This girl named Lianhua is a female guard at Jinxiu Garden. From her name, she should be a delicate and lovely girl, but in fact, Lianhua seems to be only about eighteen years old this year, about the same age as Xu Qinyu. She is taller. Xu Qinyu estimated that she is about 1.78 meters tall. She has good martial arts skills, but she is a bit dull and doesn't like to talk much. She does whatever she is told to do. She has a big appetite and can eat three or four times as much as a normal person.
Fourth brother found her twenty guards.
There are ten people from Jinxiu Garden, all of them are women, and there are ten people from Zizhu Garden, all of them are strong men, and all of them are skilled in martial arts.
In addition, they have another common characteristic: they can eat, and they can eat a lot!
Especially the food made by Xu Qinyu, they ate more. Their appetite was much larger than that of ordinary guys. It might also be that they were martial artists, so their appetite was much larger than normal people.
Fortunately, Xu Qinyu could afford it and would not skimp on their food, so they had enough to eat every day.
The Wen family was not worried because they knew that Lianhua was a skilled martial artist.
The recruitment process was particularly smooth. It took only one day to select these twenty guards. They also performed martial arts in front of Xu Qinyu. Each of them had internal strength and could easily climb over eaves and walls. This was something Xu Qinyu had only seen on TV and in novels. Her eyes lit up and her face was full of longing.
If her fourth brother hadn't said that her body was already stretched and not suitable for martial arts training, she would have wanted to learn it.
However, Fourth Brother still taught her some self-defense techniques.
Xu Qinyu took Lianhua and Dongqian to Raozhou City.
The three of them went straight to the Bafang Inn.
Xu Qinyu's idea was actually very simple. It was nothing more than attracting customers. As long as the people in Raozhou City knew how delicious the food in her restaurant was, customers would be willing to come just for the food.
When they arrived at the Bafang Inn, Xu Qinyu saw the shopkeeper Zhou.
Shopkeeper Zhou was also very happy to see her. He smiled and said, "If the inn wasn't so busy, Daqing and I would like to stay at Miss Xu's restaurant for a few days."
Xu Qinyu naturally knew how busy they were as innkeepers, so she smiled and said, "No problem, I came to Bafang Inn today for a reason."
Shopkeeper Zhou said hurriedly, "Miss Xu, please tell me if there's anything I can help you with."
Xu Qinyu said, "It's because of some issues at the restaurant. It's been open for about half a month, but apart from a few regular customers, there haven't been any customers. I only found out when I came to Raozhou City that Zuixianlou had hired a dancer, so I thought I'd borrow some of your inn's space to cook for a few days and attract some customers."
Shopkeeper Zhou said immediately, "Why not? This is exactly what we want. I did hear that Zuixianlou invited some dancers from foreign countries, but I didn't expect that it would have such a big impact on your restaurant." A few days ago, diners in the inn could be heard talking about the dancers in Zuixianlou, saying how beautiful their dances were and how graceful their figures were. Shopkeeper Zhou had not thought that it would affect Xu's Restaurant.
It seems that Zuixianlou is worried that its business will be affected, so it came up with some methods to overshadow the opening of Xuji Restaurant, so that other people would forget to visit Xuji and taste the food.
This is understandable. When doing business, there is bound to be competition, as long as it is not malicious competition.
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Manager Zhou, for giving us two rooms. Ordinary bunk beds will be fine."
She and Lianhua live in one room, and Dongqian lives in another.
Xu Qinyu asked for a large dormitory bed. She and her fourth brother usually came to stay in the inn, but Manager Zhou was always reluctant to charge them and always arranged a number one room for them, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
However, Manager Zhou still arranged two top-grade rooms for the three of them.
Shopkeeper Zhou not only regards Xu Qinyu as the benefactor of the Zhou family, but also as his son's teacher. If it weren't for the food that Miss Xu taught her son to cook, the inn would not have the business it has today. It is priceless.
"Don't worry, Miss Xu. Just stay here and feel at ease. If you need any food, tell me and I'll have someone go get it."
Xu Qinyu didn't plan to make anything else but crispy suckling pig. This alone is enough to attract people. The main thing is that the aroma is the richest and can be smelled from far away.
She asked Manager Zhou to help buy a few suckling pigs, which had to be slaughtered well and brought back whole without being cut into pieces. She also brought some other seasonings, such as soybean paste and fermented bean curd, with her, as they would taste better if she made them herself.
Manager Zhou immediately went there in person.
Xu Qinyu couldn't rest either, so she went to the kitchen to meet Zhou Daqing.
Zhou Daqing was busy in the kitchen and was very happy to see her. Xu Qinyu asked him and Dong Qian to help build a place for roasting suckling pig with bricks and tiles, which would be convenient for roasting in a while.
Because Dong Qian drove her here in a horse-drawn carriage, in addition to the seasonings, she also brought a few iron forks from the restaurant, so that she didn't have to go to the iron shop to order them later.
When Xu Qinyu and Chef Zhou had set up the grilling pit in the kitchen, Chef Zhou had already returned.
It was still early, so Xu Qinyu prepared all the ingredients and seasonings before going to the room upstairs to rest.
Lianhua followed her closely, not talking much. She would work diligently whenever she was asked to.
Xu Qinyu didn't know much about Lianhua's background, but she vaguely knew that these guards seemed to be lonely people with no relatives alive, so they learned martial arts and traveled around the world.
Just after noon, Xu Qinyu went to the backyard to get busy.
It takes about an hour to roast the suckling pig, and it is time for dinner when it is finished. During this time, the aroma can attract many customers.
In addition to the crispy suckling pig, Xu Qinyu planned to braise some pig intestines, and asked Manager Zhou to buy a few pairs of pig intestines in the morning. This one was also full of braised aroma and very attractive to diners.
Crispy suckling pig is expensive. Even if it is sold in ten portions, each portion costs five hundred coins. The braised pork intestines taste just as good, but the price is a world apart from the crispy suckling pig. Most diners can afford it, so some of the cheaper food has to be prepared.
Zhou Daqing had just cleaned the pig intestines in the kitchen. Xu Qinyu prepared the marinade and spices and started braising the pig intestines first.
When braising the pig intestines, she also prepared the crispy water. The suckling pig had already been marinated before, and now she brushed it with the crispy water. After the crispy water dried up, she could start roasting it.
In fact, the process of making crispy suckling pig is complicated, but for Xu Qinyu, it is not complicated at all, as practice makes perfect.
After the water on the crispy skin is completely dry, start baking.
She set up two grills and could grill two at a time. Dong Qian could also control two at a time because he didn't have to turn them over all the time. He just had to pay attention to the heat and turn them over from time to time.
The roasting pit is a little small, otherwise she could roast a few more at a time.
Xu Qinyu planned to roast four at a time, and roast them twice. The eight roasted today were enough. If they couldn't sell them all, they and the inn staff would keep them for themselves.
After a quarter of an hour, the aroma of the crispy suckling pig gradually spread.
When Shopkeeper Zhou and Chef Zhou smelled this fragrance for the first time, they couldn't help but say, "What a nice smell!"
Sure enough, no matter what Miss Xu cooks, the food is delicious. This aroma will definitely attract many diners.
Even the guys in the inn would glance at the oven and swallow their saliva from time to time when they passed by the kitchen.
The aroma naturally attracted many diners and passers-by.
Many people couldn't help but stop and sniff hard, asking, "What's that smell? It smells so good!"
"Indeed, is it the smell of something being cooked in a nearby restaurant or inn?"
"I live nearby, and I don't usually smell this kind of fragrance."
Shopkeeper Zhou was still standing at the door, cheerfully announcing to everyone, "This is our new food at the Bafang Inn: crispy suckling pig and braised pork intestines. Not only does it taste delicious, but it's even better when you eat it. No one has ever said it wasn't good. I guarantee you'll want more. But the crispy suckling pig isn't ready yet. I'll wait until it's done, and then you can come and try it."
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Crispy suckling pig? What kind of food is that? I don't think I've ever heard of it. As for the braised pig intestines you mentioned, can it be delicious if it's boiled in pig water?"
"But this crispy suckling pig sounds a little familiar."
Shopkeeper Zhou smiled and said, "This crispy suckling pig and braised pork intestines are both made by my chef from Daqing. As for the braised pork intestines, to be honest, they're just as fragrant. Do you smell that other aroma? That's the aroma of the braised pork intestines. When they're cooked, you can buy some to try. These two dishes are wrapped in oil paper and ready to eat. The braised pork intestines are 15 wen per portion, and the crispy suckling pig is 500 wen per portion. These are 80% of the original price, but they're only for a few days. After a few days, they'll return to their original price."
When the people around heard this, they were surprised and said, "Shopkeeper Zhou, braised pork intestines are already fifteen coins per portion, and these pig offal are only one coin per pound, and not many people are buying them. How dare you sell them for fifteen coins per portion? And this crispy suckling pig, it must be made of pork, right? What kind of pork food do you dare to sell for five hundred coins per portion?"
Shopkeeper Zhou still looked cheerful. "To be honest, this crispy suckling pig was originally sold whole, at six taels of silver per head, which is about ten to twenty kilograms. We're worried that people won't be able to finish it, so we're selling it by the portion now. It's a bit pricey, but isn't Zuixianlou's signature dish also worth two or three taels of silver?"
Someone sneered, "You also call it Zuixianlou? How can your little inn compare to Zuixianlou? Besides, you're not just selling for two or three taels of silver, you're selling for six taels of silver per piece, which is even more expensive than Zuixianlou."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhou said, "That's not true. It's only because it tastes good that it's expensive. Crispy suckling pig, you've probably never even heard of it, and this is the first time you've seen it prepared this way. And the pig's offal is cheap, but it tastes great and is delicious. I guarantee you'll want more after you've had it. Why can't it be sold for fifteen cents a portion? Just ask if it smells good or not. It's not even cooked yet. It will be even more delicious when it's done."
Someone suddenly said, "I don't remember you mentioning crispy suckling pig, but when you mentioned six taels of silver, it suddenly reminded me of a few days ago when someone in the city handed out a notice saying that Xu's Restaurant had opened outside of Raozhou City, and that all the food there was six taels of silver a dish. No one in the entire city dared to sell a dish for six taels of silver, so I was quite impressed. And there was also Fu Shou Quan, fifty taels of silver a can. My God, what kind of food is this, and they dare to sell it for fifty taels of silver a can."
"Yes, now that you mention it, I remember it too. It says the crispy suckling pig costs six taels of silver."
Everyone finally reacted.
Shopkeeper Zhou smiled and said, "Yes, he's the owner of Xu's Restaurant. This owner is our Daqing's master. The specialties that Daqing makes were taught by his master. Our Daqing can only make 70% to 80% of the food. If his master makes it, it would taste really delicious."
"Shopkeeper Zhou, is what you said true or false? Is it really that delicious?"
Shopkeeper Zhou said cheerfully, "If you don't believe me, just buy one and try it yourself. Forget about the crispy suckling pig. If you think it's too expensive, just buy some braised pork intestines."
"But it smells really good, Shopkeeper Zhou, when will it be ready?"
"No, it will take more than half an hour to bake."
Everyone can only wait, but I have to say that I still want to try what this crispy suckling pig that costs six taels of silver tastes like.
After Shopkeeper Zhou finished speaking, he was about to go back to the kitchen, but he saw Captain Liang Yiliang coming over.
This Captain Liang is a captain in the military camp and is also a familiar customer of the Bafang Inn.
When he came to Raozhou City because of Miss Xu, he stayed at the Bafang Inn and borrowed the inn's kitchen to cook and sell food. Captain Liang ate the food that Miss Xu made for two days and he couldn't forget it ever since. Later, Daqing followed Miss Xu to make the same food. Only then did Captain Liang come to the inn to eat from time to time, but he would occasionally sigh and say that he still missed the food that Miss Xu made.
Liang Yi had indeed followed the smell. When he arrived at the Bafang Inn, he already had a premonition. Seeing Manager Zhou standing at the door, he couldn't help but ask, "Manager Zhou, is Miss Xu cooking in there?" This aroma must be some fresh food. Zhou Daqing couldn't make such a smell at all, so he was sure that the person in the kitchen must be Miss Xu.
Shopkeeper Zhou smiled and said, "Yes, it is indeed Miss Xu. She is making crispy suckling pig. Captain Liang may not know yet, but Miss Xu runs a restaurant outside the city."
Liang Yi's eyes widened. "You said that the restaurant outside the city is owned by Miss Xu?"
He knew that there was a restaurant built outside the city, some distance away from the military camp. A few days ago, at dusk, the aroma of meat always wafted over from there. The aroma was different from ordinary meat aroma. Anyway, it was very tempting. The soldiers in the military camp were wailing a little. What kind of food was it? How could it smell so good that it could even drift into the military camp with the wind?
He had also smelled it, but he didn't expect it was done by Miss Xu.
It was a day off today, so he went out to buy something and came over when he smelled the fragrance.
Liang Yi immediately said, "Okay, then leave some for me tonight. I'll come get it after I finish shopping."
After he asked the price, he ordered half one.
One portion was about a little over one jin (approximately 2 liang) of silver, so he ordered half a piece. Half a piece was a few dozen coins cheaper, at two and a half liang of silver. Half a piece was almost a few jin (approximately 1 jin) in weight, which was only enough for him to eat by himself. However, he had a wife and daughter at home, so he planned to take it home and eat with them.
He never doubted the taste of the food prepared by Miss Xu.
Liang Yi paid more than two taels of silver and went to buy things first.
Many people also recognized Liang Yi and knew that he was Captain Liang in the military camp. He liked to eat and was a righteous and generous person.
Everyone saw him buy half of it without hesitation. Some regular customers who often eat food made by Zhou Daqing learned that the two dishes in the evening were made by Zhou Daqing's master. Some who didn't have much money just bought a portion of pig intestines, while those who had more money would also buy a portion of crispy suckling pig. Others were still waiting and watching.
Manager Zhou wrote down the bill and went to the kitchen for a while.
In the backyard, Xu Qinyu was still roasting crispy suckling pig.
The pig intestines are almost cooked, but they still need to be soaked in the braising pot for about an hour to make them more flavorful.
As time goes by, the aroma of the crispy suckling pig becomes stronger and stronger.
Many people have come to the inn to ask about the fragrance.
Shopkeeper Zhou also took the trouble to tell the diners what the food was, who made it, and that there was a restaurant outside the city, so that everyone would remember the name of Xu's.
Because of the fragrance, many people placed orders with Manager Zhou.
The first batch of crispy suckling pig finally came out of the oven.
Xu Qinyu asked Lianhua, Dongqian and other waiters in the inn to help and fan the freshly baked crispy suckling pig with a big fan.
This will allow the heat from the crispy suckling pig's skin to dissipate quickly, making the skin more crispy.
As for the roasted suckling pig, Manager Zhou was asked to carry the food tray to the door of the inn so that passers-by and diners could take a look. They had seen such food before.
The big pot of braised pork intestines was also carried out, taken out of the pot, and put on the chopping board to cut into pieces.
Liang Yi quickly came over and saw Miss Xu, so he smiled and congratulated her. "Master Xu, long time no see. I heard that the restaurant outside the city was also opened by Master Xu. From now on, I can finally enjoy the food cooked by Master Xu. I wish Master Xu good luck in opening the restaurant and great fortune."
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Thank you, Captain Liang. It's been a long time since we last met. I'll pack the food for you right away."
He ordered half a pig, and Xu Qinyu cut the half into pieces, put it in a large food box and handed it to Liang Yi, asking him to return the food box another day. Not only that, she also cut two pounds of pig intestines for him.
The other diners saw this and couldn't help but ask, "Why are they only giving it to this captain? Why not give us some too?"
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Okay, everyone gets a portion. Buy one crispy suckling pig and get one braised pork intestine for free."
Captain Liang couldn't wait to eat the delicious aroma. When Xu Qinyu put his crispy suckling pig in the food box, he took a piece and stuffed it into his mouth without even thinking it was too hot. It was so crispy and had a nice aroma of meat. Captain Liang's eyes widened and he immediately said, "Boss Xu, wait a minute, give me another half! I want the rest of the half too. I want the whole thing."
Captain Liang felt lucky to have tasted it, it was really delicious.
He has a big appetite, so if he really takes half of it back, it would not be enough for him. It would be better to eat it all at once. The price is cheaper now, and he can buy a whole one for more than four taels of silver. When the price returns to its original price, it will cost six taels of silver.
If he buys the whole thing, he can eat it to his heart's content, and his wife and daughter can also be full.
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "Okay, give this whole thing to Sir Liang. Shopkeeper Zhou, please bring a double-layer food box."
After packing the crispy suckling pig, Xu Qinyu handed the food box to Captain Liang. Captain Liang couldn't help but ask, "Will Miss Xu still be here tomorrow?"
Xu Qinyu nodded and said, "I will be staying at the Bafang Inn for the next few days. Tomorrow, in addition to this crispy suckling pig, we will also have crispy pig intestines, which are also delicious."
Captain Liang immediately said, "Then I'll come back tomorrow."
The crispy pork intestines sounded delicious, so he planned to come back tomorrow to have a look. Maybe he didn’t have enough to eat today and would like to try the crispy suckling pig.
I thought the crispy suckling pig was a bit pricey, but then I thought, this big crispy suckling pig only costs six taels of silver. If they were really sold in portions, wouldn't the price be about the same as a dish at Zuixianlou? And it tastes so good.
Captain Liang finally came to his senses, but he still felt a little pain in his heart. He left carrying a large double-layer food box and two pounds of braised pork intestines.
This trip cost him more than four taels of silver, and his monthly salary was actually only six or seven taels. Captain Liang planned to go into the mountains after dinner to hunt some prey to supplement his family income, otherwise his monthly salary would not be enough for him to eat.
Most of the others just bought it in batches, not like Liang Qianhu.
Seeing this, others couldn't help but say, "Isn't this really a scam? Buying a whole one at once, can you really finish it?"
Someone scoffed, "What a shill! This is Sir Liang, Captain Liang in the military camp. He has a much bigger appetite than the average person and is a real eater. He won't even consider anything that tastes bad. He wanted the whole thing after trying just one piece, which only proves this crispy suckling pig is truly delicious."
After saying that, he immediately said, "Boss, give me one too."
Soon, all four roast suckling pigs were sold, and the braised pork intestines were basically given away. Anyone who bought a crispy suckling pig would get a portion of braised pork intestines for free. The amount of braised pork intestines given away was not much, only about seven or eight cents, or about two or three taels.
Some people couldn't help but try a piece of crispy suckling pig as soon as they got it, and immediately said: "Boss, give me another piece of crispy suckling pig, it's delicious, really delicious."
Shopkeeper Zhou could only say, "The first few are all sold out. If you want to buy more, you have to wait another hour, and then another hour for them to be roasted. There are only three left. Once these three are sold today, there will be no more."
Miss Xu said that she would keep one and not sell it to everyone to taste.
Shopkeeper Zhou has been smelling the fragrance for so long that he must be very greedy and wants to try it too.
An hour later, the second wave of roast suckling pigs was ready. We kept one for ourselves and the remaining three were sold out in a short time. They were all from the first wave of diners who came back to buy again. Some of them ordered more on the spot after tasting the food, and some took them home to eat and then came back to buy more.
Some people, like Captain Liang, ordered one directly the second time.
Others are also bought in half or multiple portions.
Many of the first batch of diners came back to buy, but they were all sold out. They regretted not buying more and asked if they would still be sold tomorrow, and immediately made reservations for tomorrow.
Xu Qinyu was not actually surprised. The reason why the restaurant had no customers this time was because it was located outside the city. If it was located in the city, even if Zuixianlou hired more dancers, it would not have any impact on the restaurant. The aroma alone would be enough to attract customers.
In the evening, in addition to the roast suckling pig, Xu Qinyu also made smoked fish for the family.
It just so happened that there was fish in the inn, because the dishes Zhou Daqing had learned from her before were all related to fish.
Smoked fish is not cured fish.
Instead, it is made from fresh fish cooked with more than ten kinds of seasonings.
This smoked fish is also on the menu of Xu Ji Restaurant. It tastes sweet, sour, crispy and refreshing.
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