Chapter 66
"More than a dozen spices?" Su Guoer asked in surprise.
This morning she gave money to the little beggar and asked him to help find out where there was a newly opened braised meat shop. She wanted the braised meat recipe to be their own original one, and it had to contain spices.
She was the first to make braised meat with spices. If someone imitated her, it would mean that person was involved with the thieves in her shop.
The subsequent results all matched up. The braised meat turned black? That was because she added an extra herb called wukui.
Unpalatable? That's normal. Su Guoer was afraid that the braised pork recipe would be stolen by thieves, so the marinade package she packed didn't contain the recipe for her own braised pork.
Not only did she add some black sunflower to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, she also put in coptis chinensis, a relative of coptis chinensis. In small doses, it is only slightly bitter, but in large doses, it can be so bitter that it can kill you.
There is also autumn velvet, which makes the taste greasy, but it won’t kill you.
When making braised meat, she only needs to pick out these Chinese herbs from the seasoning bag and add some cloves, orange peel and angelica.
So… we already know which store copied her recipe. But we still don’t know who the thief is.
"Bitter? Why does braised meat taste bitter? Or is it burnt black?" Yunniang asked.
"Even if you stew braised pork at home, you might not be able to burn it black, right?"
Chun Niang: "Maybe it's because you added too much soy sauce? My family always adds two drops of soy sauce when cooking. Although the color doesn't look good, it tastes good."
Madam Cui: "Where? The braised meat is not only black, but also tastes bitter. It must be because of the wrong spices."
"Anyway, it's hard to eat. The restaurant Zhang that just opened yesterday specializes in this braised meat, but it's empty this morning. When I passed by this morning, there were no customers at all."
Yunniang said, "Then it seems we'll have to pay for it. The rent in Bianjing City is at least three hundred taels of silver a month. How can ordinary people afford it?"
Su Guoer just smiled and said nothing. The trap was set for her, and now it was time to catch the thief. Su Guoer felt that this thief would not give up her braised meat ingredients easily.
So she had to be alert these few days. She wanted to catch the thief as soon as possible so that she could investigate her father's affairs with peace of mind.
"The braised meat turns black? It turns bitter? Hey, boss, I remember we also put spices in our braised meat, right? Why doesn't ours turn black?" Li Si blurted out, and Madam Cui on the side poked him with her elbow.
Braised meat ingredients are precious things, so Li Si shouldn't have asked this question.
Li Si smiled and said, "Oh, I spoke too quickly. If it's inconvenient for the shopkeeper to say it, then don't say it."
Su Guoer became patient: "I guess I put the wrong marinade in? The medicinal herbs are cold in nature and can easily spoil the braised meat. If you want to neutralize the medicinal properties of the herbs, you need to add something else. I won't tell you what to put in it."
Su Guo'er's words were unintentional, but Li Si listened intently. The others ate their own food and no one asked any further questions. The shopkeeper's words didn't count as revealing the secret recipe, because she hadn't mentioned the ingredient that could neutralize the medicinal properties.
This makes some people feel itchy.
Su Guoer: "I'm going to discuss business with the owner of the winery later. Li Siyun, you two can keep an eye on the two apprentices and have them mix two bowls of cold dishes first. When the guests come in at noon, they can serve them directly on the plates."
"There are also white steamed buns, just steam a pot, and rice as well." Plus a basket of duck oil pancakes left over from the morning, it's enough to sell.
Yunniang and Li Si answered "OK"
After breakfast, it was already ten o'clock in the morning, so Su Guoer took Pang Ya out.
After she left the house, Yunniang took her two apprentices to the kitchen in the backyard to assign them some work.
Li Si rolled his eyes, and when he saw Yunniang heading to the backyard, he hurriedly pushed her aside and said, "Madam Yun, Madam Yun, wait a moment."
Yunniang stopped and looked back.
Seeing Li Si covering his arm, he said, "I fell yesterday and accidentally hurt my arm. It still hurts this morning, so... can we switch shifts today? I'll go to the counter and watch them cook, and you can help me sweep the lobby. Just sweep it once, that's all. I just wiped it yesterday, and the tables, chairs, and stools are all spotless!"
He promised Yunniang.
Yunniang agreed without giving it much thought. Li Si was overjoyed. "Hey! Thank you, Yunniang. Thank you, Yunniang. I will definitely do my best later!"
They say it's a good job, but in fact there is not much work to do.
The waiters in the front shop only cleaned the floor and the dust on the tables and chairs. Usually, Li Si did this and just did a simple tidying up.
Yunniang was trusted by Su Guoer, so she was responsible for collecting money and teaching the two apprentices how to cook to prevent them from being lazy. As for Chunniang and Cui Niangzi, they were responsible for washing side dishes, dishes, pots, etc. on weekdays. This was their job, and they would occasionally take turns to help out in the morning.
Therefore, among all the tasks assigned to everyone, Madam Yun's was the simplest and required the least effort.
There is nothing wrong with Li Si exchanging arms with her since he has an injured arm.
In this way, the two of them changed shifts, and Yunniang took the broom to the second floor to wipe the tables and sweep the floor.
Li Si also helped Chunniang and Cui Niangzi bring all the large basins and buckets to the yard to make it easier for them to wash the pork.
As for the two apprentices, Miaomiao and Yanghua? Just keep them away and send them out when you need the marinade ingredients.
Li Si thought about this, then wandered around the kitchen, looking around. Only when he saw the cloth bag again in the corner did he relax. He nodded at Yanghua and said, "I remember making pickles requires some dried radish, right? Can you go upstairs and get some down?"
Yang Hua obediently climbed to the second floor.
As for Miaomiao, she rolled her eyes at him and continued cutting the vegetables in her hands.
Knowing that Miaomiao was not easy to deal with, he simply reached out and wiped a handful of ash from the edge of the pot, then quietly touched the cucumber beside it.
In the blink of an eye, the cucumbers changed color.
He started asking questions again: "Look, look, how did you wash these dishes? Why are there so much dust on them? How can you serve them to the guests? Go wash them quickly!"
He was in a rage and had arrived earlier than Miaomiao. Although she was angry, she didn't dare to argue with him, so she went out with a pot of vegetables and went to wash them again.
Li Si moved at this time, and with a stride of his long legs, he came to the foot of the wall. After pulling out the cloth bag that Su Guoer had hidden, he rummaged through it and found a green dried fruit the size of a fingernail at the bottom.
It was something he had forgotten to take last time.
Then I guess this is the thing that can neutralize the medicinal properties?
He quickly grabbed a few and put them in his arms. Worried that the marinade he took last time was not right, he also packed another bag of marinade and stuffed it into his arms. Then he hurriedly wrapped the cloth bag and stuffed it into the corner.
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