Chapter 56 Braised Pork Knuckle - Room Rental Completed!
Jin Yu hummed a little tune as she closed the study door. "My lord! Guess how many good things Lady Lin slipped me?"
He placed the food box on the table and opened it layer by layer. The aroma of fried chicken mixed with the caramelized scent of oyster omelets filled the study. "Fried chicken! And oyster omelets! Have you ever heard of them?"
Xu Zhiheng looked at his arrogant expression and didn't bother to respond.
Jin Yu's mood remained unaffected. "It's a pity, though. Doctor Chen said you need to eat light meals because of your injury. I, your loyal servant, will take care of all the greasy stuff!"
He pretended to grab the fried chicken, but secretly glanced at Xu Zhiheng out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that the other's eyes were fixed on the food, he said something even more irritating: "Hey, what can I do? I'm so considerate of my master."
Xu Zhiheng glanced at him and said, "So much food still can't shut you up."
Xu Zhiheng knew that Jin Yu was just teasing him, so he didn't argue with him. Recently, military affairs had been really bothering him.
"Have you seen Wang Zhi?" Xu Zhiheng rubbed his temples, his voice tinged with weariness.
Jin Yu immediately dropped her playful expression. "I have seen them. As you instructed, I have planted the hidden agents in the dock warehouses. Wang Zhi has also sent word."
Hearing that everything was arranged, Xu Zhiheng's furrowed brows slowly relaxed; this matter couldn't be rushed.
~
The next morning, Lin Yao, along with Lin Cheng and Lin Song, had just turned the corner when they saw Yang Yaren squatting at the entrance of a restaurant, eating steamed buns. Upon seeing them approach, he hurriedly got up.
Lin Yao led Lin Song a few steps quickly: "Thank you for coming so early, Brother Yang."
Yang Yaren waved his hand and wiped his mouth: "Hey! We in this line of work all follow the customers' schedules. Come with me, don't delay your shop's opening time!"
The three followed Yang the broker through two streets and turned into West Street, where they arrived at the courtyard Yang the broker had mentioned the day before. He took out his key and opened the door. "This courtyard doesn't face a good direction, but it's affordable. It only costs two taels of silver a month."
When the courtyard gate was pushed open, the cool shade that greeted her made Lin Yao unconsciously pull her clothes tighter. Although the sun had already risen, the courtyard was sandwiched between two high walls, and the morning light only cast a narrow strip of light at the corner of the courtyard.
The courtyard was small, with two rooms and the kitchen arranged at right angles. The walls bore the marks of years of dampness, and sparse moss grew near the base of the walls. Lin Cheng picked up a twig and rubbed it against the brick wall, leaving a layer of light blue mold on the twig. "This house probably never sees the sun."
"Achoo!" Lin Song sniffed. "Brother, it's cold in the house."
Lin Cheng picked Lin Song up from the ground and breathed on his hands to warm them.
Lin Yao looked around. The price of this courtyard was indeed reasonable, but the place was really dilapidated. It was already so cold and damp before winter had even arrived. She was afraid that people would have to burn charcoal all day long to live there when winter came. She turned to Yang Yaren and said, "Brother Yang, do you have any other courtyards? Preferably houses with a better orientation. I don't mind if they are a bit more expensive."
Yang Yaren thought for a moment, then clapped his hands. "If you're looking for a good courtyard, the one next to the private school on East Street is sure to suit your taste! It gets plenty of sunshine all day, and you can hear the sound of reading as soon as you open the window. The only downside is the rent—eight taels of silver a month!" Seeing that Lin Yao's expression remained unchanged and she wasn't deterred by the rent, he continued, "There's also a persimmon tree in the courtyard, laden with fruit right now. If it weren't for the high price, it would have been rented out long ago!"
Lin Yao's eyes lit up, and she took a step forward: "Let's go take a look!"
Passing through the bustling East Street, the small courtyard with white walls and gray tiles exuded elegance. As soon as the door was opened, the persimmon tree in the yard came into view, and the fragrance of persimmons wafted over. Lin Song exclaimed "Yay!" and took off running to the tree.
The house was bright and clean, and even the small vegetable garden behind the kitchen was tidy, with a few scallions still sprouting in the soil.
"This courtyard is really nice." Lin Yao touched the wood grain on the window frame, her eyes full of affection.
Yang Yaren stood to the side, nodding repeatedly: "You get what you pay for. This courtyard is the best I have. What do you say? Will you grit your teeth and rent it?"
Lin Yao was tempted. Although the rent of eight taels a month was not low, Lin Yao felt it was worth it. Money is meant to be spent. However, she couldn't ignore Lin Cheng's opinion. "Eight taels a month is really too high. Let's discuss it again."
She took out a tightly wrapped konjac snack from her sleeve and stuffed it into Yang Yaren's hand: "Thank you for making this trip today, Brother Yang!"
"Miss Lin, you're too kind. I've only seen two courtyards." Yang Yaren took the cigarette and popped it into his mouth, hissing from the spiciness.
As soon as the three returned to the restaurant, Lin Yao was stopped by a regular customer.
"Young Lady Lin, is the meat dragon ready?"
"I didn't get to eat it yesterday, so I'm definitely buying two servings today!"
Lin Yao responded in unison, "I prepared plenty of ingredients early this morning, so everyone will have a good meal!"
In the kitchen, Wang Xiaoyu and Su Niang were methodically making meat rolls. The dough on the cutting board was rolled thin, filled with meat filling, and shaped into plump meat rolls.
Lin Yao watched as Wang Xiaoyu arranged the rolled-up meat rolls into the steamer. Although her technique wasn't as nimble as hers, it was still quite skillful.
"Remember to grease the drawer cloth, otherwise it will stick to the bottom," she instructed, and only after seeing the other person nod did she turn to find Lin Cheng.
Lin Cheng was counting the ingredients he had bought that day in the backyard, the radishes in the basket still covered in fresh soil.
Lin Yao also helped tidy up the ingredients. "Brother, what do you think of that courtyard?"
Lin Cheng straightened up, his brows furrowing slightly: "Little sister, eight taels is no small amount."
“But that courtyard faces the sun, it must be very comfortable to live in.” Lin Yao counted on her fingers, “The restaurant has been making three taels a day for the past two days, and we can earn enough to cover the rent in three days. We also get monthly dividends from the workshop, and with the takeout food business going forward, our income will only increase. Brother, we are no longer the same as when we were setting up stalls at the docks.”
In just six months, Lin Cheng went from being penniless, barely able to afford a single copper coin, to being able to rent a house for eight taels a month. He felt like he was dreaming. However, he was still frugal at heart, so when he first heard that the courtyard cost eight taels, he hesitated.
Now that he's calmed down, he realizes his sister has a point. She works so hard to earn money, she deserves everything she wants. He pats his sister's shoulder with his rough hand and says, "I'll listen to you."
Lin Yao beamed and pulled her brother outside, saying, "Then we'll find Yang the broker to sign the contract later! But there's something more important right now." She held up the oil paper package in her hand, "We need to go to the blacksmith's shop and order the grill rack for the fish!"
~
The blacksmith shop was bustling with activity as usual. The blacksmith, who was working the bellows, smiled as soon as he saw Lin Yao and said, "What brings you here today, Miss Lin? How were those iron plates from last time?"
“It works great! Master Ye’s skills are naturally excellent. This is a new meat roll made in the shop. Master Ye, please try it in a bit!” Lin Yao placed the oil paper package on the relatively clean bench and unfolded her sketch, which was her design for the baking pan: “This time, I’m going to make twenty small baking pans, which are two sizes smaller than the iron plate from last time. I’ll add two wooden handles and add some anti-slip texture to the edges.”
Ye the blacksmith leaned over for a look, raising a thick eyebrow: "This design is quite unusual. What's it for?"
Lin Cheng chimed in from the side, "Grilled river fish."
Ye the blacksmith had never seen grilled river fish served on an iron plate before. He figured a string of branches on a fire was all it took; Lin Yao must be up to something new. He was determined to try it in a few days; he still couldn't forget the fried skewers he'd had at the opening. "Alright," he said, "I'll get you ten tomorrow, and the rest will be ready the day after."
After leaving the blacksmith's shop, Lin Yao and Lin Cheng went straight to the brokerage firm where Yang Yaren worked.
When Lin Yao and her companion arrived, Yang Ping was dozing off at the counter. Lin Yao smiled and tapped on the counter, which startled him awake. When he saw the brother and sister, his eyes lit up immediately: "Have you figured it out?"
Lin Yao nodded and pushed the purse containing eight taels of silver over: "Brother Yang, I'll take that one."
After signing the contract, Lin Yao looked at the keys in her hand, her excitement no less than when she bought the shop. Although she had only rented a courtyard for now, she knew that one day she would buy her own house in the most bustling area. The feeling of gradually achieving her goals was wonderful. "Let's go! Let's have a good meal today!"
Lin Yao led her brother and Lin Song straight to the butcher shop, pointing to the pork knuckles on the counter: "Give me two of the biggest ones!"
The butcher wielded a sharp knife and deftly sliced open the straw rope, the thick pork knuckle trembling precariously on the chopping board.
Back at the restaurant, it was the busiest time. Lin Yao and Lin Cheng helped finish the work at the restaurant before they had time to prepare the pork knuckle.
When Wang Xiaoyu saw Lin Yao take out two pork knuckles, she assumed they were a new dish coming out of the restaurant. "Chef, are you serving a new dish again?"
Lin Yao shook her head. "It's a new dish, but it's to celebrate our housewarming."
Wang Xiaoyu couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Is Master moving to town?"
“Going back and forth every day is too tiring, so it’s better to just stay in town.” Lin Yao tied on her apron and began to prepare the pork knuckle.
Lin Yao soaked the pork hock in warm water and scraped off the fine hairs. She then used a knife to make cross-shaped cuts on the inside of the hock, deep enough to reach the bone. She added water to an iron pot, along with ginger slices, scallion segments, and two spoonfuls of Shaoxing wine. After the water boiled, she put the hock into the pot. As the foam gradually rose to the surface, she skimmed it off with a spoon and took it out. The skin of the hock had already tightened slightly.
She poured half a bowl of rapeseed oil into the iron pot, sprinkled in a handful of rock sugar, and stirred constantly. The amber-colored sugar granules gradually melted into a syrup, producing tiny bubbles. As the syrup deepened in color, she quickly added the pork knuckle to the pot and stir-fried it until the dark brown sugar evenly coated the skin, releasing a sweet aroma.
"Bring the soy sauce and Shaoxing wine," Lin Yao gestured to Wang Xiaoyu with her chin, while simultaneously tossing two star anise, three bay leaves, and a piece of cinnamon into the pot.
Soy sauce is indispensable for braised pork knuckle, but when Lin Yao took a look today, she found that soy sauce was incredibly expensive. She could only settle for black bean sauce instead. She only learned a few days ago that black bean sauce already existed in this dynasty. It was also made from fermented soybeans, and the extracted juice was used for seasoning. It had a salty and savory taste and functioned similarly to soy sauce.
The aroma was fully released the moment the sauce was poured over it. She gently turned the pork knuckle with a spatula, making sure every cut was soaked in the sauce. She added enough hot water to cover the pork knuckle, brought it to a boil over high heat, then transferred it to a small charcoal stove. The lid was half-closed, and the broth bubbled and produced tiny bubbles.
"Keep an eye on the heat, don't let the soup evaporate." Lin Yao took off her apron and draped it over the stove.
Wang Xiaoyu squatted in front of the stove, poking at the charcoal ash. Looking at the glistening oil on the pork knuckle skin, he couldn't help but swallow hard: "Master, this pork knuckle skin looks so tender and soft."
"You have a sharp eye. The essence of braised pork knuckle is the skin." Lin Yao poked the pork knuckle with her bamboo chopsticks and saw that the meat had separated slightly from the bone. "It's done."
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Author's Note: Xu Zhiheng: Welcome to my territory [sunglasses]
① Quoted from Baidu
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