The method is also simple. Just use water, add onions and ginger and cook until the soup turns milky white. It is very delicious.
That pot of scallops had other ways to enjoy it besides making soup. She switched to a larger pot, heated oil over high heat, and quickly stir-fried the scallops. She then added scallions, ginger, garlic, cornel oil, and Sichuan peppercorns, stir-frying until they were all open. Then she added rice wine and simmered until the juices were reduced, then sprinkled salt on the pot and removed from the heat.
The rice shop owner sneezed at the smell of dogwood. "What kind of cooking method is this? Why is it so pungent?"
"Would you like to try it?"
The rice shop owner picked up one and put it in his mouth to suck. He could only taste a little bit of meat, and the rest was just spicy. "I can't taste it. I'll try another one."
He tried this more than ten times, and his mouth turned red from the spiciness.
Seeing that he was about to take more, Xu Jiang stopped him and said, "You are full now. You won't be able to eat anything else later."
The rice shop owner swallowed his saliva, still feeling unsatisfied.
Xu Jiang changed the pot to steam the crabs and picked up a piece of pickled fish that Aunt Cao had pickled to steam together. It was ready in half an incense stick of time.
"Delicious!" The freshness of the crab and the mellowness of the pickled fish complement each other.
"Serve the food!" the rice shop owner couldn't wait.
It’s dusk and the autumn night is cold, perfect for entertaining guests around the fire.
Xu Jiang asked Hu Xu to close the door and simply set up a table in the kitchen. The three of them sat around the stove, tasting crabs and drinking wine.
The wine was potato wine given by Uncle Cao. Xu Jiang only bought a pot and put it on the stove to simmer. As the wine heated up, the sweet aroma spread out.
Xu Jiang poured another cup for each person.
The rice shop owner eagerly took a sip, smacking his lips. "It smells good, but not spicy at all," he said, finishing the whole cup. Soon, the wine entered his internal organs, and the aroma left a burning sensation in his chest.
He was speechless for a moment.
Xu Jiang took a sip and smiled, "Don't drink this wine too hastily, let alone too much, or I'll have to ask my sister-in-law to pick you up later."
After saying that, he served him a bowl of soup.
The rice shop owner drank the soup and finally suppressed the anger in his chest, "What a domineering wine."
Seeing this, Hu Xu grabbed the wine glass, took a sip, and soon his face turned red.
Xu Jiang looked at him and laughed, and said quickly: "Eat some food first, and then we can eat and drink."
"Great! I've been craving this sand shell for a long time!"
The three of them started eating with the food piping hot. The rice shop owner was very active, Xu Jiang knew a lot, and Hu Xu occasionally agreed, so they all had a lively meal.
The owner of the rice shop opened a crab and saw that it was full of roe and thick meat, so he couldn't wait to start eating it.
"This crab is plump and sweet. People say you should eat crab with all the eight ingredients, but we are simple folks and don't care about those things. We just enjoy it like this."
Xu Jiang also took one, a female crab, and ate it with soy sauce, which filled her mouth with fragrance.
Hu Xu took the plate, picked out one with chopsticks and handed it to Xu Jiang. Xu Jiang was slightly startled and took it generously.
The rice shop owner saw this and laughed so hard that his eyes were dazzled.
Towards the end of the meal, the three of them chatted intermittently. Xu Jiang thought of Jisheng Bookstore and thought Hu Xu should be familiar with it, so she asked, "Zhuchun, do you know where Jisheng Bookstore came from?"
When mentioning Jisheng Bookstore, Hu Xu's expression dimmed, and there was a hint of disgust in his eyes.
"The owner of Jisheng Bookstore is Zhou Shancai, a nephew of Zhou Huai, the Minister of Revenue. He wasn't good at studying, and after failing the imperial examinations several times, he devoted himself to business. The bookstore was originally a small one, but after he took over, thanks to Zhou Huai's connections, it grew rapidly. Now, dozens of bookstores in the capital all respect him, and he has even established a bookshop."
"Bookshop?" This was a strange thing. There were salt shops, cloth shops, and tea shops, but this was the first time I'd heard of a bookshop. "Shouldn't the bookshops in the capital be managed by the Ministry of Revenue?"
She suddenly remembered the uncle-nephew relationship between the Minister of Revenue and Zhou Shancai, and shook her head, saying, "Officials and businessmen are colluding. No wonder they are so fearless."
Hu Xu said bitterly, "Although the emperor governs strictly, it is difficult to prevent such despicable people from disregarding the law and pursuing personal gain."
"Alas, even though the world is good now, how can we ever completely stop such dirty things?" The rice shop owner sighed, "After all, people die for money, and birds die for food."
Hu Xu asked, "Why did the boss suddenly mention him?"
Xu Jiang then told him what she had discovered today, "That set of Donglingzi Collection is a mixture of true and false, and the forgery is so sophisticated that ordinary people can't tell the difference."
Hu Xu snorted coldly, "It's not the first time they've done something like this. It's just that many people bought fake books, but because of the power behind him, they don't dare to confront him."
He was silent for a moment after he finished speaking, but then he warned Xu Jiang, "Boss, I advise you not to get involved in this matter, so as not to cause trouble."
Xu Jiang drank the last glass of wine, sighed, and said lightly: "Let's talk about it later."
After finishing the food and drinking the wine, Xu Jiang saw the two out.
The gate of the neighborhood was closed and Hu Xu could not go back. He wanted to find an inn to rest, but the owner of the rice shop warmly invited him to stay overnight at his home and give a lecture to his son.
Hu Xu couldn't refuse and agreed.
Xu Jiang chuckled as she saw the two of them supporting each other as they walked away. Suddenly, a gust of north wind blew, and the tree in front of the door looked like it had its head shaved, with most of its leaves falling off.
She shivered, quickly closed the door and went back to the room, rolled into the warm and soft quilt, and then fell asleep under the covers, feeling drunk.
As for other things, let’s talk about them after we wake up.
In the Lou residence, Lou Yunchun, who had slept for a day and a night, opened his eyes on the couch, only to find that the surroundings were still spinning.
He pressed his forehead and felt less dizzy, then he stood up and called the servant on duty.
"Master is awake?"
"What time?"
"It's the twilight hour. I've already asked for leave from the Dali Temple. The master has also come to inquire about it, and he said that if you still can't get up, you can sleep for two days. It won't be a big deal."
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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