Chapter 78: Matters concerning the soup noodle workshop before the New Year, and sauerkraut dumplings. ...
Shen Miao quickly stepped forward and helped her up.
Cui Wanniang straightened up, met Shen Miao's gaze, and both of them smiled at the same time.
"Greetings, Madam Tang." Shen Miao's smile remained unchanged. She blinked and pointed to a nearby table by the window. "You must be tired from your journey. Please sit down and let's talk, Madam Tang."
“Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony with Madam Shen.” Cui Wanniang nodded, sat down, and then turned to her two attendants, instructing them to find an inn, settle the carriage, and bring over the local products from Youzhou that she had brought for Shen Miao.
She took off her beard hat, casually smoothed her messy hair, and then tore off all the beard from her face. Only then could Shen Miao see a trace of her former self in her features.
The frail Cui Niangzi, who once had sunken cheeks and a deathly pale face like a ghost, now has a fuller face, a more graceful figure, and healthy, rosy bronze skin. The most striking difference is her eyes, which now shine brightly, as if she has been reborn.
"Is Yuan Niang's illness fully recovered? It must be very cold in Youzhou. Thank you for taking care of things outside." Shen Miao omitted her surname, picked up the teapot on the table, turned over a cup, and poured her a cup of still warm tea. "I've heard Zheng Neizhi say many times that the workshop is running very well. It's all thanks to you."
Cui Wanniang smiled cheerfully and explained in detail: "As soon as I left home, my illness was cured without medicine. Youzhou is very cold. It started snowing after the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. When I set off, the snow was already deep enough to cover the horses' hooves. However, it gets warmer the closer I get to Bianjing. As for the workshop, Madam Shen, please don't thank me. I should be the one thanking you."
The two had only just officially met today, but after exchanging a few pleasantries, they spoke as if they were old friends. Cui Wanniang told Shen Miao about the scenery of Youzhou, about the beacon towers and passes connecting to the desert, winding for hundreds of miles, like an ancient, sleeping dragon coiled on the rolling mountains.
It is said that in spring, apricot blossoms bloom all over the mountains, and shallow streams flow through the grasslands, tinkling melodiously. In summer, Youzhou is also hot, with the distant grasslands stretching as far as the eye can see, the grass growing thick and tall, making one feel as if lying on a cloud. In autumn, the winds are strong and high, and from a high vantage point, one can see magnificent mountains and rivers, with flocks of geese already taking flight south. Winter, though cold and harsh, is a time of pure white, with the vast plains covered in snow, possessing a unique, solitary beauty of utter silence.
Even Shen Miao felt a sense of longing upon hearing this.
“I traveled to all the horse farms in Youzhou and saw the true beauty of the vast desert and the setting sun over the long river. I realized how vividly Wang Wei described it.” Cui Wanniang’s eyes welled up with tears as she recalled her time in Youzhou, but she smiled brightly. “Once, I climbed the watchtower of the Great Wall and finally knew what the scenery beyond the mountains was like.”
Beyond the mountains are more mountains, sand dunes, cattle and sheep, mastiffs herding sheep, galloping horses, camel caravans carrying their packs out of the border, and wisps of smoke rising from the frontier.
“I’m fine, thank you so much, Madam Shen.” Cui Wan Niang’s eyes were slightly red. “My aunt told me that although she was the one who suggested that I go to Youzhou to manage the workshop, she wasn’t sure about me. Besides, Madam Shen didn’t know me, and I looked so useless when she saw me, but Madam Shen still agreed without hesitation and was willing to let me give it a try.”
Madam Shen knew nothing, yet she was so generous, perhaps because she herself had struggled in the marketplace and stood up for her family as a woman, which is why she was willing to give such an opportunity.
When Cui Wanniang first arrived in Youzhou, she naturally faced criticism and disdain. But this time, she was determined to make the workshop a success. She had no way out and couldn't let down her aunt and Madam Shen. So she gritted her teeth and forged ahead, step by step, until she succeeded.
"These are the workshop's account books for the past six months. I made two copies. This one is for Madam Shen to keep, and I'll find a way to give the other one to my aunt when I return to Chenzhou tomorrow." Cui Wanniang took out an account book from her leather crossbody bag and handed it to Shen Miao, then smiled and said, "This year, we've already earned back the costs of building the workshop, labor, and raw materials, and there's even a surplus. In a few days, my aunt and I will have a few trustworthy accountants reconcile the accounts, and then we can give Madam Shen her share of the profits."
Shen Miao opened the ledger and examined it closely. During the Tang and Song dynasties, accounting was done using the "Four-Column Accounting Method." The "Four Columns" refer to the previous period's balance (surplus), new receipts (current period's surplus), expenditures (current period's expenses), and current balance (current period's inventory). Therefore, accounting at that time was done on a monthly basis. The formula "Previous Period's Balance + New Receipts = Expenses + Current Balance" was transformed to obtain "New Receipts - Expenses = Current Balance - Previous Period's Balance," where the result of "New Receipts - Expenses" was the net profit for the current period.
Shen Miao glanced at it hastily, then simply picked up the abacus and added up the net profit for each month to see the total profit. After calculating it, she paused on the abacus, stunned, and looked up at Cui Niangzi.
Cui Wanniang smiled reservedly, but she couldn't hide the pride and slight smugness in her eyes.
Her fingers flew across the abacus beads as Chen Miao calculated the number again; it was still the same. She took a breath and couldn't resist calculating it once more, this time truly certain that she was right.
She lowered her head and waved to Cui Wanniang, gesturing for her to come closer. Their foreheads were almost touching when Shen Miao asked in a barely audible voice, "The workshop earned 22,857 guan in just over half a year?"
Cui Wanniang was amused by Chen Niangzi's eyes popping out of their sockets, but she still answered in the same breathy tone, "That's right."
"I see there's an extra sum of money set aside in the accounts for the workshop's operation next year..." Making over 20,000 strings of cash in profit in just six months, especially in a remote border region like Youzhou, is truly remarkable.
“That’s right.” Cui Wanniang said with a smile.
Shen Miao quickly calculated in her mind how much money she would get if she took 30% of the profits, and then couldn't help but let out a soft "wow". What's the difference between this and making money while lying down? This is too happy!
After the good news, there's some bad news too.
Cui Wanniang also frankly shared her knowledge with Shen Miao: "Some soup noodle shops in Youzhou already know how to make instant soup noodles. Although they can't make them exactly the same as Madam Shen's soup base, they have already started making their own instant soup noodles."
Shen Miao nodded; this was within her expectations. Instant noodles weren't particularly difficult to replicate, but she possessed a unique flavor refined by hundreds of millions of people in later generations, and had already secured a market share, so she should still have an advantage. She looked up at Cui Wanniang: "What does Yuanniang think?"
"The shop that's making the imitation is just a small shop, still operating independently. I sent someone to investigate, and with the owner's meager resources, it's impossible for him to run a workshop. However, the owner is also shrewd; he approached many wealthy merchants to try and partner with them to run a workshop, but they all refused."
Cui Wanniang's eyes turned cold: "In Youzhou, all the well-known merchants are familiar with the Xi family. They also know who I have backing, so of course they won't compete with me and make me lose face. But Youzhou is Youzhou. As time goes by, more and more people will surely know how to make instant soup noodles. What doesn't work in Youzhou may work in other prefectures."
She was very calm, and her analysis was reasonable. Shen Miao was starting to admire her more and more: "So?"
“That’s why I had to come back in person,” Cui Wanniang said, her eyes full of ambition. “I want to open a few soup noodle workshops in other neighboring prefectures and seize this opportunity ahead of time.”
It doesn't matter if someone figures out how to make a certain dish. There are plenty of people in the world who can make the same dish. Fanlou is so famous, but Nanxunmen mutton pancakes are still the best mutton pancakes in the whole of Bianjing.
As long as you have good taste, quality, and seize the initiative, you will be the one to "eat the meat" in the face of countless competitions.
“We eat meat, but we should also allow others to drink soup,” Cui Wanniang was quite open-minded about this. She carefully explained her plan to Shen Miao. She needed Shen Miao to launch two more different flavors of instant soup noodles. Innovation was a good way to expand. Secondly, she also wanted to build the workshop to be bigger and more spacious, so that more people could produce more soup noodles. In this way, the small workshops could not keep up with her supply speed and would only be swallowed up by her.
Shen Miao nodded. Both of these points were spot on. Master Kong also started its business in the same way. When Master Kong launched its first braised beef noodles, it quickly became popular all over the country. In just three years, it expanded to all parts of the country, and in the fourth year, it began to enter the beverage industry.
“Besides the new flavor, I think we should also give our workshop and soup dumplings a catchy name,” Cui Wanniang continued. “Just like those ‘Shouci Palace Cooked Meat’, ‘Song Wu’s Fish Soup outside Qiantang Gate’, and ‘Ge Family Honey Dates’ in Bianjing City, we also need to have a name so that as the workshop grows bigger and bigger in the future, it will not be easily counterfeited and it will be easier to attract customers.”
Shen Miao happened to think of Master Kong, so she pointed at it and tentatively asked, "Master Kong's instant soup noodles, are they delicious and you can see it?"
That's easy to remember. After reciting it a few times, Cui Wanniang immediately smiled and said, "Good, it's suitable for both refined and popular tastes!"
Shen Miao also contributed a bunch of advertising slogans, such as "Even officials say it's good"; "Bone broth noodles, so fragrant"; "Eat it when you're hungry, and if you're going to eat soup noodles, eat Tang Shifu" and so on...
Cui Wanniang was amused by Shen Miao's endless shouts, but she quickly remembered something else and frowned, saying, "There is another troublesome matter that I should tell Madam Shen."
She sighed, quite troubled: "Several officials at the horse farm have mentioned to me that the soup dumplings they send taste different from one batch to the next, sometimes good, sometimes bad, which has caused them some dissatisfaction. I don't know what's going on. The recipe given by Madam Shen specifies the exact amounts of oil, salt, sugar, and spices, even the amount of water, but the dozens of cooks in the workshop who make the soup dumplings still produce inconsistent sauce bases. Not only are they different from Madam Shen's, but they also make them differently from each other. It's really strange, even though they all follow the same recipe, using the same wheat flour, the same oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar..."
Because the most uncontrollable thing is people. Sometimes, even the same chef can make slightly different dishes today and tomorrow.
Shen Miao thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and asked, "In the workshop, is there a single cook who does everything from kneading the dough to frying the noodles and preparing the ingredients?"
“That’s how it is.” She nodded, puzzled. Was there anything wrong with that? All the workshops were like that, with master craftsmen teaching apprentices, passing down the skills from generation to generation. Their soup dumpling workshop was the same. Each person had their own cutting board and pot. New apprentices had to start by learning how to knead the dough, and each batch was made in one go.
After pondering for a moment, Shen Miao said, "I once heard a story that I'd like to tell you. There was a scholar-official who bought a concubine in the capital. This concubine originally worked in the steamed bun kitchen of a high-ranking official. One day, the scholar-official was craving some steamed buns, so he asked the concubine to make some for him to try. But the concubine replied, 'My lord, I only chop scallions in the kitchen; I don't know anything else.' It turns out that even though the high-ranking official's kitchen was just a back kitchen, the division of labor was extremely detailed! There were people in charge of chopping meat; people in charge of mixing fillings; people in charge of kneading dough; and people in charge of ginger, vinegar, salt, sugar, wine, and pepper. Even the lids of the steamers were kept under special supervision. Although this story is meant to satirize the high-ranking official's extravagance, I think Yuan Niang might as well learn from this method and apply it to her soup dumpling workshop."
Shen Miao dipped her finger in tea and drew a picture on the table. The gist of it was that starting from transporting wheat flour, there were people specifically responsible for a part of the work on the long assembly line.
"Everyone should only do what they are good at. If someone is good at kneading dough, then let them focus on kneading dough; if someone is good at frying dough, then let them specialize in frying dough. Treat everyone like gears or mortise and tenon joints, with each link connected and each using their own skills. With such a meticulous division of labor, the products made should be much better."
Furthermore, after the division of labor, it's necessary to find ways to standardize and regulate the process. For example, when kneading dough, how many times should it be kneaded to achieve the best chewiness? What should the thickness and width of the dough be? When stirring the sauce base, how many times should it be stirred, how much time should be spent, and should it be stirred from left to right or right to left? Once these minute details are defined and followed according to standards, the soup noodles produced in the workshop will inevitably be more efficient and consistent, and there will be less chance of inconsistencies in taste.
Before Cui Wanniang could finish listening, she suddenly stood up. As if she had been struck awake by a blow to the head, she paced back and forth in the shop, muttering to herself, "Yes, everyone has their own role, and things are accomplished in sequence. How could I not have thought of such a simple principle?"
She turned around abruptly and grasped Shen Miao's hand tightly: "Madam Shen, thank you so much! I will set off for Chenzhou immediately to inform my aunt of all this! After the New Year, I will return to Youzhou immediately to implement Madam Shen's reforms!"
"Wait, Yuan Niang!" Shen Miao quickly grabbed her and quietly told her that the government also intended to open a soup noodle workshop. Her eyes lit up: "This is perfect! It suits us just fine! Madam Shen, thank you for telling me, I know what to do! I'll take my leave now!"
After saying this, without waiting for Shen Miao's reply, he hurriedly led the remaining followers onto his horse and rode away.
In the blink of an eye, the sound of horses' hooves filled the air, and everyone had vanished.
Shen Miao shook her head. This Madam Cui was quite impatient. She got up to go back to the backyard, but unexpectedly, the two servants who had been sent by Madam Cui to fetch local products and find an inn returned. They were leading two fat sheep, and casually handed the ropes used to tether them to Shen Miao. They looked around the empty shop and asked, "Madam Shen, where is my master?"
The sheep bleated beside her, and Shen Miao was dumbfounded: "This is the local produce for me?"
***
As Shen Miao recalled this, he glanced at the two sheepskins in the courtyard—the local specialty brought by Cui Niangzi had been turned into a real local specialty by Tang Er's knife the very next day.
The sheep were grazing too fiercely, and there wasn't enough room to keep them in the yard, so Shen Miao asked Tang Er to slaughter them.
Her thoughts drifted back to the quiet Shen family courtyard.
Ninth Brother and Yan Shu and the others returned to Chenzhou. Tang Er and Fu Xing went to help Ninth Brother, A Tao went to the money exchange, Xiang Jie and Chen Chuan are still playing at Liu Douhua's house, and You Yu went home for the New Year holiday.
Shen Miao counted them and realized that she was the only one left in the house. Oh, not just her, there were also two sheepskins.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to take her own red paper and go to Xiao Mi's house to cut paper-cuts for the windows. Mei San Niang had come to call her three or four times earlier today, but she hadn't gone because she was thinking about Ninth Brother going home. Now she finally had some free time.
In the past, Mei San Niang and Mi Xiao Niang Zi had already cut a whole table of paper. Shen Miao clumsily went to learn, but while she was very nimble in holding a knife to cut vegetables, her paper-cutting turned into chicken claws. She really wouldn't listen to advice.
Several scissors were ruined, prompting Mei San Niang to hurriedly say, "Heavens, please stop your magic! You can pick whatever you want from the table and take it back with you. Give me the scissors now, and you can have some tea instead."
Shen Miao chuckled and put down her scissors, watching the two of them cut. Xiao Mi was the best at cutting; her hands were steady. She first carefully folded the paper in half, making the creases straight and neat, and then, holding the silver scissors, she moved swiftly across the paper.
She started by gently cutting along the edge of the paper, creating rounded and full petal outlines. The petals were layered, some large and some small, arranged in a pleasing manner. With each cut, scraps of paper fell down. When she reached the stamen, she used the tip of the scissors to pick out the delicate shape of the stamen. Finally, she unfolded the paper, revealing a lifelike peony.
Mei San Niang cut out two fish. The fish scales were cut out with a fine, serrated cut, one by one, making the cuts clear and visible. Chen Miao was more and more amazed as she looked at them. They were amazing! Her paper-cutting skills were at a kindergarten level. She could only fold the paper in half, fold it in half again, and fold it in half again. She couldn't even recognize the things she cut out.
Finally, she shamelessly carried a lot home and pasted all the paper-cut window decorations on them by herself, not even sparing the doghouse and chicken coop. The red and green decorations, the flowers and words, instantly brought the doors and windows to life, and the sunlight that shone through was also tinged with the festive spirit of the New Year.
The paper-cut window decorations reflect the spring sunshine, and a few days have passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it's New Year's Eve.
On the day before New Year's Eve, the city of Bianjing was filled with people performing "exorcisms." Groups of three to five poor beggars dressed up as gods, ghosts, judges, Zhong Kui, and other deities, banging gongs and drums and begging for money from door to door, with the intention of exorcising evil spirits.
Shen Miao gave them money countless times from morning till night. But they were all homeless and poor, so she gave it to them, hoping they could have a good New Year. Perhaps this was the only day when they wouldn't be driven away when begging.
At night, one would "illuminate the void," holding lanterns to light up every corner of the house in order to drive away the ghost of the void and eliminate disasters and misfortunes.
On New Year's Eve, Shen Miao opened the shop, replaced the peach wood charms hanging on the door with new ones, and pasted up new door gods. After that, she kept the door open. Not to wait for customers, but to "welcome the God of Wealth." She wouldn't close the shop until after midnight, after setting off firecrackers and burning incense!
After that, she went back to the kitchen and rolled up her sleeves to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
Several families had invited her to cook New Year's Eve dinner a few days ago, but Shen Miao declined them all. This was her first New Year in this world, and she wanted to spend it with her family. However, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, she was invited by the Feng family to cook for their "maternal family banquet."
It would be difficult for Shen Miao to refuse the invitation from the Feng family; who can refuse gold?
She picked up a piece of pork belly and casually instructed, "Ji-ge'er, turn the heat up a bit."
Shen Ji nodded and sat down on a small stool, focusing intently on tending the fire for his elder sister.
Yu went home, and the task of tending the fire fell to Tang Er's shoulders again—Tang Er was too busy during the New Year, with endless livestock to slaughter and meat to cut. Mainly, Liang, the palace eunuch, had sent someone to order thirty roast ducks, which took all morning to slice and then rush to load them onto carts and transport them to the palace. Only after finishing this huge order did he have time for other things.
Fuxing and Atao led a few monkey children to the street to buy New Year's goods and watch the charlatan Ge popcorn on the street—"Stir-fried glutinous rice for divination, the grain is called Bolou." At this time, popcorn was made by stir-frying glutinous rice, and it was not used to eat, but to divine the fortune of the year.
Similar to the Book of Answers today, young women would gather together to ask questions, using it to divine their future marriage prospects.
I've heard that on the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon raises its head, people pop rice again, a custom called "exploding the dragon's whiskers." This symbolizes good fortune and overflowing granaries. Besides exploding the dragon's whiskers, people also shave their heads on the second day of the second lunar month.
As Shen Miao cut the meat, he thought to himself that the emperor was still quite magnanimous at this time. If it were a later dynasty where imperial power became more centralized and society became more feudal, who would dare to say "friction the dragon's whiskers" or "shave the dragon's head" except for members of the Heaven and Earth Society? Wouldn't they be subjected to literary inquisition?
Thinking too far ahead, Chenmiao is going to make steamed bowls today.
The New Year's Eve dinner of the Song Dynasty was incomplete without the Eight-in-One Bowls. It is said that the custom of using bowls for banquets has existed since the Tang Dynasty, and during the New Year festival, bowls are an indispensable part of the table.
This custom seems to still exist in Henan Province today, even after more than a thousand years.
Shen Miao had previously tasted Henan's braised pork with fermented bean curd and braised pork with crispy fried pork, both of which were exceptional. Her New Year's Eve dinner today included these two dishes, along with savory braised fish, beggar's chicken, pork strips, braised spare ribs, braised chicken pieces, braised meatballs, and braised pork hock. The main dishes were eight-treasure rice and sauerkraut dumplings.
Finally, let's blend northern and southern styles with a vegetarian dish: blanched kale. After all that meat, it's time for something light.
I had just made two steamed dishes when it started snowing again outside.
Shen Miao was busy in the kitchen when suddenly footsteps sounded outside the shop. The person came through the snow, the soles of their boots crunching as they entered.
Shen Miaoyuan didn't notice until the counter was gently tapped, at which point she looked up.
Two somewhat familiar middle-aged men stood in the shop. One was dressed in a fine cotton narrow-sleeved arrow robe, with sword-like eyebrows and fierce eyes, and a righteous look on his face. The other was wearing a fox fur cloak, over which was a silk Hunan embroidered robe, and behind him were two burly men with dark complexions as attendants.
She squinted and stared for a long time in the rising steam from the kitchen.
It took me a while to recognize them; they were the two I'd seen at Yujin Garden!
Shen Miao hurriedly put down his knife, washed his hands, and came out to greet them. He glanced at their clothes and then politely asked, "Gentlemen... Happy New Year! What brings you to my humble shop today?"
Xi Feijing calmly sized up the person in front of him, a smile playing in his eyes, and said, "Coming to a restaurant is naturally for a meal. Sorry to disturb you, Madam Shen."
Yue Teng then confirmed, "Are you Lady Shen?"
Shen Miao swallowed back the words that the shop was preparing to close down, and then curtsied to Yue Teng: "Yes."
Yue Teng breathed a sigh of relief; he'd finally caught them!
He hurriedly said, "I've always wanted to enjoy the fish head tofu soup that Madam Shen made at Yujin Garden, but unfortunately, I haven't had the chance. I've come several times before, but Madam Shen wasn't there. So, I'll take the liberty of doing so today..."
Shen Miao suddenly realized and smiled, "That's not difficult, but the fish soup will take some time to make. Do you two gentlemen have the time to wait? Or you could eat something else first; we still have some freshly made sauerkraut dumplings at home..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xi Feijing laughed and said, "Madam Chen has hit the nail on the head with Yue Er. He doesn't like to eat anything except tofu and sour dumplings, which he can eat a whole pot of by himself."
Yue Teng glanced at him sideways, but since Xi Feijing was right, his only appetite was in these two dishes, so he agreed, lifted his robe, sat down, and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."
"No trouble at all, please have a seat, I'll get ready right away."
Shen Miao went back to the kitchen, first scalded the dumplings, poured a dish of vinegar, and served it to the two generals to fill their stomachs. Then she took a fish that Tang Er had killed that morning and chopped off its head with a knife.
When customers come, she stands her post for the last time before the New Year.
Moreover, this General Xi is probably Ninth Brother's uncle, and General Yue... although she knows that he is probably not the General Yue she remembers, she is even more grateful when she hears that this General Yue also likes to eat tofu.
She's going to make a nice fish head tofu soup.
Inside the shop, at a small table by the window, Xi Feijing and Yue Teng ate plump, round sauerkraut dumplings with thin skins and generous fillings, all while enjoying the swirling snowflakes.
"These dumplings are wrapped up like ingots, quite different from those sold in other shops." Xi Feijing found it interesting, picked up a dumpling and looked at it for a long time before putting it in his mouth. He took a small bite and exclaimed, "Hey?" He said, "These dumplings are really delicious, the filling is very fragrant."
“Very good.” Yue Teng nodded; he had already eaten his third one.
This Mrs. Shen's skills are truly remarkable. Not only is her tofu soup delicious, but she also wraps these dumplings perfectly. Her pickled cabbage is pickled just right, with a refreshing sourness and a wonderfully fermented aroma.
The pork in the sauerkraut was tender and flavorful, with every strand soaked in the sauerkraut juice. The tangy and meaty aromas blended so perfectly that it was absolutely delicious!
"Stop eating all the time, I have something to ask you." Xi Feijing saw Yue Teng eating one dish after another, and before long he had reached the sixth one without saying a word, so he nudged him with his elbow.
"His Highness Prince Lu is insisting on going to the border with us for training, to see the Liao and Jin cavalry. I heard that the Empress Dowager was so bothered by him that she almost had a headache and nearly agreed. What do you suggest we do?"
Yue Teng was still engrossed in eating dumplings, taking a bite and dipping it in vinegar, so focused on his food that he didn't have time to reply.
Xi Feijing gritted his teeth as he watched: "Yue Teng! We're about to go to the palace for a banquet. Give me a straight answer so I can stand with you against the common enemy later."
"One word: delay." Yue Teng swallowed his dumpling. In just a few words, the plate in front of him was almost empty. He added casually, "Two words: sneak away. We'll leave after the New Year. Just don't let His Highness Prince Lu know. We'll leave quietly before dawn."
"That makes sense, that makes sense." Xi Feijing thought to himself, Yue Er has become much more shrewd after eating these sour dumplings. He quickly picked up two to eat as well, otherwise Yue Teng would eat them all up.
Mmm, it's really delicious. Xi Feijing didn't usually like sour dumplings, but today's taste was a pleasant surprise: the filling that Madam Shen mixed seemed to have some fragrant and crispy oil residue in it. It's so fragrant. How did she make it so well?
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