Chapter 3 Little Sheep's First Time Setting Up a Stall
Thinking about setting up a stall in the city, Lu Qiong woke up before dawn, went to the kitchen in the dark to start a fire, and put some sweet potatoes and two eggs on the stove for breakfast.
She was wearing a thin jacket, which felt chilly in the wind, so she went back into the bedroom to rummage for clothes. Her clothes were all short and narrow, with tight sleeves.
She found a decent green silk narrow-sleeved garment to wear, tied it up with a sash, and styled her hair into two neat, hanging buns on either side of her head, looking tidy and unobtrusive.
When I came out, I saw that Lu Xuan had also gotten up and was squatting by the well, brushing her teeth with toothpaste made of salt. Her eyes were still half-closed, as if she hadn't woken up yet.
Lu Qiong felt sorry for them too. Although people at that time could manage a household by their teens, they were still children who were growing. If they lived in the city, they wouldn't have to get up early and travel late at night.
Since they had decided to make a living in Bianjing, they might as well go find a broker to rent a room in the next couple of days. Just then, the sweet potatoes in the pot were cooked and gave off a faint aroma. Lu Qiong went to the kitchen, stuck a sweet potato in with chopsticks, and handed it to the drowsy Lu Xuan: "You sit here, I'll go make some drinks first."
Lu Xuan nodded her little head repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, then shook her head after realizing what she meant, which made people feel happy: "I want to do it with my older sister."
Lu Qiong laughed out loud: "Okay, I'll go with you, sister."
She first soaked the perilla leaves in water, washed them, drained them, and put them in a winnowing basket for later use. She also unpacked the medicine packets one by one and placed them all on the stove.
Lu Xuan scooped some water into the pot, which was about to overflow: "Sister, do we need to boil two pots? This pot isn't enough."
Lu Qiong held a licorice tablet in her hand and frowned when she saw the water was about to overflow. However, the other stove was not used often and was probably clogged with ash. There was no time to unclog the flue right now. "It's alright. Boil it in two batches. There should be enough time."
First, sprinkle half a basket of perilla leaves, then add dried tangerine peel, licorice slices, and half a jar of icing sugar. Stir a few times with a long spoon, while continuously adding firewood to the stove below. There is plenty of water in the pot, and it takes a while for small bubbles to appear, making a soft bubbling sound. This is because it has not yet boiled and is called "tender water." When the bubbles on the surface of the water are rolling like waves, you can reduce the amount of firewood.
A subtle spicy aroma wafts up, somewhat like mint, refreshing and invigorating.
Even Lu Xuan, who couldn't open her eyes, opened them a crack.
The pot of water was too heavy, and even with the two of them working together, it was difficult to lift. Lu Xuan put a filter cloth on the bucket, grabbed one corner with each hand, and formed a funnel.
Lu Qiong used a wooden spoon to scoop out the drink little by little, and poured it into the bucket slowly, otherwise the water would splash on her and easily cause scalding.
With experience, the second batch was cooked quickly as well.
Lu Qiong also washed the citron, sliced it into thin slices on the chopping board, put it all into the mortar and pestle, held the mortar with his left hand, and squeezed out the citron juice with his right hand, the sour smell spreading everywhere.
Pour a small bowl of citron juice into the drink, and it instantly changes from tea color to rose pink. It would look absolutely gorgeous if served in a glass cup.
Lu Qiong also scooped out a bowl, tasted it, and found it refreshingly sweet and sour, leaving a lingering fragrance in her mouth. It seems her cooking skills haven't deteriorated.
Lu Xuan also tried it. The warm drink flowed down her throat, making her eyes light up: "Sister, this drink is really good. We could open a restaurant here."
She initially thought her older sister was just making a fuss, but after tasting the perilla drink today, she realized that selling drinks was a viable business. However, making big money was still a long shot; after all, her older sister wasn't the only one in the city with such skills, and some shops even had ancestral secret recipes that they couldn't compete with.
They could only make a living by selling drinks.
With everything prepared, Lu Qiong packed ten bamboo tubes into a bamboo basket, and Lu Xuan also brought a small wooden basin so they could fetch water from the river to wash the used bamboo tubes.
The two men each held a bamboo pole, carried wooden buckets, and set off on their journey. Although the buckets were covered with wooden planks, they still had to walk steadily to prevent the drinks from spilling.
Having done all this, just as dawn was breaking, he gave the coachman ten copper coins and headed into town.
"As we discussed yesterday, Lu Xiaolang encountered a wicked beast and nearly died. He only escaped with his life thanks to a spear... Lu Xiaolang didn't remember where he lived, only the name 'Lu Yan,' so he went into the city with someone. But he ended up penniless, without a single copper coin, and couldn't even afford a steamed bun..."
It was mostly ordinary people from the city. The storyteller was still standing under the banyan tree telling stories to people, and a large crowd had gathered around.
Lu Qiong's stall was located on the east side of Longjin Bridge, sandwiched between a tofu stall and a sesame seed cake stall.
The tofu seller was a young woman with a slender figure, wearing an apron and a light blue embroidered pouch hanging from her waist. She was lifting a layer of gauze to reveal the tender tofu inside.
Lu Qiong unloaded her basket, looked at the steaming tofu, and swallowed. If it were made into tofu pudding with sugar, it would be so delicious it would make your mouth water.
As soon as the woman set up her stall, someone came up to buy: "Jin Niang, why are you so late today? I've been waiting for you for ages. My son is begging to eat your 'Little Slaughtered Lamb'!"
Nowadays, people often call tofu "little lamb," believing that its nutritional value is comparable to that of lamb.
Moreover, people at this time were more vegetarian than in the previous dynasty, and tender tofu was naturally popular. However, the process of making tofu was complicated, and Lu Qiong did not have the skills or the stone mill to grind tofu, so he could only look on with envy.
Jinniang cut a square piece of tofu with a kitchen knife and smiled shyly: "My husband went to help someone move yesterday and won't be back for a few days. This morning, no one helped push the millstone, so it took some time."
The auntie took the tofu and put it in her bamboo basket, teasing her: "Jinniang, remember to get up early tomorrow. When your husband comes back, tell him to set up the stall for you."
Lu Qiong set up his stall, picked up a basin, and headed towards the river. Near Longjin Bridge, there were stone steps leading down to a flat area where many women were squatting by the river washing clothes. They sprinkled soap pods on the clothes and beat them with wooden sticks, chatting amongst themselves as the sounds of washing clothes rose and fell.
The Cai River was clear and the current was slow, with passing boats creating ripples. Lu Qiong lifted her skirt, bent down and squatted on the stone bricks, collecting a lot of water against the current.
Shouts came from afar. She got up and looked. Piles of goods were laid out on the shore. Boatmen were hauling goods onto boats. There were also cargo boats docked to unload cargo. Smaller passenger boats were also leaving the shore one after another. This was the port of Bianjing, where water transport was extremely convenient.
The woman washing clothes had a vase-shaped hairpin in her bun. Seeing her stand up abruptly, she asked, "Young lady, is this your first time in the city? Have you never seen so many boats before?"
Lu Qiong nodded, saying that even movies and TV dramas couldn't depict such a magnificent sight. She pointed to the cargo ship ahead and asked, "What's the biggest ship over there carrying?"
The woman followed her finger and looked in the direction she was pointing, then said knowingly, "That's a boat belonging to the Xie family in the north of the city. It's comparable to the government's cargo ships, and it's probably carrying goods brought back from elsewhere. The Xie family's ancestors ran a dye shop and accumulated a lot of wealth. Now, many shops in Bianjing belong to their family. They also own Yunxianglou, which is the largest restaurant in Bianjing. It's always packed with people and very lively."
Yunxianglou was the restaurant Lu Qiong had seen yesterday. It was indeed grand, but she had heard that a bowl of water cost twenty coins, more expensive than gold, though that was an exaggeration.
Lu Qiong thanked the woman, holding the basin and smiling, "I'm selling perilla drinks by the bridge, and I'm busy setting up my stall, so I won't bother you any longer, auntie."
The woman soaked her clothes in water to rinse off the soap residue: "Go on, I need to hurry back too."
When they returned, Jinniang's stall had a few people in line, while hers was deserted. Seeing her return, Lu Xuan quickly took the basin from her and placed it on the ground. Lu Qiong also lifted the wooden lid, and a faint fragrance wafted out, subtly overpowering the aroma of tofu.
Jinniang was the first to look in this direction, craning her neck: "What are you making, young lady? It smells so good."
Lu Qiong used a dagger to scoop up a bamboo tube and handed it to her: "It's just some perilla drink, my lady, why don't you try it?"
"How can I accept this?" Jinniang smiled and waved her hand to decline, but when Lu Qiong insisted on giving it to her, she accepted it. She took a bite from the edge of the bamboo tube and found it to be sweet and sour, not bad at all.
"Young lady, your cooking is quite good. It tastes just like other people's boiled water, no, it seems even better."
Lu Qiong breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she didn't trust her skills, but she was afraid that people here would have different tastes from hers. But now she could rest assured. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Jin Niang, she started setting up her stall.
The streets and alleys were filled with the sounds of vendors calling out their wares, teahouses and taverns were bustling with music and singing, peddlers roamed the streets and alleys shouting their wares, and acrobatic troupes performed with swords and ghosts—it was all a scene of prosperity and peace.
Lu Xiaoniang's Drink Shop also attracted several customers. She had the staff line up and served a bowl of translucent, pink perilla drink to the young man in front of her, saying with a smile, "Young man, please take this. After you've finished, please return the bamboo tube to me."
The young man was only sixteen years old. He had just come out of the stifling Imperial Academy and, upon hearing that a new stall had opened nearby, he came to try it out.
To his surprise, the vendors were two pretty young women. Although they weren't very skilled at their work, their boiled water looked very appealing. He took the bamboo tube handed to him by Lu Xiaoniang, thanked her, and then took a small sip.
First, the aroma refreshed his senses, then the sweet and sour taste soothed his throat. His eyes lit up: "Young lady, this perilla drink is a bit different from what I've had before. It seems more refreshing and has a sour taste. I'll have another bowl!"
Lu Qiong just smiled and didn't say anything. The perilla drink had citron added, so of course it had a sour taste. In later generations, which drink didn't have citric acid added? It could not only enhance the freshness but also enrich the taste. The sour and sweet tastes were in opposition, making it irresistible.
Seeing her smile, the young man's ears turned red, thinking that his appearance had made her laugh. He became reserved and said, "I was a little rude just now. Please forgive me, young lady. May I have another one?"
Lu Qiong then smiled and served him another serving.
The bamboo tubes returned by the guests were all placed in a basin. Lu Xuan squatted on the ground and washed them one by one with a loofah sponge, then placed them upside down in a bamboo basket.
Lu Qiong also had a moment to count the money. A number of people had come today, and she had sold about twenty portions, each priced at four coins. She used a lot of ingredients, so it was a bit more expensive than mung bean soup. Some people thought it was too expensive, but others were willing to buy it. She had almost broken even, and the remaining sales would be pure profit.
She hadn't saved much money over the years, and she usually put the rest of her money into a piggy bank, which held several hundred coins. If she saved some more money in a few days, she should be able to rent a room in Bianjing!
A note from the author:
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① Tang Dynasty, Liu Kuanfu: "Record on the Wall of the Bianzhou Juocao Hall"
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