Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Zhajiangmian.
In order to move and start business as soon as possible, the Linzhi family has been very busy during this period.
After Rong Xiaoniang and her brother moved out, carpenters and masons moved in. They removed the wooden doors and windows of Liurong Restaurant, as well as the walls that had originally divided the shop in half, and the partitions between the kitchen and the backyard wing, and then moved the original stove into the yard.
The craftsmen were busy in front, and Linzhi was also busy in the yard under the sun.
Nowadays, when hiring a craftsman, the host needs to provide meals, and the quality of the food depends on the host.
Linzhi thought that there were only seven craftsmen working there, and with his own family, there were ten people in total, so he simply went to buy vegetables and pork, and bought six pounds of rice cakes in the market, ready to make them himself, to ensure that everyone's stomach was filled.
She washed her hands, then poured dry yellow sauce, soybean paste and broad bean paste into a basin, and used her hands to knead the three sauces together.
Finally, slowly pour rice wine into the basin and use it to dilute the sauce. This will make the sauce more fragrant and the aftertaste more mellow.
After the sauce was ready, Linzhi washed his hands again, picked up the kitchen knife on the chopping board with one hand, turned his wrist, and cut the pork without thinking.
Mr. and Mrs. Lin Sen only heard the sound of chopping on the chopping board. Before they could ask if they needed help, they saw their daughter stop and stick the kitchen knife on the chopping board again.
Lin Sen and his wife looked at the chopping board and saw that the whole piece of pork had already been turned into evenly diced meat.
Linzhi casually poured rapeseed oil into the pot and threw in a few scallions. After frying the scallions until they changed color, she removed them and then poured the pork from the cutting board into the pot.
With a sizzling sound, golden oil splashed out, and the diced meat shrank and changed color at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the whole yard was filled with the aroma of oil.
A man who was carrying the rubble of the wall out by cartload smelled the aroma of meat and was immediately surprised. He turned around and said to the craftsmen, "That young lady seems to be cooking for us."
"Really? I thought I would have to eat dry biscuits to fill my stomach today, or steamed buns with pickles." The man who was stirring the mud stood up with a look of surprise on his face.
The same is true for the people around them. They like to receive gifts the most from families building new houses. For the sake of good omen, such families are generally willing to spend money.
As for the worst case scenario, those who come from other places to settle down, open some foot shops, or rent a house to renovate, they usually try to save as much as possible and are lucky enough to have two hot vegetarian steamed buns.
Someone sniffed the air and exclaimed in surprise, "Why do I smell the scent of rice wine?"
"Could we have a drink at noon?"
"What are you dreaming about!" The elderly bricklayer couldn't stand it any longer. He stopped what he was doing and stared at his apprentices who stopped chatting with a sullen face: "Why are you all so lazy? Look at how greedy you are. When you hear that there is food and drink, you behave like this—"
The bricklayer's voice stopped abruptly, and he subconsciously stretched his neck to look at the backyard.
It was a domineering and powerful fragrance, arrogant and reckless, making people's mouths salivate uncontrollably.
After a while, someone whispered, "It smells good."
The mason swallowed involuntarily. He was about to agree when he snapped back to his senses and glared at the group of apprentices and laborers again with a stern face: "Hurry up and get to work! If you don't do something, how can you eat other people's food later?"
Everyone shrank their necks, suppressed their curiosity about the food, and continued to work.
Compared to them, Lin Sen and his wife were not shy about hiding anything. Their eyes were fixed on the bubbling fried sauce, and saliva began to drip from the corners of their mouths.
"Sister Zhi——"
"no."
"Sister Zhi——"
"no."
"I haven't said anything yet!"
"Even if you don't say it, I know what you two want to say!" Lin Zhi glanced at the couple and slowly stirred the fried sauce in the pot with a cooking spoon. "Wait a minute, this sauce needs to be simmered for another two cups of tea before it tastes good."
Lin Sen and his wife were struck by lightning. It would take another two cups of tea! They waited eagerly, their eyes unable to leave the rich and fragrant sauce for a long time, and their mouths were full of saliva.
fragrant!
Smells so good!
So fragrant!
Lin Sen had originally planned to help out and supervise the work, but now he had no such thoughts at all. He just wished that time would fly by in the blink of an eye.
Linzhi was extremely patient. He held the cooking spoon in his hand and spun it around, repeating the process over and over again to slowly cook the fried sauce.
When a layer of clear fat floated to the top, she scooped it up with a spoon and put it into a clean empty bowl next to her.
The oil is fried from the diced pork, and has the unique aroma of scallion oil and lard, which is rich and mellow. It is extremely delicious when used to stir-fry any vegetables.
As the separated oil was scooped out, the color of the fried sauce in the pot became more and more shiny and moist. Just when Lin Sen and his wife thought it was ready, they saw their daughter deftly cut out a lot of chopped green onions and pour them into the pot in batches.
Lin Sen and his wife opened their mouths, then closed them again. They watched eagerly as their daughter continued stirring until the chopped green onions were coated in a glossy oil and the meat sauce became thicker and richer. Finally, they saw Lin Zhi stop.
"Dad, go and tell the chefs to come over for dinner." Lin Zhi instructed Lin Sen, turned off the fire, walked to another stove, and poured clean water into a clean pot.
Lin Sen instantly perked up and shouted to the front: "Master Liu, take a break and go to the back to have a bowl of flatbread."
"Master Wang, are you tired? Go to the back and have a bowl of flatbread and rest for a while..."
Soon, the craftsmen gathered in the backyard. At this time, the water in the pot was boiling. Linzhi grabbed a handful of rope cakes and put them into the basket, then hung them one by one on the edge of the pot.
When the noodles were cooked, she scooped them up and put them into a bowl, then poured a spoonful of fried sauce on top and added shredded cucumber and bean sprouts.
Because the house had not been decorated yet, there were no tables, chairs or benches in the house. Song Jiaoniang had to be shameless and took a bowl of fried sauce to the drink shop next door and asked them to borrow a table and a few benches to make do temporarily.
"Come on, come on, everyone sit down and eat."
"It's okay, it's okay. Our clothes are dirty, so we can sit on the stones, squat or stand. Madam, just sit." Seeing that there was not enough space, Carpenter Liu waved his hand and simply squatted on the ground.
He didn't care about the bench now, his mind and eyes were full of the bowl of noodles in his hand.
As soon as he held it in his hand, the fragrance rushed into his nose like crazy.
Liu picked up his chopsticks and expertly mixed the suobing. Seeing the dark, rich sauce coating every suobing, cucumber, and bean sprout, he unhesitatingly picked up a large chopstick and thrust it into his mouth.
Just apply a little force with your teeth and the chewy flatbread will break instantly. The aroma of wheat, meat and sauce will explode between your lips and teeth, filling your entire mouth in an instant.
Just when the food started to feel a bit greasy, shredded cucumber and bean sprouts came in one after another, perfectly offsetting the greasy feeling.
!!!!!!!!!!!!
Craftsman Liu was stunned for a moment, finding it difficult to describe in words how delicious this bowl of soba was.
All he can do is answer with actions!
The next second, Craftsman Liu buried his head in his eating, finished a bowl in no time, and then eagerly went to get another bowl.
The others were the same as him. For a while, there was no talking in the yard, only the sound of slurping noodles.
Fortunately, Linzhi bought a lot of noodles and made a lot of fried sauce, so everyone ate to their heart's content.
When Liu the Carpenter stood up, he felt bloated, yet he still felt like he hadn't had enough. He gave Lin Zhi a thumbs-up and said, "Madam Lin, your cooking skills are the best I've ever had. It's truly, truly amazing!"
"Mrs. Lin, are you going to open a soba restaurant in the future?" someone else asked expectantly.
"Of course!"
"Ms. Lin, when will your business open?"
"When your shop opens, I will definitely bring my whole family to support you!" After eating the soba, the craftsmen rushed to eat it, their faces full of satisfaction.
Perhaps it was because they had a satisfying work meal, that when they started working in the afternoon, everyone was more energetic.
Linzhi and Song Jiaoniang walked out of the door and looked up at the craftsmen who had climbed onto the roof. They were removing the old and broken tiles one by one, preparing to replace them with new ones.
"Madam Song." When Song Jiaoniang heard the call, she turned around and saw Madam Yu from the drink shop standing behind her with a smile on her face.
"Madam Yu." Seeing her, Song Jiaoniang also smiled and said warmly, "I'm sorry to bother you just now. Thank you for lending me your bench."
"Why are you being so polite? We're neighbors from now on, so helping each other is only natural!" Madam Yu waved her hand, not taking the small matter to heart. She looked at Song Jiaoniang with sparkling eyes and said, "I want to ask you, did you make that bowl of meat sauce that was just delivered? It smelled so good, so good that I wanted to save some for my husband, but I couldn't resist and ended up sharing it with Madam Hua!"
"How could I do that?" Song Jiaoniang waved her hands repeatedly and nodded at Lin Zhi: "My sister Zhi did it."
"Was it made by Sister Zhi?" Madam Yu was genuinely surprised. Ever since the Lin family bought the shop next door, she had secretly observed them several times. Although the three of them were from other places, the clothes they wore were all made of silk, the material and workmanship were excellent, and they would sell for at least five strings of cash in the shop. The jewelry they wore was also gilded and beaded. Their fingers were white and delicate, without a single callus, and they looked like they were not people who did rough labor.
Especially the little one, with a fair face and a slim figure. Not to mention she is a country girl, at first glance you would think she is a young lady kept in some mansion.
Madam Yu was initially wondering why such a family would be interested in such a small shop next door, but now she was even more stunned when she heard Song Jiaoniang's words. She was stunned for a long time before she came to her senses: "You, you are going to open a food shop?"
"Yeah, my daughter is amazing, right?"
"..." Madam Yu gasped in shock, and her eyes changed when she looked at Lin Zhi: "Sister Zhi is really amazing!"
Song Jiaoniang had a rare opportunity to show off her daughter, so she turned around and wanted to call Lin Zhi over to praise her, but she heard a loud noise.
"What's wrong?"
"They say the beams are worm-eaten!" Linzhi replied, squeezing into the crowd to see. As the masons removed the tiles and all the other tiles, they discovered that the wooden planks above had been wetted by rain.
To prevent further water leakage, the carpenters removed all the wooden planks. However, as the planks were removed, sunlight streamed into the house, and the experienced carpenters immediately noticed something was wrong with the beams. Upon touching them, they discovered that most of the beams had been eaten away by insects.
"The beams are eaten away?"
“The masters just climbed up and down several times!”
"Oh my God! Fortunately nothing happened!" Lin Sen looked at the rotten wood and broke out in a cold sweat. He was terrified. If he had chosen to rent a house, perhaps it would not have been completely dismantled, inspected and repaired like this. It might have collapsed one day.
Only after they removed some of the beams that had been eaten by insects, confirmed that the remaining beams and pillars were not affected, and sprinkled insect repellent powder in every corner, did the Linzhi family feel relieved.
Of course, replacing the beams is also very expensive. Originally, the three of them only planned to spend 20 strings of cash to renovate the house, but after adding the item of replacing the beams, the price doubled.
The project was not over after the front was modified. The masons then came to the backyard, rebuilt a brick wall, and built a stove and kiln inside. This was originally one of the three wing rooms at the back, and would later become the kitchen and storage area of the new shop.
After the new doors and windows were installed, the walls were freshly painted, and the floor was shiny, the originally dusty shop instantly became bright.
In addition to renovating the house, the craftsmen also spruced up the backyard. Not only were bricks laid on the dirt next to the well to prevent future accidents, but a small plot of land was also cleared along the corner of the wall, with a chicken coop built nearby. Lin Sen, who requested the project, said he planned to grow some vegetables and fruits there and raise two hens, which would help save his family some money in the future.
After the craftsmen left, the couple went to the market to buy a broom, a dustpan and other items, and together with Lin Sen, cleaned the house inside and out.
After the carpenter shop delivered the beds, wardrobes, tables, chairs and other items they had ordered, and moved the luggage stored at Zhangji Inn, the entire courtyard finally looked like a home.
After this major transformation, the family's already thin pockets became even thinner.
In front of the father and daughter, Song Jiaoniang recounted the money. As she counted, she began to feel a pang of pain. In the end, she couldn't even keep her smile on her face. She covered her chest and sighed, "I've never spent such a large sum of money so quickly in my life!"
After saying that, the three of them looked at each other and understood each other's thoughts: opening a business and making money was imminent!
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