Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Amazing talent.
Linzhi's nose twitched and she followed the smell. Soon her eyes fell on a stall not far away.
The stall was pitifully small, with only a piece of linen covering the small cart, and a few trays on it, with only two kinds of food on them.
Lin Zhi pulled Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang to the pastry stall, and looked at the pastries on the cart curiously: one type was a pastry wrapped in a layer of sesame, and that was the fragrance she smelled; the other type had a plain crust and looked nothing special.
Lin Zhi's eyes moved upwards and landed on the signboard, his expression becoming increasingly strange: "...Hu Bing?"
Nowadays, any pancake with sesame seeds can be called Hubing, so shops usually use the fillings or the cooking method as the name instead of simply writing the word Hubing.
Not only was the word "Hu Bing" written on it, but each pancake was priced at ten cents. No wonder the business was so bad.
"Such expensive cakes?" Song Jiaoniang took a look at the inconspicuous cakes, then looked at the name and price on them, and said in surprise.
“My family uses only good materials.”
"No matter how good the ingredients are, it shouldn't be so..." Song Jiaoniang frowned. In fact, cakes and pastries that cost ten cents a piece were only of medium to lower price in the shop.
For example, the cakes bought by the daughter of the prefectural government from outside are mostly priced at a hundred coins each, and some are even several hundred coins each. Some are even more expensive and need to be ordered in advance.
But seeing such prices displayed by the shabby vendors in front of us inevitably makes people feel confused and shocked.
When the doubt and shock faded away, suspicion appeared in Song Jiaoniang's eyes: Could it be that they were deliberately deceiving outsiders?
But Song Jiaoniang thought about it and felt that it was unlikely. Outsiders are not stupid. Instead of spending ten cents to buy the inconspicuous food on your stall, it is better to buy food in a medium-sized shop.
Looking at the miserable scene of a deserted house, it seems that this trick is completely useless.
As Song Jiaoniang was lost in thought, she saw Lin Zhi preparing to pay. Her eyes widened as she looked at her daughter, who had just claimed she wouldn't be fooled. "Hey, hey, hey, hey—"
Isn’t this a scam?
Song Jiaoniang reached out to stop her daughter, glared at her angrily, and turned to look at the stall owner: "Old man, don't you offer tastings of your dim sum?"
"This..." The stall owner hesitated and looked reluctant.
Nowadays, most food shops allow people to taste their food, but small stalls may not be willing to do so.
Seeing that the stall owner was unwilling and Song Jiaoniang didn't want to pay the money, Linzhi still took out the purse from her bag, counted out ten cents and handed it to the boss, and picked up a Hu pancake to eat.
"Ten cents!"
"It's just ten cents. If Sister Zhi wants to eat it, let her eat it." Lin Sen pulled Song Jiaoniang and said with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, he secretly thought that something was wrong. He saw that Song Jiaoniang didn't mention her daughter, but instead pointed the finger at him: "You just saw the price of fabrics and silk threads in that silk shop... You spend money lavishly now, how will you live in Bianjing later..."
"Eh? No, that's not what I meant."
"That's what you mean—"
While Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang were arguing, Lin Zhi was holding the Hubing and looking at it carefully. She found that this Hubing was different from other cakes.
It is called Hu Bing, or should it be called sesame crispy cake, or sesame thousand-layer cake?
Linzhi opened her mouth, and as her teeth touched the pastry, a crisp sound like glass falling to the ground suddenly rang in her ears, and her mouth was filled with the fragrance of sesame.
"Hmm, delicious!" Lin Zhi's eyes lit up and he calmed down to savor it carefully.
As the teeth chew repeatedly, the aroma of wheat gradually emerges, hidden in it is a faint aroma of malt sugar and a subtle sweet fragrance.
Linzhi was certain that this was the source of the unique sweetness of the sesame cakes. She closed her eyes and carefully searched for the source of this trace.
Soon, Lin Zhi opened her eyes again and looked at the stall owner with surprise and a hint of certainty: "Old man, did you add elm honey?"
"Can the little girl taste the flavor of honey?"
"Of course, different honeys taste different." Lin Zhi squinted her eyes and answered without hesitation.
"I did add honey, but I don't know what kind of honey it was."
The stall owner shook his head and told Linzhi the truth: "I just occasionally collected honey when I went up the mountain. I found it tasted good, so I added it to the Hu pancakes to make them taste even better. That's why I used it to make Hu pancakes. As for the Eupatorium honey you mentioned, I've never heard of it and don't know if it's real."
Linzhi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. In fact, this hawthorn honey was rare and precious, even being offered as a tribute.
She wanted to persuade the stall owner to sell the honey to the grocery store as soon as he picked it, so that he could make more money. However, seeing that the stall owner didn't know the source of the honey, she swallowed her words.
As the saying goes, it is a crime to possess a treasure. If you find a grocery store without knowing the stall owner, you are likely to be targeted by bad people or forced to look for hawthorn honey.
It would be better to just go with the flow and let the stall owner treat it as ordinary honey and add it to the cakes.
After thinking about it, Linzhi put the matter behind him and continued to taste the sesame cake with squinted eyes.
"It's not just the honey, the old man's cooking skills are also amazing!" Lin Zhi ate the sweetness and didn't even notice the sesame seeds on her cheeks. "If you ask me, ordinary pastry shops can't make as good as you."
"Really?"
"Is it really that delicious?" Song Jiaoniang stopped arguing and looked at the inconspicuous pastry suspiciously. She strongly suspected that her daughter bought it too expensive and didn't dare to say it because she was worried that she would blame her.
"Why would I lie to you?" Lin Zhi was both angry and amused, and stuffed the remaining half into Song Jiaoniang's mouth. She smiled and looked at Song Jiaoniang with bulging cheeks: "Mom, what do you think?"
As soon as the pastry entered her mouth, the aroma of burnt food mixed with the fragrance of sesame came to her, causing Song Jiaoniang to immediately open her eyes wide, stop talking, and chew hard unconsciously.
Along with the fluffy and crispy texture, the wheat aroma and mellow and rich sweetness after roasting the grains follow one after another. Every bite is an enjoyment for the sense of smell and taste, as if even the breath is filled with the sweet fragrance after roasting.
"Good, delicious..."
"Is it so delicious?" The passers-by nearby had already noticed the mother and daughter, and couldn't help but come over after hearing what they said.
At first he suspected that Song Jiaoniang and Lin Zhi were shills, but when he looked at them carefully, not only Song Jiaoniang who was wearing a gold hairpin and a silk gown, but also Lin Zhi who was wearing two buns was wearing a bright satin jacket and a bean green silk skirt, and they looked like girls from wealthy families.
Looking at the gray linen clothes worn by the stall owner, the diner immediately dispelled his doubts.
He hesitated for a while looking at the price of ten cents, but finally took out the money from his pocket and bought one to try.
With one bite, the diner's eyes immediately lit up.
Linzhi held the sesame crispy cake in her hand and ate it with a satisfied look on her face. However, she didn't realize that her good appetite attracted people's attention and brought many customers to the stall owner.
The continuous flow of business surprised and delighted the stall owner. He had an idea and quickly gave Lin Zhi another kind of pancake and said with a smile, "Young lady, try this one. It's stuffed with hawthorn and it smells very good."
"Thank you, old man." Linzhi smiled sweetly, took it happily and took a bite.
As soon as you take a bite, the fluffy and crispy crust falls apart, and your mouth is filled with the aroma of wheat.
Bite deeper, and the dense, sweet and sour hawthorn filling will flow between your teeth. The sugar content is just right, making the whole hawthorn cake neither too sweet nor sour. You can also taste the hawthorn granules while chewing, which is really eye-catching.
"Delicious!" Lin Zhi sighed, her eyes sparkling. If a small vendor like this could have such skills, how impressive would the shops in Bianjing be?
Linzhi held the snacks in both hands, feeling surprised and excited, and looking forward to the days to come more and more.
"...I want a hawthorn cake too."
"Give me a portion of hawthorn cake and a portion of sesame cake."
The stall owner was delighted to see the customers drawn to him by the young woman. He wasn't good with words and had never known how to drum up business. He also felt that his food was expensive, so he was reluctant to offer it for tasting.
After this incident, he changed his ways and often asked the girls in the house to bring trays for people to taste. Gradually, the reputation of sesame crisps and hawthorn cakes spread and gradually became the local specialty.
This is a story for later. The bustling scene in the street immediately attracted the attention of others. Seeing this, Lin Sen hurriedly waved his hand, signaling the mother and daughter to come out quickly.
After they walked a little further, Lin Sen looked at his daughter and said, "Sister Zhi, can you tell the difference between these honeys?"
Song Jiaoniang had just thought of this and looked at her daughter curiously: "Is there really such a thing as elm honey? How come I've never heard of it?"
"Of course I have. I also tried it once...over there." Lin Zhi's vague tone made Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang mistakenly think that she had tasted it at the Third Young Lady's place, and subconsciously they did not ask any further questions.
As for being able to taste the difference in honey——
Lin Zhi understood clearly that Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang had just visited the silk and satin shops and clothing stores with the intention of continuing to do similar things in Bian Jing in the future.
If I cannot demonstrate my skills along the way, and directly ask to change my career when I arrive in Bian Jing, I am afraid my parents will strongly oppose it.
Therefore, Lin Zhi held her head high and said proudly: "In fact, I only need to eat it once to be able to taste the ingredients used."
Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang were both stunned, their eyes suddenly widened, their faces full of disbelief.
"Huh? Can you taste the ingredients used?"
"Is it true that you can do this?"
After a moment, they all exclaimed in surprise.
Even though Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang were not good at cooking and rarely had time to cook, it did not prevent them from instantly understanding the power of such talent.
"Why would I lie to you?" Lin Zhi pouted and complained unhappily. She then pointed to the nearby footwear store and said, "If you don't believe me, why don't we try another store?"
Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang were more curious than disbelieving. They became interested and enthusiastically entered the market, randomly selecting a stall to challenge.
"Sister Zhi, try this chestnut cake."
"The skin of this fruit isn't anything special; it's just a mixture of lard and flour with eggs. But the chestnut filling inside is actually ground with rice wine. It tastes richer and more fragrant than if it were made with just water."
Song Jiaoniang took a bite and couldn't even taste the rice wine. But before she could ask, the stall owner exclaimed, "How did you know that, young lady?"
That’s really true!!!
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