Chapter 59: Transfer of ownership of Yanzhou roast duck, buying people, and adding new roast ducks...
The alley was bathed in moonlight. Cen Zhi, having eaten and drunk his fill, his beard smeared with shrimp oil, gazed at the frost-like moonlight covering the gravel road, feeling utterly content.
Seeing that he had finished eating, Shen Miao went back into the room to get a hot towel so that he could wipe his face.
After carefully wiping himself clean and returning the handkerchief, Cen Zhi solemnly straightened his clothes and bowed deeply to Shen Miao: "Thank you, Madam Shen. It is my good fortune to be able to eat such a bowl of fresh shrimp tonight before my journey."
Having been away from his hometown for several years, Cen Zhi's usual homesickness was awakened by a bowl of spicy and delicious late-night snack in the quiet of the night.
The wife who stayed behind in Sichuan was best at cooking shrimp. She would trim the whiskers and remove the intestines, then fry them in oil with Sichuan peppercorns. After that, she would stir-fry them quickly over high heat with soy sauce, ginger, and minced garlic until the shrimp shells turned bright red, crispy, and chewy. They were so delicious and spicy that people didn't want to spit out the shells.
Although the shrimp that Shen Niangzi made was quite different from the ones his wife made, it still made him miss his wife at home.
Because he was away from home most of the year, Cen Zhi often couldn't make it back home for the holidays. One year, he braved a blizzard to climb the Shu Road and spotted his wife and child waiting for him under a big tree at the village entrance, their hands rubbing together in anticipation. He later learned that every day as the year drew to a close, his wife would carry their young son to wait for him, her hopes fulfilled, and she would make several trips a day to see him.
He was away from home, enduring countless hardships, but his wife took care of everything at home. She had to farm and raise the children, and she didn't know if she would be bullied. How hard was it for her too? He wondered if the children had grown taller by now.
Once he had earned enough money, he would stay and return to Sichuan, where he could live a happy life with his family and never have to travel far and wide again, separated from his loved ones. He made this wish in secret.
He led the spitting camel away, its back already laden with heavy goods. The shadows of man and camel were lengthened by the moonlight, fading into the distance. Soon, only the clear moonlight illuminated the quiet alleyways in Chenmiao's eyes.
Watching the merchant walk away alone until he was completely out of the light, Shen Miao turned around and closed the door. The dim yellow light that had leaked out of the Shen family's house was also closed back inside.
In just a short while, Sister Xiang had already rinsed the crayfish twice in the water and thrown two to Zhui Feng to eat. The crayfish were so spicy that Zhui Feng buried his head in the pond in the yard and gulped down the water. Suddenly, a dog's head popped into the frogs' enclosure. Enraged, the frogs jumped up and leaped onto the dog's head, croaking angrily.
Leiting was much more reliable. When Xiangjie threw it some food, it sniffed it and wisely didn't bite.
As expected, there are differences in intelligence among dogs. When I bought Zhuifeng, it clearly looked smart with its round head and intelligent appearance, but now it doesn't seem to have any of those traits.
Shen Miao was completely baffled. She went back into the house, poured a large bowl of barley wine, and sat down to enjoy it. Xiang Jie'er, like her, wasn't afraid of spicy food and ate with great relish. There was a small mountain of shrimp shells in front of her. She was busy eating by herself, but she still managed to peel a small bowl of shrimp meat for Shen Miao. When Shen Miao came over and sat down, she saw that the bowl was full and smiled.
Chen Chuan's face turned red from the spiciness. He had already finished a large cup of peach iced tea, but he didn't give up. He not only tried his best to overcome the spiciness, but also diligently used a toothpick to pick out the snail meat. He and Xiang Jie'er had probably agreed to each peel one type of snail. After Shen Miao left for a while, he didn't have to peel any himself.
But the joy of eating crayfish is peeling them yourself!
She divided the meat in the bowl in half again for the two of them, letting them eat it themselves. She picked up a crayfish and held it in her hand. First, she bit open the crayfish head, which was filled with a strong spicy aroma. The crayfish head was also full of crayfish roe, which was soft, tender and fresh, comparable to fish roe. Then she peeled the crayfish meat and squeezed the shell and meat on both sides of the crayfish body with her hands. Then she peeled it again, and the bouncy pink crayfish meat could be peeled out completely. When she bit into it, there was indeed no muddy taste at all. It was fresh, tender and sweet.
Clean-loving crayfish are even tastier than crayfish!
Moreover, its shell is thinner than that of crayfish, and it has more meat, making it more satisfying to eat.
Another sip of ice-cold ale, and as it goes down, it's so refreshing that you can't help but let out a long sigh.
Eating like this is so comforting! Shen Miao was a little tempted. Looking at the crayfish, she thought, "I'll go back and ask the restaurant that supplies her with fish every day. They seem to have their own pond where they raise fish. I wonder if they raise crayfish? Or other kinds of shrimp, snails, etc. If I can ensure a stable supply, it would be so refreshing to have a meal like this in the summer."
How can a summer night market be complete without snails and crayfish?
The next day, at the agreed time, Shen Miao first went to the money exchange to exchange the copper coins for gold and silver, then rushed to the government office to sign the seal with the shopkeeper, and paid the property tax, as well as the commission for the medicine ginseng and the old man's rent. Afterwards, she nervously watched the clerk raise the large seal and stamp it heavily on the property deed and land deed, and with this final touch, the shop next door was transferred to her name.
The old man reluctantly handed over the key, sighed, picked up his money, and hurriedly left.
Yao Luoge smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Congratulations, Madam Shen, on your new home. If you need to buy another house in the future, please feel free to come and find me. I'll take my leave now."
Everyone dispersed, and Shen Miao, clutching the land deed and house deed, was so happy she could barely walk. On her way home, she went to find Old Man Yang and He Daizhao, asking them to bring people to demolish the walls and tiles. There was no better day than today, so she went to their door!
Shen Miao returned home, hid the contract, and then went next door to unlock the door. The interior was similar to the Shen family's, but slightly smaller. Because no one had lived there for a long time, thick dust floated in the air, and with each step she left a footprint, she was covered in cobwebs as soon as she stepped over the threshold.
Old Yang and his companions came over to inspect the house. They looked around and found that the roof tiles definitely needed to be replaced, as they were almost completely rotten. The walls also needed to be repainted, as several areas were moldy. The doors also needed to be replaced, as the hinges were worn out and creaked when pushed, and they almost fell over if one wasn't careful.
Other places were fine. Shen Miao could clean the dirty places herself, and the dusty places could be washed a couple of times. Shen Miao stood in the knee-high lush weeds and looked up.
Moss clung to the walls, mold grew rampant, and weeds grew wildly; everywhere the eye could see was desolate.
For a moment, Shen Miao felt as if she had returned to the day she returned to Bianjing from Jinling. She found her younger brother and sister, who had nowhere to stay, in the corner of the kitchen, amidst the broken tiles scattered on the ground.
The difference is that everything in this courtyard is gone except for a single old osmanthus tree, its age unknown, its branches gnarled and strong. It's not flowering season yet, but its branches are full of green leaves, facing the sun, lush and vibrant. Regardless of people coming and going, it still stands here, seemingly content and carefree, needing no human care.
Shen Miao tiptoed, touched the glossy green, serrated leaves, and smiled with delight.
She never expected there to be such an old tree in the yard. How wonderful! She had originally wanted to follow Xun Ge'er's example and buy two jujube trees to plant in the yard. Now, wouldn't this be perfect? She seemed to already see the beautiful scene of the yard full of flowers in mid-autumn, the rich fragrance sweeping away the chill of autumn.
There are also osmanthus cake, osmanthus sugar, osmanthus mochi, osmanthus sweet rice balls...
Just thinking about these limited-edition autumn delicacies makes my mouth water.
There was nothing more to say. Shen Miao hurriedly paid respects to the local earth god, chose an auspicious day, and regardless of whether it was the front shop or the back house, all the walls adjacent to the Shen family's house were knocked down, completely merging the two houses into one.
There were also three rooms next door, but they faced slightly different directions, and each room was smaller than the Shen family's. Shen Miao chose the largest and sunniest room of the three for Chen Chuan, so he would finally have his own room.
The vegetable plots have been expanded from two to four. This land has been abandoned for a long time; after clearing it, we still need to compost it before planting anything. Next year, Chen Miao plans to keep one plot for melons and another for winter melons.
She originally wanted to grow watermelons, but the watermelons at this time were called "cold melons." They had thick skins, little flesh, and many fibrous strands. The flesh was so big, but only a small part in the middle was red, and the rest was covered with thick white fibrous strands! They were also pitifully dry, and didn't taste as juicy as radishes!
This was the first time Shen Miao had bought melons, and she even doubted whether her melon-picking skills had declined.
Later, she stubbornly refused to believe it and bought it a few more times. She then discovered that without Grandma Wu Mingzhu's painstaking efforts to cultivate the superior varieties, the watermelons of the Great Song Dynasty were inherently so unpalatable!
Here, in the sweltering summer, we can no longer enjoy those dream melons that were just pulled from the well, dripping wet, cracking open with a gentle cut, their thin green rinds, crisp red flesh, and wisps of cool air emanating from them.
This was truly a painful thing for Shen Miao.
Fortunately, the melons at this time were quite good, with thin skin, sweet flesh, and a strong aroma. They looked like the honeydew melons of later generations, and were green and lovely. Moreover, Aunt Gu said that melons could bear several harvests in one season, so her family planted them. Once they ripened in the summer, they could eat melon seeds every day until they had melon seeds stuck to their bellies.
Hearing that Shen Miao wanted to grow melons, Aunt Gu picked four or five ripe melons from her home and gave her a packet of seeds.
Shen Miao found a basket and asked Xiang Jie'er to go to the water room and hang the melons in the well. As for the seeds, they could only be planted next year: "Sow melons and beans around Qingming Festival," but the season had already passed. However, while she was good at cooking, her vegetable gardening was just so-so. The hope of reaping what she sowed was always beautiful; let's see if they can grow them in the future!
With the house being demolished, dust flying everywhere and sledgehammers banging, the shop couldn't do business, so the small stall cart came in handy again.
Closing down? Shen Miao, who gets itchy all over even after half a day of leisure, would never close down.
Red bean buns and xiaolongbao are back on the market, and Sister Xiang, the saleswoman, and Chen Chuan, the cashier, are working hard. The two children are running their stall in front of their house, while Chen Miao simply slung her bag over her shoulder and went for a stroll in the market.
If the shop doubles in size, its capacity will also double instantly, and she will need kitchen helpers, general laborers, and waiters.
The kitchen helper would have to work alongside her, helping with chopping vegetables and meat, and even making simple noodles. There are no secrets in the same kitchen. Aunt Gu was right; under these circumstances, hiring temporary workers wouldn't work, so she had to buy people.
This is a characteristic created by the times; when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and she naturally had to adapt as well.
Often, the aversion to something stems from unfamiliarity and lack of experience. Chen Miao walked around the human market twice, just looking without asking or accepting the offers from human traffickers. Once she had a clear understanding of the situation, she went to the largest dental clinic and went in to ask.
At this time, the rules governing the buying and selling of people in the Song Dynasty were quite different from those of other dynasties.
The government prohibited the large-scale purchase of slaves and people. There were even restrictions on the number of people that could be purchased at one time. There were also two types of purchases: one for a limited period and one for life. The prices for the two types of purchases were completely different, but a contract had to be drawn up. The broker also had to ensure that the slaves were from voluntary and legal sources and that human trafficking was prohibited.
Furthermore, in either case, it is forbidden to privately torture or kill servants. If a master is found to have intentionally killed a servant he has employed for more than five years, he will be exiled three thousand li away. If a servant has been employed for less than five years, he will be executed by hanging as if he had killed a civilian: "Anyone who kills a servant or female servant without authorization shall pay with his life." Even after being bought by a master, a servant can terminate his contract and "return home" in advance under special circumstances.
So when Shen Miao went in to buy people, the broker was enthusiastic but very proper. The brokerage was also very well-decorated. When he heard Shen Miao's requirements, "regardless of gender, they must all be young and strong, one must be good at cooking, one must be quick and efficient, and the other must be eloquent and have a good memory," he quickly agreed. He asked someone to serve her tea and asked her to sit down for a while. Then he began to bury himself in flipping through the book, explaining, "There have been too many refugees coming from Qinzhou these days. Please wait here for a while, madam. I will look around and find you a few honest people who are good at cooking."
After searching for a while, the broker finally found a suitable candidate and led her to the back. His courtyard was very large, and servants tied together with ropes were squatting everywhere. Most of them were dark-skinned, thin, and dressed in rags. The broker seemed afraid of offending Chen Miao's eyes, so he quickly explained, "These are all refugees. They were just brought from Caizhou and haven't been properly cared for yet. We have no choice but to tie them up. Some unruly people take money from both sides. Their families take the money, and they turn around and run away, selling themselves four or five times in a row. They specifically target us brokers who follow the rules, so we have to tie them up. Otherwise, we can't starve, can we?"
Shenmiao expressed understanding.
Ya Bao laughed and said, "I won't bother with all this nonsense, madam. Judging from your character, I think you should be someone who has served the master before, knows the rules, and can immediately get to work, right?"
Shen Miao nodded, but added, "They still need to have a clean family background. We don't want someone whose family is a mess and who comes to cause trouble all the time. We also absolutely do not want someone who was sold because they committed theft, gambling, or abusing women under their previous owner, or someone with a bad character."
Ya Bao patted his chest and assured her, "Don't worry, my lady, I wouldn't dare ruin my reputation."
So he led Shen Miao into a room inside. The servants inside were all young and strong, between fifteen or sixteen and thirty years old. They looked quite decent, none of them were pale and thin. Although their clothes were all made of coarse cloth and some were patched, most of them were neat. However, some of them had no shoes and were standing barefoot in the room.
They all had straw slips stuck in the back of their collars, ready to be sold.
"You! And you! Come out here!"
The dentist pointed to a middle-aged man in his thirties and then to a tall man in his twenties, leading them to Chen Miao. He first made them bare their teeth for inspection, then looked down at their hair, and finally at their fingernails and toenails, before smiling and saying:
"Look, these two are both very strong, with straight backs and good teeth. Look at their hands and feet, big and strong! Don't let their current thinness fool you, they're just hungry! A few good meals and they'll gain weight quickly. The older one used to be a cook, but his master committed a crime and was exiled to Lingnan, so the servants were dismissed, and that's how he ended up here. The younger one's family is from Yanshan Prefecture (the southern edge of Northeast China). Just across the river there is the Liao Kingdom. Every winter, Liao cavalry would come to plunder and harm people, so his family would hide there. But his father died on the way, and his stepmother conspired with him to sell him to raise money to support his younger siblings. He's good with a knife; his family used to butcher dogs and sheep for people. Hey kid, did you say you could skin a sheep in fifteen minutes?"
The tall, young man nodded hurriedly: "Yes."
Ya Bao nudged the middle-aged man again: "Tell me, aren't you a cook? What can you do?"
The middle-aged man, who considered himself a servant of officials, felt that it was a young woman from a humble background like Shen Miao who wanted to buy him. On the one hand, he felt that he was being wasted and wronged, but on the other hand, he was full of confidence: "I can do anything, from the south to the north, from flying in the sky to swimming in the water."
Ya Bao was a short man. He jumped up and hit him with the servant register: "You penniless wretch! Your master is just a lowly ninth-rank official who earns less than twenty strings of cash a month. What are you bragging about? Tell me the truth, and I'll give you a beating!"
After being hit, he immediately became honest: "Actually, I only know how to make wontons and I can also stew chicken."
Ya Bao then looked at Shen Miao expectantly: "What do you think of these two, Madam Shen? There aren't many servants who can cook. People came to ask about them yesterday. Quite a few people want them. If you like them, you should sign the contract immediately, otherwise I'm afraid there won't be such good ones tomorrow."
Shen Miao didn't express her opinion, saying she wanted to see more. So Ya Bao led her to see the women again. There were also cooks, but there were far fewer of them, and they were all older, in their forties or fifties. She did notice a young girl who was very clever. Although she couldn't cook, she had almond-shaped eyes and a thin mouth. She could recite dozens of dishes without any hesitation.
At only fifteen years old, he was bold enough to make demands of Shen Miao even in the brokerage: "If you buy me, I will only sign a ten-year contract with you. Once I have saved enough money, I will return home. Only if you are willing to write this clause in the contract will I go with you."
After Shen Miao finished reading, he sat down and talked with Ya Bao in detail.
At this moment, Ya Bao had no idea how persuasive the gentle and beautiful young woman in front of him was. One moment she said, "This is my first time buying from you, shouldn't you give me a discount?" The next moment she said, "I'm buying three people at once, won't you give me a package price? Tell me quietly, I promise I won't tell anyone else!" And then she said, "It's alright, if you don't want to, I'll go ask somewhere else, it'll be the same. We may not be doing business, but we'll keep our good relationship, goodbye!"
The broker quickly called the people back. After much tugging and shoving, Shen Miao finally bought the three people. The little girl happened to be named A Tao, and it was a ten-year contract, essentially a long-term employment. The broker only charged a commission of five hundred coins, and Shen Miao would then pay A Tao three qian of silver per month as a salary.
The middle-aged man was named Fuxing, and the tall man was named Tang Er. They each paid twelve taels of silver, and Shen Miao thus bought their lives. After completing the formalities, Shen Miao and the broker agreed that Shen Miao would come to pick them up in a few days after the house was tidied up.
Having solved the problems of the shop and manpower, Shen Miao had taken a big step towards her ideal. She, who had gone to the capital alone, now had a family, a larger shop, and her own "employees." Although she didn't know what the future held, it was enough to ignite a torch of hope.
She happily went to the street and bought a roasted duck to celebrate.
The people of the Song Dynasty were unaware of how Peking duck was eaten. Roasted duck was made by steaming it, brushing it with oil, and then roasting it over charcoal. Its flavor was quite different from Peking duck. Naturally, they wouldn't wrap it with scallions and cucumbers or eat it in lotus leaf pancakes, let alone dip it in sweet bean sauce.
But Shen Miao still wanted to eat roast duck, so she bought one and planned to make pancakes, slice scallions and cucumbers herself when she got home. After slicing the duck, she would fry the duck carcass. Although it couldn't compare to the crispy duck skin and juicy roast duck meat of later generations, it should be considered a decent substitute.
Hmm? Thinking of this, why doesn't she make roast duck herself? While He Daizhao is building a wall for her, why not have him build a jujube clay oven for hanging ducks? Otherwise, it would be so frustrating not to be able to eat it when she's craving it! Peking duck used to be called hanging oven duck, and it had to be roasted in a large oven with a round belly and a narrow opening, like a water vat. The bottom of the oven had vents and fire channels to adjust the temperature.
Huitou Night Market specializes in grilled fish and crayfish. During the day, it sells soup dumplings as the main dish, and the side dishes are limited in quantity so that they don't overshadow the main dishes, while still offering more choices. In addition to braised pork, you can also order a roast duck!
Besides, roast duck is wrapped in pancakes, so it counts as a "pancake". Since the restaurant already has "Lao Yanzhou Fried Sauce Soup Pancakes", how can we forget "Lao Yanzhou Roast Duck Pancake Wraps"? And when winter comes, we'll have to get "Lao Yanzhou Hot Pot Lamb" too!
Unfortunately, beef is rare, and offal seems uncommon and expensive. Otherwise, wouldn't she have ordered "Old Yanzhou Tripe?" That would have truly showcased all of Yanzhou's culinary delights (Chen Miao decisively ruled out douzhi).
In short, Shen Miao happily forgave herself for wanting to eat a piece of roast duck and thus building the stove. She couldn't wait to go back and ask He Daizhao to build her a big, round new stove. She wondered if he had any good firebricks on hand, otherwise she wouldn't be able to build it.
Her life was thriving, full of hope and delicious food, but Rong Dalang's family, who were temporarily settled in an inn in Chenqiao Town, twenty miles outside Bianjing, encountered some setbacks.
Chenqiao Town is the place where Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, launched the "Chenqiao Mutiny" and "donned the yellow robe" to become emperor. As a result, the town is much more prosperous than other places. Many officials like to buy an outer residence here so as to get some of the emperor's auspicious energy!
But none of this has anything to do with Rong Dalang.
With a somber face, he emerged from the corner gate of the largest house in Zhengjia Village, Chenqiao Town, clutching a collection of poems and essays that had been thrown to the ground and trampled on several times. He led the donkey tied to the gate and walked silently along the field path towards the town, the mocking voice of Zheng's distant uncle still seemingly echoing in his ears:
"Your writing is utterly devoid of spirit, you can't even use allusions properly, how could you expect to pass the provincial examination? I'd be surprised if you even passed the county-level exam! Although I've been retired from officialdom for many years, I still can't stand people like you who are so scheming and despicable. Look at what you've written! Literature reflects people's hearts, but you... your mind is full of fame and fortune, you study not for the people, not for reason! You're only after your official hat, do you even deserve to be called a scholar? Get out! Get out! Be careful not to defile my place!"
Although Zheng Xueyu was only an eighth-rank scholar in Mingzhou, many of his relatives served as officials in the capital. In particular, there was an uncle from several different branches of the family who had once held the rank of third-rank official, but he retired due to illness and went into seclusion in Chenqiao Town.
However, he had many students and former officials. This year, the prefect of Mingzhou who was in charge of the preliminary examination was once his student. Rong Dalang thought of bringing his wife, Zheng, to try to find a way to get him to send a letter. If he could get this uncle to send a letter, would he still need to study so hard? If he passed the preliminary examination, he could participate in the provincial examination, and he would be able to rise to the top in one step!
As a result, that sickly old scoundrel kept spouting lofty ideals and righteousness, truly oblivious to the hardships of life! Rong Dalang's face grew even more vicious, and he cursed in his heart that Zheng Bogong should die of illness soon! He was so stingy that he wouldn't even promote the husbands of his own family members!
He was so angry that he kicked trees and stones along the way, until he entered Chenqiao Town. Only then did he slowly change his demeanor to one of gentleness and politeness. He even bought a basket of wildflowers, still glistening with dew, from a boy selling them. After thinking for a moment, he also made a detour to a pastry shop and bought a box of Longjing rice cakes.
His newlywed wife, Zheng, was also oblivious to the cost of daily necessities. She disliked greasy cakes and preferred pastries made with powdered Longjing tea and glutinous rice, saying they tasted elegant and fragrant.
What kind of purity can be called something that has already been eaten? Rong Dalang scoffed, but on the surface he seemed quite agreeable.
Upon entering the inn, he first went to the next room to greet his mother. His mother looked at him with a face full of complaints, and Rong Dalang comforted her gently for a long time. He also swore that if he passed the exam in the future, his mother could set any rules for her daughter-in-law as she pleased, but for now, he must restrain himself and not ruin his important matter.
“Mother, this Zheng is different from that Shen. In the past, it was Shen who was marrying up to us. Now it is we who are marrying up to her, so we should be patient.” Rong Dalang put his arm around Rong Da Niang’s shoulder and whispered his advice, “Don’t give Zheng a hard time. Just be patient. When your son passes the imperial examination and is appointed to an official position, she will naturally still be your daughter-in-law.”
After comforting his mother, he hurried out and pushed open the door to the next room. He saw Zheng sitting by the bed, embroidering. When she saw him return, she quickly put down her embroidery and asked worriedly, "How did it go? Did you see that old man? Father said he has a bad temper and we haven't been in contact for many years. I don't know if he still remembers our family."
“You’re overthinking it. Uncle Zheng is very kind. He appreciates me highly and even praised my writing. He said I’m very confident of passing the imperial examination and there’s no need for me to write any letters. He also gave me a lot of guidance.” Rong Dalang smiled considerately and presented the flowers and cakes. “You like flowers and plants. I saw some on my way back and picked them myself. Do you like them? And this is also one of your favorite foods.”
Zheng took the basket with delight, took a sniff, and felt her heart filled with the fragrance of flowers. Seeing the Longjing rice cake, her heart softened even more. She couldn't help but lean against Rong Dalang's chest and sighed, "It is my good fortune to marry you, my lord." Although Rong Dalang's family was poor, he studied very diligently at the Mingzhou Prefectural School. He was also handsome and had charming features. Zheng's family lived in the prefectural school, and after a few chance encounters, she quickly fell in love with him.
Zheng lost her biological mother at a young age, and her stepmother did not treat her well. She never taught her about social interactions or human relationships, only teaching her biological younger sister. For some reason, Zheng Xueyu valued Rong Dalang very much. As soon as she expressed her intention to arrange a marriage, her stepmother immediately pushed her away.
However, Zheng had a good impression of Rong Dalang, so she did not resist.
She also knew that Rong Dalang originally had a wife, but her mother-in-law said that she was the daughter of a merchant, a very vulgar person who not only couldn't have children, but also often lost her temper and smashed the house to pieces. She was even disobedient to her mother-in-law, had no children and was unfilial, so she had no choice but to divorce her.
Zheng was actually dissatisfied with her mother-in-law's rude manner and vulgar way of speaking, but her mother-in-law treated her fairly well. Not only did she never make her serve meals, but she also always asked her eldest son to take care of her. So Zheng believed these words and thought to herself that if the ex-wife was like that, then it was indeed no wonder that her eldest son divorced her.
"Now that we've seen Uncle, shall we head back?" Madam Zheng asked with some reluctance. It was her first time traveling far from home and her first time in Bianjing, yet she hadn't even entered the city gates, which was truly a pity.
Rong Dalang saw through her thoughts. Besides, he had not yet achieved his goal and was unwilling to go back. So he smiled and said, "I heard that there is a lotus viewing festival in Bianjing City in a few days. It is very lively. Since my wife rarely comes out, let's stay for a few more days and go into the city to enjoy the lanterns before going back."
Overjoyed, Zheng buried her face in Rong Dalang's chest and said, "My lord treats me so well."
"You are my wife, how could I treat you badly?" Rong Dalang embraced her, his tone extremely gentle. But where Zheng Shi couldn't see, his eyes were icy cold, almost mocking.
The biggest summer festival in Bianjing, the Lotus Viewing Festival, arrived in the blink of an eye.
Inside and outside the palace, a grand banquet was held for three days to welcome the occasion, and gifts were bestowed upon the officials. The emperor himself painted lotus paintings and calligraphy to reward his close ministers. In the cities, people of all social standing were also in an uproar, especially near Jinming Pond and the Bian River, where lights twinkled and fireworks occasionally rose into the sky.
The crowds surged endlessly, and the hustle and bustle lasted almost all night.
The vast shop was finally renovated before the holiday. The storefront was twice the size, and the interior was much more spacious. The floor was tiled throughout and freshly painted. Newly purchased glass lanterns illuminated the shop as brightly as daytime.
She lit firecrackers again, and amidst the crackling and noise, a steady stream of guests arrived.
Lady Wang carried her lotus lantern. She and her husband released river lanterns and lit Kongming lanterns, and watched a variety show. They were so hungry from all the walking that she excitedly dragged Wang Yong, who was traveling incognito, to have a late-night snack—she had saved twenty fish, and now she still had six left!
Today, my husband and I will each have one, and we'll eat to our hearts' content.
But as soon as she entered Chenji, she smelled a particularly fragrant aroma among the many scents... the aroma of roasted duck!
But the flavor of this roasted duck is truly extraordinary, completely different from the taste of ordinary roasted duck outside. The aroma of this roasted duck carries the unique sweetness of fruitwood and the smoky fragrance of charcoal roasting, which gently permeates the nasal cavity.
Following the aroma, she pushed through the crowd and saw a row of silver hooks embedded in the wall of the shop, hanging ducks of a deep reddish-brown color. The ducks were glistening with oil and smelled incredibly delicious. A young waiter in his early twenties, wearing a tall blue cloth hat, held a small willow-leaf knife in his hand. He took down a duck, and with a swift motion, the crispy, oily skin sizzled and broke off first, then was deftly sliced off, each piece evenly sized, the fat still trembling slightly beneath the skin. The waiter's technique was skillful; the knife cut along the grain of the duck meat, leaving each slice with just the right amount of skin, a perfect balance of fat and lean, shaped like willow leaves.
Before long, the roasted duck was completely sliced and neatly arranged on a large plate.
Lady Wang stared at it, her eyes glued to the screen.
Wang Yong also found it interesting. He noticed that there was a newly painted picture of roasted duck on the wall, which detailed how to eat this "Old Yanzhou Roasted Duck" - it was to roll a piece of duck meat in a thin lotus leaf pancake, add shredded scallions and cucumber, and then eat it with sweet bean sauce.
This painting is so well done! It captures the tender bones, crispy skin, and fragrant meat of the roast duck perfectly, making it incredibly appetizing.
Lady Wang has already made her decision.
She's not eating fish anymore; she's determined to eat this duck today!
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