Chapter 59: A homemade version of Northeastern fried mushrooms! ...
As the saying goes, "One autumn rain brings a chill," and after two days of rain in Qingquan Town, pedestrians on the road put on extra layers of clothing.
Lin Yao, wearing her newly bought auspicious patterned jacket, stood behind the counter looking at this month's revenue. Since introducing grilled fish, the store's turnover had doubled.
Lin Yao closed the ledger and gathered everyone in the front hall. There were nine purses on the counter. "This is this month's pay," she said, handing the first purse to Wang Zhi, Wang Xiaoyu, and Liu Xu.
There were six purses left on the table.
Ah Zhu and the others had seen Lin Yao putting silver and copper coins into their purses behind the counter early on. They were people who had sold themselves to the shopkeeper, who was kind-hearted. They not only had warm clothes and slept well every day, but also ate meat. They dared not hope for a monthly wage. But now, seeing so many purses left on the table, they all felt a faint sense of anticipation.
Lin Yao pushed the purse on the table forward, "The rest of the purse is your monthly allowance, everyone gets a share!"
Su Niang and Zhao Niangzi looked at each other. Although they had guessed that the shopkeeper was going to give them a monthly allowance, they were still very touched when they actually heard it. Where else could they find such a good master?
Lin Yao waved her hand, "What are you waiting for? Come on over!"
Zhao Niangzi was the most efficient. She stepped forward, picked up a purse, stuffed it into her sleeve, and thanked Xiaoman, saying, "Thank you so much, shopkeeper! Now I can make two more new winter clothes for Ni'er!"
Xiaoman, led by her mother, imitated her mother's words: "Thank you, shopkeeper!"
Everyone was amused by her. Xiaoman, not understanding why, also laughed, revealing her tiny teeth.
Lin Yao still remembers how timid Xiaoman was when she was working at the brokerage firm. When she first arrived at the restaurant, she was reluctant to talk to anyone and always clung to Zhao Niangzi. Now, after more than a month of getting along, she has become much more outgoing and can play with Lin Song.
After everyone received their purses, Lin Yao took out a string of coins from the drawer: "What we just distributed was this month's pay; now we're distributing this month's bonus!"
Even Wang Zhi was slightly surprised by these words. Although he had never heard of the term "bonus," he roughly understood it to mean a reward. This young shopkeeper was quite generous.
Seeing everyone's surprised and delighted expressions, she said with great satisfaction, "This month, our shop has successfully established its reputation for flavorful grilled fish, all thanks to everyone's concerted efforts. These past few days, everyone has been busy from top to bottom, without a moment's rest, and I've seen it all. This is an extra bonus for everyone, one hundred coins each. Take it, go buy some new clothes, have a good meal, and treat yourselves!"
Hearing Lin Yao's words, Ah Zhu and the others were overjoyed. They were already extremely lucky to have a monthly wage for their work, but they never expected to receive extra bonuses.
That's one hundred coins! That's enough to buy twenty catties of grain!
Afu's hand holding the purse trembled slightly. He never thought that he could live a normal life after selling himself into slavery, let alone that he could save money. He was so grateful that he wanted to kneel down and kowtow to Lin Yao.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Lin Yao rushed out from behind the counter in a few strides and stopped Afu. She couldn't stand the habit of kneeling and kowtowing at the drop of a hat. She pulled Afu up and said, "A man's knees are worth gold. We don't do that in our shop! After you get the bonus, you have to work even harder to serve the customers and make our shop a fortune!"
Afu blushed and scratched his head: "I...I will definitely work harder in the future!"
~
The third day after the autumn rains stopped was the beginning of autumn. Lin Yao suddenly remembered a type of mushroom that began to appear in large quantities after the beginning of autumn—the ground mushroom.
She's going to pick mushrooms!
Lin Yao carried a bamboo basket and walked towards the back mountain, stepping on the fallen leaves scattered on the ground.
As soon as you enter the woods, the cold air goes straight into your lungs.
The woods after the autumn rain have a unique scent, a crisp rather than sticky smell of damp wood mixed with the scent of earth.
Lin Yao took a deep breath, exhaled a breath of stale air, and felt as if her lungs had been purified.
Ground mushrooms mostly grow in the north and are a unique fungus species found under poplar trees. When Lin Yao went up the mountain last time, she saw that there were quite a few poplar trees on the back mountain of Linjia Village, so she thought she would try her luck and see if she could find ground mushrooms.
The scientific name for *Trichophyton arvense* is *Trichophyton arvense*, belonging to the Trichophytonceae family. Essentially a type of button mushroom, it differs from the common white button mushrooms of today; its cap is dark brown with a slightly upturned edge.① *Trichophyton arvense* is a "little rascal" that attaches itself to poplar trees. When it grows extensively around the roots of poplar trees, its mycorrhizae steal nutrients from the roots, harming the tree's growth.②
The origin of the name "ground mushroom" is also quite interesting. The way ground mushrooms are harvested is different from other mushrooms. They usually need to be dug out of the soil by hand, hence the name "ground mushroom".
Ground mushrooms prefer dark, damp environments and often grow in places with thick layers of decaying leaves. Therefore, you can most likely find them by looking for areas where poplar leaves have accumulated.
Lin Yao strolled leisurely to the poplar grove. The air inside was a few degrees cooler than elsewhere, and the white mist she exhaled condensed and dissipated before her eyes. Several thick layers of withered yellow leaves covered the ground, rustling softly underfoot. Lin Yao picked up a branch, bent down, and used it to carefully examine the fallen leaves.
A slightly protruding piece of decaying leaf next to the tree roots caught Lin Yao's attention. She squatted down, gently brushed aside the fallen leaf, and sure enough, half of a dark brown mushroom cap was revealed, with damp soil still clinging to its surface.
Found it!
Ground mushrooms are not very tall on average, and from a distance they look like mushrooms stuck in the soil. So if you dig them up by hand, the roots of the ground mushrooms you dig up are usually covered with a lot of soil.
Lin Yao took out a small knife she carried with her and cut off the roots directly. This not only prevented soil from being brought into the basket, but also improved the efficiency of harvesting.
With her first harvest, Lin Yao's movements became increasingly skillful. Following the direction of the poplar tree roots, she soon harvested a full basket and a large basket of ground mushrooms.
Lin Yao straightened up, her lower back aching and throbbing. There were still quite a few mushrooms in the pile of fallen leaves at her feet, but the bamboo basket and hampers were already overflowing; the mushrooms at the bottom were already somewhat deformed from the weight.
Next time I'll have to bring a bigger basket!
Lin Yao hoisted the basket onto her shoulder; its heavy weight made her sway. She steadied herself before slowly walking down the mountain.
Lin Yao plans to stay overnight in Linjia Village today and take the opportunity to process the mushrooms she picked.
~
Linjia Village.
When Liu Dazhuang heard that Lin Yao was going to pick mushrooms in the mountains today, he originally planned to go with her, but Lin Yao insisted on going alone. She repeatedly assured him that she would not go too deep into the mountains and that she would definitely be down the mountain before sunset. Liu Dazhuang could not persuade her otherwise, so he made a promise with her that if she had not returned by sunset, he would go up the mountain to look for her.
It was rare for the Lin siblings to both be coming back to stay today, so he made a point of staying at the Lin family's old house to wait for them to return, instead of going to town to sell goods.
Liu Dazhuang saw Lin Yao carrying a large basket of mushrooms from afar and quickly went to meet her. "Did you pick all the mushrooms from the back mountain? Come in and rest. I've prepared some hot tea for you. Go and have a sip to warm yourself up."
Liu Dazhuang took the heavy basket, his arm sinking under its weight. He looked down into the basket and said, "Ayao, not all the mushrooms on this mountain are edible. Some can kill you. These mushrooms you picked look strange. Are they edible?"
Lin Yao rubbed her sore shoulders as she stepped across the threshold, smiling as she said, "This is ground mushroom, a good thing that only comes after the beginning of autumn. It tastes so fresh! I'll stir-fry it with pork belly later, and then make a thick soup. I guarantee it will be so delicious that you'll eat two more bowls of rice."
Although Liu Dazhuang had never heard of any kind of mushroom called "ground mushroom," he blindly worshipped Lin Yao's cooking skills. If Lin Yao said it was delicious, it must be delicious. He picked up his basket and walked towards the well: "Then I'll go to the well to fetch water and wash these ground mushrooms properly."
The two divided the work. Liu Dazhuang put the ground mushrooms into the wooden bucket and rinsed off the soil on the surface of the mushrooms. Lin Yao sat on a small stool and used a knife to scrape off the soil attached to the humus. This part of the soil was difficult to wash off, so scraping it off made it easier: "Brother Dazhuang, you have to pick out the rotten mushrooms, don't let them get mixed in."
Lin Yao picked quite a few ground mushrooms, and the two of them spent a long time washing them without finishing.
The cleaned mushrooms are neatly arranged on a bamboo sieve to drain.
Liu Dazhuang wiped his sweat and looked at the sieve full of mushrooms: "After cleaning these mushrooms, they really look decent."
As evening approached, Lin Yao wiped her hands and decided to make dinner first.
She picked up one of the baskets of mushrooms and was about to go to the kitchen to cook when Liang, Lin Cheng, and Lin Song returned.
Mrs. Liang hadn't seen Lin Yao for quite some time. She pulled her aside and looked her up and down for a while. "You've lost weight. Are you working too hard at the shop? No matter how tired you are, you should rest properly. Your health is the most important thing."
Lin Yao never refused.
Lin Cheng put down the load on his shoulder and came over. He stared at the dark brown ground mushrooms in the bamboo sieve and asked curiously, "Ayao, what kind of mushroom is this? It looks quite rare." Lin Song also tiptoed forward to take a look, but he was too short to see anything.
“These are ground mushrooms, which only appear after the beginning of autumn.” Lin Yao raised her chin. “Since you’re back, go and help Brother Dazhuang clean up the rest of the ground mushrooms.”
Liang took the winnowing basket from Lin Yao's hand: "I'll help you."
Inside the kitchen, the firewood crackled and popped in the stove, flames leaped high, and the iron pot heated up quickly. Lin Yao poured the sliced pork belly into the pot, and the translucent fat slowly seeped out, accumulating into a pool of lard at the bottom.
Lin Yao watched the heat carefully, then added a handful of minced garlic to the pan, the aroma of garlic mingling with the smoky fragrance of the pork belly. Next, thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms were poured in. As they were stirred with a spatula, the dark brown mushrooms gradually became glossy and enticing. Finally, salt and chopped scallions were sprinkled on top, and a plate of glistening shiitake mushroom and pork stir-fry was ready, its aroma making one's mouth water.
The cooked braised pork with ground mushrooms was kept warm, while Lin Yao began preparing the batter for fried mushrooms. Fried mushrooms were her favorite Northeastern Chinese dish, and just thinking about them made her mouth water!
Lin Yao's hands moved much faster. She scooped two bowls of flour from the earthenware jar, poured them into an earthenware basin, and then cracked three eggs, the golden egg liquid mixed with the transparent egg white sliding into the flour pile. "Sister-in-law, please pour me half a bowl of water." As she spoke, she used a wooden spoon to dig a small hole in the flour pile.
Lin Yao slowly poured water down the side of the basin while rapidly stirring with a wooden spoon. The flour gradually blended with the egg and water, initially appearing as small, crumbly pieces, but transforming into a thick batter with continued stirring. She sprinkled in ground Sichuan peppercorns and added half a spoonful of salt for seasoning, continuing to stir. When the wooden spoon was lifted, the batter dripped down like silk, glistening with tiny bubbles, at which point she stopped, satisfied: "It's done! This way, it'll be crispy and flavorful when fried."
Liang brought over small, washed and drained ground mushrooms. Lin Yao coated each mushroom with batter, and when the oil was about 70% hot, she began to deep-fry them.
Mushrooms coated in batter were placed in the pot, surrounded by fine, dense oil bubbles. Lin Yao stood by the stove, occasionally stirring them gently with a slotted spoon. The batter-coated mushrooms rose and fell in the boiling oil, the batter quickly forming a golden-yellow outer shell.
Lin Yao stared at the pot, and when she saw the mushrooms turn an enticing light brown, she immediately scooped them out. The freshly fried mushrooms were still sizzling hot. Lin Yao picked one up and popped it into her mouth. Biting through the crispy shell, the tender and juicy flesh was revealed. The crispness of the batter and the freshness of the mushrooms intertwined on her tongue.
This is the taste!
After preparing the stir-fried meat and fried mushrooms, all that's left is the egg and mushroom soup.
In her past life, Lin Yao was obsessed with Creamy Mushroom Yang. If she hadn't found a place that sold milk now, she would definitely have made a whole pot to satisfy her craving.
Lin Yao scooped a spoonful of snow-white lard into another iron pot. As the temperature rose, the lard gradually melted, and Liang added the sliced ginger to the pot, sizzling and releasing a fragrant aroma. Lin Yao poured in the remaining large pieces of shiitake mushrooms, quickly stir-fried them a few times, and then added a ladle of well water. She put the lid on, and soon the pot began to bubble and simmer.
Lifting the lid, a rich, savory aroma wafted out. Lin Yao cracked two eggs and slowly poured them into the pot, the egg whites forming beautiful egg flowers in the soup. She then sprinkled in some chopped green onions and cilantro, drizzled a few drops of sesame oil, and a pot of mushroom and egg soup was ready.
Lin Yao took off her apron and eagerly called out into the yard, "Dinner's ready!"
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Author's Note: Lin Yao, picking mushrooms: I want this one, I want this one too, and this one! This one! These are all mine!!! [Laughing out loud]
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