Chapter 54: Fasting Party. (First update)
In addition to grilled eggplant with garlic, there are naturally other things, such as grilled chicken. Chicken thighs with skin are the most suitable for grilling. Cut them into appropriate sizes and place them on the iron rack. Brush them with a special sauce and grill the chicken skin until it is charred. The meat inside is still tender and juicy. Eaten with green onions, the taste is even sweeter and more delicious.
The plump mushroom stems were placed on the grill, facing upwards. As the flames licked them for a while, a pool of juice gradually gathered inside.
When the skin becomes wrinkled, sprinkle some finely ground pepper and cumin powder on it, and then you can eat one by one, letting the sweetness of the mushroom melt in your mouth.
Of course, grilled fish is also indispensable. After removing the scales and internal organs of a half-grown crucian carp and slightly marinating it, it can be placed on an iron rack and grilled until the bones are crispy. It is so tender and crispy that one bite is not enough.
Of course, pork belly is also indispensable.
Linzhi puts the pork belly of appropriate thickness on the iron rack, watching the tender meat color gradually change, the snow-white fat slightly curled up, with a touch of cooked brown, then it can be cut one by one, dipped in salty or sweet sauce, plus home-grown lettuce, and put into the mouth.
Finally, you can have another serving of iron plate fried noodles. Linzhi poured a spoonful of rapeseed oil on the iron plate. With a sizzling sound, she first put in the green onions and garlic to stir-fry, and then beat in four eggs.
Lin Zhi didn't have a spatula, so she used chopsticks instead. Even so, it didn't affect her movements at all. The eggs were perfectly docile in her hands, turning into tender scrambled eggs in a matter of moments.
She pushed the scrambled eggs aside and put the slaw back in. Holding the chopsticks in both hands, like a conductor of a symphony orchestra, she made the slaw dance in the air with her light movements, its snow-white body gradually covered in a layer of oil.
Linzhi grabbed a handful of bean sprouts and cut the pork belly that had just been roasted but not eaten into thin strips, poured it in, and mixed it with scrambled eggs.
Next came salt, soy sauce, and oyster sauce, and finally a touch of sugar for a fresh finish. As the aroma of soy sauce and the crispy aroma of noodles gradually spread, Linzhi put away his chopsticks, scooped up the noodles, and placed them on a plate, passing them to the group.
"What a delicious fried noodles!" Before Lin Sen could comment, Chen Yan had already picked up a piece with chopsticks and put it into his mouth. The fried noodles were slightly burnt and chewy, dancing lightly between his teeth.
The sauce, wrapped with the aroma of noodles, eggs and meat, goes straight into the throat, and the refreshing bean sprouts are very refreshing. It is so delicious that you can't stop eating it one bite after another.
"I'm full, I'm full."
"My stomach feels so full..."
After eating the barbecue and stuffing themselves with a full bowl of teppanyaki fried noodles, Chen Yan and Lin Sen collapsed completely in their chairs, burping constantly.
The three of them rested for a while before they had the strength to cheer up and take over the task of cleaning up the mess.
After everything was packed up, Chen Yan said goodbye and went home.
The Linzhi family picked up the bamboo basket containing clean clothes and went to the perfume shop in the market to bathe and clean off the barbecue smell on their bodies.
When I got home, it was already late at night.
Lin Sen called the mother and daughter into the house, carefully locked the door, and then said mysteriously, "Guess how much money we've made since opening the business?"
They have been very busy these days. Linzhi and Song Jiaoniang know that they must have earned a lot, but when asked to give a figure, they have no idea.
Song Jiaoniang thought for a moment: "Net profit or gross profit?"
Lin Sen's expression froze. If he calculated the net profit, wouldn't he have to include the money he spent on purchasing the shop? He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Gross profit, gross profit."
Song Jiaoniang stuck out her tongue, knowing her question was inappropriate: "I guess... 70 strings of cash?"
Last time I calculated that if they sold 55 roast ducks every day, they could earn 210 strings of cash a month.
Song Jiaoniang thought that although their sales were increasing day by day, after deducting the three days of trial operation, they had only been officially open for seven days at most, which was already a high number.
Lin Zhi didn't give a direct answer, but instead calculated in his mind: 20 roast ducks sold on the first day, 45 on the second, 50 on the third, and from the fourth day onwards, the second kiln would be put into operation, and output would soar to 80 ducks per day...
Roast duck currently costs eighty coins per catty. Each roast duck weighs about two to three catties. After deducting the cost of duck meat and marinade, one can earn fifty to seventy coins just from roasting duck.
In addition to the large order for braised food signed two days ago, there were orders for meals from the Imperial College and two other government offices, as well as Double Ninth Festival cakes and duck blood rice noodle soup, as well as orders for rice topped with gravy that were sold daily.
As Lin Zhi calculated, she couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Lin Sen urged, "Sister Zhi, tell me quickly."
Lin Zhi licked her dry lips and swallowed her saliva: "Could it be a hundred strings of cash?"
Lin Sen clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Congratulations!"
Song Jiaoniang slowly opened her mouth: "Ah?"
Lin Sen changed the subject: "Wrong answer!"
Song Jiaoniang breathed a sigh of relief: "I told you, it's impossible—"
Lin Sen interrupted, "It's one hundred and three strings of cash, two hundred and twenty-three coins."
Song Jiaoniang's voice suddenly stopped, her almond-shaped eyes widened and her pupils trembled: "Hey? Hey! Hey!?"
Even though Lin Zhi was mentally prepared, he subconsciously held his breath. Over a hundred strings of cash in seven days, over four hundred strings of cash in a month... In just one month, they could earn back the money they spent on buying the house!
Song Jiaoniang felt weak in her hands and feet, and she didn't even have the strength to pinch her thigh. She finally calmed down and pinched it hard: "I don't feel any pain, I, I am really dreaming."
Lin Sen: "...Madam?"
Why don't you take a closer look and see whose thigh you are pinching?
Song Jiaoniang silently withdrew her hand and twisted her leg hard. She jumped up with a cry, then fell back onto the stool: "I'm not dreaming... I'm not dreaming!"
"I'm not dreaming!?"
"Yes, you're not dreaming." Seeing Song Jiaoniang's excitement, Lin Sen couldn't help but smile: "It really is this number."
Song Jiaoniang hugged her daughter tightly, her eyes sparkling: "Sister Zhi, Sister Zhi!"
“Yes, yes, yes—”
"Shh——" Seeing that Song Jiaoniang's voice was getting louder and louder, Lin Sen quickly raised his finger to signal Song Jiaoniang to calm down. The place where they lived was not a private courtyard, and there were neighbors around them!
Song Jiaoniang covered her mouth and nodded repeatedly.
After she calmed down a bit, Lin Sen expressed his thoughts: "I was thinking, should we hire two people to look after the house?"
Song Jiaoniang was startled at first, then frowned. "Brother Sen, we only have so little space at home. Where are we going to rent two people to stay? We can't let them sleep on the table, can we?"
She did not mention it casually, but heard the maids and old women nearby say it when she was at the Xi family. Before Hu Jie from the kitchen came to the Xi family, she worked as a helper in a small shop outside. At night, the family let the helpers sleep on the floor of the shop, but because she was young, they allowed her to sleep on the table.
At that time, Song Jiaoniang thought it was harsh, but now that her family's situation was clear, she really couldn't make any room.
"Our place really can't accommodate extra people."
"I know that, but this world is not peaceful." Lin Sen felt helpless.
Even though he was in Bianjing City and his shop was next to the Dali Temple, his family was small. In addition, he knew many officials like Tao Lang and Chen Lang who worked in the Dali Temple. He had heard a lot about various cases in recent days, such as people climbing over walls to steal in Bianjing City, robbing money in the middle of the night, and kidnapping and killing people. He was scared to death when he heard about them.
Especially since everyone nearby knows that there are only three people in his family, and now that his business is booming, there is no guarantee that someone will have bad intentions.
Linzhi thought for a moment and said, "How about we go back and look for the night watchman?"
"Night watchman?"
"Well," Linzhi explained, "it's the night watchman who patrols our area. We give him a few extra coins and ask him to come around our house more often at night. If he sees any movement, he can report it to the police in time."
"This is a good idea. It's more practical than having someone live in your home."
"Okay, I'll go ask someone tomorrow." Lin Sen nodded, and then couldn't help sighing.
Now he looked at Sister Zhi as if he was looking at a lump of gold, with joy mixed with worry.
When Lin Sen was with Xi Zhizhou, he had heard the wealthy men in the yamen joking about how if they met a capable woman outside, or rented a woman with ability, they would do everything they could to get her as a foster mother or concubine. This way, they could keep the ability in their hands, and if someone mentioned it later, they could say that it was the woman who seduced them.
Even Xi Zhizhou, who was from a wealthy family and disdained to do such things, was considered clean among that group of people.
Thinking of this, Lin Sen felt nervous.
In the past, he worried that the family was not well-off, the dowry was too little, and his daughter would not be able to find a good husband; now that the family has a lot of money, he is worried that his daughter will be deceived by bad people and give herself to others without knowing why.
Lin Sen became more and more worried, and hurriedly reminded him: "When we go hiking tomorrow, you must stay with your father and mother, and don't talk too much with strangers..."
"I'm not a child."
"You're just a child!" Not to mention Lin Sen, even Song Jiaoniang became nervous after hearing this. She pulled her daughter aside and gave her a lot of instructions. She even vaguely regretted going hiking: "How about we not go?"
"Mom, we finally have a day off, so of course we have to have some fun." Lin Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "If you say that, when our family gets richer, we'll have to stay indoors."
Song Jiaoniang said awkwardly: "It's all your father's fault!"
Lin Sen was suddenly blamed and pointed at himself blankly: "?"
He couldn't help but complain: "I'm worried too."
Lin Zhi held her forehead and raised her hand to swear, "Okay, okay, I get it. Tomorrow I promise to be a good child, not leave my parents' sight, and not talk to strangers—okay?"
Only then did Lin Sen and his wife feel relieved.
The next morning, the three of them first delivered the Double Ninth Festival gifts to the homes of their acquaintances, and then the family of three drove to a temple in the suburbs.
On the Double Ninth Festival, all the major temples in Bianjing held vegetarian feasts. From the foot of the mountain to the top, shops stretched endlessly. Linzhi and his family even spotted a familiar fruit shop and several street vendors.
Lin Sen smiled and said, "They are more diligent than us."
Song Jiaoniang held her daughter's hand and said, "Don't listen to your father's nonsense. Before we opened the shop, he secretly told me that he wanted to inquire about the stalls at the vegetarian festival so that he could bring us to make money!"
Lin Sen's face fell: "Hey, hey, hey."
Seeing her parents quarreling, Linzhi covered her mouth and laughed secretly.
They talked and laughed as they walked up the stairs, buying various foods. Soon, Linzhi was holding a portion of fried crabs, a portion of steamed jade balls, and a portion of crystal soap.
Before she finished eating, Lin Zhi heard Song Jiaoniang exclaim, "Oh my! They're actually selling frosted jade bees here?"
When Linzhi heard this, he thought it was sweet bee pupae and was surprised that bee pupae could be made sweet.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she said this, not only did Lin Sen and his wife laugh, but even the young man next to them showed a surprised look and sneered.
Lin Zhi frowned, feeling unhappy.
Fortunately, the young man only looked at her twice, then turned and walked away, which allowed Linzhi to suppress her anger.
Song Jiaoniang was also unhappy. She glared at the young man's back and complained quietly, "What a rude young man! I don't know where he got spoiled!"
He stared at his daughter's face, looked her up and down, and looked disdainful. He didn't look like she was raised by a decent family.
She shifted her gaze to her daughter, thinking it was best not to get angry over a stranger, so she raised her hand and poked her daughter's forehead, choosing to change the subject: "What honey and bee pupae? Only you, Sister Zhi, could come up with that. Mother can see that you've become obsessed with cooking."
Song Jiaoniang picked up the thing in her hand and shook it: "This jade bee is not a bee pupa, it's this."
Lin Zhi took a closer look and blushed immediately: "So this is it!"
White jade bees nest in green jade cells, the cells haven’t even opened yet, but I can already smell the fragrance—this thing is clearly a lotus seed! [*1]
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