and asked, "Could you please trouble Madam Shen from your shop to make a fresh serving of fish head tofu soup?"

The young woman with phoenix eyes immediately looked troubled: "Unfortunately, my wife went out of town early this morning and isn't here now. These are the only food we have on hand in the shop."

Yue Teng: "..."

Seeing his disappointed expression and the look of wanting to leave, the young woman with phoenix eyes quickly added, "Sir, are you a merchant traveling in other places? You haven't been back to Bianjing for many years, have you? You must have come from the north, there's no mistake. By the way, have you tried our instant soup noodles? No? Then why don't you try our instant soup noodles? We have chicken soup, braised pork, and even sauerkraut. You don't know, these soup noodles are now sold all the way to the border of Youzhou! They're very trendy and popular, even the soldiers love them."

Youzhou? What has Xi Feijing secretly done again...? Yue Teng's eyes flickered slightly. Sure enough, he picked up a table as instructed, sat down, and thought for a long time among the various flavors before finally choosing one: "Okay, then I'll have a bowl of... Old lady's pickled cabbage..."

Why is this name so strange? Could it be that some old lady was good at pickling sauerkraut and that's why it's called that?

"Alright!" The young woman with phoenix eyes was overjoyed to have kept her guest there. She flew into the back room like a bird. "Fuxing, bring me some instant soup noodles, and a pot of hot water. I want the sauce made with the old lady's pickled cabbage!"

“What old lady’s pickled cabbage? My wife has told me so many times, that’s called old-fashioned pickled cabbage.” The voice of someone else could still be heard from the kitchen.

Yue Teng: "..."