Chapter 30: The hot and sour noodles were so spicy they made me hiss!
Crystal powder was a new thing; no one in Qingquan Town had ever heard of such a powder. Some curious people stopped and asked, "What is this crystal powder?"
"Crystal noodles are unique to my Ye family, completely different from other noodles!" Lin Yao said, grabbing a handful of crystal noodles and dropping them into the boiling pot. "Watch closely, sir! In no time, these noodles will become as clear as ice and as translucent as water!" Lin Yao's loud voice attracted the attention of passersby, and some who came over exclaimed, "So magical! I'll come and see for myself!"
Lin Yao had soaked the crystal powder in water beforehand, making it easier to cook. After about half a cup of tea's time, the crystal powder in the pot gradually became clear. Seeing this, someone exclaimed in surprise, "It's truly different! It looked grayish just now, but now it's crystal clear!"
Seeing the crystal noodles cooked to this appearance, the customers who had just stopped by immediately wanted to try them and asked, "Young lady, what flavors of noodles are available? How are they sold?"
"There are two flavors. One is braised pork offal noodles, served with my family's secret braised pork offal, thirteen coins a bowl; the other is hot and sour noodles, served with crispy soybeans, minced meat topping and a secret hot and sour sauce, ten coins a bowl!" Lin Yao introduced.
"Why are they selling pig offal? Who would want to eat that stuff?" someone questioned.
Just then, Wu, the镖头 (bodyguard/escort), finished packing the provisions for his next escort mission and prepared to head to the dock. His journey would last anywhere from half a month to over a month, so he needed a good meal before setting off. Passing through East Street, he smelled the familiar aroma of braised pork offal from the dock and followed the scent. He saw that Lin Yao had set up her stall in town. Just as he was about to pay and exchange a few words, he overheard the man's words and immediately retorted, "This young lady's braised pork offal is always in high demand; everyone who's tried it raves about it. If you don't want some, I will." With that, he turned to Lin Yao and said, "A bowl of braised pork offal, please!"
Hearing Wu, the镖头 (bodyguard), defend himself, Lin Yao was quite surprised. "镖头, I'm really sorry. The amount of braised pig offal prepared today is limited. I specially reserved it to make the topping for this crystal noodle dish, and it's not sold separately."
Wu, the镖头 (bodyguard), was intrigued upon hearing about crystal powder for the first time and exclaimed, "Crystal powder? That's something new! Give me a serving!"
Lin Yao turned on the stove that was keeping the braised pork offal warm, and the rich aroma instantly filled the air. She scooped out a full spoonful of braised pork offal, placed it on top of the crystal noodles, poured on the braising sauce, and sprinkled on cilantro and chopped green onions. A bowl of tempting, fragrant braised crystal noodles was ready.
Lin Yao brought the noodles to Wu, the镖头 (bodyguard/escort), who had been busy all morning and was starving. He eagerly picked up his chopsticks, first taking a mouthful of crystal noodles. The translucent noodles swayed gently between his chopsticks, their luster in the morning sunlight truly living up to their name. He blew on them, then put them in his mouth. The unfamiliar and wonderful texture astonished him. Paired with a bite of braised pork offal, it was simply divine! "Young Lady Lin is a culinary goddess descended to earth! These crystal noodles are smooth and chewy; I've traveled all over the country for years and have never tasted such unique noodles!"
Hearing Wu the镖头's lavish praise, the crowd gathered around the stall lost most of their hesitation and began ordering in twos and threes. Some, like Wu the镖头, ordered braised pork offal noodles; but others, who didn't believe braised pork offal could be made well, opted for hot and sour noodles.
Liang was secretly amazed. No wonder Ayao and her two siblings were able to buy a donkey after running a food stall for only a month. In just a short while, the bamboo basket filled with money had accumulated more than sixty coins, which was much better than growing and selling vegetables themselves.
People generally say "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants," with merchants ranking last. But if one can't even afford to eat, what's the point of adhering to social hierarchy? Apart from royalty and the aristocracy, everyone else, no matter what their profession, is nothing more than an ant that can be crushed with a flick of the wrist in the eyes of the powerful. Now it seems that A-Yao is quite capable. If she could work for A-Yao in the future, even becoming her apprentice wouldn't be out of the question. Thinking this, Madam Liang didn't stop her work, deftly adding a large bundle of crystal powder to the pot.
Lin Yao took the cooked noodles from Liang and added different toppings and sauces according to the customers' requests. Everyone already knew the taste of braised crystal noodles, but no one had ever tasted the flavor of hot and sour noodles. Therefore, when Lin Yao slowly poured the special hot and sour sauce over the noodles, the unique aroma of sour and spicy intertwined instantly filled the air, stimulating everyone's sense of smell. Adding crispy and fragrant fried soybeans and a spoonful of minced meat, Lin Yao herself felt a little hungry just smelling it.
Wu, the镖头 (bodyguard), had just finished a bowl of braised pork offal noodles and felt completely refreshed when he suddenly smelled an enticing aroma of sour and spicy flavors. He said, "Young Lady Lin, is this sour and spicy noodles? Give me a bowl too!"
"Okay, here you go!" Lin Yao replied as she handed the hot and sour noodles to the customer who had just placed an order.
Lin Yao and Liang Shi never expected that sales would be so good on their first day of setting up their stall, and they were extremely busy.
On the other side of the street, Xu Zhiheng was strolling into the market, carrying a wooden board for writing letters on behalf of others.
Jin Yu followed behind, carrying the table and chairs. He sniffed and said, "My lord, it smells so good!"
Xu Zhiheng didn't even turn his head. "All you know is eating. Get the stall set up first."
Jin Yu wasn't annoyed by the scolding. "My lord, it's Miss Lin! The fragrance is coming from Miss Lin's stall!"
Xu Zhiheng had actually noticed it long ago; a crowd had gathered around the stall, and the young girl was busy running around inside. "Didn't you already eat at the manor? Why do you seem like I'm mistreating you?"
“My lord treats me very well, of course, but how can the food that Miss Lin cooks be the same as what we have in the manor? The old house has been empty for years, without even a servant. The cook was someone my lord picked up on the road, and he can only cook simple meals. My lord, look, I’ve lost weight.” Jin Yu’s eyes darted around as she took the wooden board from Xu Zhiheng’s hand and added, “My lord has also lost weight. When Madam and Master see this, they will surely be distressed!”
Xu Zhiheng couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Jin Yu running around for a bite to eat. He took out his purse from his pocket, placed it on the table, and said, "Alright, alright, stop nagging me. Go buy two bowls yourself in a bit."
Jin Yu stuffed the purse into her bosom. "Alright!"
Xu Zhiheng had just sat down when someone came to ask him to write a letter. Jin Yu ground the ink for him and then began to look around. Xu Zhiheng waved his hand, letting him go buy powder. With Xu Zhiheng's permission, Jin Yu hurried towards the fragrant stall.
The market was bustling with people. He dodged left and right, finally squeezing his way to the stall, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Miss Lin, two bowls of noodles, please! The ones that smell sour, fragrant, and spicy!"
Lin Yao looked up at the sound and replied with a smile, "Oh, it's Brother Jin Yu. Please wait a moment, it will be ready soon."
Jin Yu took out her purse from her bosom and was about to hand the money to Liang Shi when Lin Yao quickly stopped her, saying, "No need. I made a promise with your husband beforehand that all his expenses will be waived when he comes to my food stall in the future."
Upon hearing this, Jin Yu scratched his head. He had thought that what Miss Lin and her husband were saying was just polite talk, but he was surprised to find that it was true. He said, "How can this be? Miss Lin's business is not easy, how can we let you send food for free?"
Lin Yao continued working with her hands and looked up to reply, "Brother Jin, please don't refuse. Your husband helped me a lot before. I have nothing of value, so I can only express my gratitude with food."
Seeing Lin Yao's resolute attitude, Jin Yu could no longer refuse, so she took back the purse, scratched her head and said, "Alright, then thank you very much, Miss Lin." After saying that, she carefully picked up the two bowls of noodles and turned to walk back.
Lin Yao looked in the direction Jin Yu had left and saw Xu Zhiheng writing a letter with his head down at a stall not far away.
When Jin Yu returned to her stall, Xu Zhiheng had just finished writing a letter and was talking to the next customer. Jin Yu walked aside, placed the noodles on the table, and waited for Xu Zhiheng to finish. Xu Zhiheng turned his head, saw the two bowls of noodles, and raised an eyebrow slightly, "So fast? Did you pay?"
“No.” Jin Yu shook her head and relayed Lin Yao’s words to Xu Zhiheng.
“She’s a very honest person,” Xu Zhiheng said, continuing to write another letter.
Jin Yu picked up his bowl and began slurping. The moment he tasted the noodles, the wonderful texture amazed him. The smooth, chewy noodles, soaked in a rich, sour, and spicy broth, were incredibly delicious. After one bite, he couldn't help but exclaim, "My lord, please finish writing quickly! This sour and spicy noodle soup has a truly unique flavor!"
Xu Zhiheng looked at the noodles in his bowl; they were crystal clear and quite different from ordinary noodles. He asked, "Why do these noodles look different?"
“Miss Lin says this is called crystal powder!” Jin Yu picked up a mouthful of powder and showed it to Xu Zhiheng.
Xu Zhiheng finished writing the letter and handed it to the person who was waiting. He picked up the hot and sour noodles that were placed to the side and examined them for a while. "This name is quite fitting."
Jin Yu nodded and said, "That's right. This powder not only tastes excellent, but it also looks superb. Even if we took it to the capital, it would fetch a good price!"
Xu Zhiheng stopped eating the noodles. That's right! He's been in the capital for a long time, what kind of restaurant hasn't he been to? He's never even seen crystal noodles before. If they could be sold in the capital, it would be a unique business for his Xu family. "You're not just someone who knows how to eat."
Jin Yu lifted her face from the bowl, still slurping up the crystal powder, and asked, "Hmm?"
"It's okay, eat up." Thinking this, Xu Zhiheng quickly finished the noodles in his bowl, and almost choked on the chili peppers because he ate so fast.
Seeing Xu Zhiheng's anxious look, Jin Yu couldn't help but tease him, "Young master, slow down. No one's going to take it from you. It's not like the powder will run away."
Xu Zhiheng came to his senses and glared at Jin Yu, "Do you think I'm like you, always thinking about food?"
Jin Yu pursed her lips. "Then what are you worried about?"
Xu Zhiheng tapped his head. "Stop talking nonsense and grind the ink."
Over here, Lin Yao had sold almost all of the crystal noodles she brought today. She cooked the last small bundle of noodles, put them in two bowls, added hot and sour sauce and condiments, and invited Liang Shi, who was tidying up the tables and chairs, to come and eat together.
The aroma had been tantalizing her all morning, making her stomach rumble several times. Now, taking the hot and sour noodles, she ignored the fact that it was scalding hot and shoveled down a mouthful. The moment the noodles entered her mouth, she understood why so many customers flocked to the restaurant; she really wanted to tell Liu Dazhuang to try a bowl too.
The two women were sitting behind the stall eating lunch when two shadows quietly fell over their heads, blocking out most of the sunlight.
-----------------------
Author's note: Hot and sour noodles are absolutely delicious! [Thumbs up]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
