Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Furong's Braised Mullet Eggs. (First...
Song Jiaoniang sat aside, looking at Madam Qi, and initially felt a little gloating in her heart.
From the moment Madam Qi and a group of people came out of her shop in a hurry and in an imposing manner, she could tell that they were not here with good intentions. They did not seem to be here as guests with her husband, but rather to show off and demonstrate their status.
Song Jiaoniang used to live with the old lady and often heard the gossip of the maids. After a little thought, she guessed 80% of the situation: there must be some busybodies gossiping behind the young lady's back, causing her to misunderstand that the young lady was coming to visit, but in fact it was more like spying on the enemy.
Seeing Tao Yingce's cold expression and the couple not standing close to each other, Song Jiaoniang became more and more certain: she was afraid that Madam Qi had not told Tao Lang about her visit at all, but had come here rashly.
She is young, has a tender complexion, comes from a prominent family and is very proud. She is very arrogant and cannot let down her guard. I guess she was not close to Tao Lang when she was at home.
Now that she was acting like this again, there was a chance that the couple would have a complete falling out when she returned. Even though she came from a high-class family, if her relationship with her husband was strained, her future life would be difficult.
Thinking of this, Song Jiaoniang's heart softened again. After all, she was a young woman, and Tao Yingce's wife. Tao Lang was a rare good young man, and he had done a lot for her family. She also hoped that Tao Lang could live a comfortable life, and that the couple could live in harmony and work together.
Well, the case of Shopkeeper Zheng and Madam Hua is a lesson for us.
Song Jiaoniang did not try to persuade them, but sent someone to bring up another plate of candied dates.
Madam Qi noticed Song Jiaoniang's actions, but she didn't take them seriously. She was only secretly worried. Most people at the large round table were discussing the case, and she didn't even have a chance to change the subject.
She wanted to explain, but it was not easy to talk about such things in public; if she didn't explain, the moment she met her husband's cold gaze, Madam Qi began to feel uneasy, and at the same time, the feeling of being ignored surged up. She had no appetite for fruit or snacks, and she wanted to run away.
Just as she was feeling worried, Song Jiaoniang moved the candied dates in front of her and said with a smile, "Madam Qi, try this. Sister Zhi just made this today."
Madam Qi subconsciously frowned, but because Song Jiaoniang was the elder, she still pinched one. The candied date was wrinkled and covered with a layer of white powder, which was very ugly.
She put it in her mouth with great courage, and then was slightly startled. The white sand on the outside turned out to be a sugar coating. It melted on the tip of her tongue with a light sip. Then came the dense and sweet date flesh, which was soft, sticky, fragrant and sweet.
Madam Qi forgot when she swallowed the candied dates. She only remembered the sweet taste lingering on her tongue for a long time: "These candied dates are so delicious!"
"Really? Don't be fooled by its ordinary appearance. You won't know how delicious it tastes until you try it." Song Jiaoniang said with a smile.
Madam Qi nodded and couldn't help but pick up another one to eat. She ate the candied dates and looked at Tao Lang absentmindedly, her heart still full of worries.
It was not until her hand was empty that she realized that she had eaten the whole plate of candied dates. A blush immediately appeared on her snow-white face.
Seeing this, Song Jiaoniang sent for another plate. She picked up one and put it in her mouth, then offered it to Madam Qi. Seeing that Madam Qi was embarrassed to eat any more, she lowered her voice and urged, "It's all thanks to you coming here today that Sister Zhi was willing to take out these candied dates."
This was meant to be a joke, but Madam Qi took it seriously. She quickly took a closer look at the candied dates in her hand and asked, "Why are these candied dates so precious? Are the raw materials hard to come by? If they're hard to find, maybe my family can help—"
"No, no, this is just made with ordinary green dates." Song Jiaoniang waved her hands repeatedly and said with a smile, "Sister Zhi said she wanted to use it to make food later, and she was dissatisfied with the ones made outside that didn't meet her requirements. She was so busy with business, but she still took the trouble to set aside time to make these candied dates herself."
Song Jiaoniang described the production of candied dates in vivid detail, and Madam Qi listened attentively. Her originally irritable mood gradually calmed down, and she even became interested in gossip. She quietly asked about the case that Tao Yingce and the others were talking about.
"Oh? You didn't know?" Song Jiaoniang had no hobbies other than gossip. Seeing that there was someone who didn't know what was going on, she was filled with enthusiasm and wanted to tell the whole story from the beginning.
After Lin Zhi finished listening to the gossip, she turned around and saw Song Jiaoniang and Qi Niangzi talking excitedly, with several plates of fruits beside them.
"Then why don't you two stay for dinner today?"
“…” Tao Yingce frowned and subconsciously wanted to refuse.
"You haven't been here for a while, and I've cooked a few new dishes." Lin Zhi advised, and then looked at Chen Yan: "Isn't that right?"
Chen Yan nodded and also helped to persuade him: "Once the transfer letter comes, you will have to leave Bian Jing. For now, every meal counts. If you want to eat later, you won't have the chance."
Tao Yingce thought about it and felt that it made some sense.
Linzhi kept a few people to chat, then went inside to prepare a few dishes by herself.
Seeing Lin Zhi leave, Madam Qi felt uneasy. For a moment, she didn't know how to treat Lin Zhi. Treating her as a servant was definitely not an option. Judging from Tao Yingce's attitude, the Lin family was clearly close to him. But treating her as a relative or friend, she was surrounded by wives of officials. She had only seen women from fallen families who made a living by weaving, but never a cook. The more she thought about it, the more entangled she became, and her face became a little unnatural.
Song Jiaoniang looked at her and laughed, "Don't worry, Madam Qi. Sister Zhi loves to tinker with those things, and she especially likes to do them for those close to her. If you really want her to sit and let everyone else in the shop do it, she won't be able to sit still!"
Madam Qi said awkwardly: "No, I want to..."
She hesitated and said, "Why not ask the people in the shop to cook? Why bother asking Madam Lin to do it?"
Song Jiaoniang smiled and said, "Madam Qi, guess what did Sister Zhi do before she opened the restaurant?"
Madam Qi was stunned for a moment: "What are you doing?"
She had never heard Tao Lang talk about Lin Zhi's origins. She only heard some gossip from the servants at home. Some said that Lin Zhi's family had offended someone and fled, while others said that Lin Zhi's family had encountered a crime and asked Tao Lang for help on the way and then settled in Bian Jing.
She hesitated and said, "Does he run a restaurant?"
"No, no."
"Is he running a fruit shop?" Madam Qi thought to herself that her family members were very gossipy and spread random messages while thinking hard at the same time.
"No, no."
"Could she be working as a cook in some official's house?" Madam Qi thought this was the most likely possibility.
"No, no." Seeing Madam Qi's face wrinkled into a ball, Song Jiaoniang covered her mouth and laughed: "Actually, Sister Zhi used to be an embroiderer. I'm not saying that her skills are good enough to enter an embroidery institute."
This time, Madam Qi was really dumbfounded: "Huh?"
Song Jiaoniang pointed at herself and said, "Me too. I used to be an embroiderer."
Not only was Madam Qi stunned, even the maids serving behind her were also stunned.
After a while, Madam Qi was surprised and asked, "Then, how did she become a cook?"
"Sister Zhi is happy." Song Jiaoniang spread her hands and said helplessly, "She is my only child, so we can let her learn whatever she wants."
"You really dote on me..." Madam Qi said, a hint of envy on her face. She was blessed with such a large dowry, and her family naturally doted on her. But she already had three siblings from the same mother, not to mention those born to concubines and adopted mothers. It was difficult for her to even see her elders on a regular basis.
What's more, the rules in the mansion are very strict. When the elders are speaking, the younger generations don't even have the right to interrupt, let alone let the children choose to learn something on their own.
"It's not pampering," Song Jiaoniang complained. "Hands that do embroidery need to be taken care of, but she's just so absorbed in the kitchen, not caring about her hands at all. I tried to persuade her at first, but later I couldn't help it."
"What can we do? She does whatever she wants. If we try to persuade her not to do it, she'll just give us a hard time!"
Song Jiaoniang complained, but when Madam Qi saw her beaming face and how happy she was, she felt that she was clearly showing off. Then she changed her mind and felt that Madam Song was probably comforting herself.
Madam Qi said no more, but became curious about what kind of dishes Linzhi would serve.
Linzhi used three stoves in the kitchen, and with the help of kitchen assistants, everything was ready in less than half an hour.
She washed her hands, changed into a decent set of clothes, and then returned to the table and signaled everyone to serve the food.
The first four cold dishes served were: tofu with Chinese toon, shepherd's purse spring rolls, crispy pigeon and shredded chicken with pepper and sesame sauce.
Two spring dishes, two appetizers.
Madam Qi took a bite of each and was immediately won over by the toon and tofu. It might sound simple, but the freshness of the toon and the tenderness of the tofu blended perfectly, without any exaggerated seasoning. It was like a clear spring in the desert, leaving one with an endless aftertaste.
Chen Yan prefers shepherd's purse spring rolls. The outer skin is fried crispy, and the shepherd's purse and pork filling inside is sweet and chewy, and it tastes so delicious.
Then the kitchen helper came to the shop and brought a plate of mullet eggs in lotus wine sauce. Lin Zhi introduced it with a smile: "This is a new dish in the shop. It hasn't been officially launched yet. You can try it first."
In later generations, many famous people called mullet eggs, belly fish and crab legs the three major delicacies, listed them as one of the marine delicacies, and even became tribute for a long time, but few people know about them now.
Lin Zhi was able to obtain this item because of her fame. As her fame grew and her shop expanded, people began to study and research Lin Zhi's various dishes. The Hu Ji Spice Shop, with its paintings on the wall, was almost flooded with customers.
Oyster sauce, once a neglected commodity, has become a favorite of Bianjing shops, with business increasing fivefold or sixfold. If Madam Lu hadn't bought the local oyster sauce shop years ago, she probably wouldn't have had the chance to buy it now.
There are also some shops selling all kinds of fresh goods that come to the door following the smell. Many of the ingredients that Linzhi families had to spend a lot of money to buy in the past can be discounted, and some can even be provided for free.
The mullet eggs used in cooking are cut out from the cuttlefish sent by merchants in Linzhi. It is simply the season, and few people use the egg-binding glands in the cuttlefish's belly alone.
As soon as the dish arrived, Madam Qi was struck by a gradually growing, fresh aroma that immediately made her mouth water. She couldn't stop swallowing, her face flushing, afraid to attract attention. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the others around her were also blushing, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Furong is actually steamed egg, spread flat on a plate and topped with braised mullet eggs. The soup is an attractive golden orange color and the freshness is overwhelming. Just looking at it will make you hungry.
Chen Yan personally scooped up a bowl and put spoonful after spoonful into his mouth. The mullet eggs were so smooth and tender that they seemed to slide down his throat if he wasn't careful. The taste was so delicious that it made his scalp tingle, and a look of satisfaction immediately appeared on his face.
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