As Yao Niang watched, she picked up a honey-fried cherry and put it in her mouth.
Such sweet and sour candied fruit is perfect for enjoying on a hot summer day.
She was extremely satisfied with the menu she had come up with.
Actually, this wasn't the first menu that Yao Niang had come up with; it was just that when she first showed it to her second uncle, he was left staring blankly at her.
She had racked her brains trying to give the dishes at Jin Yu Lou extremely elegant names, but the result was a bunch of baffling names, like "Smiling Faces" and "Snowy Plum Blossoms." It made her second uncle both angry and amused.
Gu Xingzhi said at the time, "Elegance is only one aspect. A good dish name is one that is not only elegant but also lets guests know what the dish is."
"But back then, when I casually mentioned 'golden wind and jade dew,' didn't you all think it was a wonderful phrase?"
"That's different!" Gu Xingzhi looked at the girl's unconvinced eyes and said, "It's elegant for a restaurant to have a few or similar dishes with such names; but if all the dish names are phrases that don't even know what they are, what do you think the customers will think?"
After thinking about it carefully, Yao Niang felt that the scene was rather comical. She stammered, "That must be the master's madness."
Gu Xingzhi was initially worried that Yao Niang would be hurt by his rejection, but seeing that Yao Niang was only slightly disappointed and still had the heart to joke with him, he was relieved and simply told her not to rush things.
The new menu that Yao Niang has come up with now mostly contains ingredients in the dish names, which is neither too elegant nor too vulgar, and she is quite satisfied with it.
In the past, the menu at Jin Yu Lou was prepared by telling the customer the menu to the waiter, who would then read it to them. This was not only time-consuming and laborious, but also prone to the waiter forgetting the names of the dishes.
Gu Yaoniang then decided to copy down all the names of the dishes, categorizing them into several major categories: meat dishes, vegetarian dishes, soups, staple foods, pastries, and beverages, and list them in a booklet for the guests to choose from.
Most of the guests dining at Jinyulou should be literate, so it shouldn't be too difficult for them.
Lotus seedpod fish dumplings are a unique summer dish at Jinyulou. Tender, greenish-yellow lotus seedpods are selected, and fresh, plump mandarin fish are deboned and cut open. They are first marinated with Shaoxing wine, scallions, and ginger for a while, and then the cleaned fish meat is finely chopped, mixed with salt, pepper, and other spices, and stuffed into the cleaned lotus seedpods. The dumplings are then steamed until cooked.
The lotus seedpod has a delicate fragrance, but it is tough and cannot be eaten; its fragrance and elegance are only appreciated.
Jin Yu Lou is located next to Fu Xiang Pond. In summer, sitting in Jin Yu Lou and eating lotus seedpod fish dumplings while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the pond is a rare and elegant experience.
Therefore, Yao Niang also placed "Lotus Seed Pod Fish Dumplings" at the top of the meat dishes on the menu.
In the sweltering summer heat, the nobles, unlike in winter, no longer crave meat and fish, preferring instead to enjoy unique and refreshing dishes. So, Yao Niang took the liberty of adding a few cold noodles and porridge dishes.
Cold noodles are made by immersing cooked noodles in cold water to cool them down. The noodles become more chewy and springy after being cooled in cold water, which is very popular among the people of Shuojing.
Jin Yu Lou originally offered two types of cold noodles: plain white noodles and cold noodles with locust leaves. Now, Yao Niang has added another type: cold noodles with chamomile. The cold noodles with locust leaves are made by squeezing the juice from locust leaves and kneading it into the noodles. They have a bright green color and feel refreshingly cool even before you eat them.
Chamomile cold noodles are made by placing blanched chamomile leaves on top of plain cold noodles as a topping.
Both locust leaves and chamomile leaves have a unique herbal fragrance, which makes them very popular with today's customers.
Jin Yu Lou's cold noodle toppings nowadays mainly consist of fruits and vegetables, such as shredded cucumber and shredded radish.
Yao Niang originally wanted to use the pickled vegetables she brought from Lizhou as a topping as well. She had tried it once and felt that the cold noodles tasted even better with the addition of Lizhou pickled vegetables.
Unfortunately, there was no chef in Jinyulou who knew how to make Lizhou pickles, and Yaoniang herself had not yet been able to replicate Lizhou pickles, so she had to give up.
Nowadays, the pastries at Jinyulou are not particularly special; they are all the most common cakes available today, such as Danai cake, lotus root starch osmanthus sugar cake, and five-spice cake.
Yao Niang wanted to make something of it, but when she was in Qingyun County, although she prepared food herself, it was mostly to fill her stomach and eat something delicious. She didn't have the mind to study exquisite food like pastries.
Now, however, I'm in a dilemma.
Holding a candied cherry in her hand, she couldn't help but sigh: If Jin Yu Lou had a pastry chef as skilled as Madam Li in making candied fruits and pastries, it would be truly perfect.
It's such a pity.
Looking at the booklet in her hand, which she had revised and rewrote, Yao Niang put down her pen with satisfaction.
Now let's show this menu to my second uncle. If he's satisfied, then it's settled.
She called out to Bitao to come into the house.
Bitao, however, was holding a flower-shaped fortune slip. She smiled and said to Yaoniang:
"This was just delivered by someone earlier. They said it was sent to you from Princess Ruining's residence."
Yao Niang was somewhat surprised to hear this. She had been getting closer to Princess Ruining lately, but they had only met in the market and had never had a private meeting or appointment with her.
This is the first time Princess Ruining has sent this flowery note.
She quickly took the note from Bitao's hands with both hands.
The letter from Princess Ruining's residence appears extremely elegant. As you turn it, you can smell the cool fragrance of plum blossoms, which is exactly the same as the fragrance that Princess Ruining usually wears.
The note on the flower-patterned stationery didn't say much, but it simply stated in a flamboyant handwriting that the princess's residence would be holding a flower banquet in three days, and that Yao Niang was invited to come and play.
There was no small talk or polite invitation; it was as if he was very familiar with Yao Niang, as if he was certain that she would not refuse.
Gu Yaoniang couldn't help but smile slightly. She asked Bitao, "Did you say anything else?"
Bitao shook her head, then remembered: "They said the princess's residence was very polite and invited you to go and have a word with the princess."
Gu Yaoniang was somewhat flattered and quickly said, "Go and tell them that I will definitely go."
Seeing Bitao turn to leave, Yaoniang said again, "Good Bitao, be clever and find out how I should prepare for this flower banquet."
Bitao nodded quickly, then turned and ran away.
Yao Niang couldn't help but chuckle, then shook her head as she watched Bi Tao's retreating figure.
A moment later, Bitao returned, her forehead beaded with sweat. Yaoniang picked up a handkerchief and reached out to wipe it for her, scolding, "Why are you in such a hurry? It's alright if you walk a little slower."
Bitao stuck out her tongue, naturally reached out and took the handkerchief, gently wiping her sweat as she replied, "They said the princess invited quite a few people, and many noble ladies and gentlemen from Shuojing City were invited. The princess's people said that since it's mostly the younger generation, you don't need to be formal, just be generous and appropriate."
Gu Yaoniang nodded upon hearing this, but since it was her first time attending such a banquet since arriving in the capital, she couldn't help but take it very seriously.
First, he pulled Bitao around the house for a long time to pick out clothes and jewelry. Then, after Gu Xingzhi and Qiaoniang returned to the mansion, he pulled them aside to ask about the etiquette and precautions for attending the banquet. Only then did he decide on his outfit for the day and gradually feel at ease.
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