10 Sizzling Charcoal-Grilled Smoked Venison
◎Good news! Our shop has a new helper!◎
Yan Yunzhao opened the cloth bag, inside which was a wooden box painted with peach branches, and two rows of pastries were neatly arranged inside the box.
Just a few days ago, she was thinking of buying some pastries to try, but she was so busy that she forgot.
She picked up a square-shaped pastry and put it in her mouth. It was soft, sweet, and the crispy crust melted in her mouth, releasing a rich, oily aroma. Even Yan Yunzhao, a modern person who had transmigrated from another era and had a discerning palate, couldn't help but be impressed.
"This must be very expensive, right?" She swallowed the pastry, and a faint sweet fragrance seemed to linger in her mouth.
She had tried pastries from Lixi Town before, but they were crudely made, bland in sweetness, and lacked aroma. The ones Lou Su brought back were different.
“It’s not exactly cheap. I heard this pastry is very popular in Panlong City, so I bought it for you to try,” Lou Su said gently.
"Young Master Lou, you're so kind." She carefully accepted the box and gave him a bright smile to express her gratitude.
Perhaps the medical skills in Panlong City were indeed excellent, because Yan Yunzhao noticed that Lou Su's thin lips had become a little rosier.
After this trip, she brought back spring water brimming with spiritual energy, which can help the grass spirits cultivate human form. In this way, the small shop will have enough manpower.
How could she explain these people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere to Lou Su? She pondered for several days and decided to tell everyone that they were cousins who had come to seek refuge.
To help the grass demon cultivate, Lou Su needed to be sent away, so he came up with a plan and said, "Lou Su, our shop is short of rice and vegetables these days. Could you please go down the mountain to buy some tomorrow morning?"
Lou Su remained calm and nodded slightly: "As usual, just write down what you need on the bamboo slips and give it to me."
The two whispered and discussed for a moment. As they were about to go back inside, they turned around and saw Ye Qin squatting on the ground not far away, playing with Rongrong.
The next day, Lou Su went out, and Yan Yunzhao and Ye Qin hurriedly went up the mountain.
On a sunny hillside, countless blades of grass lay lazily on a soft meadow. Compared to last time, there were even a few more sprouting tender green tips.
One, two, three... nineteen. Yan Yunzhao counted. There were a total of nineteen grass spirits that had developed intelligence under her influence. Among them, three had been with her the longest, having spent a hundred years with her. They were probably just waiting for an opportunity to be refined into human form.
She uncorked the bottles and carefully dripped a few drops of Huaxian Spring water onto them. She was afraid that too much water would be too strong and have the opposite effect.
The two huddled together on the grass, quietly watching the grass, waiting for a miracle to happen.
Yan Yunzhao took a deep breath and stared intently at the three small grasses, feeling both expectant and apprehensive.
They slowly awoke from their slumber: "Boss? I feel so comfortable all over... there's a very familiar and comforting scent..."
Familiar and comforting? Yan Yunzhao frowned, and before she could figure it out, the three grasses suddenly grew a bit longer.
Now all that remains is for them to absorb the medicinal properties, break through the final level, and take human form.
Ye Qin and Yan Yunzhao sat cross-legged on the ground, continuously supplying them with spiritual energy to aid their cultivation. Around noon, three girls in blue clothes gradually materialized.
They looked at their own bodies in disbelief, then at each other in disbelief, and finally at Yan Yunzhao with astonishment.
"Boss... what are we doing?"
Yan Yunzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief and said happily, "Congratulations on your transformation into human form!"
"Huh, this Transformation Spring is actually so useful." Ye Qin stared at the Three Grass Demon with his bright, watery eyes and frowned, extremely surprised.
Logically speaking, this Transformation Spring only improves cultivation by about a hundred years. Given the Three Grass Demons' ordinary aptitude, they should have cultivated for at least a thousand years before they could transform into human form...
There must be something more to this than meets the eye. Ye Qin was about to speak, but swallowed his words: "Well, what's done is done. I've already taken human form, so why bring up this spoilsport? Never mind."
Three girls chattered around Yan Yunzhao, pulling her left and right to look at her, unable to get enough of her: "Boss, you're still so beautiful even in human form!"
"That's right, that's right, the boss is the most beautiful grass in the whole wilderness."
Although these words sounded strange, Yan Yunzhao was very excited to see the three pretty little grass fairies and couldn't help but feel happy as well.
Perhaps because she had watched them grow up for two hundred years, she now felt a sense of elder's affection for them as she saw them successfully refine into human form.
"What names should I give you?" Yan Yunzhao looked at the three grass demons, thinking hard but having no idea.
Starting with one, two, or three small ones is too casual; small green, small purple, or small red are too tacky...
When she was at her wit's end, she looked around. The ancients believed in the importance of timing and location when naming their children. Spring flowers and autumn moons could all be used in names. So she said, "Today, Cui Liang Mountain is unusually sunny, and the spring water is gurgling. Why not name them Jingming, Qingxi, or Shuyu?"
"Great name!" The eyes of the group lit up in unison.
The three grass spirits chanted their names, quite happily.
Yan Yunzhao pulled Ye Qin over and introduced him to the little grass demon: "This is Ye Qin. You two will be dealing with each other often in the future."
Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu nodded as if they understood.
The little grass demon has just been transformed into human form. She is pure and kind-hearted and doesn't know much about the world. There is still much for her to learn.
Yan Yunzhao helped them cultivate their human forms, partly because he hoped they would have help at his small shop. However, he wasn't concerned about their willingness, so he asked, "I have a small shop at the foot of the mountain. I farm, raise chickens, and cook. Would you like to come and help?"
"We're willing! We'll be wherever our leader is."
The three grass demons readily agreed, and Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu were immersed in the joy of taking on human form, constantly examining their bodies, seemingly very happy.
Hearing this, Yan Yunzhao felt a little relieved. Seeing that it was getting late, he led them down the mountain.
Lou Su had already returned to the shop. When Yan Yunzhao appeared before him with the three grass demons, he remained calm and composed, introducing them as follows: "These are Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu. They are my distant cousins. Their family has fallen on hard times, and they have come to seek refuge with me."
Lou Su looked around at the three women, smiled slightly, and bowed: "I have been helping out at this small shop for a long time, and I hope the three ladies will be understanding."
The three grass demons returned the greeting, but kept pulling him to look at them, seemingly very curious.
"Where do you three young ladies live?"
Lou Su asked with a smile, but it froze the smiles on Ye Qin and Yan Yunzhao's faces.
What should we do? This matter wasn't explained properly beforehand!
Jingming glanced at Ye Yan and the other man, who had different expressions, and hesitated before saying, "Uh... it's just a remote little place, you probably don't know about it."
"I have traveled all over the world and been to several places. I might as well tell you about them. Perhaps you know them."
"It's Cui..."
"Cui Family Village!"
Yan Yunzhao answered before Jingming could. The three grass demons were stunned for a moment, then hurriedly chimed in, "Ah, right, right... it's Cui Family Village."
“Cui Family Village is indeed a good place. Have the three young ladies had their meal? I'm afraid we didn't buy enough rice today, so I'll go down the mountain to buy some more.”
"No need to trouble you, Young Master Lou, we've already eaten."
Yan Yunzhao waved his hand repeatedly, stopping Lou Su from stepping out the door.
"That's good. It's getting late, everyone should get some rest."
Lou Su raised his eyes and smiled faintly, his gaze passing over the crowd and landing on Yan Yunzhao.
However… a problem arose. Yan Yunzhao hesitated and said, “The inn originally only had two bedrooms. Where should Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu stay?”
Everyone was stunned.
Seeing her hesitation, Lou Su comforted her, "If the three young ladies are going to sleep together, how about... I share a room with Miss Yan, and I can sleep on the floor. We can expand the shop later when we have saved enough money."
Lou Su observed Yan Yunzhao's reaction discreetly. Seeing her lower her eyes in thought, he was not in a hurry and simply smiled, waiting for the arrangement.
Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu didn't think too much about it and readily agreed, but Yan Yunzhao was worried.
A man and a woman alone in a room, this...
But then she thought again, there was nothing wrong with being in the same room as Lou Su. After all, she had lived for nearly three hundred years and was long since indifferent to lust, while Lou Su was just a young man in his early twenties. In terms of mortal seniority, she could even be his great-great-grandmother.
Besides, one sleeps on the bed and the other sleeps on the floor, so neither of them gets in the other's way.
Seeing that everything was settled, Ye Qin dusted off his robes, stood up, and said goodbye, "Then I'll return to my sect. If you need anything, just let me know."
After Yan Yunzhao saw her out of the shop, Ye Qin pinched a small blue ball of light between two fingers and inserted it into her temple.
Yan Yunzhao felt a cool force penetrate her temples, and a wisp of Ye Qin's spiritual thought lingered in her mind.
This means the two have become "friends". As a disciple of the Qingshan Sect in his previous life, Yan Yunzhao was naturally very familiar with this.
"Come visit again when you have time." Yan Yunzhao smiled and waved to Ye Qin, then disappeared from the spot.
The shop will open tomorrow. Yan Yunzhao returned to the backyard of the shop with the potatoes in the field on his mind. He was delighted to see that the potatoes nourished by Ye Qin's spiritual power had grown quite a bit.
A soft halo of light enveloped the vegetable garden, with wisps of light constantly filtering through and sprinkling onto the branches, nourishing the garden. Plump, round potatoes lay buried in the ground. Yan Yunzhao carefully dug one up with a shovel to examine it; its skin was thin, and its flesh thick, much larger than potatoes bought in the market.
Lou Su had been busy all day, and Yan Yunzhao kindly told him to rest. He called Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu to help dig potatoes while the night dew was still heavy, so that they could prepare the ingredients before opening.
"When you dig with the shovel, be careful not to cut the plant roots. After digging out the potatoes, sort them by size and lay them out."
Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu nodded, but their hands holding shovels wouldn't obey them. They would either send the shovels flying into the air or cut the roots with a single shovel.
Fortunately, before the vegetable garden was completely ruined, they finally conquered the human body, gradually found the knack, and their hands began to work in an orderly manner. The potatoes they dug up gradually piled up into a small hill.
Yan Yunzhao picked out a few large potatoes of good quality and examined them carefully. With the blessing of spiritual power, the potatoes grew much better, but they were still not quite satisfactory.
The thick skin and the green and astringent interior are not due to insufficient growth period, but rather to the unpredictable climate of Cuiliang Mountain, which is often accompanied by torrential rain.
Now that Xiao Fu is back, this problem can be effectively solved.
She led the three little grass fairies to cut the large potatoes they had selected into small pieces, making sure to expose the buds, soaking them in water to keep them moist, and then spreading them out in a sunny place to dry.
Once the potato tubers have sprouted, you can continue cultivating the land.
However, it would dry out eventually if left to dry in the blazing sun, so to keep it moist, she stretched out the small talisman and covered it up. The moisturizing effect was just right.
Jingming moved closer to her, touched the small talisman, and asked curiously, "Boss, why did you cut the potato into small pieces? And what is this transparent thing with strange golden characters engraved on it?"
Yan Yunzhao spread the potatoes out further and explained, "Cutting them into smaller pieces will allow them to sprout better, so that they can grow into new potatoes when planted in the ground."
"These selected good potatoes produce new potatoes, and then even better potatoes are selected from the new potatoes and planted. This process is repeated, and the potatoes produced are only getting better and better."
"As for the golden strange characters... it's my friend, Little Fu, but he's asleep right now and hasn't woken up yet."
Jingming, Qingxi, and Shuyu nodded thoughtfully. Having just escaped the hillside where they had lived for over a hundred years, they were filled with curiosity about everything outside.
The three lively little grass fairies added a lot of fun to their mundane days. With these three helpers, the shop's operation became easier. Yan Yunzhao also taught them many cooking and dough-kneading techniques, and the three grass fairies' skills improved somewhat.
The shop will open tomorrow, and Yan Yunzhao plans to make some potato pancakes and fries to test the waters. He saved a small portion of the potatoes he dug today; although they still don't taste good, frying them in oil should mask the bitterness.
As usual, she took a cleaver, peeled and chopped the potato starch. Potato starch is always a nuisance, always leaving a white powdery layer on the cutting board. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Yan Yunzhao specially collected the potato starch this time to make potato noodles.
French fries and potato pancakes are simple to make. Just fry strips or balls of mashed potatoes in a sizzling oil pan until they turn golden brown.
The aroma of the oil has always been far-reaching, which attracted two hunters who were out hunting at night on Cuiliang Mountain.
The hunter, drawn by the scent, found a charming little shop with a bright candlelight in a secluded spot along a winding path. He put down his spear, opened the door, and sat inside.
Yan Yunzhao was carrying the finished fries and potato cakes to Lou Su and Cao Yao to try when he came out of the kitchen and was startled to see two burly men dressed in black sitting silently in the shop.
Who are you two?
"So you're the innkeeper, young lady? My husband and I were hunting when we smelled the aroma of food and came looking for us. Is there any food left?"
The two were clearly father and son, both tall and strong, with very dark skin.
The person who spoke had a pair of slanted eyebrows that were always furrowed, as if he had a bad temper. It was already midnight, and Yan Yunzhao did not want to serve these two guests anymore, so he said tactfully, "Our shop has not prepared any ingredients yet, so I'm afraid there is nothing for you two to eat."
That's obviously a lie. After all, which small shop doesn't prepare its ingredients the night before? Besides, there's a brightly lit chicken coop outside Cuiliang Wilderness, where the pheasants are fat and healthy, raised by Lou Su. It's hard to miss them.
The man didn't suspect anything, but got up and went out the door. The one named Wulang, however, sat steadily, leaving Yan Yunzhao unsure whether they were going to eat or not.
After a while, he carried a piece of meat from outside the door and put it in front of Yan Yunzhao: "This was killed an hour ago, it's fresh, let's use this to cook."
It seems there's no escaping this order. Yan Yunzhao examined the meat in front of him; it should weigh at least six pounds and had already been processed, with the finest leg meat selected.
The raw meat was unpleasant to look at. She took a pair of cloth gloves, lifted the piece of meat by the waist with both hands, and carried it back to the kitchen without even panting. Goro, who was about to help, froze on the spot. The two of them stared blankly for a moment, their expressions changing from doubt to astonishment.
"This young lady...is really strong."
Goro reluctantly withdrew his hand.
This meat smelled unusually fishy and was purplish-red in color, unlike beef or mutton; it must be deer leg meat. Deer meat is difficult to remove its fishy smell, and the leg meat is firm. Even Yan Yunzhao, who was a head chef in his previous life, pondered for a while.
It wasn't that it was particularly difficult for her, but rather that tools and seasonings were scarce in ancient times.
She took scallions, ginger, and garlic, chopped them into strips, and threw them into a large pot of boiling water to simmer and remove the gamey smell. Then she shaved the venison into thin diamond-shaped slices, put them in a porcelain bowl, added the same three-piece set of scallions, ginger, and garlic, sprinkled on light soy sauce, a little flour, and poured in a few spoonfuls of white wine to marinate and remove the gamey smell.
This step takes a long time, and Yan Yunzhao was afraid that the two customers would be impatient, so he brought out the fries and potato cakes to satisfy their cravings first, and thoughtfully provided a bowl of ketchup as well.
Goro reached for the fries, but his father slapped his hand away: "No oily food tonight, what did your mother tell you?"
“Father, we’ve been running around on the mountain for so long today, and my head is spinning. I’ll just eat a little less.”
Unable to dissuade him, the hunter let him have his way. Once he started eating, he was hooked. Dipping the potato strips in a bright red sauce he had never seen before, the oily yellow potato strips were delicious. The oily aroma mixed with the sweet and sour taste made them so delicious that he never got tired of them and wanted to eat more and more.
"Shopkeeper, what is this? I've never seen it before."
Yan Yunzhao was busy in the kitchen when he called out from afar, "These are called French fries, a very old food."
French fries? The two pondered the word, eating one after another, until they were practically fighting over them.
These fries have a crispy outer shell, a soft and fluffy interior, and are coated with salty coarse salt grains, leaving a slightly smoky aftertaste as you chew them.
The reason for its outstanding taste is simply that Yan Yunzhao added some special seasoning to the mashed potatoes, then used magic to freeze them after they were shaped before frying them. The taste was naturally good; otherwise, the fries would be loose and shapeless, turning into a pot of mush.
The deer leg meat is best boiled and eaten with vinegar, but unfortunately it takes a whole morning to cook, so Yan Yunzhao chose to roast it.
Choose a pot with a flat bottom, drizzle cooked seed oil over the bottom, roast scallion slices until they sizzle and smell fragrant, sprinkle a few fennel leaves on top, then lay the pork leg flat and turn it frequently to prevent it from burning or becoming overcooked.
When the meat is dry and white, brush it with a special sauce made with chopped chili peppers, scallions, minced garlic, light soy sauce, and a little white wine, and the flavor will slowly emerge. However, it's not quite done yet; it tastes best when the edges are slightly charred.
This method not only removes the gamey smell of venison but also preserves the firm and chewy aroma of the leg meat. Drizzled with imitation black pepper oil and garnished with radish flowers and fennel leaves, it's a truly exquisite Western dish!
However, the difference is that Yan Yunzhao's portion was very generous, enough to fill two adults with big appetites.
The hunters were already itching to eat when they smelled the food outside, swallowing their saliva countless times. As soon as the dish was served, they picked up their chopsticks and wolfed it down, their mouths greasy with oil.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
After the two hunters finished the roasted meat, they were so engrossed in eating that they practically licked the bottom of the plate clean. The beautifully presented radish flowers and vegetable leaves were also devoured.
"Boss, from now on, I'll bring you meat from hunting, and you'll take care of our two meals a day! We'll cook whatever's available, we won't be picky!"
"Please feel free to come, sir/madam. Meals are no problem."
Yan Yunzhao smiled, and the hunter generously gave him fifty coins.
However, she pushed the money back: "You brought the meat yourself, there's no need to put in so much. Cui Liang Wild Game insists on a fair price, twenty coins will suffice."
"The shopkeeper is trustworthy in business; I admire him greatly."
The hunter grinned heartily, waved his hand, and led Goro away.
After that, the two became regular customers of Cui Liang Wild Game, sometimes bringing venison, sometimes pheasant, and they never came empty-handed.
The extra food was generously sold to Yan Yunzhao at a low price to be used by other customers in the shop.
Unexpectedly, this made the other diners very discerning.
"Boss Yan, the tenderloin there was excellent yesterday, why is it all gone today?"
The old man smacked his lips, clearly dissatisfied.
"Please forgive me, sir. Our shop insists on using fresh wild ingredients and cooking them to order. What kind of meat we catch today is entirely up to fate, and I cannot make that decision."
Yan Yunzhao smiled and said, "Since you come often, perhaps we'll find something you like to eat here."
No one can resist the allure of this, and indeed a group of diners came specifically to wait for the random fresh meat, which inadvertently fostered customer loyalty.
Originally, Lou Su would catch four pheasants and a number of fish and shrimp every day, which was not only exhausting but also lost the novelty that diners wanted. After that, he became more casual and caught whatever he saw. As a result, the small shop became popular and could serve forty or fifty tables every day.
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