Chapter 24, Inn No. 24: Chinese Pastries
Two people definitely can't cultivate a hundred acres of land. Yunyin surveyed the nearby land and found that the soil quality was indeed as Sun Lizheng had said—very poor, and it would take a lot of time to cultivate it properly.
She looked around and found that there weren't many good plots of land; even ten acres would be considered good, and the rest were very barren land.
Even if she rents it out, no one might be willing to farm it. Grain prices have already fallen this year, and it's impossible to save money by farming. If no one is willing to rent the land, she'll have to hire people. She can't just watch the land sit idle; she'll tend to it and hopefully it will recover eventually.
Yunyin looked around and realized she could dig a pond nearby. It would serve two purposes: first, to raise fish and grow lotus flowers; and second, to irrigate the hundred acres of land.
As for the fifty acres of land that cannot be planted, Yunyin also has a plan. In her comprehensive guide to aquaculture, there are aquatic products to raise, such as shrimp, crabs, eels, and loaches, all of which can be raised.
She likes braised prawns and spicy crab, so since she has the means, she can naturally raise them.
She has over a hundred acres of land, so she can do whatever she wants with it. As long as the food stall can continue to make money, she has nothing to worry about.
The next day, after Yunyin finished making the mushroom sauce, her rented car arrived. Zhang Lin helped load all the sauces into the car and said to Yunyin, "Shopkeeper, I'll continue watching the shop and wait for you to come back before we go to Linjiang Village?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "No rush. I'll make arrangements when I get back. I still need to hire people to clear the land and ask Sister Qian to buy vegetables and eggs. They'll come in handy then."
After arriving in the county town by car, Yunyin delivered the goods and took the remaining sauce to Fu Wang's courtyard.
Just then, Fu Wang came out of the courtyard. He said, "Is Lady Yun here to see me?"
Yunyin smiled and said, "Didn't you say you were leaving today? I just made some mushroom sauce, these are for you, consider it a farewell gift."
Fu Wang was surprised by the ten jars of mushroom sauce she carried down. He stepped forward to help and said, "There's no need to spend so much. You've only just bought the land and it's already cost you a lot of money."
Yunyin puffed out her cheeks and said, "Aren't we friends? How can you refuse a gift from a friend? Besides, I made all of these myself, how much could they have cost?"
Fu Wang was at a loss for words. Seeing that she had misunderstood, he quickly explained, "That's not what I meant."
Seeing that Yunyin was about to glare at him again, he quickly said, "Okay, I'll accept it. What I mean is that friends don't need to exchange gifts. I'm very grateful that you're giving me one."
"I understand, I won't see you off anymore." Yunyin snorted and picked up the mushroom sauce, walking towards the yard.
Fu Wang carried the remaining mushroom sauce and caught up with her, saying, "I misspoke, please don't be angry. I'm very happy that you gave me something, it's just that I'm not very good at expressing myself."
He said solemnly, "Miss Yun, I'm not good with words, please don't be angry."
Yunyin chuckled and said, "I'm not angry. It's just that I've only been with friends before, so I don't know how to get along with you. If I've done anything wrong, you can tell me directly."
Fu Wang breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're not angry. In time, you'll know what kind of person I am. You don't need to feel burdened. Only when you get along well can friendship last."
"Was it pleasant?" Yunyin recalled the short time she had known him, and it was indeed quite pleasant. She nodded and said, "I know, I was really happy to be with you."
Just as the two were chatting, there was a knock at the door. Yunyin went out and saw Song Shi's pageboy. "Shou'er, what are you doing here?"
After bowing, Shou'er said, "Madam Yun, my wife wants to discuss something with you. She is currently at a teahouse in the West Market."
Yunyin nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go in a bit."
She turned to Fu Wang and said, "I have to go now, I won't be able to see you off later."
Fu Wang nodded and said, "Miss Yun, go ahead and get busy. I'll be leaving soon too."
"I'm sorry I'm late." Yunyin followed Shou'er to the teahouse, where Song Xuan had been waiting for a while. She quickly apologized.
Song Xuan poured her a cup of tea and said, "No, I just arrived a little while ago. I was originally planning to send someone to your place to let you know, but Chun Tao unexpectedly saw you on the street, so I asked Shou'er to invite you over."
"I wonder when you'll be free, Miss Yun? My mother would like to try your pastries," Song Xuan said apologetically. "Although my mother was very satisfied with your lotus flower pastries, she still needs to see how you make other pastries."
“That day was very important to me, and my mother was worried that something might go wrong.”
Yunyin agreed, "Your mother has considered everything very thoroughly. I have some free time today, and if it's convenient at your residence, I can go with you right now."
The residence of a registrar is usually located near the county government office, but the Song family had been operating in Long'an County for generations and had already acquired considerable property. Although they were still from humble beginnings, if Song Shi were to pass the imperial examination, it would bring them one step closer to changing their social standing.
Yunyin followed Song Xuan into the Song family mansion. The Song family mansion was a two-courtyard house, and although it only had two courtyards, it covered a large area.
Upon entering the backyard and passing through the hanging flower gate, a slightly plump woman approached and bowed, saying, "Madam, the mistress is already waiting."
Yunyin followed the woman into the main room. At the head of the hall sat a beautiful woman whose features bore a resemblance to Song Xuan.
As soon as she stepped forward and bowed, the woman took Yunyin's hand and said, "What a beautiful and charming young lady, as lovely as a flower and as skillful as a fairy. The lotus flower pastry you made is so lifelike."
Yunyin lowered her eyes and smiled, "Thank you for your praise, Madam Registrar."
She gestured to the maid to serve tea, saying, "I suppose Xuan'er has already told you, young lady. I'll have to trouble you this time. The payment will be as Xuan'er suggested."
Yunyin nodded and said, "I wonder if the Registrar's wife has prepared everything I need?"
"I've already prepared the milk. Young lady, please come with Liu'er to the kitchen."
Yunyin followed Liu'er to the kitchen in the next courtyard. The kitchen had already turned off the fire, and the cook had prepared everything she needed. She said to her, "If you need anything else, just call me. I'll be waiting for your instructions in the courtyard."
She casually glanced at the prepared materials, looked up, and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
Yunyin mainly made snow skin mooncakes, jujube pastries, and peach blossom pastries this time. As for the lotus blossom pastries, the registrar's wife has already tasted them, so there's no need to make them again.
Of these pastries, the jujube pastry is the most complicated to make, especially the flaky topping on the jujubes, which requires special attention; otherwise, you won't be able to make a beautiful flaky pastry.
Prepare a dough for the water-based dough and a filling for the oil-based dough. For the oil-based dough, mix low-gluten flour with lard and knead into a dough. For the water-based dough, mix all-purpose flour with red yeast rice powder, sugar, lard, and water until smooth.
Let the kneaded dough rest for a while. Roll out the oil dough and the oil-based dough separately. Then wrap the oil-based dough with the oil dough and lock the edges. Roll the wrapped dough into a thin sheet, divide it into three parts and fold them up.
Set the folded dough aside to rest. Once rested, roll the dough out flat again and cut it into several equal pieces, ensuring that each piece is the same width.
Next, brush each piece with egg wash, stack them all together, and once the dough has hardened, cut it into thin slices. This completes the outer layer of the jujube pastry.
Then wrap the jujube in this thin slice, seal it with egg wash, and finally make the stem of the jujube and stick it on top of the jujube. A beautiful jujube pastry is now ready.
As for how to form the shape of a mille-feuille, just fry it in oil, and the pastry will form beautiful vertical stripes. Whether you look at it up close or from a distance, it looks like a jujube.
Yunyin quickly fried a plate of jujube pastries. As for the peach blossom pastries, she made them while she was making the jujube pastries, and then put them in the oven to bake.
The clerk's family often made pastries, and they had an oven. Yunyin only needed to put the pastries in the oven, and someone else would take care of them.
After making the jujube pastries and peach blossom pastries, only the simplest thing left is the mochi. Mochi is easy to make, but since there's no cream available, Yunyin will have to whip it herself.
Cream mixed with red bean paste is wrapped in steamed dough, and a snow-white, soft and glutinous mochi lands on a white porcelain plate like an elf.
In the main hall, Song Xuan was discussing the coming-of-age ceremony with her mother when she suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance. Turning around, she saw Yun Yin carrying pastries in.
The food box was opened, and bright red dates appeared before their eyes. The registrar's wife frowned and said, "Why are dates served here? Is this the pastry that Lady Yun mentioned?"
Song Xuan opened her mouth wide in surprise, and it took her a long time to close it before she said, "Mother, this isn't a real date."
The registrar's wife gasped, gripped her handkerchief tightly, and went to the table. Seeing the pastries that looked exactly like real dates, she exclaimed, "Is this really not real?"
Yunyin was already used to their shock; after all, she herself was stunned for a long time when she first saw them. Chinese pastries have a long history, and there are countless kinds of pastries like jujube cakes.
One of the more famous examples is the Suzhou-style boat-shaped pastry, which transforms pastries into works of art through the creation of various shapes.
"Madam Registrar, Miss Song, would you like to try some?"
Seeing that the two of them hadn't come to their senses for a long time, Yunyin quickly said, "If you have any questions, you can ask them."
The registrar's wife slowly sat back down in her chair, took the bamboo stick handed to her by the maid, picked up a lifelike candied date, the outer skin was crispy and the date was sweet and glutinous, the two combined, one crisp and one soft, like the two poles of yin and yang, achieving a balance of flavors.
Snow skin mooncakes have a different texture. The outer skin is soft, chewy and bouncy. When you bite into it, you can see the creamy filling inside. The red bean paste and cream are intertwined, creating a unique flavor.
When she finished eating the last peach blossom pastry, the clerk's wife was filled with admiration. Although they were both pastries, the peach blossom pastry and the jujube pastry were completely different.
These pastries are not only beautiful but also delicious. The registrar's wife put down her bamboo stick and said solemnly, "The pastries for the banquet in half a month will be entrusted to Lady Yun. If you have any other requests, I will agree to them. Please make sure everything goes perfectly."
The clerk's wife could already imagine how popular these pastries would be.
Yunyin smiled and said, "Everything else is fine, but the manor will need to put in extra effort regarding the ingredients. The milk must be fresh."
The registrar's wife nodded and said, "Don't worry, Lady Yun, I will definitely prepare the ingredients according to your requirements."
She gave a wink to the maid behind her, who quickly stepped forward and handed Yunyin a purse.
The registrar's wife took Yunyin's hand and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
Yunyin didn't want to accept it, but she didn't want to refuse the Chief Clerk's kindness, so she nodded and said, "Rest assured, Chief Clerk, I will do my best."
After seeing her mother finish speaking with Lady Yun, Song Xuan got up to see her out. The usually taciturn Song Xuan slowly revealed a faint smile: "It's a good thing that my brother took me to Lady Yun's restaurant that day, otherwise I would have missed your cooking skills."
Yunyin could clearly sense Song Xuan's joy. Who wouldn't want their coming-of-age ceremony to be perfect? She understood. "Don't worry, Miss Song, just wait patiently for your coming-of-age ceremony."
Leaving the registrar's residence, Yunyin took out the purse and looked at it. It contained half a string of coins, and she couldn't help but marvel at the registrar's wife's generosity.
A note from the author: All the dessert recipes in this article are based on information from Baidu, Bilibili, and other sources.
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