Chapter 41: Double Ninth Festival Cake. (Two in One)...
"Mrs. Song, you've arrived just in time! Mrs. Hua is here with me, too!" Seeing Song Jiaoniang approach, Mrs. Yu hurriedly stood up and went to greet her. When she saw the box in Song Jiaoniang's hand, she grumbled, "You've come, but why are you bringing food?"
"Thanks to Madam Yu for your help at noon, this is what Sister Zhi just made. She asked me to bring it to you. Please try it!"
"We are neighbors now, so why should we be so polite?" Madam Yu said coquettishly. Just looking at her smiling face, you can tell that she is still happy.
This is how people come and go. If someone really uses the name of a neighborhood member to ask for benefits without giving anything in return, I'm afraid that few people will be willing to associate with him.
"Come, come, sit down quickly. Let's sit down and chat." Madam Yu beckoned Song Jiaoniang to sit outside. She first took the dishes Song Jiaoniang had returned back inside, and then took out a cup of Luoshen Osmanthus Drink and said, "Madam Song, try it."
"Try it!" Lady Hua, standing beside them, agreed with a smile, pointing at Lady Yu. "It's just right that you're here. This guy's been showing off to me for a long time."
“What a beautiful color!”
"Right!" Madam Yu held her cheeks, very excited. "This is the most popular drink in my shop lately!"
"Hey...was it you who came up with this, Madam Yu?"
"No, no, I don't have that ability."
Madam Yu laughed heartily and continued, "I heard from the shopkeepers that Fanlou has a new drink made with Roselle flowers that's quite popular with the ladies. So I thought about it privately, and I never expected it to be so popular the moment it was put on the menu."
"Madam Yu is very clever and skillful. If it were someone else, they would probably be scratching their heads and still not be able to figure it out." Madam Hua smiled and continued, "This is the food in Fanlou!"
"I just imitated the name."
Madam Yu, hearing the compliment, cupped her slightly hot cheeks and said angrily, "It's said that Fanlou uses glass cups with ice-carved roselle flowers inside, paired with roselle tea. The sight is so elegant just thinking about it."
"The ice sculpture of Roselle—" Song Jiaoniang couldn't help but fantasize, "It would be great if I could go to Fanlou and use it."
"Oh my, what are you thinking, Madam Song? We can't afford to go to Fanlou." Upon hearing this, Madam Hua burst out laughing. "See, I forgot. Madam Song is not from Bianjing. Maybe she doesn't know how expensive Fanlou is. Can you guess how much this Roselle Flower Drink costs at Fanlou?"
Madam Yu frowned, glanced at Song Jiaoniang from the corner of her eye, and quickly tried to smooth things over: "The way you said it makes it seem like we guessed right from the beginning!"
Then, Madam Yu grabbed Song Jiaoniang's hand and complained, "A single cup of Roselle drink in Fanlou costs a full 1,888 coins!"
"One thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight!?"
"Yes, this is just the cost of drinks. The dishes are easily 3,888 or 5,888. It's common for a table to cost dozens or even hundreds of guan."
"These are still written on the menu." Madam Hua acted calmly and interrupted, "I heard that Fanlou has dishes not written on the menu, specially used to entertain distinguished guests. Ordering a table full of dishes would cost at least a thousand coins!"
Song Jiaoniang sucked in a breath of cold air, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. She had spent more than ten years to accumulate a net worth of two hundred strings of cash, and she was already very proud of herself. But when her sister got three hundred strings of cash, it seemed like an astronomical figure to her.
Even though she was frightened by the starting price of one thousand strings of cash for the street shop, Song Jiaoniang was still full of confidence, thinking that as long as her family planned for a few years, they would be able to save enough money to buy a big shop.
But a table of food costs a thousand strings of cash? What kind of extravagant and exaggerated life must that be?
Seeing Song Jiaoniang's mouth hanging open, and her expression taking a long time to come back to her senses, Madam Yu laughed heartily: "Those things are too far away from us. Let's just live our own lives."
Song Jiaoniang was slow to come to her senses. She nodded and pushed the Chongyang cake towards Yu Niangzi and Hua Niangzi. "You're right. Come on, let's not talk about that. Come and try my daughter's cooking."
"Okay, okay, let me see—is this the Chongyang Cake?" Madam Yu hadn't looked closely just now, but now, after taking a closer look, her face was filled with surprise: "How can it have so many layers of color? It's so beautiful!"
I saw that the Chongyang cakes placed on the plate were all square, upright, with four colors of white, yellow, red and green interlaced, and the exquisite appearance was amazing.
A delicious dish must be colorful, fragrant and delicious.
Especially the word "sex" is placed first, which shows how much the characters value it, just like the Roselle Drink held in the hands of the two people. Because of its rose color, it quickly became the favorite of women in Bianjing City after it was released in Fanlou.
Madam Yu and Madam Hua were no exception, and they couldn't take their eyes off the colorful pastries.
She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth to savor it carefully. The first thing she tasted was the pine nuts, almonds, chestnut pieces and red dates on the top. The first two were oily and crispy, the chestnut pieces were sweet and sticky, and the red dates were fragrant. The four had their own unique flavors. The moment they were put in her mouth, it was like an orchestra playing together, making people dazzled while enjoying the same melody.
Next comes the soft rice cake and sweet red bean paste, which is neither dry nor wet, and has just the right taste that melts in your mouth.
Red bean paste is like a gentle elder sister, embracing all the lively ingredients in her arms. No matter what flavor they are, they can blend perfectly with her.
"Your daughter's cooking skills are truly amazing! I'd say this Chongyang cake is just as good as Pan's!" Madam Yu couldn't help but sigh after finishing a piece. She'd actually thought Sister Zhi's cooking skills were extraordinary after having tried her meat sauce the previous time, but she hadn't expected her to be so good at making dim sum.
Although Chongyang cakes may look similar on the outside, they actually taste very different. Some shops make them too sticky, others too dry and hard. Some use jam that tastes astringent, while others are so sweet that the other flavors are lost...
The Chongyang Cake in front of you is soft and non-sticky. It is sweet and has a rich aroma. It is really addictive.
Madam Yu couldn't help herself and picked up another piece to eat. As she was eating, she suddenly had an idea and looked up at Song Jiaoniang: "Jiaoniang, are you going to sell this Chongyang cake in your shop?"
Song Jiaoniang thought for a moment, nodded, and then shook her head. "My daughter is in charge of all business matters, so I don't know. But I think she's planning to sell it."
After a pause, Song Jiaoniang said, "It's also possible that it will be served as a side dish on the Double Ninth Festival."
"It's like this, Sister Jiaoniang." Madam Yu held Song Jiaoniang's hand and said embarrassedly, "I saw that your Chongyang cake tastes and looks amazing. It just so happens that our store always gives gifts to customers during festivals, so I was thinking if I could ask Sister Zhi to help make it for me?"
Before Song Jiaoniang could hesitate, Madam Yu quickly added, "My shop needs about thirty boxes. Of course, I can't let Sister Zhi work for nothing. Could you please ask Sister Zhi what price would be appropriate?"
Song Jiaoniang was startled and subconsciously said that she didn't need to pay. However, Madam Yu waved her hands repeatedly and said, "You can't say that. Sister Zhi's cooking skills are very good. If it was sold in a pastry shop, I'm afraid our family wouldn't be able to order it even if we wanted."
"Please don't be polite to me, okay?"
"Okay, okay, I'll ask later and give you an answer." Song Jiaoniang never thought that she got a business deal by sending some snacks. She felt embarrassed.
She exchanged a few more words with Madam Yu, then returned home. As soon as Song Jiaoniang and Madam Hua left, Madam Yu's husband, Shopkeeper Wu, emerged from inside and complained, "Why did you suddenly ask the neighbors to order Chongyang cake? Didn't we agree to buy from Pan's?"
Pan's Fruit Shop is a famous fruit shop in Bianjing City. It has become very famous in recent years and its prices are reasonable, so foot shops and medium-sized shops like theirs like to order from them.
The couple has made the reservation for several years and has made plans as usual this year.
Shopkeeper Wu was already anxious when he heard this, but Linzhiji was his next-door neighbor after all, so he couldn't afford to be rude to them. He had to wait until everyone left before complaining to his wife, "How could you be so foolish? Even if you had a good relationship with Madam Song, you couldn't be like this..."
"You are the confused one!" Madam Yu rolled her eyes at Shopkeeper Wu, picked up a piece of Chongyang cake and stuffed it into his mouth.
Shopkeeper Wu was about to speak when the taste in his mouth caught his attention. He forgot what he was going to say and subconsciously chewed.
Madam Yu glanced at her husband, folded her arms across her chest, and waited for his reaction to see if he would still be so arrogant later.
As Shopkeeper Wu was eating, he came to his senses. His face turned blue, white, red and purple, but he continued to chew. After a long time, his Adam's apple rolled and he swallowed the cake into his stomach.
"uh-huh."
"..." Shopkeeper Wu was silent for a moment, then immediately changed his tone: "My lady is wise! That's right, Linzhiji is not very famous, and you asked the neighbor to quote the price, this..."
"I told you you're stupid, but you still don't believe me!" Madam Yu reached out and grabbed her husband's ear. "I'm being so polite, and I'm considering the feelings of our neighbors and friends. Jiaoniang's family is also very polite. You just wait, this price will definitely be cheaper than outside!"
Shopkeeper Wu grunted and said nothing.
Madam Yu rolled her eyes. "Besides, when we give gifts to our customers, it's out of our good intentions. Look, we give Pan's every year, but have anyone ever asked about it? Everyone knows Pan's, so maybe five or six out of ten shops give Pan's. How can anyone remember us?"
"Linzhiji's pastries are so cleverly made and delicious. Who knows, someone might remember them, or even ask about them. That would be good for us!"
After hearing this, Shopkeeper Wu finally gave up his opinion. He bowed deeply to his wife and said, "My wife is smart. It is me who is wrong."
Madam Yu was beaming with joy just now, but she never expected that Madam Hua, returning to the shop, was also complaining about the matter to her husband: "Just now at the Yinzi shop, Madam Yu asked Madam Song to order Double Ninth Festival cakes."
"Madam Song? Could it be that Linzhiji shop?" Madam Hua's husband, surnamed Zheng, was a thin man. He glanced at Madam Hua and frowned. "Doesn't that shop make rice with toppings? Why are they making Chongyang cakes now? Wait, you ordered one too?"
"I'm not Madam Yu. I've always come back to discuss ordering with you, sir." Madam Hua shook her head repeatedly and complained, "Besides, the products made by such a small shoe shop are not worth showing off."
Shopkeeper Zheng finally softened his expression and nodded, "You're right. Even if I were to give it to a relative in the countryside, I'd be embarrassed. How could I possibly give it to an official or a wealthy family? Then people would think we're looking down on them!"
"Madam Yu just mentioned it, and I had to pretend I didn't hear it. I finally got over it." Madam Hua complained to Shopkeeper Zheng, but couldn't help but gloat over her misfortune. "Madam Yu is just like that. She probably feels sorry for Madam Song, as she's just opened a new shop and can't even afford to rent dishes and has to borrow them, so she's trying to give her some business."
"Madam Yu is just too concerned about her reputation, and Shopkeeper Wu is henpecked, so he lets her do whatever she wants without any discipline."
When Shopkeeper Zheng talked about his neighbors, he couldn't stop complaining: "They spent three hundred strings of cash to buy that shop, right? Look at the furnishings inside, plus the daily expenses for food and clothing. I don't think they can even afford a maid. I'm afraid they've spent all their money!"
"Look at that last time, she praised that shop's meat sauce to the sky in front of us, but when the price came out, she made nine cents per meal. What does she think we are? Does she really think she can survive by keeping prices low? It's really laughable."
Although they opened a steamed bun shop and earned their money through hard work, Mrs. Hua and her husband looked down on the Linzhi family from outside the hometown who invested all their assets in the business.
Manager Zheng grew increasingly excited and enthusiastic as he spoke: "There's no way a shop like this should be open on our street. I bet they'll be gone in a few days."
"It's a question whether this tiny shop can be sold!"
Seeing her husband's excitement, Lady Hua was speechless. She actually thought the meat sauce was quite delicious and would make a great filling for steamed buns. However, every time she inquired about it, Song Jiaoniang kept her mouth shut, even the younger ones were the most strict, which made her feel unhappy.
Mrs. Hua thought about what her husband said and felt a little hopeful. If the shop went out of business, she might be able to buy the prescription for a small amount of money.
Of course, Linzhi couldn't hear what they were saying in private, as she was busy preparing for the evening banquet.
Originally they sold rice with toppings, but now they sell vegetables and rice separately, with a few additional side dishes.
Linzhi stewed what needed to be stewed, and cooked what needed to be boiled, leaving only a few stir-fried dishes to be cooked after the diners arrived.
After finishing everything, when Linzhi was washing her hands, Song Jiaoniang came into the room with a strange look on her face and told Linzhi about Yu Niangzi's proposal.
"Of course, we made it with the intention of selling it." Lin Zhi's eyes lit up and he smiled, "As for the price, I haven't decided yet. I wanted to go to the market and have a look."
"I heard from Madam Yu that they should have originally booked a shop called Pan's." Song Jiaoniang thought for a moment and said to Lin Zhi.
"After closing tonight, we'll go to the night market and take a look at Pan's, the dim sum shop Mom mentioned, and a few others. We'll see how they set their prices and then decide on our own prices. How about that? After we've decided on a price, we'll give Madam Yu a discount."
"That's great." Song Jiaoniang responded happily. After taking note of the matter, she asked about Lin Zhi's preparations.
"It's almost done. We're just waiting for people to arrive." Lin Zhi wiped her hands with a handkerchief and nodded to Song Jiaoniang to look at the stove. "There are only a few stir-fried dishes left. We'll cook them after people arrive."
…
Soon, the sun set.
The shops on the street outside the Dali Temple all lit up their lights and began their evening business. Shop assistants from several shops came out, shouting out their signature dishes and inviting passersby to come in and try them.
Xie Ping, wearing a brand new silk shirt, stood at the door. His appearance immediately attracted the attention of many officials. Several minor officials came forward and bowed, "Thank you, Manager. Long time no see."
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Wu, long time no see." Xie Ping smiled and bowed, "Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
Lin and Wu's eyes lit up, and they hurried in. In fact, Xie's mutton restaurant was doing a booming business, partly because of the chef, and partly because Xie Ping often entertained many prestigious officials. Lower-level officials were happy to go in and spend money just to get to know him, to chat a few words, or to get some tips from Xie Ping.
Soon, many diners were sitting in Xie Da Mutton Restaurant.
Seeing that it was almost time, Xie Ping quickly straightened his clothes and looked into the distance. Today, the Minister of the Dali Temple would entertain the Imperial College's chief academic officer in his shop. As long as his meal satisfied everyone, it would be easy for his business to grow further in the future.
When he thought of this, he couldn't help but feel secretly proud. His brothers looked down on his shop, thinking that it was too small and brought shame to the Xie family. However, he never expected that the higher the position of the official, the more low-key he would be. Compared with the luxurious restaurant, a small shop like his was quieter and less controversial.
Soon, a carriage slowly approached.
Xie Ping cheered up, but he didn't expect that the carriage did not drive to his shop, but stopped in front of it.
He squinted his eyes to look at the carriages and was stunned for a moment. He saw that all the carriages were three-horse carriages, which meant that there should be several officials of the fourth to sixth rank among the passengers.
Although he is not as high as the Minister of the Dali Temple and the Chief Academician of the Imperial Academy, he is still a big man that most people will never see in their lifetime.
Xie Ping couldn't help but feel alert and couldn't help but stick half of his body out to observe, wanting to see which distinguished guest Fu Rong Zhuang and Dong Ji Restaurant were going to invite.
What surprised him was that the carriage did not stop in front of the two shops, but in front of Linzhiji.
????? ?????
Stop at the entrance of Linzhiji! ?
Not to mention Xie Ping who was stunned, even the waiters from Fu Rong Zhuang and Dong Ji Restaurant were stunned where they stood, and after a while they screamed and ran into the house.
Soon, the shopkeepers of the two shops came out and looked in the direction of Linzhiji and the several carriages.
Perhaps their movement startled the others, and even Madam Yu from the drink shop leaned out to watch the group get off the carriage and walk straight to the door of Linzhiji.
"Oh my." Madam Yu exclaimed, then quickly covered her mouth and stared at the group of people intently.
Dr. Li, the leader, stared at the narrow shop, lost in thought. Gao Yanei, following behind, was initially surprised by the crowd's pause. Then, looking up, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Wait a minute? Tao Lang, is your family bankrupt?"
"Pah, pah, pah!" Tao Yingheng heard Gao Yanei's words as soon as he got off the carriage and immediately became furious: "What nonsense are you talking about? Be careful or my brother will beat you up!"
Gao Yanei shrank his neck before realizing what was happening. He pointed at Linzhiji's shop, his eyes suspicious. "What we had for lunch...was from this shop. Are you sure?"
Just as Dr. Li was about to nod, he heard Tao Yingheng's voice: "Yes, this is the shop owned by my friend's family. How could I be mistaken?"
Dr. Li fell silent. Another doctor beside him whispered, "Maybe it looks small from the outside, but it actually has a lot of secrets inside!"
"……Too."
"I think so too." Even Hou Sheng and the others following behind thought so. After all, they didn't think Tao Sheng, who could hold his chin high above everyone else's heads, could, well, eat at a foot shop. Wouldn't he spend his days eating, drinking and having fun at places like Fanlou? At the very least, he could eat at a big place like Dongji Restaurant or Furongzhuang.
"I don't know what it looks like inside."
"Even the walls are probably made of gold!" someone wondered, and the voice reached Lin Sen, who was about to come out to greet them. His smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal: "Brother Heng is here."
"Uncle Lin," Tao Yingheng greeted him warmly. "It's been a while. How are you guys?"
"I'm fine. Your brother and Shen Lang came over for lunch at noon." Lin Sen replied with a smile, pushed open the door and invited everyone in.
Everyone listened to the conversation between the two, and their suspicions gradually faded... What the hell!!!
As everyone walked into the shop, except for Tao Yingheng who knew the situation from the beginning and remained calm, the others had tense faces and trembling pupils.
Gao Yanei tried to hold back, and only stopped the urge to blurt out the words after he had pinched his follower's arm until it turned blue.
...Is the Tao family really not bankrupt?
Could it be that he is just a facade of strength and is only putting on that arrogant attitude to impress them?
Gao Yanei's mind was completely bewildered. He followed everyone else and sat down in a daze. The moment his butt touched the hard bench, he almost bounced up.
Unlike Gao Yanei, who began to wonder if he was dreaming, Dr. Li and the others quickly regained their composure. They exchanged glances responsibly, then looked at Tao Yingheng, who was chatting and laughing with Lin Sen, and finally couldn't help shaking their heads.
"I thought..."
"We have wronged this child."
If he was really a proud and ignorant playboy, he should be like Gao Yanei. How could he interact with common people like Tao Yingheng, even talking and laughing with them, and bringing so many people to check it out so openly?
Even many students began to look at Tao Yingheng with admiration, and began to wonder if this person was just pretending to be difficult to approach.
Many sighs echoed in my chest.
Dr. Li was shocked, but his expression remained unchanged. He kindly instructed Lin Sen to serve the dishes: "Just serve the food you have in your shop. We can just have a meal together. It's okay."
Xu Sheng looked around and whispered to Hou Sheng, "Did you see that? They said it was a minced meat and tofu rice bowl, only nine cents a portion?"
"I see, that scrambled egg and chicken rice bowl is only eighteen cents..." Hou Sheng lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his shock. They had tried the food before at noon and were sure it was at least a mid-range restaurant. It was a rare opportunity to try it, but he hadn't expected it to be so cheap and good.
"If it's this price..." Hou Sheng couldn't hide his excitement and blurted out, "Can we come here for lunch in the future?"
"I'll ask if I can order takeout later."
"good."
Several students who had tasted the food at noon were talking about it, but Gao Yanei was still immersed in his own thoughts. He didn't think that the delicious food at noon could be made by the foot shop in front of him. He suspected that Tao Yingheng had temporarily changed the shop to give face to Dr. Li.
The more he thought about it, the more this made sense to him. He glanced at Tao Yingheng and said: You are such a cunning guy. You will do anything to please Dr. Li.
Tao Yingheng:? Shenjin disease!
While everyone was talking, Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang took turns serving dishes.
As the familiar aroma flowed into his nostrils, Gao Yanei's expression gradually changed. He picked up a piece of scallion-braised lamb with chopsticks in disbelief and savored it carefully. The familiar and wonderful taste was exactly the same as what he had eaten at noon, without any difference!
Gao Yanei's pupils trembled and he was speechless for a moment.
Dr. Li didn't have much expectation. He took a look at the dishes on the table and picked up a piece of braised lamb with green onions with chopsticks.
After just one bite, he was surprised: "Wow, the mutton fried in this shop is really good!"
Before Dr. Li could continue his praise, Song Jiaoniang brought out another large casserole: "Homemade taro duck is here!"
The casserole that fell on the table made a gurgling sound, and an alluring aroma poured out from it, hitting everyone's nose directly.
Everyone looked and saw that the soup was glossy and had a rich aroma of sauce. The ivory-colored taro was wrapped in a thick and shiny coating, and was crowded with large chunks of duck meat. The tempting appearance made people drool.
"It's a dish I haven't seen at lunch!"
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