Butcher Zhang's words were meant to express his opinion, allowing Miao Wan to plan with peace of mind, but biting off more than she can chew, so the most important thing was naturally the braised food.
Geng went home to continue her embroidery and asked Qiao Rui to bring the small food box from home to give Miao Wan the seasoning.
In the kitchen, the third daughter-in-law, Sun, had already started cooking. Miao Wan put the braised food packets into the braising liquid. Soon, the kitchen was bubbling with a rich aroma, urging everyone in the Zhang family to smile and get moving.
Madam Zhang went to accompany Geng in her embroidery work, and watched her younger brother from her natal family surveying a spot to dig a well in the courtyard of the Qiao family.
Butcher Zhang was responsible for going to Xining Town to find someone he knew to buy tiles, bricks and clay. The most important thing was to repair the Qiao family's house first.
It's not purely to please my goddaughter. The weather in the northwest gets cold too quickly. It gets colder day by day after October. If the house is not repaired quickly, the children and pregnant women will not be able to bear it.
Now Miao Wan is the backbone of the two families' income. If she gets sick, both families will be in trouble.
Mrs. Zhang brought her grandchildren who could not walk yet to the Qiao family. Qiao Rui thought about taking care of her nephew in the future and was happy to look after the children, freeing up all the staff in the Zhang family to be busy.
Zhang Dazhuang took his son, Ga Wa, to the pigpen at the back to cut the pig's bristles, while his wife Yu took Yang and their two daughters to clean the drains at the back of the kitchen.
Zhang Erzhuang is responsible for entertaining people coming in and out of the house.
When the Qiao family's fragrance was so tempting, many people from the surrounding families were curious, but the Qiao family was composed entirely of women, and the door was closed all day long, so no one dared to knock on the door for a while.
Now, with the spices that Geng had just bought and the stew that had already been stewed for several pots, the flavor of the stew was becoming more and more rich and fragrant.
Those who are alone at home can’t bear it, and those who have children would have dragged their children over crying and making a fuss to watch.
The Zhang family was in the pig slaughtering business, and people often came to sell pigs. Naturally, the door of their house was open, so they all flocked to the Zhang family to inquire about what was going on.
Originally, it was Mrs. Zhang who should have handled it, but considering that Zhang Erzhuang would be taking the braised goods to the tile market to sell later, and Zhang Sanzhuang was there to help today, Mrs. Zhang asked her two sons to take over.
At least he has his younger brother watching over him, so he needs to train Zhang Erzhuang first.
The remaining two pregnant women hid in the kitchen. Sun was making the fire, and Miao Wan was in charge of watching the braised food. She also told Sun clearly when to put the food in and when to take it out of the pot, how to soak it in seasoning, and how to taste the saltiness.
Sun was particularly happy to do this job. She wished Miao Wan could even teach her the recipe.
While the two of them were eating milk cubes from time to time and working in the kitchen with a smile on their faces, Zhang Erzhuang outside was almost crying.
It would have been bad enough if a group of little boys surrounded him, but several women from the neighboring houses were also staring at him. Zhang Erzhuang was a simple and honest man and had never experienced such a situation before.
Zhang Sanzhuang patted his brother's shoulder and whispered, "Second brother, just watch me and learn from me. In the future, your stall should not be too far away from the restaurant. I will come over from time to time to check on you. If there is anything you can't solve, just ask me."
Zhang Erzhuang nodded quickly. The three brothers had a good relationship and each had his own strengths. Erzhuang worked efficiently and would not act on his own. He watched Zhang Sanzhuang's witty banter seriously.
The women who were asking questions nearby were less willing to spend money and were more serious about asking about gossip.
Of course, the aroma of the meat also tempted me so much that I thought I could at least have a few bites when dinner came.
"The last two days, the aroma from your neighbor kept me awake and I couldn't even enjoy my meal. So why are I here today?"
Zhang Sanzhuang smiled and said, "My sister was trying out a braised food recipe from her hometown. After she found it, she made it for us."
"Oh, so your Zhang family is bullying the family because they have no one at home. You are not trying to steal the recipe, are you?"
"Look at what Aunt Yao said. My mother and I treat her like our own daughter. Besides, we've been neighbors for so many years. When have you ever seen our Zhang family do anything dishonest?"
The women who asked the questions immediately understood what was going on. They were afraid that the woman from the Qiao family was using the braised meat recipe in exchange for the Zhang family's protection.
When they came over, they saw people from the Qiao family, who seemed to be digging a well.
They said the Zhang family wouldn't do a good deed and adopt a daughter for no reason. Some people wondered with a sour heart, why didn't they have such a good thing? Their family didn't mind having another daughter who could make money.
An old lady asked sourly, "How are you selling? We're neighbors, so we have to help the Zhang family open a shop. It smells good, but I don't know how it tastes. You guys didn't even bother to let me try it during the lunch banquet. In the past, we never left your family behind when we had any good things."
Zhang Sanzhuang sneered inwardly, blocking his second brother's indignation, and smiled mischievously, "Look at what Grandma Chen said. The brine and meat need to be taken good care of. It's not ready at noon yet, and you're using the pork to stir-fry. Otherwise, wouldn't you have smelled the aroma long ago? I must let everyone taste it when it comes out of the pot. If you like it, you can buy it. Then, just like buying meat, I'll give it to you at a discount."
Everyone knows that the Zhang family slaughters pigs, and the neighbors come to get meat. It costs seven cents per catty, while it costs nine cents per catty in the tile market. They are definitely willing to buy from here.
Otherwise, no family would send onions and vegetables from time to time, as if they were sending rare things.
As for the Zhang family, they would occasionally leave a few pounds of meat for the sake of their neighbors. Whether you could catch it or not depended entirely on luck, as his family was a butcher, not a pork shop.
After Zhang Sanzhuang said this, those who didn't always get the upper hand began to feel tempted.
The braised food smells so good that the children are hanging on the kitchen door and windows and refuse to leave. If you can get a bargain, you can buy some to satisfy your craving.
The first pot came out quickly, and Zhang Sanzhuang directly pulled out a piece of cut pig intestines. The other things were delicious, but the most delicious one was definitely the pig intestines that were greasy when you bit them.
He deftly cut the pig intestines into thumb-sized pieces and used chopsticks to distribute them to the children and adults who were about to gather on the chopping board.
As soon as the pig intestines entered their mouths, both adults and children widened their eyes.
A pot of pig intestines includes large intestines, small intestines and intestine heads. The intestine heads are the fattest, the large intestines are the most delicious, and the small intestines are the leanest. Zhang Sanzhuang cut the small intestines.
But the small intestine is also chewy. Compared with pork, it is soft and sticky. When you bite it, your mouth is filled with oil and water with a salty and fragrant taste. It is fat but not greasy. After chewing it a few more times, the mellow taste soaked in spices explodes in your mouth, which is even more amazing.
These people can't even afford to eat meat every day. Even if they buy meat, they usually have to boil it in oil. At most, they can stew the meat scraps with cabbage in soup. Few people are willing to put meat in stir-fries.
The mellow and unfamiliar taste of braised food is so delicious that even for the elderly, it is the first time they have ever tasted it in their lives, and it makes people want to swallow their tongue.
But since these women are not ashamed of taking advantage of others, they naturally won’t speak politely.
"Is this sewage? Oh, this thing is so dirty, please give me something cheaper."
"That's right. Don't you usually use it to feed the chickens and ducks? We're all neighbors, and I don't ask for much. Why don't you give me one or two pounds less next time you buy meat?"
"Sanzhuang, Grandma Chen looked after you when you were little. I can't ask you for pork, but give your grandfather some offal to try. If he thinks it's delicious, I'll buy more, okay?"
…
Zhang Sanzhuang was almost laughing out of anger. His family had been too easy to talk to in the past, which was why these people were so confident.
He was embarrassed to tell Amada, but he felt that this was not the right way to accumulate virtue and do good deeds. Suffering a loss is a blessing, and suffering losses all the time is stupid.
He covered the intestines and put on an embarrassed look, "I'm so sorry, aunts and grandmas, this braised offal is the cheapest. Others charge twelve cents a pound, and all the restaurants on our street sell it for the same price. For the sake of our neighbors, I'll charge you ten cents a pound. I can't go any lower."
Aunt Yao, who had started the dirty talk, widened her eyes and said, "Are you crazy? This is just a robbery! In the past, a bucket of offal was only ten cents, and now they charge this much for a pound. If you don't want to take care of your relatives, friends, and neighbors, you don't have to treat us like fools."
"That's right. I see there are pig's trotters in your bucket. That's even dirtier. Who would buy it? We're sincerely looking after your business, but you're being dishonest. I'm going to have a serious talk with your Ada."
Just as the man who was taking advantage of his seniority finished speaking, someone came in after smelling the scent. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a merchant from the Western Regions.
The visitor said Dayue spoke very fluently, "Is this the butcher's braised food the street restaurant is talking about?"
Following behind was a large man in a slanted-lapel robe. He sniffed and said, "That's the smell. Tsk...it's even better than in the restaurant."
The two of them came over and asked in unison, "How much?"
Zhang Sanzhuang bowed and smiled charmingly, "What a coincidence for you, distinguished guest! We were just trying to make something special today. Today's marinade is the most authentic. The offal is twelve cents per pound, the braised pig's trotters, which symbolize rising step by step, are twenty cents each, and the braised pig's head, which symbolizes good fortune, is thirty cents per pound. We just opened, and for the next three days, buy one pound and get one ounce free."
"That's great. I want ten pounds of offal, but no pig heart and liver. You can weigh the rest. One for Bubushengshang and one for Hongyundangtou." The Western Region merchant said directly.
The other one laughed. He liked pig heart and liver. "Then I want pig heart and liver, plus pig intestines, which will cost five pounds. And I want a step-by-step rise, which will cost two pounds of Hongyun Dangtou."
Both of them are traveling merchants. The food is delicious and the meaning is good. What are you waiting for if you don’t buy some?
Since it is the grand opening, both of them are willing to take advantage of the good luck.
The neighbors who were watching nearby were all dumbfounded. My god, there really are fools who buy these things. How could they sell so many in such a short time?
"Okay, my dear guest, this is one hundred and fifty coins in total. I'll give you two more pounds of offal." Zhang Sanzhuang poked his second brother, who was also a little dumbfounded, and said to the Western Region merchant.
While Zhang Erzhuang was frantically weighing, Zhang Sanzhuang also finished calculating the other person's bill. "Dear guest, your bill is 140 coins. How about giving you an extra pound of braised offal?"
The man took out a copper coin and counted it, "I'll give you eight more coins, and you can give me an extra pig's trotter."
"Okay, my distinguished guest will continue to rise." Zhang Sanzhuang said it in a very nice way.
After a while, the two men handed over the money and the braised goods, and left satisfied. A waiter from the restaurant also came over.
When asked, he said that the waiter couldn't wait for Zhang Sanzhuang to deliver the food, as a customer wanted some, so he took away the remaining ten pounds of offal and most of the pig's head.
Zhang Sanzhuang smiled and sent the person out the door, then turned around and smiled at his stunned neighbors.
"My dear elders, I'm really sorry, but the first batch sold out too quickly. If you and your aunt still want to take care of our business, you'll have to wait another hour."
Everyone: “…”
Several women were so upset by Zhang Sanzhuang's insults that the children were throwing a tantrum and asking for food. He frowned and scolded them in a low voice, then grabbed the children and walked out.
If it's embarrassing, the Zhang family can give them some. It's okay if they are more shameless, but ten cents a pound? It's still garbage. They will buy it if they are crazy.
With that money, an additional four cents could buy two pounds of pork, which could feed the whole family for half a month if saved.
A pound of brine has to be made in one meal. Except for the Zhang family, all the families living on the edge of the town are poor and no one can afford this wasteful method.
Miao Wan saw Zhang Sanzhuang humming with pride through the kitchen window, then turned around and said something to Zhang Erzhuang, who nodded vigorously with a look of conviction on his face.
She couldn't help but laugh, and praised Sun, "Third sister-in-law, Third Brother is a talented person, he shouldn't be an assistant in a restaurant."
When Sun heard Miao Wan praising her man, she felt proud and her thoughts became active.
But he had to be humble when speaking out, "My eldest brother is calm and steady, the second brother is capable, and the third brother is a little smarter and learns to cook quickly. If he weren't so young, and given the seniority in the restaurant, he should have been the head chef long ago."
All we need is a recipe that will catch the attention of all the restaurant owners on the street.
Miao Wan smiled and shook her head, saying seriously, "The head chef is not worthy of Third Brother's eloquence. Third Brother is more suitable to be the shopkeeper."
Sun was stunned for a moment, then looked at Miao Wan eagerly, a light in her eyes that was familiar to Miao Wan.
That's when the big promises are made and the office worker shines like he's been given a shot of chicken blood.
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