Chapter 25, The 25th Inn: The Person Seeking to Buy Pastries
Time flows like the tide, and only a portion of the land in Yunyin has been cultivated. Song Xuan's banquet needs to be arranged.
Fortunately, these were all things Yunyin was familiar with. She not only prepared all the pastries before the banquet began, but also managed to find time to attend Song Xuan's coming-of-age ceremony.
She arrived at Song Xuan's courtyard, where she was surrounded by people, getting ready and awaiting her coming-of-age ceremony. Yun Yin handed her the gift she had given her, and seeing that she was very busy, she didn't want to disturb her any longer, so she went to the front yard to wait.
In the Daisho era, the coming-of-age ceremony was a very solemn ritual, representing a woman's coming of age and her becoming an adult.
Yunyin, as a spectator, experienced what the coming-of-age ceremony for girls was like in ancient times.
First, she inserts a plain hairpin and changes into a plain dress; first, she bows to her parents to thank them for raising her. Second, she changes her hairpin and puts on a deep robe with a curved hem; second, she bows to the honored guest, respecting her teachers and elders. Third, she removes her hairpin and puts on a hair ornament, changing into a long-sleeved formal dress; third, she bows to the Yellow Emperor.
After the three bows and three recitations, Song Xuan accepted the wine offered by the chief guest, knelt down, sprinkled a little wine on the ground, and slightly touched the corner of her lips with wine. This step was then complete.
Then came the bestowal of a name by an elder. Yunyin heard that Song Xuan's elders had given her the name Jingxuan, hoping that she would be steady and reserved, yet confident and composed—a truly beautiful expectation.
After listening to her parents' teachings, Song Xuan stood up and bowed to all the participants to express her gratitude. Her coming-of-age ceremony was now complete, and she could attend the banquet afterwards.
Yunyin envied Song Xuan for being able to hold her coming-of-age ceremony with her family. The year she turned 18, she was all alone at home, without any close friends or relatives; she spent her birthday alone.
Although she rewarded herself that day by making herself a huge birthday cake, she still felt lonely.
Yunyin shook off her momentary sadness and followed the maid through the hanging flower gate, kneeling down at the table where the guests were seated.
The banquet dishes were meticulously prepared by the chef of Manxiangju, and all of them were their signature dishes. Yunyin had already tried the Eight Treasure Chicken and Steamed Chicken with Lotus Leaves before, and their taste was still highly praised. As for the roast chicken that she hadn't tried last time, after tasting it this time, she couldn't help but sigh that the chef was indeed a master chef, and she still had a lot to learn.
The skin is golden and crispy, while the meat is tender and juicy. I don't know what kind of wood it was roasted with, but the chicken has a subtle fragrance that balances out the greasiness. With a gentle pinch, the meat easily separates from the bone, and a rich aroma instantly fills the air.
While Yunyin was still marveling at the craftsmanship of Manxiangju, the other women at the table exclaimed in surprise.
A girl dressed in a gorgeous outfit next to her leaned forward slightly and saw lotus flowers falling from afar onto her table.
Yunyin looked over and realized that the pastries she had made had arrived. Because there were many people at the banquet, the pastries could not be supplied continuously. She and the registrar's wife had agreed that each person would receive one of each type of pastry, based on the number of people.
She naturally had some backups in case anything unexpected happened. Yunyin noticed that everyone was just watching without picking up any chopsticks. Just as she was about to eat, the girl next to her exclaimed, "This is so beautiful!"
"Madam, you've really gone to great lengths. I've only ever seen such pastries in Chang'an, and only in very famous restaurants do you find such exquisite desserts. I wonder which chef she hired. I wonder if she could come to my house and help prepare the banquet?"
Yunyin touched her nose and didn't say anything. She sat quietly to the side and listened to their praise until the jujube pastry was also served, at which point they stopped praising the lotus flower pastry.
"My goodness, there are still some!" said the woman sitting next to Yunyin. "These dates are not only beautiful but also auspicious. If there were such a pastry at the banquet, it would really add a lot of luster."
"No, I need to go ask Song Xuan later..."
After the banquet was over and all the pastries were served, Yunyin quickly got up and left her seat. The only thing she didn't like about the banquet was the way she ate. Although she had practiced martial arts for many years and could easily squat in a horse stance, she was really not used to eating while kneeling.
Fortunately, they usually used stools, and only knelt on formal occasions. Yunyin returned to the kitchen to pack her things, intending to bid farewell to the registrar's wife.
She spent a lot of time preparing the desserts for this banquet, but fortunately, Song Xuan and the others were very satisfied. She also earned two taels of silver, which she used to pay the wages of the villagers in Linjiang Village who were still clearing land.
The clerk's wife was exhausted after a long day and looked listless. She was leaning back in her chair when she saw Yunyin coming over. She quickly got up and perked up, saying, "Madam Yun is here! Someone, bring tea quickly."
Yunyin quickly replied, "No need for that. I've come to say goodbye to the Registrar's wife."
The maid smiled at her and brought over tea and snacks as usual. The registrar's wife pulled her over and said, "Miss Yun, you've had a hard day. Sit down and have some tea. I have something to discuss with you."
"Yun Niangzi's skills are truly amazing. Many ladies from various families have asked me to have you make pastries for them."
Although Yunyin heard these words at the banquet, she did not expect them to be in such a hurry. She thought for a moment and said, "Madam, I am really sorry. I have a lot of things to do at home recently, and I am afraid I will not have time to go to their house to make pastries."
Seeing that the registrar's wife was still trying to persuade her, she quickly said, "But I can make it at home and have those ladies come and pick it up."
Seeing that Yunyin was indeed in a difficult position, the registrar's wife did not want to force her. "Since you really don't have time, I'll ask them first. If that doesn't work, I can go to your house to get it."
Yunyin nodded and said, "I'm so sorry, I've been very busy with family matters lately and haven't been able to find the time to come to the county town."
She said awkwardly, "There's something I need to tell you in advance, my lady. I'm afraid I can't make mochi here. It's not easy to find milk-producing cows, and I don't have any ingredients."
The registrar's wife nodded and said, "I will tell them all this. Milk-producing cows are not a difficult thing for them."
Seeing that the registrar's wife was already a little tired, Yunyin got up to take her leave, saying, "Then the registrar's wife should rest. I'll be leaving now. It's not convenient for me to talk to Madam Song today, so please convey my blessings to her."
The registrar's wife handed the silver to Yunyin and said, "Miss Yun, please take care. I won't see you off. I'll have Liu'er escort you."
It was already late when they left the Song residence. Yunyin originally wanted to rent a car to go back, but unexpectedly Song Shi came over with Shou'er. "If Madam Yun wants to go back, I'll arrange for someone to take you."
She raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you doing here, Young Master Song? Weren't you supposed to be helping entertain the guests?"
Song Shi said with a smile, "Miss Yun is also a guest, so it's only right that I come to see you off."
Yunyin didn't refuse his kindness and nodded, saying, "Then I'll trouble you."
When she got home, it was already dusk. Bathed in the glow of the sunset, Yunyin walked to the food stall. Zhang Lin was already cleaning up the kitchen. She went up to help and said, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days. How was business today?"
Zhang Lin said with delight, "Yun Niangzi is back, so I don't feel tired. It's just that without Yun Niangzi, the food stall can only sell noodles. Many customers don't want to eat noodles, and my cooking skills are just so-so, so those customers can only leave disappointed."
Yunyin wiped the table and said, "It's okay, I won't leave anymore. I'll still sell noodles in the morning, and I'll cook lunch and dinner."
"When you go to town to buy groceries tomorrow, please find a carpenter for me. I plan to order a batch of pastry boxes for me to use later."
Zhang Lin: "Miss Yun wants to sell some snacks?"
Yunyin nodded and said, "The ladies really liked the pastries I made today, but I don't have time to go to the county town later, so I can only have them come and pick them up."
Seeing that Madam Yun's business was growing bigger and bigger, Zhang Lin smiled and said, "Really? That's great! Does Madam want to expand the restaurant?"
“An old customer came over today. While we were chatting, he mentioned that he hoped we could eat inside, as he didn’t want to eat in the dust outside. I wonder if you remember, madam, that old man often went to the county town to visit his daughter.”
At this point, Yunyin remembered that he was indeed a very particular person; even when traveling, he would make sure he was clean and tidy. He was also very good to his daughter. Although it was a long way to Long'an County and he couldn't afford a mule cart, he was still willing to spend money to buy soy sauce for his daughter.
Yunyin surveyed the simple kitchen and bamboo shed before her. Although they had been cleaned and tidied up, they were still quite shabby. Compared to the food stalls in the county, or even the food stalls in the town, they were much more organized.
She considered it carefully and said, "I won't expand it for now. I'll save up some money and build a new one. I'll use this bamboo shed for now."
Yunyin's life returned to normal. When she wasn't busy, she would go to the mountains to dig bamboo shoots, pick toon leaves and wild vegetables, dry what needed to be dried, and make sauces to store more vegetables for winter.
She poured the bamboo shoots she had dug out from her basket. These shoots were thicker than the ones she had broken off earlier. She had already prepared quite a few dried bamboo shoots, and she planned to use them in a different way.
Smoked bamboo shoots are another type of bamboo shoot she never tires of, and they're quite easy to make. Sliced bamboo shoots are boiled, then roasted over charcoal, resulting in crisp and tender smoked bamboo shoots that are perfect for stir-frying with cured meat.
And what better way to make smoked bamboo shoots than pickled bamboo shoots? She loves snail rice noodles too. Pickled bamboo shoots are even simpler to make than smoked bamboo shoots, which require roasting over charcoal, while pickled bamboo shoots only need bamboo shoots, water, and salt.
Wash the earthenware jar thoroughly to remove any oil or soot, and let it air dry completely. There should be no water droplets inside, as the pickled bamboo shoots must be kept free of oil to prevent them from spoiling.
Place the washed and dried bamboo shoots into an earthenware jar, pour in sweet spring water, add a small amount of salt, seal the jar to prevent it from contacting air, and then place it in a cool, shady place. It will be ready to eat in about 5 days.
After cleaning all the bamboo shoots, Yunyin wanted to treat herself to something delicious. She had bought some dried matsutake mushrooms from the villagers earlier, but hadn't used them.
I just happened to buy a chicken from a villager in Linjiang Village today, which is perfect for making soup.
Soak the termite mushrooms until softened, then sauté chicken fat until fragrant. Add ginger and sauté until fragrant, then add chopped chicken and sauté. Add a little white wine to remove any fishy smell, then add spring water and simmer.
Before the termite mushrooms were even added, the aroma of chicken filled the air. A customer eating noodles smelled the aroma and exclaimed, "Miss Yun, your chicken soup smells amazing! How much is it?"
Yunyin smiled shyly and said, "I cooked for myself, but if you're still here when I'm done cooking, I can give you a bowl to try."
Upon hearing this, the customer chuckled and said, "That's great! I'll be waiting for your chicken soup then."
The chicken soup, which had been simmering for an hour, was already rich and flavorful. The matsutake mushrooms had also been soaked, shredded, and poured into the simmering chicken soup. We continued to simmer for another half hour and then added salt.
Yunyin couldn't keep a precise time, but she could get a general sense of it. She had a pretty good grasp of both the heat and the cooking time. As soon as the lid was opened, a delicious aroma wafted out, and her mouth was already watering before she even tasted it.
"Let me have a taste!" The diner was so enticed by the aroma that he couldn't sit still any longer, holding his bowl and looking longingly at Yunyin.
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