The morning was gradually getting cooler, and the trees along the Wei River were tinged with autumn colors. The leaves were falling slowly, and a gentle breeze could instantly jolt one awake.

Wang Yan and the others left home when it was still dark, but today was an exception; they were there mainly to set up the snack stall.

The two tables at the back of the first floor were only used once, on the first day when a boatman came in and had a meal.

No one came in at other times, and the weather was getting colder, so Aunt Wang simply moved all the tables up to the second floor.

Find a craftsman on the first floor, and he will partition off a wall along the left side of the stove, and build a wall behind the stove to cover it up, leaving only the table against the wall on the right and a passageway to the second floor.

If you wrap this place up, it becomes a room, and you can put three small beds placed horizontally inside.

Because it's laid out horizontally, it can fit three beds. However, the beds are only 1.3 meters long and wide, so I don't want to take up too much space in the passageway.

The door opened in the middle of the wall, and to the south of the door were three beds side by side. If you lay down horizontally, you couldn't even stretch your legs out; you could only lie vertically.

The window faces north, overlooking the willow trees behind the row of trees, so there's a view when you open it.

So it's quite beautiful like this. Go inside, spread out the mattress and blankets, and if you have nothing to do, go inside and lie down for a while.

Grandma Wang was also satisfied with the stove and the room that had been built. There was a gap in the middle with a half chair, so she could put the chair against the south wall and do her embroidery in her spare time.

As dawn broke, the old man carrying tofu came over with two loads of tofu.

Aunt Wang handed over 200 coins. She bought a large quantity; two baskets weighing 60 jin each only cost 200 coins.

"Hey little sister, where should I put these two baskets of vegetables?"

"Oh, sis, you're here unusually early today. Just leave them outside the door, in those two baskets I put there."

Alright!

The meat and vegetable vendors also came. I only needed two pounds of meat in the tofu, and I also bought two baskets of vegetables for 35 yuan.

Because the amount of meat needed is small, they don't deliver it, and it's not cheap either. You can only wait for the butcher to come and buy it yourself.

However, the fact that she didn't have to compete with others for the vegetables and tofu made Aunt Wang feel much more at ease. At least she could sleep in at home and come over at 9 o'clock.

If Wang Yan and the others hadn't arrived yet, after the old man selling tofu and the old woman selling vegetables arrived, they would simply unload the food into the two wooden basins and two baskets by the door.

Then they closed the large box on top and locked it. Aunt Wang had a lock made and gave each of them a key.

I didn't leave anything valuable there; I just put a big wooden box outside the door and put a lock on it. So I felt at ease, thinking it wouldn't matter if I came a little late.

Even if she doesn't have her keys, it's fine. After the first batch of goods was delivered to her, the two men would go back and bring another batch to sell to individual customers.

After resting for a while, at 11 o'clock, we started preparing the first batch of food.

Take the steamed rice out and pour it into a wooden basin. First, make the braised tofu.

After cleaning the pot, she makes the spicy tofu. Her family's cooking is so delicious that the whole river is filled with its aroma.

As soon as you smell this aroma, you know that Wang's Food Shop has opened, and the boatmen on the river are all bringing their own bowls and chopsticks over.

A batch was sold out in an orderly manner, completely sold out.

Then, they immediately started cutting tofu and making a second batch. As soon as the food was ready, about ten old women rushed over.

"I want ten portions, pack them for me first."

"Come on, get out of here. Which academy is this arrogant from?"

Before Wang Yan could even ask someone to line up, an elderly woman standing in front of her started cursing.

The old woman naturally maintained order, and everyone lined up obediently to get their food.

Wang Yan then shifted her focus and began helping to serve the food. Surprisingly, the shop's second wave of regular customers came from students at nearby Songshan Academy, Baichuan Academy, and Hongyu Academy.

These small academies were located near the Wei River on Maxing Street, so naturally they didn't have canteens. If they did, the students wouldn't be able to eat.

However, they did hire a few old women to go out and buy food every day.

The headmaster was too lazy to hire a cook, firstly because it was expensive, and secondly because the academy was small and would be too smoky and messy.

Wang Xing would also come to buy Mapo Tofu from Baichuan Academy where his brother lived. When he first tasted it, he suspected that it was made by his own family.

When Wang Xing asked the old woman who delivered the food, it turned out that it was indeed made by his younger sister, which made him extremely excited.

Then, after spreading the word among the students of the neighboring academy, all the academies on this street came over.

The literary culture is flourishing in this dynasty, so there are quite a few academies in the capital, but most of them are concentrated in the Ma Xing Street area.

Wang Yan never expected that buying a house and a shop here would bring her such a business opportunity; it was truly an unexpected delight.

After selling out of lunch, Wang Yan originally planned to go home, but since Aunt Wang had made money, she didn't care about her at all.

In the afternoon, the old man who sells tofu brought over another basket of tofu.

We'll do another batch tonight, just so that we won't be able to go home for several hours in between this afternoon's batch.

Wang Yan could only stand in the shop frying tofu. She felt it wasn't worth it, but Aunt Wang was happy.

When it comes to making money, there's no such thing as "worth it" or "not worth it." And what's this talk about time cost? What Wang Yan was telling her, she simply couldn't understand. Going home and sleeping all day meant saving time?

She wanted to lie down and rest, so we set up a room for her. Go back to your room and lie down.

Even after it gets completely dark, the other small shops don't close, waiting to make another profit during the late-night snack season.

Bamboo lanterns lit up along the Wei River, and the street scene was quite heartwarming.

Aunt Wang carried the money she had earned home with great speed. Once home, she piled it all into a box. Wang Yan said that they wouldn't calculate the accounts yet, but would do so after the load of rice was used up.

The next day, I had just finished preparing the meals that the first group of boatmen had bought that morning.

Someone from the Marquis's residence has arrived. It's Lu Qi! Isn't it because the old lady's birthday banquet is over, and there's still one last main dish listed in the Mountain Food Diary?

Hehe (?w?), I want to learn!

When Wang Yan heard someone calling her, she happily put down the knife in her hand and ran off joyfully.

After reporting to the old woman at the side gate, Wang Yan was taken directly to the main kitchen.

Fatty Wang sat timidly on a small stool, listening to his senior brother scold him.

"I've tried to reason with you so much, but you just don't understand, do you?"

"You can leave the manor if you want, but forget about the other dishes, teach me one! A braised pork hock with fresh shrimp. If you master it, I'll personally go and beg for your favor."

Wang Yan happened to come over and, upon hearing this, grinned. Her father had been scolded again.

It's so hard, so hard! But when she hears people scolding her, she can't help but laugh, feeling smug and happy, hahaha.

Fatty Wang was facing her directly and saw his daughter's mockery clearly. He couldn't help but glare at her.

Lu Qi looked at him and exclaimed, "Oh dear! He dares to glare at me like that! What a disrespectful person!"

He rolled up his sleeves, put his hands on his hips, and was about to start cursing.

Then he heard Wang Yan call out to him in a clear voice from behind, "Uncle Lu!"

When Lu Qi turned around and saw her coming, his face immediately changed, and a smile appeared on his face.

"My daughter's here. Come, come, I just cut a plate of orange slices. Have some first, Uncle will go make you lunch."

Today, the old women in the main kitchen picked some hibiscus flowers and took a piece of tender tofu to make a hibiscus snow cloud soup.

Remove the stamens and stems from the hibiscus flowers, then rinse and soak them in spring water for a while.

Cut the soft tofu into cubes, boil a pot of spring water, add a little salt to the tofu, and blanch it in the boiling water.

Blanch the soaked hibiscus flowers in boiling water for three breaths; do not blanch for too long.

Take a clear broth made with ham, hen, and pork bones, then add tofu and hibiscus flowers and cook together. Simply sprinkle with pepper and a little salt to taste.

The tofu, having absorbed the fresh and delicate flavor, is scooped out and placed on a plate. The red and white hibiscus flowers and tofu intermingle, like the glow of a clear night after a snowfall.

At first glance, this dish presents an elegant and pure white appearance.

Besides the portion sent to the master's courtyard, Lu Qi specially reserved a portion for Wang Yan from the main kitchen.

Wang Yan took a spoon and ate it. It was tender and fresh, and although it looked bland, it was still very flavorful. It was truly a dish that was perfect in color, aroma and taste.

With a bowl of bamboo shoot and pork noodles made by Uncle Lu, Wang Yan ate to her heart's content.

These past few days, my family has been making tofu a lot, and Aunt Wang hasn't gone out to buy food. She's been eating Mapo Tofu and braised tofu for several days in a row.

So even though Xuexia Soup was amazing, Wang Yan still thought the Bamboo Shoot and Pork Noodles tasted better. The bamboo shoots used were pickled bamboo shoots, with a little shredded pork added, and then stir-fried in a pot over high heat.

With its crisp and refreshing bamboo shoots and incredibly delicious meat, Wang Yan ate two bowls.

After finishing his meal, Lu Qi had the same expression on his face as he waited eagerly on the side.

Wang Yan chuckled, not mentioning the recipe, "Uncle, we've opened a small eatery. Why don't you come and take a look when you have a holiday? Business is booming."

Lu Qi was taken aback. Huh?

What kind of dish is it?

"We have sweet braised tofu and spicy Mapo tofu. Our business is the best in that area. If business continues to be this booming, we won't have enough manpower."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at her father, who was standing confidently to the side.

Lu Qi turned to look at Fatty Wang, "You want your father to leave the manor?"

"Mmm!"

"Haha, okay, as long as your place can maintain the popularity you mentioned for three months, I'll let him go. I won't do anything about it now."

If he doesn't go out, you'll have a more stable and secure source of income. I'll see that you can truly stand on your own two feet when you're out there.

"Your father doesn't even need to ask; I'll go myself, I'll go and beg for his favor."

Wang Yan frowned and chuckled a few times, glancing at Fatty Wang behind her, whose head was drooping.

Alright! Uncle Lu spoke with absolute certainty. Since he could say such a thing, it meant that he was also wavering and wanted his father to leave the manor.

Moreover, Wang Yan is confident that the business will remain booming for three months.

So, let's bring out the Mountain Food Miscellany! The final dish recorded in this book is about to make its grand entrance amidst everyone's anticipation!