Chapter 84 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 84 What are you two talking about...
The long-lost taste left Yu Qinglong feeling a bit dazed. He used to be able to get food delivered with just a phone call, but now he had to bake it himself.
The temperature inside the oven was just right. Peering inside, Yu Qinglong could see the egg tart crust visibly changing under the intense heat. The dough, originally slightly yellow and soft, gradually developed layers of texture as it baked. It wasn't very noticeable, just a slight touch. It couldn't compare to modern craftsmanship, but it looked pretty good.
The stone mold is much larger than the modern tin foil mold, so Yu Qinglong didn't dare put too much egg and milk liquid in it, so it cooked very quickly.
He and Fang Shu took turns carrying the ash rake, and after less than half an hour together, the thing had already changed color.
Seeing that it was cooked, Yu Qinglong signaled Fang Shu to take out the egg tart and carefully carry it outside.
The temperature outside has already reached below zero. If there's any water or dust outside, you can clearly see the ice layer forming, and anything hot will get cold after a while.
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu waited outside for a while. Seeing that the steaming egg tarts had gradually cooled down, they gently touched the stone tray.
The stone tray is not hot to the touch, so you can use it to pry the edge of the egg tart and take it out.
The crust began to crumble when Yu Qinglong touched it. The crust baked over fire was indeed different from pan-fried; it crumbled with the slightest pinch. The shape was a bit odd, but it possessed a certain artistic beauty.
"Would you like a sip?" Yu Qinglong asked Fang Shu.
"Okay." Fang Shu took a bite from Yu Qinglong's raised hand. With a "crunch," it was crispy, fragrant, and soft, sweet but not greasy. The aroma of milk and egg melted between the lips and teeth, making one fall in love with the taste in just one bite. "Brother Long, come and try it too."
"I'll just have a taste, the rest is yours."
Yu Qinglong was actually just tasting the sweetness. If he only looked at the appearance, he would be sure it was fine.
After tasting it, he discovered a surprising difference from the steamed egg liquid. The egg liquid he'd previously steamed in a small bowl had just the right sweetness, but now, after baking, it wasn't as sweet. He wondered if it was because the flour absorbed the sugar or something else.
But this sweetness can be achieved by just adding some sugar. The result is quite satisfactory.
So Yu Qinglong began to think about how to build an "oven" in the yard using bricks and glutinous rice mud.
In his previous life, he sometimes thought watching short videos was a waste of time, but now he was actually grateful that he had watched them. He also had a good memory and had memorized some useful information. It was just too late today.
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu baked the remaining egg tarts in batches and gave them to their elder brother and sister-in-law to try, and then summarized some experience.
The next day, after breakfast, the couple planned to build an oven. They had to go to the city to buy bricks, and they also needed enough glutinous rice to make the slurry.
However, they didn't need to do this work; someone else in the family took it on. Fang Dingman said, "I'm just sitting around doing nothing anyway, so I'll go buy some bricks. Longge'er, you and Shu'er are both busy right now, so it'll be nice if I can save you some time."
Yu Dayou said, "Then I'll go get some soil and sift some sand."
Yu Qinglong didn't have much experience in these matters, so he asked his elders how much material he would need to make a piece that was two feet long, two feet high, and one and a half feet wide.
As a result, when the elders heard this, they all felt that it was okay not to buy the bricks.
"For such a small stove, we can just scrape some bricks from our homes in Shangxi Village," Yu Dayou said. "It's just old bricks. Long Ge'er, do you think it will work?"
Yu Qinglong hadn't really thought of this and quickly said, "If we can live here, that's totally fine, Father. We can even save a lot of money."
Fang Dingman said, "Then you go get the bricks, and I'll go find someone in the village to trade for some sticky rice."
Yu Dayou also thought this was okay, so he drove the salted egg yolk out.
The two fathers agreed to help with the "oven," which saved Yu Qinglong time. He used the time to finish the storybook, and the whole family was busy.
By the afternoon, the "oven" was ready, but it wasn't dry yet and couldn't be used.
Yu Qinglong looked at it and thought it wasn't a big deal. It had a smoke vent and a compartment in the middle. He could use charcoal on the bottom and grill food on the top. Once his iron grill pan arrived and he had some charcoal ready, he could give it a try.
Two days later, Wu Sheng returned in the afternoon, bringing with him the baking tray, three jars of milk, a large piece of pork, and a sack of charcoal.
"Why did you buy such a large piece of pork?" Fang Shu asked, "Did my mother ask me to buy it?"
"No, this is something my mother sent over. Isn't Long'er pregnant? My mother said he likes to eat meat, so she let him eat more. It's also to thank him for helping me find the bracelet."
"But this is too much. When will we be able to finish it?"
That's a huge piece! It's the size of a quarter of a pig.
Yu Qinglong also felt that it would take many days to eat every meal.
Wu Sheng said, "Eat slowly. It will freeze when the weather gets cold."
Fang Shu said, "Then we'll take Long'er. We can use the fat to make oil."
Yu Qinglong said with a smile, "Why are you so rude? Changjie, please thank my aunt for me later."
Fang Shu said, "Changjie, eat dinner before you leave."
Wu Sheng said cheerfully, "Okay. It's a good opportunity to see if that baking tray can be used."
Yu Qinglong made milk tea that night, mainly because Fang Shu loved it. It was a bit high in calories, but it was winter and he didn't drink it every day, so he indulged Fang Xiucai.
This was my first time trying Wusheng and I thought it was delicious. It was fragrant, smooth, and sweet. Who wouldn’t love it?
Yu Qinglong also baked some egg tarts in his new oven. To get the temperature just right, he added charcoal, sometimes too much, sometimes too little, and after several rounds of back and forth, he finally got the egg tarts baked successfully.
It's worth mentioning that although the iron baking pan is a bit heavy, the egg tarts baked in it are delicious. Both adults and children in the family love them. Zhuangzhuang ate several of them, and his mouth was covered with grease.
Yu Qinglong felt that everyone really loved it. But there was a problem. In the countryside, people weren't very well off, and sugar was rarely available. Now, with both egg, milk, and sugar, as long as the flavors were similar, they would definitely find it delicious.
But in the county town, most families who can afford sugar and milk have no shortage of them, so it is hard to say what is going on.
With the intention of giving it a try, Yu Qinglong made some more and asked Niu Quan to take it to the town to let Cao Kuo taste it, and then distributed some to some wealthy families.
That afternoon, Niu Quan came on horseback and told Yu Qinglong that their masters had decided to make another batch of iron baking trays.
The first one was made at the Wu family's blacksmith shop, so needless to say, to save time, he would definitely continue to do it there. This also happened to help the Wu family attract some business.
As soon as the baking tray was ready, Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went to the county town again.
This time he brought Ma Qinfu and Yan Xikuan, and Niu Quan was also there. After arriving in the county town, Yu Qinglong went straight to Fuyue Restaurant.
Guo Hengan was just about to see him and thought he would have to wait another six or seven days, but unexpectedly he arrived early.
"Brother Fang, Brother Xiao Yu, we're so glad you're here!" Guo Heng'an was so excited that he was rubbing his hands and clapping his hands. "Hey, what are you guys still standing there for? Hurry up and help Master Fang and Master Yu and these distinguished guests get their things inside! By the way, who are these people?"
"This is Lord Niu Quan, the most capable person guarding Qixia Town. These two are my classmates." Fang Shu said, "Yan Xikuan and Ma's personal attendant."
"Excuse me, please come in."
"It seems Boss Guo's business is pretty good lately," Yu Qinglong said. "It's still so busy at this hour."
This time they were riding in a government carriage, which ran fast and didn't require queuing at the city gate, so they arrived quickly. It wasn't dinner time yet, but at a glance, half the seats in the room were occupied.
Guo Hengan said, "It's all thanks to Brother Xiaoyu that so many people come here just to eat the snow-covered red bean paste. I'm almost overwhelmed here, so I have to sell it by the piece. Many people came here today just because of its reputation. Some even made reservations but haven't arrived yet."
Yu Qinglong said, "How did the news spread so quickly?"
Guo Hengan said, "Of course. I have sisters at home, too. They often get together to play. If I tell them I have something delicious that no one has ever tasted, the young masters and young ladies from the wealthy families will quickly find out and rush over."
This is the kind of thing where word of mouth spreads. But the fact that it sold so quickly is probably because young people are following the trend.
At this time, Guo Hengan said, "Look at me, I'm just too happy. Old Pan, quickly tell the kitchen to prepare the Feihe banquet. I want to entertain these distinguished guests."
The manager responded and left.
Guo Hengan invited everyone to the private room and asked, "I wonder why Brother Fang and Brother Xiaoyu came early this time?"
Yu Qinglong said, "I've made two new things and I'd like to ask Mr. Guo to try them."
At this time, Fang Shu took out a portion of egg tarts from the box, three in total, and placed them in an exquisite small wooden box.
Guo Hengan felt it was something new and novel, something he had never seen before.
Yu Qinglong said, "If it's convenient for Mr. Guo, you can ask the waiter to roast it over charcoal for a while and then try it after it's warm."
There were plenty of waiters and charcoal was ready. Guo Hengan gave the order immediately, and soon the waiter heated up the food and brought it back.
When Guo Hengan took a bite, he found it crispy, tender and smooth, with a fragrant aroma of milk.
After tasting it carefully, he said, "Here are sugar, flour, eggs, milk, and lard?"
Yu Qinglong said, "That's right."
Guo Hengan said, "It tastes good. It doesn't look difficult to make either. I'm afraid it won't be long before someone else learns how to make it."
What this means is that this thing is not as valuable as snow-coated bean paste.
Yu Qinglong said, "It's easy to learn, but not everyone is willing to learn it."
Guo Hengan looked as if he didn't understand: "Brother Xiaoyu, what do you mean?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Ever since Mr. Guo started selling these dim sum, he's been telling people that every penny earned will be donated to disaster victims. People who come to buy these dim sum from you are accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. And if they buy a lot, you can even offer them some discounts, like a free dish or some dim sum when they dine at Fu Yue Restaurant again. So, do you think anyone would be willing to do the same?"
Guo Hengan frowned slightly and thought: "Brother Xiaoyu, are you going to..."
He glanced at Niu Quan with an uncertain look: "But will this work? Does the governor know about this?"
He wasn't afraid to donate his earnings to the disaster victims. Taking from the people, giving back to the people. Businesses sometimes can't just focus on immediate profits. Besides, fame often leads to profit. He just wondered if this was something Yu Qinglong and Niu Quan were planning privately, or if...
Niu Quan said, "Boss Guo, don't worry. Our Lord is aware of this matter. He is deeply concerned about the people. This time, he invited Brother Xiao to help the victims raise some money to at least get through this New Year. The County Magistrate should also be aware of this matter by now."
"But if we want to raise more money, the price can't be too low. If someone else learns it and lowers the price below ours..."
"Impossible," Niu Quan said. "After all, this is money to save the people's lives. If anyone dares to ruin this, it would be a violation of the law of nature."
"What's that other thing Brother Xiaoyu just mentioned?"
"Caramel milk tea."
Yu Qinglong said, "But it's almost dinner time now, and I'm afraid your small kitchen is busy. I'll make it tomorrow morning."
Guo Heng'an's mind had already been spinning dozens of times. He thought the egg tarts Yu Qinglong had mentioned were delicious and could indeed be sold. And with government backing, this business would definitely be profitable.
Even if he didn't make money, he could still have a good reputation. He was mainly thinking about establishing a relationship with Cao Kuo, which was definitely not a losing business.
He had a rough idea in his mind, but because Niu Quan was present and he was not familiar with the other two, he did not elaborate.
Yu Qinglong didn't intend to go into too much detail while Niu Quan was around. But Guo Hengan should have understood that while this business might not sound very profitable, it actually wasn't losing money.
At night, Yu Qinglong, Fang Shu, Yan Xikuan and his personal attendant stayed at the Fuyue Restaurant.
Niu Quan went to the county government office, where someone arranged accommodation for him.
After all the guests in the building had left and the door was closed, Guo Hengan secretly ran over to see Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu.
He asked someone to guard the door: "Brother Fang, Brother Xiaoyu, how long can this business last?"
Yu Qinglong said, "It depends. If sales are good, we can at least make it to the end of the year. But I will have a new recipe for Boss Guo after the New Year, so for now, we just need to make sure this thing is stable. Now let's establish a good relationship with Lord Cao first, and other benefits will come naturally in the future."
Guo Heng'an was well-known for Cao Kuo. Unlike Magistrate Ma's rhetoric of integrity, this Lord Cao was a man of action, and he was known to be well-respected by the higher-ups. His presence here meant he was interested in improving their military, and he had a promising future ahead of him. So, once he heard Cao Kuo knew about this, he stopped worrying about losing out on both sides.
He asked, "Why is the other new recipe only available next year?"
Yu Qinglong said, "Because we don't have that kind of food right now. Speaking of which, where did you buy those potatoes that Boss Guo gave me?"
Guo Hengan said it was with businessmen from overseas.
In this era, there was no maritime ban, so maritime trade was still relatively prosperous. Yu Qinglong had seen some novel things in this county town, but he had never seen potatoes.
"Brother Xiaoyu said the ingredients you don't have are these potatoes?"
"Exactly."
"How difficult is that? I'll send someone to find the merchant and buy more."
“Isn’t it expensive?”
"It's certainly not cheap. But if the new dish is unique, it's worth buying some."
"There's still time to release the new dish next year, but if you can buy more of this, please buy some for me, Boss Guo. I don't know the price, though."
"Forty wen a jin. But if you buy more, it should be cheaper."
"Then I'll have to trouble Boss Guo to help me find out. I want to buy a thousand kilograms."
"How many?!"
"One thousand pounds. Also, could you please ask Boss Guo if they have anything like this?"
"What?"
Yu Qinglong drew a corn for Guo Hengan.
Guo Hengan thought it looked familiar. "I think I've seen this thing before. But it's very hard, and it seems to consume a lot of fuel."
Yu Qinglong said, "It's less wasteful to break it up. If you see it again, Boss Guo, please buy some for me. Or tell me where the merchant is. He has more of what I'm looking for, and maybe he can make you some dishes you can't find elsewhere."
Guo Hengan was very concerned when he heard this and promised to contact the other party as soon as possible.
He then asked about the egg tart business, and this time Yu Qinglong explained it in more detail. Guo Hengan nodded and decided to find someone to build the oven.
Before he left, he asked Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu what they wanted to eat the next morning so he could have it prepared. Fang Shu had been quiet most of the time, but now, upon hearing Fang's smile, he said, "Thank you, Boss Guo, for thinking of us. My husband is pregnant and loves meat these days. If it's convenient, could you please have a few trays of xiaolongbao prepared for him? He also loves to eat eight-treasure simmered in soy sauce. If you could get some, paired with rice porridge, it's his favorite."
Guo Hengan opened his mouth and said, "Ah, you guys?!"
How could Yu Qinglong actually be a brother?! Why hadn't his stupid nephew ever told him this!
Fang Shu said, "Brother, it's always inconvenient for you to be away from home. My husband is a straightforward person, so he doesn't usually explain things. But we are indeed husband and wife. Boss Guo will be a good friend of mine from now on, so I can't hide it from you anymore."
Guo Hengan said, "You should know this. But if I was inconsiderate before, I hope you two brothers will forgive me. By the way, this room has two beds. I'll ask them to change it to a larger one for you."
Guo Hengan was about to call for help when Fang Shu said, "Don't bother me, Boss Guo. One bed is perfect for luggage and the other for sleeping. Your bed is quite spacious."
Guo Hengan glanced at the bed. It was definitely more spacious than the single beds you'd find in a typical inn or restaurant. But if two grown men were to sleep together... wouldn't they have to sleep face to face?
Okay, since the couple says it’s spacious, then it’s spacious!
-----------------------
The author has something to say: I ate something bad today and had diarrhea, which cost me half my life. I'm taking a break from the theater for a day... [burst into tears]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
