Xu Qinyu accepted the 150 taels of silver, and she also had some other plans.
One hundred and fifty taels plus her own earnings were enough to open a restaurant, but she couldn't afford to buy a shop and could only rent one. On North Street, even a one-room shop that was only enough for a small business would cost at least one hundred and fifty taels of silver. If she wanted to open a restaurant, she would need at least two or three shops. A two-story attic would be even more expensive, so she could only rent one. However, with two hundred and ten taels of silver, she could even rent a shop on the East Street or West Street. She could then choose a location and decide where to open the restaurant.
So she would accept the 150 taels of silver, and when she opened the restaurant and started making money, she could send money to her original body's parents.
When Ma Liu returns to the capital, he will have to bring a letter to her, asking her original mother to stop doing embroidery. Embroidery is really harmful to the eyes. According to Xue's saving speed, I'm afraid she will be embroidering day and night. If she keeps doing embroidery like this, her eyes will be ruined in a year or two.
Well, she decided to write two letters, one to her original parents and one to her original uncle's family.
If her uncle from her natal family treats her well, she will naturally reciprocate. If they want to be rich, they should all be rich together!
She has been secretly practicing calligraphy for the past two or three months, and her handwriting is almost the same as the original one.
Xu Qinyu put the money in her sleeve and said with a smile, "General, the evening meal at home has just been prepared. Why don't you join us for some?"
"Okay, okay." Ma Liu grinned, then scratched his head. "If you don't mind, Miss Xu, don't call me General from now on. It sounds weird. Just call me Sixth Brother."
As for why his name was Ma Liu, it was because his family was poor, his parents were rough people and didn't know how to name people. He had five older brothers and sisters, and he was the sixth, so he was named Ma Liu. However, among his five brothers and sisters, only his second brother and fourth sister survived.
His second brother is called Ma Er and his fourth sister is called Ma Siya.
People like him who followed Deputy Captain Chen to escort exiled criminals were not even formal officers or soldiers. Their salaries were not high, and they relied on tips from the prisoners' families along the way, but they also spent a lot on the journey.
"Then Sixth Brother, come inside and eat something."
Wen and Xu Qinyu led Ma Liu into the kitchen.
There were already three dishes and a big bowl of soup on the square table in the kitchen. Just smelling the aroma made Ma Liu drool.
He had eaten a few big meat buns in the morning and was a little hungry, so he forced himself to eat two big steamed buns. He was already hungry by now.
Xu Qinyu cooked a pot of glutinous rice. There were some steamed buns made with milk. She knew that Ma Liu had a big appetite, so she heated up the steamed buns. There were not enough dishes, so she picked up twenty or so pieces of fermented bean curd from the wooden barrel. The fermented bean curd she made was delicate and soft, with a fragrant aroma. It was just ordinary salty, without being coated with dogwood powder, and not that salty, but it was very fragrant and went well with rice.
In fact, it would be better if we had authentic chili peppers. If we use dogwood to cook dishes, the flavor will still be lacking.
Ma Liu didn't bother to be polite with Miss Xu, he took the bowl and chopsticks and started eating.
The dish of fried spring bamboo shoots with bacon has fat popping out of it when you put it in your mouth, but it is not greasy at all. The spring bamboo shoots are crispy and have absorbed the aroma and fat of the bacon, making them fresh and fragrant.
Stir-fried river shrimp with leeks. The small river shrimps have no fishy smell, the meat is firm, and the leeks are fresh and tender.
Scrambled eggs with Chinese toon, the fragrance is fresh and the eggs are tender.
The moldy tofu was also delicious and completely different from any moldy tofu he had eaten before.
The moldy tofu he had eaten was very salty and dry. Half a piece of tofu could be eaten with a bowl of rice. It was bought by poor families who could not afford to buy vegetables and would eat it with bean rice and bean porridge.
But the fermented tofu made by Miss Xu was delicate and fragrant, and not too salty. He could eat half a piece of fermented tofu in one bite, and then take a big bite of the milk bun. It was a perfect match.
The three-fresh soup is also very delicious. I don’t know what is added to it, but it is very thick and has a smooth texture.
The taste is even better than what I had eaten on the road to exile. It is so delicious that it makes Ma Liu want to cry. How can the food cooked by Miss Xu be so delicious?
Naturally, there was not enough rice, but fortunately there were still milk buns. Ma Liu ate up all the remaining milk buns with the fermented bean curd in the wooden barrel.
He ate about ten of the twenty pieces of fermented tofu by himself. They were really delicious.
Looking at the clean dishes on the table, Ma Liu felt embarrassed and wanted to help Miss Xu wash the dishes, but he heard Miss Xu ask him, "Sixth brother, when will you return to Beijing?"
Ma Liu said, "I've agreed with the boss to meet at the dock tomorrow night at dusk, and then we'll take the merchant ship back."
Xu Qinyu thought for a moment and said, "Sixth brother, then you can find an inn to stay in tonight and come over for breakfast tomorrow morning. I want to write a letter to my mother and uncle, and you can take it back for me then." There are many female relatives in the family, so male guests certainly cannot stay in casually. She plans to help Ma Liu find an inn to stay in.
"Okay." Ma Liu agreed without hesitation.
He found an inn on North Street to stay in that night. It was not expensive and he could sleep in a large bunk bed for only thirty cents.
Originally, Miss Xu wanted to pay for him, but he refused. After having such a delicious evening meal, he didn't feel comfortable asking the young lady to pay for him.
Xu Qinyu wrote two letters to her original mother that night, one to her original mother, Xue, and one for Xue to give to her brothers from her natal family.
She herself was the soul of her original body, and even inherited the memories of her original body, so she remembered the handwriting as well. When she first wrote, it was 50% to 60% similar. After practicing for two or three months, there was no difference.
The letter to Xue naturally said that she had received the 150 taels of silver and planned to open a restaurant. She also told Xue not to worry about her, saying that the food she cooked was delicious and that she would make a lot of money by opening a restaurant in the future! When she made a lot of money, she would ask Ma Liu to send them money. The letter also mentioned that Xue should stop doing embroidery and stop sending her money. If Ma Liu sent her money again, he would be angry. She also said that another letter she wrote contained some food recipes, specifically for her uncle, and asked her uncle to follow the recipes above to make some changes to the tea stall.
In fact, she knew that if she wrote this letter to Xue, Xue would only think that her restaurant business was not stable and would continue to do embroidery to save money for her.
But as long as she gave the recipe to her uncle and he made money, Xue would know that what she said was true and naturally would not continue to do embroidery.
After writing the two letters, Xu Qinyu took another piece of rice paper and wrote down the recipe for wooden barrel fermented bean curd on it.
This recipe was for Ma Liu. She remembered that Ma Liu's family was not wealthy, and she would have to rely on Ma Liu more in the future to communicate with her original body's parents. This recipe was naturally given to Ma Liu.
If you can make this wooden barrel fermented bean curd, you can make a lot of money.
Fermented bean curd is not only delicious but also can be used as seasoning in cooking.
After sealing the two letters, Xu Qinyu specially made glutinous rice and pork intestines for Ma Liu for breakfast the next day. She used three sets of pork intestines to make a lot, and asked Ma Liu to take the rest to Deputy Captain Chen and other officers and soldiers.
Last night, she went to find Tian the butcher and bought three more offal, so today she made glutinous rice intestines out of three of the pig intestines, and continued to braise the other three and gave them to Cheng Ge'er, asking Cheng Ge'er to deliver them to Tian the butcher's house early.
He gave the two letters to Ma Liu and also gave him the recipe for wooden barrel fermented bean curd, saying that it was a gift to his family so that they could start a small business.
Ma Liu stammered, "Ms. Xu, this recipe must be very valuable. Please give it to me." He also knew that this kind of moldy tofu was unique.
He had memorized the dishes that Miss Xu had taught him to cook during her exile. Occasionally, when he returned, his mother would cook for him to improve his diet, but the taste could not compare to what Miss Xu had cooked.
As for the Jinsheng dish of stewed winter bamboo shoots with bacon, Yan Du Xian, his mother could never figure it out because the process and side dishes were too complicated.
There is no one in his family who has cooking talent.
Xu Qinyu smiled and said, "In the future I will have to rely on Sixth Brother to help me deliver letters and other things to my parents. Don't worry, Sixth Brother, this wooden barrel fermented bean curd does not require any cooking skills. Just follow the recipe I wrote above strictly, and you can still make a living from it." This wooden barrel fermented bean curd is indeed very simple as long as you master the recipe.
As for how big this business can be, it depends on how big Ma Liu's family members are willing to take on.
Ma Liu finally accepted the recipe. He bowed solemnly to Xu Qinyu and called her "little master".
Xu Qinyu laughed and said, "How can this be called a master?"
Wait for Ma Liu to go to the dock with the glutinous rice and pork intestines, two letters and the recipe for wooden barrel fermented bean curd.
The young master said this was called wooden barrel fermented bean curd. After returning home, he asked his mother to make it for trial sale. It was also called wooden barrel fermented bean curd, not moldy tofu like other people called it.
Needless to say, the glutinous rice intestines were praised by all colleagues. They all said that they had never eaten such delicious intestines and had no idea that intestines could be made so delicious. Each person was given two pieces and they were gone, and they were still not satisfied.
Afterwards, Ma Liu and Deputy Captain Chen and his entourage boarded a merchant ship and returned to the capital city of Duxun in just five or six days.
Ma Liu did not delay and immediately went to the Dechang Marquis's Mansion to deliver a letter to the second wife. Although the doorman was still in a bad mood this time, he went in and reported. The old lady of Dechang Marquis had been ridiculed by Ma Liu last time, so she would not want to see him and make herself unhappy, so she asked the doorman to take him to the second wife.
When Xue saw Ma Liu, she couldn't hide her worry for her daughter. She led Ma Liu to the living room and asked the maid to bring up tea, fruit and snacks.
Ma Liu had barely had time to drink a sip of water when he returned to the capital. Madam Xue had the maid serve him a thirst-quenching drink. He drank it all in one gulp and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Madam. Miss Xu is doing well in the border town. She has already accepted the 150 taels of silver and said she plans to open a restaurant. She also wrote two letters to you, but one of them is to your brother from your mother's family. Please make a decision after reading them."
After he finished speaking, he took out two letters from his bosom and handed them to Xue.
Xue took them and saw that one of the letters was addressed to her mother and the other to her uncle.
She hurriedly opened the letter written to her by her daughter. It was written in her daughter's familiar handwriting. Just seeing her daughter's familiar handwriting, Xue couldn't help but want to cry. She looked at the letter with red eyes.
Yu Jie'er was very worried about her and told her not to do embroidery. She also said that she could earn more than twenty taels a month just by selling food every day, and that she would earn more after opening a restaurant, so she told her not to do embroidery. She also told her not to send her money, and even if she did, she would not accept it. She also said that when the restaurant made a lot of money, she would let Ma Liu send her money, and she would support her, her father, and Li Ge'er.
"This child..." Xue smiled and wiped the corners of her eyes.
He couldn't help but mutter, "If I sell food now, can I really make more than twenty taels a month?"
Ma Liu heard this and immediately said, "Madam, you really don't have to worry about Miss Xu. The food she cooks is, oh my, you have no idea how delicious it is. Honestly, I've only eaten once or twice at the big restaurants in Beijing thanks to my boss's influence, but it's nothing compared to what Miss Xu cooks. She makes over twenty taels a month just selling fish and braised pig intestines. If she opened a restaurant, she'd definitely make even more."
Xue had never seen her daughter make money with her own eyes, so she still didn't quite believe it.
She knew her daughter's cooking skills, and she did have some cooking skills, but she didn't think she was better than the chefs in big restaurants.
The daughter wrote a letter to her brother from her mother's side, saying that she had written some food recipes that could help her uncle change the tea stall. She hesitated for a moment, but decided to go back to her mother's side tomorrow and give the letter to her brother from her mother's side. After he read it, she would let her brother decide for himself whether to try what her daughter had said.
Naturally, she had never read her daughter's letters to her brothers.
After reading the letter, Xue thanked Ma Liu and took out some change from her pocket as a reward.
Ma Liu naturally refused and stood up and said, "Madam, this is impossible. Actually, Miss Xu gave me a recipe for fermented bean curd in a wooden barrel. When I get back, I'll have my mother try making it. I'll also start a small business in the future. Who knows, we might make a lot of money. So, if you have any letters for me to deliver to Miss Xu in the future, please feel free to ask. But please don't give me any tips."
In fact, he thought that if this wooden barrel of fermented bean curd could bring in an extra one or two taels of silver a month, it would be considered a good income, so he didn't have the nerve to ask for a reward from Xue.
After Ma Liu finished speaking, he probably feared that Xue would give him more money as a reward, so he ran away.
Xue was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
The next day, she went back to her parents' home.
Xue's parents' home is also in the capital, but it is some distance away from the Dechang Marquis Mansion, and it takes more than half an hour to get there by carriage.
When going out in a carriage on weekdays, one has to say hello to the wife of Marquis Dechang.
The old lady of the Marquis of Dechang originally wanted to ask her daughter-in-law why she was going back to her parents' home, and whether she had something to do or not, she should go back less often. But remembering that the third son had told her to treat the second wife better, she didn't say anything. She waved her hand and asked the driver to drive her daughter-in-law back to her parents' home. However, she couldn't help but nag at the end, "Come back soon."
Xue responded and went out with the maid.
The Xue family lived in Shangpo Lane in the south of the city.
The reason why it is called uphill is that once you enter the alley, it is an uphill road.
Xue's brother from her mother's side was named Xue Liang. He married Shi and had two sons and one daughter.
The eldest son, Xue Huai, married Zhang and had a daughter, Xue Yuanyuan.
My daughter Xue Qing is only thirteen years old, and my second son Xue Jian is only eight years old this year.
Xue's parents had passed away a few years ago, and Xue Liang was the only one left in the family. He still ran a tea stall, which was only the size of a shop. It was left by Xue's father. Xue's father was also a juren. He had hoped that his eldest son would pass the imperial examination, but his eldest son was not a good student. Xue's father had no choice but to force his eldest son to study, so he bought this shop early and left it to his son so that he could at least support himself in the future.
When Xue arrived at the Xue family home in Shangpo Lane, only Xue Qing was at home. Xue Qing saw her aunt, greeted her, pursed her lips, and told her aunt that her parents were at the tea stall, her elder brother and sister-in-law were helping there with Yuanyuan, and her younger brother Xue Jian was still in school.
Xue said something to Xue Qing, then went back to her brother's tea stall.
Xue Qing was born with delicate features, and if you look closely, he is somewhat similar to Xu Qinyu. Watching his aunt leave, Xue Qing pursed his lips and sighed.
She knew that her father had given all the family savings to her aunt, asking her aunt to send them to her cousin in the border town.
When my cousin was a child, she often came to our house to play. She had a very good relationship with her cousin. When they were young, they often played house and cooked together.
It was only one hundred taels, but it was a lot. It was all the family's savings over the years. She wasn't reluctant to give it away. Her younger brother was still studying, and the annual tuition was quite high. She was just worried that her parents would be too tired. Her cousin was in the border town, and she must have had a hard time. She also needed money to support herself...
Mom has been arguing with Dad recently. Even after several months, she still doesn't have a good attitude towards Dad.
Mom is not a bad person, she just feels that Dad gave her too much, even if it was just more than half.
Xue Qing couldn't help but sigh again. Earning money was really hard, and she couldn't help in any way. Only the food she cooked tasted okay. On weekdays, her parents and brother and sister-in-law were at the stall, so she didn't need to go there. She just prepared breakfast and dinner at home.
She really wanted to earn money, so that she could not only improve her family's conditions, but also send some money to her cousin every year.
…
Xue went to her brother's tea stall again.
Xue Liang's tea stall is in the market on the south side of the city. It is still very lively here. Although the market is not big, it has everything you need, including tea stalls, restaurants, inns, hotels, cloth shops, jewelry shops, various food shops, etc. There is also a night market nearby. The new emperor and Empress Dowager Fu have issued a general amnesty, and there is no curfew. On weekdays, people usually close their stalls and go home at the end of the night.
Xue Liang's tea stall is not big, with only three tables inside. There is an oilcloth tent outside with two tables underneath. There is also a small courtyard and a small kitchen behind the tea stall, as well as a well. Although the shop is small, it has everything it needs.
There were not many people drinking tea on weekdays, but Xue Huai was good at telling stories, and his stories were very interesting, so many people came to drink tea and listen to his stories. Xue Liang could also cook some food and sell some of his fried dried goods, melon seeds and peanuts, as well as some dried fruits and candied fruits. People could eat them with tea while listening to his stories, so the business was pretty good. The family worked hard and could earn two or three taels of silver a month.
It's noon now and there's not much business. Business is better in the afternoon and evening.
Shi was sitting at the door of the tea stall with a dazed look on her face. She was still feeling sorry for the one hundred taels of silver. She had also had several arguments with her husband. It was not that she was unwilling to give the money to Yujie'er. She should at least leave her twenty or thirty taels. In a few days, Jian'er would have to pay the tuition fee.
She had a bad temper and had been arguing with her husband for almost a month. Her husband also admitted his mistake to her, saying that he was worried about his niece and that life in the border town was too hard. He also said that Prince Shu's property had been confiscated and he must have no money. If he didn't give Yujie'er more, how would she survive?
She also felt sorry for her niece. When Yujie was a child, she often came to their house to play, and she had watched her grow up.
In fact, this happened three or four months ago. One month after Yu Jie'er's accident, her husband gave all the family savings to his sister-in-law.
But she still gets angry when she thinks about it.
I did make a few taels of money in the past three months, but it was still not enough to pay for Jian Ge'er's tuition.
Just as she was thinking blankly, Shi looked up and saw her sister-in-law coming over.
Seeing Xue, Shi wanted to turn her face away, but she saw that Xue was much thinner than before Yu Jie'er's accident, her cheeks were a little sunken, and her complexion was a little bad. She couldn't turn her face away anymore. She walked over and pulled her to sit at the tea stall. With a stern face, she asked, "What are you doing here?"
When Shi knew that Yu Jie'er had just gotten into trouble, her sister-in-law had fallen seriously ill and almost died.
Thinking of this, and seeing how thin her sister-in-law was, Shi suddenly figured it out. She decided to give the family money to Yu Jie'er. At least their whole family was still together and alive and well. In any case, it was better than the situation of her sister-in-law and Yu Jie'er.
Look how miserable Yu Jie'er is. She was a good girl, but she was forced to marry someone else and was exiled.
Shi sighed, went into the house, brought out a pot of tea and poured it for her sister-in-law.
Xue smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, is my eldest brother home?"
Shi said, "He's busy back there." After a moment's thought, she couldn't help but ask, "How's your Yujie? Did the money arrive? How's Yujie doing with Prince Shu's family in the border town? Are Prince Shu and his family treating Yujie well?"
Mrs. Xue smiled and said, "A few days ago, I asked someone to deliver all the banknotes to Yujie'er. Yujie even wrote back, saying she wanted to open a restaurant. Ma Liu, who delivered the letter, also said that the Shu Wang family treats Yujie'er very well. Yujie cooks, and her mother-in-law helps wash the dishes and pots, and doesn't let Yujie do any other work. The sister-in-law is also very affectionate and dependent on her sister-in-law."
After hearing this, Shi finally felt relieved.
But thinking of the previous sentence, I couldn't help but say, "What kind of restaurant does your Sister Yu open?"
Yu Jie'er's cooking skills were learned from her husband, and her husband's cooking skills were not enough to open a restaurant. Isn't Yu Jie'er too bold? She won't lose all her money.
Mrs. Xue didn't want to tarnish her daughter's prestige, so she said, "Ma Liu said that the food my Yujie cooks is delicious, even better than the chefs at the Beijing restaurant."
Shi looked at her sister-in-law strangely and didn't believe what she said.
Xue then explained her purpose, "By the way, I'm here to deliver a letter to Big Brother. It's from Sister Yu, and she said she has some recipes. Take a look."
Yu Jie'er wrote a thick letter to her elder brother.
Xue handed the letter to her sister-in-law. Shi, who could not read, went to the backyard and gave the letter to Xue Liang.
Xue Liang was roasting melon seeds in the backyard when Shi handed the letter to her husband. "This is a letter from Yu Jie'er. My sister-in-law is here too and is sitting in the front."
Xue Liang hurriedly took down the pot, which had already fried the melon seeds. He took the letter and went to the door of the tea stall. Sure enough, he saw the girl sitting at the door. She looked very thin even in her jacket.
In fact, his sister is fatter now than before. When Yu Jie'er got into trouble and he gave her money, her face was pale.
"Brother." Xue called out.
Xue Liang nodded, sat down on the bench, and opened the letter written to her by her niece.
He couldn't help but ask, "Why did Sister Yu write to me? Why is it such a thick letter?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the contents of the letter.
"Uncle, how are you? Thank you for the one hundred taels of silver you asked mother to send me. It's very timely. I'm planning to open a restaurant, and your one hundred taels is just enough. I've also discovered a lot of food, so you can try changing the tea stall up a bit. On weekdays, you can sell barbecue and some wine and drinks. In a few months, it should be hot, and you can also sell ice bowls, ice drinks, and various cold dishes and noodles."
The following is the recipe that Yu Jie'er wrote for him.
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