Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Decorating the restaurant Qingming Cold Food Festival Rains Fall...
It is said that "it rains heavily during the Qingming Festival". The spring rain was as fine as silk, shrouding the entire Chang'an city in a hazy gloom. The spring examination officially came to an end, and the restaurants were not as crowded as in February. Duan Zhiwei finally had time to renovate the new cosmetics shop next door.
Because the cosmetics shop was larger than the original restaurant, Duan Zhiwei moved the original shop's cooking room to the new place, opened up the original restaurant's main hall, and repainted it to accommodate more dining tables.
In the new fire room, the bricklayers built a blue brick stove. Duan Zhiwei personally selected the finest bluestone slabs for paving the floor, which are both non-slip and easy to clean. She set up a small pool in the corner of the fire room and brought in well water to make it easier to wash the ingredients.
Several rows of wooden shelves were built in the corners of the wall, and iron pots, casseroles, and various meats, vegetables, and dishes were sorted and placed there. They were covered with gauze tents to prevent mosquitoes, and brown jars filled with various pickled vegetables were neatly stacked in the corners.
Opposite the stove is a long table used for kneading dough and cutting vegetables.
She set up a small window for serving food between the cooking room and the dining hall and hung a bamboo curtain on it, which not only maintained transparency but also added a touch of elegance.
Duan Zhiwei went to the East Market again to find a bricklayer to lay bricks for his restaurant. The East Market had all kinds of bricks, including the imperial kiln gold bricks produced in the south of the Yangtze River, which made a sound of gold and stone when knocked, and the colorful glazed bricks, which shone with colorful light in the sun. They were all extremely beautiful, but the prices were really high.
Duan Zhiwei went around in circles for a while before finally choosing a medium-priced floor tile with white diamond patterns.
The renovation of the dining area was equally thoughtful. The original rouge counter was converted into an ordering counter, with a row of bamboo menu boards on it. Duan Zhiwei asked Zhen Hui to paint a few landscape paintings and added a few pots of orchids, which instantly made the entire space elegant.
The restaurant reopened after just a few days of work. Now that the problem of the small place has been solved, there will no longer be long queues outside Duanjia Restaurant. Duan Zhiwei sat at the door, looking at the heavy spring rain, and breathed a sigh of relief.
The Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival are approaching, and more and more diners come to restaurants to order cold food porridge, green rice balls, and fried dough sticks. Duan Zhiwei set up a big pot at the door and asked Xiaolang to stand on a wooden box to fry Sanzi.
The child could not speak Chang'an dialect fluently and could only respond with a "yes" reluctantly, but his cooking skills were first-rate. Often, after Duan Zhiwei taught him once, he would learn it immediately.
For example, to make fried Sanzi, the dough needs to be pulled, kneaded and twisted quickly. It is a delicate job. The first time Pu Tao learned it, he got the dough all over his body. But it was different for Xiaolang. The dough jumped very flexibly at his fingertips and was pulled into fine and even noodles in a short while.
There is some skill in frying the dough, as each strand of dough must be heated evenly. He fries it very well, the Sanzi is shiny, attractive, golden and crispy, so many people stand by the wok waiting for the freshly baked Sanzi.
It was a pity that he couldn't communicate with the diners. He could only stand aside and greet them with a smile, collecting money and so on.
It rained all day that day, and the air was filled with a bleak chill. Duan Zhiwei had no choice but to take out the brazier to keep warm. Seeing that there would probably be no business today, he was about to close the shop when a carriage with red wheels and a canopy suddenly stopped at the door.
Du Yourong wore a fox fur coat today, with a valuable pair of beads hanging on her head. She entered the restaurant with the help of her maid, and sat down in the place closest to the brazier. She asked Duan Zhiwei for a cup of hot ginger and red date tea to drive away the cold.
Duan Zhiwei had no choice but to take a small casserole and cook some for her.
Du Yourong rarely put aside the etiquette of a noble lady and took the drink and drank it all in one gulp. Her pale face then looked better.
"What happened?" Duan Zhiwei was surprised to see her swallow the wine in one gulp. "It's almost Qingming Festival. Could it be that she has been possessed by someone else?"
Du Yourong rolled her eyes and said, "Bring up any good food and wine you have. I'm starving."
This is even more strange. How could the wealthy Pei family be without her food? Duan Zhiwei thought about it and quickly went to the kitchen to prepare some food.
A dish of sweet and sour bright red lychee flesh, a bowl of pickled pork with pork and fresh pork, a plate of refreshing asparagus fried with shrimp, and a bowl of chestnut rice, it just looks good.
Du Yourong took a bite of the shrimp first. The shrimp was fresh and chewy, and it was bouncy. The asparagus had its old shoots removed, leaving only the crisp and tender parts, and it tasted very sweet.
Add a piece of lychee meat, the skin is fried very crispy, and the sweet and sour sauce explodes between your taste buds when you bite it.
She ate quickly and hastily, gobbling up all the dishes including the rice, and then picked up the casserole and finished a bowl of pickled pork with preserved vegetables, not leaving out any of the spring bamboo shoots, bacon, and bean curd sheets.
Duan Zhiwei stuttered, "Then...then the Pei family is short of food for you?"
Du Yourong's personal maid Huang Ying also whispered: "Madam, you must pay attention to etiquette outside. If the Pei family sees you..."
Du Yourong waved her hand impatiently: "If I let you wander around Xiongsi on an empty stomach, you'd probably be colder and hungrier than me."
"Vicious?" Duan Zhiwei was surprised for a moment, but then thought about the upcoming Qingming Festival and felt it was normal: "You are the new bride of the aristocratic Pei family. Do you need to go in person to buy supplies for the Qingming Festival?"
No stall owner wanted to be neighbors with a vicious stall, so the vicious stalls in the east and west cities were concentrated on one street.
There are usually huge paper flowers at the door of the shops, and inside the shops there are paper or dough figurines, including those for serving, guarding, and even those playing musical instruments and singing.
The Qingming Festival is approaching, and the deserted Xiongsi Street has become busy. Duan Zhiwei was dragged there by Aunt Duan two days ago to buy some gold and silver paper, which he folded into gold ingots to commemorate his deceased relatives and ancestors.
Du Yourong said, "It's not about worshipping ancestors. It's because Pei Jun's aunt has a heart disease and is dying. He and that aunt have been close since childhood, so he asked me to personally pick out a good stone tablet for her."
Duan Zhiwei didn't know what to say, so he could only say dryly: "Don't be sad..."
Du Yourong sat there bored, watching the heavy rain falling outside. Hearing this, she looked at her strangely, "Why should I be sad? She's Pei Jun's aunt, not my aunt."
The maid Huang Ying was eating a piece of cake given by Duan Zhiwei. She coughed twice and said, "My dear wife, how can you be so careless with your words? What will happen if the Pei family hears this?"
"Alas, there are no Pei family members here." Du Yourong sighed helplessly, and then stood up: "Okay, it's getting late, I'm leaving."
Duan Zhiwei stood up to see her off and watched her get into the luxurious car, which soon disappeared in the rain and fog.
The next morning, the vegetable shop delivered a cart of green mugwort. Duan Zhiwei picked a few to look at the tender shoots. The waiter said, "Oh, Madam Duan, you are still worried about the vegetables we sent you. These were just harvested. Look, there is still dew on the leaves."
Duan Zhiwei carefully pinched the tenderest buds, and his fingertips were immediately stained with a touch of green. Seeing that the mugwort was indeed juicy, she relaxed and said with a smile: "Don't worry about that. I'll make qingtuan with this mugwort later and give you one too."
The waiter came up and saluted: "That's great, everyone in the area knows about the delicious food at your Duan's restaurant."
He took the money, bowed, and left.
Duan Zhiwei immediately called on everyone in the restaurant to work together to blanch the mugwort to remove the astringency, and then crush it with clean gauze to filter out the residue. This was a physical and delicate job.
After a whole morning of hard work, they finally made a wooden barrel of lush green mugwort juice. Duan Zhiwei poured it into the glutinous rice flour, and the green juice slowly seeped into the glutinous rice flour. She rubbed and beat it repeatedly, gradually kneading it into a smooth dough. She worked herself into a sweat as she kneaded the dough until it became tough and elastic.
She showed the emerald green dough to the people watching nearby: "Only when it reaches this level will the skin be soft and sticky, and the Qingtuan will taste good."
Everyone nodded.
Currently, the mainstream green rice dumplings are still made with red bean paste. Duan Zhiwei specially made some with salted egg yolk, meat floss, and wild vegetables, both salty and sweet, for you to choose.
Duan Zhiwei did not participate in this step. He let Pu Tao and the others learn how to wrap the green dumplings, while he set up the steamer, put a layer of wet cloth inside, and brushed a thin layer of oil on the green dumplings.
The green dumplings are neatly arranged on the bamboo tray, looking like new sprouts in spring.
The water in the steamer has begun to boil, and white steam is rising. Put the green rice dumplings into the cage and cover with a bamboo lid. A unique aroma emanates from the gaps in the steamer, a mixture of the fresh scent of mugwort and the salty aroma of meat floss.
"My lady, it smells so good!" Pu Tao couldn't help but move closer to the steamer and took a deep breath.
Duan Zhi smiled and opened the bamboo cover, and hot air hit his face. The steamed green dumplings are crystal clear like jade, and the surface has a bright luster like emerald. She carefully picked one up with bamboo chopsticks and gently placed it on the coarse porcelain plate.
The moment you bite into the qingtuan, the soft and glutinous skin and the crispy meat floss form a wonderful contrast. The fresh fragrance of mugwort permeates the mouth, neutralizing the greasiness of the meat floss. The salty and fragrant meat floss melts on the tip of your tongue, with a hint of sweetness, blending perfectly with the sweetness of glutinous rice.
I didn't even care about the hotness of the rambutans and ate two in a row. "My dear, this green dumpling is more delicious than any other green dumpling I have ever eaten!" she said vaguely, with a little green dough on the corner of her mouth.
This green dumpling became very popular as soon as it came out of the oven. Unexpectedly, the two types of green dumplings, the wild vegetable and meat floss ones, were the best-selling ones, while the regular red bean paste ones were ignored.
Mrs. Wu from the meat shop next door who came to the restaurant to order said, "I have eaten this red bean paste one for many years, and this is the first time I have eaten this meat floss one. The taste is really wonderful. Don't limit it to Qingming Festival. I think we should sell it every day in the future."
Duan Zhiwei was so busy that he could only say, "If the neighbors like it, then of course you can sell it every day."
They were so busy that the green rice dumplings were sold out before the curfew. Duan Zhiwei was tired after a day's work and sat down on the front bench, watching the rain falling like pillars under the eaves. A Pan and a few others took on the job of preparing the evening meal and were busy in the fire room.
A well-made carriage suddenly stopped in front of the Duan family restaurant. A middle-aged man who looked like a manager got out of the carriage. He was wearing a navy blue robe with diamond pattern and looked like he came from a wealthy family.
He walked into the restaurant, and Duan Zhiwei apologized, "Sir, curfew is about to begin, and we are closing."
The housekeeper crossed his arms and said to Duan Zhiwei, "Master, I am here not for dinner, but I heard that your family makes delicious cakes. We are having a wedding soon, so we need to order some wedding cakes."
Duan Zhiwei said, "Sure, which one do you want?"
As she spoke, she took the restaurant list. Since the Ren family's wedding, she had also taken orders for some cakes and pastries for weddings in the neighborhood, so she could be considered an expert:
"How about making a set of wedding cakes with dragon and phoenix patterns? It is the time of spring when peach blossoms are in full bloom. Wrapping the wedding cakes with peach blossoms soaked in honey means 'the peach blossoms are flourishing and radiant'. The meaning is good and the taste is good. What do you think?"
Although the steward was extremely polite in every move and was wearing Su silk, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people, there was no joy on his face. He only said with a bitter face: "My lady, there is no need for wedding cakes. You can just make a box of green rice balls. I will send someone to the restaurant to pick it up in two days."
Qingming Festival is in two days. Who would use Qingtuan as wedding cake for their wedding? Duan Zhiwei complained in his heart.
Then she realized, no, who would be a good candidate for getting married on Qingming Festival?
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