After lunch, Zhang Erzhuang accompanied Geng to Wa City. As soon as he entered the house, he couldn't help rubbing his arms and started yelling.
"Amu, sister-in-law, you don't know how much money Aunt Qiao spent going to Wa City."
Madam Zhang and several of her daughters-in-law were doing embroidery and chatting in the main room. When they heard what was said, the women were all very interested.
Second Zhuang's wife, Yang, asked, "How much did you spend? What did you buy?"
"She bought a huge bucket of goat's milk and a large basket of nepeta. These weren't worth many copper coins, but she even went to the Western Regions to buy a lot of spices. My God, a small handful of that stuff costs one tael of silver. Aunt Qiao didn't buy much in total, but she spent a full five taels of silver."
Zhang Erzhuang knew that spices from the Western Regions were very expensive, but he didn't expect that they weighed less than two taels and were more expensive than a pig.
The third wife, Sun's eyes flashed, and she immediately asked, "Aunt Qiao, why did you buy spices from the Western Regions?"
Madam Zhang glanced at Sun and said nothing.
"Aunt Qiao said some of it is for brine, and some is for my daughter-in-law to stop vomiting." Zhang Erzhuang answered honestly after hearing his sister-in-law's question.
"I think Aunt Qiao also thought it was expensive. Her hands were shaking when she took out the money. I guess she didn't buy enough. She also bought tangerine peel and hawthorn at the pharmacy, and bought a lot of things at the spice store."
Yang frowned, "If you calculate it this way, three pots of offal would cost at least five taels of silver, which is much more expensive than eating pork."
If the price of the product was low, I could sell it, but the brine is so expensive that I have to sell it at a sky-high price to make a profit.
Zhang Erzhuang retorted, "No, that's not true. I asked Aunt Qiao why she was willing to buy such an expensive thing. She said that this marinade can be used over and over again. If you put enough ingredients in at the beginning, you can just add a little more every once in a while. The marinade will become more fragrant as it cooks. If you buy it this time, even if you cook it every day, it will be enough until next spring."
If Geng hadn't figured out the bill, she would definitely not have been willing to spend the money.
San Zhuang's wife, Sun, paused as she stroked her belly. She looked at her mother-in-law and said tentatively, "It sounds like the Qiao family is interested in selling it, right? This braised food isn't limited to braised offal. Can't it also be used to braise meat or something else? If San Zhuang can make it, he can at least be a chef in a restaurant."
Yang looked at her husband and murmured, "It's not good for Erzhuang to stay at home every day. If we can braise more meat and sell it in the tile market, it will make more money than us slaughtering pigs."
Zhang Dazhuang can take over Zhang the Butcher's family business. Zhang Sanzhuang is smart and his father-in-law is a kitchen chef in a restaurant. He will become the head chef sooner or later. Only Zhang Erzhuang is left in the family, who is neither good nor bad and has no future.
Although Yang didn't eat much of the braised offal because she didn't like the taste of hyssop, she became interested when she heard Miao Wan talk about the lucky charm.
Dazhuang's wife, Yu, remained silent. Anyway, Zhang Dazhuang was going to be a butcher in the future, and the family's blue brick and tile house would be passed on to the eldest wife. No matter what, she didn't need to rush.
Madam Zhang looked at Yang and Sun calmly, "So what do you mean?"
The third daughter-in-law, Sun, was very thoughtful. She touched her belly without saying anything. Yang was more anxious and spoke first.
"Mom, can you please ask Aunt Qiao and her family to help us make braised food? We can buy it at the price of pork, and we can pay half of the cost of the braising liquid. Is that okay?"
"Does Sanzhuang's wife think so too?" Madam Zhang asked her third daughter-in-law without asking Sun to hide behind.
Seeing that her mother-in-law looked unhappy, Sun knew that the Zhang family was kind, otherwise her Ada would not have married her into the family. She felt that she was more successful than her sister-in-law.
"Second sister-in-law's method is not bad, but it takes a lot of effort to prepare both the pork and the offal. I'm afraid Aunt Qiao's family is too busy to handle it. Otherwise...how about we buy this braised pork recipe?"
Madam Zhang laughed in anger. "They've spent several taels of silver and have to braise meat for you every day. How much does the same amount of raw meat cost? From what Miao said, whether they can sell their ancestral recipe is another matter. But the braised meat is so popular that even scholars would fight over it. Do you plan to make me and my old man sell everything we have to buy it for you? Or are you going to shamelessly ask them to sell it to you at a bargain price?"
Yang and Sun shrank their necks and kept silent, but Madam Zhang knew what they were thinking.
"One of you wants her to work as a farmhand for your husband, and the other thinks you can bully her at will because she is an orphan and a widow who was exiled here because she made a mistake. The master and the boy of the Qiao family are not dead! They came from the capital, how do you know that they will never make a comeback?" Madam Zhang's face became colder and colder as she spoke.
From the moment Yang opened her mouth to reveal her idea, Butcher Zhang stood at the door with his eldest son, listening, and sent his grandchildren away to prevent them from hearing or spreading the news and being scolded.
Hearing this, Butcher Zhang stepped into the room and said, "Our Zhang family has established itself in Xining Town because of our honesty. Whoever brings a daughter-in-law home should teach her himself. Dazhuang, when Sanzhuang comes back, you should also explain it to him. If she thinks of getting everything for herself, our Zhang family can't afford such a daughter-in-law."
Zhang Dazhuang quickly agreed and asked his wife Yu to help his third brother's wife, whose face was pale, go back to the house first. He and Erzhuang also hurried out.
Butcher Zhang snorted and sat down. "I've always thought that Old Man Sun's daughter was quite cunning. She always lets her sister-in-law take the lead on any idea she has. She never misses out on any good thing."
"Do you think your third son is so naive? Just let Sanzhuang take care of it himself. Fortunately, Sun has her own plans and she is not a person with bad intentions." Madam Zhang no longer had a stern face and even said a few good words for her daughter-in-law.
As for Zhang Erzhuang and his wife, neither of them said anything. They were a pair of idiots. Yang would only have some ulterior motives when she was thinking about her husband. Once she was criticized, she would be obedient and not make a fuss.
They have older brothers and younger brothers who are both capable and have enough food and drink for their family. The couple just needs to be obedient.
But the Zhang family tradition cannot be changed. Greed and evil-mindedness are not the way to build a family.
At that time, people believed in ghosts and gods, and the Zhang family was in the business of killing animals, so they paid more attention to accumulating virtue, all for the sake of their future generations.
Butcher Zhang was a little puzzled. "In the past, you always scolded your son directly, but today you're scolding your daughter-in-law?"
"Of course it's to do business with the Qiao family." Madam Zhang smiled. "The Qiao family's daughter-in-law is smart. There will be another mouth to feed at home soon. Otherwise, can she make braised meat?"
These stupid daughters-in-law in the family were also persuaded by Miao Wan. Madam Zhang was not stupid and knew that Miao Wan must want to make money with the Zhang family.
Madam Zhang felt that the braised meat business was a perfect fit for their family. Only a fool would not do it if it could earn more for their descendants.
But before making money, you have to put your mind in the right place. People will only hand over the ladder because they remember the Zhang family's help. Otherwise, how can you sell the recipe quietly and get less money?
Madam Zhang was good at judging people, so she married into a good family. She had also met Qiao Shengwen and Qiao Ruichen, and they didn't seem like a simple father and son pair.
If they really bully the Zhang family when they are in dire straits, who knows what will become of the Zhang family in the future.
As the couple was talking, the strong aroma from the Qiao family wafted over again. Butcher Zhang didn't even bother to talk and ran out sniffling.
Mrs. Zhang then remembered what Zhang Erzhuang said. It seemed that the pot of braising liquid from yesterday was really not enough. This time it was obviously more fragrant than last time.
The fragrance seemed to be able to intoxicate her. Even though she had just eaten lunch not long ago, she felt hungry again.
Qiao Rui was also mumbling, squatting beside Geng and Miao Wan, "Sister-in-law, it smells so good! How come it smells even better than yesterday? It smells so good that it makes me feel weak all over. Can you give me some first?"
Miao Wan turned around and saw Qiao Rui huddled next to Geng, her little carrot covering her chest with her hands, and she was amused.
"It smells so good that it hurts your heart? What do you eat to replenish your body? How about a pig's heart?"
Qiao Rui thought about it and nodded seriously, "Then my liver hurts too, and my stomach hurts too..."
Eating pig hearts alone is not enough to make up for the loss, you need to eat more.
Geng was amused by her daughter's fake appearance and pinched her cheek. "It's not cooked yet. I bought you some malt sugar. Go eat one first and eat it later when it's ready."
After Qiao Rui left, looking back every few steps, Geng asked her daughter-in-law, "You wanted spices and seasonings, but why did you ask me to buy goat milk?"
Goat milk has a fishy smell, and even after adding something and cooking it still has a faint taste. Geng didn't like to drink it anyway, and it was Miao Wan's insistence that she asked Zhang Erzhuang to bring it back.
As for the hyssop, although she bought a little too much, she didn't ask about it because it could be eaten as a vegetable.
Miao Wan replied, "I noticed that the third sister-in-law of the Zhang family has a bigger belly than mine. I'm worried that my belly has suffered on the way here. It would be bad if the baby is weak. Goat milk is very nutritious and good for the elderly and children. Our whole family can eat it."
Geng paused as she put the firewood in the fire, feeling a little worried. "The adults are easy to deal with, they can drink it if they endure it. But Rui'er gets sick when she smells that smell, and she won't drink it no matter how much we coax her."
Miao Wan didn't think this was a problem. "Then don't drink it. It would take several days to finish a large bucket. If you make it into milk cubes or milk tofu, it will last longer and taste better. Xiaorui will definitely like it."
She began to drool at the thought. When she was young, she ate mixed meals and was not nutritious. Her hair was sparse and she did not grow taller. She heard that goat milk was good, so she liked to save money to buy goat milk powder since she was a child.
When she grew up, she still liked the taste of goat milk. The live broadcast app she gave rewards to had various goat milk handmade DIYs, and they were all very delicious.
The best ones are milk cubes and milk tofu.
The milk cubes are slightly hard and have a crispy sweet milk flavor. They will be sweeter if added with syrup or honey.
The milk tofu tastes sweet and sour, and has a stronger milk flavor than milk cubes. It is chewy after drying and is slightly softer than the White Rabbit milk candy. It becomes softer when soaked in milk tea. She never gets tired of eating it.
"Mom, keep an eye on the fire. I'll go make the goat milk now." Pregnant women are really greedy. When Miao Wan thought of the taste, she couldn't wait any longer.
Geng let Miao Wan do whatever she wanted, but she felt that Qiao Rui would definitely not touch her.
She felt a little nauseous when she smelled the fishy smell, but the food was good and her daughter-in-law was pregnant. If she could drink it, she would save it for her.
Miao Wan washed out a smaller earthenware jar and turned it upside down to dry. The wooden barrel for milk was as high as her calf and could hold half of it in the earthenware jar. She poured out half of it and put it into the clean earthenware jar after cooking the hyssop.
If you want to make milk tofu, if you don’t have yogurt, you have to seal the goat milk first and ferment it in a place around 25 degrees for two days.
So she prepared to ferment half of it into milk tofu and the other half into milk cubes.
When cooking goat milk, there were neither almonds nor scented tea at home, so Miao Wan added a few drops of vinegar to remove the smell.
Making milk curds requires patience and meticulousness. Do not use high heat. Stir constantly while simmering. It takes about an hour for it to become a thick milk paste.
At this time, add the melted malt syrup in a ratio of six parts milk to one part sugar, continue heating and stirring until the chopsticks can no longer stir it. That's it.
As soon as she added the sugar, Qiao Rui came over with her nose turned up. The braised meat was almost done, and Geng called the Zhang family over the wall to get it.
The children of the Zhang family had already been craving the delicious food. When they heard Geng's shout, they ran over faster than the adults.
As soon as they entered the room, they all looked at Qiao Rui, staring at the pottery jar in front of Miao Wan. How could one describe it? It was like a bear trying to break off a stick. Apart from the donkey eggs, the other younger ones had completely forgotten about the braised pork pot.
No child can resist the sweet taste of milk.
When Madam Zhang brought her eldest daughter-in-law over, she saw a row of little girls with their butts sticking out their heads surrounding Miao Wan. Except for the fairest one, all of them were from their family.
Both the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law felt a little embarrassed. If it weren't for the aroma of milk and braised meat filling the yard, they would have turned around and left.
The author has something to say:
As soon as I entered the door, Mrs. Zhang and her mother-in-law said: It's so embarrassing, I want to leave.
After smelling the aroma, Mrs. Zhang and her daughter-in-law said: It smells so good, it’s okay to be shameless.
I always wonder, besides being allergic to something, is there really anyone who doesn't like the sweet, milky flavor of milk cubes and milk tofu? And soy milk powder, milk flakes... I can't say anymore, it's all just drooling.
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