Chapter 47: Chili exposed, this lunch is too sumptuous!
Seeing that it was only a stick of incense left until noon, Granny Chen and Fang Tieshan went straight to the kitchen to prepare to start work.
Xiao Ying gave them a piece of wild boar meat weighing more than ten pounds, more than ten pounds of potatoes, a few cabbages, and some radishes and winter melons bought in the town.
Finally, the jars of rice and flour were opened and they were allowed to watch and do what they wanted.
The two were stunned at the time and stood there without moving for a while.
They thought it would just be some steamed buns, wild vegetable soup, or even some porridge, but they never expected it to be so sumptuous!
That piece of wild boar meat alone weighs more than ten pounds, and the potatoes are thirty cents a pound. Madam Xiao is really generous.
And the rice flour looks white and good, but I don’t know how much it costs per pound.
The two men felt ashamed when they thought that their daughter-in-law and grandson could eat such a leftover lunch for only two cents. They were getting a great deal.
"Sister-in-law Chen, shall we start making lunch now?"
Fang Tieshan came back to his senses and couldn't stop smiling.
"We must do our job well and not let Madam Xiao down in her trust and the wages."
Granny Chen looked sincere. She felt that Xiao Ying was deliberately taking care of them, so they naturally couldn't let him down.
Fang Tieshan nodded and started scrubbing the pot skillfully with one hand.
…
At the same time, the originally depressed atmosphere in Manxiang Garden suddenly became high.
It turned out that the person Yu Qian sent to Chenjia Village to inquire about the situation had returned and brought back an important piece of news.
"I said that the village woman couldn't have hidden it from everyone. I didn't expect her to buy up the red strips so openly."
"Huh, what's spicy sesame oil? It turns out it's made of red strips. I never thought it could be used as a seasoning."
Zhou Tianci was excited. He was able to find out the news so easily this time. It seemed that God was helping him.
"Yu Qian, spread this out. I want everyone to know that the spicy sesame oil is made from red strips. Let's see who she can sell it to in the future!"
"Young Master, is it inappropriate to do this?" Yu Qian frowned and said cautiously.
"Why is it wrong?"
Zhou Tianci looked at him unhappily.
Yu Qian gritted his teeth and said, "Although this will prevent her from selling spicy sesame oil, it will not benefit Manxiang Garden either."
Zhou Tianci frowned slightly and asked him to continue.
Yu Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Young Master, why don't we keep it a secret for now? Make some spicy sesame oil ourselves?"
"That's a good idea!" Zhou Tianci's eyes suddenly lit up: "That's right, if that village woman can do it, then we can do it too."
"Once Manxiangyuan also has spicy sesame oil, customers will naturally come back. Let's see how long Weixianju can remain so arrogant."
"That's the truth." Seeing that he had listened carefully, Yu Qian wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Zhou Tianci immediately ordered, "Send people to collect the red strips now... No, no, no, let our people go into the mountains and pick them themselves. We absolutely cannot let anyone know right now."
If people in other inns and restaurants also knew that red strips could be used as seasoning, they would not be able to gain the upper hand.
"Yes, I'll send someone into the mountains to pick them."
Yu Qian smiled. Their Manxiangyuan would finally have spicy sesame oil!
Xiao Ying didn't know that Hong Tiaozi had exposed Manxiangyuan. She turned the peppers over twice in the morning. This batch of peppers would probably be almost dried by tomorrow, and could be stored in the fairy palace space by then.
Chen Xingyun and her sister went to help with cooking so that Grandma Chen and her husband wouldn't be too busy.
At noon, Chen Xinghai returned from the town driving a bullock cart with ten brand new large jars on it.
As soon as he got home, he handed the silver to Xiao Ying and couldn't stop smiling.
"Mother, this is sixteen taels of silver. Weixianju paid for the jars, and I used the money to buy a new batch of jars."
"Well, move the jar inside and rest for a while."
"I'm not tired."
Chen Xinghai smiled. He felt that he was getting stronger recently, not much worse than an adult male, and his energy was getting better and better.
Needless to say, everyone knows that it is because of soaking in the spiritual spring water every night.
"Oh, and I also bought ten pairs of deerskin gloves and three feet of fine cloth to prevent my hands from getting hurt."
He was a little nervous when he said this because his mother didn't tell him to buy it and he bought it on his own initiative.
Xiao Ying smiled approvingly: "Both of these are good, but cotton would be even better."
She had forgotten about this, but she didn't expect Xinghai still remembered it. This child has learned to use his brain.
"Then I'll go buy cotton cloth the day after tomorrow."
Chen Xinghai smiled even brighter after receiving the affirmation.
Xiao Ying nodded and took away the gloves and fine cloth. These cloths could be made into masks first and then replaced when the cotton cloth returned.
Chen Xinghai happily moved the jars. After moving the jars in, he parked the ox cart, led the ox back to the cowshed, and added some grass.
This buffalo is growing better and better, becoming smooth and shiny, and its taste is becoming more and more picky. It doesn't like to eat the grass cut outside at all.
A little after four quarters in the afternoon, Xiao Ying informed Chen Zhong and others to have lunch. Because the yard was full of dried peppers, the hard-working craftsmen had to eat them at the construction site. No one minded, as it was good enough to have something to eat.
More than a dozen craftsmen cheered and quickly built a long table with bricks. Each of them moved a few bricks to make stools, and the preparations were complete.
Xiao Ying, Chen Xinghai and his sister each brought some food and put it on the table. When the craftsmen saw what was inside, they were all excited.
What did they see?
A big bucket of winter melon stewed with wild boar! There was also wild boar fried with cabbage, radish and egg drop soup, and even stir-fried shredded potatoes!
The other bucket contained even more white and fragrant rice, so much so that even if everyone had a big bowl, there would still be some left.
This kind of food is hard to come by even during Chinese New Year, but I didn't expect to eat it today while working. How much did Madam Xiao spend? She's really generous!
"Madam Xiao, this is too rich."
Chen Zhong was happy, but also a little embarrassed.
Even if other families provide meals, the food cannot be so rich. It is good enough if they can give some steamed buns, steamed bread, corn porridge or wild vegetable soup.
If Madam Xiao were to sell these meals, she could get at least one or two taels of silver.
"Yes, yes." The craftsmen also agreed, and some were afraid to eat it.
Xiao Ying said, "You helped me build the house, so naturally I have to make sure you have enough to eat. I hunted the wild boar myself in the mountains, and I also dug the potatoes there. The other vegetables aren't worth much, so you can just eat them."
Everyone had heard from the villagers that she had hunted a wild boar, but they didn't expect it to be true.
Chen Zhong scratched his head and said, "Then we won't be polite. Thank you, Madam Xiao. Madam Xiao, don't worry, we will definitely do our best to help you build a house!"
The other craftsmen also spoke out to assure that since the master was so kind to them, they must also show their best skills.
Xiao Ying nodded slightly. This was what she wanted to hear.
Letting everyone serve their own food, Xiao Ying returned home with her three children. Unexpectedly, she saw Fang Tieshan and Grandma Chen's families at the door. They seemed embarrassed to go in and were waiting for them at the door.
"Let's go in and eat."
Xiao Ying greeted them, and the two families went in together with gratitude in their eyes.
The table at home was purchased by Xiao Ying a few days ago. It can accommodate eight people, so they can squeeze in.
Grandma Chen’s daughter-in-law is Widow Qin. Her grandson is called Chen Tiedan, who is thirteen years old this year, and her granddaughter is called Chen Ye’er, who is only nine years old this year.
Both of them are very sensible and hardworking children. They have followed Widow Qin into the mountains to pick peppers these two days.
Fang Tieshan's daughter-in-law is called Wang Erhua, also known as Widow Wang by the villagers. His two grandsons are Fang Zhuzi, the elder one is twelve years old, and Fang Shuanzi, who is also nine years old.
Although the two children were pale and thin, they were very smart and capable. However, like the two children of the Chen family, they were shy and timid in front of outsiders.
There were seven or eight dishes on the table, the same as what the workers outside ate, except that there was an extra plate of Tiancan potatoes.
Seeing that both families were too embarrassed to pick up their chopsticks, Xiao Ying picked up some dishes first and then invited everyone to eat together.
The children stared at the wild boar meat on the plate, but only ate the white rice in the bowl. Even white rice was something they rarely had at home, so they thought it was delicious.
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