Chapter 23 Crispy little fish on the day of the approaching summer heat make the soup dumplings even more fragrant
The night before, they strolled around Sangjia Wazi, watching many acrobatic and folk performances, and had to go back late at night.
Therefore, the two of them got up late today and had to rush to Lu's shop before they could even make breakfast. Fortunately, Sister Yang was diligent and had made pastries several times before, so the shop was filled with the aroma of red dates and osmanthus...
Lu Qiong munched on the newly bought zongzi, which was filled with red bean paste. After eating half of it, she felt her stomach was no longer empty. She mumbled, "It's a good thing that Sister Yang is here, otherwise we would have to open late again today."
Lu Xuan nodded in agreement and continued to eat the two palm-sized steamed buns, which were filled with a little bit of meat filling and smelled delicious.
Sister Yang lifted the lid of the pot, and steam rose from the stove. The Three-Bean Drink inside was ready. Black beans, mung beans, and red beans were mixed together and stewed until soft. She then poured in a small bowl of rock sugar and said with a smile, "Young lady, you're too kind. It's just what I should do."
As he spoke, he poured out several bowls of Three-Bean Drink, which is refreshing and removes dampness, and has recently become a favorite among the people of Bianjing.
"The porters just came and filled the water, and I've already paid them twenty coins. They'll be coming back around noon."
Lu Qiong nodded, which meant she understood. After all, it was getting hotter, and the shop's water demand had increased. There were people making soup dumplings, brewing tea, washing vegetables, and washing dishes. Now, all that was missing was to add ice to the drinks.
Before the store opened, Lu Qiong rested at the tea table after finishing her meal.
After a while, someone knocked on the door: "Madam Lu, I've come to deliver the fish."
As soon as they opened the door, they saw two large buckets of fresh fish, each about the thickness of two fingers. There seemed to be quite a lot of them. Lu Qiong asked the idle man to move them to the back door so that it would be easier for them to process the fish.
Lu Qiong handed over the money for the fish to the idler, and also packed him some pastries and a few copper coins as payment for his errand. Fortunately, the man was happy to accept them. After all, doing business requires good interpersonal relationships, and these snacks, though inexpensive, were enough to win people's hearts.
As she passed by the corner of the wall, she also moved a low stool and placed it by the back door, where she sat and processed the fish's internal organs. She didn't finish processing a small bucket until Lu Ji officially opened, and the rest could only be left for the time being.
Normally, they would sweep the floor and wipe the tables together, but today Lu Qiong was going to fry fish, so Lu Xuan had to take on all the work. She tore off the coarse cloth from her waist, wet it, and wiped the tables clean. Then she swept the area around Lu's shop and opened for business.
A bowl of small fish sat beside the stove. Lu Qiong added salt, pepper, wine, scallions, and ginger slices, and stirred it well. Seeing the hot oil in the pan sizzling, she poured the fish in. It sizzled and turned golden brown instantly, the aroma of salt and pepper mingling with the fragrance of fish filling the air.
The aroma of fried fish drew pedestrians from the street, who flocked into the shop to order.
"Shopkeeper, a bowl of plain noodles, and an extra serving of fried fish."
Lu Qiong agreed while frying the fish.
Yang Jie'er next to her also piled up the cut dough sheets, took a few long, flat strips of dough sheets and put them into a pot of water. After they were cooked, she scooped them into a bowl, poured soup on them with a spoon, and sprinkled some fried fish on top.
Lu Qiong casually took the soup dumpling, walked around the low wall, and handed it to the diner: "Enjoy your meal, sir!"
Turning around, she saw a shadow cast in front of her. She looked up and saw Xie Xun walking towards her against the light, which made her silver-gray narrow-sleeved robe even more lustrous.
He stepped forward to bow, his smile growing even more gentle.
Lu Qiong returned the greeting.
It seems like I haven't seen this young man for several days. I wondered if his homemade soup dumplings weren't to his liking, or perhaps he preferred the snacks from the street vendors on Zhouqiao Bridge? The thoughts of the people of Bianjing are always unpredictable.
"Young master, what would you like to eat today? We just fried a pot of small fish, which are savory and delicious. They are the best side dish in the restaurant. It would be so comforting to have a hot bowl of soup noodles with them."
Xie Xun smiled and nodded: "As Manager Lu says."
Lu Qiong agreed and returned to the stove. While preparing the dishes, she realized that she had forgotten to ask him what kind of soup noodles he wanted. She turned around to look at him and noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
Fine, I'll just make a bowl of bougainvillea then, since he prefers light flavors.
Yang Jie'er's dough was very smooth today. She tore off a small piece, divided it into small portions with a bamboo knife, and then stretched it into small pieces. She stopped when she saw that there was enough for a bowl, and put the extra portions back.
It was strange; the person who always followed Xie Xun seemed to have disappeared. But it wasn't her business, so Lu Qiong shook her head and tossed the noodles into the pot...
Any bowl of soup noodles becomes even more fragrant when sprinkled with crispy fried fish. The originally light soup noodles are also coated with glossy oil, making them look incredibly appetizing.
Xie Xun sat upright at the table, the steam from the soup making his face hazy and difficult to see.
Lu Qiong removed the tray and greeted him with a smile: "I forgot to ask you what kind of soup noodles you wanted, so I took the liberty of making a 'bo tuo' (a type of flatbread). Please enjoy it slowly."
"Okay." Xie Xun nodded with a smile.
He picked up the neatly arranged chopsticks on the table, took a piece of fried fish, and was amazed by the taste. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. He wondered what spices had been added, but the salty and savory flavor was just right for his taste.
During this time, customers came and went in a steady stream, both new and old. Lu Qiong was busy wiping tables, collecting money, and kneading dough.
For some reason, all the diners who arrived after Xie Xun had left, but he remained, occupying the stool and refusing to leave. He was much more particular than the others, wanting to rest after finishing his meal, while the other diners were still waiting to sit down.
Lu Qiong tucked the coarse cloth into her waistband, handed over another serving of cold noodles ordered by a customer, and then walked to Xie Xun's side: "Young master, is there anything else you need?"
Xie Xun nodded and asked about the drinks in the shop.
"Would you like another drink?" But judging from his figure, he didn't seem like someone who could eat a lot. Nevertheless, Lu Qiong still carefully served him: "How about Three Bean Drink? It's a perfect drink to cool you down in the summer."
Xie Xun remained seated upright, his eyes crinkling as he listened to her words, as if starlight were twinkling within them: "Did you use ice?"
“Of course not,” Lu Qiong shook her head, swaying as she did so. “However, July is approaching, and there will be people selling ice then. Our shop will buy some, but we don’t know how much the ice will cost.”
Ice prices vary from year to year, fluctuating due to differences in ice harvesting, storage, and transportation. If it is hotter than in previous years, ice prices will also rise.
She had heard that ice could also be made from saltpeter, and that the resulting ice would be cheaper, but she had never seen it before.
Xie Xun seemed to be thinking about something, and after a while he said, "I have made some friends and I am preparing to sell ice. If Manager Lu needs it urgently, I can ask my friends to find it."
Lu Qiong perked up and eagerly asked him, "Is it true? Can you find some within three days?"
Actually, it will be a while before ice is available again, since it's not the hottest time yet. Taking the ice out of the ice cellar in advance would increase losses, so we can only make more profit by selling it in bulk when it's hottest.
But Xie Xun wasn't worried about these losses. In previous years, Yunxianglou would use ice a few days in advance, and this year it was just a matter of sharing some with Lu's shop, so he nodded in agreement.
It was nothing to him, but for Lu Qiong, it was a major problem to solve. Since the poetry gathering was still four days away, she needed to prepare the ingredients in the coming days. If ice could be used, it would bring some coolness to the academy; otherwise, having students sweating while reciting poetry would be quite an unseemly sight.
It can be said that first, they provided timely help, and now they are "sending" ice in the summer heat!
Thinking of this, Lu Qiong thanked him repeatedly. Suddenly, she felt that this person was no longer an eyesore, and even wanted to pack him some pastries, telling him to stay as long as he wanted.
Even after he left and the tea had gone cold, I still felt that Xie Xun was a good person.
It was midday, the busiest time in the shop. Lu Qiong collected the leftovers from the customers and put the bowls and chopsticks in a wooden basin by the back door.
The porters also helped by fetching several buckets of water, which were poured into a water vat half a person's height. The water splashed and carried away the heat.
Lu Qiong gave him the money for the day, a total of sixty coins, and also brought him a bowl of cool water.
The porter rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms, and drank the bayberry juice that Lu Qiong handed him in one gulp. A few drops of water dribbled from the corner of his mouth as he couldn't help but sigh.
He casually put the bowl into the basin, then remembered something else and said to Lu Qiong, "Manager Lu, do you know what the other fish soup shops are going to replace?"
As soon as there was a rumor that Sister Xu was moving out, the people of Bianjing knew who had taken over the shop. Their information network was truly impressive!
However, Lu Qiong only knew that Aunt Xu was leaving, and didn't know much else, so he shook his head: "Does my lord know anything?"
Seeing her like this, the porter looked at her with sympathy. He paced back and forth with his tall body, and after hesitating, he finally spoke up: "Third Sister's Soup Dumpling Shop is moving here. They've been making soup dumplings for many years and they're quite skilled. Especially their manager, who's about your age, also has a great skill."
Unexpectedly, Lu Qiong was not in a hurry and even thanked her with a smile.
The porter was puzzled: "Manager Lu, aren't you afraid that Third Sister will steal your business?"
Lu Qiong smiled and said, "What am I afraid of? Lu's is no worse than others. Besides, I can't just stop them from doing business here, can I?"
The porter thought about it and scratched his head, not knowing what to say, but he admired Manager Lu's character even more.
Lu Qiong: "But I still thank you for telling me these words, my lord. There are still a lot of pastries left from this morning, I'll go and get you a few more."
Seeing that she was about to turn around to get her things, the porter quickly waved his hand: "Hey, Manager Lu, there's no need to trouble yourself. I'm not telling you this for any reward, and besides, I have things to do and I'm leaving soon."
After saying that, he ignored Lu Qiong's advice and hurriedly picked up the bucket and left. After all, Manager Lu had given him a lot of food, but he felt obligated to help her. He couldn't bring himself to do it every time. Besides, she was also in a difficult situation, so she couldn't take advantage of her.
The porters then left Lu Ji Food Shop through the main entrance.
As I walked towards Zhouqiao Bridge, I saw that the signboard of Xu Sao's Fish Soup Shop had been taken down, and the tables and chairs inside had been removed, leaving the shop empty. Xu Sao was still directing people to move things—iron pots, small stoves, wooden shelves… filling an entire cart…
Lately, more and more people have been asking Pei Yu for carpentry work, and even Yang San Niang has noticed something amiss and has been asking him for money quite often. For the sake of money, she has become more friendly to Pei Yu and has even started to care about his marriage. To outsiders, she appears to be a good stepmother, but only a few people know her true colors.
A few days ago, Jinniang also asked Pei Yu to make a wooden bed. She saw Yang Sanniang's fawning manner, calling him "Brother Yu" and "Good Brother" on the left and right, which made Jinniang's skin crawl.
Since it was made for Shuangjie, Pei Yu finished it in a few days and delivered it today. Together with Jinniang, they moved the wooden bed into the bedroom and placed it against the wall.
As soon as Pei Yu left, Jin Niang was sweating profusely and panting heavily. Suddenly, she smelled the aroma of fried fish and wrinkled her nose: "Whose fried fish smells so good!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Lu Qiong came in carrying a food box and called out to her from the courtyard. Shuang Jie'er also called out to her. Jin Niang, without even breaking a sweat, followed the aroma and strode out.
"How did you end up here?"
Lu Qiong, supporting Jin Niang's arm, smiled and said, "I fried a lot of fish this morning, so I brought some for you."
Jinniang was used to her generosity and thought that she shouldn't take someone's kindness for nothing, so she gave her some eggs from her house to take back. It's better to have something in return for a long time.
Lu Qiong: "I need your help with something. I won't do it for free; I'll pay you later!"
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