Liang Mo and Manager Wang also came back after delivering the holiday gifts. The carriage was still full of holiday gifts, all of which were received.
After delivering the holiday gifts, Shopkeeper Wang took his family back to his hometown, Lao Taishan's home, to worship his ancestors. After that, he had to rush back early to worship the water god and watch the temple fair. He was very busy.
Xu Jiang had some free time and opened the holiday gifts with Liang Mo. The most common gifts they received were bean curd buds, of various kinds, so many that they could open a small food stall if they were spread out.
She couldn't help but worry, "How can I eat so much?"
Liang Mo suggested, "Why not give it to someone else?"
Xu Jiang asked, "Who are you sending it to? Every household has made it and collected it today."
Liang Mo thought, "That's true." The bean curd buds harvested during the Lower Yuan Festival every year are so filling that people get sick of eating them.
Xu Jiang suddenly remembered that during major festivals, some officials and wealthy families would set up tents to give alms to the people. There were also many foreigners in Chang'an who could not afford to eat bean curd buds.
It would be better to donate these bean paste bones and some leftover cakes to the people who set up the tent. This way, you will not waste them and you will also accumulate virtue.
When she mentioned this, Liang Mo agreed and said, "We're going to Mr. Yuan's house today to give him a festival gift. I heard he's setting up a porridge stall outside Jinguang Gate. Why not send it there? It's nearby."
Xu Jiang nodded quickly, "Okay."
So the two of them packed up the tofu buds and other snacks and asked Liang Mo to deliver them to Jin Guangmen.
After Xu Jiangqing finished preparing the remaining festival gifts, he heard the alley getting bustling. He looked outside and saw that all the stalls had been set up.
Thinking that the bookstore has not set up a stall for a long time, and now I have some free time, I can sell off those books and small collectibles.
Do what you say.
She brought out the chopping board, set up a stall, and brought out all the seasonal books, ghost stories, and romantic love stories. She also put some broken plates, seals, wood carvings, calligraphy and paintings on the table.
They brought in a few stools, hired a stove, served some cakes, and started the meal.
"Hey, Shopkeeper Xu, your stall is so lively." A woman who was displaying her own fabrics and embroidery greeted with a smile.
Xu Jiang fanned the stove and replied, "It's been a while since I've put the books out. If I don't sell some of them, they'll soon go moldy."
The woman said, "You always say things to irritate us. Your bookshop is so prosperous, and you still let the books pile up until they get moldy?"
Another man selling groceries also said, "Isn't it? Just a few days ago, the door was almost broken by people walking on it."
"No, no, that's just a new book. They're selling it to make it fresh. It's hard to sell an old book in eight or ten days. There are still plenty in the store. If you don't believe me, why don't you go in and take a look?"
"Hey, I have a lot of inventory at home, and I'm selling it slowly."
After they chatted for a while, Xu Jiang lit the stove. Thinking about the can of cheese she had received from Zhong Lu today, she began to think of the Hu tea from Liquanfang.
There is a kind of milk tea in Hu tea, which is made with cheese or ghee.
However, Xu Jiang had heard from Yilale that fresh milk was actually the best. However, fresh milk in Beijing was only supplied to the imperial palace and Buddhist temples and was rarely seen. Therefore, yogurt and butter became the memories of the Hu people in Beijing about their hometown.
Because of the popularity of Hu food in recent years, it has gradually spread among the Han people and become a delicacy on the table, and many new ways of cooking it have been created.
The smell of smoke from the stove brought back Xu Jiang's greedy dog-like thoughts.
She searched the kitchen for salt, pepper, and rock honey, and also found the bag of red tea and the jar of cheese that Wan Qingmiao had stuffed into her when she was in Chongzhou. She then took out clay pots, tea cups, tea strainers, tea grinders, tea sieves and other utensils, and started cooking in a lively manner.
There are two flavors of milk tea, one salty and one sweet. Xu Jiang did not make a choice and was ready to try both.
It was not the first time that Xu Jiang drank milk tea, but it was the first time that he brewed it. He planned to try the salty one first.
First grind the tea leaves, then sieve them. When the water in the pot boils out twice and fine bubbles appear, shovel in the tea powder and stir quickly.
When the tea is dissolved in the water and the water is slightly boiling, add the cheese and stir until the water and milk are blended. Then add a little salt and pepper, then filter and pour into a cup.
The stall owners in the alley couldn't stand it anymore.
"What a nice smell! Shopkeeper Xu, what are you cooking? Why is it so tempting?"
"It smells like Hu tea."
"Are you selling books or drinks at this stall? How much? Give me a bowl first."
Xu Jiang was also drooling over the aroma, "It's milk tea."
Some neighbors have drunk milk tea, but none of them have drunk Hu Ru tea made with red cheese. This tea is red in color and fragrant. After being fermented by the cheese, the aroma of tea and frankincense mix together, making people's stomachs churn. How can the taste be compared with the mixed teas used by ordinary vendors?
When the tea water was slightly boiling, Xu Jiang removed it from the heat. She did not dare to cook it for too long, as the boiling momentum of the milk tea was difficult to stop. If it was boiled, half of it would evaporate. Wouldn't that be a waste of the cheese and red top red?
Xu Jiang put up the tea strainer, filtered out the tea dregs and milk residue, and poured herself a bowl. She blew on it a few times, and without caring about the heat, she hurriedly drank it.
She blew on it and pecked at it, and when the heat subsided a little, she drank it in big gulps. Everyone stared at her intently, and then saw her put down the bowl, lick her lips, and pour herself another bowl.
"Oh, please tell me if it tastes good or not. I'm so anxious."
"What does it smell like?"
After Xu Jiang finished drinking, she sighed with satisfaction, "Delicious, very delicious!" Then she said to the neighbors, "Everyone, take a bowl and try it. There's still more than half a can left."
So everyone went home to get their bowls.
Soon, the can of milk tea was distributed, and everyone returned to their stalls with the tea in their hands, basking in the winter sun, savoring the fragrant and warm taste, and sighing with satisfaction.
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s fragrant and smooth.”
"If Shopkeeper Xu didn't open a bookshop, he could still make a name for himself selling tea."
Xu Jiang didn't dare to take credit for it. "The method is simple. The tea is good. If I continue to waste it this way, I will open ten tea shops and nine of them will fail."
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