Yunling recalled the conversation she overheard between the Ren'an Hall servant and Pei Lin outside the exchange shop, and thought about asking Yun Chu how the matter would end. But just as she was about to leave, Yun Ruoxia called her back.
"Ling-jie, you still haven't told me how I'm going to transport all those goods home once they arrive in the next two towns."
Yunling slapped her forehead. She had been thinking about this just now, but had completely forgotten about it while they were talking. She turned around and said seriously:
"After you give the copper coins to Wen Siqing, he will tell you the date of the ship's arrival based on his experience. If you are not very sure, you can go to the next two towns on a nearby day. It is convenient to have a carriage."
"After the merchant ship docks, you need to rent a warehouse to store the goods. Go to Uncle Feng and tell him what you want to store, and he will make arrangements. After that, you need to find a brokerage firm in the surrounding area. A reliable one can be transported back for only six copper coins."
“If you really have no confidence, you can bring your father along. He is most familiar with the ins and outs of this and won’t be fooled.”
Yun Ruoxia felt a terrible headache coming on. There were too many things to remember, and they all involved monetary transactions. If anything went wrong, it could be fatal.
Now she was actually hoping that Yunling wouldn't go, so as not to make her remember things and do things, busy for nothing, and thankless.
When Yun Chu saw Yun Ling, she learned that Yun Ling would be leaving on a long journey the next day. Yun Chu felt reluctant to part with her and ran up to take her hand. Just as she was about to express her feelings, Yun Ling spoke first.
"Sister, is there some trouble at Ren'an Hall today? It seems that our father-in-law saw a doctor, but his condition has not improved; in fact, it has worsened, is that right?"
Yun Chu frowned slightly, puzzled, and asked:
"How did Lingniang find out? Did you pass by Ren'an Hall?"
"No, I was with that short guy at the time. I overheard your servants from Ren'an Hall coming to look for him. What happened next?"
"My father-in-law already had a history of gastrointestinal problems, and with his advanced age, his condition has worsened. But he just has a sweet tooth and loves to eat oranges. Although oranges are warming in nature, people with stomach heat should not eat more than a few."
Seeing that Yun Ling didn't respond, Yun Chu continued:
"Recently, it's autumn, and the weather is getting cooler. People with weak constitutions are more susceptible to catching a cold. My father-in-law caught a cold without realizing it, and then he ate oranges, which caused him to wake up in the middle of the night vomiting and having diarrhea. He almost died."
“His family took him to Ren'an Hall, where the elder brother of the Shen family examined his pulse and gave him acupuncture. He ate some medicinal food to dispel wind and cold and regulate his spleen and stomach, which made him much better. But he just couldn’t resist eating. When he got home, he saw the oranges on the table and couldn’t help but eat five or six before he was carried back.”
"But he just wouldn't admit it. His family kept saying that the prescription from the elder brother of the Shen family was wrong and made people sick. In the end, it was Old Master Zhong who took his pulse. His father-in-law couldn't help but ask and finally told him."
Yunling felt relieved after learning the whole story. Just then, Zhang Shi started shouting:
"Time to eat. There's still some hot water in the stove. Those who want to wash their hands should hurry up."
Although the weather wasn't too cold yet, since there was hot water left, they might as well use it to warm themselves up.
After Yunling and the others washed their hands, they each took their bowls and chopsticks and sat down in the courtyard. Before long, Zhang came out carrying a copper pot in both hands. Steam was rising from the pot, and a delicious aroma wafted over.
Yunling was quite surprised; how could there be such a pot-making device in the house? She then asked:
"Mother, when was this bought? I didn't know about it."
Zhang's Joyful Way:
"Your father said that the oden at Shengfu Restaurant has been quite tempting lately, and he also learned from Chu-jie that it was your idea, so he thought of buying two copper pots so that we could have a hot meal."
The broth in these two copper pots is also quite special. One is a milky white broth made by simmering fresh mushrooms and minced meat, while the other is a milky white broth made by simmering chicken stuffed in pork belly. Although both are milky white, the difference is that the broth of the chicken stuffed in pork belly has a peppery flavor and is spicy. Just smelling it makes you want to bring it to your mouth and drink it right away.
Zhang and Granny Yun then served lettuce, spinach, cabbage, tofu, dried tofu, fish, fresh shrimp, hairy crab, mutton, pork intestines, pork kidneys, soaked dried squid, dumplings, wontons, and other dishes, laying out a full spread, reminiscent of the scene when Tang Ling and the others dined here.
After all the dishes were served, Zhang was about to sit down when she suddenly stood up and hurriedly went to the kitchen. She made a lot of noise, and it was unclear what she was doing. After a while, she brought out all the sauces.
"I've fried this oil in a pan before adding it to the soy sauce, and it makes the soy sauce incredibly fragrant. This time, I didn't use pepper or evodia for the spiciness; I used ginger instead. I chopped the ginger and squeezed out the juice, which is also very spicy. There are also chopped scallions, cilantro, and my own homemade minced garlic. You can adjust the dipping sauce to your own taste."
Yunling stood up, sticking her bottom out, and reached out with a spoon to add three spoonfuls of soy sauce, then a spoonful of oil, a spoonful of ginger juice, and two large spoonfuls of cilantro. After that, she turned around and used her chopsticks to stir the ingredients, and her own special dipping sauce was ready.
Yunling first took a strip of pork tripe from the pot, dipped it in the sauce, and the aroma of oil, soy sauce, and the spiciness of ginger juice immediately took over her taste buds. After she swallowed all the sauce, the chewy texture of the pork tripe gave her mouth a different kind of enjoyment.
"Let's eat this pork belly stuffed with chicken first, so that the raw ingredients don't clash with the cooked ones and ruin the flavor."
As soon as Zhang finished speaking, Yunling's bowl was filled with a few more strips of pork belly and a few pieces of tender meat near the chicken leg.
After the pork belly stuffed with chicken was finished, the next thing to be added was mutton, while lettuce, tofu, and the like were naturally put into the pot with fresh mushrooms and minced meat.
Seeing the lettuce simmer in the pot for a couple of seconds, Old Lady Yun picked it up and put it in Yunling's bowl, saying with a smile:
"You silly boy, you're going out to see the world again. You've been to more places than anyone else in the whole family."
"If Grandma doesn't mind, would you like to come with me?"
“Who wants to go with you, you good-for-nothing? I’m busy right now. Hey, Sister-in-law Xia mentioned there’s a sausage shop near Hongqiao in Bianjing. If you go, bring some back with you.”
Yunling chewed the shredded pork tripe in her mouth and asked in confusion:
"Didn't Grandma say before that the sausage looked skinny, like some kind of 'one-nine sausage,' and that it didn't look appetizing?"
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