Chapter 13, The 13th Inn: Eight Treasure Chicken
Song Shi turned his head and saw Yun Yin staring straight ahead. Curious, he looked over and saw a familiar figure. He exclaimed in surprise, "You know County Magistrate Zhou?"
Yunyin turned her head and asked, "Who are you talking about?"
Song Shi pointed to the man leading the yamen runners toward the city gate and said, "That's him, Zhou Chang, the county magistrate of Long'an County."
Yunyin looked away and glanced at Zhou Chang, saying, "I don't know him. But the man next to him looks familiar; he should be someone I know."
Song Shi looked up and saw the man's back. He thought for a moment and said, "You must be talking about Fu Wang."
Yunyin turned to look at him: "You know him?"
“I don’t really know him, I’ve only heard of him,” Song Shi said as he walked. “I heard that Fu Wang and Zhou Chang served in the same military camp and had a good relationship. Zhou Chang retired from the military camp and returned to Long’an County to become a county magistrate. As for Fu Wang, I only know that he seems to be a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), but I don’t know the specifics.”
"After all, I'm not familiar with them, and these are all just rumors I heard from others."
Yunyin: "Your inside information is quite good, you know all this."
Song Shi smiled and said, "Didn't I already say that there's nothing I don't know about the county town?"
Yunyin smiled and asked, "Do you know any big news in the county town that most people don't know about?"
“Big news? I haven’t heard anything about it.” Song Shi recalled seriously, then touched his nose after a long while and said, “Nothing major has happened in the county recently, except that the county magistrate wants to repair the water conservancy project.”
Seeing his expression, Yunyin knew he was unaware of the bandits. After a moment's thought, she asked, "You said your family won't let you leave the city recently?"
Mentioning this matter, Song Shi was full of anger. He snorted and said, "Yes, I don't know if it's because of Madam Luo, but recently my family won't let me leave the city, and Madam Luo hasn't come to the county town either. I can't even see her when I want to."
Song Shi looked at Yun Yin with a frustrated expression and said, "I thought it was Lady Luo who came to the county town, but it turns out it wasn't."
Yunyin remained unaffected and ignored him, saying, "I've already told you, I don't know anything about Lady Luo's affairs. You're wasting your time looking for me."
Even if Yunyin knew, she wouldn't tell Song Shi. After all, Yunyin didn't know him, and who knew who he was? How could she tell someone she didn't even know who Sister Aman was?
"Alright, I see the blacksmith's shop. Thank you."
Seeing that she used it and then threw it away, Song Shi gritted his teeth and said, "I don't believe you're not familiar with Madam Luo. Anyway, I have nothing to do today, so let's see if you can hold out longer or I can. I don't believe I can't get the answer out of her."
Yunyin entered the blacksmith shop. There weren't many people in the shop at the moment. She looked around and saw that most of the items were farm tools, and there were very few weapons. She picked up a horizontal sword and examined it closely. The craftsmanship was not bad. Although it couldn't compare with modern craftsmanship, it was still quite exquisite.
Yunyin put down her sword and asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have an iron pot?"
Upon hearing the noise, the shopkeeper, who came out from the backyard, said repeatedly, "Young lady, you've come at the perfect time. We happen to have an iron pot. What do you think?"
The shopkeeper took an iron pot off the shelf and handed it to Yunyin, explaining, "We don't make many of these iron pots; this is the last one. We won't be making any more until next month."
Yunyin took the large iron pot, tossed it around, and said, "Not bad, how much?"
"The price is fixed, two strings of cash."
After looking around the shop, Yunyin said, "Can you give me a discount? Two strings of cash aren't cheap."
The shopkeeper looked troubled and said, "Young lady, this is a fair price. We've always sold at this price."
"Then can you give me a spatula?" Yunyin said, pointing to the spatula placed next to her.
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'll wrap it up for you, young lady."
Just as Yunyin was about to pay, Song Shi walked in and said, "What does Madam Yun want to buy? There's no need for you to pay, I'll pay."
Yunyin ignored him and handed the shopkeeper two taels of silver, saying, "Shopkeeper, please keep this safe."
Upon receiving the official silver from Yunyin, the shopkeeper ignored Song Shi, who had just entered, and said with a beaming smile, "Thank you, thank you. Come again next time."
Yunyin walked out of the blacksmith's shop with the iron pot in her hand. Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, Song Shi was not angry and continued to follow her, saying, "Where does Madam Yun plan to go next? I'll show you the way."
Yunyin stopped and said, "I've already told you, I really don't know anything about Madam Luo. If you want to know, wouldn't it be more convenient to ask Zhao Qian?"
Song Shi frowned and said, "That Zhao Qian is a tight-lipped guy. He'll tell you anything you ask him, so I'm too lazy to ask him anything."
Yunyin's face turned cold: "So I look easy to bully?"
Seeing that she was angry, Song Shi quickly apologized, "It's my fault. I just wanted to know about Madam Luo's situation. Is she alright now? Is anyone in the clan causing her any trouble? Please just tell me, I beg you."
Yunyin really didn't want to get into a fight with him on the street, so she nodded and said, "Madam Luo is fine, you don't need to worry, and I haven't heard of her having any trouble."
Song Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, that's good."
Seeing that he had finally stopped asking questions, Yunyin continued walking towards the market.
Long'an County is much more lively than Pingxi Town, with more shops and more people out shopping.
Yunyin dodged the crowd that was pushing past her again and asked Song Shi, who had been following her, "Is there anything else?"
"Hey, I'm just doing nothing," Song Shi said with a smile. "I'm just taking a stroll."
"What else would you like to buy, Miss Yun? Oh, right, let me treat you to dinner. Have you ever tried the Eight Treasure Chicken at Manxiangju? It's absolutely delicious."
Yunyin had already spotted the pharmacy. She went in and bought some spices. She felt a pang of regret when she paid, but thankfully she hadn't used much in the cooking, so these would last a long time. She then bought some other kitchen supplies. Seeing that Song Shi was still following her, she could only reply to him, "It seems the food at Manxiangju is quite good. I saw you all highly recommend it, so I definitely need to try it."
Upon hearing this, Song Shi quickly said, "You must try it. Madam Luo also loves their Eight Treasure Chicken."
After a moment of silence, he said, "When you go back later, could you please bring one back to her?"
Yunyin shook her head: "I can't bring it for you, but I can buy one myself and bring it to her."
The light in Song Shi's eyes dimmed instantly, and he said dejectedly, "Forget it, it's fine if you take care of her. If I take care of her, she probably won't accept it."
"Then I'll treat you to dinner, that should be fine, right?"
Yunyin refused, saying, "I can't accept something for nothing. How can I take advantage of you? I'll go myself."
Song Shi stopped her and said, "Just give me this chance, as an apology for offending you before."
Seeing his sincere attitude, Yunyin thought for a moment and agreed, thinking it would be good to have more acquaintances.
When Song Shi saw that she agreed, he immediately told his page to make a reservation, while he followed Yunyin around the county town, introducing the delicacies of Manxiangju.
"Speaking of Manxiangju, besides their Eight Treasure Chicken, their roast chicken and lotus leaf steamed chicken are also particularly delicious," Song Shi said, licking his lips. "Their other dishes are just average, but their chicken is really good."
"However, the mutton at Madam Luo's house is also very delicious. I often go there to eat. You've had Madam Luo's stewed mutton before, right?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "The mutton that Lady Yun makes is indeed delicious. It's tender and the broth is flavorful. Adding flatbread gives it a different taste."
“That’s right, that’s right.” Song Shi nodded in agreement. “I got to know her because I often ate mutton from Luo Niangzi’s house.”
"Sigh, I want to marry her, but unfortunately she doesn't want to."
Yunyin glanced at the innocent Song Shi and asked, "Are your family members willing?"
Song Shi sighed and said, "My family wants me to marry a young lady from an official's family, saying it will help my future career."
"But I'm not cut out for studying. I'm at the bottom of the class in the county school. Besides, even if I were a great student, I wouldn't want to marry someone I don't like. I only want to marry Lady Luo."
Yunyin didn't want to discourage him, "Then keep working hard, and you might just be able to rank among the top students."
"Oh well, forget about it, let's go eat something delicious instead."
Yunyin followed his gaze and saw a two-story building standing in front of her. The signboard of Manxiangju hung in front of the door, fluttering in the wind. The store's signature dishes, such as eight-treasure chicken and roast chicken, were also displayed on the door.
She followed Song Shi upstairs to the second floor, sat by the window, and watched him order food.
Song Shi pointed to the shop's signature dish and asked Yun Yin, "Is there anything else you'd like to eat, Miss Yun?"
Yunyin glanced at the dishes he ordered, shook her head and said, "This is enough. Besides, you are more familiar with this place, so you can order whatever you want."
Song Shi smiled and nodded, saying, "Let's order these for now, and we can add more if it's not enough."
Manxiangju served the dishes very quickly. Yunyin observed and learned as she went. After all the dishes were served, she first tried the Eight Treasure Chicken, which was highly recommended by both Madam Luo and Song Shi.
Eight-treasure chicken is golden in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The glutinous rice inside is infused with the aroma of chicken, making it very flavorful. The lotus seeds also have their own fragrance, making them a perfect match for the chicken.
The most difficult part of this dish is deboning the whole chicken. If you're not careful, the skin will break. Yunyin carefully checked the chicken and found it to be intact and deboned very cleanly. The chef's technique was very skillful.
The eight treasures in Eight Treasure Chicken may vary depending on the region. Coastal areas tend to use more seafood, while mountainous areas use more mountain delicacies. However, glutinous rice is essential, as it is the soul of this dish.
Manxiangju's Eight Treasure Chicken uses eight treasures: glutinous rice, lotus seeds, red beans, chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, ham, and dried shrimp. It is savory, fragrant, soft, and sticky, and the dried shrimp adds a seafood flavor, no wonder it is unforgettable.
In addition to these ingredients, the chef at this restaurant also offers salt and pepper, which, when paired with chicken, creates another unique flavor, giving the chicken two different ways to be enjoyed. After finishing her meal, Yunyin nodded and said, "The taste is indeed delicious, and the chef's skills are excellent."
Song Shi said happily, "Isn't that right? I knew no one could resist this Eight Treasure Chicken. Yun Niangzi, you often make this Lotus Leaf Steamed Chicken, which has a different flavor from the Eight Treasure Chicken."
Yunyin tried all the signature dishes, and they were indeed worthy of the skills required to open a shop in Mianzhou; they were truly delicious and made you want to keep eating them.
Looking at the remaining salt and pepper seasoning, she suddenly craved salt and pepper shrimp.
Unfortunately, Manxiangju doesn't cook much seafood. You can hardly find fish or shrimp in this restaurant. Even if they are used, it's only for seasoning. It seems that the chef here isn't good at cooking fish.
However, Yunyin is very good at it. She loves to eat fish, shrimp, and crab. She even learned how to cook them before. Perhaps she should have a signature dish in the future.
Just like the mutton that Luo Niangzi makes, and the chicken from Manxiangju, she can also make fish.
After Song Shi finished eating, Yunyin asked him, "Don't people in Long'an County like to eat fish? I didn't see any fish."
After taking a sip of tea, Song Shi said, "Eat, of course we'll eat. But it takes skill to cook fish well; otherwise, it will be very fishy. Even though we're close to Pingjiang, the fish delivered to the county town are often not very fresh, so there aren't many restaurants that serve fish. Even if they do, it's usually braised. I really like sashimi, but unfortunately, this dish must be eaten fresh."
Upon hearing this, Yunyin understood. This was her advantage; there was a small river near where she lived, and Pingjiang was not far away, so there was no shortage of fish.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Song, for treating me to a delicious meal today. I'll treat you to fish next time, so please come!"
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