Chapter 18 The Female Lawyer: The Imperial City Has Begun Using Ice
June in Bianjing is the rainy season. Lu Qiong was awakened by a drizzle. Between closing the shop and going out in the rain, she chose to fill her stomach first.
It was quite cool in the morning, and the rain made it even more damp and cold. She quickly put on her coat and went to the kitchen to start a fire, wanting to cook some hot breakfast. It was drizzling, so she didn't have to rush to the shop.
Wash the carrots, dice them, and put them in a bowl for later use. Cut a small piece of meat into slices and cook it with the rice. While waiting, put the dried candied apricots into a clay pot.
Lu Xuan, smelling the aroma of the porridge, groggily got up and came over. She took a bowl of water, squatted in front of the main room, and used toothpaste to wash her mouth. The newly fallen rainwater would wash away the white foam.
The pot was bubbling, so Lu Qiong took out a few pieces of firewood, poured water on it to extinguish the fire, and as soon as he lifted the lid, a cloud of steam covered his face. He scooped up a spoonful of porridge to taste the saltiness, and if it wasn't salty enough, he added another half spoonful of salt.
Stir a few more times, and it's ready to serve.
Lu Xuan had already brought over a bowl, craning her neck to look into the pot: "Sister, please serve me a bowl first."
Lu Qiong intended to simmer it a little longer, but seeing how eager she looked, she laughed and served her a large bowl, almost burning her hands in the process.
They ate the hot porridge and both felt warm. Soon the rain stopped, and they walked along the blue brick path to Lu's restaurant.
Because of the rain, there weren't many pedestrians out, so Sister Yang didn't dare to make too many pastries. She only made a little more than half of what she made yesterday. If it wasn't enough, she would be busier in the afternoon, but it would be better than not being able to sell them and losing money.
A number of diners arrived one after another, sat down, ate a bowl of soup noodles, and left.
With nothing to do, Lu Qiong went to the stove to warm herself by the fire, put in a few sweet potatoes, and turned them over with iron tongs. The firelight illuminated her face, giving it a rosy glow: "When will it stop raining? Since the Dragon Boat Festival, it has rained several times this month, and even the number of diners has decreased."
Yang Jie'er was still rolling out long strips of dough, which was a type of steamed bun that a young lady had ordered. Her hands were covered in white flour as she smiled and said, "It won't be long. I heard that the palace has started using ice. When it gets a little warmer, we can buy some ice from the ice vendors."
But ice is expensive.
Lu Qiong complained that she would have to launch new drinks to attract customers, such as crispy mountain, ice cream, snow foam bean water, and iced cold dumplings... She was a little overwhelmed.
Seeing her so worried, Sister Yang didn't dare to tease her. She only said that it was not easy for ice harvesters. Every winter solstice, when every household was preparing for winter, they had to harvest ice during the coldest time. The rivers in the capital froze into thick ice, and they would take a foot and a half of ice and then transport it to the ice cellar for storage.
Compared to Lu Qiong's worries, Lu Xuan was even more looking forward to the days when they could use ice. In previous years, they had relied on well water to chill ice in Shangyuan Village and had not used ice many times, but the feeling of that coolness was already imprinted in her heart, and just thinking about it made her feel much cooler.
She squeezed Lu Qiong's shoulder and said ingratiatingly, "Sister, we'll use ice too. Snow-soaked bean water isn't hard to make..."
Lu Qiong gave a soft "hmm" as an agreement. Actually, she also craved an iced drink, but she found making shaved ice by hand too tiring. However, compared to making money, these things were nothing.
The young scholar who always frequents the store also braved the rain today to buy some pastries before hurrying back.
Lu Qiong then remembered that students at Yingtian Academy had a day off on the first and fifteenth of each month, and today happened to be the fifteenth, so the matter of contracting the poetry gathering and refreshments could only be discussed in a few days.
Speaking of which, students these days have it tough. They only have two days off a month, and they look forward to the Spring Festival, or at least a field holiday. In her previous life, she could have winter and summer vacations and didn't have to memorize the "Four Books and Five Classics" by heart. It's just that the pressure is great. Everyone has their own difficulties.
She had previously mentioned wanting to find a tutor for Lu Xuan, but Lu Qiong had been so busy these past few days that she forgot. So she decided to take this opportunity to ask her, "Would Xuan'er like to find a private tutor?"
Lu Xuan took the freshly roasted sweet potato, her hands burning from the heat. Her eyes still looked innocent as she listened to the conversation: "Why did you bring this up, sister?"
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head: "The shop needs manpower right now, and I want to stay and help out. I don't want to hire any private tutors."
Moreover, private tutors are hard to find. Scholars always have an advantage over them, and even if they have money, it's difficult to find someone willing to teach them.
Chen Erniang sat near the stove, still waiting for her cold noodles. She had overheard their conversation but didn't quite agree: "Young lady, you're still young and inexperienced, unaware of the wickedness of people. In this world, women without knowledge are easily deceived. I've been a lawyer for many years and have seen many women swindled out of their entire fortune by their husbands' families..."
Seeing that Sister Yang had prepared the sauce, Lu Qiong also personally brought over the cold noodles with locust leaves. She listened to Sister Shen talk about her experiences as a lawyer, how she had helped many women write their complaints, how she dealt with the government, and how she protected the interests of the people.
What an extraordinary woman! Lu Qiong wanted to applaud her, and Lu Xuan was also completely absorbed in the conversation, serving tea and water to everyone, almost as if she wanted to become her student.
However, this is a good thing, as she finally has the idea of studying.
Since the shop closes early at noon, Lu Qiong went to Aunt He's house to buy a sea bass, intending to make a braised sea bass dish.
Several large perch were placed in the wooden basin. He Liu Niang caught one that was swimming the most happily, tied it with a straw rope through its nose and tied it with its tail, and handed it to Lu Qiong: "Young lady, are you going to make sashimi? Cut it into thin slices and add salt, soy sauce and vinegar. The taste will be extremely fresh and smooth."
Lu Qiong smiled but remained silent. Raw fish slices were something she couldn't stomach. She wondered how this way of eating raw fish had become popular since the Zhou Dynasty, and later even became a specialty dish in other countries.
He chatted with He Liuniang about everyday matters and told her that she must go to Lu Ji's restaurant for a meal in a few days before they parted.
After cleaning the sea bass's internal organs, Lu Qiong rinsed it several times with water to remove the blood before making a few cuts on both sides of the fish to help the sauce penetrate.
Perhaps because she grew up with her since childhood, Lu Xuan couldn't eat raw fish either. In between bites, she was slicing ginger and garlic to cover up the fishy smell.
Lu Qiong poured oil into the pot, added firewood, and simmered it over high heat. When the oil was hot, he added the sea bass and fried it until it sizzled. When it was almost done, he flipped it over and fried it until both sides were golden brown. Then he added seasonings. As soon as the minced garlic touched the oil, the aroma wafted throughout the yard, making Xue'er bark with envy.
After lunch, the two rested.
Lu Qiong got up early and, having nothing else to do, went to deliver pastries to the Xie family. Crossing the Imperial Street from Zhou Bridge, she turned right in front of the Xuande Gate of the Imperial Palace, and the imposing gate of Zhen'anfang marked the Xie residence.
Lu Qiong handed the food box to Xie's maid, Tao Hong, and listened as she talked about the Xie family. The old lady had been slightly ill yesterday and had a poor appetite, but fortunately Lu Qiong had brought some pastries, so perhaps the old lady could eat them.
After she left, Xie Xun also rushed back to the house and headed straight for the old lady's courtyard.
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