Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Scrambled Eggs with Oil and Vinegar. (Two in One)…
This man was none other than Xie Ping, the current owner of Xie Da Mutton Restaurant. Upon hearing Lin Zhi's words, he couldn't help but show shock, but he quickly regained his composure and shook his head.
Are you kidding? That's impossible.
The process of making sheep head skewers is complicated, and very few people can make them perfect.
This was the chef in his own shop, whom Xie Ping had just pried from another shop at a high price, just to make it easier to entertain high-ranking officials from the Dali Temple and other government offices.
But thinking back to Linzhi's relaxed and casual attitude, as if using pork to imitate sheep head skewers was the simplest thing, he felt that it was not simple.
Xie Ping thought for a moment and asked the waiter who came forward, "Xun'er, do you know the origins of those three people?"
Xun Ge'er was the young waiter who had just received the Linzhi family. Seeing this, he smiled and said, "What are you talking about, boss? Those three people are from Linzhiji."
"It turns out to be someone from Linzhiji." Xie Ping was slightly startled, and immediately recalled Lin Sen's face.
As a competitor in the street market, he was naturally very concerned about the replacement of shops. When he heard the news at noon today, he went out to take a look and inquired about the dishes and prices of the shop.
Xie Ping breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that the lowest price for a dish was nine cents and the highest was no more than sixty-eight cents. The main dishes and even the prices of Linzhiji were very different from his own. It seemed that they were aimed at petty officials and there was no conflict with his own business goals.
Originally, Xie Ping thought that this family was down-to-earth and planned to settle down by selling good quality products at low prices. He never expected that they were such whimsical people.
Xie Ping sneered and no longer took Lin Zhi's exaggerated words to heart.
Different from Xie Ping's attitude, Song Jiaoniang has 100% confidence in her daughter. Have you ever seen a genius who can taste the proportions?
Have you never seen it before? Humph!
I have one at home!
If Lin Zhi hadn't told Song Jiaoniang to be low-key, she would have already shown off. So, upon hearing Lin Zhi's words, she was already incredibly curious: "Are the ingredients that difficult?"
"If it's left as it is, it'll be a little troublesome." Lin Zhi thought for a moment and replied.
The high price of sheep head skewers stems from not only the sheep face meat used, but also the sheep omentum fat. Like pig omentum fat, each pig or sheep has only one complete set of mesentery and greater omentum, and the amount of omentum fat produced in these areas is fixed, which doesn't increase production.
Especially in this dynasty where animal husbandry was far less developed than in later generations, sheep and pig fat was an important ingredient in many mid- to high-end dishes. When demand exceeded supply, the price was naturally high.
"But we can use bean curd skin instead." When Linzhi ate it, he thought of similar foods such as net oil chicken rolls, Minnan chicken rolls and Chaozhou rice cakes.
Lard fat was originally used for dishes such as lard chicken rolls, Minnan chicken rolls, and Teochew rice cakes. However, due to the limited availability and high price of lard, many places gradually replaced it with bean curd sheets.
The inside is wrapped with meat filling made of pork, water chestnuts, etc., and is either fried raw or steamed and then fried. The skin is crispy and delicious, and the filling is plump and juicy. It is one of the local specialties.
Linzhi thought that if she could buy a few pig's trotters to make pig's trotter rice, she could cook it together and use it as a side dish.
Well, it doesn’t have to be a side dish.
Linzhi also felt that this thing would be very popular if it was sold while it was hot.
Speaking of fried foods such as Minnan chicken rolls, Linzhi thinks of Youdundun, a snack unique to the Jiangnan area. The filling is made of shredded white radish and the crispy outer skin tastes so delicious.
Oh, right, if you want to sell it while it's hot, can you also make roast chicken or roast duck, then slice it and add the braised gravy to it, and it will be another rice bowl...
When Song Jiaoniang heard her daughter suddenly stop talking in the middle of her speech, she thought Linzhi was still thinking about how to make sheep head skewers. She had no idea that her thoughts were jumping around and she had already wandered away from the sheep head skewers to somewhere else.
Lin Zhi didn't come back to her senses until she got home. She wrote down everything she had just thought of, then told Lin Sen to contact the pork vendor tomorrow to see if he could buy some pig fat and pig's trotters. "Buy two first so I can try my hand at this. It would be best if we could find a regular supplier. As for pig fat, if we can get it, buy it. If not, forget it."
"Okay, I got it. It's no problem to buy two or three fresh pig's trotters, but if you want a long-term and stable supply... it will probably take some time." Upon hearing this, Lin Sen took the matter on first, and planned to find a teahouse or a broker when he went to the market tomorrow and ask them to help inquire.
"And mother." Lin Zhi looked at the wall of the shop and smiled as she instructed Song Jiaoniang, "I'll have to trouble you later to draw the seasonings and ingredients we use in our shop."
"Huh? Why are you drawing those?"
"Firstly, it can promote Mrs. Lu's Hu Ji Spice Shop, and secondly, it can show the source and quality of our ingredients."
Song Jiaoniang nodded repeatedly after hearing the first half of the sentence, but when she heard the second half, suspicion appeared on her face again: "Aren't all the ingredients we use at home bought from the market? Weren't you just talking to your father about that?"
Lin Zhi blinked and said shamelessly, "Whatever we buy at the market, we carefully select! Look at the mutton and pork Dad bought today. When we brought it back, it was not only steaming hot, but also trembling slightly. You can tell it was freshly slaughtered."
"How can ordinary people have such ability!"
"The pork we use is all slowly raised on whole grains, with the right balance of fat and lean, fresh and delicious. We also use mutton from the Gobi Desert, which has a delicate texture and rich milk flavor..."
Listening to Lin Zhi's boastful words, Song Jiaoniang finally understood: "So, it's just bragging."
"How can you call that bragging?" Lin Sen, who was sitting next to him, rubbed his nose with delight upon hearing this. He nodded at Song Jiaoniang, "What our Zhijie said is true! I was going to the market at a good time today. As soon as I arrived, I ran into a butcher processing pigs and sheep. It took a lot of effort to buy these for our family."
After these butchers slaughtered the pigs together, they sent the meat to various butcher shops for sale. According to Lin Sen's purchase volume, he could not buy it directly, but should buy it from the pork stall.
Lin Sen pointed at himself and said, "I went to great lengths and used my eloquence to get permission to buy the meat."
"Did they go into the water?" Lin Zhi was surprised to hear that Lin Sen had met a butcher slaughtering pigs and sheep.
"Yes, there are, but those things are very popular." Lin Sen said frankly, "If we want to buy them, we have to order them in advance... and even if we order in advance, they may not be available."
Unlike the offal described in later novels as unknown, in this dynasty, whether it was pig, sheep, chicken or duck offal, it was extremely popular. It is said that there was a restaurant in Bianjing that had a famous dish: blood belly soup.
Not to mention the mutton offal soup or intestine blood soup that are must-haves in major mutton restaurants, as well as the pig blood meatballs and chicken offal soup that are quite famous in the market, and there are even stalls specializing in selling pig blood tofu, mutton blood tofu and even duck blood tofu.
Pig butchers, pig farmers and even slaughter shops usually pack these things and sell them to merchants, and occasionally sell the surplus to retail buyers.
As a stranger, it was not easy for Lin Sen to buy it.
Lin Sen thought for a moment and said, "It's best to wait a few days. When I went there yesterday and I mentioned bargaining, they just shook their heads. I'm afraid they still don't trust our business."
Seeing his daughter sign such a big contract with Hu Ji Spice Shop, Lin Sen was unwilling to fall behind. He tried a few times when purchasing goods, but soon tasted the bitter taste of failure.
After a period of frustration, Lin Sen came to realize that this was normal: Bianjing remained unmoved, but the shops within the city were constantly changing. Many businessmen who came from other places to open shops couldn't even survive three months before returning home in disgrace.
It was not easy to get discounts before Linzhiji's business stabilized, its reputation was established, or its sales increased significantly.
Lin Zhi thought for a moment and said, "Let's give it a try first."
Lin Sen nodded and patted his chest: "Leave it to me."
While the Linzhi family was working hard for their business, in the inner courtyard of the Tao family, Chen Yan finished his meal alone and then got up to go to the lake in the backyard to digest his food and relax.
Soon, he ran into Tao Yingce and Tao Yingheng, who were also out for a walk. Heng was delighted to see him, and jumped up to greet him, "Brother Yan, why didn't you come to dinner today?"
"I heard that your aunt brought her daughter here. After all, I am a stranger, so it is not convenient for us to meet. That's why I declined the banquet and had dinner in the yard." Chen Yan explained.
"We men are sitting at the same table, not with them." Heng Ge'er complained, "If I had known you wouldn't come, I wouldn't have come even though I was sick...Listening to the second and third brothers whining is really annoying."
The second and third brothers mentioned by Heng Ge'er are his uncle's sons and his cousins.
Chen Yan smiled and said, "Nonsense, you are a son of the Tao family. If you don't participate, I'm afraid your uncle will beat you up."
The old lady and his aunt both sent for him to join them for dinner, but Chen Yan simply refused. After all, he was already old, and still living at the Tao residence was a burden to everyone. If it weren't for the old lady and his uncle and aunt's repeated persuasion, he would have wanted to move out two years ago.
Tao Yingheng opened his mouth, blushed, and swallowed back the question he was about to ask. He turned around and winked at his brother, asking with his eyes: Brother Yan, don't you know why Auntie came?
Tao Yingce nodded first, then shook his head, hinting to his brother not to mention what happened at the table.
Tao Yingheng suddenly understood, and a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes. Poor Brother Yan didn't even know that he was going to be arranged into a marriage.
As the three of them were walking and talking, two women came out from the darkness.
The woman standing in the front had a round and plump face. She was wearing a moon-white Hangzhou silk jacket, a beaded and gilded hairpin was inserted diagonally in her bun, and two beaded and gold bracelets were hung on her wrists. At first glance, it looked like a complete set, but a closer look revealed that the patterns on them were not a complete set.
She squinted her eyes at the three people walking away and asked softly, "Whose child is this walking with Ce'er and Heng'er? Why didn't I see him just now?"
"Madam, that is the eldest lady's nephew Chen Yan, also known as Brother Yan." The maid following behind answered in a low voice.
"Is he the one who lost his parents, didn't study, didn't take the imperial examination, didn't think about revitalizing the Shen family, but instead ran off to become a minor official?"
The old lady's smile instantly disappeared. She curled her lips and complained, "Isn't my good sister-in-law a busybody? Why didn't she just stay out of it? She let him embarrass the Shen family like this? She was too embarrassed to have anyone come out at the banquet, but she had the nerve to ask my brother to praise him and secretly wanted to marry my daughter to him?"
The maid was embarrassed and could only pretend not to hear. In her heart, she was criticizing the aunt for being so arrogant. If the Tao family had no girls of the right age, how could the aunt's cousin have gotten her turn?
Besides, what’s the use of having a father and a mother? He still has to follow his aunt back to his maternal family to beg for money and show off his wealth. Even the clothes he wears when attending events are paid for by the eldest lady.
The aunt didn't want to get an answer from the maid. Just thinking about what had just happened made her nose crooked with anger. Her daughter was such a beautiful girl, and she was a descendant of the Tao family. If she married a minor official, how could she hold her head up in the future?
The aunt complained a few words about the eldest lady, then turned her attention to Tao Yingce and Tao Yingheng.
Ce Ge'er is already an official in the Dali Temple and has a bright future. Of course, his marriage was arranged early on.
She had tried to get involved before and sent letters frequently hoping to form a good relationship with the family. Unfortunately, her sister-in-law only cared about money and power. She looked down on her as an aunt who had been married far away for many years and whose husband's family was in poverty. She instigated her brother to reject this good opportunity of marriage.
A trace of unwillingness flashed across the woman's face, but she was helpless. After thinking it over again and again, she set her eyes on Tao Yingheng.
Brother Heng is currently studying at the Imperial College, and no one knows how his academic performance is going or what his future holds.
In the past, the aunt would definitely study it carefully to prevent her daughter from following her old path.
It's a pity that her husband is seriously ill now, and the family is short of money. Even the dowry originally saved for her sister has been almost used up. She really has no other choice but to target her natal family.
When my father was alive, he was a scholar in the Zi Zheng Palace, and I was so proud of myself. But now, my eldest son is just a fourth-rank official with a salary, and my second son was even more fortunate to have entered the officialdom, and is still a doctor of Taichang. Both of them are noble, but they don't have much future.
The aunt thought about the appearance of the two nephews from the second house at the table, and still felt that Heng'er was better.
At least, even if Heng'er doesn't pass his studies, he can still get a job as an official with the help of his parents and brothers. He will always have a future. Besides, they are all relatives and no one will care about the amount of the dowry.
When the aunt thought of this, she turned around and walked back, intending to go to the old lady to get some advice and teach her to feel sorry for her granddaughter.
Tao Yingheng didn't know that his aunt was being picky and had finally set her sights on him. He was still happily listening to his brothers' embarrassing stories.
Thinking about how his brother and Yan Ge, despite being so close to each other, still didn't get to eat the first meal after Zhi Jie'er's opening, Tao Yingheng laughed so hard that he fell over, "There's such a thing!"
Tao Yingce said with a dark face: "I will definitely be able to eat it tomorrow, but you may not."
"That's not necessarily true." Tao Yingheng shook his head, already having a plan: "I'll ask Shunzi to go buy it for me."
The more he thought about it, the more proud he became: "Maybe I'll eat first and you guys will still be waiting in line."
"Oh!" Tao Yingheng covered his mouth and laughed secretly, "What if Brother Ce and Brother Yan can't eat tomorrow? Do you want me to ask Shunzi to buy you two servings?"
Tao Yingce and Shen Yan's faces darkened, their fists clenching uncontrollably. Looking at Tao Yingheng's arrogant expression, they secretly made up their minds: tomorrow they would not only taste Zhi Jie'er's cooking, but also intercept Shunzi so that Heng Ge'er couldn't eat it. Finally, they would describe the taste to Heng Ge'er tonight and teach him a lesson!
Tao Yingheng, who was feeling proud, suddenly felt his nose itchy and sneezed. He looked at the two of them suspiciously, feeling a little uneasy, and shook his head and went back.
When he returned to his own courtyard, he called his personal servant Shunzi and told him to go to the Dali Temple at noon the next day and find a shop called "Linzhiji" to buy lunch.
"What flavor would you like to eat, sir?" Shunzi had never heard of the name of this shop, so he asked another question.
"What flavor?" Tao Yingheng was stunned and suddenly realized that Tao Yingce and Shen Yan had never told him what kind of shop Zhi Jie'er ran and what dishes were sold there.
Tao Yingheng slowly fell into deep thought.
Shunzi waited for a long time but got no answer, and couldn't help but look up and said, "Master Lang?"
"Tsk." Tao Yingheng couldn't figure it out, so he simply gave up. He waved his hand and said, "Isn't this simple? When the time comes, just take one portion of every dish in the shop and send them all to the Imperial College."
"Ah? Can the Master finish it?"
"I can't finish it, but don't I know how to call for help?" Tao Yingheng rolled his eyes at him, thinking of calling a few classmates to eat together tomorrow.
Shunzi's expression was very strange. His own master didn't know, but he knew very well - where did his master's friends come from? But he dared to think about it, but he didn't dare to say it out loud, so he had to bite the bullet and agree.
Seeing that Shunzi was silent, Tao Yingheng assumed it was because he hadn't paid. He casually pulled two Jiaozi notes from his purse and tossed them into Shunzi's hand: "Is this enough? If not, tell the shop owner that this is what I wanted, and I'll pay the difference tomorrow."
"Master, do you recognize this shop?"
"Well, it's owned by my... uh, friend."
"????" Shunzi, who had just complained about his husband's friendlessness, was stunned. He stupidly held up the two Jiaozi notes and looked at the amount: "Yes, yes."
One note is worth fifty strings of cash, and two notes are worth one hundred strings of cash.
This money can be used to book a banquet in a private room at Fanlou. How can you use this money to order all the meals?
Shunzi prided himself on being well-informed, but he had never heard anyone around him talk about the newly opened restaurants and hotels near the Dali Temple. Looking at the Jiaozi, he couldn't help but worry. Could it be that his husband had been cheated?
Full of doubts, he hurried to the Dali Temple at noon the next day. Shunzi looked around and soon saw the sign of Linzhiji. He hurried forward to take a look: "..."
?????
Shunzi blinked, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Finally, he opened his mouth wide and looked up blankly ahead: "Huh?"
Where is the newly opened big restaurant?
What's going on with this ordinary foot shop in front of me?
No, it doesn’t seem ordinary! ?
Shunzi shifted his gaze to the huge crowd in front of him and suddenly felt that something was wrong.
He squeezed in hard, stretched out his arms, and shouted loudly: "Boss, boss, I want to take away - all the dishes!"
…
If I were to use two words to describe Linzhiji’s business, it would be – boom!
As soon as the store door opened today, Lin Sen was frightened by the people gathered at the door and took a step back.
Shocked, he had to come out to appease everyone and inform them that his shop was not yet open for business and hoped that everyone would line up at the door and wait. At the same time, he quickly asked Song Jiaoniang to pass the message to Lin Zhi.
Linzhi took a look at the front and was so shocked that his scalp went numb. He turned around and rushed into the kitchen.
Fortunately, most of the dishes today are the same as yesterday, with the addition of a dish of fried eggs with oil and vinegar, which is equally cheap and delicious, so it is not difficult to prepare.
Linzhi first divided the dishes in the shop into two categories. One category was prepared in advance and placed in a ceramic pot with a cover, and then slowly simmered over a stove to maintain the temperature. When someone ordered the dishes, they just had to be served with crisp vegetables.
There are also some dishes that need to be stir-fried over high heat. Linzhi will prepare the ingredients in advance, divide them into plates, and use them immediately when stir-frying.
If there was a problem, it was that the kitchen was running low on pots, pans, and spoons. If more diners came, there would probably not be enough time to clear away the dishes, plates, chopsticks, and spoons.
Lin Zhi thought about this and couldn't help but look out: "Dad, where's the maid I asked you to hire to wash the dishes last time? Have you found one?"
Lin Sen slapped his forehead: "I forgot!"
He glanced at the diners already queuing at the door, wiped his sweat, and didn't dare tell the truth. It wasn't that he had forgotten, but he felt that a newly opened shop needed to increase revenue and reduce costs. He thought he would save as much as possible and at most do it himself. Who knew it would be like this the next day?
Lin Sen secretly groaned, but pretended to be annoyed on the surface: "Don't worry, I'll come in and take care of the dishes when there are too many. I'll hire someone after closing the door tonight!"
He has been busy like this until now.
Lin Sen took the money Shunzi handed him, not a trace of joy on his face, but a look of worry: "Do I have to pack up all the dishes?" He still had the ingredients, but if he did, there wouldn't be enough bowls and plates!
Lin Sen looked at the servant in blue clothes, gritted his teeth, and was about to go to the shop next door to borrow some money to cover the cost. When he noticed the number on the Jiaozi, he fell silent.
Lin Sen raised his hand and pointed at the wall of the shop, saying with a wry smile, "Brother, this is too much money. Our most expensive rice bowl is only 68 wen... I can't make the change!"
The most expensive items in the shop are the mutton braised rice and the scallion mutton rice at 68 wen, and the rest are priced from 9 wen, 18 wen to 38 wen. In addition, there is a 10% discount today, so the total price of all the dishes is only about 260 wen.
Shunzi looked in the direction Lin Sen pointed and was completely dumbfounded.
Nine coins? Eighteen coins? Thirty-eight coins?
The most expensive one is only sixty-eight cents?
After Shunzi learned the total price, his face was filled with confusion and absurdity. Apart from anything else, when had his master ever eaten something so cheap?
Shunzi felt like his head was a mess. He took the Jiaozi back in a daze, and used his own small-denomination Jiaozi to pay the bill. He was unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
It wasn't until an alluring aroma filled his nostrils that Shunzi gradually came back to his senses. He followed the scent and his eyes quickly landed on the dish in Song Jiaoniang's hands.
The plate contained golden eggs, with thick and glossy sauce either dripping from the top or seeping into the rice. Paired with emerald green vegetables and snow-white rice, it was enough to make one's mouth water just by looking at it.
"Please enjoy your fried egg rice with oil and vinegar," Song Jiaoniang said with a smile as she placed the tray on the table. Then, she squeezed forward and said, "Linzhi said she's used up the spare dishes. You'll have to make another run during lunch break."
"I understand." Lin Sen took a deep breath. Today he had prepared more than double the amount of yesterday's, but it seemed that it could barely last until noon?
Then... there's also one at night!
Lin Sen felt his scalp tingling just thinking about it.
As for Shunzi, his mouth was already watering from the smell. He ignored his husband's request and shamelessly ordered another portion: "Brother, that's it, that's it, another one, eat it here!"
Song Jiaoniang smiled and replied, "Okay, the rice with fried eggs and vinegar is originally 18 wen, but since it's a new store opening, we're giving it a 10% discount, so I'll charge you 16 wen."
Shunzi happily responded, and soon he was sitting in his seat, watching Song Jiaoniang put down the tray in front of him: "Please enjoy!"
"Thank you." Shunzi thanked him, then scooped up a spoonful of rice, picked up a piece of golden egg and placed it on the rice, then brought it closer for a closer look.
The golden egg chunks were wrapped in translucent amber sauce, with slightly burnt and curled edges. A wonderful aroma of sourness mixed with the aroma of oil and burnt flesh penetrated into Shunzi's nose, instantly causing his mouth to drool.
He put it into his mouth without thinking, first he tasted the freshness of the aged vinegar, then the mellowness of the egg, the delicate egg white, the dense egg yolk, matched with the soft and glutinous rice, not greasy or strong, just right, making him unable to stop eating one spoonful after another!
Shunzi's eyes lit up: "Woo woo woo!"
He wanted to say it was delicious, but his mouth was full and he couldn't speak clearly.
Just as he couldn't stop eating, he was suddenly patted on the shoulder and a familiar voice rang beside his ear: "Found it."
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