All 300 sets of "New Collection of Elementary Education" were bound during the Great Snow season.
By this point the snow was heavy.
After resting for two days, Xu Jiang calculated the cost and sent someone to deliver it to Du Hui, asking him to set the price.
If I let her decide, if it's too high, she'll be considered ungrateful, and if it's too low, I'll be at a disadvantage. So I might as well let him decide, so that there's something to say about the high and low.
Afterwards, she and Lin Hongchu cleaned the bookstore inside and out. They walked around without feeling cold and broke out in a sweat.
"Boss, the incense is gone."
The cypress incense and pine resin she had made earlier were not much to begin with, and she had been burning them every day to refresh herself these days, so naturally, they were not enough to burn.
"We still have some old mugwort and phellodendron, so we'll use them to fumigate first. It's just right for driving away dampness."
"I understand." Lin Hongchu brought out a large stove and poured Chen Ai and Huang Bai into it.
When the smoke rose, Yue Nu ran all over the house, and finally went into the donkey shed in the backyard to compete with the stubborn donkey for a nest.
Xu Jiang was also unable to stay any longer and ran out the door, "Why did you order so much?"
Lin Hongchu burst into tears, "It looked like not many people died and they all collapsed."
"It's like a tide."
Xu Jiang hurried into the house and moved the stove out. The damp mugwort and coptis chinensis would produce an unpleasant smoky smell when smoked.
Shopkeeper Wang saw this from afar and strolled over. He asked with a smile, "Shopkeeper Xu, are you ready to make smoked meat?"
Xu Jiang was speechless for a moment, then laughed dryly and said, "I was going to fumigate the house, but who would have thought the material got damp and the smoke is a bit thick."
"I think this smoke is just right. Every household is making smoked meat these days, why don't you make some too?" Then he added with a hint of boasting, "My wife made a lot this year too, and it tastes delicious."
"Sister-in-law's cooking skills are always good." Xu Jiang praised, and looked into the distance. Sure enough, a cloud of green smoke was rising from every household. Along with the green smoke, there was also the faint aroma of fermented spices. "What a nice smell."
She had been stuck in the bookstore these days and missed the beautiful scenery of the season.
"It's like this every year during the Great Snow Festival. Seeing that you haven't done anything, I'll bring you two pieces later. It's cold out, so you can use them to stew a pot and eat them warm."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "Then I won't be polite."
"I'm just afraid you're being too polite." Shopkeeper Wang said and went back to get the meat.
Lin Hongchu sighed softly and whispered, "My mother used to do it, but this year my father was afraid she would have to work too hard, so he stopped her from doing it."
She smiled and said, "Mom's bacon is delicious too."
But I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat it by this time next year.
Xu Jiang took her in her arms and patted her. Just as she was about to say a few words of comfort, Zeng Zhui came towards them on his donkey.
He saw the two standing at the door and waved at them from a distance, "Madam Xu, little hoe, I've brought you some smoked meat!"
Lin Hongchu immediately glared, "Don't I have a name? Why are you calling me that?"
Zeng Zhui chuckled, jumped off the donkey, and took out four or five pieces of smoked meat and handed them to Lin Hongchu. "The smoked meat in the capital is always lightly salted and tastes bland, which makes it unpleasant to eat. Here, try my best smoked meat in Shuzhou. I guarantee you'll want to eat it again and again."
"Where did you get this crazy guy?" Shopkeeper Wang came over with smoked meat and just happened to hear him say this. He immediately got angry and said, "What do you mean the smoked meat in Beijing is lightly salted and lightly flavored? How good is your smoked meat? Bring it here so we can compare."
"Let's compare." Zeng Zhui wasn't afraid of comparison. He wasn't afraid of comparison for his writing, nor for his smoked meat. He snatched the smoked meat back from Lin Hongchu's hand and leaned towards Shopkeeper Wang. "Tell me, how do we compare?"
Shopkeeper Wang snorted, "How else can we compare? Of course we cook it and eat it."
Xu Jiang stared at the smoked meat for a long time and asked, "Did you cook this meat?"
Zeng Zhui turned his head to look at her, "Yes, who else could it be?"
"Don't you live in Mr. Du's house?"
"Yes, it was made at his house. The cypress branches and citrus leaves used for smoking the meat were cut in his yard."
"Why hasn't he killed you yet?"
"They were going to beat him to death, but after they ate the meat, they stopped beating him."
Xu Jiang held her forehead and said, "It's like adding brine to tofu, there is always something that can overcome something else."
Shopkeeper Wang stared at the smoked meat in front of him, only to feel the aroma. He swallowed his saliva and said, "Aren't we going to compete?"
When Xu Jiang saw how greedy he was, she knew that he had no other thoughts and just wanted to eat.
"Yes." Zeng Zhui said to Xu Jiang, "Madam Xu, may I borrow your kitchen?"
Lin Hongchu stared at him in surprise, "You cook it yourself?"
"Of course I cook for myself. If I didn't, I would have starved to death along the way."
"Come on, stop chatting." Shopkeeper Wang caught Zeng Zhui and went into the kitchen as if he was familiar with the place.
Xu Jiang and Lin Hongchu continued to sweep and clean. When they had cleaned up everything inside and out, a rich aroma of meat came out from the kitchen.
The people of Shuzhou are masters of making smoked, salted, and cured meats. Xu Jiang had previously visited Shuzhou and, having been invited to a mountain home, witnessed their practice. Freshly slaughtered New Year pigs are not boiled in water. Instead, they are sautéed with salt, aniseed, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and other spices, ground into a powder and applied to the meat, allowing it to marinate for two days. During the curing process, the meat is weighed down with stones to draw out the blood. The meat is then strung with palm leaves and hung under the eaves to air-dry for four or five days. After airing, it is then smoked over a fire using cypress, pine, and citrus branches, rice husks, and dried tangerine peel. This process typically takes two or three days. The resulting smoked meat is not only salty and fragrant, but also durable and can be stored for up to six months.
Shuzhou is humid and meat spoils quickly. Using this method to store it not only prevents it from spoiling but also preserves its flavor.
As soon as Xu Jiang smelled the aroma, she knew it was Zeng Zhui's smoked meat. She and Lin Hongchu walked into the kitchen and saw that Shopkeeper Wang was eagerly stuffing a piece of the meat Zeng Zhui had just cut into his mouth.
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