Chapter 24 Rendering Lard Pastries like lotus flower pastries all require lard…
After all that was said, all Jinniang heard was the word "money," because who doesn't love money?
While neighbors should help each other, having money is a wonderful thing too. She didn't even hear the whole thing, nodding repeatedly and agreeing, afraid the other person might change their mind.
Lu Qiong was amused by her appearance: "You agreed without even asking what I do?"
Jinniang clicked her tongue, completely unconcerned: "You think you can fool me?"
“Alright,” Lu Qiong wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes and took a breath before explaining, “We’re going to deliver food to Yingtian Academy in a few days. The portions are large, and we can’t handle it all. We’d like to ask you to help us out, even if it’s a bit tiring.”
Yingtian Academy?
Jinniang's mouth gaped open, and fearing she had misheard, she asked again, "Is it the Yingtian Academy that scholars go to?"
That was a place where many talented people gathered, not much different from the Imperial Academy. It had produced many famous people in the past, so it's no wonder that Jinniang was shocked.
Lu Qiong replied with a smile, "It's Yingtian Academy, which is what you're thinking of. Shen Qing, who patronized me before, seems to be a student at the academy. This business deal wouldn't have been possible without his help."
Jinniang clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Oh my, that's wonderful! Mr. Shen is a good man too. I wasn't wrong about him that day."
Lu Qiong didn't argue with her. She made an appointment with Jin Niang to try making lotus flower pastries together the next afternoon. Then she took the food box containing eggs back home, since lunch hadn't been made yet and Lu Xuan was waiting at home.
She had already decided on the refreshments for the poetry gathering.
The pastries included lotus flower pastries, peach blossom pastries, pear blossom pastries, and Guanghan cakes. Drinks included iced cold dumplings, bayberry syrup, and papaya syrup. The teapot was filled with the commonly used Longxi tea, and some candied fruit was added on the side. It was almost like a royal banquet.
Of course, she was exaggerating a bit. After all, the things used by royalty and nobility are worth hundreds of strings of cash. What she was thinking was just a small matter and couldn't compare to what they were doing.
Lotus flower pastries and similar shortbreads all require lard. In modern terms, lard has a high melting point, is more stable than other oils, and can better lock in moisture, making it easier to fluff up.
I'm going to buy some things this afternoon, so I might as well buy a few pounds of pork while I'm at it and render it into lard when I have some free time.
Lunch was simple. Lu Qiong stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork, which the two of them finished with rice. After lunch, they also washed some fruit to eat.
The price of peaches dropped in the summer; they used to cost fifteen coins a pound, but now they can be bought for ten coins. She bought three pounds in a row. The peaches were large, but there were only two or three peaches per pound.
Lu Xuan used to dislike eating peaches because they had to be peeled, otherwise the small prickles on the peach skin would stick to her throat.
After moving to Bianjing, she not only helped with peeling yams and pressing pastries in the shop, but she was also very capable in other tasks. Peeling yams after meals was a piece of cake for her, and she could even cut them into small pieces and arrange them on a fruit platter for Lu Qiong.
Lu Qiong skewered a piece of peach with a bamboo stick; it was crisp, sweet, and juicy, a perfect way to cut through the richness of the food.
"Sister, when are we going to prepare the items needed for the poetry gathering?" Lu Xuan blinked her big eyes, her mouth full of peach chunks, some juice spilling out as she chewed.
Lu Qiong couldn't bear to see her looking so eager, so she gave her a piece of peach and softened her voice: "We'll go in a bit, maybe we can make it back before dusk."
She had planned to go in the morning, but the frying of fish took some time, and by the time she had a moment to herself, it was already noon.
Lu Xuan nodded: "I'll go too."
"good."
As summer approached, the areas without shade were scorching hot. Lu Qiong stepped out of the main room and was immediately driven back by the heat as soon as she crossed the threshold.
The puddle of water that was splashed in the yard dried up in no time. It was really sunny today, and even Xue'er was hiding in the kitchen to cool off.
She had no choice but to turn back into the house. The advantage of a tiled house is that it is warm in winter and cool in summer; even a crack in the window can bring in a bit of coolness.
They would only go out with their baskets on their backs when it wasn't so hot.
Most items can be bought at the general store. There's no need to worry about teacups and plates, as Yingtian Academy will provide them. Lu Qiong only needs to prepare food boxes for pastries and containers for drinks.
There's also flour, sugar, various pastry fillings, tea leaves...
The shopkeeper asked his servant to help with the inventory, and while he did so, he wrote down the accounts: "Five bushels of flour, one hundred coins; two jars of sugar, sixty coins; red beans, ten coins; red yeast rice, twenty coins..."
I remember when I first came to Bianjing, I felt the pinch even to buy a pound of sugar, but now I can spend half a string of cash without batting an eye.
The shopkeeper, reflecting on the past, sighed, "Back then, the young lady carried a bamboo basket all the way from outside the city to Bianjing, covered in dust and grime, and now she has a place of her own here."
Lu Qiong smiled without saying a word, and handed him the money: "I'm leaving now. You can have someone bring it over in the evening."
I also went to the butcher shop and bought five catties of fatty pork, which cost 160 coins. Since I needed the pork urgently, I just put it in my basket.
Recently, Lu Ji's daily profit has been three to five hundred, five to six hundred on good days, and three hundred even on bad days. After deducting rent and Yang Jie'er's wages, he can still make ten taels a month.
But spending money is always faster than earning it, and Lu Qiong only managed to save three or four taels of silver. She always felt uneasy and wanted to earn more.
She dared not rest for a single day; if she didn't open for business for even a day, she would lose a small portion of her customers, and she simply couldn't afford to wait.
Lu Xuan followed her around, and when they passed a candied fruit shop, she bought candied dates, peanut brittle, and plum candy, spending more than a hundred coins in total.
"Sister, is this enough?"
Lu Qiong weighed the two bamboo baskets in her hand, and they were almost full. She would have to buy more later if needed: "That's about enough. There's still some time before dusk. I'll render the pork fat when we get back."
Lu Xuan stopped in her tracks, somewhat hesitant: "Sister, are you going to brew it yourself?"
Lu Qiong raised an eyebrow: "Otherwise what?"
In Lu Xuan's memory, her older sister had also rendered lard once, probably when she was nine years old.
That day, Yu Niang asked someone to bring a large piece of fatty pork, which was placed at the gate of the courtyard. Lu Xuan carried it to the stove herself.
When my older sister woke up, something seemed off. She started talking nonsense, saying things like "time travel" or "film crew," basically things I couldn't understand.
Later, she said she had a dream in which she carried a piece of pork to the kitchen to work. As a result, she almost set the dry straw in the kitchen on fire, which was quite a trauma for Lu Xuan.
The lard was overcooked and ended up burning on the bottom of the pot. Not only was a large piece of pork wasted, but the pot was also ruined. She had to swallow her pride and borrow money from Yu Niang to buy a new pot and pork.
Seeing Lu Xuan frown, Lu Qiong also remembered the embarrassing incident from before, and her expression became somewhat unnatural. She pulled Lu Xuan's forearm and walked back, saying, "That time was an accident. This time we're sure to be able to render snow-white lard."
When we got home, the sun wasn't so strong anymore, and the floor tiles were still warm. Xue'er was also dozing on the floor. She only ran over when she heard the door open.
They followed them around, wagging their tails as they went into the kitchen.
As soon as Lu Qiong picked up a piece of meat, she felt Lu Xuan's fixed gaze, clearly showing she didn't trust her at all.
She ignored them, cleaned the pork, and placed it on the basin on the stove.
Each piece was so fatty it was dripping with oil. Normally, you should choose lard to render pork fat, but it was already sold out when Lu Qiong went there, so she could only buy the more expensive fatty meat.
The sugar we bought earlier has run out, so the remaining earthenware jar is just right for storing lard.
Lu Qiong first washed the pottery with water to remove the sugar stuck to the pottery wall, then rinsed it several times with water and laid it upside down on the table to dry.
Turning around, she saw Lu Xuan sitting to the side, staring at her with a wet rag in her hand, as if she was about to throw the pot away if something was wrong.
Lu Qiong shook her head, washed the fatty pork several times, and cut it into large chunks, otherwise it would easily burn. She hadn't had experience before and had cut it too small.
After cooking the paste, she learned a lot from Yu Niang, but she never actually tried it herself. After all, Yu Niang would cook it for her whenever she wanted, and one batch would be enough for half a year, so she didn't have to worry about anything.
Blanch the chopped meat in boiling water to remove the fishy smell, then drain it before you can start cooking.
The fatty pork rendered its oil quickly, sizzling and bubbling in the pan, the lard turning golden and translucent, and its aroma spreading far and wide.
Lu Qiong used a long wooden dagger to scoop out a spoonful of oil: "Xuan'er, please bring the earthenware jar over here."
Lu Xuan felt relieved when she saw spoonfuls of lard being poured into the earthenware jar; otherwise, she didn't know how much money she would have to pay if she burned down someone else's house.
They've only just started earning a little money; don't let their older sister squander it all.
Lu Qiong put the remaining pork cracklings in another basin. Undeterred by the heat, she picked up a piece with her bare hands to taste it. It made a crunching sound when she bit into it, and it was crispy and delicious.
It smells so good!
She also gave some to Lu Xuan to try, otherwise Lu Xuan was always worried about her cooking skills.
Seeing Lu Xuan's brow relax as she ate, Lu Qiong smiled and said, "It's delicious, isn't it? Can you rest assured now?"
Because of the hot weather, lard was difficult to solidify, so she placed the entire earthenware jar in the shade to soak in water.
Fortunately, the lard was rendered successfully, and when I checked on it the next afternoon, it had turned into a snow-white paste.
Just then, Jinniang arrived with Shuangjie, and they began preparing to fry lotus flower pastries.
Lotus flower pastry is made in three parts: water-oil dough, oil-based dough, and flaky filling.
Lu Qiong took out the red yeast rice she bought yesterday to make lotus flowers for lotus flower pastries.
Jinniang had never made lotus flower pastries before; this was the first time she had ever seen them: "You can make lotus flower pastries with danqu?"
Red yeast rice, also known as "Danqu" in ancient times, can be used in food to improve color and taste. It was a natural pigment in ancient times and can also be used to make peach blossom pastries.
Lu Qiong sprinkled a handful of flour, hollowed out the middle and filled it with lard and sugar, saying, "Yes, but this is just for coloring."
Mix red yeast rice with water until smooth, then sprinkle it into flour, gradually kneading it into a light pink dough. Divide the dough into small portions, knead each portion into a small ball, and set aside.
The oil-based pastry uses more lard and doesn't require red yeast rice water; it's also kneaded into a dough and divided into portions.
Lu Qiong rolled the oil-based dough into small balls, wrapped them in flour dough, and flattened them into thin sheets with a rolling pin: "This dough needs to be stretched into long strips, rolled out a few times, and folded three times, so that several layers of flaky pastry can be formed."
Jinniang stared wide-eyed: "This is so meticulous, it's even harder than grinding tofu."
Despite their words, they worked very diligently, and the two of them quickly prepared the dough.
The filling of lotus flower pastry is made by mixing corn oil, sugar, egg yolk, and shredded coconut into a dough, and then placing it into a rolled-out thin dough.
Lu Qiong cut a cross on the dough and put it into the oil pan one by one. It sizzled and crackled. She used chopsticks to help it open up and slowly opened up the petals. Once it floated on the surface of the oil, a lotus flower pastry was ready.
A note from the author:
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Add it to your favorites if you're interested~ It's a sweet historical romance novel, featuring a talkative female star and a cold-blooded general.
Shi Yue is often criticized for having only "pretty face" acting skills, yet she took on the role of a princess from beyond the Great Wall.
Who would have thought she would actually travel to the borderlands, and even to ancient times.
But she didn't know how to cook the moon-viewing meal, and she was afraid of being poisoned by picking wild fruits...
Fortunately, she was lucky enough to find a man who, even though he was injured, could barely obey her commands.
Starting a fire, cooking, and fulfilling her various requests.
But he didn't react at all. Later, Shi Yue kept pestering him, just wanting to see him frown.
-
Yu Heng practiced martial arts from a young age and fought on the battlefield without ever being defeated. He was hailed as the "God of War" by the people.
He was used to being with swords and thought that this was how he would live his life, but he was framed by his confidant.
Just when Yu Heng thought he was going to die a miserable death in the wilderness, a beautiful woman appeared. At first, he thought she was a spy sent by the enemy country.
later……
"Yu Heng! Can you take a look at my face? Is there anything on it?"
"Yu Heng! Do you know how to start a fire?"
"Yu Heng! I want to buy this..."
Over the past twenty years, he has been called "God of War" and "General Yu," but few people have called him by his full name.
Only she would be so bold, yet he was happy to do it and obeyed her every command.
-
After recovering from his injuries, Yu Heng took Shi Yue back to the capital. Because her identity was unknown, he could only introduce her to everyone as his wife.
The Emperor, mindful of the hardships the two endured in the frontier, not only bestowed upon them a general's mansion but also arranged a new marriage for them.
On their wedding night, Shi Yue lay on top of Yu Heng, gazing at the figures outside the door, and whispered in his ear, "When will they leave?"
Yu Heng wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly caressed her, saying unhurriedly, "Perhaps we should wait another hour."
From an hour to a day, a month...
Later, Shi Yue learned that the "listening in the room" incident was fabricated by him, and the people guarding outside were deliberately sent by him.
Shi Yue was so angry that she went to confront him!
Yu Heng was not surprised when he was exposed. Instead, he became arrogant, pulled her into his arms, and gently kissed her forehead: "Anyway, you are already my wife in name and in fact."
—sc, HE, sweet
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