Chapter 84, The 84th Inn: Cured Pork, Sausage, and Ribs...
Hearing her words, Song Shi looked up and asked earnestly, "Is my drawing really that good?"
Yinshuang affirmed, "Yes, I can see what you're trying to express. It's indeed very well drawn. Although it's not realistic, it has its own free and easy style, which makes it very pleasing to the eye."
Song Shi turned to look at the spring painting, which was almost finished, and pursed her lips, saying, "That's good."
Yunyin walked in from the door and immediately noticed that the atmosphere on Song Shi's side was a bit awkward. She stepped forward and asked, "What's wrong with you two?"
Yinshuang lowered her eyes and walked to Yunyin's side, saying softly, "It's my fault. I said the wrong thing. I'm sorry for causing you trouble again."
Before Yunyin could ask what had happened, Song Shi shook his head and said, "No, it's my fault. Lady Yinshuang is right." He looked at Yunyin and asked, "Lady Yun, do you really think my painting is good?"
Yunyin looked at the painting of spring. The inn was clearly visible, peach blossoms were in full bloom in the distance, and several people had arranged to come for a meal. There were also many spring delicacies under the pavilion. She nodded and said, "It's a good painting. I like it very much. What's wrong?"
Song Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to draw well and that you would have wasted your money."
Yunyin patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "How could that be? If you didn't draw well, would I spend money? It's impossible for me to do that. I'm very frugal."
"Besides, painting is like cooking; you can improve with practice. As long as you practice diligently, you'll always make progress. I don't need famous paintings; I just need to be satisfied with what I paint. Why worry so much?"
Encouraged by her words, Song Shi's previously low spirits instantly lifted. He smiled and said, "Yes, I understand. I recently learned a new method that can speed things up and better depict the dishes in the painting. Yun Niangzi, wait for me, I'll paint it for you right away."
Yunyin watched him dash off to the mural and said to the still uneasy Yinshuang, "You don't need to feel guilty. Song Shi didn't blame you."
Yinshuang lowered her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble. I shouldn't have said those things. I'm sorry."
She looked up at Song Shi, pursed her lips, and said, "I can help him as an apology. What do you think?"
Yunyin looked at Yinshuang and saw that she looked guilty. She patted her shoulder and said, "You can discuss it with him. As for whether he is willing to agree, that depends on him. I can't force him to accept it. You two discuss it."
Yinshuang and Yunyin nodded and walked to Song Shi's side to discuss it with him. Just as Yunyin had said, he did not blame her. Instead, he listened to her very carefully and even asked her for suggestions. The two of them started drawing together in a cooperative manner.
Seeing that they were having a lively discussion, Yunyin went to the kitchen and brought out two bowls of red bean paste sweet soup, placing them on the cabinet next to her so they could have a few sips when they got tired. It had been raining lately, and perhaps the cows were in a bad mood, as their milk production had dropped sharply. Yunyin didn't force them, making them lots of delicious food to eat. She also stopped giving them milk tea and replaced it with other sweet soups.
She served two bowls of rock sugar pear soup, but this time she did it differently. She hollowed out the pears, filled them with cooked pear soup, and steamed them. The resulting pears were both delicious and beautiful, perfect for these discerning students.
As expected, Xie Yan was very satisfied with the pears that were served. He ate the rock sugar pears to soothe his throat, while Lin Hui ate the rice noodle rolls with gusto, occasionally picking up a piece of roast duck to nibble on. As he ate, he said, "This roast duck is just as good as Peking duck, and it's much cheaper."
"Miss Yun, what's the difference between roast duck and Peking duck? Why is it so much cheaper?"
Yunyin stopped and explained to him, "Roast duck requires fat ducks, which need to be carefully selected to make that delicious crispy skin. Roast duck doesn't require that much trouble; any common duck will do, so the price will be slightly cheaper."
Lin Hui shook his head and said, "I see, but I don't think roast duck is any worse than Peking duck."
Yunyin smiled and said, "If you like it, then that's good."
After finishing his bowl of pear soup, Xie Yan looked at Yin Shuang, who seemed to be getting along well with Song Shi, and asked, "Is this the new shop assistant that Lady Yun hired?"
Yunyin also glanced back at Yinshuang and shook her head, saying, "It was someone I know who entrusted this to me. However, she can play music and is willing to help attract customers by playing music. I plan to let her try it out in the future. If you want to listen to her music, you can also ask her."
Xie Yanyang raised an eyebrow and asked, "How is her musical skill?"
"You've asked the wrong person. I don't know much about these things. But Lu Xuan from Mianzhou highly praises her, saying that her piano skills are amazing. I just think it sounds nice, but I can't quite put my finger on what makes it so nice."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yan's eyes widened, and his gaze toward Yin Shuang changed slightly. "So it's Young Master Lu. It seems that Lady Yin Shuang's zither skills are indeed remarkable. It's admirable that he was willing to part with such a person. It seems it's time to hear her play a piece."
Yunyin's mouth gaped open slightly. "I didn't expect that even Master Xie would know him. Is he very famous?" Isn't Lu Xuan a playboy? Could he be so playboy that even someone like Xie Yan has heard of him?
Xie Yan nodded and said, "I once had the honor of hearing the courtesans he trained play music. They were all excellent. He is quite famous in Jiannan. Many people want to ask him for courtesans, but he has never agreed. I didn't expect you to have someone he trained here. Do you know him, Lady Yun? Did he give this person to you?"
Seeing that he had misunderstood, Yunyin quickly explained, "I'm not seeing you off. I'm just helping to take care of Lady Yinshuang temporarily. She will go back later."
"I see," Xie Yan nodded. "Then it seems I should hear her play as soon as possible. Will she be able to play today?"
After thinking for a moment, Yunyin said, "I'll ask her. If she agrees, you can contact her, but her fees probably won't be cheap."
Xie Yan: "It's alright, talented people deserve it."
Lin Hui chimed in from the side, "Why don't you invite Madam Song along? I remember she also really enjoys listening to music."
Xie Yan smiled and said, "Of course, if Lady Yinshuang's zither skills are excellent, I will definitely ask Axuan to come and listen."
Yunyin returned to Yinshuang's side and saw her watching Song Shi paint. She said, "Yinshuang, would you mind coming over and talking to me?"
Yinshuang and Yunyin walked to the side. Hearing her question, Yinshuang glanced at Xie Yan and the others and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll go prepare now and play a few pieces for them in a while."
Yunyin waited for Yinshuang to go back to her room to get her zither. When she got to the counter, Cheng Yong grabbed her: "Wife, didn't you say a few days ago that you were going to buy pork after the rain stopped? Have you made any arrangements? I still want to try the cured pork you make."
Yunyin patted her head and said, "Oh dear, I almost forgot. Luckily you reminded me. I'll have Zhang Lin make a trip later to order a few more pigs. We need to make more cured meat this year."
Cheng Yong laughed and said, "Yes, I heard you say that you were going to make cured pork, sausages, and cured pork ribs. I didn't know that you could make cured pork ribs. I really want to try what they taste like."
Yunyin: "I'll make some for you to try later, it won't taste bad." She loves Sichuan sausage, it's spicy, salty and fragrant, so delicious. She can eat a whole sausage every time, without even needing to cut it. It's a pity she doesn't have any chili peppers right now, so she can only make plain sausage, but it's still delicious. Steamed or stir-fried with garlic sprouts, it goes very well with rice.
She wiped away the drool that was about to spill out and made a mental note of it. At this moment, Yinshuang had also changed her clothes and was sitting on the platform below with her zither. It was the table they had set up earlier, which Yunyin had not yet tidied up.
Listening to the melodious music, the inn fell silent for a moment. Even the cow and black bean by the woodshed quieted down to listen to the pleasant music.
Wang Yu and his group stopped outside the courtyard. Hearing the music coming from inside, he raised an eyebrow and said, "Who is playing the zither? It sounds quite nice."
Shen Rong closed her eyes and listened carefully, then lightly plucked the strings with her fingers. She opened her eyes and said, "It is indeed very well played. She is a master. I wonder where this musician came from. Let's go in and take a look."
The other students followed suit, and several of them said, "It's been almost half a month since we've had Lady Yun's cooking. We really miss it. I still remember the feast we had last time. I wonder what new dishes Lady Yun has made this time."
Xie Yan was listening intently when someone sat down next to him. He looked up slightly and recognized the person as Shen Rong. He nodded to Shen Rong and continued listening to the piece.
Shen Rong didn't disturb him. After sitting down, she listened to the music quietly. As the hot tea steamed, the group enjoyed the tranquility amidst the rising steam.
Yunyin was also moved by the song. Although she didn't understand its meaning, she knew it was a cheerful tune that made listeners very happy, like seeing the sun after the clouds had parted.
She returned to the kitchen in a cheerful mood to prepare lunch. Xie Yan had said that the arrangements would be the same as usual, so she planned to start with the more complicated dishes. Feng Hai came over and said, "Miss Yun, do you need my help?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "Okay, you can help me. Xie Yan likes light food, so some dishes need to be made light, but the lion's head meatballs don't need to be light, so they should be braised."
Feng Hai agreed and went to select fresh meat to chop into minced meat. Yun Yin also got busy. The two of them were busy in the kitchen, while Zheng Guilan was not idle outside either.
After listening to a song, Zheng Guilan asked everyone if they wanted sweet soup. Shen Rong looked at the pear in front of Xie Yan and nodded, saying, "You can give us one. As for lunch, could you please bring me the menu?"
Zheng Guilan went to the counter, got the menu from Cheng Yong, and handed it to Shen Rong, saying, "Young Master Shen, you can take a look and order early so we can prepare in advance. Some dishes are quite troublesome to make."
Several students crowded over to watch the show together. After ordering, Shen Rong asked Xie Yan, "Which famous figures did you invite?"
Xie Yan: "Lu Xuan's piano skills are indeed quite good. It seems you have a good eye."
Shen Rong raised an eyebrow: "So it was him."
As a new piece of music began, the two stopped talking and listened attentively.
At this moment, several pedestrians on the official road seemed to hear the music from here. They stood in front of the food stall and looked around for a while. One of them stepped forward and said, "Young master, would you like to go and take a look ahead? I heard there is an inn here where we can rest for a while."
The leader adjusted his turban and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's go check out the situation."
Zhang Lin noticed these people early in the morning. When they came forward, he quickly went up to them and said, "Would you like breakfast or lunch? You can have lunch at Yunlai Inn ahead, and you can have breakfast here."
The leader glanced at the food stall behind Zhang Lin and said in a friendly tone, "We're looking for lodging. Is this place convenient?"
Zhang Lin smiled and said, "It's convenient, please come in, everyone." He called Ma Hao to take the group to their lodgings, while he went back to continue entertaining the other guests.
As they approached the inn, the clear sound of a zither could be heard. The leader raised his eyebrows and asked, "You have someone here who is skilled at playing the zither? May I ask who it is?"
Ma Hao said, "She is a customer of the shop. She is skilled at playing the zither and will be staying here more often recently. She will occasionally play a few pieces at the request of other customers."
"Oh, I see." He looked around until he entered the guesthouse and saw a group of students inside. He relaxed and said to Ma Hao, "Don't rush. Let's listen to some music first, and then we'll register."
He told his other attendants to make themselves at home, then chose a seat and nodded to Xie Yan and Shen Rong at another table, listening attentively.
After listening to another piece, Xie Yan and his companions began discussing Yin Shuang's zither playing. Upon learning that they were students from the county, the guests at another table smiled and said, "Gentlemen, I would like to inquire whether the official road is still safe recently? I heard that there was a banditry here before, and I wonder if there are still any bandits."
Xie Yan and Shen Rong exchanged a glance. Although the man's attire was simple, his imposing presence was still faintly visible. They shook their heads at him and said, "That was so long ago. You're asking the wrong question, sir. What are you going to do, sir?"
"Alas, there's no other way. Something happened in my family. In the past, it was always the clansmen who went out to trade. Now I have no choice but to go out too. It's hard on me at my age, having to travel all this way." He sighed deeply. "This is the first time I've done something like this. I heard there were bandits around here, and I was worried for a long time before I set off."
When Yunyin brought over the dishes, she happened to hear this. She smiled and said, "If it's about bandits, my lord, you don't need to worry. The county has already resolved it, and we haven't heard of it for a long time. You can travel with peace of mind."
She glanced at Cheng Yong, then turned to him and said, "If you are really worried, you can hire the Weiyuan Escort Agency to protect you. They travel this route year-round, so you can rest assured."
"Weiyuan Escort Agency?" He glanced at Yunyin, then lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying, "Is it the Weiyuan Escort Agency in Mianzhou?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "That's right, so you've heard about it, my lord. That's wonderful, you can rest assured."
She took a menu from the counter and handed it to the customer, saying, "Sir, you can order your food first. If you need delivery, you can ask Cheng Yong at the counter."
The guest took the menu, glanced at it, and raised his eyebrows. He flipped through it, looked it over, and then picked out a few home-style dishes. Seeing that Xie Yan and the others had already started eating, he stopped asking questions and sipped his tea while looking around.
Yunyin put the menu down. Feng Hai could cook all these home-style dishes, so she handed them over to him. She then went to prepare the large vat for curing meat in the afternoon. The vat needed to be washed and dried. The more vats she washed, the more cured meat she could make.
She and Zheng Guilan were cleaning a large vat when a familiar carriage approached from a distance. Yunyin looked up and saw Xia Yan and Xu Fei walking towards them.
She washed her hands and went forward to greet them, saying, "Why did you all come today?"
Xia Yan stepped forward and hugged Yun Yin, asking curiously, "Who else came? I came today to say goodbye to you."
Yunyin followed Xia Yan into the hall, and upon hearing this, asked curiously, "Where are you going?"
"Sigh, I have to go to Chang'an. My family wants to take me back to arrange a marriage for me. It's so annoying, but I can't refuse. Yun Niangzi is so much better." Xia Yan looked at Yun Yin with envy. When she saw the person next to Xie Yan's table, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes. She felt like she had seen him somewhere before.
Unfortunately, she couldn't remember after thinking for a long time, and stopped paying attention to it. She walked to the other side and sat down, saying, "Since I'm leaving, I'm here to eat your food one last time. I won't be able to eat it when I go to Chang'an."
Yunyin felt a little sad when she heard that Xia Yan was leaving, but she was no longer the same person she used to be. She wouldn't be upset about the departure of a friend, but would only wish her all the best. She smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll make you something delicious. Eat it before you go. Oh, and I'll make you extra silver thread candy. Take it with you. You can keep it to eat on the way."
Xia Yan sat down in the seat that Xu Fei had tidied up and nodded, saying, "Okay, thank you very much. By the way, you don't need to return the cow I gave you before. Consider it a gift from me. Anyway, I'm not sure you'll wear the fabric I gave you, so I might as well give you the cow. You might be happier that way."
Yunyin paused slightly, shook her head and said, "How can I let you give me a gift? I should be the one giving you one. Besides, cows are so expensive. Thanks to the cows you gave me over the past six months, I've made a lot of money."
Xia Yan rolled her eyes, not at all ladylike, and said, "So what? The recipe you gave me before wasn't fake. I felt that just giving you milk was too little, but we're not that close, so I couldn't say anything. Now that I'm leaving, don't make me angry."
Yunyin sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, alright, then I can only repay you with delicious food."
Xia Yan picked up the rock sugar pear that had been brought to soothe her throat. "Ayin, you're too kind. We've known each other for so long, what's a little gift to you? Besides, it's not very valuable. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. I'll be leaving in a few days. You can look me up if you ever go to Chang'an."
A maidservant stepped forward and handed Yunyin an invitation card, saying with a smile, "Miss Yun, just let the gatekeeper know when the time comes. Our lady will welcome you anytime."
Yunyin carefully put the invitation away and nodded, saying, "If I have the chance to go to Chang'an, I will come to find you and make you some food."
When Xia Yan entered, the other diner turned his head away and didn't look at her. He exchanged a glance with the other person at the table, sighed, picked up his rice bowl and tasted it. It was a simple cooking method, but it was full of home cooking flavor, completely different from the common steaming and boiling methods. Thinking of the stir-frying method passed down in wealthy families, he gestured to the person next to him to ask.
The man understood the leader's thoughts quite well. He called over Zheng Guilan and asked, "Do you use a wok here?"
Zheng Guilan nodded and said, "Yes, stir-frying has a more rustic feel than stewing, and it's also quicker to make. Our shop's signature dishes are all kinds of stir-fries, and of course, seafood is also one of our signature dishes, but the gentlemen didn't order any today."
"What's the price of a wok now? It must still be quite expensive."
Zheng Guilan agreed, "It is indeed quite expensive. A pot costs two strings of cash, and you might not even be able to buy one. My wife is reluctant to buy more than two or three."
"That's still quite expensive; with a little more money, you could buy a cow," the leader couldn't help but say. "But the stir-fried dishes are still delicious, it's just that they use too much iron."
Zheng Guilan didn't understand these things, but Xie Yan and Shen Rong, who were standing to the side, heard this and looked up at the group of people. "It is indeed as you said, so most families don't cook stir-fries. However, Lady Yun cooks both stir-fries and stews very well. You should try them, my lord."
The man didn't say anything more, only nodded to Xie Yan and the others, and quietly began to eat his meal.
After finishing lunch, Yunyin prepared to make silver thread candy for Xia Yan. Having done it many times before, she finished quickly, took out a portion for the students to try, and gave some to the new guests, saying, "This is for you."
After serving the food, she said to the guests, "If you're staying overnight, there's only one guest room available. The others will probably have to stay in a shared room."
"It's alright, we don't care about these things, as long as we have a place to stay."
After arranging accommodations for this group of people, Yunyin had Cheng Yong register them and carefully inquire about their backgrounds. Only after everything was settled did she feel at ease to prepare to make cured meat.
Zhang Lin brought back the pork he had ordered. This time, Yunyin didn't choose to use a whole pig, but selected some of the better cuts to marinate.
Scorch the pork skin, wash it clean, and set it aside. Yunyin stir-fried peppercorns and salt to make a sauce for curing the pork. Since she didn't have chili powder, she made a simple version of cured pork. Finally, she added dried tangerine peel, put the seasoned pork into a jar, and cured it for 7 days, turning it over once during the period.
As for the sausages and cured pork ribs, they need to be cut and marinated, using the same marinade as cured pork. However, she replaced the Sichuan peppercorns with Sichuan peppercorn powder so that you wouldn't taste the peppercorn pieces. The casings for the sausages and cured pork ribs need to be thoroughly cleaned.
Yunyin was worried that cleaning in the courtyard would affect the diners' meals, so she and Zheng Guilan carried a large basin of small and large intestines to clean them.
The small intestine is easy to clean; you can just scrape off the grease with wood ash. But cleaning the large intestine is much more troublesome. After soaking the large intestine several times, you have to scrub it with wood ash, turn it over and over, and clean it several times before it is clean. Yunyin also soaked the intestines in wood ash water for a while to clean them thoroughly before giving them an enema.
Xie Yan and the others were just strolling around when they saw Yun Yin making sausages. They had never seen it before and wanted to see what it was like. But after seeing what she was doing, Xie Yan immediately stopped and refused to go any closer.
He frowned and said, "Why is Lady Yun eating such food? Is this even edible?"
Lin Hui wasn't affected at all. He leaned closer to take a look and, after discovering it was intestines, asked curiously, "Is this really edible?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "That's fine. Small intestines don't have much flavor, but they're great for making sausages. The sausages made from them are delicious after being smoked. As for large intestines, I cleaned them very well, and they taste okay. These are for stuffing ribs. Some rib bones are irregular, so using these will prevent them from puncturing the casing. As for cartilage ribs, you can use small intestines."
As Lin Hui listened to her continue describing how delicious it was and how to cook it, he became envious. "Miss Yun, it smells so good, but we can't eat it. When can we have it?"
"It will take some time. I will smoke it with pine and cypress branches and then dry it. It will take a long time, but I will tell you once I have finished."
Xie Yan watched from afar, unwilling to take a step closer. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around and saw the person sitting next to him.
"This method is quite good for preserving food, isn't it?" The man looked at Xie Yan and continued, "You think the large intestine is dirty and inedible, but how many people can't even afford such offal? Perhaps you should try the food made by Lady Yun to understand the hardships of ordinary people."
"If you can't even swallow food prepared so cleanly by Lady Lianyun, how can you serve the people, the ruler, and the nation in the future?"
Xie Yan frowned and looked at him, saying, "Who exactly is this young master? Why are you telling me all this?"
The man simply smiled and said, "Didn't I already say? I'm just a traveling merchant whose family has fallen on hard times."
He ignored Xie Yan's disbelieving look and went to talk to Yun Yin.
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