Chapter 52, The 52nd Inn, Qixi Festival
The crispy roasted rabbit was sprinkled with sesame seeds. The skin was crispy and sweet, and the rabbit meat was tender. The salty, savory and numbing flavor stimulated Wang Yu as soon as it entered her mouth. Although the taste was very numbing, she wanted to eat more and couldn't stop.
He picked up a piece of rabbit meat and said to Shen Rong, "Am I right? It really is delicious."
Shen Rong slowly picked up a piece of meat, took a small bite, and savored it carefully, saying, "Hmm, it is indeed very fragrant. It makes me want to try the braised meat that you've been longing for. I wonder what it tastes like."
Wang Yu said, "Let me ask Lady Yun."
He had barely finished speaking when he heard Yunyin ask, "Young Master Wang, what do you want to ask me?"
Wang Yu turned around and looked at the two people who brought the dishes up. He coughed lightly and said, "I wanted to ask if you could make me a pot of braised pork? I'll pay you."
Yunyin wiped her hands with her apron, sat down at their table and said, "I can help you make braised dishes, but there's a condition."
Wang Yu asked expectantly, "What are the conditions?"
"Leave the braising liquid for making braised dishes for me, and I won't charge you anything else. What do you think?"
"Deal." Wang Yu agreed without hesitation. "What do you need? I can provide that for you too."
The broth Yunyin used for making braised dishes before was actually for braising pigeons, so she didn't use many of the stronger-flavored braising spices. This time, she could finally use them all. She said, "I'll go to the county town to buy spices tomorrow. I should be able to get most of them. If I can't find them in the county town, then it will be very difficult to find them here." For example, things like chili peppers are hard to find, so she had to use dogwood instead.
Thinking of this, she asked Wang Yu, "Do you guys eat spicy food?"
It's been hot lately, so she hasn't cooked any spicy dishes or used any dogwood, and she's really not sure if they can handle spicy food.
Wang Yu nodded and said, "Of course I'll eat spicy food. Are you going to make a spicy flavor this time?"
Yunyin: "Yes, that's definitely the plan."
Wang Yu: "Then I'll look forward to it."
Having agreed on this, Yunyin didn't disturb their meal. She got up to find Fu Wang and saw him eating a rabbit leg. She asked, "How is it? Do you like rabbit meat cooked like this?"
Fu Wang nodded and said, "I like it quite a bit." Seeing that Yun Yin looked a little disappointed, he put down the rabbit meat and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yunyin shook her head and said, "If I had chili peppers, I could make cold-served rabbit. It has a completely different flavor from roasted rabbit, and you can take it with you on the road."
"What is a chili pepper?" Fu Wang asked curiously. "Like dogwood? Is it spicy?"
Yunyin sighed for a moment and said, "It has a spicy taste, and the fruit is red. It's small and different from dogwood. Its plant is much shorter. At first, many people used it as an ornamental plant, but later they started to eat it."
Fu Wang: "Is this food from your hometown?"
Yunyin smiled and said, "There might be some here too, but I don't know where they are right now, or if they haven't been discovered yet." Actually, she knew where chili peppers were now; they were growing in the Americas, then spread to Europe, and finally to Asia. She didn't know if there were chili peppers in Europe now.
Seeing that Yunyin was very interested in this thing called chili pepper, Fu Wang asked, "Do you have a picture of this thing? I can keep an eye out for it in the future, and if I find it, I will bring it back to you."
Yunyin thought of her picture book with chili peppers on the tree, and her eyes lit up. "Yes, I will draw one for you when I get back tonight and give it to you tomorrow."
Seeing her smile, Fu Wang felt relieved and said, "Don't worry, I will help you find some uncommon seeds or ingredients on this trip to the Western Regions. If there is anything else you want, you can tell me."
Yunyin nodded vigorously and said, "I understand, thank you."
The thought of possibly finding chili peppers filled Yunyin with joy. She walked briskly back to the kitchen, and as she passed Wang Yu, he asked, "Yun Niangzi, I heard you have a martial arts competition to watch here? When can we watch it?"
Yunyin paused, turned around and asked, "Who told you that?"
Wang Yu: "I heard it from passersby in the county. They said there was a competition here a few days ago. I brought Arong here today, not only to eat your cooking, but also to watch the competition."
Yunyin and Fu Wang exchanged a glance, and she smiled helplessly, "There was no martial arts competition. I just exchanged a few moves with Young Master Fu. You're exaggerating." She never expected the rumors to be so outrageous and spread like this.
Wang Yu said with a disappointed look, "I thought I would be able to see a martial arts competition. It would be so exciting."
Yunyin thought for a moment and said, "There won't be a martial arts competition, but if you want to watch, I will teach Fang He martial arts this afternoon, and you can sit and watch and learn."
Wang Yu: "I'm not interested in children; I prefer something more exciting."
Yunyin shrugged and said, "Then there isn't. I don't have that kind of activity here."
Just as the two of them were chatting, a carriage came from a distance. Wan Leqiao got off the carriage with her people and directed them, "Carry your things and follow me."
Yunyin noticed the newcomer out of the corner of her eye. She stopped chatting with Wang Yu and stepped forward to ask, "Madam Wan, why are you here at this time? Is there something wrong with the dishes from before?"
Wan Leqiao shook her head and said, "No, you taught very well. My wife is very grateful to you and specially asked me to bring you some things."
She told them to put the things down, and smiled apologetically at Yunyin, saying, "When I got back, my wife scolded me, saying I shouldn't have come to you to ask for the family heirloom. She said that these recipes are usually passed down in aristocratic families and are not easily passed on."
"She was very sorry, so she asked me to bring you a piece of silk, along with some fresh flowers, fruit, and ice, as her way of apologizing."
Yunyin looked at the soft silk and sighed softly, "Miss Xia is too kind. It's no trouble at all that I can teach you, especially since you've already paid your tuition."
Wan Leqiao lowered her eyes and said, "It is because of your kindness that you are willing to teach me, Madam Yun. My wife has already taught me, and she has also returned the money for the repairs to me, saying that it was all because of her that this happened."
"Miss Yun, please keep these things, otherwise I won't be able to explain them when I get back."
Yunyin said, "Alright, put it down. Please thank Madam Xia for me." After thinking for a moment, she turned around and picked up a basket, saying, "Take these mushrooms back and cook them for Madam Xia. They are all fresh mushrooms. It's kind of you to make this trip."
Wan Leqiao looked at the unusual mushrooms in the basket and quickly said, "Not at all, I'm the one causing trouble for Lady Yun."
After seeing Wan Leqiao off, Yunyin sighed as she looked at the things scattered on the ground. Fu Wang walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Someone gave you something and you're still not happy?"
Yunyin shook her head and said, "I don't have any, it's just that I don't have a chance to wear this silk, it's inconvenient for working."
Fu Wang looked at the moon-white silk and thought for a moment before saying, "This silk has a refreshing color, which is perfect for making summer dresses. It just so happens that the Qixi Festival is in a few days, so you can wear this dress to pray for skill."
Yunyin looked up at Fu Wang: "Is the Qiqiao Festival coming soon?" She thought about it and realized that Qiqiao was the Qixi Festival, which was indeed in a few days. She said, "Since the Qiqiao Festival is coming soon, I should make Qiaoguo (a type of pastry)."
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "Do you only remember the food? Don't you know what the most important thing about the Qixi Festival is?"
Yunyin asked in confusion, "What else is there?"
"Never mind." Fu Wang sighed deeply and changed the subject. "Let's not talk about this anymore. You should pack up these things first. The ice needs to be stored away as soon as possible, or it will melt."
Seeing that he really didn't intend to say anything, Yunyin shrugged and called Zhang Lin over to help move these things to her room.
The lotus flowers that Xia Xiaoniangzi had given her had already withered after she had enjoyed them. Other potted flowers, such as peonies, had also long since faded. The only flowers still in bloom now were gardenias.
The gardenias were very fragrant. Yunyin only had two pots outside her house, but the fragrance spread far and wide. Every morning when she woke up, she would smell the fragrance of the flowers; it smelled wonderful.
Now, Xia Xiaoniangzi gave her two more pots of jasmine flowers, which had a different fragrance from gardenias. She put the two pots of flowers on the other side and looked at another pot of hollyhocks and roses. The roses were bright red, and it was the season when they were in full bloom. The flowers were clustered together and looked very beautiful.
She looked at the rose bush and thought how beautiful it would be if she could nurture it well and let it spread throughout the area. She wanted to plant this rose bush in the newly built inn and let it climb all over the courtyard wall.
As for the hollyhock, this plant can grow to about ten feet tall, and it will need to be planted in the yard later. For now, it's best to keep it in a flowerpot. Once she has a better plan, she'll decide where to plant it. Fortunately, the hollyhock that Madam Luo gave her is still small, so it can be kept in the flowerpot for a while.
After tidying up the flowers and storing the ice, Yunyin returned to the food stall. Just then, Wang Yu saw her coming and quickly said, "Miss Yun, let me give you the money for the spices first. I have something to do in a bit, so I'll leave first and come back to find you tomorrow."
Yunyin took the money bag and said, "No problem. Come over tomorrow, and I'll go to town this afternoon. If there's any money left, I'll give it to you tomorrow."
Wang Yu waved his hand and said, "You do as you see fit. I'm leaving now. I've already paid for the meal for Madam Zheng."
Yunyin watched them leave in a hurry, shook her head and went to tidy up the table. Zheng Guilan handed her the money she had just received.
Time passed quietly, and soon the Qixi Festival arrived. Yunyin's food stall was closed on this day. Everyone gathered together to eat and drink. Several girls chatted and laughed together, while several men could only sit helplessly to the side and watch them have fun.
Yunyin asked Luo Man with a smile, "Sister Aman, how have you been? It's been so long since I've seen you."
Luo Man rolled her eyes at her and said, "It hasn't been that long, we just met. But Miss Song, it's been so long since I've seen you. I didn't expect you to come today."
Song Xuan covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed, "I begged my mother for a long time before she agreed to let me come out. Besides, I had already performed the Qixi Festival before coming out, so I'm just here to play with you guys."
Yunyin: "It's okay. I was just thinking that today is the Qixi Festival, so we should all get together. It's been a long time since we've all gathered."
She took out the bayberry wine she had made earlier and said, "The bayberry wine I made earlier is ready to drink. You can try it."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
