Xu Jiang had a lot of things to buy, so after calculating the amount, she asked Kui Wazi to find an errand boy to deliver them to Zhao Zhang's stable. She also bought some easy-to-store dried goods such as bacon, pickled meat, ham, and cured chicken, and had them delivered to the stable as usual.
She didn't walk around until the afternoon when she could no longer walk and went to Zhao Zhang to lead the donkey back. On the way, she naturally bought a bundle of good fodder for the stubborn donkey.
When they returned to the bookstore, it was still early. Hu Xu was copying books. Seeing that she bought so many things, he hurried over to help.
"Why did the boss buy so much?"
"Buy more when winter comes. If it snows and it's hard to go out, I'll go hungry." Taking precautions is a habit she developed from years of traveling.
Hu Xu glanced at the sky and saw the clouds piling up. He thought: This snow might just happen in the next day or two.
Xu Jiang first put the sand clams into a basin, filled it with water, then took out a basket and threw the crabs into it before sorting out the other things.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the ingredients she bought.
"As the saying goes, if you have food at home, you won't be worried. Now I don't have to worry."
Hu Xu looked at her like a mouse hoarding food for the winter and couldn't help but chuckle.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Boss, have you read a book about gods and ghosts called Ghost Stories?"
Xu Jiang also laughed, realizing what he meant. "You said I look like a rat spirit?"
Those who laugh at others will always be laughed at by others.
"In the book 'Ghost Stories', my favorite chapter is 'The Rat'."
"Why?"
"Compared to other spirits, the rat is neither ferocious nor beautiful, yet it is undeceived by the world's prosperity, nor driven by evil desires. It is content with mediocrity and easily satisfied, yet it will never stagnate. It diligently cultivates its own world, living a more serious and down-to-earth life than anyone else. Perhaps the author of the book couldn't bear to let it down, so they gave it the only happy ending in the entire book."
Hu Xu looked at Xu Jiang with admiration in his eyes.
Xu Jiang couldn't help laughing and asked, "Are you praising me or the rat spirit?"
Hu Xu didn't dare look at her. "Of course... it's a rat spirit. How could the boss look like a rat spirit?"
No one doesn't like to be praised. Xu Jiang's face was almost as bright as a flower. She waved her hand and said, "Snack for today!"
As the two were talking, they heard voices coming from the shop in front. They went out to see that it was the owner of the Mai Po shop next door. Looking again, they saw that both of them were laughing.
Xu Jiang asked with a smile, "You came to get the book, why did you bring a goose with you?"
"Hey, is Shopkeeper Xu here?"
When the owner of the rice shop saw that she was there, he handed the goose in his hand to her. Zhuchun was afraid that the goose would peck her, so she wanted to take it herself. Unexpectedly, Xu Jiang reached out and grabbed the goose's neck and lifted it up.
Zhu Chun stretched out his hand, then withdrew it at a loss.
Xu Jiang's face was filled with joy, "This goose is really fat."
"My mother-in-law's family raised seven or eight of them. We didn't have enough rice bran at home for them, so I thought of sending one for you. This will reward Zhuchun for copying books for me, and it will help me save food, killing two birds with one stone."
The goose flapped its wings in Xu Jiang's hands, its wings spread as long as an arm, raising a lot of dust. Xu Jiang quickly caught it and took it to the backyard to keep the donkey company.
The remaining two stared at her back, speechless for a moment.
The rice shop owner murmured, "Shopkeeper Xu, this is truly extraordinary."
"Yes." Hu Xu smiled and said to him, "Wait a minute, I'll get the book for you."
Xu Jiang came out of the backyard and said to the rice shop owner, "I've found some great merchandise today. Boss, why don't we have a quick meal here?"
The rice shop owner didn't hesitate to greet her and asked curiously, "What good stuff are you? Let me take a look."
Xu Jiang led him to the backyard and pointed to the basin full of sand clams and fresh crabs.
“It’s really good stuff!”
"Not only good goods, but also good wine. Just wait and see."
"Okay, I'll wait to taste Shopkeeper Xu's cooking skills!"
Staring at the sand clams, Xu Jiang stroked her chin, an idea forming in her mind. She sifted and washed the sand clams three or four times, picking out the dead and smelly ones and placing them in a winnowing basket.
"Let me help you deal with this crab."
"Okay, three male and three female crabs. I'm going to make two crabs with sauce. It'll take a day or two, so I won't eat them today."
"Crab with soy sauce?"
"This must be the Chaozhou way of eating." Hu Xu leaned out of the small door. He saw the rice shop owner helping Xu Jiang, so he put his book aside and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Xu Jiang cherished his hands and said, "Catching crabs and shellfish hurts your hands. You're not used to it, so don't try. If you really have time, find me a book."
"What book?"
"I don't want to ask the Taoist's Annotated Dongling."
Hu Xu said yes and went to look for a book.
The rice shop owner's eyes rolled over the two of them and asked indirectly, "Brother Zhuchun hasn't gotten married yet, right?"
"I haven't asked, but I don't think so. If they were married, they wouldn't come to work in my sparrow cage."
"Excuse me for asking, but is Miss Xu married?" Because Xu Jiang never dressed like a woman and she was old enough, it was hard to guess whether she was married or not.
Even Xu Jiang, with her thick nerves, understood what he was going to ask. She said with a smile, "What kind of nonsense are you asking about?"
"Well, I'm old now. When I see a good-looking young man, I want to match him up." After saying that, he said with some regret: "I really don't mean that?"
Xu Jiang paused, then shook his head.
The owner of the rice shop glanced at the stall in front and sighed in his heart: The man has feelings for me, but I am not interested.
The clams and crabs were quickly washed, and Xu Jiang prepared some chopped green onions, ginger, minced garlic, and some oil made from cornel branches. Then she started a fire to make clams soup. Making clams in soup was a common practice, eaten in the capital as well, nothing special.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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