Chapter 86, The 86th Inn: Hot Pot with Lamb
"Fu Wang, you're back!" Yun Yin ran into the courtyard, watched him tie up the horses, and said with a look of surprise, "It's so great that you came back before the snow."
Looking at Yunyin, who was still lively and energetic, Fu Wang smiled and said with a smile, "Yes, I'm back."
His eyes softened, and upon seeing Yunyin, his previous anxiety vanished, and his mood calmed down. He took a box out of the carriage and said, "I've returned just in time. These are gifts I brought for you."
The snowflakes fell more and more, and soon both of them had white hair. She quickly said, "Let's go inside and talk, the snow is getting heavier and heavier."
Others rushed over upon hearing the commotion, greeted Fu Wang, and helped him move his belongings from the car into the lobby.
Fu Wang took out a large sheepskin coat and handed it to Yun Yin, saying, "This is for you."
Yunyin stroked the soft, snow-white sheepskin coat and murmured, "This is too precious."
Fu Wang was afraid she would refuse, so before she could speak, he said, "You must accept this; it's from my heart."
Yunyin paused slightly as she touched the sheepskin coat, looked up at Fu Wang's earnest eyes, and smiled, saying, "Thank you."
Fu Wang smiled, took out the other things from the box, and handed Yunyin a set of clothes, saying, "This is a winter outfit that Lady Luo made for you. Try it on."
She put away the gifts and asked curiously, "Did you go to the county town and the town?" Otherwise, why would she have asked him to bring things back?
Fu Wang nodded and said, "I did go. It just so happened that Luo Tian was going home, so I went."
Yunyin put the things away and said to Fu Wang, "You've worked hard too. Sit down and rest. What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "No need, I ate before I came." He looked at Yun Yin, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Why don't you try on the clothes that Lady Luo gave you?"
Yunyin: "Let's not try it yet. I'll try it after I wash up tonight. Since you're not eating, how about some fruit? We roasted some oranges, would you like to try some?"
She took an orange, then went to the side to get some dried persimmons, and said with a smile, "These are dried persimmons I made. They're so sweet. I originally saved them for winter, but they're so delicious that I eat them every day."
"The persimmons here are really sweet. I must make more dried persimmons next year. I made too few this year."
Fu Wang sat down, took the tea and persimmon cakes she handed him, and tugged at her sleeve, saying, "You don't need to bother, sit down and rest. It's snowing outside, so I'm afraid no one will come for a while."
Cheng Yong walked out from behind the counter, shook his head and said to Yun Yin, "He probably can't see us. He hasn't said hello to us for so long. I wonder if he has already forgotten about us brothers."
Ma Hao came over from the other side to add charcoal, and Feng Hai also came over from the kitchen carrying hot mutton soup. The two looked at each other and were the first to greet Fu Wang.
Fu Wang took the soup from Feng Hai, rolled his eyes at Cheng Yong, and said, "Why are you being so polite with me? There's nothing important to say."
Cheng Yong was speechless for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, forget it, let's not talk about this. Did the trip to the Western Regions go smoothly?"
Fu Wang took a sip of soup to warm himself up, and nodded, saying, "It's alright, no problem, just like usual." He paused for a moment and then added, "However, the weather in the Western Regions has gotten colder, and it has snowed several times. Fortunately, we set off early and didn't encounter any heavy snow on the way."
Yunyin was tidying up Fu Wangfang's suitcase, which contained quite a few furs. She asked, "I'll put these furs away in your room. The snow is falling heavily now, and you can't go back. Stay here with me for now."
As she tidied up, she thought to herself, "Luckily, my courtyard is already built, and the remaining room is perfect for Fu Wang to stay in."
Fu Wang stopped talking to Cheng Yong, walked to Yun Yin's side, squatted down and looked at the box of furs, saying, "These furs are for you. Winters in Jiannan are cold, and it would be difficult to get through without furs for warmth. Although I know you don't lack these things, I brought them for you from the Western Regions. Take them and use them."
He looked at the clothes Yunyin was wearing. The jacket was thick and warm, even though it was made of linen. He thought for a moment and then said, "Your clothes look quite warm too. But you can never have too many warm things. You can use these to make clothes or blankets. There are a few rabbit skins inside, with soft fur, which are suitable for making blankets."
He then took out a bag of wool yarn from the other side and handed it to her, saying, "You can use this to make wool sweaters. When I was in the Western Regions, I often saw women using this wool yarn to make blankets and clothes. I thought you might be interested, so I bought some wool yarn to bring back."
Yunyin was indeed very interested in the wool yarn he bought. Although wool yarn was not as soft as cotton yarn or as silky as silk, it was still thick enough to make clothes and was also suitable for making blankets. The Western Regions were rich in cattle and sheep, so it was no wonder that Fu Wang said that the Western Regions were rich in this stuff.
Besides these, there was something more important. Fu Wang took out a package from another bag and handed it to Yun Yin: "These are for you. See if this is what you want."
Yunyin put down the wool yarn in her hand, took the package, and asked as she unpacked it, "What is this?"
Upon opening the package, she was greeted by strings of bright red things. She exclaimed in surprise, "You really found chili peppers! Oh my god, I'm so happy!"
Seeing the large bag of chili peppers, Yunyin was even happier than receiving any other gift. She rummaged through the dried peppers, squinted her eyes, and said, "I can plant lots of chili peppers next year." She really hadn't expected Fu Wang to actually find chili peppers. She asked, "Did you find them in the Western Regions?"
Fu Wang sat down beside her, looking at her joyful expression, and he smiled too. "It wasn't found in the Western Regions. It was sent over by a brother of mine in Lingnan. He met a Arab merchant, and when he heard that I was looking for this, he bought it from him."
He sent me a lot of this stuff, saying that the Arabs said it keeps you warm. Although winters in Lingnan aren't cold, it gets quite cold further north, so they brought a lot. There are also other seeds, but I don't know what they are. You can take a look.”
"From what he said, it's a kind of persimmon. Both of these things are sold as ornamental plants. My friend said that the persimmon is bright red and looks a lot like a persimmon, so they also call it a foreign persimmon."
Tomatoes? The name sounds so much like tomatoes. Yunyin curiously opened the package. Inside, there were many seeds wrapped in oil paper. She examined them carefully and the more she looked, the more they resembled tomato seeds in the pictures in the book.
She carefully put away the packets of persimmon seeds and said to Fu Wang, "Thank you so much for going to all this trouble, even asking your friend to help me find the seeds. I really don't know how to thank you enough." She rolled her eyes and said, "How about this, we'll have mutton hot pot tonight, and I'll let you try the flavor of these chili peppers."
Fu Wang looked at Yun Yin expectantly, "Okay, then I'll help."
She got up and put the bag of chili peppers and the large bag of chili peppers on the ground away. She then put the tomato seeds in the room and said to him, "No need, you just got back. You should rest for a bit. There are so many free people here." She turned to Zhang Lin, who was standing to the side, and said, "Linzi, come and help. We're having hot pot tonight."
To make hot pot, you naturally need to make a broth. Generally speaking, beef tallow works best, but it's hard to find beef in Da Zhao, let alone beef tallow. Fortunately, she's making a mutton hot pot, so mutton tallow is fine too.
The first step is to render the mutton fat. The method is similar to rendering lard. Put the chopped mutton fat into a pot, add a bowl of spring water, ginger slices and peppercorns to remove the muttony smell, and simmer over medium heat until the water evaporates and the mutton fat is rendered.
Yunyin used a slotted spoon to scoop out the ginger slices and peppercorns, leaving only the clear mutton fat.
After the mutton fat was rendered, Zheng Guilan and the others removed all the seeds from the chili peppers. She collected the chili pepper seeds, took out some of the remaining chili peppers, boiled them in boiling water, drained them, and chopped them up.
Next, stir-fry the base ingredients. Pour the rendered mutton fat back into the pot, heat it to medium-high, then add fresh ginger slices, scallion segments, and garlic. Fry over low heat until golden brown. Remove the fried ginger slices and other ingredients, then turn the heat to low and add soybean paste and chopped chili peppers. Stir-fry until fragrant.
Yunyin was enveloped by the smell in the kitchen but didn't feel anything. People outside couldn't resist the aroma and kept looking into the kitchen. Even Fu Wang couldn't help but stop at the kitchen door and look inside.
This step of stir-frying takes a lot of time. You have to be careful not to burn it and stir-fry it until it is fragrant. When the red oil comes out and the aroma becomes more and more intense, Yunyin pours in the soaked spices. This way, the hot pot base will be fragrant but not gamey. After continuing to stir-fry until fragrant, she pours in the wine and Sichuan peppercorns.
As Yunyin stir-fried the base ingredients, she saw the people next to her swallowing their saliva, and she couldn't help but swallow her own saliva as well. Finally, she sprinkled salt and sugar to taste, and the hot pot base was ready.
She put the hot pot base in a jar, reserved a little bit of the base, poured it into the previously cooked mutton soup, and it was ready to eat after boiling.
Yunyin poured the soup into a hot pot and returned to the main hall. By then, there were already many dishes on the table. She placed the hot pot on the table, added glowing red charcoal underneath, and soon the soup in the pot began to boil.
For this hot pot, Yunyin specially prepared many dishes. In addition to the common green vegetables and radishes, she also prepared shrimp paste, fish balls, and of course, the indispensable lamb.
Thin slices of mutton were arranged on a plate, and Yunyin called to everyone, "Come and sit down, the meat will be ready to eat in a little while."
Yunyin used serving chopsticks to put the meat into the pot to scald it. The bubbling red oil broth rolled over the mutton, and the mutton was cooked in no time.
She invited the others to eat, and she also picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and put it in her bowl. She picked up a piece and tasted it. It was spicy, salty and fragrant. The mutton was not gamey at all. It was only slightly scalded and the meat was very tender. It was delicious with the spiciness of the hot pot broth.
Although the seasonings were different from what she used to use, the base sauce with chili peppers tasted very good. She hadn't eaten this spicy flavor in a long time, and when she suddenly tasted it, her eyes became slightly moist.
Yunyin was lost in her thoughts when a sudden cough startled her awake. She turned around and saw that Fu Wang's cheeks were flushed.
Yunyin quickly handed him a bowl of water and patted his back, asking, "Are you alright?"
Fu Wang wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, took a sip of water to calm himself down, "It's nothing, I've just never had such a stimulating taste before, it's a bit spicy. I thought the spiciness of chili peppers was similar to that of dogwood, but I didn't expect it to be this spicy."
"Although it's very spicy, it's especially delicious." He couldn't help but take another bite of mutton and said to Yunyin, "Don't worry about me, you like it too, hurry up, or they'll eat it all."
Seeing that Fu Wang was indeed fine, and noticing that everyone else's necks were red from the spiciness but no one put down their chopsticks, Yunyin picked up a piece of mutton and took another bite. It was still so spicy and numbing, and even though her lips were red after eating, she still didn't feel very spicy.
Seeing everyone hissing and continuing to eat, she couldn't help but say, "If you find it too spicy, you can dip it in sauce. Wait a moment, I'll go get it now."
She went to the kitchen, chopped some scallions and garlic, added soy sauce and vinegar, and drizzled a little Sichuan peppercorn oil on top. She then took it out and handed it to them, saying, "You can add some lamb broth to the dipping sauce; that way, it won't be as spicy."
Fu Wang took the bowl of condiments, added broth as she instructed, dipped a piece of mutton in it, and put it in his mouth. The spiciness was indeed reduced a lot. The taste of vinegar and soy sauce neutralized the pungent spiciness. He ate several more bites in a row. "Although it tastes good with the sauce, I also think it tastes good without the sauce. Eating this hot pot in winter is really comforting."
"No wonder you've been so fond of this chili pepper. It really does taste better than dogwood, and it's not bitter at all."
Yunyin stopped what she was doing and nodded in agreement, saying, "Right, right? That's why I'm so grateful that you brought me back some chili peppers. I thought I wouldn't be able to eat any."
Fu Wang: "I also want to thank you for letting me eat such delicious food."
After finishing the mutton hot pot, Yunyin threw shrimp paste and fish balls into the old pot to cook. Watching the balls rise and fall, she asked Fu Wang, "You brought us so many things this time, it must have cost a lot of money."
Fu Wang put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth. "Anxi Protectorate is rich in furs. These things are expensive in Jiannan, but they are very cheap in the Western Regions. Besides, I didn't buy any expensive fox furs or anything like that. I only bought some wolf and rabbit furs, which are not expensive. You don't need to feel guilty."
“Cheng Yong is recuperating here, and you even paid them wages. They’ve eaten so much of your food, so it’s only right that I bring you some gifts.” Even if it weren’t for them, Fu Wang would have wanted to bring Yun Yin a gift, but he didn’t say it aloud. He just looked at Yun Yin sincerely and said, “I still need to rely on you.”
Yunyin looked up at him, surprised, and asked, "What?"
Fu Wang looked at the snow falling heavier and heavier outside, and a thin layer of snow had already covered the ground. He turned to look at Yun Yin and said, "With such heavy snow, I still need you to take me in for a while."
Yunyin thought he was going to say something, and looked at him with a smile, "What's so difficult about that? I have spare rooms here, you can stay as long as you like."
Fu Wang: "Then I'll have to trouble you."
Seeing that the meatballs in the pot were already floating, Yunyin quickly called to Fu Wang, "Eat quickly, the meatballs are cooked. Try the fish balls and shrimp balls, they are very delicious. You like to eat fish, so I'm sure you'll like the meatballs too."
Fu Wang looked at the extra meatballs in the bowl, pursed his lips and smiled. He picked up a meatball and ate it. It was very chewy. The shrimp balls were white with a hint of pink. Even the spiciness of the chili peppers could not mask their freshness. He couldn't help but eat a few more.
Fish balls have a different texture, but they are also very delicious. Even someone like him who likes to eat fish finds them very good. They are convenient to eat and have a chewier texture than steamed fish.
He pointed to the fish balls and said, "These fish balls could easily be made into a dish on their own, and I imagine they would be just as popular as steamed fish."
"Besides, I see you're not using sea bass, which will save you a lot of money."
Yunyin nodded and said, "Indeed, we use ordinary silver carp, but making fish balls is very labor-intensive. Just making these fish balls took all the staff in our shop to work together for a long time. If we were to make other dishes, we would have to arrange for someone to make fish balls every day."
She smiled and said, "But what you said makes sense. Let me think of some ways to save effort."
After finishing their hot pot meal, Yunyin and Fuwang sat by the stove chatting. Fuwang told her about his experiences in the Western Regions. When she heard about their journey across the desert, Yunyin sighed, "If I had the chance, I would love to go to the Western Regions too."
Fu Wang looked up at her and saw her longing and anticipation. He pursed his lips and said, "Then do you want to come with me to take a look? Anyway, with me here, you don't have to worry about encountering danger. Besides, you know martial arts yourself, so you don't need to worry about safety."
Looking at the newly built inn, Yunyin smiled and said, "I don't have time right now. My shop is just getting on track, and I want to earn more money and make more food." She turned her gaze to Fu Wang and said, "Maybe in a few years, I might go out and see the world."
Fu Wang stared intently at her. "I'll go with you then."
Yunyin smiled and said, "Of course, you'll be in a lot of trouble then."
After describing the scenery along the way, Fu Wang suddenly remembered something. He said, "I came back from the county and heard that the county head of Long'an County has been dismissed, and a new county head is probably coming soon. But judging from the way it's snowing, it might not be until next year."
Yunyin paused as she was about to get up, then plopped back down in her chair and asked, "What happened? How could I not have heard about something so big?"
Fu Wang: "It's only been a couple of days. I heard it was an inspector from Chang'an. Not only Long'an County, but Pengshui has also been replaced. I heard it was because the county magistrate was corrupt and the higher-ups found out. The governor's office sent people to investigate, but unfortunately, the matter is too far-reaching for him to get involved, so the higher-ups sent people to investigate."
Yunyin was surprised that Fu Wang knew so much. Suddenly remembering something, she exclaimed, "Is it related to the previous matter of collecting money to register our household registration? The new county magistrate has arrived. He won't deny our registration and property ownership, will he?"
She had heard the village head mention that the land was not supposed to be sold, but the county was short of money, and the land was indeed too desolate with no one living nearby, so it was allowed to be sold.
Yunyin also benefited from this, as the land was not expensive. Although the soil was slightly barren, the water source was abundant. With proper care, it could eventually become a top-quality land.
Seeing Yunyin's worry, Fu Wang quickly reassured her, "It's alright. You have a contract. Even if a new county comes, they can't be too domineering. Besides, Zhou Chang is here. Don't worry."
After hearing Fu Wang's words, Yun Yin put aside her worries and shook her head, saying, "When I heard Xie Yan and the others mention it before, I had a feeling that this magistrate probably wouldn't last long. And it seems that Xie Yan and the others were right. Sure enough, he was dismissed after only a few months. I just hope that the new magistrate will be a benevolent person."
"Don't try to squeeze every last drop of money out of the people again. It's not easy for us to earn a living." The taxes in Dazhao were already quite heavy. If it weren't for the large number of wealthy people coming to her shop, she would only be earning a meager living.
Fu Wang: "He probably won't be like Du Peng. Even if he wanted to be greedy, it wouldn't happen in the short term. There are precedents to follow."
After chatting about these trivial matters, Yunyin remembered that she hadn't given Fu Wang the cotton-padded coat she had made before. She quickly said to him, "Please sit down for a moment. I'll go get something for you, as we agreed before."
Before Fu Wang could call her back, Yun Yin had already disappeared. Seeing that Fu Wang finally had some free time, Cheng Yong came over and asked, "Is this magistrate really involved in the embezzlement case?"
Fu Wang nodded and then shook his head, saying, "It's probably related to the previous bandit incident, but since it concerns the military camp, Zhou Chang didn't explain it to me in detail. However, it has nothing to do with us, so we'll just listen and let it go."
Cheng Yong sighed, "We've only just started to enjoy a good life, and now this has happened again. I don't want to go to war again. I'm an old man, I can't handle swords and guns."
Fu Wang: "Don't worry, Your Majesty is wise. These things will not happen. You can retire in peace."
Looking at the empty lobby, Cheng Yong whispered, "Are you planning not to leave this time?"
Fu Wang nodded: "That is the plan. We'll hand it over to Wang Shitou in the future. Luo Tian is also quite reliable. If A Yin doesn't need him here, she can have him accompany her on the escort mission."
"You want to settle down? Then you should buy some property, right?" Cheng Yong gestured for him to look at the big house. "If you want to gain people's approval, you'd better prepare more."
Fu Wang smiled and said, "Indeed, we need to prepare. I'll ask Zhou Chang in a while to see if he knows anyone who wants to sell land. I plan to acquire some properties near Long'an County. Even if only Yongye Field is available for sale, I should be able to buy quite a few here."
Cheng Yong listened to his plan and shook his head, saying, "Since you've made all the arrangements, I won't say anything. Once the snow stops, I'll go back to Mianzhou. I've been recovering from my injury for a long time and I can work again now. I'll hand over the affairs of Mianzhou to you next year."
He suddenly asked, "Are you still looking for your relatives? Or should I keep an eye out for them for you?"
Fu Wang sighed, "Never mind, I've traveled all over the country for so many years and haven't heard any news about them. They're probably long gone."
"At first, I only had this hope, and because I was injured and didn't want to stay in the army, I went on a delivery mission with my brothers and searched for their whereabouts along the way. Now I have long since given up hope."
Cheng Yong patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's alright, it's good that you can let it go. There's still a long road ahead, I'm waiting for your good news."
Yunyin came over carrying a large bag of things and happened to hear this. She asked curiously, "What good news?"
Fu Wang and Cheng Yong exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison, saying, "It's nothing." He looked at what Yun Yin was holding and asked, "What's this?"
Yunyin didn't mind his deliberate attempt to change the subject. She smiled and stepped forward, opened the package, and took out two sets of cotton-padded clothes, saying, "These are the cotton-padded clothes I promised to make for you. See if they fit."
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