Upon hearing that it was for wearing flowers in one's hair, Yunling immediately thought that peonies wouldn't be suitable, and muttered to herself:
"These flowers are too big. They're a bit cumbersome to wear in your hair. Why not wear a peach blossom instead? Peach blossoms are lighter and will look just like a hairpin in your hair."
Lu Yinghuai would never want Yunling to attract unwanted attention by wearing peach blossoms in her hair, thus creating a rival for his affections for no reason. So, while speeding up the process of putting the flowers in her hair, he said:
"I present you with peonies, wishing you happiness and good health."
I'll adorn my hair with flowers, and grow old with you.
The last sentence was what Lu Yinghuai kept repeating in his heart. He really wanted to walk with Yunling forever, until they were old and gray.
After adorning themselves with flowers, the group descended the Rainbow Bridge and strolled towards the shops along its banks.
"Second brother, I wonder what the name is of that sausage shop that Grandma mentioned?"
Looking at all these shops selling sausages and cured meat, Yunling couldn't help but scratch her temple. There were just too many shops...
"Um... Grandma said that the sausage shop was very crowded, with people lining up before dawn, afraid of not being able to buy any. She also said... um... that the sausages were short and the casings were tight, and that there was more lean meat than fat. That's about it. I can't remember anything else."
"Boss, do you think that room is crowded?"
Yunling looked in the direction Gangzi was pointing. There were more people at that sausage shop, but its storefront was quite new, so it must be newly opened and offering some discounts to attract customers.
Yunling suddenly realized that she seemed to hear her mother's words echoing in her ears: a vegetarian sausage shop had opened near the Rainbow Bridge. Did that mean it was newly opened? Could it be that the many people that Sister Xia saw were offering discounts because the shop was newly opened?
"Second Brother, could it be that one?"
Yunling looked in the direction Lu Yinghuai had indicated and immediately saw the sausages hanging from the shop with straw ropes, in small pieces. The shop wasn't very new, and the stone steps in front of the door were slightly damaged, perhaps because they had collapsed due to the crowds fighting over them.
"Let's go take a look."
After serving the previous customer, the shopkeeper's smile brightened even more when he saw Yunling and the others arrive.
"Young master, you've come to buy sausages and cured meat, right? Our sausages are all top-notch, unlike any other sausages. It's a good thing you came in the afternoon; if it were morning, you'd have to wait in a long line."
Yunling felt as if she had found the right shop, but not wanting to show her joy and let someone else gain the upper hand, she asked:
"Don't these cured meats taste better when the autumn wind blows and they're exposed to it?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said:
"Sausages from different seasons have different flavors, but they all have one thing in common: they are all baked in an oven or kiln, which gives them a strong aroma of firewood."
"They all have to go into the kiln? I heard that sausages taste better if they're not put in the kiln and are just stored in a rice bin?"
"Young master, you must have eaten those homemade sausages at a farmer's house, right?"
Seeing that there were no other customers waiting behind Yunling, the shopkeeper became a little more patient in explaining to her.
"Those families can only choose a day with strong autumn winds and bright sunshine to dry the meat in the casings. Otherwise, the cured meat inside the casings won't dry properly and will develop a rancid or other smell."
"As for storing rice, this method has its advantages. When the cured meat is heated by the rice, it will gradually release its oil, making it taste sweeter and more fragrant. The rice will also absorb the oil from the cured meat, giving it a unique aroma when cooked."
"However, it can't be left for too long, especially in hot weather, as it's easy for the sausage to spoil."
The sausages that Aunt Yun makes are usually devoured very quickly, before they even go bad. So Yun Ling didn't know what this guy was saying... But thinking about it carefully, what he said makes sense. If the weather is bad, it is indeed easy for food to spoil, which is undeniable.
"Then bring me five catties of sausage. Is your cured meat smoked?"
"Our cured pork isn't smoked; it's all naturally air-dried. If you want to buy smoked cured pork, young man, you can go to Sun's shop next door. They make authentic Shucheng-style cured pork."
I've heard of air-drying poria cocos, but I've never tried it.
"Shopkeeper, how does this air-dried food taste?"
As the shopkeeper untied the sausage and put it on the scale, he said with a smile:
"If you ask me, I'll naturally say it's good. Everyone has their own taste. Take Old Sun next door, for example. He's been eating smoked bacon since he was a child. But when he tried my dried bacon, he said it was very fishy and a bit smelly, and not tasty at all."
"As for me, I can't stand the smoky smell. It feels like stuffing cigarettes into my mouth. I only like to eat dried meat. I think dried meat is very fragrant and salty. You can just put it in a pot and cook it. It doesn't take much effort."
Yunling nodded. Everyone has different tastes, and opinions on what tastes good or bad vary. For example, she likes salty food, while her family prefers sweet. Naturally, she doesn't know which flavor the cured meat prefers, so...
"Shopkeeper, could you give me another five catties of dried cured meat? And later I'll buy another five catties of smoked meat from next door, so I can try them all."
Okay.
After buying the sausages and cured meat, Grandma Yun's wish list was complete. Yun Ling was just thinking about buying Grandpa Yun a knife when Lu Yinghuai spoke up first:
"Let's go over there and buy a knife for Grandpa. I wonder what kind of good knife he'd like?"
"When the old man was building the new house, he said that the old man who worked with him had a daughter who married into a family near Bianjing. Whenever she went back to visit him, she would bring some nice things, including a knife. She said that the knife could cut through iron like mud, was durable and incredibly powerful."
Lu Yinghuai nodded and smiled:
"Then let's choose the knife from Yuecheng. It's famous in Liushi for being fast and sharp. Even if blood smears the blade, it won't affect its continued use."
Yunling felt a chill run down her spine at those words, but when Lu Yinghuai brought up "Yuecheng," she felt that he shared the same thoughts.
“When I passed through Yuecheng, I heard the locals talk about how sharp the knives were, but my father-in-law was determined to get a good knife from Bianjing, so I didn’t mention it. Anyway, our country is a prosperous commercial center, and you can find things from anywhere in Bianjing.”
Lu Yinghuai also largely agreed with what Yun Ling said, and seeing that she had started talking, he continued:
"Speaking of which, Yuecheng is also a good place. Although the climate is not very good, it is close to the sea and the maritime trade is very developed. The living habits there are similar to those in Qingcheng. There are also many fruits and vegetables. It's just that the weather is too harsh and the water quality is not very good."
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