Chapter 41, The Lotus Banquet at the 41st Inn
The lotus banquet for Xia Xiaoniangzi has arrived. Yunyin, carrying the things she prepared, got into the carriage that came to pick her up. When they arrived at the manor, the sun had just risen.
Everything was readily available in the manor. Yunyin looked at the various vegetables and fruits, all prepared early in the morning and very fresh.
Although only a few people were attending this lotus banquet, she still needed to prepare twenty dishes: four cold dishes and four hot dishes, four barbecue and fried dishes, four soups, noodles and rice dishes, and four desserts and fruits. Yunyin spent a lot of time preparing these dishes, and after Xia Yan confirmed them, she began to cook these twenty dishes.
Time is tight, and some dishes might not be ready in time if they are cooked on the same day. She made the broth last night and brought it over today, so that some dishes don't have to wait for the broth to be made before they can be cooked.
Yunyin first made one of the four barbecue and fried dishes: braised pigeon. This is a Cantonese dish with crispy skin, tender and juicy meat. This dish requires spices to braise the pigeon. If it weren't for Xia Niangzi asking her to cook, she probably wouldn't have been willing to use so many spices.
All the spices were put into a cheesecloth and set aside to simmer. The prepared broth was poured into the braising liquid and simmered again. Then, seasonings were added to taste.
The prepared pigeons were placed in the braising liquid and simmered over low heat. While the pigeons were braising, she continued to prepare other ingredients.
The most meticulously prepared dish at today's banquet is Wensi Tofu, while the most exquisite soup base is Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth. Among the cold dishes are Golden Minced Fish Slices, which she has made before, and Garlic Pork Belly, which she has never made before. Of course, with fish, shrimp is indispensable, and a refreshing stir-fried shrimp dish is a must.
For the main courses, she prepared shrimp dumplings and claypot rice, and since it's cucumber season, she added a dish of cucumber salad to enhance the summer coolness.
Yunyin worked quickly and methodically, chopping vegetables while soup simmered in a pot. When the most troublesome dishes were almost ready, she started making the hot dishes.
The hot dish she prepared was stuffed tofu. The tofu was from Aunt Fang's shop, which she brought from town early that morning. Aunt Fang's tofu was really delicious, tender and smooth, and it was perfect for making stuffed tofu and Wensi tofu.
The sound of chopping vegetables came from the kitchen. A maid who was helping looked up curiously and saw Yunyin's hands flying. A blur of movement was left, leaving only tofu cut into thin strips.
She patted the person washing vegetables next to her, gesturing for her to look. The person glanced at it and was also amazed by Yunyin's knife skills. She whispered, "No wonder the young lady wanted to hire this cook. Her technique looks even better than the cooks in our manor."
The maid who spoke first said sadly, "Yes, our cook, Wan, was brought back from Chang'an by the young lady. We thought she was already quite skilled, but we didn't expect that there would be such a skilled cook in Long'an County."
"I wonder if the young lady will keep this cook. If she does, I wonder what Cook Wan will think."
"Stop talking, Chef Wan is here." The maid next to her nudged her, lowered her head to wash the vegetables carefully, and the maid who had been speaking also quickly lowered her head and stopped talking.
Wan Leqiao pretended not to hear the maids' gossip and walked to the kitchen door to take a look. She was also amazed by Yunyin's superb knife skills, but then she relaxed. Good knife skills do not mean that the dishes are to her liking. She had followed the young lady from Chang'an to Jiannan, and no one knew the young lady's preferences better than her.
She glanced at it only once before turning away. She still had to prepare ingredients for her mistress's dinner. The wild game on the estate was very fresh; she would bring it back to the manor to cook for her mistress.
When Wan Leqiao was looking around at the door, Yunyin noticed her, but assumed it was just a maid passing by and didn't pay any attention. At this moment, the claypot rice with Chinese sausage that she had steamed was already cooked. Even before opening the pot, you could smell the fragrance of the rice and the aroma of the Chinese sausage, making you eager to try it.
By this time, the braised pigeons that had been coated with crispy glaze had dried out. Then, a pot of oil was used to fry them, and the aroma of fried pigeons filled the whole house. Even the maids helping out outside couldn't help but drool.
After the pigeon was cooked and the roasted mutton was done, it was lunchtime. Yunyin began to arrange for people to serve the dishes. The first dishes served were four cold dishes: cucumber salad, pork belly with garlic sauce, minced fish, and poached chicken.
Crisp and refreshing cucumber paired with a sweet and sour sauce is an appetizer that will whet your appetite with just one bite.
Xia Xiaoniangzi was also very satisfied with the cucumber dish. Then she tried the garlic-flavored pork belly and couldn't help but nod in praise. The pork was fragrant but not greasy, and the sweet and sour taste made her feel that it would be best served with a bowl of rice.
She doesn't eat minced fish, but her friend who came today liked it, so she said, "Ah Yue, you like fish, so this was specially prepared for you."
When the dishes were first served, the woman named Yue immediately noticed the fish sashimi arranged like a peony. She couldn't help but pick up a piece to taste, and while eating, she nodded and said, "Yan, your knife skills are excellent. The fish slices are thin and translucent, and the meat is crisp and delicate. It tastes just right with the golden minced meat sauce. I haven't had fish sashimi in a long time, and I can finally enjoy it to my heart's content today."
Xia Yan nodded and said, "Of course I'll let you eat to your heart's content. There are many more dishes to come, including your favorite shrimp. I arranged it specially."
A-Yue was deeply moved and said, "You really are something. You specially arranged a flower viewing banquet today and even prepared my favorite dishes. I'm so touched."
Xia Yan: "It's because you're going to marry far away, and we don't know if we'll be able to get together again. We're getting together before you get married, so of course we'll prepare your favorite dishes."
Another round-faced young woman said, "Yes, A-Yue, you got married the earliest, so we were able to see you off. I wonder how many friends will come to see me off when I get married."
Seeing that the conversation was about to turn to sadness, the others quickly interrupted, saying, "The hot dishes are here, hurry up and eat. Don't waste such delicious food."
Xia Yan looked at the braised pigeon and roasted mutton that were served. The glossy, red pigeon lay in the middle of the plate, its head held high as if singing. When the maid cut it open, she took a bite. The skin was crispy, smooth, and juicy. The unique taste was unforgettable.
She put down her chopsticks with a touch of melancholy, wondering what she would do if she couldn't eat this braised pigeon again after returning to Chang'an. As for the roasted mutton next to her, although she thought it tasted good, it couldn't compare to the amazing braised pigeon.
As for the fried mushrooms and eggplant fritters that came later, they were just snacks. She only ate a few bites while waiting for the rest of the dishes.
After serving the hot dishes, Yunyin started serving rice and soup. As soon as the claypot rice was opened, the aroma of rice filled the courtyard. As for the shrimp dumplings, each one was crystal clear, and you could see the round, red shrimp inside. The taste was completely different from that of stir-fried shrimp.
A-Yue was very satisfied with these shrimp dishes. She barely ate any of the other dishes, but she couldn't stop eating the fish and shrimp.
Xia Yan was impressed by the exquisite technique of Wensi Tofu. The thin, long strands of tofu, like little silver fish, swam in the soup. They were tender and refreshing, melting in the mouth. The soup was very clear and extremely delicious. After eating a lot of meat and fish, a bowl of soup made her stomach feel much better.
The people at the table stopped talking and each drank their soup. If they were still not satisfied after finishing the soup, they could have boiled cabbage in hot water instead.
After finishing the meal, everyone was almost full. Yunyin came over with the last dessert and fruit platter. After putting down the dessert, she asked Xia Yan, "How did you find the banquet today, Miss Xia?"
Xia Yan gestured with her chin to look, and the dishes on the table were almost completely devoured by them. She patted her slightly round belly and said, "I only thought you were good at making desserts before, but I didn't expect your cooking skills to be so superb. If it weren't for A-Xuan's strong recommendation, I would have missed out on Yun Niangzi's cooking skills. I wonder if Yun Niangzi has any plans to go elsewhere?"
Song Xuan knew that Yun Yin had no intention of changing locations, and sure enough, she heard her say, "Thank you for your kind words, Miss Xia. I'm doing very well now. I'm happy that you like the food I make. If you still want to eat, you can come and visit once my guesthouse is built. However, you will need to make a reservation in advance, as some ingredients need to be prepared ahead of time."
Seeing that she refused, Xia Yan wanted to try again. She smiled and said, "How about I give you 5 strings of cash a month?"
Five strings of cash is indeed a lot of money, but Yunyin also earned five strings of cash for cooking for Xia Xiaoniangzi this time. She didn't want to leave the inn; her inn had just started to improve, so how could she give it up?
Moreover, she enjoys a free and easy life and likes to cook more delicious food to share with others. She doesn't want to cook for just one person. She shook her head and said, "I'm really sorry."
Seeing that Yunyin was indeed unwilling, Xia Yan could not force her, so she reluctantly said, "Fine, I will definitely patronize your restaurant once it is built."
Song Xuan nodded and said, "Take me with you when you go, so I can have some peace and quiet."
A-Yue sighed, "It's a pity I can't be with you all."
As the group chatted and laughed, the lotus flowers in the lake swayed in the wind, as if dancing for them, making the entire pavilion even more beautiful. Yunyin was also infected by their lively atmosphere and couldn't help but laugh.
Xia Yan saw this and said with a smile, "Miss Yun looks so beautiful when she smiles. You should smile more often."
The other women echoed, and Song Xuan said, "I probably see Lady Yun smile all the time, so I haven't noticed yet. But now that she's smiling, even the lotus flowers don't look so beautiful."
Yunyin lowered her eyes shyly and smiled, but when she looked up, she regained her usual expression.
Looking at the lotus flowers in full bloom, Xia Yan said, "I'll send some lotus flowers to you, my lady. I happen to have other nice flowers on my estate, so I'll send you some of each kind. Once your restaurant is finished, we can go there to admire the flowers."
Yunyin thanked Xia Yan and took the flowers Xia Yan gave her and the money she earned from cooking home.
It was already past mid-afternoon when Yunyin arrived home. Fu Wang was sitting at the food stall. She asked in surprise, "Young Master Fu, didn't I tell you I wasn't here today? Why are you here?"
Fu Wang looked at Yun Yin, who was getting out of the car, with a lot of flowers beside her and a basket full of lotus flowers in her hand. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Since you're not here today, I'll come and keep an eye on things for you. It's not safe for Qian Si to keep an eye on things alone. Zhang Lin is also busy with the food stall. I'll keep an eye on things for you."
Yunyin asked in surprise, "Did they cause trouble?"
Fu Wang shook his head and said, "The person in charge you found is quite reliable. So far, nothing has gone wrong, but someone still needs to keep an eye on things to prevent any unnecessary trouble."
Yunyin nodded and said, "I know, this is a special case, and I asked Zhang Lin to keep an eye on things."
"Qian Si was introduced to me by Sister Aman. She wouldn't have introduced someone to me if he wasn't reliable."
Fu Wang hesitated for a moment before saying, "It seems you and Luo Man have a very good relationship." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Miss Yun, may I discuss something with you?"
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