Chapter 105, Inn No. 105: Goose Soup
At this time, Yunyin was unaware that Zhang Jishun planned to stay. She only thought that he hadn't had enough of the vegetarian food at Ciyun Temple and would leave once he had.
Fu Wang was also grateful to Doctor Zhang. With Doctor Zhang's treatment, his brothers felt much better and gained a lot of weight. Hearing that he planned to open a stall here, he said he would give him his full support. "Where do you plan to let him open the stall? An inn is definitely not an option."
Yunyin nodded and said, "An inn is definitely not suitable. People come and go here, mostly to eat and listen to music, so it's not a good place for medical treatment." She pointed ahead and said, "How about the breakfast stalls up ahead?"
Fu Wang also looked over there, and found that the place had quieted down and was no longer as lively as it had been in the morning.
"You want to close your breakfast stall? That's not a good idea." Fu Wang knew that quite a few people passed by here early in the morning. Whether it was a bowl of noodles or a bowl of soup, even if they didn't earn much, they could still make a hundred or so coins, which would amount to two or three strings of cash a month. That was quite a sum of money.
Yunyin shook her head and said, "I mean, build another house next to it, specifically for doctors to set up their stalls."
Actually, if Dr. Zhang himself wanted, a table and a shed would be enough for him, but Yunyin still didn't want to treat him too badly, so she thought that while Qian Si's people were all there, she could help her build a house in front of him.
"The thatched hut can be repaired quickly, in about two or three days. With Zhang Lin by my side, he can also help out Dr. Zhang."
After thinking for a moment, Fu Wang said, "Okay, then I'll go and tell Qian Si that I'll pay this money."
Yunyin didn't refuse. She smiled and said, "We can use that room next door where we need to rest. That way, nothing will be wasted."
Fu Wang shook his head: "You probably already had this planned out."
Yunyin shrugged and said, "A house will deteriorate if it's left unused. We even helped renovate it. Besides, that place belongs to me. I didn't stop them from leaving. They just need to behave themselves when they stay overnight."
Yunyin only recently discovered this, and it was Wu Qiang and his team who noticed it while keeping watch at night. Some caravans missed their lodging and were unwilling to spend money to stay at Yunyin Inn. Since there was an empty room in front, they felt it was safe nearby and would stay there.
If they behaved themselves, Yunyin wouldn't say anything, since the house was already there when she first arrived. However, some members of the caravans were indeed restless, touching and looking around everywhere, and even trying to pick the locks of the neighboring houses. If Wu Qiang and Wu Zhuang hadn't discovered them, the locks would probably have been stolen.
Based on this, Yunyin decided to make use of that room as well. If they wanted to stay, they had to abide by her rules. Yunyin felt that Fu Wang was sometimes right. This was her territory. If they wanted to save money, they had to keep their hands to themselves, or she would chop off their hands.
She thought that if the row of houses were renovated and the place where the traveling merchants would stay was moved to the outermost edge, not in the same place as her breakfast stall and small clinic, then they could be dealt with first if they tried to move closer to her.
Fu Wang didn't say anything. He remembered that Doctor Zhang also needed medicinal herbs for his stall, so he quickly asked, "Are you planning to find medicinal herbs?"
Yunyin chuckled and said, "Wei Ming and I have already agreed that he will share some of his medicinal herbs with us, and he will also help us contact herb farmers for anything else we don't have. Doctor Zhang also knows some methods for processing medicinal herbs, so there won't be any problem having him process the commonly used medicines."
Fu Wang pursed his lips and didn't speak. After thinking about it seriously, he said, "Alright then, let's buy the medicinal herbs from him. But you have to tell him to bring Duan Yi less often. Duan Yi's family came to see Yinshuang a while ago, but we stopped them. I haven't let Duan Yi in since. Don't let people think it's Yinshuang's fault."
“You know how prejudiced people are. I was afraid that this kind of thing would get out of hand and be bad for Lady Yinshuang, so I talked to Duan Yi and told him not to come anymore. It’s not wrong to like someone, but it’s not good to let that liking affect other people.”
Yunyin listened attentively. She had just returned from being away that day and only then heard about the matter. She nodded repeatedly and said, "I will mention it to Wei Ming. We really can't let it affect Lady Yinshuang. She has finally let go of her worries and started a new life. I won't let anyone cause trouble."
Seeing that Yunyin was taking it to heart, Fu Wang smiled inwardly. He wouldn't tell Yunyin that Wei Ming's gaze towards her every time he came made him very uncomfortable, but Wei Ming hadn't really done anything, and he didn't have the right to stop others from liking her. He could only subtly sow discord, since it was someone he had brought who caused this.
Yunyin had no idea what Fu Wang was thinking. She really valued this matter, and when Wei Ming brought Duan Yi over again, she didn't let the two of them in.
She said bluntly, "Young Master Duan, I have already told you that you are not welcome here, and your family does not approve of your coming here. There are still many good restaurants in Long'an County. You can go there. I'm afraid our small shop cannot afford to entertain you."
Wei Ming glanced at Duan Yi beside him and then at Yun Yin, his face filled with anxiety. "Miss Yun, what's wrong? We just came to have a meal."
Yunyin's expression did not soften. She looked up at Wei Ming and said, "Young Master Wei, my staff has already told you that we will not serve you if you bring Duan Yi next time. Since you still bring him, then I'm sorry we cannot let you in."
Duan Yi's face turned pale. He looked at the figures moving around in the room. Everyone was admiring Yin Shuang's zither and no one was paying attention to this place. He gritted his teeth and said, "I want to talk to Yin Shuang."
Yunyin frowned and said impatiently, "Young Master Duan, Madam Yinshuang is busy and has no time to see you. If you continue to pester me, don't blame me for being impolite."
Yunyin knew that Fu Wang was standing inside the door, and she didn't want things to get too awkward, so she didn't come out. If Duan Yi continued to pester her, she wouldn't care about the awkwardness.
Wei Ming pulled Duan Yi by the sleeve and led him back, saying to Yun Yin, "Miss Yun, I'm sorry, I'll take him away now. I'm so sorry for the trouble."
Yunyin did not reply until the two left, at which point she looked away.
"I hope Duan Yi's matter won't affect Yin Shuang's mood."
Fu Wang comforted Yun Yin, "Don't worry, if Lady Yin Shuang doesn't care, how can it affect her mood? You should make some more food to comfort her, she'll probably be happier."
Yunyin rolled her eyes at Fu Wang. "Do you think she's like you? What you like, she might not like. Yinshuang seems to like sour food. By the way, the sheep we bought earlier has produced milk, right? I'll go make some cheese for her."
"Cheese?" Fu Wang caught up with Yun Yin's pace. "Isn't that a recipe I found in the Western Regions? You already know how to make it?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, do you want some? It's very sour. You don't like sour food, do you?"
Fu Wang looked at her, chuckled, and said, "Even if what you made is sour, I'd still want to try it."
Yunyin agreed and went to check on the cowshed. The mother cow and calf were both fine, and the cow was producing a lot of milk. She had originally planned to use the mother cow's milk to make snacks when she gave birth, but looking at the calf that had gone through so much trouble to give birth, she felt embarrassed to compete with the calf for food.
Turning her head to look at the cow in another shed, she saw that this cow had completely stopped producing milk. She sighed, went to the sheep pen, and took a wooden bucket to collect the sheep's milk.
Although goat milk has a goaty smell, boiling it with tea leaves will greatly reduce the smell. If children cannot drink milk boiled with tea leaves, you can add some vinegar and boil it; the effect is the same, and the goaty smell will indeed be reduced.
Yunyin also needs to add vinegar when making cheese. She takes the milked goat milk back to the kitchen, pours it into a large pot and slowly cooks it over low heat. She stirs it while cooking to prevent it from sticking to the pot. When the milk is about to boil but hasn't boiled yet, she takes the large pot off the stove, pours in a little white vinegar, and stirs it a few times.
Once you see whey separating out, Yunyin stops stirring, covers the pot, and lets it sit for about 15 minutes until the whey is completely separated.
Yunyin took out a freshly scalded linen cloth, tied it to the tool for filtering soy milk, and poured the goat milk from the pot into the gauze. The whey would flow through the gauze into the bowl below, and the gauze would contain curd for making cheese later.
She carefully collected the filtered whey, intending to use it to make dough for Zhang Lin later. It's suitable for making bread or noodles, and of course, it can also be used to make soup, such as mushroom soup or vegetable soup. It has many uses.
After carefully storing the whey, Yunyin squeezed the curd in the linen cloth a little, tied a knot, and left it aside for half an hour. The juice inside slowly dripped down, and she could get a relatively moist cheese.
Yunyin took out the filtered cheese from the brioche, put it in several small bowls, and shared it with everyone to try.
Of course, if you want drier cheese, you can do that too. Just like when making tofu, press some heavy objects on top, leave it overnight, and you'll get drier cheese the next day.
Yunyin handed the cheese in the bowl to Fu Wang and said, "You can add whatever you like. See if you want it salty or sweet. Of course, you can add some salt and sugar too. It's up to you."
Upon hearing Yunyin's suggestion, Fu Wang naturally opted to add sugar. Of course, he also added a tiny bit of salt, just a few grains. If Fu Wang hadn't mentioned it, Yunyin wouldn't have even noticed that he had added salt.
Fu Wang took a bite of the sweet and sour cheese, nodded, and said, "Not bad. Do you like this flavor?"
Yunyin silently put down her spoon, shook her head and said, "I'll go deliver the cheese to Yinshuang and the others. You can eat it slowly by yourself."
Whether it's sour and salty cheese or sweet and salty cheese, Yunyin doesn't really like it. She prefers to drink goat milk directly after boiling it, which she finds more palatable than making it into cheese.
However, judging from Fu Wang's reaction, he could accept the cheese with added sugar; it wasn't as sour, and he didn't dislike the sweet and sour taste.
As for Yinshuang, she loved both sweet and sour cheese and salty and sour cheese. As she ate, she praised, "There are merchants from the Western Regions in Chang'an who make cheese that is similar to yours. I haven't eaten it for many years, and it is still as delicious as ever."
She wiped her mouth and said, "Thank you, Lady Yun. These past few days have allowed me to eat a lot of foods that I remember from the past. Whether I liked them or disliked them before, eating them now makes me feel nostalgic."
“I already know about Duan Yi’s situation. You don’t need to feel guilty. I’ve encountered many more people like him before, and I’ve never taken it to heart. As long as it doesn’t affect your business, I’m fine with it.”
Yunyin: "I know, but I'll say it again: since you're working here, I naturally have to protect you. One of those things is preventing anyone from harassing you. I've already turned him away. If he comes to harass you again, just tell us. The people in this shop aren't pushovers."
Yinshuang smiled upon hearing this, her smile as radiant as a hundred flowers in bloom. "I know, thank you all."
After chatting with Yinshuang, Yunyin distributed the cheese to the others. Fang He and the other children liked it very much. Even Feng Hai, who didn't usually like to eat these things, thought it was good. She muttered to herself, "Could it be that my taste is different from theirs? I can't get used to this taste."
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "Of course. As for Lady Yinshuang, there's no need to mention her. Many foreign merchants in Chang'an sell this stuff. Feng Hai used to go to the Western Regions often. Putting aside everything else, the Western Regions have a lot of dairy products. Almost every household makes them. As for Zhang Lin, there's no need to mention him. What doesn't he like to eat? I've never found anything he doesn't like to eat."
Yunyin smiled without saying a word, "Alright, since you all like to eat it, I'll make some occasionally. If any customers like it, I'll make more to sell. Anyway, it doesn't take much effort to make this."
When Dr. Zhang returned from Ciyun Temple, he heard that there was cheese to eat, so he tried it and commented: "Goat milk is warm in nature and nourishes the heart and lungs. You should all eat more of it. Drinking a bowl of hot goat milk in the morning is very good for you, especially for those who are weak."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wang simply asked Luo Niangzi to buy several more milk-producing sheep, and cooked sheep milk for his brothers every day to help them improve their health.
With Dr. Zhang's small clinic opening, and the county magistrate also notifying the village heads, people in the nearby villages all knew that there was a person in Yunyin who could treat both doctors and livestock, and many people came to him to treat their animals.
He didn't see many human patients in the past two weeks, but he did see many animal patients. Fortunately, he was easygoing. He would see people when there were people around, and he would see animals when there were no people around. When there was really no one around, he would go to Huixuan. He lived a very carefree life, which Yunyin envied.
Yunyin was also busy this month. The houses for the employees were finally built, and the pond she had dug was also completed. Taking advantage of the auspicious time of the beginning of spring, she led people to plant lotus flowers.
If she wanted to see lotus flowers this summer, she knew that growing lotus seeds wouldn't work, so she bought a lot of lotus root seeds and took people to the pond to plant them.
Fortunately, the book explained how to grow lotus roots, so she just had to follow the instructions. The lotus root seedlings needed to be selected from segments with plump terminal buds and thick stems.
After selecting the lotus root, she kept the lotus root moist and led people to dig a 20-centimeter-deep pit in the pond. She sprinkled a handful of fertilizer at the bottom of the pit and then covered the fertilizer with some soil to prevent the lotus root from directly contacting the fertilizer.
Then, insert the top bud of the rhizome into the mud at an angle, with the tail of the rhizome slightly protruding from the soil surface to avoid burying the top bud too deep. Finally, cover the rhizome with a layer of soil, but do not press it down too hard.
After all the lotus roots, including Yunyin, have been planted, open the channel and slowly fill the pond with water. Initially, the water level should not be too high, about 5 or 6 centimeters. Once the lotus roots begin to grow, gradually add more water.
Looking at the pond full of lotus roots, Yunyin smiled with satisfaction. This summer, she would be able to sit in the pavilion to enjoy the flowers and tea, and even go fishing. In winter, she would have an endless supply of lotus roots to eat. Just thinking about it made her happy.
Fu Wang knew that Yunyin was very happy, so he took this opportunity to arrange for someone to come and propose marriage.
Just after the Shangsi Festival on the third day of the third lunar month, when everyone who had gone on a spring outing had left and the inn was quiet, Yunyin was pulled back to her room early in the morning by Zheng Guilan and Yinshuang to get dressed up again.
When Yunyin saw their hair styled in a bun, their makeup reapplied, and their new clothes, she hadn't quite registered what was happening. She quickly asked, "What's going on? What's all this fuss about?"
"Isn't it going to be a few more days before we move to our new house?"
Since the house behind has already been built, Qian Si and the others will need to rest for a few days before continuing to build her house. She was thinking of taking advantage of this time to hold a banquet for them to celebrate their housewarming, but it's not going to be held for another two days, is it?
Yunyin was led to the main hall in a daze, where she saw Fu Wang leading a plump woman with a cheerful face. As soon as the woman saw Yunyin, she praised, "My lady is really beautiful. You and Mr. Fu are a match made in heaven."
Yunyin watched as Fu Wang took the gifts from the people behind him and placed them in front of her one by one. Her attention was immediately drawn to the wild goose.
Lively geese appeared before her. It was the first time she had ever seen live geese. Even the woman beside her exclaimed, "My lady, look how thoughtful Master Fu is. He even went out of his way to catch geese for you."
"This thing is hard to come by, and it has to be alive. Do you agree to this marriage?"
Yunyin came to her senses and remained silent. Yinshuang and Zheng Guilan beside her replied on her behalf, "That depends on what else Young Master Fu has prepared. He can't just marry my wife so easily, can he?"
The matchmaker was very perceptive. She immediately laid out all the other gifts that Fu Wang had prepared. She knew that the marriage was already arranged and that she was just going through the motions. Nevertheless, she still said a lot of auspicious words. By the time Yun Yin nodded, it was already noon.
Once the matchmaker obtains Yunyin's birth date and time, Fu Wang will take it to a Taoist temple to have the birth dates and time checked. Although the Dazhao Buddhist Temple is prosperous, there are actually many Taoist temples as well. There is a Taoist temple in Pingxi Village. Fu Wang will take the matched birth dates and time to the matchmaker to arrange the marriage with Yunyin.
Next came the betrothal gifts. Fu Wang delivered the fields, houses, shops, silk fabrics, jewelry, and other items he had prepared to Yun Yin. Once she signed the marriage contract, their marriage was considered settled.
When he finally received the marriage certificate, he relaxed. As for the wedding date, it depended on Yunyin's wishes. If she wanted to postpone it for two years, that was fine too, as long as the marriage was settled.
For the past few days, Yunyin's mind had been shrouded in fog. Only when she saw the marriage certificate in her hand did she truly realize that she had a new family in this world, and that she would grow old with that person in the future.
She carefully put away the marriage certificate and sorted through the betrothal gifts sent by Fu Wang. It seemed she needed to build the house as soon as possible, otherwise there would be nowhere to put her things.
Moreover, she also needs to prepare some dowry. She already has a house and land, and she thinks that with a new house, she should have a suitable bed, chests and cabinets, etc. Even if she doesn't plan to get married in the next year or two, there are still a lot of things to prepare.
When Fu Wang heard that she wanted to have a bed made, he stopped her and said, "Why do you want someone else to make it? I'll make the bed for you. Anyway, I don't have much to do lately. I've almost finished dealing with things in Mianzhou. All that's left is to help you build a martial arts school."
"There's no rush. You can leave the making of the bed and chests to me. I'll be staying here with you eventually anyway."
Yunyin was delighted to hear that Fu Wang would stay at the inn, but then she hesitated and said, "Wouldn't it be inappropriate for you to make my dowry?"
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "No way, I'm too happy to even think about it. Just leave it to me, and I'll make sure it's sturdy and beautiful."
Seeing that Fu Wang was indeed willing, Yun Yin had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay, then let's take some time to look at the timber and choose some better pieces." She walked towards the kitchen and said to Fu Wang, "We'll have goose soup for dinner later, so eat more."
Fu Wang followed her, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Is it the goose I brought last time?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, that's the one. I struggled for a long time about what to do with it. Yinshuang said that most people would eat it. I thought that with so many of us, there wouldn't be much of that goose, whether roasted or stir-fried, so I simply made a soup with it."
"I heard from Yinshuang that goose soup is very popular in Chang'an. Many people go out of their way to hunt geese during their migration just to get a taste of it. There are even quite a few people who specialize in hunting geese."
As Yunyin spoke, she opened the small pot, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. She parted the steaming white mist and saw that the soup inside was bubbling away. The soup was milky white, and the yam inside was already stewed until it was soft and tender. Before taking it off the heat, she sprinkled some goji berries and salt on it, and then placed the small pot aside.
Feng Hai had already cooked the dishes for dinner and was just waiting for the soup in her pot to cook so that everyone could start eating.
Yunyin took out a small bowl, scooped out a little soup, and tasted it to check the saltiness. The soup tasted just right, and she nodded repeatedly, saying, "Alright, let's eat."
Besides the goose soup, the rest of the dinner consisted of simple home-style dishes. Yunyin called out to Doctor Zhang, "You've had a long day, so please try the goose soup."
Zhang Jishun took the bowl, smelled it, and said, "This is the wild goose that Fu boy hunted back. Hmm, it smells good. I've never eaten this before."
Fu Wang smiled and served Yunyin a bowl, as well as a bowl for each of the brothers at the next table. He then said to everyone, "Try it, and if you like it, I'll go get some more next time."
Doctor Zhang took a sip of the soup and praised, "It's very fresh." He looked at Fu Wang and shook his head, "Wild geese aren't so easy to catch. You must have searched for a long time before you finally caught this one."
Fu Wang: "Live ones are harder to catch, but even if we don't catch them alive, I still have many ways to catch them." His arrows are not just for show. Not to mention him, even Yun Yin can shoot geese. She has practiced for a long time.
Yunyin also tried the goose soup and was amazed by it. The goose meat was very firm. Actually, wild geese have a fishy smell. In order to remove that smell, she used a lot of old ginger and scallions, and also blanched the goose, which greatly reduced the fishy smell.
The soup is fresh and rich, and the goose meat is stewed until tender. With a simple chopstick pick, the meat falls off the bone, and when you put it in your mouth, you can clearly feel the chewiness of the goose meat.
You don't notice it when you first start chewing, but the more you eat, the more fragrant the meat becomes. Towards the end, you can even taste a hint of sweetness. No wonder the people of Chang'an love goose soup; there's definitely a reason for it.
The yam in the soup was stewed until it was soft and tender; it melted in your mouth with just a gentle touch, and paired with the rich and fragrant broth, it was truly an exquisite experience.
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