Miao Wan didn't know much about essential oils. The reason she made them was because... even the pig farmer would find the smell in the pig dormitory unpleasant.
As long as she stayed there for half a day, she would feel smelly after taking a shower. The simple method of making essential oils was completely sufficient for the DIY items in her office, so she used citrus and orange essential oils to make fragrances.
She also bought a bath tub and knew several types of essential oils that were good for the skin, Schizonepeta tenuifolia being one and Rosemary being another.
Coincidentally, there are no tangerines and oranges in this season, but rosa canina, a spice from the Western Regions, is actually available.
But because the scent of rosewood is sweet after being made into incense sticks, rich people like it very much and it sells very well. In this winter, she has not been able to buy it in Xining Town.
Who would have thought that after Qiao Ruichen went out for an afternoon, he actually brought back a big bunch.
The rosemary, which looks like green tea, has not been processed yet. It has a sweet and bitter taste and a rich flavor.
Miao Shiren took a deep breath and generously showered Qiao Ruichen with compliments.
"My husband, you are really capable. Uncle Geng searched all over town and couldn't find it. We also went to several spice shops, but they were all sold out. You found it so quickly."
"You're really awesome! Brother Sanzhuang has even asked the traveling merchants. It looks like you'll have to come and find things from now on."
Qiao Ruichen's cheeks felt slightly hot from the praise, but he felt very happy in his heart. As for the fact that this thing was snatched from Bayin, that goes without saying.
When he was happy, he thought of the gifts he had not given away yet.
He came back in the middle of the night last night and was unable to talk to Miao Wan.
When Miao Wan saw Qiao Ruichen in the morning, she was so happy that she pulled him aside to praise his father, mother and Sun Laohuo. After that, she sent him out. Qiao Ruichen never had the chance to give her the snacks he brought back from Xiping County.
The work arranged by Miao Shiren was just right. When he finished his work and returned home, it was already dark and he had to return to the camp immediately.
Only now did he have the chance to give the snacks to Miao Wan. The two of them had no time to talk in private, so he could only take it out in the main room.
"I went to Xiping County a while ago. There are many snacks that are not available in Xining Town. You can try them. If you like them, I will bring them back for you next time."
Everyone in the family was in the main room and saw Qiao Ruichen take out several oil-paper bags, which he took out from under the things he had bought.
Qiao Shengwen said quietly, "You brought this back last night, and took it out again today? Tsk tsk... You're afraid we'll steal some!"
Qiao Ruichen covered his embarrassment with a blank expression, "I put it in my sleeve pocket last night and forgot to take it out."
Geng and the others were all laughing. The sleeve pocket was only big enough for small things. He shouldn't be serious when lying.
In fact, Qiao Ruichen wanted to give it to Miao Wan early in the morning, but unfortunately she had arranged it too clearly, so he only remembered that he still had it in his hand after he left the house.
It’s hard to explain my impatience this morning.
Unfortunately, it was just a wink to a blind man. Miao Wan didn't notice Qiao Ruichen's discomfort at all. She didn't have the habit of eating alone, so she opened it in front of everyone.
"Oh, there is yak jerky? This thing is hard to come by." Sun Laohuo had dinner at Qiao's house because he helped improve the recipe, so he was a little surprised to see the jerky.
Beef is hard to come by these days, let alone yaks, which are only raised in areas near the border of Xiping County and Xifan.
Any area close to the border of Xifan is not peaceful. Sun Laohuo hasn't seen yaks for many years.
Miao Wan had eaten it often in her previous life. Dried yak is a specialty of Qinghai, and she liked it very much. She immediately took a piece and took a bite...but couldn't bite it off.
And it was not as fragrant as the ones in later generations. It tasted salty when she took a bite, and she stuck out her tongue in disgust.
Sun Laohuo laughed. "Most yak jerky is rubbed with coarse salt and smoked or air-dried with crabapple wood. You can't taste anything else when you eat it this way except for the bitter and salty taste. You can make soup with it later. It's still quite delicious after soaking it."
Speaking of the sand apples unique to the Northwest, Qiao Ruichen also brought some back. There are definitely no fresh fruits at this time of year, only dried sand apples.
She put it in her mouth and tasted it. It was sour and sweet and very delicious.
But Geng and Qiao Rui both tasted it and put it down. Qiao Rui, in particular, frowned and said, "So sour!"
"That's perfect. Leave some for your sister-in-law." Geng smiled at her son who was almost frozen in place, trying to suppress his discomfort, but she didn't tease him anymore.
In addition to these, there is also Youguokui, which is very similar to Dengzhou's Guobing. It is a hard dough cake, but it is brushed with oil and baked in a kiln. It tastes more fragrant and can be preserved for a long time.
Miao Wan really likes the burnt and chewy taste of this thing. It will definitely be delicious when used to make mutton soup pancakes.
Qiao Ruichen didn't bring back much, mainly because he didn't know whether Miao Wan...and her family would like it. Now seeing everyone's reactions, he knew what to bring back next time.
After dinner, Qiao Ruichen's family saw him off.
"Dad, I have already told Bayin about the restaurant on the street. If you have any questions, please send someone with my private seal to find him. With Yeast here, he will not ignore it." Qiao Ruichen took out his private seal and gave it to Qiao Shengwen.
Qiao Shengwen took it and reminded him, "Don't be reckless. The Duke of Chen's Mansion is extremely powerful, and Chen Sixu has been entrenched in the northwest for more than a decade. It will take more than a moment to fulfill the saint's trust. Your life is paramount. Don't forget, you are about to become a father."
Qiao Ruichen nodded seriously, and after hearing the last sentence, he couldn't help but look at Miao Wan.
Wanting to say a few words to her, Miao Wan picked up the dried sand apples and ate one by one. Seeing him looking at her, she waved her hand, which already had a small dimpled flesh, and said, "Be careful on the road, my dear. Come back early next month!"
There is still a lot of work waiting for you.
Qiao Ruichen: “…” Forget it.
By the beginning of the twelfth lunar month, Sun Laohuo had prepared both dogwood oil and Sichuan pepper oil, and he had even adjusted the dosage of other seasonings.
In Miao Wan's imagination, dogwood oil was dogwood and lard fried together, and Sichuan pepper oil was similar. After all, that's how chili oil was made in later generations, and she had never used dogwood.
Who knew that making dogwood oil was so troublesome?
Crush the dried red dogwood fruits, add ginger juice and a little gypsum, which will remove the slight bitterness in the dogwood and leave only the pure spicy taste.
Then add a little bit of black bean sauce, stir-fry together in slightly smoking oil, wait until the color turns dark red, then pour in ten times the amount of lard, stir evenly during the heating process, put into a clay pot, let it cool, seal it completely with oilcloth, and place it in a cool place.
After three to five days, take it out and filter out the red oil with gauze. This is dogwood oil, also known as chili oil.
Sun Laohuo explained, "This is a method passed down from Shuzhou Prefecture. I think the spicy flavor is too strong, so I added gypsum to settle it. This way, the flavor will be stronger."
The process for making Sichuan pepper oil is similar, but the gypsum is not required. Miao Wan was amazed. She had watched live streaming apps before and had never realized that making chili oil was so troublesome.
With this method, how delicious will the spicy skewers be?
She thought so and muttered it out loud.
The other members of the Qiao family who came to see out of curiosity because of Kaifeng also nodded. The chili oil was spicy and fragrant, while the Sichuan pepper oil had only a slightly itchy aroma.
It smells so good that it makes your mouth water. The seasoning and soup alone smell so good, and then add the ingredients... slurp.
Qiao Rui couldn't help but start to beg Sun Ada, who looked powerful but was actually very easy to talk to. "How about we help the guests taste the food first? Sun Ada, your food is definitely better than what Third Brother and the others make, okay?"
Before they started selling their braised food and spicy skewers, my sister-in-law made them for the family to try, and Qiao Rui remembered the term.
But at this time, all the ingredients needed for making spicy skewers had been taken to Wa City by Zhang Sanzhuang and others. Not to mention the Qiao family, even the Zhang family didn't have any ready-made ingredients.
Sun Laohuo was so frustrated by the little girl's tricks that he couldn't control himself. Changshou and a group of boys beside him were also eager to try. He didn't want to be cheated again, so he looked around and saw the fish that Zhang Dazhuang had brought over.
The two families will never forget the incident of Miao Wan crying because of greed, at least in this short winter. Zhang Dazhuang would go over to catch some fish whenever he had nothing to do, and Miao Wan would definitely be included.
Sun Laohuo also saw Aunt Geng make spicy grilled fish once, so he could use the same ingredients as for the spicy skewers.
He decided, "Let's try grilled fish."
Sun Laohuo is definitely not inferior to Yu in charcoal roasting. In fact, because of his skill in roasting whole lamb, which is famous in Xining Town, he can control the heat much more accurately than Yu.
The roasted fish skin is brushed with layers of red oil and light yellow pepper oil. As for lemongrass, nutmeg and other ingredients, they have been ground into powder and mixed with fine salt, then sprinkled evenly on the shiny fish skin.
The seasoning was soaked in oil and licked by the charcoal fire, making a slight sizzling sound.
The children were so greedy that they had to squat beside the charcoal brazier and couldn't move their feet. Mrs. Geng and Aunt Geng, who were watching the children, were drooling.
Logically speaking, they have eaten spicy grilled fish many times, and it is indeed delicious, but they should have some resistance.
But now, even before it’s been fried in the pan, it smells even more delicious than the first time I smelled it.
Miao Wan put the handkerchief to her mouth, fearing that she would drool.
Eww… The grilled fish made by my clumsy hands is different from the grilled fish made by my dad. Her ceiling may not even be as high as Sun Laohuo’s knees.
If she hadn't been pregnant... she would have wanted to squat with the children and look up at the grilled fish that was so perfect that even the luster looked like it was coated with crystal.
The charcoal fire is relatively gentle. After all, it is for the purpose of making the food crispy and tasty, so you don’t need to be too close to it.
When the roasted fish was put into the iron pot for frying, Tiedan burst into tears with the sound of "sizzling".
Geng was startled. "What happened? Did you get burned?"
Tiedan was held in Geng's arms, and he hugged Geng's neck sadly, "Wow, this is the grilled fish that my aunt was crying about. Fish, right? Wuwuwu, Tiedan can't eat it, but Tiedan can't help it."
As he spoke, he cried even more sadly, not like a three-year-old child at all. His crying was very contagious, and the other children also felt the same way and their eyes were filled with tears.
Butcher Zhang and the female soldiers who came over secretly after smelling the smell: "..." Although they were a little embarrassed, they actually understood the children's sadness.
Miao Wan even wanted to cover her face. She just couldn't get over this joke, right?
Geng was concerned about her daughter-in-law's reputation and had a hard time holding back her laughter. She could only comfort Tiedan, "Can you ask Grandpa Sun to bake you some less spicy food later?"
"Wow--" Tiedan was so sad that he couldn't stop eating when he thought that the baby had no share of such delicious food.
Sun was pregnant and it was difficult for her to hold her son. Madam Zhang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry as she took Tiedan into her arms and patted his butt. "Don't cry, I'll give you a taste later. If you cry again, you won't be able to eat anything."
Tiedan immediately fell silent upon hearing this, sobbing and wiping his tears, not caring at all about his damaged butt. His watery eyes, soaked with tears, were glued to the grilled fish, which was already being served with side dishes.
More than three pounds of fish was definitely not enough for everyone to eat. Fortunately, the Zhang family had harvested a lot of dried bamboo shoots and cucumbers, and the Qiao family also had newly sprouted mung bean sprouts, so Sun Laohuo put a lot of them in.
The fried dough cakes that Qiao Ruichen brought back were also cut into small square pieces and put in the pot, filling up the entire iron pot.
The Qiao family didn't have a table big enough to place the iron cauldron, so everyone didn't bother with it. They just brought chairs for Sun and Miao Wan to sit on, while everyone else, including the children, ate around the stove.
With the strong aroma in the kitchen almost overwhelming, no one had time to be polite. They just asked Sun Laohuo to serve the food to Qiao Shengwen and the two pregnant women first, and he didn't need to care about anyone else and just picked up his chopsticks.
Miao Wan couldn't wait to put the fish meat shining with chili oil into her mouth. In an instant, the dense fragrant and spicy taste mixed together and occupied all her senses.
He didn't even care about the burnt tip of his tongue, he just sucked in his breath and couldn't help eating one bite after another.
The fried dough cake was soaked in red oil, making it soft on the outside but chewy on the inside. The spicy heat steamed and rolled in the mouth, instantly forcing out beads of sweat on the forehead.
Even Tiedan, who had to rinse with water before eating, squinted his eyes and said, "So delicious—ooh, I want more!"
After the meal, not only the iron pot and bowls, but even the fish bones that were spit out were clean, without a trace of soup left.
Miao Wan felt that her face was back, but it seemed like she had lost it again.
Compared to Sun Ada’s “Just Have Hands”, the one made by the village chief’s father is not as delicious!
If she had tasted such delicious food before, she might not have had the nerve to run a food business with two families.
Sun Laohuo is a chef after all, and he has more composure than others. While others are still savoring the food with their stomachs bulging, he pats his forehead.
"By the way, I've also changed the braised food recipe. It was too wasteful to just throw all the spices in right away. From now on, I'll make spice bags and take them out before cooking. They can be reused over and over again. I only need to add new spices every two or three times."
Miao Wan's eyes lit up, and she stood up suddenly, "Sun Ada, I suddenly remembered that my maternal family still has many, many prescriptions!"
There are thousands of delicious foods on the live streaming app, and she has seen a lot of them, but she just doesn’t know how to cook them.
But she can eat!
As long as you can describe how to do it and roughly know what to put in it, with a big guy like you, can't you do it?
How thick the shoulders of giants are and how high they can stand in this era all depends on Sun Ada!
Sun Laohuo wiped his mouth and put away his knives, looking very expert and said, "You scared me. What's going on? Are you greedy?"
Miao Wan: “…” No, Sun Ada, why do you have a mouth?
"Puchi——" The people who were full also enjoyed the fun and laughed so hard that they held their stomachs.
The next morning, the sky was clear and the winter sun was shining brightly. It was a good day.
Tomorrow is Laba Festival, and the New Year's Eve is not far away. The tile market has been bustling since early morning.
Even the group of men who usually come here to line up are too busy collecting the goods for the end of the year and going from village to county to sell the goods brought from all over the place. They don’t have time to come in the middle of the night and they all come early in the morning.
Zhang Sanzhuang and his team reduced the amount of food a few days ago and will not come too early.
But today they came particularly late, and many of them couldn't wait and left first. Anyway, they had saved up a thousand coins and bought a lot of scented soap, soap and perfumed soap, so one more day didn't make any difference.
Zhang Sanzhuang and others saw that there were fewer people queuing today. They would have been worried at other times, but today they were all happy.
"Is there any happy event in Zhang's family? Your wife gave birth?" A man who was still queuing joked.
Zhang Sanzhuang chuckled, "Not yet, not yet. It's just that yesterday I asked my father-in-law for some advice. Our spicy skewers are even more delicious. I'm so happy."
The man who was speaking secretly curled his lips. No matter how delicious it was, how much more delicious could it be?
It’s not that spicy skewers are not delicious, but no matter how delicious something is, you can’t eat it every day. Even if you have yogurt and chrysanthemum tea, it will not prevent you from getting a sore throat.
The few people next to them who were used to the taste of spicy skewers didn't look expectant at all.
This time Zhang Sanzhuang was not hesitant. He calmly pushed the stall cart into the house with his second brother and Uncle Geng, lit the fire and started heating the iron trough.
What’s different from the past is that no matter whether it’s spicy soup or oden, bone broth is not added first.
After feeling the iron trough was boiling hot, Zhang Erzhuang and Uncle Geng stood on each side, took out a clay pot, and poured the sauce directly into the iron trough.
"Sizzle--" The sound of the hot iron trough and the oil juice coming into contact was like a horn, inviting a rich aroma that was even more overbearing than usual to whistle out of the tent and spread in all directions.
"Gudong——" I don't know who swallowed first.
The people setting up stalls nearby were stunned. "Oh my god, this is fatal."
He set up a stall next to the butcher's spicy skewers tent, and was often tempted by the aroma. Thinking that making money was not easy, he struggled to protect his wallet.
But today, he heard the sound of copper coins disappearing from his purse. Money is life for ordinary people.
It's not that he is incompetent, it's just that the fragrance is too weird and he can't resist it and can't bear it.
He stood up unconsciously and rushed into the tent with shining eyes.
I give you my life, isn’t that enough?
The author has something to say:
See you at 9:00 PM for the next update~ The next chapter of Special Winter Herbal Tea will be out~
Goji's work is done, so from now on, I can have a nine-day weekend every day. Are you happy? Are you surprised?
Hey~ Please give me some comments and encouragement~
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