Chapter 56 Chapter 56 The new member of the restaurant, Squirrel Mandarin Fish Sweet...
Three days after the Spring Examination, all the candidates came out as if they had lost their souls. Zhen Hui had a pale face. After getting on the donkey cart, he lay straight on the wooden board, repeating something in his mouth: "Jia Yi's theory of five baits and three letters, Ban Gu ridiculed his ignorance..."
Aunt Duan was very worried and wanted to take him to see a witch doctor, but was stopped by Duan Zhiwei.
It is obvious that the scientific expedition has encountered a huge setback, and it will be fine after two days of rest.
It was a beautiful spring day today. Outside the courtyard, lush bamboos swayed like shadows of green clouds. Several high-ranking officials in red robes came out of the courtyard first, and soon Yuan Shenji also came out.
In just three days he looked thinner. It seemed that the Spring Examination was really exhausting. Duan Zhiwei watched him exchange greetings with other officials and walked away.
There was some faint blue stubble on Yuan Shenji's chin, which made him look wilder and more experienced, and his cold face also looked a little tired. He turned his head and saw Duan Zhiwei, feeling a little surprised, but then he smiled happily, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and strode towards her, but stopped when he was still a little distance away from her.
The environment in the courtyard was average, with no facilities for bathing. Each official could only get a basin of hot water to wipe his head and face every day. He had originally thought of going back to the mansion to rest, at least take a bath and shave before going to see her, but he didn't expect that she would be waiting for him at the door.
Seeing him stop, Duan Zhiwei was stunned for a moment, and then he reacted and took the initiative to approach him. While no one was paying attention, he put his hand on his face, feeling the fine and dense stubble, which made his palm slightly itchy.
Yuan Shenji grasped her hand, rubbed it gently on her face, and his warm breath sprayed on her fingertips.
"Do we need to keep him locked up for a few more days?" Duan Zhiwei asked.
After the spring examination was over, everything from the time of covering up the names and changing the books to the announcement of the results was a closed environment, which meant that we wouldn't be able to see him for the next few days.
"You will have free time after the results of the spring examination are announced. At that time, the apricot blossoms will be reflected in the spring water, and Qujiang will be in full spring spirit. I would like to invite you to enjoy it with me." He looked at her deeply and said softly.
When Duan Zhiwei drove the donkey cart back to the restaurant, the corners of his mouth were curled up and he couldn't let it go.
Zhen Hui had collapsed into a deep sleep in his small warehouse, and the people in the restaurant did not have the heart to wake him up, as they were busy with their own business. Coincidentally, the Taicang Office really sent a carriage to deliver Yuan Shenji's salary, and several large pieces of silk were carried into the restaurant.
It was the first time that Aunt Duan saw so many silks and her eyes widened. Duan Zhiwei had no intention of really using Yuan Shenji's money and just kept it for him. So he invited the official from Taicang Office who came to deliver the salary to drink a bowl of black plum drink, and after seeing him off, he came back and told Aunt Duan that the silks could not be touched.
Aunt Duan curled her lips slightly in regret, and then consoled herself: "It doesn't matter, after you get married, these will still be ours."
Duan Zhiwei: “…”
As the results have not been announced yet, most of the candidates are in Chang'an waiting for the results and have not left the capital yet. Duan Zhiwei has taken the time to introduce some delicious spring dishes to go with wine.
The peach blossoms and flowing water made the mandarin fish fat. It was a good season for mandarin fish. The dish of squirrel mandarin fish is laborious and requires special knife skills. It requires using a knife to slice along both sides of the fish spine and then make delicate changes to the tail without cutting it off. Duan Zhiwei had learned how to cook this dish from the hotel chef before.
However, the knife technique was complicated and other restaurants in Chang'an were unable to imitate it for a while, so this dish became the specialty of Duan's Restaurant. However, because it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the price is high, not many people buy it.
Perhaps it was because the Spring Examination was over, and the local candidates were being particularly generous and asked for squirrel fish. Duan Zhiwei had no choice but to stay in the kitchen and slowly cut the fish.
After being fried, the fish is placed with its head held high and its tail curled up, with the flesh turned inside out. It is then poured with a layer of bright red, sour, sweet and hot sauce, and immediately makes a "squeaking" sound, hence the name Squirrel Fish.
After the Spring Examination, Duan Zhiwei specially launched a crystal braised pork dish. In fact, she had made this dish during the Spring Festival and had been marinating it in a jar with nitrate water and coarse salt.
It happened to be the Spring Examination, and the meat was made of pig's trotters, which symbolized "writing the title", so Duan Zhiwei took the dish out of the jar.
If the tribute students only wanted to "write the title", they would be willing to spend money. However, Duan Zhiwei did a good job in cooking this dish. The braised jelly was white and transparent, smooth and crystal clear, and the meat inside was mellow, crispy and bright red. It was paired with some fragrant vinegar and shredded ginger, which made it moist but not greasy and melted in the mouth.
The river shrimps in spring are also lively and the shrimp meat is chewy. You can make a dish of pocket shrimps, stir-fry a plate of eggs with young toon shoots, and add some okra mixed with vinegar and tofu mixed with green onions.
The two rooms in Duan's restaurant were packed with people.
After noon, Duan Zhiwei wandered around the fire room and found that the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar were almost sold out. These were not a big deal as they were available for sale nearby. The only condiment called star anise could only be found in the East Market.
She had no choice but to drive the donkey cart to the East Market. Pu Tao had been staying in the restaurant for half a day and begged to go with her. The two of them rode away in the swaying donkey cart.
After the Lantern Festival, the East Market was not so busy. There were only a few Hu people's stalls selling all kinds of exotic rarities. Duan Zhiwei went into the spice shop and carefully selected the spice. Seeing Pu Tao hanging her head and looking a little bored, she gave her a few copper coins to buy some candy. Pu Tao took the money and left happily.
In addition to the common star anise and bay leaves, this spice shop also sells some exotic items, such as cinnamon and cloves from India, and cardamom and saffron from the Tang Dynasty. However, the prices of these are not low.
Duan Zhiwei was craving for cinnamon bread. Thinking of the freshly baked bread, the crust was just right and crispy, and the sweet flavor of brown sugar and cinnamon...
Since the restaurant had a newly built earthen kiln...she gritted her teeth, bought a small bag of cinnamon, and left the store contentedly.
Pu Tao was not in front of the shop selling glutinous rice candy. Duan Zhiwei looked for it but couldn't find it. He was so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, fearing that some bad guy or kidnapper had appeared.
Fortunately, after a while, Pu Tao came over and pulled her skirt and said, "Come here, my lady, there is a child in such a plight, please save him."
Duan Zhiwei was completely confused. She was being dragged by Pu Tao with her arms full of spices. The further she walked, the more she felt something was wrong. Today, Pu Tao brought her to a remote corner of the East Market, which was the so-called slave trading place.
In this dynasty, there are indeed regulations prohibiting forcing women of good families into slavery, but in reality, the buying and selling of slaves is still condoned by the general public. Duan Zhiwei knew this place, but had never set foot there.
First of all, although she had adapted to life in Chang'an and even started a relationship here, she still had the mindset of a modern person and could not tolerate the bad habit of slavery.
Sometimes the restaurant was so busy that Duan Zhiwei would go to the maid workshop to hire good people to work in the restaurant. Those hired on a daily basis were called day maids, and those hired on a monthly basis were called monthly maids. They were paid 500 coins a month and settled in the same month. Both parties were very satisfied and it was very convenient.
The second reason is that buying slaves is too expensive and is an activity for the nobility. The most sought-after Kunlun slaves are said to be loyal only to their masters and willing to die for them, so they are deeply loved by the nobility and the price directly reaches 30,000 strings of cash. There is also Bodhisattva Man, a graceful girl with a unique fragrance who serves the royal family.
These slaves were considered fashion items for the nobles and had nothing to do with the common people.
Duan Zhiwei was very disgusted with the slavery system, but he also knew that he was insignificant and could not change anything. The only thing he could do was to stay away from such a slave market. He didn't expect that he would be pulled here by Pu Tao today.
A slave trader was standing there with a whip in his hand, looking furious. He said something and raised the whip again. Putao quickly shouted, "Stop!"
Although these merchants had little humanity, they were very good at observing people's words and expressions. Pu Tao was young and dressed simply, so the merchants glanced at her and didn't pay any attention to her.
Although Duan Zhiwei was only wearing a plain yellow skirt, she had on her head the expensive pearl hairpin that Yuan Shenji had given her, which emitted the moonlight. The merchant took one look and immediately softened his demeanor and asked, "Madam, do you want to buy a slave?"
Next to him was a little boy about the same age as Pu Tao, tied up with ropes, squatting on the ground and baring his teeth at them. The boy was unkempt, with dirty hair that was tangled. Through his hair, one could see that he had a pair of dark green eyes. He seemed to be a mixed-race, with several deep whip marks on his body.
Duan Zhiwei hated this kind of scene the most, and immediately his anger rushed to his head: "This child is still young, how can you treat him like this."
The slave trader thought he had met a customer, but he didn't expect it to be a knight who came to uphold justice. He immediately changed his face to indifference and said in a sarcastic tone: "My lady, go to the various market offices in the two capitals and ask around. All the slaves here have deeds and guarantors. I can treat them however I want. It's no use for you to report it to the saint!"
Duan Zhiwei was provoked by him and immediately asked, "How much is your slave? I'll buy it." Pu Tao hid behind her and heard her say this, and immediately cast an admiring look at her.
The merchant put on a flattering face again: "Not much, not much. You can see that this little rascal is not human. He can't be sold for much. I will make a loss. How about 3,500 coins?"
Duan Zhiwei, full of justice, immediately destroyed the three parties. Pu Tao was worried that she would back down, so she quietly pinched her palm.
As the saying goes, once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back. In addition, Duan Zhiwei was indeed sympathetic and the restaurant did make some money, so he had to bite the bullet and bargain with him: "You also said that this little boy is not human, and now it seems that he can't even speak Chang'an dialect. I opened a restaurant in Xuanyangfang. What can I do with 3,500 coins in exchange for him? Can he be the chef in the kitchen or do the accounting at the counter?"
The merchant knew that 3,500 wen was a bit high, but he just wanted more room for bargaining. He thought what she said made sense, so he said, "Then 2,500 wen would be a good price to buy a guard."
Duan Zhiwei sneered, "One thousand coins, not a cent more. Think about it carefully. If you miss today, you will never have a customer like me again, which is like throwing coins into the water."
Seeing that the merchant was still hesitating, Duan Zhiwei led Pu Tao away. Pu Tao was so anxious that she pulled her hard: "My wife, my wife!" Duan Zhiwei turned her back to the merchant and winked at her.
Seeing that the two were really going to leave, the merchant gritted his teeth and said, "One thousand coins is one thousand coins!"
Duan Zhiwei breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't have that much money on her, so she had to ask the slave trader to go back to the restaurant with her. The trader tied the little boy to the donkey cart and followed her.
Duan Zhiwei gritted his teeth and looked at Pu Tao in dismay. Although he had a kind heart, he still felt that he would be scolded when he returned to the restaurant.
As expected, when they returned to the restaurant, Aunt Duan's scream like a soprano pierced the clouds over Xuanyangfang.
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