Chapter 130
There used to be an old woman in the kitchen who fried meat, but since there was an extra dish, they called another old woman over from the front.
"First, boil water, kill the chicken, bleed it, clean it thoroughly, and stew it in a large pot with plenty of water."
There were two large stoves in the back, which hadn't been used before. The small stove was used for frying meat. Yingxiang specially went to the blacksmith shop to buy a small iron pot. To make this spicy hot pot, a large pot was definitely needed. With plenty of firewood, Yingxiang wasn't worried. Granny Yang worked quickly and finished in no time.
"Chop some scallions and ginger, turn up the heat, we're a bit pressed for time today, we need to cook it quickly."
While stewing chicken soup, Yingxiang led a few people to wash and chop vegetables, and of course, there was a proper way to chop vegetables.
She placed the several large vegetable baskets she had just bought from the market near the stove, soaking the dried bamboo shoots and vermicelli first, and adding water to another pot.
On the cutting board, Yingxiang chopped vegetables while explaining things to them.
Potatoes should be cut thinly, cabbage should be cut into larger pieces, tofu should also be cut into thin slices, dried bamboo shoots should also be cut into appropriate sizes, and glass noodles should be cut into smaller pieces with scissors after soaking until soft, as they are inconvenient to eat if they are too long. Yingxiang explained this carefully to the group, and everyone watched with great focus and curiosity.
"Shopkeeper, didn't you say you wanted to stew this dish? Why don't you just stew it all in one pot? This seasoning smells pretty good. I wonder how it's made?"
“If you stew it all at once, it won’t taste good after a few hours. It’s better to make it each time so you can all watch. As for the ingredients, they are a family heirloom.”
Yingxiang estimates that this pot of hot pot ingredients will last her a while. She had previously considered selling the pots directly, just like eating hot pot today, but that would require more manpower.
It's not as convenient as mala tang (a type of spicy hot pot). The kitchen prepares it, and you can just bring it up and eat it. Once you're done, you can just clear the bowls away. People mainly come here to watch the show and listen to the storytelling.
The group watched intently. By the time Yingxiang finished chopping the vegetables, the chicken soup had already released its flavor, but it wasn't cooked yet.
Half an hour later, the chicken was tender. Yingxiang started boiling water on the other side. She added a little water and then began to demonstrate for the others.
There are bowls and chopsticks, but if someone is eating fried meat in the store, they can't eat it with their hands. Basically, one bowl is one serving, but it's not that big. Yingxiang thinks it's just right.
"Pour about half a pot of water into the pot first, then add two large spoonfuls of seasoning. Once the pot boils, immediately grab the vegetables."
"This one takes longer to cook. Put it in once the pot boils, cook it for a while, and when it's almost done, add these quick-cooking ones and pour them in all at once."
"Once the vegetables are cooked, take them out and put them in a bowl. Remember to drain them. Then use this large wooden spoon next to you to scoop a spoonful of chicken soup and pour it over them."
Yingxiang explained and demonstrated at the same time, and everyone could understand it clearly; there was really no technical skill involved.
Originally, she wanted to use a small earthenware pot, the kind used for decocting medicine, to boil chicken broth with seasonings, then cook vegetables in it, and pour it all out once it was cooked.
Then I thought, why not cook the vegetables in the broth pot first, and then pour chicken broth over them? That way, it would be easier to control the flavor, and we could save on the seasonings we need. We could just change the broth pot once a day.
All things considered, the latter offers better value for money.
She put a lot of effort into making this hot pot base. Since she didn't have beef tallow, she had to settle for buying soybeans to make soybean oil. The traditional method of pressing oil was really expensive, and the soybeans didn't yield as much oil as she had expected. She also felt that lard wasn't quite right for her.
Later, she added fried shallots and ginger to enhance the aroma, along with various spices. The sauce she made was even loose and not clumpy.
She had watched a lot of short videos and seen others do it. Although she didn't remember it very clearly, she still had a general idea of the process and eventually managed to make it. It was still somewhat usable.
"That's good."
The whole backyard smelled of hot pot ingredients. Yingxiang added a lot of salt when she cooked it, and the chicken soup was also seasoned. It could be eaten directly after it was cooked. She tasted a bite of tofu first, and it was alright.
She handed the chopsticks to Granny Yang, who took a few bites and praised them repeatedly. For them, the taste was quite novel.
"You do it once."
After everyone had demonstrated, Yingxiang nodded. She tasted each one and found them all to be about the same. Now that it was ready, she could serve it directly.
"Turn off the fire over the chicken soup, take the chicken out and chop it up. If you want to add meat, just pay a little extra. When you're cooking it, put some meat in with the vegetables, and that'll be the meat version."
"Shopkeeper, how much do you plan to sell this bowl of stew for?"
Making it fresh is a hassle, but it tastes so good, I'm sure it'll sell well.
"A purely vegetarian option costs twenty coins, while one with meat costs thirty coins."
"Just chicken meat?"
"Tomorrow I'll go buy some pork and mutton, stew them all, and add them all inside."
"well."
"Eat all of this and clean up the dishes."
With noon approaching, Yingxiang planned to start serving in the afternoon to promote the product. She had many familiar customers in the store and planned to give them a free gift.
It won't affect the kitchen's cooking in the morning or evening; just have them start earlier so everyone can eat this together at noon.
After grinding the ingredients, Yingxiang meticulously added the words "stew" to the menu at the entrance, and then added in parentheses, "Meat can be added: chicken, pork, and lamb."
Prices are easy to mark: vegetarian is twenty coins, meat is thirty coins.
Lamb is expensive, so we'll add less. Pork and chicken are affordable, so we can give more. There's no need to be so rigid in doing business. After the menu at the entrance was changed, she added all the other menu items inside.
Her name is Mala Tang (Spicy Hot Pot), but these people might not understand it. It would be better to write "stew" for convenience. In the end, it's a dish cooked in a large pot.
When it was lunchtime, everyone had a bowl of spicy hot pot in front of them, including Yingxiang. These servants were mostly content with just a little food and didn't pick and choose.
After finishing the meal, everyone praised it highly.
In the afternoon, upon seeing several regular customers, Yingxiang immediately called over Granny Yang.
After hearing what she said, Granny Yang immediately went to the kitchen. She hadn't bought much food today, and they had all eaten lunch together.
However, Yingxiang is the shopkeeper, and Granny Yang isn't blind.
Soon, a regular customer looked at the stew in front of him with some confusion.
"Sir, this is a new dish in our restaurant. Since you are a regular customer, we'll give you a complimentary bowl to try. It has chicken in it."
Why not take advantage of something free? The man picked up his chopsticks and started eating without saying a word. The first thing he saw was chicken. He took a bite and nodded.
Spicy and fragrant, with a novel flavor, it warmed him up from head to toe, and he even finished the soup.
"Sir, our soup is chicken soup. You can go to the kitchen and see for yourself. A bowl of this in winter is good for your health."
"No need to look, I can taste it, it's really good."
This action naturally attracted the attention of nearby customers. Many people smelled the odor and were dressed warmly. The doors and windows were always open, unless it was for a performance, they were left open for ventilation.
There's nothing we can do about it; many people don't shower often and always have a bit of an odor on them.
Yingxiang can understand the ancients' thinking; they were all afraid of getting sick and having to spend more money. In the summer, this situation was much better.
She wasn't too particular; now that this new dish was added, she needed to open the windows and doors, and wear more clothes if it was cold.
"Shopkeeper, give me a bowl too, I'll pay for it."
"I want one too."
Yingxiang glanced at Granny Yang and immediately went to the kitchen.
"Vegetarian is twenty coins, meat is thirty coins. Today we only have chicken, but tomorrow we will have pork and mutton."
At this time of year, those who can sit here watching plays and listening to storytelling are, to some extent, people with some means. It's currently the off-season for farming, and everyone is willing to pay to buy whatever they want to eat.
I gave it to that customer before, and then he bought another bowl and said he would come back to eat it tomorrow.
Yingxiang happily accepted the money and nodded with a smile.
Tomorrow, she will go shopping again, buying everything by the basketful. It's cold, so these vegetables will keep well and won't spoil.
As for the chickens, we'll buy them for now; the hens over there need to lay eggs.
As evening approached and the last guest left, Granny Yang arranged for people to go to the riverbank to break the ice. The nearest ice block was the best, frozen solid.
If we don't stock up now, it might be too late after the New Year. I'll be busy filming during the New Year, so I won't have the time.
As Yingxiang walked home in the evening, she felt a pang of emotion; another year had passed.
The new dishes were served on schedule and received a good response. Some people even came specifically for lunch. Later, Granny Yang gave Yingxiang a suggestion: add more salt to the food so that more tea could be sold.
Yingxiang thought about it and still refused.
It's already a bit spicy and salty enough. She's observed that when customers eat it, eight out of ten will ask for a cup of tea. There's no need to add more; in fact, it's not good to add too much.
Lately, it has been snowing heavily for one or two hours every day, often during the daytime.
Once the new dishes are ready here, she's running back and forth between the two places. As soon as the weather gets cold at the wine shop, she stops selling cold dishes and only sells wine and meat. When the pigs she raises grow up, they can supply this place in the future.
There have been quite a few customers buying alcohol lately, and the staff at the store are very busy. Fortunately, we had a good stock of alcohol on hand, so we can manage.
A few days later, Yingxiang went to the farm in the suburbs.
The houses are up and everyone has a place to live. The livestock are growing well, most of them have survived, and the two calves look much bigger.
Yingxiang took a quick inventory and then went to check the fields. Planting was for next year, and the fishponds were about the same. The snow inside didn't need to be cleared; they would be filled with water for aquaculture next year.
Despite the howling wind, Yingxiang was in a very pleasant mood.
If we can really get it going, we can expand the farm when we have more money. Twenty acres is still small. It would be better if we could have over a hundred acres.
"Keep an eye on things here. The New Year is coming soon, so do a good job and there will be a reward."
"Don't worry, shopkeeper."
"The house is already built, and we usually live together in a cramped space."
Yingxiang immediately understood; they meant she was to be allocated a house. She moved her lips, but in the end, she went over. There were more than ten rooms, not very big, so she decided to give each person a room for now, as long as they could shelter her from the wind, rain, and cold. After finishing all that, she returned to the city.
Yingxiang walked down the street, glancing at the people around her. Generally speaking, everyone looked to be in good spirits and energy, without any gaunt or emaciated appearance.
Even if this isn't a golden age, it's certainly not a chaotic one either. People can eat and drink their fill, and although the local areas aren't as good as this place, no one will starve to death. This world is considered acceptable.
Hanlin Academy
A few days before the holiday, Wen Shi submitted the written memoir to the Grand Secretary. The Grand Secretary read it once, confirmed that there were no problems, and sent it directly to Emperor Jingyuan.
Emperor Jingyuan smiled as he looked at the somewhat familiar handwriting.
"Or is it Wen Qing?"
"yes."
"He is steady and conscientious in his work, but he is still young and needs more experience. Let him do a good job."
"yes."
Emperor Jingyuan watched the Grand Secretary leave without saying anything.
The rewards came down very late this year. Two days later, the Grand Secretary gathered everyone together to distribute the rewards. The holiday was almost here, but it was good to have something to give.
This year there was no silk, but the reward was ginseng and silver. When Wen Shi returned home, he had three ten-year-old ginseng roots and an extra one hundred taels of silver.
He knew ginseng was good for health, but he and Yingxiang were young and strong, so there was no need for it.
When Yingxiang returned later, she was taken aback to hear about his reward.
She carefully put away the money. As for the ginseng, she was still young and didn't skimp on herself, so she didn't need any supplements, and she didn't really believe in that stuff.
"If you don't want it, then send it to your parents."
"Husband, why don't you cook some for me?"
Wen Shi shook his head. He felt that this stuff was a tonic, and it was most suitable for the elderly. He was not yet thirty years old, so there was no need for him to take tonics. It wouldn't be too late to take tonics when he reached that age.
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