Chapter 62 Making Sausages
Having eaten and drunk her fill of breakfast, Jiang Zhi went back to sleep as usual.
When she woke up, Pei Ye was already standing in front of her bed with a smile, looking at her sleeping face with a broad grin...
Anyway, it gave Jiang Zhi goosebumps all over.
She still had a bit of a sleepy look about her morning, stretched, and casually pushed out a man who was staring at her expectantly, as she prepared to change her clothes.
After getting dressed, she combed her hair a little, applied some rouge, and thought she looked pretty good in the bronze mirror. Then she pushed open the door, lazily glanced at Pei Ye, and gestured for him to follow.
That's right. It's unusual that Pei Ye didn't come over by himself today; Jiang Zhi called him over.
*
As she stepped outside, Jiang Zhi weighed the basket in her hand and decided to first stop by Yang the carpenter's place to get a wheeled cart before preparing for today's work.
There was no way around it; the amount of shopping that day was enormous.
Thinking this to herself, she casually said it to a man who was frantically crowding around her like a puppy.
Pei Ye, of course, didn't care.
Actually, when he heard Jiang Zhi mention this yesterday afternoon, he had already finished the chores his parents had taught him, and he had nothing to do all day, just waiting...
He looked at the high ponytail, long shirt, and trousers that Jiang Zhi had braided today. It was a very novel way of dressing in this era, but he didn't know what it reminded him of, and he silently blushed.
*
When they arrived at the carpenter's shop, the young man, Yang, who was probably working at the entrance while greeting customers, smiled when he saw the two of them.
"What a rare guest!"
"What are you here to do today, Mr. Jiang? If you only want me to do it, I won't charge you. I just hope you'll invite me to your next banquet—"
Before she could finish speaking, an old man came rushing out, huffing and puffing. He glared at his good-for-nothing son first, then looked Jiang Zhi up and down.
Jiang Zhi smiled and let him look her over.
After scanning the room thoroughly, the old man coughed lightly and interrupted his son.
"You can't refuse to take the money; that's not a rule in our line of work!"
When Lao Yang started with this sentence, Xiao Yang got anxious and hurriedly glanced at Jiang Zhi's expression, only to see that the girl's expression was indifferent, and she didn't even raise her eyebrows.
At this moment, Jiang Zhi was looking at Old Yang. The pride unique to craftsmen instantly rose from the back of this slightly hunched old man, like an unyielding spirit that would never bend...
Seeing the old man's appearance, Jiang Zhi probably gave up her joking attempt to bargain. As a semi-craftsman herself, she naturally knew how important the rules were in the trade, passed down from generation to generation, and how sometimes these rules were beyond one's control. Young Yang was still young and impetuous, and hadn't experienced the backstabbing and infighting within the trade...
After much deliberation, Jiang Zhi finally managed to suppress the disappointment she felt at the prospect of a free surprise. But suddenly, a sentence from Lao Yang involuntarily popped into her mind.
"...Free services are not an option in our line of work. However, if we can provide a couple of meals later, and if any furniture needs to be replaced or the house needs renovation, and we also include meals, we can save a lot of money!"
Jiang Zhi had almost given up hope, but these words suddenly made her eyes light up instantly, like a little fox that had been feeling a bit disappointed but suddenly saw a big piece of meat falling in front of it and couldn't wait to bite into it.
However, she eventually held back and asked a couple more questions before finally confirming it;
The old man had been spouting so much nonsense to scare her, firstly to save face for his son in case some colleagues caused trouble, and secondly to elevate his own status so that he wouldn't have to take his son along but not him.
When Jiang Zhi figured out these two layers of meaning in her mind, she was almost at a loss for words, both laughing and crying.
This arrogant old man...
*
After much pleading and haggling, Jiang Zhi finally managed to get a shopping cart at the lowest possible price.
This cart isn't like the modern carts used for pushing people or goods; it's more like...
What does it resemble?
Jiang Zhi pondered for a while before finally coming up with an adjective: like a modern construction site cart, but the frame wasn't as deep, and only four low boards were nailed around it.
Jiang Zhi asked Lao Yang to reinforce the nails in various places and drive in a few more nails before happily paying the money and preparing to push the cart away.
Before leaving, Jiang Zhi also placed a large order with Lao Yang.
After all, she planned to renovate the house.
Jiang Zhi initially rented the current house, but as she gradually earned more money, she negotiated a price with the landlord and simply bought the house outright.
Now that she's bought it, it's her own property, so Jiang Zhi naturally wants to make sure she lives in it as comfortably as possible. When the walls are reinforced again, she'll hire someone to make some furniture and do some minor renovations. Jiang Zhi really thinks that's the best thing ever!
For Jiang Zhi, whether she's in charge of the meals for one team or two teams, it's all the same...
*
Once the little incident in the middle had finally passed, Jiang Zhi was ready to hurriedly carry out the plan she had prepared long ago.
—Make sausages!
Jiang Zhi had been craving this sausage for far too long.
For many of Jiang Zhi's quick dinners, sausages are simply an essential food.
Fried rice with some sausage is delicious!
Stir-fried noodles with some sausage are delicious!
Rice balls with some sausage are delicious!
...
Sausages are something you can stuff with almost anything.
However, Jiang Zhi hasn't dared to make it these days. The main reason is that Sichuan is currently in the wet rainy season, and if Jiang Zhi dares to make it in this weather, the sausages will likely mold!
So Jiang Zhi has been living like a moldy mushroom at home these past few days, picking and choosing every day. Apart from planting a bunch of radishes and vegetables and setting up a stall, he hasn't dared to do anything else. Just as he finished making something, the weather turned bad and a bucket of rain poured down. OK, everything is ruined.
As for why Jiang Zhi rushed to start work today, the main reason is actually with the Wang family. They took on the job of setting up the stall, and Jiang Zhi figured that she wouldn't be going out for long periods of time recently. So even if she was drying sausages, and the weather turned bad halfway through, it would still be fine to bring them in.
Besides, the rainy season should be over by now!
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhi stared at the sky in exasperation, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, wanting to curse but not daring to.
I was afraid that my bad luck might actually bring rain.
*
Lost in thought, Jiang Zhi soon arrived at the butcher shop.
She glanced outside to make sure her bad luck hadn't worked: the sky was clear and there wasn't a trace of rain.
The butcher shop was still bustling with people, but not many were buying meat. After all, it wasn't a holiday, and for ordinary people, it wasn't the time to eat meat yet!
Jiang Zhi squeezed her way out of the crowd, pushing her modified little cart as she went.
People around her couldn't help but whisper among themselves as they looked at her car.
After all, judging from this setup, it's not like they're buying just a small amount!
*
Jiang Zhi surprised everyone. Instead of bidding boldly like someone who would bid on a book, she buried her head and kept turning over the large pieces of meat on the cutting board with her fingers. She seemed like an ordinary girl coming over, but the cart she was pushing made the whole scene look like she was buying goods.
Jiang Zhi ignored the gazes of others and was focused on selecting meat. In ancient cities, there were usually only two or three butcher shops. Apart from the meat specially delivered to wealthy families, each butcher shop would typically only have one or one and a half pieces of pork.
Therefore, the 20 jin (10 catties) of 37/10 lean-to-fat pork belly she wanted to buy, according to her strict standards, would probably be difficult for even a single butcher shop to meet.
That's why she was pushing the cart. Jiang Zhi doesn't yet have the habit of carrying a large piece of pork belly around.
*
However, the situation is not too bad; at least it is not as bad as the worst-case scenario that Jiang Zhi had imagined.
While she focused on selecting meat, Pei Ye pushed the cart behind her. After visiting only two stores, they had gathered about 40 to 50 jin of meat. Jiang Zhi calculated based on her usual consumption and estimated that they could make about 30 jin of sausages.
Moreover, the meat was all picked out piece by piece by Jiang Zhi, almost all of it was from the "belly and flank" part of the pig's belly, which is the term used in the Song Dynasty. According to Jiang Zhi's local dialect, it is the part of the pig's belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and the ratio is about three to seven, making it perfect for making sausages.
The meat was bought, and the money was paid directly. The two shop owners, perhaps harboring some rivalry, saw that Jiang Zhi paid quickly and even tipped herself a little extra, so they readily agreed to her request.
Remove the skin and set it aside; then mince the fat and lean meat into a paste and place it on the cart.
Incidentally, Jiang Zhi also made a small request, asking the two shop owners to sell her the leftover small intestines from the day's sales at a slightly lower price.
Nobody wants this stuff in this season. People only start using it around the end of the year. So when Jiang Zhi met the second boss, he didn't even think twice and just told her to pack it herself.
The first boss was a little more cautious. His hand was getting tired from chopping meat, so he glanced at Jiang Zhi and watched her quickly pull out the money. Then he let her do as she pleased.
*
Once the meat and sausages are prepared, everything is ready except for the final step.
For Jiang Zhi, it was just like the proverb: she had already done most of what was within her power, and all that remained was for the weather to decide.
If the weather is good, the sausages will be mostly done after a couple of days of sun drying. If the weather is bad, they're ruined, but you can still salvage them and dry them into cured sausages.
However, compared to sausages, Jiang Zhi doesn't actually like eating Chinese sausage that much.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh with a worried expression.
-----------------------
Author's note: This is something I've wanted to write for a long time!
My dream has finally come true.
These handmade sausages are absolutely delicious! My family sometimes makes them in the winter, but more often than not, they forget about them, which is why I've been longing for them winter after winter.
This sausage isn't the kind sold outside; it's very meaty.
That's all for now, I definitely need to make some more at home this winter.
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