Of course, Yin Wenjiao couldn't be kept in the dark about Xu Milu selling stinky tofu. To Xu Milu's surprise, Yin Wenjiao accepted stinky tofu well and even fell in love with it.
Not only did she learn to spread fermented bean curd on steamed buns without any instruction, but she also frequently came to Xu Milu's place to exchange fresh ingredients for a serving of fermented bean curd, which she would then place in front of the clay sculpture of the monk Sanzang.
—The mother and son did not see each other often, but Yin Wenjiao would often make some delicious food and put it at home, placing it in front of the clay sculptures she made herself.
In order not to offend his mother's kindness, the Tripitaka Master would occasionally send her some snacks from afar.
Xu Milu always felt that Yin Wenjiao was like raising a son from a travel frog version of the game.
“My son, they say that even a person made of iron needs to eat. Now that you have attained enlightenment, you must remember not to overwork yourself. A few days ago, I made a few pairs of monk's shoes, filled with plenty of cotton, they are very soft. You don't need to come home, I will have someone deliver them to you…”
When Yin Wenjiao was rambling on to the clay sculpture of the monk Sanzang, she revealed a gentle and mild temperament befitting her age.
After talking for a short while, she happily offered a plate of stinky tofu and a plate of fermented bean curd to the small clay sculpture:
“My son, you have been a monk since you were young, and as your mother, I don’t know what you like to eat. Fortunately, Sister Rice taught me so many ways to make vegetarian dishes, and she can make this tofu taste so delicious. I thought it would be good for you to try it. Monks don’t eat the five pungent vegetables (garlic, scallions, shallots, green onions, and asafoetida), so I specially picked them off and only left the coriander. You can eat it without worry, there will be more if you want.”
Having inexplicably gained a seniority and witnessed the whole process, Xu Milu swore that the moment the stinky tofu was placed on the clay sculpture, the originally kind and smiling eyebrows twitched noticeably.
...
...
Stinky tofu is not a difficult snack to make. Some customers who accidentally wandered into the restaurant saw it and tried to make it themselves, and that's how the name "stinky tofu" spread.
Xu Milu wasn't originally a professional stinky tofu seller, but she didn't keep her recipe secret. She published it, and quite a few tofu sellers started doing the business.
There was a family selling tofu in front of the East Market who were worried about how tofu would keep. They were so anxious that they suddenly heard about Xu Milu's method. They made a lot of stinky tofu, and the young man carried the oil pot along the street and sold fried stinky tofu. This peculiar delicacy quickly became famous throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an.
The people of Chang'an especially loved novel things, and even a foul smell couldn't stop them from trying new delicacies. For a time, you could see street vendors selling stinky tofu in brothels, restaurants, and gambling dens.
The price wasn't expensive either, three coins for one coin, or ten coins for three coins. They were deep-fried until crispy, then coated with a layer of dogwood chili sauce, making them a great accompaniment to alcohol. Some people even invented a novel way of eating them, dipping them in salt and mustard, which became very popular.
The tofu vendors were grateful and, knowing that the recipe came from Shan Hai Restaurant, they would always send some food over. Sometimes it was a big pot of steaming hot soy milk, and sometimes it was a basket of tender, fresh bean sprouts.
Some people would leave without knocking, just a piece of white, jade-like tofu. Xu Milu would fry the tofu, sprinkle some salt on it, and the texture would surprisingly resemble meat.
This made her marvel at the wisdom of the ancient working people.
...
Another night of curfew. Wei Ying and Cheng Chumo, like thieves, sneaked into the Shan Hai Restaurant with two baskets of dried osmanthus flowers.
Wei Ying's opening remarks were full of sarcasm:
"Now everyone in Chang'an is talking about 'Xu Niangzi Stinky Tofu.' Every household selling stinky tofu claims that theirs is the most authentic 'Xu Niangzi Stinky Tofu.' I've heard that many officials of the fourth rank or above in the court also love to eat it, and the stinkier the better. They don't like the ones that aren't stinky."
"Really? I heard that our young master Wei went back and knelt in the ancestral hall for half a month, swearing oaths to the ancestral tablets. After he came out, he turned over a new leaf and never acted promiscuous again?"
Xu Milu gradually figured out this guy's temperament. He was said to be a charming and noble young master, but in reality, he was sharp-tongued and fussy. He valued his tongue above all else and was unwilling to mistreat it in the slightest.
“If I were still a young man, no matter how my father punished me, people would only say that I was young and impetuous, a young man who was fond of romance. But now that I have entered the court as an official and can marry wives and concubines, my father actually had the heart to do it. He gave me a good beating, and I couldn’t get out of bed for three whole days.”
Wei Ying didn't care about losing face at all, and covered his face with a long sigh:
“I told my father that my grandfather would come back to see us every year during the Ghost Festival, and my father picked up a board and beat him.”
It seems that parents hitting their children doesn't discriminate based on age; it's true that this applies across all eras.
Xu Milu looked at him with some sympathy: "Didn't you mention that your grandfather was a judge in the Department of Rewards and Benevolence in the underworld?"
“After I told him, my father beat me even harder. He thought I had hysteria and wanted to find a doctor to take a look at me.”
Wei Ying looked utterly defeated:
“My grandfather was an upright man, and my father never believed in ghosts or gods. Some time ago, when Yuanqi married a fox woman, he thought it was just a rumor and scolded me. It will be even more difficult to make him believe my grandfather’s story.”
Cheng Chumo, standing to the side, handed over a basket filled with osmanthus flowers, glancing indifferently at Wei Ying:
“If you say any more, I’m afraid Uncle Wei will not just punish you with a beating.”
How can you talk like that? Saying "we'll go down together as father and son in the future" is ridiculous. Someone who is usually so clever, sharp-witted, and eloquent loses his temper when faced with something like this.
"These osmanthus flowers are of good quality."
Xu Milu grabbed a handful of dried osmanthus flowers and examined them closely. The tiny, pale yellow flowers, about the size of rice grains, were delicate and lovely. They had a faint, elegant fragrance. This was the golden osmanthus. As for the bright orange-red variety, it was the red osmanthus. Compared to the golden osmanthus, the red osmanthus had a richer and stronger fragrance.
Cheng Chumo looked curious: "May I ask, Madam Xu, what is the difference between these two?"
Xu Milu smiled and explained:
"The fragrance of osmanthus is stronger, making it suitable for pickling with sugar or honey to make osmanthus jam. Alternatively, it can be soaked in alcohol to make osmanthus wine. Both have a fragrant aroma that lingers for a long time. They can be used in dishes and desserts, such as osmanthus jam on rice cakes, osmanthus wine with glutinous rice balls, osmanthus sweet buns, and osmanthus rice porridge..."
As for Osmanthus fragrans, although its flavor is not as strong as Osmanthus fragrans, it has a unique and subtle fragrance, making it more suitable for brewing tea. As a complement to tea, it neither overpowers the tea's aroma nor diminishes its color and flavor.
She fiddled with the flowers a couple of times and found that the osmanthus blossoms were very clean, all processed, and there were no withered branches or rotten leaves among them, so she knew that the other party must have picked them out carefully.
"If you find any more high-quality osmanthus flowers or other ingredients in the future, you can use them to offset the cost of my meals."
Xu Milu plans to make more osmanthus jam and osmanthus wine in the fall. Thirty catties of dried osmanthus flowers seem like a lot, but they will be gone once they are used up, so it is better to store more.
"...I'll do my best."
Thinking of all that delicious food, Wei Ying swallowed hard, but the thought of his father's bamboo cane made the wound on his buttocks start to hurt again.
...
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