Chapter 79 The 79th Inn: Chaoshan Rice Noodle Rolls and Guests
Zhang Lin quickly picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of rice noodle roll, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth. The rice noodle roll was delicate and smooth, and the sauce was sweet and delicious. He wasn't satisfied with just one piece, so he picked up another, dipped it in the sauce, and ate it quickly. This time, he noticed that the lean meat inside was also very tender and delicious, and the steamed egg was also tasty.
The rice noodle roll skin is very thin and translucent. It's incredibly tender and smooth when coated in the sauce, and it's very flavorful. I wonder what Yun Niangzi put in the sauce. This sauce is also delicious when used to mix with noodles.
Seeing that Zhang Lin remained silent for a while, Yunyin looked up at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhang Lin came to his senses and said, "No, it's just that it's very delicious, so I don't know what to say. I'll make it again tomorrow, and they'll definitely like it."
After quickly making several servings of rice noodle rolls, Yunyin said to Zhang Lin, "You try it next, I'll take a look first."
She called Zheng Guilan over and asked her to deliver these rice noodle rolls to the woman in the cotton field, while she stayed behind to watch Zhang Lin make rice noodle rolls.
Zheng Guilan ran to the field with her basket, while Fang He stayed behind to see what Zhang Lin would do.
Zhang Lin took a deep breath and scooped a spoonful of rice paste from the bucket. Before he could pour it into the bamboo nest, Yun Yin stopped him.
"Didn't you see I stir the rice paste every time I scooped it? Put it down and stir it again. Also, you scooped too much rice paste; half a spoonful is about right. By the way, did you brush oil on the bamboo tray?"
Zhang Lin didn't expect that everything would go wrong as soon as he started. He quickly brushed oil on the bamboo basket and followed Yunyin's instructions step by step. She even reminded him of the time to take it off the heat. Finally, he successfully made a plate of rice noodle rolls.
He poured the sauce over the food, gave a little to Fang He who was standing nearby, and gave the rest to Yun Yin, saying, "Wife, you should try it."
Yunyin shared some with him, saying, "Try it yourself, see what your creation looks like, and remember the feeling."
Bamboo-stuffed rice noodle rolls have a slightly stronger bamboo aroma than other types of rice noodle rolls, a flavor that cloth-steamed rice noodle rolls and drawer-style rice noodle rolls lack. The rice noodle skin is also more chewy, making it very smooth to eat.
Yunyin chose this tool because it was readily available; other tools for making rice noodle rolls were not available to her at the moment. However, bamboo rice noodle rolls were the earliest type of rice noodle rolls, but both the speed of making rice noodle rolls and the cleaning were more troublesome than other tools, so they were gradually phased out later.
Yunyin used to see more drawer-style rice noodle rolls on the street, which are the most convenient and easiest to clean.
She put down her chopsticks and nodded, saying, "That's right, do it this way. Make a few more portions and I'll send them to Qian Gong and the others."
Zhang Lin was delighted to receive the praise. Following Yunyin's instructions, he made several more batches. The more he made, the more skilled he became. Eventually, he didn't need any reminders and knew exactly when to take them out of the pot.
Yunyin poured sauce over each serving of rice noodle rolls, put them in a basket, and carried it toward the construction site next door. Fanghe wanted to help carry a basket, but Yunyin shook her head and said, "Don't go there, there are stones everywhere."
Seeing that Fang He was doing nothing, Zhang Lin quickly called out to her, "Ahe, come here and help me deliver the rice noodle rolls to Brother Cheng and the others."
Seeing that she had something to do, Fang He didn't follow Yun Yin. Instead, she quickly ran a few steps, carrying the freshly made rice noodle rolls to the main hall.
Yunyin carried the basket to the next room, where Qian Si was talking to someone while holding blueprints. She went to their resting place, put down the basket, and said after they finished talking, "Come and have something to eat. You must be hungry. I made some rice noodle rolls. Come and eat quickly."
Qian Si washed his hands and plopped down on the straw mat, wiping his sweat as he said, "Thank you, Lady Yun." He took a plate of rice noodle rolls and asked curiously, "What kind of food is this? It looks a bit like the cold noodles in your shop." Qian Si had eaten cold noodles at Luo Man's shop and knew that this was sold at Yun Yin's shop. He quite liked the texture of cold noodles, especially when he had no appetite in the summer; eating this was very comforting.
Yunyin explained the difference between rice noodle rolls and cold noodles to him, then called the workers over to eat. Looking at the foundation that had already been laid, she asked Qian Si, "Can these two courtyards be built before the soil freezes?"
After finishing a plate of rice noodle rolls, Qian Si was still not satisfied. Although the texture was different from that of cold noodles, it was still delicious. Hearing Yun Yin's question, he nodded and said, "No problem, it will be finished next month."
After learning the result, Yunyin didn't disturb them from eating. "Then you can eat first. Put your plates here when you're done, and I'll come back to collect them later."
She walked past them and headed into the cotton field. Sister Qian and the others had finished eating and started working again. When they saw Yunyin coming over, they all thanked her.
Qian Xing pulled Yun Yin to sit down. "The food you gave me is really delicious. I've never eaten anything like this before. It's called rice noodle roll, right? It's really broadened my horizons."
The other women chimed in, one of them asking while working, "Miss Yun, how did you make this food?"
Qian Xing glared at the person and interrupted her, "This is Lady Yun's cooking skill, how can you just teach it to anyone? Stop asking."
The woman slapped her mouth hard. "Madam Yun, I'm so sorry. I spoke without thinking. Please pretend I didn't say anything. I didn't mean it."
Yunyin shook her head and said, "It's not that difficult. I can teach you a simple method."
There are many kinds of rice noodle rolls, and what she made was just one of them. There is another kind of rice noodle roll that is filled with bean sprouts, green vegetables, mushrooms and other vegetables, and the soup is also different. It tastes very good.
Yunyin loves to eat it, but she only taught Zhang Lin how to make Cantonese rice noodle rolls. This only requires preparing the sauce and some chopped green onions; no side dishes like vegetables or bean sprouts are needed. However, she could teach the older women another way to make it. They can make it at home in the mornings, and it uses aged rice, which is inexpensive. The ingredients are readily available in every household, making it a cheap and delicious dish.
When Qian Xing heard that Yun Yin was willing to teach them, she took Yun Yin's hand and said, "Miss Yun, please don't make things difficult for her. She was just saying it. You shouldn't teach your skills to just anyone."
Yunyin patted Sister Qian's hand, "I know, but there really isn't a secret recipe for rice noodle rolls. Besides, grinding rice flour every day is hard work. Even if someone learns it and sells it, they can only earn a meager living. If you want to learn, I can teach you another way to make it. It tastes great and is easy to make."
The women looked at each other, moved closer to her, and listened to her explain the specific steps.
Yunyin taught them the Chaoshan method, which is different from the Cantonese rice noodle rolls that emphasize thin and translucent skin. The Chaoshan rice noodle rolls have thinner skin, are softer and smoother, and are filled with a lot of vegetables. Finally, they are garnished with pickled radish.
She explained the recipe to them several times, and seeing that they had all memorized it, she smiled and said, "Actually, you can add whatever side dishes you want. Mung beans are also easy to sprout. If you don't want to sprout beans, you can use other vegetables instead. I taught you this recipe because I thought it would be good for us to eat, and you can add a lot of other dishes."
The sauce is also simpler to make. There's no need to pursue a very fresh sauce, and the mushrooms and minced garlic don't need to be filtered. This kind of sauce is more suitable for them.
Qian Xingji said, "I remember you don't have a stone mill at home. Using old rice can indeed save a lot of money. If you want to make it, you can bring your rice to my house to grind it into rice paste."
The others quickly replied with smiles, "Thank you very much, Sister Qian."
After discussing making rice noodle rolls, Yunyin noticed that the cotton baskets tied with ropes had all been seeded, and the seeds had been placed separately as she had instructed. She picked up a basket and said to the group, "I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take these seeds back first. You can continue with your work."
Yunyin carried the seeds back to the courtyard and saw Ma Hao coming out of the main hall. She called out to him, "Have you finished eating your rice noodle rolls? If you have, please carry the bamboo basket with the rope tied to it over here and put it in the backyard."
Ma Hao agreed and went to the cotton field to fetch a bamboo basket, while Yunyin took the basket of seeds to the backyard.
It's called a backyard, but it's actually just an open space. There are a lot of bamboo poles hanging on the right, which are usually used to dry clothes. On the left, under the eaves, there are many racks with winnowing baskets on them, which are used to dry vegetables.
As the inn gradually became more crowded, Yunyin stopped drying things in the front and moved them to the back to dry, since there was more space there.
She had originally planned to dig a pond in the open space in front of the house and plant some lotus roots and such. She had saved up money to hire people, but now that she wants to expand the house, this matter has been delayed and she can only wait until next year. She will definitely plant lotus seeds next spring so that she can eat lotus seeds in the summer and lotus roots in the autumn and winter. Even the lotus leaves can be used to make tea and can be used to pack food. The whole lotus is a treasure.
Yunyin took a winnowing basket from the shelf and placed it on a wooden frame in the open space. She then placed the cotton seeds from the basket on it to dry until they were completely dry, so that the seeds could be preserved and would not mold.
She had to turn the seeds over frequently while drying them to prevent them from losing their vitality due to excessive sun exposure. These seeds were carefully selected by her, and she couldn't afford to lose any of them, as she would be relying on them for next year's winter clothes and quilts.
While Yunyin was spreading out the seeds to dry, Ma Hao went to move some more. Several of the women, seeing that he was tall, strong, and looked very energetic, asked, "Young master, are you ready for marriage?"
Ma Hao shook his head and stepped forward to move the bamboo basket. Ma's wife smiled and said, "Would you like me to introduce you to a wife? I have a niece who is both beautiful and hardworking..."
Before she could finish speaking, another sister-in-law interrupted her, saying, "I also have a younger sister, gentle and virtuous, just right for you. Would you like to meet her, sir?"
Ma Hao blushed as his sisters-in-law teased him. He picked up a basket of seeds in each hand and ran away as fast as he could.
Seeing this, the other women burst into laughter. Qian Xing watched his retreating figure and said, "I must say, he's really strong. I really want to introduce him to a wife."
Yunyin had just finished drying a basket of seeds when she saw him running over, panting. He put down two baskets of seeds and took a long time to catch his breath. She asked in surprise, "What happened to you? Did a dog chase you? You're running like this. Wasn't Heidou tied up in the cowshed?"
Ma Hao wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head, saying, "No dog is chasing me, Lady Yun. You should let Zhang Lin deal with those women in the future. I'm a little afraid of them."
"What's wrong with them? They're not going to eat you up, are they?"
Ma Hao shrugged and said, "It's even scarier than eating them. They're so talkative. Everyone says they want to introduce me to a wife. I'm really scared of them."
Yunyin looked at him and raised an eyebrow, saying, "To be honest, you are indeed at the age where you should get married. Haven't Fu Wang and the others introduced you to any wives?"
“Miss Yun, why are you bringing this up too? Apart from Brother Cheng, none of the others have wives. They don’t know any girls, so how could they introduce me to anyone? Let’s not talk about this anymore, I’ll help you.”
Yunyin smiled and said, "Alright, I won't force you if you don't want to. But if you want to get married, I can ask my sister-in-law to help you find someone. Fu Wang and the others don't know anyone, but my sister-in-law does know a lot of people."
Ma Hao touched his nose and said, "I know, Lady Yun. If I want to get married in the future, I'll come to you again."
Hearing her say this, Yunyin suddenly became curious: "Is it because you have no fixed abode that you don't want to get married?"
Ma Hao: "No, that's not it. Did Brother Fu tell you that he doesn't want to get married because of this? Don't be fooled by him. He doesn't have anyone he likes at all. If he did, he definitely wouldn't want to go out and work as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort).
Yunyin really didn't know that Fu Wang was thinking this way. She heard Ma Hao continue, "Zhou Chang introduced him to someone before, but he refused without even meeting her, saying that he wanted to focus on his career and didn't want to get married right now."
“But last time I heard him tell Brother Cheng that he’s going on a delivery mission next time…”
Ma Hao was interrupted by a cough when he was only halfway through his sentence. Cheng Yong came in from the back door and said to Yun Yin, "Miss Yun, we have a guest."
Yunyin wanted to ask what the rest of the story was, but upon hearing Cheng Yong's words, she quickly patted her sleeves and went to the front yard. Before leaving, she said to Ma Hao, "Then I'll leave the rest of the seeds to you. I'm going to see who's here."
After Yunyin left, Cheng Yong glared at Ma Hao and said, "If your brother Fu finds out what you just said, you'd better watch out. He hasn't planned to confront Yun Niangzi yet, so don't reveal all your secrets and make things awkward for everyone."
Ma Hao scratched his head and said, "I was wrong. I spoke too quickly and let it slip. Luckily you arrived in time." Ma Hao looked around and, seeing that it was just the two of them, winked at Cheng Yong and said, "So, Brother Fu is really not going to do escort work anymore?"
Cheng Yong nodded and said, "This is his plan. When he comes back, I'll discuss it with him. He's not getting any younger, and it's really time for him to get married."
Yunyin came out from the backyard and saw Huo Yu and Lin Yun standing in the yard. Her doubts vanished, and she smiled and stepped forward, saying, "So it's you two. Come and sit down. Would you like something to eat? I just made some new dishes today. Would you like some?"
She poured tea for the two of them and then fetched some fruit. When she invited them to join her, Lin Yun quickly said, "Don't bother. Sit down and rest. My husband and I came out for some fresh air and were just thinking of having dinner here tonight."
Huo Yu was interested in the new food Yun Yin had made. "What have you made recently? The roast duck that came out in the county not long ago was also made by you, right? I tried it, and it was indeed quite good, but it was still a little bit inferior to the one you roasted."
Yunyin: "Perhaps it's because the wood used for roasting the duck is different. I used pear wood branches before, and I also told them that fruit wood branches are the best for roasting duck, but maybe they didn't use them."
Huo Yu slapped his thigh and said, "It really is, it's missing that little bit of fruity flavor."
Yunyin: "But the roast duck doesn't use fruitwood, and it tastes pretty good too. Do you want to try it tonight?"
Huo Yu nodded and said, "Of course I have to try it. I've never had roast duck before. There are very few in the county. Manxiangju and Luo's Restaurant only have a few, and they were sold out early this morning. I heard that roast duck is served with plum sauce. I've never tried this combination before, and I don't know if it's as delicious as they say."
Yunyin smiled and said, "Then you should try it tonight. I'll go make you two servings of rice noodle rolls first, so you can try my new dish."
She told the two to make themselves at home and went back to the kitchen to make rice noodle rolls for them. At this time, Zhang Lin was still busy at the stove. Yunyin stepped forward and asked, "How many people haven't eaten yet?"
Zhang Lin wiped the sweat from his face. "Ma Hao just said Qian Si still needed some, so I made a little extra. It's almost done. By the way, there's still some rice milk left. Should we continue making it tonight?"
Yunyin washed her hands, took over his work, and nodded, saying, "Ask Brother Cheng to write a wooden sign and hang it up. If anyone likes it, they can order it. I'll make one for Huo Yu and the others first. You can send these to Qian Si and the others first."
Zhang Lin nodded in agreement, picked up the basket, and walked towards the construction site. Yunyin was alone in the kitchen, and in a short while, two servings of rice noodle rolls were ready.
She carried the rice noodle rolls back to the lobby. Only Huo Yu was there; Lin Yun was not present. She asked Huo Yu, "Where did Madam Lin go? Isn't she eating?"
Huo Yu picked up the rice noodle roll, sniffed it slightly, and smelled a fresh aroma. He smiled and said, "She went out for a stroll and will be back in a little while. She's been working hard lately, and it's only now that she's finally managed to take some time off from her chores and get some rest."
Yunyin sat down at the table next to him. Huo Yu finished a plate of rice noodle rolls in a few bites. She said with a smile, "Didn't you eat well for lunch? I just let you taste it. The way you eat makes me think you haven't eaten at all."
Huo Yu pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his mouth, and straightened his clothes before saying, "Sigh, I'm tired of the food at home, but I can't let my wife be busy at home alone. I rarely go to restaurants in the county town, and it's been a long time since I've tasted Yun Niangzi's cooking."
"This rice noodle roll is so fresh, the rice noodle skin is crystal clear, and the soy sauce is so well made. I have never tasted such fresh soy sauce before."
Yunyin smiled and said, "It's a specially made sauce. I'm glad you like it. It's a dish from Lingnan, and I was worried you wouldn't be used to it."
Looking at the clean plate, Huo Yu asked curiously, "Is Lady Yun from Lingnan? I've noticed you can cook a lot of dishes from there."
Yunyin: "I've only been to Lingnan, I'm not a native of Lingnan."
Huo Yu was about to ask something when Lin Yun came in from outside, completely unaware of him. Her eyes lit up when she saw Yun Yin, and she quickly walked over to her, sat down, and asked, "Miss Yun, are those white patches in your field cotton?"
Yunyin called Lin Yun over to eat, replying, "It is indeed cotton, as Madam Lin knows."
Lin Yun took a bite of the rice noodle roll and was surprised by the umami flavor of the sauce. She asked in surprise, "Is this sauce made with soy sauce? Why is it so delicious?"
She ate a few more bites, then put down her chopsticks. Seeing that Lin Yun wasn't eating, Huo Yu took the remaining rice noodle rolls and said, "If you're not going to eat them, I will."
Lin Yun wiped her mouth and nodded, saying, "You eat, I have something more important to ask Lady Yun."
"I have indeed heard people mention cotton before. I heard it can be used to weave cloth, is that right?"
Cotton can indeed be woven into cloth, but the cotton Yunyin has is African cotton, which is not suitable for weaving. It is only suitable for filling clothes and quilts. The manpower and resources required to weave cloth and make clothes are too expensive. It is better to use silk cloth.
Her seeds were found by Fu Wang in the Western Regions. Although the people there used cotton to weave cloth, according to him, only wealthy families would spend manpower and resources to weave cloth with cotton. Even so, silk and satin were still more popular in the Western Regions, and cotton was mostly used as stuffing.
Yunyin shook her head and said, "As far as I know, this kind of cotton is not suitable for weaving. If you want to do this business, I'm afraid it won't work. It can only be used as stuffing for warmth."
Upon hearing this, the light in Lin Yun's eyes gradually faded. She sighed and said, "I thought this cotton could be woven into cloth, but I didn't expect it couldn't. It seems I have to think of other ways."
Yunyin: "Has Madam Lin encountered any difficulties?"
Lin Yun: "It's not that the silk business is bad lately, and many silkworm farmers don't want to continue raising silkworms, so the quantity of silk has decreased a lot. I thought that if cotton cloth could be woven, it would alleviate the problem to some extent."
Yunyin had never heard of this before, because no one in the nearby villages grew mulberry trees or raised silkworms, so she really didn't know anything about silkworm farmers. "What happened? Why are you suddenly unwilling to raise silkworms? I heard that Shu brocade is very profitable. If you could get involved in it, you could earn a lot."
Lin Yun sighed: "Who says it isn't true? I heard it from others. Pengshui is a major silk-producing area. I don't know why, but the county government there collects taxes on silk fabrics and satins, which has led to a shortage of silk and high prices. Most of the goods we buy in our shop come from there. The price of fabrics is too high, so business is not good."
"Although we can use our inventory to support ourselves for a while, it's not sustainable in the long run."
Yunyin didn't understand these things either, so she could only comfort her, "If all else fails, we'll just have to buy from somewhere else. You shouldn't only have one source of goods, right?"
“There are still other places that produce silk, but Pengshui is the largest silk-producing area and it’s close to us. It’s not so convenient to buy it from other places, but we have no other choice but to go and take a look.”
Yunyin remembered that Lin Yun's family owned a merchant caravan. After thinking for a moment, she said, "If your caravan is heading south, you can go to Lingnan to take a look. I've heard people mention that there's another kind of cotton there, which is better than the cotton I have and is more suitable for weaving."
She had previously read a sentence in a book about cotton that Asian cotton was introduced to the Central Plains region through Guangdong and Guangxi, and was later widely cultivated. It was more suitable for weaving than African cotton.
Lin Yun was surprised by this unexpected discovery. She smiled and took Yun Yin's hand, saying, "Thank you for telling me this. I will send someone to check. If I can find it, I will definitely thank you properly."
Yunyin smiled at Lin Yun and withdrew her hand, saying, "If my wife can find them, could you also give me some seeds? I'd like to plant some myself."
Lin Yun: "Of course. Not to mention the seeds, once I weave them into cotton cloth, I'll take care of all your clothes in the future."
Yunyin smiled and said, "It's already very good to have obtained the seed. I don't need the clothes. Thank you for believing me."
Actually, Yunyin wasn't sure if there really was Asian cotton here, but she already had African cotton, so she could ask Lin Yun to send someone to look for it. If they couldn't find it, she would go out and look around in the future, and she would eventually find some. Then she would share it with Lin Yun.
"By the way, were the foods I sent you before helpful? Is Madam Xu's morning sickness still severe?"
Lin Yun exclaimed, "Oh dear, I came to see you about this. She really liked the preserved plums you gave me before, but she didn't like the oranges as much. She didn't even like the plum preserves we bought later. She only likes the ones you make, and she's almost finished them."
"I came here this time to buy some more preserved plums from you. I wonder if you still have any, Madam Yun."
Yunyin thought about the dried fruit in the warehouse. She had indeed made quite a lot of preserved plums, but she hadn't eaten them much. She had originally planned to save them to make desserts in the winter, but since Lin Yun wanted to buy them, it wouldn't hurt to sell them to her. "There are still some left. I'll go get them for you. How many do you want?"
Lin Yun: "Give me three cans first, and I'll come back to you after I finish them."
Yunyin widened her eyes and said, "Isn't it bad to eat so much? Pregnant women should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and eat less candied fruit."
Lin Yun said helplessly, "I know, but she vomits everything she eats. We've seen a doctor, and he said that's just her constitution, and she'll get better after this period. We can only do this for now. Every time she eats a few bites, we tell her to eat a preserved plum to calm her down, so she can eat a little bit."
Yunyin hadn't expected pregnancy to be so difficult. She said, "Alright, I'll go get you some preserved plums."
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