Chapter 76 Preparations for the Pre-Festival Preparation of Lamb Leg
However, Jinniang only mentioned it briefly and did not really want to get to the bottom of it. Then, seeing that it was getting late, she left, leaving Lu Qiong alone in the hall in a daze.
She took a small silver coin from the diner, then grabbed four or five copper coins from the cash register. Only after the diner's figure disappeared did she gradually come to her senses.
Sister Yang didn't have time to pay attention to these things. There were an unusually large number of guests tonight, and many of those who had left Bianjing were returning home, probably for the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion in a few days.
Lu Ji is now close to the Bian River. Even if the door is closed, or just a crack is opened in the window, one can hear the music from the painted boats under the bridge. The music is not only melodious, but also leaves a ripple in the hearts of passersby after it fades away.
As night deepened, Lu Qiong lay flat on the bed, seemingly hearing some indistinct sounds.
It had been more than half a month since I last saw Xie Xun. I was too busy with the shop to think about anything else, but now that Jin Niang had brought it up, I felt a little strange.
She turned over, pressed her right hand to one side, gazed at the cold moonlight by the window, and sighed deeply.
The shop's business is growing larger and larger. In addition to the usual pastries, drinks and soup noodles, bamboo rice and seafood are sold out every day.
Business was booming, so getting up early became a regular occurrence. Often, before dawn, Lu Qiong would get out of bed and go to the kitchen to put the sweet potatoes or eggs prepared the day before into a pot to steam, so that Lu Xuan and the others could eat them when they woke up.
Lu Qiong was troubled by Jin Niang's words last night and only felt sleepy late at night. When she got up, she saw Li Jie'er carrying a bundle of firewood into the kitchen with a coarse cloth. Lu Qiong called out to her through the door.
Li Jie'er turned around and smiled at her: "I drank too much water last night, so I got up early today and boiled the water in the pot."
Lu Qiong nodded, then drew a bucket of water from the well and poured it into the wooden basin at her feet, causing quite a few splashes of water to appear.
Perhaps because of the commotion in the courtyard, the others also woke up. Lu Xuan had a faint dark circle under her eyes, which meant she hadn't slept well, but Lu Qiong didn't care.
Breakfast was light this morning, with each person having a bowl of meat porridge and an egg. After eating, Wei Pan took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Li Jie'er cleaned the stove. Lu Qiong knew that they always felt indebted to her and would feel bad if they didn't do things for her, so she let them do it.
Once you cross Longjin Bridge, street vendors start hawking mooncakes, osmanthus wine, and fresh seasonal fruits. Clay figurines of "Rabbit Gods" are surrounded by a crowd of young children begging their parents to buy clay or wood sculptures.
With so many people, collisions were inevitable, and the plasterer's stall was also disturbed. In a fit of anger, he shouted, "If you keep pushing, I won't do any more! Nobody will be able to buy any!"
Seeing that he was so angry that his beard was blowing in the wind, the noisy children finally quieted down, and the whole street became much quieter.
Wei Pan also seemed rather gloating: "Only a mud maker can handle them."
Lu Xuan and Li Jie'er nodded in agreement. These children were really too noisy, and they had caused them a lot of trouble in the shop on weekdays.
When they arrived at the shop, Sister Yang had already brought the beans that she had soaked the night before to the courtyard. She poured the beans into the stone mill while adding water, and used a burlap sack to filter out the bean dregs, leaving behind a smooth raw soy milk.
This stone mill was recently moved from Jinniang's house. Jinniang said she was always busy in the embroidery room and had no time to use it. Liu Haiyan had also found other work and was often away from home for several days at a time. The stone mill was just gathering dust at home, so she insisted that Lu Qiong accept it.
Fortunately, the shop can make a variety of foods. In addition to making soy milk, it can also grind sesame seeds and almonds into powder, add water and boil them to make a nice dessert. Alternatively, it can grind cooked red beans and mung beans with sugar to make fillings, which can be used to make pastries on a daily basis.
Having received such a benefit, Lu Qiong wanted to inquire about the market price and then give the silver to Jin Niang, but Jin Niang refused to accept it no matter what, and was even a little angry.
Lu Qiong couldn't be so at ease, so she could only send some food to Jin Niang's family every now and then. For example, she would save two portions of the peach shortbread she made recently, one for Jin Niang and the rest for Pang Qiaoniang.
With the stone mill, Sister Yang got into the habit of grinding soybeans first, grinding them into raw soy milk, and then boiling it in a pot. Sometimes, she was afraid that it wouldn't be cooked through, so she would boil it a second time, and only dared to serve it to guests after boiling it two or three times. The cooked soy milk was stored in an earthenware jar, and she would cover it with straw to prevent it from cooling down too quickly. She would only take out a bowl of it when someone came.
Early diners would smell a rich aroma of soybeans, and their already empty stomachs would be even more craving them, so the freshly brewed soy milk would soon be sold out.
Wei Pan was quite good at keeping accounts, and Lu Qiong would ask her to collect money when she was busy. Lu Xuan and Li Jie'er would entertain guests, serving tea and water, or running errands for people.
As the sun rose above the horizon, a ray of red light shone through the mountaintop into the backyard, where Lu Qiong was instructing the butcher to move the delivered pork aside.
After finishing his work, the servant pulled out a coarse cloth from his waist, casually wiped his face, and smiled as he said, "This meat is still fresh. The shopkeeper repeatedly told me to be the first one delivered today."
After hearing his story, Lu Qiong's smile deepened. In reality, she didn't have much interaction with the butcher, but his wife, Qingniang, was also from Shangyuan Village, and her parents still lived in the countryside. Sometimes she would ask Lu Qiong to bring her things, and over time, their relationship deepened.
Presumably, this was also at her request. It seems I'll have to bring more food for Qingniang's family next time I go back.
Even though they had a deep bond, Lu Qiong still settled the accounts, not giving the butcher a single copper coin less than he was entitled to. Even Jin Niang said she had lost out, but she felt that the bond between people couldn't be measured in money, so she hadn't lost out at all.
Today, the meat delivered amounted to over forty pieces, costing nearly one tael of silver.
In the past, we would deliver 20 to 30 catties of meat, but now, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, there are more customers willing to spend money on meat, so the shop naturally has to prepare more meat than usual.
The butcher shop was some distance away, and the servant had to hurry to the next shop, so Lu Qiong brought him the freshly brewed pear soup. Considering the servant was young and healthy, she took it upon herself to add some ice.
The pears were cut into chunks and stewed in water with some rock sugar and almonds. The drink was sweet but not cloying. It tasted even better with ice, less sweet and more refreshing.
The servant also daydreamed while drinking pear soup. Madam Lu was pretty and generous. Every time she came, she would bring him a bowl of soy milk or freshly made pastries. No wonder the shop kept getting bigger and bigger. I heard that she was still setting up a stall last year, and now she is the head manager. She is really amazing.
After drinking the pear soup, he indeed felt much more energetic. He thanked Lu Qiong again and left.
As the shop became busier day by day, Lu Qiong also turned her attention back to the shop, spending her days going back and forth between the two places, going to the shop during the day and returning home late at night.
Lu Xuan and the others were also feeling the strain, so they decided to take a few days off before the Mid-Autumn Festival and go back to Shangyuan Village. Li Jie'er also decided that she would not leave again after this trip.
So before dawn, the whole family woke up.
Although Wei Pan wasn't going with them, she got up early and, while everyone was still packing, she started boiling water and made some lean meat porridge. She also learned from Lu Qiong's method to fry a few pancakes, brushed them with oil and chopped green onions, and fried them in the pan until they were golden brown and crispy. The whole courtyard was filled with the aroma of oil.
While she still had some free time, Lu Qiong checked her luggage. There were a few autumn clothes, a pot of newly brewed osmanthus wine tied with hemp rope, and several packets of medicinal herbs for Yu Niang. She had also made some mooncakes yesterday, but due to time constraints, she only made five-nut and red bean paste fillings. All of them were now wrapped in oil paper.
She also stored several fish in a clay pot for fermented rice wine. This morning she went to the street and bought dozens of crabs, keeping two for Wei Pan to cook. She planned to steam some of them directly, and marinate the rest with wine and vinegar to make fermented crab, which would not only remove the fishy smell but also keep them for a while longer.
After autumn arrives, people in Bianjing (Kaifeng) eat cured lamb legs. They tear them off directly or slice them thinly, usually as a snack or appetizer. Some people don't like the dry and hard texture, so they slice them and steam them. Those who are more particular will put them into soup or porridge to cook, which has a unique flavor.
They also hung two cured lamb legs under the eaves. These were lamb legs that Jinniang had asked them to pick out at the butcher shop early one morning a while ago. Thinking that they were not short of money, they took Lu Xuan and the others with them. Jinniang and Pang Qiaoniang each picked out two. Two lamb legs were just enough for Jinniang's family of three. It was surprising that Pang Qiaoniang also chose two.
Perhaps noticing Lu Qiong's confusion, Jin Niang, carrying a leg of lamb, laughed and said, "Qiao Niang picked this out for her brother. He'll be back in the next couple of days; the letter just arrived a while ago... But these two legs aren't enough, since their escort agency has quite a few people."
Jinniang quickly stopped worrying; if it wasn't enough, she could always buy more, and besides, the bodyguards weren't short of money.
There were quite a few people on the street buying lamb legs, and Lu Qiong and her companions were almost pushed out. It was only thanks to Jin Niang's quick hands that they managed to grab their sleeves and stand on their own two feet.
On the way back, each person had a leg of lamb in their basket, which weighed them down so much that their backs were bent, but they still couldn't hide their smiles and laughed all the way back.
Lu Xuan was in the highest spirits, still recalling the crowded scene from earlier. She patted her chest with a look of relief: "Luckily, Jin Niang held me back, otherwise I would have been squeezed into a meat pancake..."
Jinniang lifted the heavy basket on her back, smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes. After listening to her, she became proud: "That's right. In previous years, I would come alone in the autumn to grab lamb legs. If I went too late, they would be gone, and I would miss the best time for cured lamb legs."
The others were also covered in sweat, but Wei Pan was alright; she had lived in Bianjing for many years and had often run errands for her mother. Pang Qiaoniang, however, was in a bad state, her face still flushed. Lu Qiong suggested they rest at a shop and bought everyone a bowl of mutton soup, which helped them recover.
After resting, Lu Qiong and the others brought the two lamb legs back to the courtyard. Qiao Niang couldn't manage it all by herself, so she helped carry it back with some acquaintances she met. Li Jie'er helped Jin Niang carry the two lamb legs to Jin Niang's house. Before leaving, Jin Niang gave her a large jar of pear syrup: "These are pears that I bought with Qiong Jie'er last time. I've made them into a syrup. Take it back and try it. Add some water and stir it up. It's sweet and sour."
Knowing that the two families had a good relationship, Li Jie'er accepted the gift without hesitation, chatted for a while, and then left.
Because the kitchen was small, Lu Qiong and the others put the lamb leg in a wooden basin in the yard, sprinkled it with coarse salt, rubbed it all over the whole leg, and added Sichuan peppercorns, minced ginger, and rice wine. After marinating, they tied it with hemp rope and hung it under the eaves to air dry.
It's been more than half a month now, and the lamb leg meat has turned a deep red color. In previous years, the most common thing to do in autumn was to cure bacon, but this is the first time they've cured a lamb leg.
The lamb leg was dripping with fat, making Lu Xuan, who had just come out, keep swallowing her saliva. Wei Pan and Li Jie'er beside her were also swallowing. Lu Qiong couldn't help but laugh: "Li Jie'er, go to the kitchen and get a bamboo knife. I'll cut some cured lamb leg."
Li Jie'er nodded in response and turned to enter the kitchen, her steps slightly hurried, almost tripping over her skirt.
The sky was not yet fully bright, and only a single oil lamp emitted a faint light, illuminating the glistening, oily skin of the cured lamb leg.
Lu Qiong took the bamboo knife, held the lamb leg with her left hand, and used her right hand to cut off a large piece of meat. Lu Xuan brought over a bamboo basket and, to prevent the grease from seeping out, lined the bottom with several layers of oil paper. Before long, the basket was filled with several pieces of meat.
Over the years, Lu Qiong had done a lot of work, and her strength had increased, but it still couldn't keep up with the constant lifting. After only a quarter of an hour, her hands were sore, and she stopped when she saw that there was enough mutton in the bamboo basket to eat.
Lu Xuan, holding a large basket of meat, couldn't suppress her smile: "Sister, let's stew this mutton in porridge tomorrow, it'll definitely taste better than meat porridge..."
Throughout the past year, Lu Qiong has never lacked meat. She has tried all sorts of cooking methods, including pan-frying, deep-frying, stewing, and roasting meat. However, Lu Xuan's favorite is meat porridge. In the past, it was always made with pork. The meat was tender, and the thin porridge was also fragrant with meat. A bowl of it not only filled her stomach but also warmed her up, making it perfect for this slightly chilly weather.
If it's snowing lightly outside, it would be even more comfortable to snuggle up in bed, set up a small stove, and drink meat porridge while warming yourself by the fire.
Just thinking about it made everyone feel comfortable, and they immediately quickened their pace so they could get back to the countryside to warm themselves by the fire.
This lamb leg was quite large, made from the hind leg, and weighed about five or six pounds. Lu Qiong cut off more than half of it, which should have weighed three or four pounds, enough for them to eat for the next few days. She also left a small portion for Wei Pan.
It's harvest time in Shangyuan Village right now, so there's no shortage of vegetables and fruits. Lu Qiong doesn't plan to bring any back; she'll just buy them later. She only brought some pastries and candied fruits, which, along with the food she had collected earlier, filled two bamboo baskets.
The bamboo baskets and luggage were piled up in the yard, ready to be left as soon as the carriage arrived.
Lu Qiong counted her luggage again, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that nothing was missing. She then went to the kitchen and got a bowl of meat porridge. Lu Xuan and the others didn't mind the small space and sat around the eight-immortal table. In the center was a plate of pancakes, and in front of each person was a bowl of porridge, steaming hot and so thick that it was hard to see what was in front of them.
Lu Qiong also grabbed a pancake. The outer layer was a thin layer of oil and crispy pastry. It tasted salty and delicious. She paired it with a spoonful of porridge to balance the flavor. After eating it, she felt full of energy.
In the past, when Xue'er returned to the village, she would entrust her care to Jinniang. Later, after Wei Pan moved into the house, this responsibility fell on her shoulders.
Xue'er's daily diet is simple, consisting of minced meat and vegetables, with occasional milk as a supplement. Wei Pan has also fed her a few times herself, so Lu Qiong is not worried.
As the saying goes, "Radishes in the first ten days of summer, vegetables in the second ten days," the most important plants in the whole yard are the newly sown radishes and cabbages. The cabbages are transplanted seedlings, with six or seven seedlings per row, and a total of eight rows were planted. The radishes need more attention. After the seedlings have grown some true leaves, the weak and diseased seedlings need to be removed, leaving only the best ones. During this period, they also need to be watered frequently, since the soil cannot be too dry.
After Lu Qiong finished giving instructions for everything at home, Qingniang also sent a servant with a bundle: "It contains some food..."
Just then, the coachman arrived and stopped outside the courtyard. Lu Qiong accepted the servant's bundle and told everyone to put their luggage on the carriage.
The carriage slowly drove out of the city wall. The people inside were drowsy. When they opened their eyes, the roadside was covered with golden millet.
As in previous years, everyone in the village who was able to walk and move went to the fields. Whether they were elderly or women and children, those who could help contributed their labor, and those who couldn't carried water to help everyone cool off in the summer heat.
Amidst this golden expanse, there are also patches of white – those are kapok trees planted by the villagers, now ready for harvest, coinciding perfectly with the autumn harvest.
Looking at the field full of kapok trees, Li Jie'er felt a little surprised, but more excited than anything else.
Lu Qiong told the driver to take Li Jie'er home first, and then go around to her own yard. It had been more than a month since she last came back. Apart from some weeds growing in the yard and dust on the doorknob, there were no other major changes.
They still smelled a musty odor when they opened the door. They moved all their things inside and opened all the windows to let in fresh air. Fortunately, it was windy, and the smell dissipated soon after.
Lu Qiong was about to clean the kitchen first. She wanted to ask Lu Xuan to get a broom, but when she turned around, she saw that Lu Xuan had already filled the water, wet the coarse cloth, and wiped away the ash on the stove.
Fortunately, there has been little rain in the past two months, and the kitchen chimney was not blocked. It was quickly tidied up, and the firewood that had been hidden away was still usable, but she still wanted to put it in the yard to dry for a while first.
Around noon, Lu Qiong and Lu Xuan carried all the firewood to the yard, spread it out evenly, and it took up a small part of the space.
Since the bedroom was well-ventilated, they each took their bedding and placed it on bamboo poles in the courtyard to air it. They also beat the bedding with rattan canes, beating it about a hundred times before returning to their room to rest.
Outside, news of Lu Qiong's return to the village had already spread from one end of the village to the other, especially among those in the fields who could still chat with others while bending over to harvest rice.
"Look at that field, it's all planted with that cotton stuff, all white and fluffy?"
"This acre doesn't look like much..."
The other person lowered his voice: "There aren't many, but the price is high."
At first, no one in the village was willing to replace the millet in their fields with cotton, as they all believed that food was of paramount importance.
It wasn't until recent days that they learned the kapok harvest was so good; one mu (approximately 0.16 acres) could sell for nearly two shi (approximately 1.65 tons) of rice. Meanwhile, their own farming yielded less than one shi per mu. Many families secretly regretted their decision, forced to watch others make a fortune!
Unlike other families, Yu Niang used half of her land to grow kapok trees. However, she didn't have to put in much effort, as someone helped her manage the fields, which saved her a lot of trouble.
So when Li Jie'er returned, she saw a large area of cotton drying in the yard. There was almost nowhere for her to stand. It was the first time she had seen such a strange thing, and she didn't dare to touch it.
Li Jie'er clutched the bundle in her hands, sighed inwardly, and then called out into the house, "Mother! I'm back!"
A sound came from inside, like wood hitting the floor tiles, and then the wooden door was opened from the inside out.
Perhaps it was due to the autumn harvest these days, but Yu Niang looked much darker than before, and her back seemed a bit hunched. She also noticed that a few wrinkles had appeared on her face...
Having been away from home for many days, Li Jie'er had a thousand words she wanted to tell Yu Niang, but now, she didn't even dare to look Yu Niang in the eye.
Yu Niang hadn't left her side for a second. She wanted to reach out and take her bundle, but then noticed the charcoal ash still on her hand. She could only awkwardly hide her hand behind her back and force a smile: "You've come back just in time. The harvest in the fields was finished yesterday, so there's no shortage of food at home. I'll make you a pancake."
Seeing how carefully she spoke, Li Jie'er felt uneasy. She pursed her lips for a moment, but in the end, she didn't stop her and followed her into the house.
Yu Niang was more talkative than usual, chatting about the recent autumn harvest, which family was short-handed, which family even had an unprecedented argument, and how she planted kapok trees...
Under this atmosphere, Li Jie'er gradually opened up and took the initiative to talk about everything in Bianjing.
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