Chapter 57 Moving House Ants move house, climbing step by step. ...
As the last table of customers paid their bill and left at the end of the 5-7 PM hour, the restaurant finally quieted down.
Su Niang and Zhao Niangzi worked together to bring out two large platters of braised pork knuckles. The amber sauce coated the glistening skin of the meat, and the steaming heat carried the rich aroma of spices. Before they were even placed on the table, A Zhu, who was standing to the side, took a deep breath: "My goodness! This aroma can waft three streets away!"
Lin Song stood on tiptoe, gripping the edge of the table: "Second Sister, I want to eat the skin!"
"Little glutton." Lin Yao pinched his chubby little face, used her chopsticks to pry open the trembling pork skin, and peeled off a piece of chewy and soft pork skin. The skin, with its rich, dark sauce and plenty of collagen, made Lin Song swallow hard. "It's hot, eat it later."
Although Lin Cheng had eaten his younger sister's braised pig's trotters before, he had never seen such a huge trotter before. Thick chunks of meat were piled up, and the sauce flowed slowly along the grooves. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.
"Don't be shy!" Lin Yao picked up a piece of meat with the bone, and with a gentle pinch of her chopsticks, the tender meat fell off the bone. "Eat as much as you want today!"
Ah Fu couldn't wait any longer. Seeing the shopkeeper pick up his chopsticks, he also picked up a piece of meat with skin on. The soft, sticky texture melted between his teeth, and the sweet and salty sauce burst forth. The food he had eaten during the few days he worked here was better than anything he had ever eaten in his entire life.
Lin Cheng chose a piece with a good balance of fat and lean meat. When he took a bite, the aroma of the meat mixed with the mellow fragrance of Shaoxing wine spread across his tongue. The meat was stewed to perfection, tender but not mushy.
After a hearty meal, dusk had fallen. Lin Yao and her brother hurried home under the moonlight. The country road was bumpy and uneven. Lin Song was fast asleep, lying on Lin Yao's lap, muttering about pork knuckle, which made Lin Yao reach out and poke his increasingly round belly.
Back home, Lin Yao put Lin Song on the bed and began packing. This move mainly involved taking the seasonings she made and their personal necessities; the bedding and blankets would be bought new in town. She took out the earthenware jar containing five-spice powder and garlic powder from the kitchen cabinet, weighed it in her hand, and wondered why it was so light.
When Lin Yao opened the jar, she saw that the jar, which should have contained more than half of the seasonings, now only had a tiny bit left.
"Brother, have you been using a lot of five-spice powder and garlic powder lately?" Lin Yao asked, turning her head.
Lin Cheng was packing up a few old clothes when he heard this and looked up: "No, they were all used according to the amount you said."
Lin Yao stared at the jar, puzzled, but thinking about how busy the new store had been, she figured she might have just forgotten to measure the right amount, so she didn't dwell on it. She simply resealed the remaining seasonings and put them into the specially prepared wooden box. "Maybe I remembered it wrong."
After tidying up the seasonings, Lin Yao began packing some simple clothes and daily necessities. Although she was moving to the town, her home in the village would always be a place of roots, and she would return to stay during holidays. Besides, the world was not peaceful these days, and in this turbulent era, no one could predict what might happen. If war were to break out in the future, the more prosperous the place, the more dangerous it would be. Keeping this home would be a way to secure her future.
~
The next morning, when Liu Dazhuang and Liang Shi came to help carrying a shoulder pole, Lin Yao was packing Lin Song's toys into his little schoolbag.
As soon as Liang saw Lin Yao, she took her hand and said, "Good girl, you are very capable. You are the first in our village to move to the town." As she spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened. "Moving away means I can't see you all the time anymore."
Seeing his wife's eyes redden, Liu Dazhuang chimed in, "The town isn't far away, why are you acting like you'll never see her again?"
Distracted by Liu Dazhuang, Liang immediately stopped crying and kicked Liu Dazhuang in the shin, saying, "Pah, pah, pah, you can't say anything nice, you just spout nonsense."
Liu Dazhuang coughed heavily twice, then hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulder: "Yes, yes, I may not know how to speak, but Ayao's good days are yet to come!"
The village gradually became lively. Old Zhang from next door heard the noise from the second branch of the Lin family early on. He came out and saw the bedding rolls piled up outside the door: "Ayao, are you moving to the town?"
Lin Yao wiped her sweat and straightened up. "Yes, the restaurant is busy, and running back and forth takes up too much time."
When Lin Yougong arrived, there were already quite a few people standing in front of the second branch of the Lin family. They had all come to join in the fun after hearing that the Lin family was moving to the town. As soon as he squeezed through the gate, he heard what Lin Cheng said and was genuinely happy for them: "There are so many people here today, all here to see off our village's head steward!"
Lin Yao then noticed that the courtyard gate was filled with aunties and grandmas, some carrying their own pickled vegetables, others carrying freshly picked green beans, all of whom were about to put them on their donkey carts.
Aunt Li, who lived at the edge of the village, glanced at Lin Cheng, who was quietly packing his things, and quickly pulled her daughter over. "Cheng-ge'er, this is your little sister Ke'er. You two used to play together when you were little!"
Sun Ke'er was pulled forward half a step by her mother's arm. She was the most beautiful girl in the surrounding villages. Today, she specially tucked a freshly picked wildflower into her hair and wore a pair of silver bean earrings, which swayed gently with her movements, making her look very delicate and beautiful.
Lin Yao and Lin Cheng exchanged a glance. Lin Cheng was a little embarrassed and remained silent for a moment.
Anyone with eyes could see what Aunt Li was up to, but Lin Cheng didn't dare to speak up, lest he embarrass the girl and make her a laughingstock. He looked to Madam Liang for help, and Madam Liang immediately got the signal, "Ke'er is getting more and more beautiful, and I like her very much too. It's a pity that my son is too young, otherwise I would definitely come to ask for her hand in marriage."
When Li heard Liang say this, she teased, "Your child has barely learned to walk, and you're already eyeing your daughter-in-law? You're really shameless."
The two laughed it off, and the matter was brushed aside, but Sun Ke'er could not help but feel Lin Cheng's rejection.
Sun Ke'er gripped her sleeve tightly with her fingertips. She stared at Lin Cheng, who was still burying his head in packing, and remembered what her mother had told her last night: "Although that Lin family boy is a bit dull, his sister is very capable. Now that he has opened a restaurant in town, he is sure to have a better and better life in the future. When his sister gets married, the house and the restaurant will all be his. You will be destined to enjoy a life of luxury after you marry into the family."
She didn't take her mother's words to heart. No matter how successful Lin Cheng was, he was still a peasant. She was going to marry a scholar and become a scholar's wife. How could such a person be worthy of her?
But now, looking at the wooden boxes, pottery jars, and fruits and vegetables piled high on the donkey cart, Sun Ke'er felt she couldn't swallow this insult.
Seeing that the attention was no longer on him, Lin Cheng went back to the yard to continue packing the rest of his luggage.
Seeing that he left without even glancing at her, Sun Ke'er took the housewarming gift from her mother and followed Lin Cheng into the courtyard. After handing the gift to Lin Cheng, she said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Just a peasant from a poor family, does he really think he's something?"
Lin Cheng's face immediately darkened. Liang Shi, who had sharp eyes, saw this and stepped between the two, nudging Lin Cheng with her elbow: "What are you standing there for? Go and move the wooden box out of the west room!"
After everything was packed up, the donkey cart, laden with belongings, swayed and rattled towards town. Lin Yao watched the houses grow smaller and smaller until they disappeared from sight before turning her gaze away.
Upon arriving at their new home, everyone worked together to unload the belongings from the car. Lin Cheng volunteered to stay behind to tidy up, wipe the tables and chairs, and put things away in the new house.
Lin Yao, Liu Dazhuang, and Liang drove their donkey cart straight to the market.
Upon arriving at the fabric shop, Lin Yao lifted the curtain, revealing a display of various ready-made quilts and bedding. Liang, with her sharp eyes, immediately spotted several quilts folded against the wall and quickly pulled Lin Yao over: "Look at this one!"
The fabric shop owner explained, "This quilt is made with freshly fluffed cotton; it's very warm."
Lin Yao chose two navy blue cotton quilts, which were durable and practical, and also selected two soft and thick mattresses. Liang helped check the stitching and even pinched the corners of the quilts to make sure the cotton filling was even before nodding in satisfaction.
After buying the bedding, they hurried to the blacksmith's shop.
When Ye the blacksmith saw Lin Yao from afar, he brought out a forged iron plate from the house: "Young lady Lin, these ten baking trays were made in advance, and they're all very sturdy for you!"
Lin Yao examined it carefully. The iron plate was finely crafted, and the wooden handle was polished smooth and rounded. Satisfied, she paid the money.
Finally, the three arrived at the fish stall, where river fish were jumping and wriggling in a wooden basin.
Lin Yao selected three plump grass carp, planning to cook the remaining three flavors of grilled fish today, and also to see what Liu Dazhuang and Liang Shi thought of them.
When Lin Cheng returned to his new home, he had already cleaned the yard and set up a simple grill under the persimmon tree.
Lin Yao made a few cuts on the back of the grass carp, sprinkled it with fine salt and cooking wine to marinate it and remove the fishy smell. Lin Cheng had already lit the charcoal fire, and the iron plate on the grill was burning hot, sizzling and steaming.
Lin Yao cut the dogwood fruit in half to expose the seeds inside, then mashed them together with soaked plum flesh to form a paste.
When the hot plate started to smoke, she scooped up a spoonful of lard and melted it. As the oil sizzled, she placed the fish on it, and the fish skin quickly curled up and turned a golden brown.
Once the fish is slightly cooked, she evenly spreads the dogwood and plum sauce on both sides of the fish. The sauce seeps into the flesh along the cut lines. Under the charcoal grilling, the fruity acidity of the plum and the spiciness of the dogwood blend together to form a thin, bright red crust.
Liang leaned closer to smell it, and couldn't help but rub her nose: "Just the smell makes my teeth ache!"
On the other two iron plates, Lin Yao pan-fried the fish on both sides until golden brown using the same method. She took the dogwood powder from the earthenware jar, mixed it with cooked oil to form a paste, and spread it evenly on the fish skin. The ground dogwood had an even stronger spiciness. As the oil seeped into the fish, fine bubbles rose around the edges of the iron plates, and the spicy aroma of dogwood mixed with the aroma of caramelization wafted over, making Liu Dazhuang rub his eyes involuntarily.
The last grilled fish was to be garlic-flavored, so Lin Yao coated the fish with garlic powder to marinate it. She then took out two cloves of garlic and mashed them into a paste in a stone mortar, releasing a pungent aroma. Lin Yao poured two spoonfuls of sesame oil into the garlic paste, then poured two-thirds of it into the hot plate. The garlic quickly expanded into golden, crispy bits in the oil. Finally, she added the grilled grass carp, and the aroma of garlic was irresistible.
Lin Yao placed three golden-brown, fragrant fish on the table, their tangy and spicy aroma instantly filling the courtyard. Liu Dazhuang rubbed his hands together, eagerly picking up a bite of the spicy and sour grilled fish. The snow-white fish flesh, coated in a bright red sauce, made him shudder at the first taste, his face contorting in pain: "This sourness is making my back teeth chatter!" He gulped down some cold tea, but the sourness still made him wince. "Too sour, too sour! My teeth are going to fall out!"
To Lin Yao's surprise, Liang Shi thought it was sour when she was making it, but after she took a bite, she couldn't stop eating it: "I think it's just right! It's sour and delicious!"
Lin Yao stared at the two people's completely different reactions and thought it would be better to divide them into "slightly sour" and "extremely sour"! To cater to different people's tastes, those who like sourness can have the "extremely sour" that goes straight to their noses, while those who can't tolerate sourness can have a mild sweet and sour one.
The neighbor's yard.
Jin Yu was eating his plain porridge with a bitter face when suddenly a rich, sour and spicy aroma wafted over, making his stomach rumble. He sniffed, and the porridge in his hand seemed even more tasteless. "It smells so good! My lord, can you smell it?"
Ever since Jin Yu ate and drank lavishly in front of him at dinner last night, Xu Zhiheng used the excuse that Jin Yu was too fat to exercise his power as her master and forced Jin Yu to eat and drink with him. He ignored Jin Yu's problem and didn't care whether the food was delicious or not. Until he recovered, he could only drink porridge and "not speak while eating".
After seeing Liu Dazhuang's family off, Lin Yao and Lin Cheng were about to close the door when they heard the sound of the gate of the courtyard diagonally in front of them opening. The brother and sister tacitly left the gate open. Yang Yaren said that the master of this family was a high-ranking official in the capital. The two looked up and saw Jin Yu stepping out of the threshold with a sword sheath on her back. Jin Yu also saw the brother and sister. All three of them were stunned.
After a brief moment of surprise, Jin Yu's face lit up with joy. "Lady Lin moved?" He had just drunk three bowls of white porridge while smelling the aroma wafting from the nearby courtyard. He had assumed that the family in the neighborhood had hired a chef to cook for them, but he never expected that Lin Yao had moved into this alley. "I could smell all the delicious dishes she made tonight from the courtyard."
Lin Yao: "These are the flavored grilled fish we'll be selling tomorrow. They come in sour and spicy, fragrant and spicy, garlic, and perilla flavors. Brother Jin Yu and Young Master Xu, would you like to come and support us tomorrow?"
Jin Yu was of course more than willing. If he stayed in the mansion, he would only be able to drink plain porridge. He quickly thought of a plan, "My lord has been too busy these days and may not have time, but I do have some free time."
Lin Yao smiled and said, "That would be great. I certainly won't disappoint Brother Jin Yu tomorrow."
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Author's Note: Xu Zhiheng: Isn't it time to increase my screen time? [Sunglasses]
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