This trip involved quite a few procedures. When she returned to the stall, the boxed meals were already sold out, and several people were waiting for her to go home together.
Madam Gu leaned closer and asked, "Zhaozhao, how is she?"
Meng Zhao smiled and nodded, "It's all set up, but we can't choose a stall. It's on Guanshan Xiejie Street, and we don't know how crowded it will be that day."
Aunt Zhang, who was standing nearby, explained, "Guanshan Xiejie is our main street, so there will be a lot of people. Remember to prepare more things so that we don't run out of things to sell."
She and Meng Zhao both worked on Guanshan Xiejie Street, just in different directions. Her stall was not far from her home, so even if she didn't bring enough things, her family could bring them over.
On the way home, Shen Qinghe said, "Our academy will be closed on the Moon Festival. I'll go with you, sister-in-law."
Meng Zhao laughed, "That's great, we'll have another helper."
After returning home, Meng Zhao didn't let Shen Qinghe rest. He sent him to the back mountain to cut bamboo, since bamboo skewers were essential for their skewer business.
It wasn't just Shen Qinghe; Meng Zhao had already asked Gu Yun and Xu Ping to do some things for her a few days ago, but since the night market would be open for 15 days, they still needed to make more preparations.
To make these skewers look appealing, they need to have a wide variety of options. In addition to the meatballs that we tried beforehand, we also need to include vegetarian dishes.
This dish must include potatoes, lotus root slices, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, bean curd sticks, bamboo shoots, gluten, and all kinds of green vegetables. Meng Zhao was only satisfied when he had collected more than twenty kinds of vegetables.
Because it was a leave of absence, there were still early morning classes at the academy the next day. After getting up in the morning, Shen Qinghe went to the county in the dark.
When Meng Zhao woke up in the morning, Madam Gu, with red eyes, grabbed her hand and said gratefully, "Zhao Zhao, I really don't know how to thank you."
Meng Zhao guessed that Shen Qinghe must have told Gu about the county school.
"There's no need for thanks among family members. Besides, I only managed to get an opportunity to pass the county magistrate's test, mainly because my second brother is exceptionally talented in literature."
"We still have to thank you. So many people are just one chance away from getting this opportunity. Zhao Zhao, you are a great benefactor to our family. When Qing He becomes successful in the future, he will definitely take good care of you."
Meng Zhao thought to herself, "That's great! Okay, Mother, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's hurry up and get ready to set up the stall."
Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the pig farm and starch workshop were completed. Because many people were hired and the village head was in charge of the whole process, no one dared to slack off, so the work was done very quickly.
Meng Zhao first went to check out the starch workshop. The layout was suitable, the lighting was good, and it was convenient for drying. All that was left was to slowly move it over.
There are four single-story buildings built over the pig farm. The largest one is the factory building, which is where the pigs mainly live. There are partitions in the middle to facilitate separate feeding.
One room is the farrowing room, where pregnant pigs need extra attention and more nutrition. To avoid startling the sows or neglecting them, pregnant sows are best fed separately.
There is also a well-ventilated room used for storing pig feed.
The last room is the dormitory. This pig farm is built on an open space, so it can't be left unattended. If someone were to take away a piglet, she would be heartbroken.
First, we'll ventilate the newly built pigsty, and then we'll move the piglets over once they're weaned.
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, only Madam Gu and Aunt Feng'e went to the dock to set up a stall.
Meng Zhao also considered whether to stop the stall at the dock for a while, but doing business also requires persistence, and it would not be good to suddenly stop for half a month.
Moreover, after deducting all costs, the dock provides a stable income of three to four hundred coins per day, which is a considerable sum for Meng Zhao, who has to run a pig farm and prepare to rent a shop.
Shen Qinghe was busy mincing chicken into a paste. After learning for some time, he had mastered quite a few kitchen tasks and no longer needed Meng Zhao to watch over him.
After the two children got up, they fed the donkey. Ever since the family got a donkey, the task of feeding it had been assigned to them.
The two of them fed the donkey well every day, waiting for it to grow up quickly so it could work for the family.
Meng Zhao added salt, pepper, egg white, and cornstarch water to the chopped chicken paste and then stirred until it became sticky.
Wash your hands, take a handful of minced meat, and squeeze it out from between your thumb and forefinger with a little force. Use an oiled spoon to scoop out the meatball and place it in boiling water. Let it sit for two or three seconds until the meatball sets, then gently shake the spoon and the meatball will slowly fall off.
Meng Zhao was quick and efficient, coordinating her left and right hands well. She dropped small meatballs into the pot one by one, and they all floated to the surface in no time.
Remove the cooked meatballs from the water and let them cool before using.
Cover the boiled quail eggs with two plates and shake them vigorously until the eggshells are completely broken. Then pour them into a basin filled with water and place another small basin filled with water next to them.
"Qingze and Qingyu, this task is for you. Gently peel off the shells of these eggs and put them in this bowl. Be careful not to break the eggs."
"Okay, sister-in-law." After washing their hands, the two began to carefully peel the quail eggs.
The bamboo shoots were picked by Cheng Niangzi from the mountains that morning; they were all very tender. There were leftovers when she made stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat at noon, so Meng Zhao cut them into slices and set them aside for later use.
Cut a shiitake mushroom into quarters, and cut the dried tofu into pieces about the same size as the shiitake mushroom.
When Meng Zhao bought lotus roots, he chose those with nodes on both sides, so the holes inside the lotus roots were very clean. He washed off the mud, peeled them, and sliced them for later use.
"Brother, be careful." Hearing the commotion beside him, Meng Zhao looked over at them.
Shen Qingze was holding up a badly peeled quail egg, looking guilty. Meng Zhao found it amusing, took the quail egg from him, and stuffed it into his mouth.
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