Chapter 10 Making Money from Perilla Drink

Back home, Lin Yao didn't even have time to rest before heading straight to the kitchen. She first took out the perilla, hawthorn, and wild chrysanthemums she had picked and placed them on the table.

Lin Yao first washed the perilla leaves and set them aside. Then, she picked up the hawthorns and carefully removed the pits with a small knife, her movements practiced and efficient. Hawthorn juice splashed onto her hands, filling the air with a sweet and sour aroma.

Lin Song curiously leaned closer, "Second sister, I want to help too!"

Lin Yao tapped his little nose: "Song'er, help your second sister pick out the wild chrysanthemums, and pick out the bad ones and weeds."

Lin Song nodded vigorously and began carefully picking wild chrysanthemums.

Lin Yao cut the pitted hawthorns into small pieces, put them in a pot, and added an appropriate amount of water. Soon, the pot was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of hawthorns.

After brewing a cup of tea, Lin Yao added the chopped perilla leaves to the pot and simmered them with the hawthorn. Instantly, the unique aroma of perilla and the sweet and sour taste of hawthorn blended perfectly, filling the entire kitchen. Lin Song, smelling this enticing aroma, couldn't help but swallow.

"Second sister, this smells so good, it must taste delicious!" Lin Song said excitedly.

Lin Yao smiled and replied, "I'll let you try it when it's ready."

While brewing the perilla and hawthorn tea, Lin Yao didn't rest either. She started another pot, boiled water, put the carefully selected wild chrysanthemums into the teapot, and brewed them with hot water. The golden tea soup simmered in the teapot, and the fragrant aroma of wild chrysanthemums wafted out.

After a flurry of activity, the perilla hawthorn tea and perilla chrysanthemum tea were finally ready.

Lin Yao poured them into two large teapots and set them aside to cool.

When Lin Cheng returned with two large buckets of pig offal, he smelled a fragrant aroma wafting from his house.

He placed the pig offal at the kitchen doorway, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "Ayao, why does it smell like wild chrysanthemums?"

Lin Song, like a cheerful little deer, skipped and jumped out to greet him, grabbing Lin Cheng's arm, his excitement almost overflowing: "Brother, you're finally back! Second Sister made some new drinks, perilla and hawthorn tea and perilla and chrysanthemum tea, they're so fragrant and delicious!" As he spoke, he pulled Lin Cheng towards the kitchen.

As Lin Cheng entered the kitchen, he immediately saw two large, tempting-looking jugs of beverage on the table. He leaned closer, took a deep breath, and the aroma, a blend of sweet and sour with a refreshing fragrance, filled his nostrils.

The scalding hot tea made Lin Cheng wince as soon as it entered his mouth, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. He forced it to swirl around in his mouth a few times before swallowing it.

"Ouch... It's burning hot!" Lin Cheng exclaimed, sucking in his breath. "But it's so delicious! It's relieved all my fatigue from the journey!"

Lin Yao was both amused and annoyed, and quickly said, "Brother, you're too impatient. Aren't you afraid of burning your mouth?" As she spoke, she handed him a bowl of cold water.

Lin Cheng took the cold water, drank a few sips to calm himself down, and then looked at the pot of perilla chrysanthemum tea. "Then this pot of chrysanthemum tea must taste pretty good too." He then went to pour some more.

Lin Yao quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't drink it too fast, or you'll burn yourself. This chrysanthemum tea is good for clearing heat and reducing internal fire, so drink it slowly later."

Lin Cheng chuckled, gently blew on it this time, took a slow sip, and savored it carefully. "It's refreshing and sweet, with a faint floral fragrance. If we served this drink with our pancake stall, our business would definitely be even better!"

While Lin Yao and Lin Cheng were talking, Lin Song also took a small sip of the perilla and hawthorn tea. As soon as he drank it, his eyes lit up: "Wow, it's so delicious! Second sister is amazing!"

After finishing his drink, Lin Cheng began cleaning up the pig offal.

Lin Yao went into the yard and took the pork belly and pork bones she had bought at the market yesterday out of the well water.

In the hot summer, to prevent the meat from spoiling, she tied it with a rope and hung it in the well, using the low temperature of the well water to keep it fresh.

Lin Yao placed the meat and bones on the cutting board, carefully inspected them, and after confirming that there was no strange smell, she began to process them.

She first cut the pork belly into evenly sized cubes, each one perfectly square, and set them aside. Then, she picked up the pork bones and began scrubbing them, cleaning even the impurities in the crevices of the bones.

Outside the kitchen, Lin Cheng had also cleaned the pig offal. He cut the pig intestines into even pieces, and spread out the pig stomach, removing the mucus and excess fat. "Ayao, the pig offal is ready."

Lin Yao was busy stewing pork bone soup and replied without looking up, "Brother, you can put the pork offal back into the previous braising liquid and continue braising. The braising liquid has a rich flavor and can be used to braise it a few more times."

Lin Cheng lifted the wooden bucket and dumped all the pig offal into the pot. The braising liquid had been simmering over a low flame in the kitchen, and after a day of settling, its color became richer and its aroma more enticing.

Lin Yao wasn't idle either; she wiped her sweat and started making Dongpo pork.

She first blanched the chopped pork belly pieces in boiling water to remove blood and impurities, then drained them. Next, she lined a clay pot with scallion segments and ginger slices, placed the blanched pork belly skin-side down on top of the scallions and ginger, poured in some rice wine and sugar, and then poured in enough hot water to just cover the pork pieces.

Lin Yao felt a little regretful at this moment; it would have been even better if there had been soy sauce.

Soy sauce actually existed as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, when it was called "Qingjiang". So, soy sauce existed in that dynasty, but because the production process was complicated, it was not produced on a large scale and was very expensive. She couldn't afford it now and could only eat this bland version of braised pork.

She had also studied traditional soy sauce making, but it was time-consuming and laborious. Perhaps she could free up some time to experiment with it once her business expanded.

Lin Yao covered the pot with the lid, first bringing the broth to a boil over high heat, then turning it down to a simmer.

She then placed the cleaned pork bones into another large pot, added enough water, ginger slices, scallions, and wine. After bringing it to a boil over high heat, she skimmed off the foam, then reduced the heat to low and simmered. Gradually, the pork bone soup turned milky white and became very fragrant.

Lin Song would occasionally hand over the seasonings and help stir them, his small figure spinning around like a top.

In the kitchen, the rich aroma of braised pork offal, the sweet fragrance of braised pork belly, and the savory aroma of pork bone broth intertwine.

Having just finished her work, Lin Yao remembered something else. She said to Lin Cheng, "Brother, let's put the drinks in bamboo tubes and sell them tomorrow. That way it will be convenient for customers who didn't bring their own water bottles."

Lin Cheng nodded in agreement: "That's a good idea. I'll go to the bamboo grove next door and cut some bamboo to make this." With that, he put down his work and prepared to get up to get his tools for chopping firewood.

Lin Yao continued to stand guard in front of the pot, occasionally lifting the lid to check on the braised pork and the pork bone soup.

The braised pork belly, simmering slowly over low heat, had turned a glossy reddish-brown color and its aroma had become increasingly rich. She gently poked it with chopsticks, and the meat was easily pierced. At this point, the braised pork belly was perfectly cooked. She carefully flipped the pork belly over so the skin was facing up, and let it cook for a little longer to allow the skin to absorb the flavors even more.

Before long, Lin Cheng returned carrying a large bundle of bamboo tubes.

By this time, the braised pig offal had almost finished braising.

Lin Yao opened the pot lid, and a rich aroma instantly filled the air. The pork offal, braised to a tempting color, looked absolutely delicious. She used a spoon to scoop out the offal and placed it in a large bowl for later use.

The pork bone soup had been simmered until it was very thick. Lin Yao turned off the heat and poured the soup into a large soup pot.

The braised pork was stewed until it was tender and soft, and the whole house was filled with its aroma.

Lin Yao brought the dishes to the table and called to Lin Cheng and Lin Song, "Let's eat first. You must be starving after a long day."

Lin Cheng and Lin Song quickly walked to the table. Looking at the tempting braised pork, braised offal, and milky white bone broth, they couldn't help but swallow.

Lin Song stared intently at the braised pork belly. This kind of pork belly was something his family couldn't even afford to eat during the New Year. On ordinary days, their meals mostly consisted of wild vegetables, and the occasional meat dish was just small fish and shrimp that his older brother caught in the river.

Although Lin Cheng often went hunting in the mountains, most of the prey he hunted had to be exchanged for copper coins, and he could only eat it a few times.

He reached for his chopsticks, picked up a piece of braised pork, and put it in his mouth. "It's so delicious! It's even better than Grandma's!" Lin Song mumbled between chews.

The meat chunks made by the three siblings' grandmother were tough and dry, and the seasonings were expensive. Grandma Ye was even more reluctant to use them, so the meat she made had almost no flavor.

Moreover, every time they made big pieces of meat for the New Year, their grandfather would give the largest pieces to the eldest branch of the Lin family. When it was the turn of the three siblings, only a few small and tough pieces of meat were left. Although Lin Song was young, he knew that their grandfather was biased.

Lin Cheng watched his younger siblings from the side, feeling a pang of sadness in his heart.

Lin Yao looked at Lin Cheng, who seemed lost in thought, and said softly, "Big brother, you should eat more too. From now on, our family will eat meat at every meal."

"Good!" Lin Cheng also picked up a piece of braised pork offal, put it in his mouth and savored it carefully, nodding in praise, "This braised pork offal is still so rich and flavorful." After saying that, he ladled out a bowl of pork bone soup, took a sip, and sighed contentedly, "The soup is delicious too."

Lin Yao's current body is in its growth period. She used to dislike greasy pork belly, but now she eats it with relish. Lin Song even ate until there was a ring of oil around his mouth, and his eyes were sparkling.

After dinner, Lin Yao and Lin Cheng started cleaning up the dishes, while Lin Song volunteered to help wipe the table. His small figure moved around the kitchen with great enthusiasm.

After tidying up, Lin Yao carried the two large buckets of cooled perilla hawthorn tea and perilla chrysanthemum tea back to the kitchen, while Lin Cheng moved the bamboo he had cut in the afternoon outside the kitchen and began making bamboo tubes.

Lin Cheng skillfully picked up the tools, cut the bamboo into appropriate lengths, and then used a sharp knife to flatten both ends of the bamboo tube, completing the task in one smooth motion.

Attracted by the sound of bamboo being whittled, Lin Song ran out and squatted down to watch Lin Cheng make bamboo tubes, helping to neatly arrange the finished bamboo tubes on the ground.

Lin Yao also sat down to help, carefully polishing the edges of the bamboo tubes that Lin Cheng had shaved smooth. "Brother, we'll sell drinks with bamboo tubes for two coins each, and drinks with your own water pouches for one coin a cup."

Lin Cheng straightened up and rubbed his sore shoulders. "Okay, whatever you say."

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