Chapter 6: Mung Bean Cake Slow-Cooked Pork Belly - A Feast for the Eyes, nose, and palate
Lu Qiong couldn't wait to scoop a spoonful of braised pork sauce and pour it over her rice. The aroma was irresistible. She took a bite and exclaimed how delicious it was! The meat was tender, fatty but not greasy, and she couldn't stop eating.
Lu Xuan prefers a light diet. After eating about half a bowl of rice, she suddenly felt it was a bit salty, so she scooped up a bowl of perilla drink. After drinking it, she said it relieved the greasiness and she could have another bowl.
What was said in jest was taken seriously by Lu Qiong, who came up with an idea: a perilla drink paired with snacks would both satisfy hunger and quench thirst, so she decided to try it tomorrow.
Both of them slept soundly in the afternoon. After Lu Qiong woke up, she took a bamboo basket and went out. First, she picked some perilla leaves, then she bought mung beans and flour from the villagers, planning to make mung bean cakes. When she got back, she immediately soaked the mung beans in water and also cleared a chimney.
She had hidden her piggy bank under the bed. She knelt down, took it out, and smashed it with a wooden stick. A pile of copper coins spilled out, roughly estimated to be nearly a string of cash, enough to rent the house.
The next day, before dawn, Lu Qiong peeled the mung beans and steamed them in a pot, while Lu Xuan went to brew perilla drink. The two of them worked for a long time before they finished making the mung bean cakes, put them in a bamboo food box, and took an oxcart into the city as they had the day before.
City dwellers get up early, and the streets are filled with various aromas that make people's mouths water.
The porridge vendor lifted the lid of the pot and ladled out a steaming bowl of sesame porridge: "Young man, take this."
After thanking him, Qingxian placed the bowl on the low table. Seeing Xie Xun sitting with his eyes closed, he shook his head.
He really didn't know why his young master had to suffer like this, and even dragged him into this hardship, but he didn't dare to complain at all, and said softly, "Young master, breakfast is served."
Xie Xun opened his eyes. He had been confined at home for the past two days and hadn't eaten much. Now, the aroma of sesame seeds made him crave them. He scooped a spoonful to his mouth, and the aroma of sesame seeds filled his mouth. Before he knew it, he had eaten half a bowl.
He persuaded Qingxian to climb over the wall together in the middle of the night, but now they can't go back to this house.
The incident happened suddenly, and he didn't have much money on him. If he went to a restaurant, his mother's men would catch him and take him back. So he could only hide in a small stall to eat.
Xie Xun put down his spoon, left five copper coins on the table, and got up. After all, times had changed, and he had no spare money to squander.
Qingxian caught up with her young master, muttering, "Young master, are you going back? Madam probably hasn't found out yet. It's good to go back now."
Xie Xun was preoccupied with other matters and paid no attention to the matter. Instead, he asked Qingxian to inquire about the location of Di Si.
Qingxian was about to agree, but then realized something was wrong. Why was the young master asking about this? Did he intend to run away from home? But Xie Xun urged him on, so he had no choice but to comply.
It was probably because the Hundred Tooth Pavilion was famous throughout the world that they found the whereabouts of just one person. Qingxian went back to report to Xie Xun and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Just as Qingxian had thought, Xie Xun wanted to find a secluded place to live. It wasn't exactly running away from home; he just wanted some peace and quiet for a while.
Qingxian followed behind, pondering whether to betray his young master or simply tell his wife.
Longjin Bridge was bustling with people, and Lu Qiong's stall had been open for some time. Her perilla drink paired with mung bean cakes had attracted quite a few customers. The young man who was studying yesterday also came and bought several portions to take back for his classmates to try.
Lu Xuan was busy on the side, handing bowls to customers, collecting coins, and keeping an eye on the stall to prevent anyone from stealing the goods.
When there were fewer people around, Lu Qiong pinched her round face and said with concern, "Aren't you too tired? Why don't you rest for a while?"
Lu Xuan, busy counting money, shook her head, her hair bobbing back and forth like a rattle: "Making money isn't tiring, we need to move into the city as soon as possible."
How could she not be tired? She hasn't rested since she got up. Lu Qiong saw her squat down to rest when she got tired of standing. She's not saying anything now because she doesn't want people to worry. She should bring a chair next time.
Just then, Jinniang from next door brought over a small stool, made of bamboo strips, small and exquisite. She smiled at Lu Xuan and said, "Young lady, sit down and rest. If you get too tired, your older sister will worry."
After hearing this, Lu Xuan glanced at Lu Qiong and saw her nod and thank her for accepting the low stool. She even took it upon herself to give Jin Niang a piece of mung bean cake, but Jin Niang was too embarrassed to accept it and hurriedly declined.
Lu Qiong added, "Jinniang, just accept it. Didn't you say the other day that we should help each other out in the past? Now you're refusing just a pastry? How dare we accept your chair then?"
Jinniang couldn't persuade the two of them, so she accepted the gift. She was also curious about Lu Xiaoniangzi's cooking skills. Although her boiled water was good, pastries were different. From soaking the beans to adding seasonings, everything needed to be done in the right way.
Thinking this, she took a bite. The aroma of mung beans wafted up, and the sweetness lingered on her tongue. It was delicious, but a little dry, making her want a bowl of boiled water.
Jinniang initially wanted to resist, but Lu Xiaoniangzi's perilla drink kept emitting a fragrant aroma, so she finally couldn't resist and bought a bowl.
As more and more pedestrians appeared on the street, Lu Qiong became quite busy. Soon, there was only half a bowl of boiled water left in the bucket, so she was about to pack up her stall. When she saw someone coming up to her, she said apologetically, "Today's perilla drink is sold out. Please come again another day, sir."
As soon as Shen Qing left the classroom, he heard the students gathered together, talking about the newly opened hot water stall that had started selling mung bean cakes. They all wanted to go and try them. Having nothing else to do, he went along as well.
He bowed to Lu Qiong and said, "I have no intention of offending you. May I ask when you will set up your stall tomorrow?"
Lu Qiong didn't suspect anything. After all, many people had asked her when she would set up her stall, so she couldn't give a definite answer. She could only vaguely say that she wouldn't set up her stall when it rained, but she would set up her stall on weekday mornings. Fortunately, the person left after getting the answer.
She took the opportunity to call Lu Xuan to pack up the stall together, put all the bowls in the bamboo basket, and planned to buy some more osmanthus flowers to make osmanthus cakes, otherwise eating the same thing all the time would get boring. With that thought, she packed everything up, picked up the bucket, and prepared to go back.
Unexpectedly, a woman came to Jinniang's stall, panting: "Jinniang, Shuang'er is sick. Her forehead is burning hot, like it's being boiled in a pot. Your mother isn't taking care of her. You'd better go back and see her quickly."
A few years ago, Jinniang gave birth to a daughter named Liu Shuang'er. She and her husband Liu Haiyan went to the city to earn money and raised Shuang'er in her parents' home. She never forgot to send money back every month. Who would have thought that her mother would treat Shuang'er like this? The more she thought about it, the sadder she became.
Jinniang held the man's hand, tears welling in her eyes: "Good aunt, is Shuang'er still with my mother?"
The woman held her hand and shook her head: "Shuang'er is now living with my family, and Xing'er is looking after her for the time being."
Xingjie is her aunt's eldest daughter. She is well-behaved and clever, so Jinniang is naturally at ease with her. Right now, she is in a hurry to go back, but she hasn't packed up her stall yet, which will take quite a while.
Lu Qiong knew Jin Niang's concerns and offered to help her pack up her stall. She had just visited Jin Niang's house before. Jin Niang thanked her with tears in her eyes and turned to leave in a hurry. She stumbled on a stone on the way, which startled the woman, who quickly helped her up.
Seeing Jinniang disappear into the crowd, Lu Qiong also unloaded his things and told Lu Xuan to wait where she was: "We'll go to the pharmacy to get the medicine when I get back. It shouldn't take long."
Lu Xuan responded and went to help pack up the stall. The four slabs of tofu were almost sold out. They were all folded up and put into the carrying pole. With other miscellaneous items, the poles were full, filling two poles. Lu Qiong squatted down to pick up the poles. Luckily, they weren't heavy, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to carry them.
The storyteller set up his stall under the bridge today, dressed in a long robe and holding a folding fan: "The Yang family of Jingzhou arranged a marriage for their daughter, a young master from a family of equal social standing. Who knew that the bride would run away in the middle of the night before the wedding, causing unrest throughout the household... Lü Yan has been working odd jobs at the tavern these past few days, and he finally managed to earn enough money to rent a house in the mansion..."
Lu Qiong listened to it three times in a row. She didn't expect that people in this dynasty also liked melodramatic stories. Seeing that everyone else was craning their necks and concentrating, she shook her head and left.
It was not yet noon, and the people in the neighborhood had all gone out to earn money. Lu Qiong could hardly find anyone. Following her memory, she found Jin Niang's house.
She hadn't had a chance to take a look yesterday, but today she discovered that Jinniang's house was bigger than she had imagined. She put the load into the kitchen and saw a stone mill in the corner of the courtyard wall with white foam left on the side, which must have been Jinniang's tool for grinding tofu.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Lu Qiong hurriedly left. Just as she closed the door, she heard a familiar voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw that it seemed to be Ago.
A note from the author:
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Braised pork belly, scrambled eggs with tofu, mung bean cake, osmanthus cake... I want to eat all of these! My stomach is empty right now, and I'm even more craving them [crying emoji].
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