Chapter 36: The Big Order for Steamed Pork with Rice Flour Has Arrived!
Xu Zhiheng came out of the martial arts school today and overheard two boys discussing why their lunch was called "Ants Climbing a Tree." Intrigued, he asked them a few questions. He learned it was bought from a stall opposite the Tangbing (steamed dumpling) shop on East Street, and decided to try it himself. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered it was Lin Yao's stall. "Miss Lin, what are you selling today?"
Hearing the voice, Lin Yao quickly looked up. The man before her was her benefactor and important business partner; in her eyes, Xu Zhiheng was practically a walking "money bag," and she wished she could worship him. She smiled broadly, "Young Master Xu! Today we're selling boxed lunches, large portions and all you can eat. It's just that you're a little late, so now we only have 'ants climbing a tree' and stir-fried cabbage left. Would you like one?"
"No problem, give me one!" Xu Zhiheng had come specifically for "Ants Climbing a Tree," and this was a good opportunity to try it. When Lin Yao brought over a large bowl of crystal noodles, he was clearly taken aback. "It's made with crystal noodles, but why is this dish called 'Ants Climbing a Tree'?"
“Young master, look, this minced meat is clinging tightly to the vermicelli, and from a distance, it looks like ants crawling on a tree branch, hence the name ‘Ants Climbing a Tree.’” Of course, there is another explanation, which Lin Yao didn’t mention. It is said that this dish is related to Dou E in the play by Guan Hanqing, a playwright of the Yuan Dynasty. Dou E’s mother-in-law was ill, and there was only a small piece of pork left in the house. Dou E chopped the pork into minced meat and stir-fried it with vermicelli. Her mother-in-law’s eyesight was failing, and she mistook the black spots on the vermicelli for ants, so the dish was called “Ants Climbing a Tree.”
Xu Zhiheng was surprised by the straightforward reason and couldn't help but exclaim, "Young Lady Lin, what a clever idea!" He picked up a mouthful of crystal noodles and put it in his mouth. The spicy flavor spread on his tongue, instantly invigorating him, who had been somewhat tired. He had always preferred spicy food, but after coming to the South, where the food was mostly sweet, he had adapted to local customs. Today, he was enjoying a meal that suited his taste, and his appetite was immediately whetted.
As Lin Yao finished selling her last meal, Xu Zhiheng also finished his own. He handed the bowl and chopsticks to Liu Xu, who was standing nearby, and said, "Miss Lin, on the fifteenth of this month, the Qinhu Martial Arts Team will be going to the prefectural city to participate in a martial arts competition. I wonder if you could take care of their meals for the trip?"
This sudden, large order caught Lin Yao off guard. Xu Zhiheng was practically her lucky charm! She quickly replied, "Alright! May I ask how many people you require meals for, sir? Are there any specific requirements regarding the food?"
Xu Zhiheng pondered for a moment. Most of those going were energetic young men, and since they were going to a martial arts competition, their physical exertion would be high, so the more nutritious the food, the better. "There are eighteen of us. Prepare three dishes and a soup, two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, with generous portions of meat. We'll pay the price; here's five taels of silver as a deposit." After placing the deposit, Xu Zhiheng's gaze shifted, and he added, "But what about my portion…?"
Seeing this, Lin Yao was both amused and exasperated. This man really should save money when he should spend it. She quickly said, "Of course, your share is free."
Xu Zhiheng laughed heartily, "I knew that Miss Lin was the most trustworthy."
~
The three returned to the Lin family home, where Lin Cheng and Aunt Li had already returned from the docks. Aunt Li was helping to grind sweet potatoes into pulp, and Lin Yao quickly went up to her, "Aunt Li, why don't you take a break?" The wages she paid Aunt Li were only for her work at the docks; she hadn't asked her to help with household chores. These kinds of chores, like grinding sweet potatoes, were usually the responsibility of Brother Dazhuang and Lin Cheng. Now, Lin Yao felt like a heartless 21st-century boss, making her employees do the work of several people for the price of one.
But Aunt Li didn't think so. She felt that she was doing simple jobs at the dockside food stalls and that she was letting Lin Yao down by paying her eight copper coins a month. She felt guilty and could only feel at ease by helping out more. She said, "They're just small jobs. I have nothing to do at home anyway. You pay me so much, so it's only right that I do these things."
Lin Yao wanted to persuade her again, but Liu Xu spoke up from the side: "Sister Yao, why don't you let my mother help you with some things here? I'll feel at ease with my mother here."
Hearing Liu Xu's words, Lin Yao couldn't insist any further. She understood that Liu Xu's words were partly to reassure her, and partly out of the truth. Now everyone in the village knew that Uncle Liu was gone, leaving only a widow and her child. Aunt Li was gentle by nature, and if people knew that Liu Xu wasn't home most of the day, someone might have bad intentions.
After Lin Yao finished tidying up, she settled the wages for Liu Xu and Aunt Li for the day. As Liu Xu left the Lin family home, he looked at the ten large copper coins lying in his palm, utterly incredulous—he had actually earned ten copper coins in one day! He then glanced at the eight copper coins in his mother's hand, remembering that the family's main expenses were about to run out. "Mother," he said, "I'll go get a pound of pork fat. After rendering the lard, we can use the leftover cracklings to mix with rice!"
Looking at her son's joyful face, Li felt a pang of sadness. Her son had suffered with her and hadn't had a decent meal in a long time. She placed her eight coins into her son's hand, saying, "Axu, go and buy half a jug of wine. Come with me up the mountain to see your father. We've met good people. Let him rest in peace, stop worrying about us, and be reincarnated soon."
Liu Xu gripped the still-warm copper coin tightly, nodded vigorously, and walked towards the town. Since his father's death, his mother had lost all hope for life, often weeping over the water jug and bow and arrows his father had left behind, growing more and more despondent each day. He had just noticed that although his mother still missed his father, she wasn't as lifeless as before; there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Liu Xu's pace quickened, until he was running. Now that he had this job, life would surely get better; he was determined to take care of his mother in his father's place.
~
Lin Yao took out five taels of silver that she had been holding onto for a long time and placed it on the table. Although the food stall had made a good amount of money this month, most of the customers were ordinary people who paid with copper coins, so Lin Cheng rarely saw silver. Seeing that Lin Yao had only worked at the stall for one day and had brought back three taels of silver, he was very surprised: "Ah Yao, are the people in town so generous? You can earn five taels in one day?!"
Lin Yao stopped Lin Song, who was reaching for the silver, and squeezed his chubby little hand, explaining with a smile, "What are you thinking about? The food we brought today sold for 730 coins in town, and this five taels is a deposit from Young Master Xu."
Lin Cheng moved the money on the table to a place out of Lin Song's reach. "Deposit?"
Lin Yao nodded and said, "Young Master Xu's martial arts team will be going to town to compete on the fifteenth of this month. We will be responsible for the meals of 28 people on this trip, including two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and a soup."
Lin Cheng was thrilled that his sister had landed such a big order after just one trip to town: "A-Yao, have you decided what dishes to make?"
"Of course." With that, Lin Yao took out the ten large pig trotters she had bought after visiting several pork stalls in town. Xu Zhiheng and his group were going to fight, and since they were all young and strong, they would definitely have big appetites, so they needed some hearty dishes; braised pig trotters were perfect. However, these pig trotters were really expensive. A pound of pork cost eighteen coins, and each trotter weighed about five pounds, so ten trotters cost more than an ounce of silver.
After putting down the pig's trotters, Lin Yao took out one tael from her five taels of silver. A chicken cost about forty coins, so ten chickens would cost four hundred coins. She said to Lin Cheng, "Brother, tomorrow you and Da Zhuang go to town to buy ten chickens, and come back via the back mountain route. Don't let anyone see you."
"Okay, I'll go talk to Brother Dazhuang about this right away." Lin Cheng put down his work and headed to Liu Dazhuang's house.
Lin Yao took out the glutinous rice and white rice that she had started soaking on the way from her basket; she planned to make her own steamed pork with rice flour. The most important part of steamed pork with rice flour is the rice flour coating the meat. She used to buy it ready-made, but fortunately, the rice flour wasn't difficult to make, so Lin Yao decided to give it a try.
She first poured glutinous rice, white rice, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dogwood, and bay leaves all into an iron pot, then slowly roasted them over a low heat. The flames in the stove gently licked the bottom of the pot, making a soft crackling sound. As Lin Yao continued to stir-fry, the aroma of rice gradually spread, and the fragrance of the spices was fully released, wafting into one's nostrils and making one unable to resist taking a few deep breaths.
About fifteen minutes later, the originally white rice grains gradually turned slightly yellow. Lin Yao picked up a grain and rubbed it between her fingertips, feeling that it was slightly rough, knowing that it was almost done. She scooped out the fried rice, let it cool, and then ground it into powder in a stone mortar. If she had five-spice powder or thirteen-spice powder, the taste would definitely be even better, but since she obviously didn't have those seasonings, she could only make a simplified version of steamed pork with rice flour.
Lin Yao cleaned the pork belly, cut it into evenly sized cubes, and placed them in a large bowl. She poured a little wine into the bowl to remove the fishy smell and sprinkled in a small amount of salt for seasoning. Every time this happened, Lin Yao would crave soy sauce. If she could add some soy sauce, the dish would truly be a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate. But right now, she could only dream about it; she couldn't afford it.
Afterward, Lin Yao set the marinated meat pieces aside to allow them to fully absorb the flavors. While they marinated, she laid washed lotus leaves at the bottom of the steamer, their fresh aroma spreading through the kitchen with the steam. The lotus leaves were picked on her way home; it was late summer, early autumn, and the lotus flowers had long since faded, but fortunately, there were still plenty of leaves. Lin Yao picked up the homemade rice flour and slowly poured it into the bowl containing the meat pieces, gently turning them to ensure the rice flour was fully incorporated, until each piece was completely coated.
With everything prepared, Lin Yao neatly arranged the pieces of meat coated in rice flour in a steamer lined with lotus leaves. The meat pieces were arranged in an orderly fashion. She placed the steamer on the stove, added a few bundles of firewood, and the fire roared, with steam quickly rising inside the steamer. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of steamed pork. The fragrance of glutinous rice flour, the rich aroma of pork belly, and the freshness of lotus leaves intertwined, enticing Lin Song to abandon the grasshoppers his brother had woven and wait eagerly by the stove for the meal to be served.
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