Chapter 106 106 Inns: Stewed Goose in an Iron Pot
Yunyin stewed a big pot of goose soup, and everyone ate it all up. Even Ma Hao, who doesn't like food, nodded repeatedly and said, "Brother Fu, next time you go, call me and I'll go with you."
Zhang Jishun stroked his gray beard and sighed, "It's still the best place to eat here at Lady Yun's."
Taking the opportunity, Yunyin said, "Then why don't you stay here with us, Dr. Zhang? You can go around and see doctors whenever you want, and come back after you're done. I'll cook whatever you like to eat. If you really want to eat the vegetarian food from Ciyun Temple, I can go and learn from them."
After pondering for a long time, Zhang Jishun nodded and said when the others looked over, "Okay, then I'll stay here for now."
Yunyin jumped up happily and said, "That's perfect. We're planning to hold a housewarming party for Zhang Lin and his family tomorrow. Let's have Dr. Zhang move in too, so you can be more comfortable."
The next morning, Yunyin and Feng Hai got busy. In addition to greeting the guests who came today, they also had to prepare for the housewarming banquet that evening. Not only were the two of them busy, but Fang He and the others were also extremely busy.
Yunyin took the menu from Yinshuang and looked at it carefully. The illustrations were very realistic, and the descriptions of the dishes were also very detailed, such as dishes that nourish the skin and beauty, and dishes that nourish the body. Yunyin was very satisfied with it.
She packed the invitations into boxes, then called for someone to wrap them up with some snacks and deliver them to the various ladies' residences.
Once this busy period is over, she'll probably be busy receiving these ladies.
As Yunyin prepared for the evening's banquet, she cleared her mind of all thoughts and looked at the brine stored in the large pot. She decided to make some more today.
Now that the weather is starting to get warmer, this braising liquid probably won't last until summer. I can only make it a few more times while it's still preserved so that they can eat their fill.
Yunyin heated the brine on the stove, and soon it dissolved and began to emit a fragrant aroma.
The customers having lunch were drawn by the aroma, peeking out from time to time, wondering, "What's that smell? It smells so good!"
However, a discerning customer remarked, "It looks like braised dishes made by Lady Yun. She made them once last year, and I even tried them. The taste was amazing..."
Seeing his blissful expression, the person next to him quickly asked, "What's wrong with the taste? You should finish what you were saying."
He was so captivated by the aroma that he was shaken several times before he came to his senses. He licked his lips and said, "That taste is absolutely amazing. It's the best thing I've ever eaten."
The customer next to him scoffed, "You've eaten some good food, so you claim it's the best you've ever eaten. You're so ignorant."
The customer, who was engrossed in the braised food, wasn't angry. He looked at him with a "you're so ignorant" expression and shook his head, saying, "Fine, fine, I won't argue with someone who hasn't tasted such delicacies."
Upon hearing this, the person sitting in front looked at Fu Wang behind the counter and said, "Young Master Fu, do you think Yun Niangzi sells this braised food? If it's really that delicious, let us try some too."
Fu Wang knew that Yunyin was making braised dishes for the housewarming party that evening, but these people were all old acquaintances, and he knew that Yunyin would definitely sell some to them, so he still said truthfully, "Selling is no problem, but can you wait?"
"These braised dishes take a long time to cook, almost until dinner time. Are you sure you can wait that long?"
The diners who had asked looked left and right, and seeing that no one objected, they quickly said, "We're fine with waiting. We don't have anything else to do. Let's listen to some music here at Lady Yun's place this afternoon."
The diner who had criticized others for being ignorant looked disappointed. He had other matters to attend to in the afternoon and couldn't stay any longer. He pressed Fu Wang for an answer: "Young Master Fu, will Lady Yun continue to serve this dish in the future?"
Fu Wang looked at him and said calmly, "This dish is also seasonal and can't be made at any time. It contains a lot of expensive spices, so unless a customer makes a reservation, Madam Yun rarely makes this dish."
Alternatively, we can wait until winter when the brine can be preserved. At that time, one pot can be used many times, so that Yunyin won't lose money when making this dish. Not everyone is as rich as Wang Yu and willing to spend money to buy spices for Yunyin just to taste this dish.
Sure enough, this person wasn't from a wealthy family and wasn't willing to spend a whole string of cash on spices. This didn't even include the cost of meat, which was also very expensive.
Those who had been fortunate enough to try the braised dishes before licked their lips and said, "Then I'll stay here today. It'll be a long wait before Lady Yun makes this dish again."
Fu Wang saw that apart from a few people who had to leave due to urgent matters, everyone else stayed to buy a serving of braised dishes. He quickly made a note of these people and ran to the kitchen to find Yunyin.
Upon hearing that many people wanted to buy braised dishes, Yunyin glanced at the meat already being braised in the pot, paused, and said, "Then let's arrange for someone to go and buy some more meat. Once this pot is cooked, we can sell it to them and eat it a little later tonight."
Fu Wang immediately sent someone to buy meat in town. In addition to the meat shops in town, he also sent someone to buy meat in the county. He had many horses with him, so he was not worried about not being able to buy meat quickly.
The aroma of braised dishes filled the inn all afternoon, and even those listening to Yinshuang play music were somewhat distracted. Finally, when the braised dishes were ready, many people took out their money to buy a serving.
One of them said, "Miss Yun, if you sell braised food every day, I'm afraid no one will want to come and listen to Miss Yinshuang play music."
This man's surname was Li. He didn't tell Yunyin his exact name, only that she call him Li Dalang. He loved listening to Yinshuang play music. Ever since Yinshuang came here, he would come to listen to her music every day. He even had little interest in the food Yunyin made.
Unexpectedly, he was also interested in braised dishes. Yunyin placed a plate of chopped vegetables on his plate and said, "Li Dalang, you're too kind. This dish can't be made all the time. I won't make it now that it's hot. Please eat it while it's hot." She paused and added, "I added some chili peppers to this dish, so it's a little spicy. I don't know if you can handle it."
Yunyin made this pot of braising sauce in winter. She loves spicy food, so she added chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings. I wonder if these people can handle such spicy food.
After all, she doesn't use many chilies, and she doesn't put chilies in every dish. Apart from some cold dishes, she only adds some when stir-frying bamboo shoots and cured meat.
Li Dalang smelled the food on the plate; the pungent aroma wafted into his nose. He rubbed his nose and asked curiously, "Is this the new seed, chili pepper, that the magistrate distributed?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "Yes, many villages are growing them now. There should be a lot of chili peppers this year. You can try them. There are quite a few dishes that can be made with chili peppers."
Yunyin wanted to eat all sorts of dishes, such as stir-fried pork with chili peppers, spicy chicken, boiled fish fillets, and boiled pork slices. Just thinking about them made her mouth water. She hadn't made these dishes before because she didn't have many chili peppers. Once her chili peppers were grown and the chili peppers of the people in the nearby villages were grown, she was determined to make many more chili pepper dishes.
Li Dalang nodded and said, "Okay, then I will definitely come and taste your dishes when the time comes."
The other diner, while eating the braised dishes made by Yunyin, said, "These braised dishes are even tastier than the ones I had last time. They're spicier, more numbing, and even more delicious. I want to eat them again and again." He quickly stuffed a piece of pork into his mouth and asked Yunyin, "Yunniangzi, are you really not planning to make this dish a regular dish?"
Yunyin smiled helplessly: "It's not that I'm unwilling, but this stuff requires a lot of spices each time it's made. It's fine in winter because we can freeze it, but it spoils very easily in summer, so we can't reuse it."
"It would be too wasteful to use the braising liquid only once, and good braising liquid gets more fragrant the longer it is cooked. The braising liquid I made today tastes even better than the last time I made it."
Upon hearing this, the others expressed their regret: "It seems we can only come back to buy from you this winter. Lady Yun, do you sell this braised dish in the winter?"
Yunyin: "Of course it will sell, don't worry. I'll put up a sign before I sell it."
Upon hearing this, the group felt relieved and focused on continuing to eat their braised dishes.
Seeing that they were enjoying their meal, Yunyin smiled and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
There will be many people tonight, so Yunyin plans to make braised goose in an iron pot. They all used to love eating goose. Fu Wang and the others tried to find it, but the geese may have already flown away.
Since there are no wild geese to eat, geese are a good alternative. Goose tastes much better than duck; it's very fragrant and the meat is firmer. Add some taro to stew together, and stick some flatbreads on the side of the pot. You won't even need to cook rice.
Yunyin took the goose meat, which had been soaking for half an hour, out of the basin. After cutting the goose meat into pieces, she soaked it in clean water to remove the blood. She then cleaned the goose meat and set it aside for later use.
Peel and cut the taro into chunks. Take out the soaked mushrooms and set them aside. Don't discard the water used to soak the mushrooms; you'll use it later.
Yunyin poured more cold spring water into the pot, intending to blanch the goose meat. This would remove many impurities and make the meat more fragrant. Adding ginger and wine during blanching would further remove the fishy smell; this step is essential for making delicious goose meat.
After heating the wok, pour in soybean oil, add the goose meat and stir-fry. When Yunyin saw that the goose meat was golden brown on both sides, she stir-fried it a little longer to render out the excess oil. She then added seasonings such as scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns. After stir-frying until fragrant, she added a spoonful of soybean paste made by Zheng Guilan and continued to stir-fry to coat the goose meat with the seasonings.
Yunyin selected a bottle of good wine from the cabinet, poured in some to enhance the aroma, added a little soy sauce and rock sugar, and stir-fried it. The kitchen was immediately filled with a fragrant aroma, and Yunyin couldn't help but feel a little hungry after smelling it.
She swallowed hard, added the water used to soak the mushrooms, then poured in enough hot spring water, brought it to a boil over high heat, and then simmered it over low heat until the goose meat was tender.
Yunyin sat in front of the stove, smelling the increasingly fragrant goose meat, and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"
Feng Hai sniffed the aroma emanating from the air and said with delight, "That's because of Lady Yun's cooking. I've cooked goose meat before, but I only added some sauce when stewing it. Lady Yun added spices and good wine, how could it not be fragrant?"
Yunyin sat down for a moment and said to Feng Hai, "I'll go make some pancakes and stick them on the griddle in a bit. You can stir-fry the vegetables after the meat stew is done."
Feng Hai glanced outside and saw that it was already dark. At this time, no one would be coming to eat dinner. He nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll rest for a bit and come back to cook later."
Yunyin took the dough that Zhang Lin had kneaded, divided it into several portions, and rolled them out into thin pancakes with a rolling pin. She planned to roll out the remaining portions, which were not for filling with meat, later.
After the meat filling was wrapped, Yunyin covered the dough balls with gauze to prevent them from drying out.
Seeing that Feng Hai had already rested, Fu Wang went into the kitchen to find Yun Yin. He saw her sitting on a small stool watching the fire, so he went over and sat down beside her. The two chatted while watching the fire, waiting for the food in the pot to cook.
When it was almost time, Yunyin lifted the lid, poked the goose meat with chopsticks, and said it was almost done. She poured in the soaked mushrooms and taro that she had taken out of the water, placed the rolled-out dough on the side, covered the pot, and continued to simmer for another 15 minutes. She tasted it, sprinkled some salt, added cilantro and chopped green onions, and then took it out of the pot.
Fu Wang wasn't idle either; he helped get the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing that Feng Hai's dishes were also ready, he hurriedly went to serve them. The other people in the inn also returned from the new house across the street.
Seeing that the food was ready, Zhang Lin put down what he was holding, washed his hands, and came over to help. Smelling the delicious aroma filling the room, he couldn't help but sigh, "Following Lady Yun, there's never a shortage of food." He had sighed this countless times already. He was once again grateful to Yun Yin for keeping him. Now, not only was he eating well, but he would also soon have a new house and be able to get married. This was something he could never have imagined when he fled the famine last year.
Zheng Guilan was also moved. She helped set the table and called a few girls to help set the chairs. When Yunyin came over, she asked her to sit down, saying, "Miss Yun, please sit down quickly. Leave the rest to us."
Yunyin wiped her hands, took off her apron, and sat down where she pointed. She also gestured for the others to sit down, saying, "No need to bother, just sit down and eat."
Seeing that Dr. Zhang had also returned from the front, she immediately stood up and invited, "Dr. Zhang, please come and sit down too."
Seeing that they were having goose meat for dinner, Zhang Jishun sighed, "I'm afraid I can't live without Yun Niangzi's cooking skills."
Yunyin smiled and said, "Dr. Zhang, please eat as much as you like. I have learned a lot from you, and you are like a mentor to me. It is only right that I cook some food for you. If there is anything else you would like to eat, you can tell me and I will try my best to make it for you."
Fu Wang helped his brother sit down and said to Zhang Jishun, "Yes, my brothers are also in much better health thanks to Doctor Zhang's care. Just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll help you find it."
Zhang Jishun smiled with satisfaction, "Alright, then I'll leave it to you. Let's eat goose meat first today; goose meat is a good thing."
Yunyin greeted everyone, "I didn't cook rice today, but I made some flatbreads. Make do with these. There's also taro in the pot; I cooked a lot." Two big, fat geese, a large pot of flatbreads, and plenty of taro made a huge stew—enough for everyone.
Looking at the large pot overflowing with food and the vegetables stir-fried by Feng Hai, the others shook their heads and said, "This is hardly a decent life; this is like living in paradise."
Zhang Lin echoed, "Yes, yes."
Yunyin poured wine for everyone, saying, "I won't say much more. Let's all work hard together."
She drank it down in one gulp, and the others followed suit. Yunyin looked at Zhang Lin and Zheng Guilan and said, "It's good that we've finished what we needed to do. After we finish planting the persimmons, we'll ask Sister Qian for help to get them married."
Zheng Guilan was getting married for the second time. In her words, there was no need for a grand ceremony. She didn't have many close relatives left in her family. As long as she agreed, the marriage could proceed.
Yunyin thought that now that the new house was built, and that the two of them were getting on in years, it was time for them to get married.
When Yunyin mentioned it, Zhang Lin and Zheng Guilan blushed. The others rushed forward and pulled Zhang Lin, insisting that he drink a few more cups.
Even Yinshuang, who never cared about these things, raised her glass to toast Zheng Guilan. After everyone drank, Yunyin looked at the still steaming pot and said, "It's time to eat stewed goose. I made it especially for your housewarming."
Zhang Jishun had already started eating, and he kept praising, "The goose that Yun Niangzi made is very authentic. I've been to the north before, and they also stew it in one pot. Although it doesn't taste as good as Yun Niangzi's, it's still very fragrant. They don't have iron pots, so they don't make flatbreads. But I must say, the flatbreads soaked in the goose broth are really delicious."
Yunyin also picked up a meatless pancake and tried it. The top was crispy and fragrant, and the bottom was soaked with soup, making it very flavorful. However, the wheat pancake was not as fragrant as the corn pancake. If there was corn, sticking cornmeal to the side of the pot would make it much more fragrant than goose meat.
However, Yunyin was quite satisfied with the wheat pancakes. Paired with the savory goose meat, she ate three pancakes in one go.
The others were equally impressed; goose meat was indeed more fragrant than duck meat. Even Fu Wang had to agree, "No wonder those people don't want to raise ducks and prefer to raise geese. It turns out goose meat is so delicious."
Yunyin asked curiously, "Didn't you eat goose meat before?" She remembered that Feng Hai said he had cooked goose meat before. Even if we don't mention Feng Hai, Fu Wang has traveled all over the country for so many years, he should have eaten a lot of good things, and he should have eaten goose meat before.
After taking a bite of taro, Fu Wang put down his chopsticks and said, "I have indeed eaten it before, but it's not as fragrant as yours."
While listening, Yunyin also picked up a piece of taro to eat. The taro was cooked until soft and glutinous, and it was very delicious after absorbing the soup. While eating, she suddenly heard Fu Wang say, "Goose meat is expensive after all, not to mention adding spices and wine. Old Feng only puts some soybean paste in the goose meat at most, so you can't taste anything good. You can only say that it has a fragrance, but it's not this fragrant."
"The goose meat that has amazed me the most, besides the one you make, is the roast goose I had once in the Lingnan region. It was really delicious, even better than the roast duck you made before."
This was the first time Yunyin had heard Fu Wang mention the food he couldn't forget. She could indeed make roast goose, but her roast goose was similar to roast duck, except for the texture of the meat. The rest of the cooking method was pretty much the same. She was really curious about what the roast goose Fu Wang ate tasted like.
"If I have the chance in the future, I will also try the roast goose you mentioned."
Fu Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take you there in the future."
After Zhang Lin and his group moved, Yunyin Inn became empty. Yunyin vacated one of the rooms and used it as a storeroom. She was going to make a lot of fruit wine this year, and the previous storeroom was not enough, so she used the room left by Feng Hai and his group as a storeroom.
Fu Wang naturally stayed at the inn, and even Yin Shuang didn't move. She left the courtyard to Doctor Zhang, and she and the other girls continued to live at the inn.
Yunyin took a day to find a package labeled "Persimmons" in the cupboard and asked Fu Wang, "Do you remember what the fruit that grows from these seeds looks like?"
Fu Wang thought for a moment and said, "It should be red. Many people grow it for ornamental purposes. It looks a lot like a persimmon, so it's called a persimmon. Some people have tried it, and it's very sour and not tasty, so everyone just grows it as an ornamental plant."
Yunyin nodded and said, "Okay, I understand." From Fu Wang's description, she felt that it was most likely a tomato. Thinking of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and hot pot with tomato broth, she had to try growing one.
The tomato growing book also mentions that beginners are advised to start with seedlings and then transplant them. Yunyin also planted some in the Mushroom House and will transplant them after the seedlings grow.
Unlike peppers, tomatoes need support. When the transplanted seedlings grow to 30 centimeters, bamboo poles need to be inserted so that the vines can climb. When Yunyin saw that it was about time, she took Zhang Lin to the field to build a trellis for the tomatoes.
Feng Hai, Zhu Yu, and Ma He are doing a great job at the inn. They come over every morning after breakfast, finish their work in the afternoon, and can go home to cook dinner. They can also have lunch at Yunyin's place. They couldn't be happier.
Even their families were very satisfied, as they not only received a sum of money each month but also saved on a meal, and they were also given many reminders to work hard.
Because of the addition of these two people, Yunyin no longer had to worry about some miscellaneous tasks, which gave her time to plant chili peppers and tomatoes. As for subsequent fertilization, Zhang Lin was still in charge.
After planting all the tomatoes, Yunyin looked at the land in front of her. That area was reserved for planting rice. In addition to rice, she also needed to plant some glutinous rice. There were so many things to plant, and the people at their inn couldn't handle all the work. They would have to hire more people.
She doesn't need to rent a cow this year; she can use her own cow to plow the land. If she hires more people to help, she can plant rice. Unfortunately, half of last year's winter wheat was lost, so she'll have to plant another batch in the second half of this year.
After the persimmons were planted, Yunyin went to Linjiang Village to find Qian Xing. When Qian Xing saw that Yunyin had come to ask her to be a matchmaker, her smile immediately brightened. "That's great! I'll go and propose marriage for Zhang Lin tomorrow. Is Zheng Guilan here with you or back at her home?"
Yunyin: "I gave her a few days off so she could go back and prepare, and tidy up the house, so we can get married right away."
"Okay, I'll make that trip tomorrow."
Because Zhang Lin was getting married, he had been somewhat anxious these past two days. He asked Yunyin, "Miss Yun, is my betrothal gift too small?"
Yunyin looked at the betrothal gifts he had prepared. A pair of silver hairpins was the most valuable of all his gifts. Besides the silver hairpins, there were two bolts of silk, a jar of wine, some wedding candy and cakes, and the rest were nothing special. But these were all the things he could buy with all his savings.
This doesn't even include the cost of the banquet. Although the wedding banquet was held in front of Zhang Lin's house, Yun Yin paid for it. Zhang Lin only had about two strings of cash, so it was already quite good that he could afford such a betrothal gift.
She nodded and said, "This betrothal gift is acceptable. The silk and silver hairpin can be exchanged for money, so I'm sure the people of Le Tao Village won't say anything."
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