Chapter 54, The 54th Inn: Eating Watermelon
After the beam-raising ceremony was completed, Yunyin invited everyone to take their seats and officially began the banquet.
The main dish of the banquet was braised pork head, which was served at every table. There were also steamed pork with rice flour, steamed spare ribs with rice flour, pickled fish, and other dishes that Yunyin sold well. She had prepared all of these.
For the other diners' table, she prepared elaborate dishes such as soft-shelled eel, Song Sao fish soup, and steamed duck with fermented rice wine, partly to thank them for their care during this period, and partly to attract business.
Looking at the dishes on the table, Wang Yu said dejectedly, "Miss Yun, you have so many signature dishes, but you've never cooked one for me when I come here to eat."
Before Yunyin could speak, Xie Yan, who was sitting at the table, said, "You haven't even asked Yun Niangzi about her specialty dishes, so how can you blame her?"
Shen Rong glanced at Xie Yan: "Wang Yu is talking to Lady Yun, why are you so anxious and upset?"
Looking at the two sitting together, seemingly locked in a fierce battle, Wang Yu sighed helplessly, "I should have told Lady Yun not to arrange for you two to be together. It's one thing for you to compete with each other academically, but why do you have to compete over something like this?"
Shen Rong glanced at Wang Yu but didn't speak, and Xie Yan also remained silent.
Yunyin looked at the group and replied to Wang Yu, "Before, the place wasn't big enough, so we couldn't cook some dishes. Today, we're making sure you get a taste of something new. If you like, you can make a reservation with me. There are two types of banquets, one for five strings of cash and one for ten strings of cash."
"Five strings of cash get you ten dishes, and ten strings of cash get you twenty dishes. I'll have the menu ready in a couple of days, and you can make your reservations then."
Wang Yu looked at her and asked, "Are all the dishes available today?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "Of course there will be. There are also some more complicated dishes that I didn't have time to make today. You can check the menu; it has a description of them."
Wang Yu laughed and said, "I'm waiting for Lady Yun's menu, I must try it carefully."
After Yunyin finished serving the dishes and introducing them to the customers, she went back to the kitchen to continue her work. Fu Wang walked in from outside and said, "Ayin, what are you still busy with? Aren't you going to come and eat with us?"
Yunyin: "Why didn't you go to eat either?"
Fu Wang helped her tidy up the kitchen. "I'll help you out. We haven't had a proper chat before. Congratulations on the successful completion of your house."
Yunyin laughed: "Yes, it's really great to have my own house." She had worked hard to earn the money for this house. Although she still owed Luo Man several tens of taels of silver, everything was moving in a positive direction, and she believed she would be able to pay it off soon.
Seeing her happy expression, Fu Wang was happy for her too. He said, "I've finished making the mold you asked me to make before. When can you take a look and see if it's what you wanted?"
Yunyin: "Let's go now. Let me see if there's anything else we need to do."
Fu Wang took out a large basket from the thatched hut in front, which was filled with all kinds of molds, including molds with the characters for "fortune" and "longevity," as well as molds with vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Of course, other auspicious patterns were also included.
Yunyin said with satisfaction, "Not bad, you drew it quite well. This Pisces is very lifelike."
Fu Wang smiled and said, "Simple ones are fine, but I can't draw complicated ones. I can't draw patterns like Chang'e flying to the moon. You'll have to find someone else to draw them, and then I'll carve them out for you."
Yunyin nodded and said, "I'll find someone to draw it, and you can make it for me."
"No problem." Fu Wang looked at the molds and said, "Isn't the Mid-Autumn Festival still half a month away? Why are you preparing pastries so early?"
Yunyin said, "I plan to open the business before the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I need to prepare more mooncakes. These need to be prepared in advance."
Fu Wang: "Okay, I understand. I'll make it for you ahead of time so it won't delay your business." After thinking for a moment, he said, "I've put the bed and table and chairs in the shed next to the cowshed. When you're not busy, you can come with me to take a look."
Yunyin asked in surprise, "You finished so quickly?"
Fu Wang said somewhat reluctantly, "Yes, after all, I'm leaving after the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I've prepared all of this in advance."
Yunyin paused in wiping the table, reluctantly saying, "Indeed, I almost forgot that you have your own things to do."
For the past two months, she had spent every day with Fu Wang and had become accustomed to his presence. When she suddenly heard that he was leaving, she felt a little reluctant. However, the thought that he might be able to find other seeds when he returned made her happy again.
"It's perfect that you can try the seeds you brought back before you leave. I went to the field a couple of days ago and some of the melons are already ripe. Today, we can all have a taste and see how my watermelons taste."
"I didn't expect them to ripen so quickly," Fu Wang said expectantly. "I'm sure the watermelons you grow will taste good."
Yunyin waved her hand and said, "Please don't say that. I don't know anything about farming. I learned everything on the spot. Zhang Lin does more than I do. He does most of the fertilizing and weeding. I can only learn from him."
Fu Wang replied, "That's because you have a discerning eye. Zhang Lin and Luo Tian have both played a role with you, and you haven't treated them unfairly. No wonder they speak of you with such trust."
Yunyin: "Don't you treat your brothers well? I heard that you split the profits with them. This escort agency is not only yours, but also theirs."
Fu Wang said, "I have been through thick and thin with them, so I naturally trust them more. But you have been really good to them. Not only do you pay them well, but they also eat the same food as you. Do you know how rare that is?"
Yunyin didn't know this; she only knew that what she was being paid now wasn't much, at least not in her time. The pay was generally average, and there weren't even days off. However, she didn't have days off either; that's how it was in the food business—no days off all year round. But she would still take breaks when she wanted to, and they could rest with her.
Yunyin smiled and said, "As long as they are satisfied, that's good. This is all the conditions I can offer right now. We'll talk about it when the conditions improve."
After speaking with him, Yunyin walked into the courtyard. By this time, the craftsmen had almost finished eating. She greeted Qian Si and walked to the well. The well was now usable, with a wooden roof covering it. She could tie buckets down and lower them at any time, and she could also chill a lot of food.
She took a wooden bucket from the well, which contained several watermelons. At this time, the watermelons were very small, far smaller than the ones she had carefully cultivated later. She took them to the kitchen and cut them open with a fruit knife in a few strokes. The flesh was pinkish-white, and the seeds were not only dense but also large. Yunyin looked at the watermelon, pursed her lips, and said, "This watermelon doesn't look very good. I wonder how it tastes."
Fu Wang peeked out and said, "Watermelons are supposed to look like this. They taste pretty good. I've had them in the Western Regions before; they were quite sweet."
Yunyin took a bite with some skepticism. It was sweet, but the taste was vastly different from the melons she had eaten before. Seeing that Fu Wang seemed quite satisfied, she thought that this might be a generational gap.
She carried the melon platter into the yard, served a large portion to Qian Si and the others, and said to them, "Try it, these are melons I grew myself. If you like them, you can ask me for seeds so you can grow your own in the future."
She handed Zhang Lin and Zheng Guilan a melon, and even Fang He, who was standing nearby, received one. She said to Zheng Guilan, "You can also tell the people in your village to come to me for seeds."
Zheng Guilan took the watermelon and said gratefully, "Thank you, madam. I will take it with me."
After delivering the watermelons to everyone, Yunyin saved some for Fu Wang and took the rest to the hall, placing a portion on each of their tables: "Try it and see how it tastes."
Luo Man said, "The watermelons your sister grew are ready to eat. They were just starting to bloom when I last saw them."
Yunyin smiled and said, "Yes, there has been less rain this year, so the melons are growing quite well and there are still quite a few left. You can take a few back with you after you finish eating them."
The guests at the other table immediately said, "Thank you very much, Manager Yun. The food today was extremely satisfying. When can we book a banquet?"
Yunyin said, "You can make reservations after the official opening."
When will Lady Yun open for business?
"It will be about ten days from now. I will send you invitations then. There will be activities on the opening day."
The person asked curiously, "What kind of event is it?"
Yunyin smiled and said, "You'll know when that day comes."
After keeping everyone in suspense, Yunyin called Song Shi out and asked, "Young Master Song, I remember you can paint, right?"
Song Shi: "How could Lady Yun know?"
"I learned about this from a casual conversation with Jingxuan. I wonder if Mr. Song could paint a picture for me?"
Song asked curiously, "What does Lady Yun want to paint?"
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and I want to make some mooncakes. I need a design of Chang'e flying to the moon, but I don't know anyone who can draw, so I can only ask you for help."
After a moment of contemplation, Song Shi said, "I can paint the Chang'e Flying to the Moon picture. Where do you plan to paint it?"
Yunyin called Fu Wang over and said to the two of them, "Take a look at how to draw the picture of Chang'e flying to the moon. I plan to make a larger mooncake."
After the two of them started discussing, Yunyin called Qian Si over and said, "Qian Gong, I don't know if you know how to build an oven. I plan to build another oven next to the kitchen so that it will be convenient for me to bake some things."
After thinking for a moment, Qian Si said, "This is very simple. I can arrange for someone to do it for you in a day or two."
Yunyin: "Well, thank you very much, Mr. Qian. How much would it cost to build such a furnace?"
“The materials are all readily available, so there’s no need to buy them separately. Just give them some wages.” He called over a few people and said, “These men all know how to build furnaces. Give each of them fifty coins.”
Fifty coins per person is indeed not expensive, but four people would need two hundred coins. Yunyin explained her needs to them, and the group said earnestly, "Don't worry, Lady Yun, we will definitely build it for you."
After resolving the oven issue, Yunyin waited for the house to be fully completed. Once all the tiles were installed and the exterior walls were painted, her inn would be completely finished.
As she was planning how to decorate the inn, a woman walked in from outside. She was a familiar face, and Yunyin stepped forward and asked, "Madam Wan, is there anything Miss Xia needs today?"
Author's Note: [Let me see]
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