The old woman smiled brightly when she was praised for her cooking skills for the first time. She handed the basket to her and said, "My lady, you are sweet-mouthed and kind-hearted. I will take the money. Next time you come to buy mushrooms, I will give you more."
"Okay." Xu Jiang took the basket and weighed it. Feeling its heaviness, she knew she had gotten a good deal. So, she thought for a moment and offered her a recipe. "Auntie, if you have any leftover mushrooms and it's inconvenient to dry them, I have a way to preserve them so they don't spoil."
The old woman asked curiously, "What method?"
"First, wash and dry the mushrooms, then tear them into small pieces. Slow-roast them in half a pound of cooking oil until they're dry and lean. Then, let them cool thoroughly and seal them in a jar. The mushroom oil you make this way is not only fresh and fragrant, but also easy to store. It's delicious with noodle soup or rice. If you make a lot and sell it, the price will be much higher than selling the mushrooms themselves."
The old woman swallowed and asked, "Where is this way of eating? I've been eating and selling mushrooms for decades and I've never heard of this before."
"This is how they eat it in Nanzhao. Nanzhao is thousands of miles away from the capital, so it's normal that Auntie hasn't heard of it. If you have any concerns, you can make a small amount to try first. If it tastes good, you can make more. It's always a good idea."
"Okay, okay, I'll try it when I get back."
Xu Jiang smiled at her and left with the basket.
In the food stall, Lou Yunchun stared at the steaming mutton soup noodles in front of him and suddenly lost his appetite.
Is mushroom oil really that fragrant?
After buying pine mushrooms, Xu Jiang bought a pheasant and some peppers, ginger and garlic. Finally, as the market closed, she went to Zhao Zhang to get the donkey.
Unfortunately, the donkey, having eaten its good food, refused to move, and despite being beaten and scolded, it would only pull its neck and argue with her. Xu Jiang had no choice but to ask Zhao Zhang to buy a bundle of good horse fodder and tie it to the donkey. Only then did it beg to be led.
Zhao Zhang originally refused to take her money, and she had to persuade him with great effort. When she left, he took another bag of cut ingredients and tied it on the donkey's back before sending her and the donkey away.
Xu Jiang gave the donkey a hard smack on the buttocks and cursed, "You stubborn thing! Sooner or later I'll make donkey meat and roast it."
The donkey got the good food, but didn't care about it. It just went home with its eyes downcast and a brisk pace.
Back at the bookshop, Xu Jiang entered through the corner gate, not the main entrance. She put her things away before starting to make a fire and cook. There were two stoves in the kitchen, perfect for simmering rice on one and boiling water on the other to pluck the chicken.
Deftly, she repeatedly doused the chicken's feathers with boiling water, then plucked them while they were still hot. She didn't throw the feathers away, but set them aside to be sorted, washed, and dried for future use. The pheasant was small, so she cut open its abdomen to remove any debris, cleaned any remaining blood and lungs, and then stuffed the whole thing into a clay pot, sprinkled it with salt, and simmered it in water.
While the food was stewing, she washed the pine mushrooms she had bought one by one, kept some for stewing the chicken, and poured the rest into a basket to dry, so that she could make pine mushroom oil after dinner.
About half an hour later, Xu Jiang poured ginger, garlic, rice wine and washed pine mushrooms into the ceramic pot and continued to simmer them with the chicken. After cooking for nearly half an hour, she turned off the fire.
At this point, there is no need to open the lid, the fresh fragrance can already be smelled.
Xu Jiang carefully opened the lid, and the aroma of the chicken and the freshness of the pine mushrooms rushed straight to the roof with the steaming water vapor, and then drifted into the doors and windows of the neighbors with the night wind.
"God damn it, who is stewing soup in the middle of the night? It's so tempting."
"Dad, I'm hungry and can't concentrate on reading."
"I just finished my meal, why do I feel hungry again?"
The neighbors were drooling, but Xu Jiang took a bowl of soup and sipped it contentedly, blowing on the oil droplets. She drank two large bowls in a row, then soaked the rice in chicken broth, eating until her belly was full before she put down her bowl and chopsticks.
After the meal, she felt dizzy for a while, cleaned up the dishes, and started to set up the pan to fry pine mushrooms.
"Are you going to let me live? Who is this? What are you doing? It smells so good that it's killing me."
"Dad, I'm hungry. I don't want to study anymore."
"I want to eat, I want to eat..." This person has gone crazy.
By the time Xu Jiang finally finished frying the pine mushroom oil, the midnight watch had already sounded. She yawned, took a hot shower, and then fell asleep.
The poor neighbors all had their eyes open, touching their hungry stomachs, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Three days later, Du Hui received his invitation, delivered by a young man who knocked on his door early in the morning. After receiving the invitation, Xu Jiang asked him to bring a palm-sized can of pine mushroom oil back to Du Hui as a thank-you gift.
"It's not something valuable, just a gift for your master."
"Okay."
After sending the boy off, she opened the note and read it. The address was Zhaoxingfang, Louzhai. The date was set for tomorrow at 9:00 PM. The note also specifically noted that the item to be mounted was a painting of a pine and crane symbolizing longevity.
A painting of pine and cranes prolonging life? It must be a birthday gift, no wonder it's so formal. She put the invitation away, her mind already set.
Just as he was about to enter the house, Xu San came with a group of people, "Boss."
When Xu Jiang saw the man, she was surprised. "It's you?"
The man was also surprised when he saw Xu Jiang, but then he smiled and said, "Miss, you are well."
The person who came was the scholar who wrote the poem.
Xu San scratched his head and asked, "Does the boss know Zhu Chun?"
So her name is Zhuchun. Xu Jiang smiled and welcomed her into the shop.
Xu San explained his purpose. "Boss, didn't you ask me to help you find someone? I've been searching everywhere but haven't found anyone suitable. It just so happened that I ran into Zhuchun looking for work today. Seeing that he was a scholar who could both write and paint, I brought him here to meet you. I never expected you two to meet. It's truly fate."
Zhu Chun smiled gently, "I remember the young lady told me before that there was a bookshop opening in Yonghefang. I wanted to come here, but I never had the time. Today, I happened to hear Third Brother mention it and said they were hiring, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect it to be the young lady's bookshop."
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