Qiu Yumei shook her head. This Tian Xiu, even at a time like this, still speaks without thinking.
"Xiuer, Axu is still young, you must not say such things again. For your safety, you should not show your face for the next few days. Just share a room with Zhu Juan and the others and make do for now."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Tian Xiu stepped forward and embraced Qiu Yumei, saying, "Aunt Qiu, you're so good to me."
Her mother was always thinking about how to sell her for a good price, while Aunt Qiu gave her warmth.
Qiu Yan didn't hear the conversation inside the courtyard. After thinking for a long time, she remembered the fresh ingredient recipe she had accidentally seen while surfing the internet in the real world, and went directly to a dried goods store.
When she returned, she bought some dried shrimp and seaweed.
Since there was no MSG or chicken bouillon in those days, she made some herself.
She estimated the proportions herself and weighed out 10 qian of dried shiitake mushrooms, 20 qian of dried shrimp, and 2 qian of seaweed.
Seeing Qiu Yan busy, Gao Yuan and the others couldn't help but ask her questions out of curiosity.
Qiu Yan only said that you would know in a little while, and then continued to bury herself in her work.
She first washed the dried shrimp with clean water, put them in a wok, and stir-fried them for half an hour until all the moisture in the dried shrimp had evaporated.
Then, she tore the seaweed into flakes and continued to stir-fry it.
I stopped frying the dried shiitake mushrooms when they turned slightly yellow and crumbled easily when I rubbed them between my fingers, and then started washing them.
After washing it clean, she stir-fried it again. This time, her hands went numb from stirring, so she handed the job over to Gao Yuan.
After all the food was cooked, she had Zhu Silang and Zhang Ming grind it into powder.
Her strange actions puzzled Qiu Yumei and the others.
"Xiaoyan, what exactly did you make? It smells delicious."
Qiu Yan smelled the aroma and then tasted a little.
"Seasonings...fresh ingredients, Auntie, you should all try them later and see how they taste."
In the evening, after her younger sister returned, Qiu Yan asked Zhang Ming to cook a large pot of wontons.
Before Qiu Yan could speak, Cao had already placed several porcelain bowls together, filling them with chopped green onions, cilantro, and seaweed...
Qiu Yan then added her own freshly prepared ingredients to each dish.
Once the wontons were cooked, Qiu Yumei ladled a spoonful of bone broth into each bowl to make soup.
Finally, don't forget to add two drops of sesame oil.
Next, scoop up the translucent wontons and place them in the bowl.
Gu Xiaoran, the little foodie, stood eagerly at the door, exclaiming, "It smells so good!"
Zhu Juan, who was standing to the side, nodded and said, "Mmm, it smells so good. Young master, are you hungry?"
Qiu Yan asked Gao Yuan to bring several bowls of wontons to the backyard, and then called her younger siblings over so that the three children could try them first.
Gu Xiaoran swallowed hard; before she even ate, her saliva was already drooling.
Zhu Juan took care of him the whole time, wiping his drool, feeding him a bite, and finally rolling up his sleeves. "Young master, eat slowly, don't hold back."
Gu Xiaoran opened and closed her mouth, clearly enjoying today's wontons.
Qiu Xu turned his head away, trying his best not to look at Gu Xiaoran, the greedy little cat.
"Sister, the wontons are so delicious today!" Qiu Ling'er couldn't help but praise after eating just one.
"This tastes better than before." Qiu Xu also thought that the wontons were exceptionally delicious today.
Seeing that Zhu Juan was also craving some, Qiu Yan pushed a bowl of wontons in front of her, saying, "Zhu Juan, you should eat some too."
"Thank you, Master, but I'll eat after the young master finishes." How could a servant like her eat before her master had even eaten?
Qiu Yan: "It's okay, eat it."
In her eyes, everyone is equal, but only if these people do not cross her bottom line.
Zhu Juan only picked up her chopsticks after receiving permission. She had barely taken a bite when she couldn't resist taking a sip of soup.
"What smells so good?" Zhou Zifang arrived unexpectedly, staring at the wontons in Qiu Xu and the others' bowls, and took a deep sniff.
"Zhou Zifang, what brings you here at this hour?" Qiu Yan asked.
Zhou Zifang took another deep sniff. "I came by the smell. Qiu Yan, I'll have dinner here tonight."
Qiu Yumei followed closely behind Zhou Zifang and brought him a bowl of freshly cooked hot wontons.
"Young shopkeeper, eat it while it's hot."
"Thank you, Aunt Qiu." Zhou Zifang thanked Qiu Yumei and quickly scooped up a wonton and put it in his mouth.
The wonton wrappers were silky smooth and delicious. With a light bite, the juicy meat filling burst open, mixed with the rich and fragrant soup, making Zhou Zifang feel completely captivated.
"Besides the usual shrimp and seaweed flavor, there's another savory aroma. Qiu Yan, what did you put in these wontons?"
"Fresh ingredients, how is it? Delicious, right?"
"Delicious." Zhou Zifang finished one and then ate another.
After finishing a large bowl of wontons, he finally got down to business.
“I visited almost every carpentry shop in Baiyang, but no one was willing to do business with us; they had all been bought off by Shuangxilou.”
"Is that so?" Qiu Yan frowned. "Do you know who owns Shuangxi Restaurant?"
"I've never met their boss, and I don't know who he is. All I know is that Manager Gao is just an ordinary person from Baiyang."
Shuangxilou may not be good at much else, but he's adept at making people uncomfortable.
"Leave the lunchboxes to me," Qiu Yan said, thinking that Zhang, the carpenter in their village, was quite skilled.
Zhou Zifang was simple-minded and didn't think to bring some fresh ingredients back to cook. After finishing his meal, he prepared to leave.
He needs to go back and study hard.
Qiu Yan, on the other hand, took the initiative to give him some fresh ingredients.
"There aren't many fresh ingredients. Have Chef Chen cook a few dishes to try. If he thinks the taste is acceptable, we can use it for a long time."
If Xingyuelou's business improves, her share of the profits will also increase, so naturally she would think of Xingyuelou.
"Okay." Zhou Zifang thanked Qiu Yan and then took his leave.
Only after the wonton shop was empty of customers were Qiu Yumei and the others able to taste the fresh ingredients.
Qiu Yumei praised as she ate, "It really enhances the flavor, it's delicious, really delicious."
After tasting it, everyone praised it repeatedly.
Gao Yuan joked, "Master, you can sell these fresh ingredients; they're sure to fetch a good price."
Zhang Ming echoed, "I think so too."
Qiu Yan shook her head, "If we're going to do it, we'll make it unique."
Once things calmed down at the shop, she instructed Zhu Silang and his wife to work overtime to prepare fresh ingredients for the wontons and other meals to be served the next day.
Of course, she also reminded the two of them that they must not tell anyone else about this recipe for fresh ingredients.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Silang and the Cao couple repeatedly assured him that they would keep their mouths shut.
Their indentures were in Qiu Yan's hands. If they betrayed their master, Qiu Yan could punish them with a single word.
They've noticed these days that Qiu Yan is friendly to her own people, but ruthless towards those who maliciously cause trouble.
Those who betray their masters rarely have a good ending.
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