Chapter 32 Secret

Old Madam Cui opened her eyes wide and looked hard, but she still couldn't believe it.

She came to the yard and looked at the fine salt stuck to her hands in the midday sun. She exclaimed in amazement, "Wow, it's so fine and white!"

The salt I ate in Beijing before was not so fine and white.

After being shocked, Mrs. Cui became excited and happy, with her mouth corners stretched into a grin.

She hurried into the kitchen and whispered, "Zhiluo, this salt is really good, so fine and white, it's pleasing to the eye."

"I never thought such low-quality crude salt could be refined into such high-quality salt. This salt must be worth at least a hundred coins.

Two pounds of salt can produce more than one pound of very good salt.

It's a good deal no matter how you look at it.

It is much better than the salt sold in shops at seventy cents per pound.

Jiang Zhiluo said, "It will be more useful if we dry it and store it in a cool place."

"This way, you can use more salt when cooking and save some."

"Yes, Zhiluo still has a way."

At this time, Mrs. Cui admired her daughter-in-law even more.

This is a fairy daughter-in-law.

I know so many things.

Fortunately, she didn't stop Zhiluo at that time.

Old Madam Cui thought that no matter what Zhiluo wanted to do in the future, she just needed to support her and she didn't need to worry about anything else.

After all, it’s definitely right to listen to Zhiluo.

Mrs. Cui was happy for a while, then she said to Jiang Zhiluo, "Zhiluo, the pig's offal has been cleaned. I scrubbed it vigorously several times and washed it several times. It's spotless."

Mrs. Cui herself loves cleanliness.

Knowing that this thing is going to be cooked and eaten, it is natural to clean it carefully.

Jiang Zhiluo came to the yard and took a look, then said with a smile, "Mom, you washed it very clean and well."

"Well, let's make roujiamo for dinner."

It is too expensive to make roujiamo with meat.

Even if she wanted to eat it now, Jiang Zhiluo would not be willing to use meat to cook it.

A pound of meat costs about twenty cents, which can buy many pounds of grain.

If I make more money in the future, I will naturally cook braised pork and make roujiamo.

But if you want to eat Roujiamo now, you can use the braised food made from pig offal to make Roujiamo, which will taste just as good when put in a pancake.

It's already noon, it's too late to cook it now.

It takes a long time to stew and cook braised dishes.

Although Mrs. Cui was confused about how to make roujiamo, they only bought one pound of meat.

But she didn't ask any more questions.

She felt that she would just do whatever Zhiluo arranged.

"Zhiluo, what are we having for lunch?"

Jiang Zhiluo asked, "Mom, do you want to eat anything?"

Mrs. Cui thought about it and realized that she had a lot of things she wanted to eat.

I used to be accustomed to eating so much food in the capital, but after being exiled, I missed those foods even more.

Meat in particular has become a rare commodity.

Mrs. Cui also knew that her family was poor now, so it wasn’t a question of what she wanted to eat, but what she could eat.

Before, she couldn't even imagine having a full meal.

Ever since Zhiluo came, we can eat well and have enough food at home almost every meal.

Because I had leek dumplings in the morning, which was quite filling and helped to fill my stomach, I didn’t feel very hungry after being busy all morning.

"I think anything is fine, Zhiluo, you can just make the arrangements."

Jiang Zhiluo thought about it and realized that she still had a lot of things to do in the afternoon. It was already noon, and it would take a long time to cook a complicated meal.

It’s better to make something quick and easy for lunch and then have something nice in the evening.

Jiang Zhiluo wants to make fried rice, but it takes a long time to make fried rice.

But if you want to make egg fried rice, you have to steam the rice first. Only after the rice is steamed can you make egg fried rice.

Jiang Zhiluo suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, Mom, there are still steamed buns at home, right?"

"Yes, there are two steamed buns. I was thinking of making some wowotou."

Zhiluo and Hejin had gotten married before, so she steamed a pot of white flour buns.

But white flour is expensive after all. After eating it, Mrs. Cui was reluctant to make it again, so she thought of making steamed buns with corn flour.

Jiang Zhiluo felt a little sore throat and indigestion when she thought of steamed corn bread.

She still likes to eat steamed buns made with thin noodles.

"Mom, we can make money now, so we can just eat some fine rice and noodles."

Mrs. Cui agreed. Now that they knew how to make sugar, they could make money with this skill. Their life wouldn't be as tight as before, and they could indeed eat fine noodles.

Besides, there are only three people in their family now, so they can't eat much even if they eat white flour.

She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

"Mom, let's make fried buns for lunch."

Mrs. Cui was a little stunned. She had never heard of fried steamed buns.

But Madam Cui nodded and said, "If you need my help with anything, just tell me."

"Mom, please help me wash the radish, some onions and garlic, and wash the chili peppers as well."

Jiang Zhiluo bought some chili peppers at a market stall, one for making braised food.

Fried rice tastes good with a little seasoning, and it would be even better with a little bit of spiciness.

Jiang Zhiluo also wanted to plant some peppers in the yard. After buying land, she would plant more peppers there.

Plant some in the space as well.

If there were more fields in the space, she would like to plant more peppers in it.

Old Madam Cui went to wash the vegetables as Jiang Zhiluo had instructed.

Jiang Zhiluo took out two steamed buns from the cupboard and cut them into small pieces.

Just as they were busy, Cui Hejin came back.

When Mrs. Cui saw her son coming back, she said happily, "You're back just in time. We were just about to cook."

"By the way, let me tell you something happy."

At this time, Mrs. Cui was sitting on a small stool washing radishes and waved to Cui Hejin.

Cui Hejin squatted down gently to make it easier for his mother to talk to him.

Mrs. Cui looked around. There was no wall in the house, so she was afraid of being overheard if she spoke.

Old Madam Cui lowered her voice and said, "I sold all the candies I made this morning. I made eighty-two coins. I used it to buy some things, and Zhiluo paid for some herself..."

"Don't you know that everyone wants to buy it? If we have it, we'll buy it..."

"And that coarse salt, that low-quality salt with such large grains, Zhiluo made fine white salt. You have no idea how beautiful and delicate that salt looks..."

As Mrs. Cui spoke, her voice became even lower, for fear of being heard.

"I tell you, this is a secret and cannot be told to anyone."

The imperial court did not allow the sale of private salt, and they could not make money by producing fine white salt, but it was very cost-effective for their own use.

Cui Hejin raised his eyebrows and looked surprised.

"Don't disbelieve me, Zhiluo knows a lot."

"Mom, I understand."

Looking at her son's eyes, Mrs. Cui always wondered why he was so calm.

Yes, my son has a calm personality and never shows his emotions on his face, so it’s hard to tell what he’s thinking.

Jiang Zhiluo didn't say much when she saw Cui Hejin coming back.

Cui Hejin came to the stove, stood in front of Jiang Zhiluo and said, "Do you want to light a fire and cook?"

Jiang Zhiluo was stunned for a moment. Was Cui Hejin taking the initiative to talk to her?

Jiang Zhiluo curved her eyebrows and smiled, "Well, I'll make a stir-fry later."