Chapter 459 Barbecue
Su Erya added: "It's a milk tea shop. Some people like to take milk tea home, and the shop uses bamboo tubes to store milk tea."
"Bamboo tubes are very convenient. When we were in our hometown in the north, there was no bamboo, so we naturally couldn't make things with bamboo tubes."
Shen Yueyao listened to the bamboo, her expression changed and she said: “Why don’t we use bamboo to make a bamboo banquet and use bamboo as food.”
Shen Yueyao remembered that when she was in the north, there was no bamboo, and none of the food they cooked had anything to do with bamboo.
In fact, food made from bamboo has its own bamboo aroma, which is quite good.
Shen Yueyao thought that since they were making delicious food and celebrating, they should make something that they didn’t eat on weekdays.
Not only Su Daya and Su Erya were surprised, but even Dabao and Erbao were a little excited.
The two treasures' eyes were sparkling.
Erbao, also known as Su Yang, asked, "Mom, can bamboo be used as food?"
Dabao, also known as Su Ling, pondered and said, "Mom and Dad, I don't remember the book saying that bamboo is edible. Only sugarcane is edible."
"But bamboo can hold water and be used as a bamboo tube."
Shen Yueyao patiently explained: "It is true that bamboo cannot be eaten, but we can use bamboo to store rice, make bamboo rice, make bamboo rice dumplings and other staple foods. We can also use bamboo skewers to skewer meat. The grilled skewers will have the fragrance of bamboo, and the taste will be different."
When Madam Su heard this, she perked up and asked, "Yao Niang, are we going to make skewers?"
Shen Yueyao nodded and said, “Well, let’s make a unique kind of skewers, which we eat while grilling, and add small pancakes.”
"If you like to eat it with a small pancake, then eat it with a small pancake. If you like to eat it with bamboo rice, then eat it with bamboo rice."
Madam Su smiled as she said, "Since we came to the capital, we haven't had such a good meal."
On weekdays, we prepare meals in a hurry, and then everyone goes to work after eating.
Nowadays, it takes a whole day to prepare delicious food, which naturally makes people feel relaxed and interesting.
Shen Yueyao said, "It's still early. I'll knead the dough first. After it rises, we'll go cut bamboo."
Madam Su said, "Yao Niang, you take a rest, I'll knead the dough."
Su Daya and Su Erya both rushed to take action.
Shen Yueyao said: "Mother, Daya and Erya, let me knead the dough. You go buy some fresh meat first and come back to skewer it."
Su Daya asked, "Aunt San, what kind of meat should we buy?"
"Buy lamb, pork, pork belly, garlic, green peppers, chicken hearts, chicken feet, chicken wings, and prepare leeks, eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms..."
Shen Yueyao talked about some of the things that could be baked.
There is one convenient thing about being in Beijing, and that is shopping. Although the prices are a bit higher, the variety is complete.
It’s very convenient to buy it at the market.
The place where they lived was not far from the market.
Su Daya and Su Erya nodded seriously, and the two decided to go to the market together to buy things.
Old Madam Su was cutting some leeks, enoki mushrooms and eggplants in the yard, washing them and then skewering them.
Dabao and Erbao also went over to help.
Knowing that their mother was going to make some delicious food, the two children were very excited and enjoyed joining in the cooking.
My mother said that food cooked by herself tastes better.
They thought what their mother said made sense.
Su Xueyi went to the blacksmith shop to buy some wire mesh as Shen Yueyao said.
These are all used for grilling.
Shen Yueyao knew that the intensity of the dough kneading process was also very important when making small pancakes.
She was worried that Mrs. Su wouldn't be able to control the strength, so she kneaded the dough herself.
Spiritual spring water is also added, which makes the cakes more fragrant and delicious.
Not long after Su Xueyi, Su Daya and Su Erya left, Dong Wenren came over excitedly with some shrimps.
"Aunt, cousin-in-law!"
Old Madam Su was in the yard and immediately saw Dong Wenren coming over carrying two large wooden barrels.
"Hey, Fumihito is here, come in quickly."
"Xue Yi said that today was a day off, and I was thinking of you being at home, so I thought of asking you to come over for dinner."
This was what Old Lady Su and the others had agreed on. They said they would invite Dong Wenren to come over for lunch at noon.
Anyway, I plan to make some extra food, which will be enough for us to eat together.
Dong Wenren said excitedly, "I heard that the results of the Imperial College's student class were announced today. I went to take a look and saw that Dabao and Erbao tied for first place. I was so excited. My parents just sent some things over. I had planned to bring them here during my day off. They just arrived yesterday."
Dong Wenren had previously written to his parents, saying that the Imperial College was holding an entrance exam for the student class, and that Dabao and Erbao would take part.
His parents thought that Dabao and Erbao would definitely pass the exam, so when they received the letter, they quickly prepared something and sent it over.
Just in time, Dong Wenren hurriedly delivered the things.
They are all river shrimps.
Shen Yueyao had just kneaded the dough and covered it with a lid to prepare it for fermentation when she heard a noise in the yard and walked out of the house.
Seeing these river shrimps, he was very happy and said, "Cousin, we are making barbecue today, and these shrimps you brought can be grilled and eaten."
Dong Wenren was stunned. "Can it be grilled?"
"To be honest, although these things are good, we usually steam them and eat them in a big plate. Some people like them, but some people think they don't have much flavor."
It was only when he learned that his cousin and his wife liked to eat it that he mentioned it in letters to his parents.
My parents didn't know what to send to my aunt and the others, but knowing they loved to eat it, they naturally asked someone to bring a lot of river shrimps over.
But I’m afraid that too much will go bad.
He happened to bring two large buckets with him.
Shen Yueyao felt that she couldn't eat so much at once.
She said, "We can't eat all of this at once. Let's eat more of each. Don't just eat one thing at a time. Let's roast a whole barrel first."
The weather is not hot now, so it's perfect to grill something in the yard.
Although Dong Wenren didn't know what his cousin's wife cooked, he knew that as long as it was made by his cousin's wife, it would taste good.
These are all foods that cannot be bought in the market.
Dong Wenren was looking forward to it.
Looking forward to having a delicious lunch.
"Aunt, cousin, if you need anything, just tell me. I'm strong and can help."
After spending a long time with his cousin and his wife, Dong Wenren no longer had the idea of staying away from the kitchen.
Also, when he was a child, after being kicked out by the Dong family, his mother would cook for a living, and he would help his mother with cooking and chores.
I don't think there is anything wrong.
Madam Su said, "It's not needed right now, but we'll need your help when we go cut bamboo and make bamboo sticks."
Dong Wenren nodded readily and said, "Okay, no problem, I will do these."
Dong Wenren thought his cousin’s wife was amazing and could cook in so many different ways.
And I always feel that cooking is not just cooking, but doing something interesting.
It was especially fun when we all went up the mountain to cut bamboo together.
He felt that Mu Xiu felt extremely relaxed whenever he came to his cousin's house, even if it was just for a simple meal and a chat.
Dong Wenren was not a weak scholar. He had also learned some martial arts and was stronger than ordinary people.
In addition, his cousin and his wife told him that he should not just be busy with the affairs of the Hanlin Academy on weekdays, but should exercise.
His cousin also taught him a set of sword techniques. He got up early every day to practice sword. After a long time, he felt full of strength when he was on duty.
Soon, Su Daya and Su Erya came back with a bunch of ingredients.
They were also very happy to see Dong Wenren.
For the Su family, Dong Wenren is also their relative.
Su Daya, Su Erya and Dong Wenren worked together to cut some meat into skewers of suitable sizes.
As for marinating, they didn’t know how to season it, so Shen Yueyao did it herself.
Shen Yueyao knew that the key to grilling skewers was seasoning. If the seasoning was right, they would taste better when grilled, even without the seasoning.
Soon, Su Xueyi also returned from the blacksmith shop.
"These are barbed wire fences. They'll be thicker."
"This is the iron rack from the blacksmith's shop, and some charcoal."
Su Xueyi was driving a horse-drawn carriage and was moving the things off the carriage.
Dong Wenren hurried over to help move things.
Shen Yueyao took a look and said, “These racks can be used. Put wire mesh on top and charcoal underneath, and you can grill skewers.”
"But can the blacksmith shop make custom items?"
Su Xueyi said, "They are all custom-made. Few people go to the blacksmith shop to buy ready-made items."
"These shelves are the ones they discarded and burned."
“It was cheap, so I bought it.”
Originally, Shen Yueyao talked to Su Xueyi about the barbecue rack, saying that if there is no rack, you can use a charcoal basin, put charcoal underneath and put wire mesh on top to grill it.
But it is more convenient to have a shelf height.
Of course, you can also put something under the charcoal basin.
It’s just not as big as a rack. This rack can bake a lot of things at once.
Shen Yueyao touched her chin and thought for a moment before saying, "I'll have to draw up some blueprints later and have the blacksmith shop make it."
What Shen Yueyao wanted to create was naturally a small barbecue rack with charcoal underneath and skewers on top, the kind that people could grill themselves, rather than having to eat them right after they were grilled.
She found it more fun to bake on her own.
The skewers also retain heat.
It won’t get cold if left for too long.
Everyone is curious about what it looks like.
But thinking that I had seen it when it was built, I didn't ask any further questions.
The vegetables were washed, the meat skewers were cut into small pieces and marinated.
After almost completing the preparations, the group took a carriage to Kyono Villa.
There is a mountain behind Kyono Villa, and there are many bamboos on the mountain.
Su Xueyi and Dong Wenren both took axes and started chopping bamboo.
They will only cut as much as needed, and they won't cut more.
Su Daya and Su Erya took baskets and picked some mushrooms on the mountain.
"Aunt San said we can eat grilled mushrooms."
"Then let's pick more."
When they were in Liuhe Village, they learned from their aunt how to identify mushrooms in the mountains and forests, and also knew which mushrooms to pick and eat.
Dabao and Erbao also ran over happily to help.
After cutting the bamboo, the family sat in the yard and started making bamboo sticks.
Su Xueyi and Dong Wenren were mainly responsible for making the bamboo sticks, while Old Madam Su and the others were responsible for stringing them together.
Dabao and Erbao wanted to help, but Madam Su was afraid they would poke their hands, so she said, "You are still young, don't poke your hands."
"Grandma, we can help."
"Yes, grandma, we will be careful."
Even if Dabao and Erbao said so, Old Madam Su was reluctant to let them do it.
Su Daya and Su Erya were even more reluctant to let them take action.
Su Daya and Su Erya really feel sorry for their two younger brothers, Dabao and Erbao.
I wish I could let them do nothing.
But Third Aunt said that we should not spoil them and should let them do things when it is time to do them.
Su Daya thought carefully about her temperament and realized that she might have been spoiled in the past.
However, she felt that her younger brothers should not be allowed to do things that they should not do.
If my hand is injured, I won't be able to hold a pen and write.
Uncle San and Uncle Dong are both skilled in martial arts, so they can cut small bamboo sticks with knives without any effort.
They have to be very careful when stringing these skewers, otherwise they might poke their fingers with them accidentally.
Dabao and Erbao felt uncomfortable when they saw everyone else working and they didn't work.
It is also because Su Xueyi and Shen Yueyao gave them a good education since childhood, so that they did not have the habit of asking for food and clothes to be handed to them, and they had to cook whatever they wanted by themselves.
Although they are four years old and still young, the two babies can also make simple stir-fries and noodles.
Shen Yueyao looked at Dabao and Erbao and said with some amusement: "Come here and help your mother roll out the dough."
Shen Yueyao looked at the dough in the basin. It was fermented and ready to be made into small cakes.
Originally, she was also very fast at rolling out the dough, but when Dabao and Erbao wanted to do something, Shen Yueyao would encourage them to do it.
Before, when Shen Yueyao was making dumplings and noodles, Dabao and Erbao would also help.
So the two babies are not very good at making dumplings, but they can roll out the dough.
Upon hearing their mother say this, Dabao and Erbao immediately ran into the house excitedly, sat on the chairs in front of the panel, and prepared to roll out the dough with small rolling pins in hand.
Shen Yueyao pinched out small pieces of dough, flattened them, and then asked Liang Bao to roll out the dough.
After the two treasures are rolled out, Shen Yueyao will also touch up if she sees that the thickness is uneven.
Of course, Shen Yueyao also made bamboo tube rice, put firewood in the stove, and steamed it automatically.
By noon, the cakes were baked.
When Shen Yueyao and Dabao and Erbao came out, Shen Yueyao was surprised, "There are already so many strings."
Madam Su looked at the skewers and asked, "Yao Niang, can we eat them?"
Although the family usually eats a lot, Mrs. Su was still a little surprised by the number of skewers.
There were even more than ten skewers of ham sausage.
This was the first time they had grilled ham.
Shen Yueyao smiled and said, “Mom, when you roast it and eat it later, you won’t think it’s too much.”
“It looks like a lot, but each string is actually not much.”
It does look like a lot, but when you actually eat it, it doesn’t seem like much.
"Besides, after a busy morning, everyone must be hungry, so they will have a better appetite when eating."
Even Shen Yueyao felt that she hadn't eaten skewers for a long time, and she felt that she could eat a lot.
"Besides, it's okay to eat too much. I made some bamboo tube drinks. It's perfect to drink some refreshing cold drinks after eating skewers."
Cold drinks taste different when served in bamboo tubes.
In this season, the weather is hot at noon. Although it doesn’t feel very hot, you won’t feel cold if you drink some cold drinks.
After Shen Yueyao said this, Mrs. Su knew what was going on.
Seeing that the fish were almost skewered, Shen Yueyao set up the rack and placed charcoal underneath.
I took some pork belly and mutton skewers and placed them on the wire mesh.
Then she lit the charcoal underneath and took out the bamboo tube rice and small pancakes from the pot.
They are all placed next to each other.
"You can eat it after it's baked. Here's the seasoning. You can sprinkle some on it, or you can dip it in the sauce and roll it up."
Shen Yueyao explained and taught everyone how to grill skewers.
Everyone thinks it’s fun to grill skewers this way.
“It feels like playing.”
Dong Wenren had never eaten like this before and found it very strange.
I had eaten river shrimp before when I was in my hometown of Liuzhou, but I always steamed them. This was the first time I knew that they could be grilled like skewers.
For Dong Wenren, all of this was strange and interesting, and it was exciting to watch.
It really feels different when you do it yourself. It feels like you can eat a lot in a short time.
Su Daya and Su Erya were roasting seriously.
No one knows how to tell when it’s done.
"Aunt San, is this considered baked?"
Shen Yueyao took a look and said, "It's not cooked enough. Turn it over more often. Once both sides are cooked, you can eat it."
Shen Yueyao helped to watch over it, and when it was done, she took it from the bottom to the shelf above.
"You can eat these."
Shen Yueyao tells everyone how to eat.
After Su Daya and Su Erya finished roasting, they gave them to Old Madam Su first.
Mrs. Su looked at the way her two granddaughters were filial to her and said with great satisfaction, "Here are some. You can eat them and I can eat them too."
Then they rolled it up in small pancakes and started eating it. After eating it, they were immediately amazed.
“Isn’t this delicious?”
“It’s really delicious.”
Even if I have eaten many delicious dishes made by Aunt San and my taste has become picky, I will still be amazed by such food.
“It’s so delicious!”
Even Dong Wenren was so excited that he almost cried.
Dabao and Erbao also like to eat it.
When the two babies were eating happily, their dimples moved, their faces were full of smiles, and they looked very satisfied with the food.
After Su Xueyi finished baking, she didn't even bother to eat it herself, and gave it to everyone first.
Old Madam Su didn't even need Su Xueyi to bake it, they could just bake it themselves and eat it.
And everyone thinks that Su Xueyi should take care of Yao Niang (third aunt) (cousin-in-law) first.
Yes, in the eyes of everyone, they all think that Shen Yueyao is the most important.
Su Xueyi handed the skewers in her hand to Shen Yueyao and said, "Don't just busy yourself, eat first."
Shen Yueyao smiled sweetly and said, “I have some here, you can eat it too.”
"If you like it, we can bake it next time."
Now that our family's conditions are better, we don't have to be as frugal when buying things as we were when we were in Liuhe Village.
Although things in Beijing are more expensive, they are still affordable.
And it is convenient to buy things.
Unlike when I was in the village, I had to go to the town to buy it at the beginning.
Although Liuhe Village later had a commercial street market, making shopping much more convenient, the variety of goods was not as complete as in Beijing.
Life in Beijing is indeed very convenient.
When they heard that they would bake it again next time, everyone nodded in unison.
"Okay, okay."
Seeing everyone's eagerness, Shen Yueyao smiled and said, "Actually, eating barbecue in the summer is quite good. We will often grill skewers, so we will eat it a lot."
After hearing what Shen Yueyao said, everyone felt relieved.
They were really amazed by the taste, it was so delicious.
“Delicious, delicious.”
Shen Yueyao said: "You can eat the skewers directly, or you can eat them in rolls. And don't forget the bamboo tube rice."
“It’s delicious.”
“High praise.”
"If we open a store here, business will definitely be booming."
Shen Yueyao's expression changed. It was indeed summer. If she wanted to eat barbecued skewers, she couldn't always prepare and grill them at home.
She also has to take care of business on weekdays.
But if I open a store, I can go to the store to eat if I want to.
The most important thing is that Lulinzhuangzi is now very popular because strawberries are popular.
Most people know that village, and many people go there to buy strawberries.
The milk tea dessert shops over there are doing a booming business.
Of course, she also asked Fan Quan to continue building a few shops in the village.
The farm over there is her own, and the cost of building a shop is very low, which is much more cost-effective than buying a shop.
Fan Quan brought back some of the Su family's slaves, and together with some people from the manor, she now had a lot of people available.
There won’t be a shortage of manpower even if you open a store.
And she thinks kebabs should be popular.
If it were to open, there would probably be a lot of people wanting to eat skewers.
She also has a farm with sheep and cows, which provides goat milk for making milk tea.
But the pork and mutton on the farm can be made into skewers.
You can also get more without having to go to the market to buy it.
If you go to the market to buy meat, the cost will be high.
Shen Yueyao calculated in her mind and felt that opening a barbecue restaurant was indeed quite cost-effective.
Shen Yueyao thought about it in her mind and said, "It is indeed possible to open a barbecue restaurant."
"Besides, the environment over at Lulin Manor is nice. It's close to the valley and very cool in the summer. You won't feel too hot even if you eat skewers there."
There was no electricity in this era, and naturally no fans or air conditioners.
But there are valleys and ponds on the Zhuangzi side, backed by Lulin Mountain, so it is cooler and suitable for eating barbecue and cooling off in the summer.
When Dong Wenren heard about the store opening, he was excited. "If this opens a kebab shop, I can go there often to eat."
"But, Aunt San, this skewer will be very expensive, right?"
Dong Wenren felt that the food was so delicious that he probably wanted to eat it every day.
Shen Yueyao explained: "The prices are different, for example, the prices of lamb skewers and chicken wing skewers are different..."
In the capital, if you control the cost of ingredients and use your own farm to provide the ingredients, the cost can be kept down and one skewer can cost only five or six coins.
By this calculation, the price is actually very cheap.
Shen Yueyao thought about opening this store, so she started planning.
She wants to open a shop in the capital as soon as possible.
Everyone was talking and eating skewers.
There were also cold drinks prepared by Shen Yeyao, and everyone was very happy eating them.
I ate it slowly, and it didn't feel like too much at all.
In the end, all the skewers were eaten, and there were not enough small pancakes left.
Shen Yueyao said: “Bake it next time and make more small cakes then.”
Madam Su said, "It's really delicious. I didn't expect that I could actually eat so many skewers."
They roasted and ate it for more than an hour, or about two hours.
But I enjoyed the meal very much.
Everyone had a smile on their face.
Even the eldest and second child touched their stomachs and felt that they were very full.
After eating, they packed up and Shen Yueyao prepared milk tea and strawberries. Everyone held milk tea and sat on the lounge chairs under the big tree, resting and eating strawberries, feeling comfortable and relaxed.
Su Erya said, "When the grapes are ripe, you can eat them."
Su Daya said, "Aunt San said there are watermelons, and the watermelons are especially sweet."
They had never eaten watermelon, but their aunt had described it to them, so they could imagine how sweet and delicious it was.
Although they had a full meal at noon, Shen Yueyao took everyone to the farm for some exercise in the afternoon. After everyone had digested the food, they had hot pot in the evening.
It can be said that we played hard all day long.
However, during dinner, Su Xueyi still said to Dabao and Erbao seriously, "Although you got first place in the exam this time, this is just an entrance exam. In the future, if you want to become an official, you will have to take the imperial examination, so you should maintain a normal mentality and not be arrogant or impatient..."
Su Xueyi was worried that Dabao and Erbao would become proud and impetuous, so she gave them some advice.
Seeing their father's serious expression, Dabao and Erbao also listened attentively.
"Dad, don't worry, I will study hard."
"Dad, I will try my best to do well in every exam."
Shen Yueyao looked at the two treasures' serious expressions, worried about their pressure and said, "Actually, you don't need to be too stressed. Just study when you should and relax when you should."
Shen Yueyao felt that her mood was very tangled.
I am worried that encouraging them will make them proud, but I am also worried that preaching to them will put pressure on them.
I don’t quite know how to say it.
But fortunately, Su Xueyi can teach Dabao and Erbao, so Shen Yueyao doesn't have to worry too much.
And seeing that the two children looked normal, Shen Yueyao felt relieved.
After Su Xueyi taught Dabao and Erbao some lessons, Shen Yueyao prepared everything for them to go to school.
"Here are your writing brushes, inkstones, and paper. Here are your school bags. I also brought you some snacks and lollipops. When you get to class, you can share these snacks with your friends."
Shen Yueyao felt that it was very important for the two treasures to get along well with their classmates in school.
Of course, as for how to do it, it depends on the arrangements of the two treasures.
She couldn't help arrange everything.
Dabao said, "Don't worry, Mom. My brother and I are going to share our travelogue with everyone."
Erbao also nodded seriously, "Yeah."
Shen Yueyao was very pleased that the two treasures had their own ideas.
…
But no one knew that many families were eyeing the Su family at this time.
Even the Yuan family, that is, Lord Yuan, the former Empress Dowager Yuan's maiden family, is thinking about how to get close to the Su family.
When Mr. Yuan's eldest son heard his father's words, his face turned pale. "Dad, I'm your son. How could you arrange this?"
Yuan Jinghen looked at his father and was almost going crazy.
It was actually Lord Yuan who wanted Yuan Jinghen to marry Su Daya from the Su family.
He thought his father was crazy.
"Dad, are you crazy? When the Su family first came to Beijing, you asked me to investigate their affairs. The eldest daughter of the Su family is..."
There were some things Yuan Jinghen couldn't say, but as a man, how could he marry a woman like Su Daya.
She was a divorced woman with a very bad reputation.
It's so embarrassing to tell others about it.
"Dad, the Yuan family should at least have some dignity, right?"
"If we do as you say, the Yuan family will become a laughing stock."
Lord Yuan's face turned livid as he said, "What a joke! You only know how to joke. The Yuan family is now feared by the emperor and will never be reused. You are the hope of our Yuan family. If you marry the girl from the Su family, with your talent and knowledge, the Yuan family will be revived."
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