Chapter 10: The Warm and Cozy Daily Life of Bo Xia and People Eating Around the Stove
Xie Xun recognized the young woman he had met on the street. He had left in a hurry that day and hadn't had time to apologize. However, he didn't expect that there would be so many people at Xiangguo Temple today, and in the blink of an eye, her figure disappeared into the crowd.
...
After leaving Xiangguo Temple, Lu Qiong told Lu Xuan to take the things home first, while she went to the butcher shop, planning to have hot pot for dinner that night. It was also known as "Bo Xia Gong" at the time, but it was just eating meat around a stove.
At that time, the Song Dynasty lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and the pastures in the upper reaches of the Yellow River were occupied by foreign tribes, resulting in high prices for mutton.
In recent years, Lu Qiong has been unable to afford mutton and can only afford chicken, duck, and fish, which is also the mainstream choice for ordinary people. Rabbit meat has also become a major meat dish for hot pot because of its cheap price and bright slices.
There were two butcher shops in Zhouqiao, Peng's Butcher Shop and Mingji Pork Shop. Lu Qiong randomly picked one and bought half a pound of pork and half a rabbit. Then she went to buy some fruits and vegetables, because a combination of meat and vegetables is essential for a balanced diet.
Unfortunately, there was no beef. But even if there were, she wouldn't dare buy it. According to the criminal law of the Song Dynasty, killing a cow without authorization would land her in jail. After all, in an agrarian society, cattle were still extremely important production tools.
As evening approached, the residents of Tongjifang also became lively.
As soon as Lu Qiong entered the alley, she heard people arguing inside. She didn't see anyone, but she did see Jin Niang peeking out. She put down her basket and asked, "Jin Niang, what's going on up ahead?"
Jinniang leaned against the door, covering her mouth and lowering her voice: "The Pei family next door is arguing. The Pei family's son is sensible at a young age. Not long after his mother passed away, his father remarried. With a stepmother, he also has a stepfather. How can life be easy for him?"
Lu Qiong wanted to gossip a bit more, but then the door next door opened, and a pair of dark, unfathomable eyes stared intently at her, making her heart skip a beat. The person quickly looked away and turned to leave the alley.
"That was terrifying," Jinniang said, patting her chest in lingering fear. "Young Master Pei doesn't look like his father at all. I don't know how he grew up like this."
Seeing her like that, Lu Qiong laughed out loud: "You're too timid."
Jinniang didn't argue with her. Seeing that there was a lot of meat and vegetables in the basket, she asked, "Are you going to set up a meat stall?"
Lu Qiong shook her head and smiled, "This is for eating."
"She really doesn't know how to manage money," Jinniang clicked her tongue, worried that she might squander the family fortune one day. She earnestly advised, "Qiong'er, you'd better save some money. Bianjing is not like the countryside; there are expenses everywhere, not to mention you still have Xuan'er to support..."
If she continues like this, she won't be able to make ends meet in a few days. If she gets even a minor illness, not only will she miss out on earning money, but she'll also have to spend a lot of money. However, she dares not say this to anyone, but only mutters it to herself.
Lu Qiong, unaware of her concerns, smiled and changed the subject: "Is Shuang-jie feeling better?"
When her daughter was mentioned, Jinniang's brows relaxed, and she nodded, saying, "She's much better. She was asking for something to eat today, and I was just about to go buy some candied fruit."
“That’s perfect. Let’s call Shuang’er to come along,” Lu Qiong said, picking up her basket. “I bought a lot of vegetables, and they’ll spoil if we don’t finish them in this heat.”
Jinniang wanted to decline, but Lu Qiong persuaded her by mentioning Shuangjie. Thinking that it would be more lively with more people, she agreed and took her own seasonings with her.
Lu Xuan sat on the doghouse made of dry straw, holding Xue'er in her arms. She first leaned her face close to the dog, then stroked its fur with her palm. The setting sun shone on the two of them, creating a scene of joy and harmony.
When Lu Qiong entered, she saw this heartwarming scene, with Shuang Jie'er and Jin Niang whispering behind her, and her heart felt filled with joy.
"Sister, you're back! I just fed Xue'er." Lu Xuan waved to the person while holding Xue'er's paw.
Xue'er also barked twice: "Woof woof woof!"
Shuang'er is only six years old, which is the age when she is most playful. She can't resist Xue'er and follows her to pet the dog. Fortunately, Xue'er has a gentle personality and lies on the ground obediently to let people pet her back.
Lu Qiong closed the courtyard gate tightly, told Lu Xuan to take good care of Shuang Jie'er, and then led Jin Niang into the main room. Since it was early morning and the pots hadn't been washed yet, Jin Niang took the initiative to do the work while Lu Qiong went to prepare the ingredients.
Fill a basin with water and wash the meat thoroughly. Cut the pork into two portions: one portion for hot pot and the other portion with starch to make meatballs.
The pork available nowadays is bright red and translucent, all freshly slaughtered. It's sliced thinly, rolled up, and arranged on a plate. After all, the ritual of eating hot pot is still important.
Seeing that Jinniang had finished washing the pot, Lu Qiong realized that there was no suitable stove at home. So Jinniang went back and brought her own small stove, placed it on the octagonal table, and put charcoal underneath to continuously heat water.
As Jinniang was chopping radishes, she heard laughter coming from outside the main room and felt somewhat gratified: "Shuang'er used to be playful and not afraid of strangers. I didn't expect that after being raised by my mother for half a year, she would not only lose weight but also become less talkative. She has only gotten better in the last few days."
Lu Qiong couldn't empathize or offer comfort; she simply listened to her vent, occasionally nodding in agreement.
The ingredients were quickly prepared, except for the meatballs, which were a real hassle without a meat grinder. She first chopped the meat with a knife, added a little water to a bowl and stirred clockwise, then added cornstarch and pepper and stirred it into a paste. She couldn't add too much water, otherwise it would be too thin and wouldn't hold its shape.
Lu Qiong pinched the meat filling with her left hand and squeezed it out through the web between her thumb and forefinger. With her right hand, she used a spoon to scrape it off, forming a ball. Every few scrapes, she would wet the spoon with water to prevent the meat filling from sticking to it.
Jinniang also joined in making dumplings, and seeing her skillful technique, she praised her, "Young lady, you are so skillful. Whoever marries you in the future will be blessed with good fortune."
Lu Qiong just smiled and didn't dare to agree. She first boiled the water in the pot and rinsed all the raw meatballs in the water, otherwise they would be too thick and wouldn't cook through.
"Sister, is it ready to eat?" Lu Xuan ran over as soon as she smelled the aroma of meat and circled around Lu Qiong.
Seeing the meatballs change color, Lu Qiong used a long wooden dagger to scoop them out: "Wait a little longer. Go and get the green plums from the cupboard and share them with Shuang-jie. Each person can only eat two, don't be greedy."
I still have more than half a jar of pickled plums left from the last time I made them around the Grain in Ear solar term. I've been so busy these past few days that I almost forgot about them.
She wiped her hands clean, took one and ate it. It tasted sweet and sour in her mouth, making her want to eat even more.
Then she started preparing the dipping sauce. Due to limited resources at the time, she could only add half a bowl of sesame oil, minced garlic, chili, and sauce, as well as some chopped peanuts. She divided the sauce into four small portions and served them to the table.
She had saved a few portions of the plum juice she had cooked that morning, and she put them out as well.
Lu Xuan took Shuang'er to wash their hands early in the morning. The two sat obediently on the chairs, while Xue'er squatted down next to Lu Xuan, staring at her with wide eyes.
"You're craving it too." Lu Qiong smiled and ruffled its head, then put the meatballs she had saved for him into the bowl.
Jinniang was already used to it; apart from wealthy families, only Qiongjie was willing to feed meat to dogs. Seeing Shuangjie's eyes shining as she stared at the rabbit meat and drooled, she chuckled and rolled up her sleeves for her: "Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll get it for you."
When the last plate of meat was served, Lu Qiong sat down between Lu Xuan and Jin Niang and told everyone to start eating.
The water was bubbling and gurgling, so she took the opportunity to add half a bowl of meatballs and some radish.
It had been as long as she had been in the Song Dynasty that she hadn't eaten beef offal, tofu skewers soaked in broth, or stewed radish chunks... She sighed inwardly, realizing that she could only satisfy her cravings with this hot pot now.
Shuangjie had her hair styled in the currently fashionable triangular bun, with three horns sticking out from her head. Lu Qiong found it quite amusing, and with a smile, she served her a bowl of radish soup, adding a lot of pork rolls, since there were no beef rolls available, so she had to console herself with "pork rolls".
Shuangjie thanked her softly, a little shyly. She dipped the pork in the sauce, and it became a glossy, fragrant color. One bite, and oil clung to the corners of her mouth.
"Shuang-jie, eat slowly." After saying that, Jin-niang took out a cloth from her waist and wiped the oil off Shuang-jie's mouth.
However, Sister Qiong's cooking skills were really good. She ate quite a lot of the dishes, and even the radishes, which she usually didn't like, tasted delicious. Not to mention, the dipping sauce was also very fragrant.
Of the four people at the table, Lu Xuan ate the most heartily. She first picked up a piece of rabbit meat, then stuffed a meatball into her mouth, and even though her mouth was scalded, she didn't want to spit it out: "Sister's embroidered meatballs are the best. I wish I could eat them every day."
Lu Qiong was munching on a radish. Listening to her, she could barely hold her chopsticks. It would be incredible if she did this every day. Just chopping meat takes a lot of effort, not to mention squeezing meatballs. If it weren't for Jin Niang's help, she wouldn't have thought of making meatballs.
"We'll talk about it next time. There's not enough for you to eat today."
Halfway through the meal, the fire in the stove went down, so Jinniang went to get some charcoal, and Lu Qiong followed her.
"Jinniang, is there anyone around here who is good at carpentry?"
Jinniang held the iron pliers, having just made a small incision, and pondered as she listened to the conversation: "Are you making furniture? A canopy bed or an altar?"
“No,” Lu Qiong shook her head, “I wanted to take a pushcart. I saw some people on the street setting up stalls with pushcarts, and they could even put a stove underneath. It looked useful.”
Jinniang picked up a piece of charcoal and put it into the winnowing basket, saying, "Actually, Young Master Pei is good at fighting."
Who is it?
Jinniang explained, "It's the one that scared you earlier. If you're brave enough, you can go to their house tomorrow at noon."
Lu Qiong also remembered it, and after thinking for a moment, she asked, "Is there no one else?"
Yes, it is.
Jinniang paused for a moment before saying, "But they are old carpenters. It would cost at least two hundred coins to make a cart for you, plus the wood you have would cost at least one hundred coins. It would cost at least three or five hundred. Young Master Pei is different. He learned on his own and his skills are no worse than others, but he is too young and no one wants to hire him. If you go now, you might be able to get it done for around one hundred coins."
The most terrifying thing in the world is poverty. Lu Qiong doesn't have much money. If she spends it all on her pushcart, she'll lose all her capital for setting up her stall. It's better to find that Pei guy.
After pressing Jin Niang to find out more about him, Lu Qiong decided to talk to him after closing up shop the next day, hoping to save a lot of money.
"Sister, the fire needs to be put out!"
Hearing Lu Xuan urging them, they carried some charcoal over. After adding several pieces of charcoal and fanning the fire with palm-leaf fans, the fire started up and soon the water boiled again.
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